Go And Grow Podcast - Learn How Entrepreneurs, Startup Founders, And Industry Leaders Launch And Grow Products And Companies

This episode marks the end of Season One. We're going to take a break, and I want to talk about why. I’ve been guilty of lacking focus and spreading myself too thin. I haven’t been making enough progress on what really is important to me in the business world: launching and growing a startup. So I’ve decided to make some changes and focus more of my attention on that ONE thing, and, unfortunately, that means something has to give. I love speaking with startup founders and entrepreneurs, engaging with all of you, and working on the podcast – but, right now, I need to make that conscious effort to focus more of my time and energy on launching my startup. Once that gets going, you’ll hear me back on the mic. I’ll continue to leverage this amazing medium to connect with and learn from other entrepreneurs, and I'll share that knowledge with you as well.  If you’re listening right now, thank you so much for joining me. The ride’s not over; it’s just going to sit still for a little while so I can focus on my ultimat

Today's guest, Leonard Kim, is managing partner of InfluenceTree. At InfluenceTree, Leonard and his team teach people how to position their brands, get featured in publications and grow their social media following. Leonard is recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Top Digital Marketer and Top Youth Marketer, and by Red Letter Resumes as a Top Personal Branding Expert. He went from being almost homeless to becoming a personal branding expert whose content has been read over 10 million times. He has amassed a social media following of well over 250,000 people. He’s been featured in too many publications to name, so there's a Wikipedia page about him. We're going to learn Leonard's powerful story about struggle and success, useful and actionable tips for becoming a social media expert, and how a strategy can help overcome both fear and the noise on social media. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/060

Today's guest, Larry Kim, is Founder and Chief Technology Officer of WordStream, a marketing software company managing over a half-billion dollars in annual ad spend for over ten thousand customers, and he shares marketing insights to over a million visitors every month at his WordStream Blog. Larry also developed free tools for Facebook ads & AdWords used by over a million marketers worldwide; is a leading contributor to Inc. Magazine and Search Engine Land; keynoted dozens of marketing events; was named "Most Influential PPC Expert" for 2015, 2014 and 2013 by PPC Hero; and won the 2015 Top Search Marketer of the Year awards from both the US Search Awards & Search Engine Land. We're going to learn how Larry validated WordStream, how he built an offer that gets new customers in the door, and how an expert approaches content marketing. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/059

Today's guest, Allen Gannett, is a leader in the science of marketing and creativity, and a sought-after investor in innovative technology companies. He is the Founder and CEO of TrackMaven; a General Partner at Acceleprise Ventures; and he is a frequent writer on creativity, leadership, and marketing with his work appearing in Fast Company, The Washington Post, The Next Web, and more. TrackMaven is a marketing data and intelligence platform used by some of the world’s biggest brands, including General Electric, Microsoft, Marriott, Fidelity, and other Fortune 500 companies. Acceleprise Ventures is an early-stage fund that invests in emerging software companies. Through Acceleprise and his personal investments, Allen has invested in nearly fifty startups ranging from language learning disruptors to next-generation artificial intelligence technologies. Gannett has also been honored as a Forbes “30 under 30,” a World Economic Forum “Global Shaper,” a Washingtonian “Tech Titan,” and an Ernst and Young “Entrepren

Today's guest, Callum Laing, has started, built, bought and sold half a dozen businesses in a range of industries across two continents. He is a partner in the Private Equity firm Unity-Group, co-founder and Director of The Marketing Group PLC, a Director of the Key Person of Influence program in Asia, and an author of two books. Callum wrote Progressive Partnerships: The Future of Business, a widely acclaimed book identifying the evolution of business from competition to collaboration, and his new book is Agglomerate: From Idea to IPO in 12 months, which is co-authored with his business partner Jeremy Harbour. We're going to learn about the concept of Agglomeration developed by Callum and his business partner Jeremy Harbour, how the first collaborative IPO launched by Unity-Group is achieving rapid growth, and how Callum envisions Agglomerations helping small businesses grow in the future. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/057

Today's guest, Dana A. Oliver, recently retired from his position as Senior Director of Research & Development at Medtronic. With 30 years of experience and an impressive track record of revenue generation, Dana’s latest book Mantra Design is a must-read for every new product development professional aspiring to introduce premium priced, patent protected, market share leading products. He also has one previous book, Mantra Leadership. Dana is now an independent consultant helping companies with his new organization Innovation Leadership. He is helping businesses grow by introducing the concept of Emotionally Intelligent Innovation Leadership, which emphasizes the value of individuals to a business' success. We're going to learn the processes Dana used to help grow Medtronic's revenue from $100M to $2B, the value of emotionally intelligent leadership for business growth, and the best business mantras for entrepreneurs. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/056

Today's guest, Drew Massie, is Founder and CEO of AttorneyFone, which provides marketing and technology services for attorneys, and LeadGen Ventures, which helps startups with product development and go-to-market strategy for call generation and lead generation. Drew is an experienced entrepreneurial technology and business development professional, and he has impressively managed to grow his businesses while raising a family. We're going to learn how startups can take advantage of a pay-per-call advertising model, the processes that Drew goes through to grow new business ventures, and how he has been able to balance being a father and an entrepreneur. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/055

Today's guest, Rachel Adams, is a Realtor, Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker, and Coach. In just 3 years, Rachel Adams made Wall Street Journal’s list of Top 1000 Realtors in the US. To the outside world, her "Facebook life" looked perfect, but her reality was a different story – until one conversation changed everything. She wrote a book and created a program called Lost to Found in 90 Days that is changing lives all over the world. While real estate is in Rachel's blood, her greatest joy comes from encouraging others to lead their best life. This is why she launched Lost to Found in 90 Days, and this is why she often hosts Female Empowerment Masterminds geared towards "finding your power within." Rachel also recently launched Limited to Legendary, a 10-week course emphasizing how personal growth equals business success and how to leverage social media. Rachel has a special offer for the Go and Grow Audience. Go to lost2found90.com/free-previews to download the first three chapters of the book and one of the ins

Today's guest, Aaron Janx, is an in-demand Business and Sales Mentor for coaches and consultants around the world and in many different industries. Aaron owns and operates three businesses, including a successful real estate investment company, which has provided him the financial freedom necessary to follow his passion. Aaron's passion is mentoring coaches and consultants in lead generation and sales so that they can rapidly grow a strong, six-figure practice. Before Aaron jumped into entrepreneurship, he was a sales director and trainer with a Fortune 500 company. He won awards and broke sales, but he also lived beyond his means. He quickly went broke after parting ways with the company. Humiliated, depressed and defeated, Aaron reluctantly went on food stamps to feed his wife and four kids. Today, Aaron attributes his turnaround and success to his sales skills, which he says "took him from food stamps to freedom." We're going to learn about the sales skills that took Aaron "from food stamps to freedom," Aa

Today's guest, Tom Schwab, is Founder of Interview Valet, a concierge-level podcast booking service. Tom helps small business owners, entrepreneurs and solo-prenuers get featured on leading podcasts that their prospects are already listening to. Then he shows them how to turn listeners into customers. Tom is also the author of CONNECT: Grow Your Business as a Podcast Guest and the creator of the CONNECT Online Course. If you want to learn more about Interview Valet, receive free training for getting on your first podcast or download the checklist that Tom uses before every interview, head over to InterviewValet.com/GoAndGrow. We're going to learn how Interview Valet validated the effectiveness of the service, how podcasts convert 25x better than blogs, and which Guinness World Record Tom is trying to set. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/052

Today's guest, John Richards, has a ton of things going on. He’s a prolific angel investor and has invested in companies such as Omniture, Domo, FundersClub, and many others. John founded the Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at Brigham Young University, and most recently co-founded Startup Ignition with his son to teach budding entrepreneurs what they need to know to launch a startup. If Startup Ignition or the last name Richards sound familiar, that might be because I spoke with John’s son, Tyler Richards, in episode 40. We're going to learn how the Lean Startup model helps angel investors find success, the role of higher education in entrepreneurship, and how Dynamic Equity can help co-founders in a growing startup avoid common points of conflict. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/051

Today's guest, Saxon Baum, is Co-CEO and head of sales at WeVue, a Tampa, Florida based software company that helps bring organizational culture to life through the power of mobile photo and video sharing. WeVue launched as a consumer product more than four years ago, while Saxon was going to school at the Miami University of Ohio. The idea was sharing cool, fun cultural events in a semi-private setting, before Instagram hashtags or Snapchat stories were a big thing. However, they had the same problem that most consumer applications have - they weren't making money. WeVue was, however, being used by companies to record images and videos of their corporate events. Saxon and his partner transitioned the application into the B2B space, using concepts that are typically very popular in the consumer space to grow a revenue-generating business. We're going to learn how WeVue transitioned from a consumer-level product to an enterprise-level product, how company culture can have a significant impact on revenue, and h

Today's guest, Dave Schneider, is cofounder of Ninja Outreach, a new and innovative Blogger Outreach CRM. It's a way for marketers and small businesses to find bloggers and reach out to them for content marketing and influencer marketing purposes. We're going to learn how Dave launched Ninja Outreach (with two co-founders he has never met), why good promotion is a key differentiator in a sea of web content, and how to effectively use split testing to grow business revenue. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/049

Today's guest, Dayne Shuda, is Founder of GhostBlogWriters.com. Dayne’s first job out of school was as a catalog manager for a large footwear catalog. He then started blogging on the side and today, Ghost Blog Writers has about 50 remote team members writing for business blogs. We're going to learn how Dayne started ghost writing for business blogs, why he quit his job to turn that into a business early, and how blogging can grow a business. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/048

Today's guest, Greg Smith, is the Founder and CEO of Thinkific, a software platform that makes it easy to create, market and sell online courses. Greg was working as a corporate lawyer for one of the largest law firms in the country when he launched an online course as a side project. He then left his law job to jump into online education and Thinkific full time. Since then, Greg and his team at Thinkific have helped thousands of coaches, authors, speakers, and companies create and sell their own online courses as a way to build their brands and their revenues. If you want to try out Thinkific, or just check out some resources that will help you create and market an online course, head over to get.thinkific.com/goandgrow, where Greg is giving away $800 worth of premium training courses and a free month of the Thinkific Business Plan. We're going to learn how Greg went from lawyer to entrepreneur, the process anyone can take to develop their nascent course idea into a well-structured curriculum, and steps even

Today's guest, Jon Haver, is Co-Owner of BrandBuilders.io, Owner of a few Amazon Private Labels, Founder of Listing Eagle Software, and Founder of AuthorityWebsiteIncome.com. Jon is a 31-year-old husband, father, engineer, sports fan and huge geek. He has been pursuing an entrepreneurial lifestyle so that he can spend more time with his family, and for the last 8 years he has built up many businesses and a healthy passive income portfolio. Along the way, he has helped hundreds of others do the same! We're going to learn how Jon turned his side hustle into his career over the past 8 years, how Fulfillment by Amazon businesses operate, and Jon's unique influencer marketing strategy. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/046

Today's guest, Alejandro Cremades, is author of the best-selling book The Art of Startup Fundraising and currently leads the vision and execution for Onevest as its Co-Founder and Executive Chairman. The Onevest ecosystem supports founders and investors in building successful ventures from formation (via CoFoundersLab and now FounderDating) to financing (via 1000 Angels). We're going to learn how Alejandro has grown one of the largest communities of entrepreneurs, early-stage startups and investors in the world; how to find the ideal co-founder; and strategies for growing your startup through every stage of funding. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/045

Today's guest, Matt Miller, is Founder and President of School Spirit Vending, a business that helps schools and their clubs or organizations raise money more simply. SSV does hassle-free, year-long fundraising and installs sticker machines at no cost to the schools. SSV now has machines in over 2,000 schools in more than 30 states, and they have raised over $4 million for education since its inception in 2007. School Spirit Vending’s franchise model also provides a proven and profitable business system for professionals looking to develop secondary income streams. Matt also has a special offer for anyone in the Go and Grow Gang looking to grow their passive income: his new ebook, Live Your Dreams: The Top 10 Reasons Why You Need to Own a Vending Business. We're going to learn why Matt Miller started a vending business to make passive income, how franchising the business is facilitating impressive growth, and how Matt uses tools like podcasting to communicate with his franchise owners. You can also access thi

Today's guest is Kris Reid, CEO of Ardor Media Factory and Ardor SEO. Kris is also known as the Coolest Guy in SEO. Back in the day, Kris was a Software Engineer who has worked across the world for variety of companies, from small tech startups to giant conglomerates like Visa. He took a hiatus from the corporate scene to backpack around the world, and during his tenure as a traveller, he learned the art of Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) and started developing tools to help people rank their websites, which became the genesis for Ardor Media Factory and Ardor SEO. We're going to learn the basics of SEO, how to improve SEO for your websites, and tactics you can use for personal brand management. Kris also has an offer for the Go and Grow audience! The first thing Ardor does for any customer is a comprehensive website audit. They look at every one of the 200 points that Google uses to rank websites – usually it comes out at 60-80 pages of analysis. Follow this link, fill out the form and you will have a ch

Today's guest, Tucker Max, is co-founder and chairman of Book In A Box. If you're not familiar with Tucker, he has written three #1 NY Times bestsellers that have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. He is only the third writer (after Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis) to ever have three books on the New York Times Nonfiction Best Seller List at one time. We're going to learn about how Tucker Max successfully transitioned to an entrepreneurial lifestyle through constant messaging, about the launch of Book in a Box, and about the major overhaul they had to make within the company to grow. You can also access this episode at http://goandgrowpodcast.com/042