Online Business Launchpad | Start An Online Business | Online Business Growth

What do you do when you need investor funding for your startup, but you’re struggling to convince anyone to open their wallets?

Rob May, engineer turned entrepreneur, knows what that feels like. Even though he had experience with startups, he still found it a struggle to convince investors to fund his ideas.

However, he finally cracked the code.

And in this episode Rob shares how constant practice pitching and getting feedback eventually made him a master storyteller that helped him hugely increase the odds of getting funding.

We also talk about:

• Rob’s journey from electrical engineer to tech entrepreneur
• Building and scaling startups
• Finding investors and handling rejection
• Transitioning from pirate culture to a process-driven organisation
• Using AI for brand content governance
• Scaling AI companies amid supply constraints

Listen in to hear Rob's startup stories and advice on pitching, funding, team building, and more!

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• BrandGuard: https://www.brandguard.ai/
• Rob's Substack: https://investinginai.substack.com/
• Rob's AI Innovators Podcast:
• Apple:
• Spotify:

Want regular access to tips, techniques and advice from experts about growing your business? Sign up here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you reached the point in life where you or your business or personal partner are starting to experience menopause-related symptoms? Things like brain fog or hot flashes? And you and/or your partner are starting to feel the impact, not just on work tasks, but also on relationships and self-confidence?

Menopause and its various associated symptoms can have a huge impact on women and their careers. And for Tracy Minnoch-Nuku, that impact was the trigger for changing the direction of her business.

Tracy Minnoch-Nuku is an educator, speaker, facilitator and coach. And she is an educated and experienced advocate for women's health and fitness.

With over 30 years in the fitness industry, Tracy began her career as a Group Fitness Teacher and Personal Trainer where she transformed bodies and lives through fitness and nutrition.

She spent 20 years developing teams and fitness training programs in Asia - live, online and through fitness apps.

And Tracy has a deep interest in something that I think we don’t talk about enough and that is the effect that menopause has on the women going through it and the people in their lives.

In this episode we talk about how that menopause effect can seriously impact our physical and mental health, our relationships and our careers.

We also talk about:

• The importance of understanding and empathy from partners during menopause.
• The need for education and open discussion about menopause, both at home and in the workplace.
• Encouraging male involvement in understanding menopause to support women effectively.
• How building a business focused on menopause helped Tracy personally and professionally.
• Some of the differences in how menopause is experienced and managed in various cultures.
• Tracy's journey in developing a comprehensive menopause app.
• Insights into the transformative aspects of menopause and how it shapes one's identity and values.
• Ageism in the Workplace

If you’re a woman solopreneur or small business owner that’s beginning to experience menopause symptoms … or you work with women who are entering menopause, I encourage you to have a listen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Website: https://www.sexyageing.com/
• Fitness and Lifestyle App: https://www.sexyageing.com/pages/sexy-ageing-app
• Menopause Workshops: https://www.sexyageing.com/pages/sexy-ageing-workshops
• Tracy’s Book: https://geni.us/menopause-memoir (affiliate link)

Want regular access to tips, techniques and advice from experts about growing your business? Sign up here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building a community can be a really tough job. People come and go for so many reasons.

Sometimes it’s because they’ve outgrown what the community can offer. Sometimes it’s because life just happens and they need to cut back on expenses or take a break for awhile or whatever. And sometimes people leave because they weren’t a good fit in the first place and didn’t find what they were looking for in that community.

In today’s episode I’m talking with David Masnato, the Community Experience manager for Pat Flynn’s SPI Pro community. Earlier this year, he participated in my Quiz Creators Course and Coaching program because he was interested in learning how to use quizzes to make the SPI community member experience even better.

So I asked him if he’d share his thoughts about the Quiz Creators Course and the process we used to help him create quizzes which are already having a positive impact on the customer journey for SPI Pro members.

Listen in as David, a highly experienced community manager, shares the reasons:

• Why both he and SPI are so intensely focused on improving customer experience
• How he identified ways to use intake and exit form questions to more deeply understand what potential customers are looking for from the SPI community, before they join
• How asking great questions in the form of quizzes is a highly effective way to gather data that makes it possible to identify gaps in user experience
• How the Quiz Creators Course and Coach program taught him to think differently about questions and the role they can play in understanding customers needs

RESOURCES MENTIONED

The Quiz Creators Course

SPI Pro Community (affiliate link)

SPI All Access Pass (affiliate link)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Danny Maloney is the CEO and Co-founder of Tailwind. Tailwind gives over 1.5 million businesses worldwide the marketing team they need through A.I. that drafts ads campaigns and posts for you so you can accomplish far more in far less time.

Prior to founding Tailwind, Danny spent a number of years working at Google and YouTube on new product initiatives including Street View and the YouTube Creators Program, and then worked on the turnaround team at AOL after it spun off of Time Warner, leading up to it later being acquired by Verizon.

In this episode, we talked about his journey from employee to co-founder and CEO and how his previous roles have shaped his entrepreneurial journey.

We also talked about:

• The Importance of AI in Marketing and how AI is revolutionizing the marketing landscape.
• The Importance of Pivoting to better meet market demands and technological advancements.
• Funding Journey for Tailwind, from bootstrapping to angel investing and eventually partnering with a growth equity firm.
• Tips and advice for businesses considering seeking angel investors, based on Danny's personal experience.
• The challenges and importance of seed funding
• Investor relationship building
• An overview of Tailwind and what it can do
• The challenges that small businesses face with running ad campaigns
• The role of AI in marketing
• Support for non-native English speakers with Tailwind

If you’re interested in how funding works for a tech startup OR for how AI can help with small business marketing, I invite you to have a listen. There’s some very valuable information here.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Tailwind Website: tailwindapp.com

Danny’s Email: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’re fortunate enough to be in a position to invest a bit of extra cash … but you’re not into real estate or the share market (or bitcoin), then this episode will be of interest to you.

Kyle Kuderewski is the Operations Manager for webstreet.co (formerly Empire Flippers Capital)) - He has a wealth of expertise in passive investing, entrepreneurship, and alternative investments.

Kyle's journey from the corporate world to WebStreet began when he discovered the potential of online businesses while exploring real estate investments. Intrigued by the opportunities offered by then-Empire Flippers, he immersed himself in their culture and quickly realized that there was a need for passive investment options in the online business industry.

Kyle now leads the charge at WebsStreet in making online businesses a passive investment opportunity for accredited investors.

We talk about:

• Kyle’s transition from engineer to investor
• The WebStreet business model and how the buy-hold-sell process works for all the different stakeholders
• The criteria for investing and selling
• Some of the no-go zones for websites they WON’T have in their investment portfolios
• Current market trends and how they are affecting various business models like content, FBA and SaaS
• WebStreet’s shift towards crowdfunding options, which allows non-accredited investors to participate with lower minimums

So whether you’re looking to invest as you move towards retirement from your corporate job or you’re simply hunting for something that doesn’t include more traditional investment types or the risk of cryptocurrency, I invite you to have a listen to this informative episode.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Website: Webstreet.co
• Portfolio Manager: https://webstreet.co/faq/#portfolio-managers
• Website: Empire Flippers
• Invest Via WeFunder: WeFunder Round
• LinkedIn: Kyle's LinkedIn Profile
• Twitter: Webstreet on Twitter
• Email: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Molly Rose Speed is an expert in creating what everyone wants more of -- time freedom. She is the creator of Virtual Assistant Academy and the Founder of Virtual Assistant Management, which provides trusted VA certification and placement in the online market.

Molly Rose is also a military spouse and solo world traveler who believes in creating a business and a life that allows you to do more of what you love.

In this episode we talk about Molly Rose's transition from a traditional 9-5 to the world of online business and what inspired her dive into the virtual assistant space.

We also talk about:

• Growth challenges and self-doubt
• Molly's approach to certifying VAs in the absence of a standard industry benchmark
• The dual focus of Molly's training: imparting specific VA skillsets and guiding on setting up a VA business
• The difference between her business academy and her tech academy
• Business identity and targeting the right client
• The importance of communication skills for success as a VA.
• A day in the life of Molly Rose Speed
• Hiring Domestic vs. International VAs
• Gender and age dynamics in the VA Industry
• Emerging needs in the market for VAs

It’s an interesting business model and there’s a lot of wisdom wrapped into this episode. I invite you to have a listen.

Resources Mentioned:

Website: Virtual Assistant Academy

Website: Virtual Assistant Management

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollyrosespeed

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever set goals for yourself or your business, only to fall far, far short and feel extremely disappointed with yourself? I know I have.

In this insightful podcast episode with Cody Limbaugh, we delve into the world of goal setting and personal transformation.

Cody Limbaugh has been a Strength & Conditioning Coach for nearly 20 years. He's coached people from all walks of life, from youth teams to retirees, from Olympic athletes to elderly patients recovering from joint replacement surgeries.

Cody is also the author of the counterintuitive book, “Stop Setting Goals!”

Which grabbed my attention because we’re taught, especially as senior managers in the corporate world that goal setting is everything … even if we fail to achieve those goals.

Cody and his wife Tali co-host the Live All Your Life Podcast. Now they're using their 30+ years of combined coaching experience to help couples re-ignite their spark through fitness, nutrition, and intimacy practices through their FitTogether coaching program at howtofittogether.com.

We talk about:

• Cody's personal journey, from transitioning from a mortgage banker to a personal trainer and coach
• The difference between engineering goals and the traditional SMART goals paradigm, and why the latter may not always be the best fit for achieving your aspirations.
• The concept of radical honesty in relationships and how it helps individuals and the relationship evolve
• The unique challenges and dynamics of working together as a couple in a business.
• The E-Myth concept of structuring a business with defined roles and duties.
• Cody’s unique perspective on focusing on the trajectory towards your vision, cultivating daily habits, and celebrating small victories along the way.
• Some of the valuable lessons he's learned about teaching and overcoming imposter syndrome.

If you're looking to reframe your approach to goals and find inspiration in personal transformation, this episode is a must-listen.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Podcast: Live All Your Life Podcast (Spotify)

Website: howtofittogether.com

Book: Stop Setting Goals by Cody Limbaugh (affiliate link)

Book: See You At The Top by Zig Ziglar (affiliate link)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don Finley gets to use his skills every day to help startups take new and emerging technology and turn them into viable, sellable products.

He is the founder of FINdustries, a leading product development agency with a focus on the tech and financial sectors. And his expertise in fusing science, art, and technology has helped propel his agency to the forefront of the industry.

Bolstered by a global network of 60+ partners and 16,000 developers, FINdustries has helped clients generate over $1 billion in annual revenue.

We talk about:

• Strategic product development that focuses on bridging the gap between technical and business acumen in the market
• The limitations in translating scientific research into marketable products
• The importance of understanding how products fit into people’s lives
• Use cases for AI in startups, its accuracy and limitations and whether it will result in the stagnation of human learning
• Examples of AI as a collaborative tool
• The challenges of managing long product development cycles
• Navigating the challenges of project-based businesses
• Entrepreneurship as self-development and redefining work-life balance
• Advice for startups

There are a lot of invaluable insights into the evolving challenges and opportunities in entrepreneurship in this episode, especially for those looking to scale their project-based businesses. I invite you to listen in.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dfinley/

Company Website: FINdustries

Email: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting out at age 25, Tanya Alvarez self-funded her first New York ad agency, using credit cards, and achieved zero to 1 million in revenue in the first year. Along the way, she traveled to 42 countries, completing the Boston and NYC Marathons and a Half Ironman, all while battling a rare brittle bone condition. Since that first year, Tanya has founded, bootstrapped, sold and invested in five companies.

In this episode we talk about Tanya’s journey of self-funding her first ad agency and the strategy she used..

We also talk about:

• Selling her first business
• Challenges that arise when clients owe you money
• The story behind her current business, OwnersUp and its growth
• The challenges of setting up a multi-lingual, remote team that can take over while the owner is away
• Why setting strategy is important to create the type of business you want
• More about some of the other businesses, Tanya has successfully participated in or founded and the associated challenges
• Why it’s important to align your decision making with your values
• Accountability, growth, mindset challenges and some of the common entrepreneurial stages we go through as business owners
• How being part of a supportive group can help with motivation and overcoming challenges

There is a lot of wisdom packed into this short interview. I invite you to listen in.

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Website: https://ownersup.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyaownersup/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few years ago, Kristian Hansen accidentally bought a pair of women’s jeans. In the process, he discovered a problem that needed to be solved in a way that didn’t replicate existing challenges within the fashion industry.

Fast forward to today, where Kristian gets called “the Jeans Guy” and for good reason.

Kristian is the co-founder and CEO of Slø (pronounced “slow”). At Slø, Kristian and his team are redefining what it means to build companies through community. Having generated a $360,000 pre-seed and a 100,000 person wait list ($10M projected revenue) with $0 ad-spend, they are starting the slow fashion revolution.

Kristian is a mission-driven founder currently on a journey to solve the climate crisis through eco-conscious capitalism, the power of consumerism, and data. Not to mention he has 700K followers and 6.8M likes on TikTok.

In this episode, Kristian shares how those lady’s jeans and what he did with them, kicked off a series of events that lead to the founding of Slø

We also talked about:

• Eco-conscious capitalism and consumerism
• Slow versus fast fashion
• Some of the business challenges of moving away from product standardisation and how that affects strategy and scalability
• Getting engagement through feedback
• The value of community and listening to them
• The power of TikTok and some of the concerns around its future

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Website: https://slojeans.co/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristianfrommntn

WeFunder Round: https://wefunder.com/slo

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.