Weird Growth

On this episode, we have a returning guest, Iain McIntyre, who has journeyed from the realm of neuroscience with Humm to the forefront of AI innovation at MindsDB in San Francisco. Iain's story goes through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and the constant pursuit of ground-breaking solutions to complex challenges. Problem: Software developers face a common hurdle which is the time-consuming and intricate process of integrating AI into their applications. Solution: MindsDB with its open-source virtual database, automates the connection between data and AI models, enabling developers to deploy AI applications quicker and easier. One big piece of advice: You really need to look after yourself, if you know how to then you will go further. (Take time off, see family and friends, talk to other founders)

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(03:50) - How humm became a thing

(09:24) - Hardware is hard

(10:07) - The realisation Humm wasn’t going further

(13:00) - Living in a UFO landing pad during COVID

(14:13) - Helping people with anxiety

(17:31) - Progress made in neuroscience

(22:33) - Story of his journey at MindsDB

(27:44) - Self-driving cars

(29:44) - What it’s like living in San Francisco

(35:20) - Chat-GPT going live and society changes

(44:55) - What MindsDB is solving

(46:30) - One big piece of advice

(48:38) - Show & tell

Show & tell Roga Life MindsDB Khanmigo Humm

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On this episode, we have Harriet Mellor from Your Sales Co, who works with clients to support and improve their sales teams. They can identify in 30 minutes the sales teams’ strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Hear valuable insights on using your business data to make better decision-making decisions in your business. We discuss the yin and yang between marketing and sales, and the art of building an effective network including LinkedIn.

Problem:

People don’t know how to sell or enable their team to sell, the teams are underperforming.

Solution:

Your Sales Co can identify your strengths, opportunities, and weaknesses in 30 minutes. They solve problems that their clients don’t even know exist.

One big piece of advice:

Take the data you are getting from your entire business and make decisions based on that data that is progressing. There is so much data within our business, that you can apply it across your business.

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(03:37) - Why people turn away from sales

(05:57) - How to deal with people (McDonalds experience)

(08:55) - Relationship between Marketing and Sales

(10:45) - How successful tech businesses have scaled their sales process

(13:39) - Sales metrics to consider early on

(14:35) - Advice on how to build your network

(17:08) – Tips for LinkedIn networks

(18:08) – Problem Your Sales Co is solving

(20:00) – Are the tools the problem?

(22:06) – System of selling

(24:18) – Rules of thumb for cold outreach

(28:14) – What to look for when hiring a salesperson

(33:12) – What took Harriet to take a leap (Her Day Spa)

(37:13) – Common trait in entrepreneurs

(37:44) – What is next for Your Sales Co

(40:14) – One big piece of advice

(42:03) – Show & tell

Show & tell

• Sell Like You Podcast
• Your Sales Co
• Pipedrive
• Harriets Dogs
• Harriets Phone

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On this episode we have Erin Bell from Co-Connect, a workforce app designed to streamline complex communication, information, and emergency systems into a single, user-friendly platform. We'll uncover the pivotal moments that shaped the company, why Erin believes in the power of community involvement, and why cutting ties early can sometimes be the wisest move for growth. Erin shares how they grew Co-Connect, learn why you should apply for awards and whether you should be entering different lanes with your product/service.

Problem:

Communication in mining workforces is very large-scale in complexity and always changing, an example is a worker trying to find their room at a mining site.

Solution:

Co-Connect App provides all essential site & village information, manages emergencies, and creates amazing site experience with the app.

One big piece of advice:

Identify and cut the cord earlier, and get involved in the community because it is easy to get lost in time – how can you help others more? The more inclined you are to help, it can also broaden your network.

Bullets:

00:00 - Introduction

03:08 - The business Erin would start today

04:33 - The problem co- connect is solving

09:45 - How Co-Connect reached their very first customers

12:38 - The moment Erin realised they were on to something

16:58 - How they grew Co-Connect

21:28 - Doing a whole re-build

22:00 - Erin’s experience during Plus 8 Accelerator program

25:10 - How to assess different lanes

28:43 - WA Innovator of the Year

31:33 - Process for applying for awards

32:50 - One Big piece of advice

34:46 - Show and tell

Show & tell

• Zo Ho
• Co Connect
• Erin Bell

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On this episode, we have Amanda Price from KPMG High Growth Ventures who works with founders to help them understand their opportunities. We discuss the dynamics of founder-led sales and the challenges faced by founders, particularly when expanding into the US market. Amanda shares experience from her extensive career, from her first job at Tech Specific to setting up programs for founders to get into the US. The conversation looks at the role of accelerators and the moment Amanda realised the potential of the high-growth venture space. Amanda provides an extreme amount of entrepreneurial wisdom. Problem: Founders struggle to understand what opportunities they have, who to connect with, or the market they need to expand into. Solution: KPMG High Growth Ventures works like a concierge service, they help the founders to understand their opportunities and help connect them to relevant people like vetters, SMGs & advisors. One big piece of advice: You have to do founder-led sales, the best salesperson for customers and investors is the founders.

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(02:09) - The business Amanda would start today

(05:38) - Founder-led sales

(06:50) - Amanda’s first job at Tech Specific

(08:26) - Going from startup office to a corporate job

(09:25) - Amanda’s travels to the United States during the Global Financial Crisis

(12:30) - Challenges Aussie founders have when they the US market

(15:16) - Many people fight for that 1% of the market

(17:16) - What the best founders that do that reach customers elsewhere

(18:55) - Role of accelerators

(22:04) - Sustaining high performers

(24:23) - How was it when Amanda realised this high-growth venture space was working

(25:33) - Putting satellite dishes on 500 Woolworths stores

(28:35) - What Amanda would change for founders

(31:16) - One Big Piece of Advice

(37:57) - Show & tell

Show & tell

• Startmate
• KPMG High Growth Ventures:

In this episode, Clinton Schroeder and Kevin Venter, Founders of TOKN, shed light on the challenges faced by mid-tier enterprises in keeping up with the digital transformation. With thousands of hours given back to users, 10,000s of active users, and 150,000 app interactions weekly, TOKN addresses the struggle of these enterprises with their complex IT landscapes. Their solution involves bringing together intricate systems and data for customers, with a focus on making these systems accessible through various interfaces, including mobile. The duo emphasizes the importance of digitalizing services like timesheets and administrative procedures.

Problem:

Mid-tier enterprises have a large workforces, services and complex IT Landscapes. They want to bring systems together to be available on different user interfaces.

Solution:

TOKN brings complex systems and data together for their customers (Mid-enterprises). The second thing is to make sure they are available to their workforce on interfaces like mobile. Some of the systems they digitalise are timesheets and admin procedures.

One big piece of advice:

Kevin: Get traction and the money will come to you. Don’t let the idea sit in your mind, do something about it, don’t just sit on it.

Clinton: Don’t force yourself to define the problem because people are asking you. Prove you have put skin in the game as-well. (Define the problem and believe in it)

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(04:45) - The business they would start today

(07:37) - The problem TOKN is solving

(11:55) - How enterprises are miles behind

(14:39) - Reaching their first customers

(16:29) - Blind faith

(17:33) - The steps that led them to today

(19:52) - Listening to their customers

(23:51) - Marketing & brand activities used

(26:05) - The one thing that brings their business

(31:10) - The next for TOKN Technology

(32:57) - One big piece of advice

(35:55) - Hubflow: a communication engagement tool

(37:34) - Show & tell

Show & tell

·Phone

·Massage gun

·TOKN

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In this episode, Gabe Alves discusses the challenges faced in asset management due to a lack of human engagement and introduces a unique solution, EXTAG. The software engages users by providing tags for locations or assets that can be scanned to collect and visualize data. Gabe shares insights into the mindset of founders, emphasizing the importance of thinking about the selling aspect early on. He suggests that validating a product through sales before its actual development can lead to better outcomes.

Problem:

There was little human engagement with asset management.

Solution:

Created software that engages with people differently, they provide tags that can be put on locations or assets. Which then can be scanned to collect data and be visualized.

One big piece of advice:

Most founders are product people who want to solve a problem, but they think about the selling part later. If you can sell a product and get validation before you have it, then it will be better.

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(04:17) - The stat of successful founders

(06:43) - Gabe’s Morning Startup talk

(08:27) - The most successful marketing strategy

(10:55) - The problem EXTAG is solving

(15:48) - The piece of tech they accidentally made

(22:10) - How they sell EXTAG to people

(26:13) - Other promoting strategies

(29:29) - What’s next for EXTAG

(32:00) - Sales process

(35:22) - Technology showcase

(42:09) - The biggest lesson Gabe has learned

(44:23) - One Big Piece of advice

(46:54) - Show & tell

Show & tell

- Ultra Running (42km+)

- Motorbike Riding

- EXTAG

- Gabe's Morning Startup talk

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Matt Ikin, Head of Growths and Partnerships at We Money delved into the common struggles people face with credit scores, status, and relationships. We Money offers clarity by consolidating finances into one accessible platform. Matt shares valuable advice, emphasizing meticulous tracking, mindset optimization in recruitment, and honest self-evaluation. The episode covers We Money's growth journey, from 500,000 downloads in Australia to practical activities for brand growth and team development. Discussions touch on credit scores, customer outreach challenges, growth tactics like influencers and user-generated content, the impact of TikTok, and the significance of partnerships.

Problem:

People struggle with their credit score, status, belonging, and relationships – finance tends to be at the core of these issues.

Solution:

We Money gives them clarity and confidence surrounding their finance. The platforms collate all their finances and debts into one place.

One big piece of advice:

Track absolutely everything, optimise for mindset when you recruit, in a fair way be really harsh on yourself on the results you are delivering. You will look back and see the moments of magic. Be really honest, and have an ultimate focus on doing things that help deliver your outcome.

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:35) - 500,000 downloads in Australia or 5 MCGs

(04:02) - The business Matt would start today

(05:20) - Importance of credit scores

(09:20) - The problem We Money is solving

(11:15) - Reaching their first customers

(15:40) - Surveying non-users

(17:08) - Practical activities to grow their brand

(20:00) - Growing a growth team

(24:10) - Identifying a growth mindset individual

(30:42) - Growth tactic of influencers

(32:44) - Two ways to use user-generated content

(36:12) - How people are using TikTok

(41:11) - The importance of partnerships

(42:45) - Why has Cashback taken off

(44:14) - Helping members access better financial products

(47:16) - We Money’s awards program

(51:50) - What’s next for We Money

(53:00) - One big piece of advice

(54:25) - Show & tell

Show & tell

• We Money: https://www.wemoney.com.au/
• Arc: The Browser Company: https://arc.net/
• Carplay: Takes over the interface of your car with the power of your phone to make things fast and snappy.

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Live at We Work in Perth, David Press from Risk Talk & Stuart Riddle from KNKT dive into conversations regarding problem-solving and growth in business and the entrepreneurship landscape. They both share invaluable advice; David Press underscores the importance of resilience in the face of rejection, while Stuart Riddle emphasizes the significance of customer engagement and trusting instincts. Additionally, the episode explores aligning personal interests with life stages, advocating for a life filled with pursuits that bring true fulfillment. We also discuss the power of listening and storytelling in building connections and overcoming challenges in the entrepreneurial world.

Problem:

KNKT – Clients get burnt out from software development projects.

Risk Talk – Front-line workers getting frustrated with filling out risk management forms, would rather talk.

Solution:

KNKT – They have their own clients who they build the software for. They have a rapid-fire delivery approach to pump out the Software development projects.

Risk Talk – Use voice technology to run risk assessments, safety observations, and hazard and incident reporting.

One big piece of advice:

David Press - Be prepared to be rejected over and over, have resilience

Stuart Riddle - Spend more time talking with your customers. Also, trust your gut.

Bullets:

00:00 - Introduction

04:00 - The business they would start today

05:25 - Burnout of developing software

09:04 - Problem of risk assessments

10:45 - Finding their first customers.

14:20 - An alignment of your stage in your life and what you want to focus on

19:10 - Communicating in the tech world

22:47 - The no-code and AI intersection

27:29 - The future for them

29:06 - Their one big piece of advice

30:00 - Show & tell

Show & tell:

• Stuart’s guitar
• A good pair of running shoes
• Jam to your own tune
• Risk Talk
• KNKT

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Serial entrepreneur Kevin Garber discusses the challenges of finding the right idea and solving problems for startups. He emphasizes that overthinking ideas can hinder progress and suggests that building upon existing concepts can lead to success. He shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey, including his experiences with Managed Flitter, a social media app. Kevin highlights the importance of adapting to changes and finding ways to provide value in the startup world. The episode delves into his current venture, Zlinky, a mobile and web app focused on bookmark and image organization. The conversation touches on the thrill of entrepreneurship, learning from failures, and the rewarding feeling of making a positive impact.

Problem:

As huge content consumers, there was a lack of tooling around storing and organising these links.

Solution:

Zlinky helps to store and organise all your saved links including bookmarks, articles, videos, etc into one place.

One big piece of advice:

Keep learning and pulling all the different levers, and try not to compare yourself to others in the tech press. Sometimes it's very easy to think everyone is crushing it very easily, which is not the case.

Bullets:

(00:00) - Introduction

(04:02) - The business Kevin would start today

(07:24) - The lead-up to launching ManageFlitter

(16:13) - What led the business to take off

(17:44) - Tips on how to build something or find a solution for a problem

(19:24) - What's happened with Twitter (X)?

(24:00) - The stressful decision

(26:12) - The problem Zlinky is solving

(31:00) - Reaching Zlinky’s first customers

(33:20) - How they collect feedback

(36:05) - What’s next for Zlinky in the future

(37:45) - Entrepreneurship is...

(38:44) - Kevin's one big piece of advice

Show & tell

Kevin’s Dog – Banjo

Zlinky

ManageFlitter (no longer running)

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Ever Nimble, an IT company founded by Chris Morrissey, marks its fifth anniversary with remarkable growth and a reputation for excellence in cyber security. Coming from a retail background, Chris leveraged his experiences and learnings to build a business that values diversity and fosters a high-performing team. With a customer-centric approach and a focus on cyber security, Ever Nimble has carved out a unique position in the market, distinguishing itself from over 2,500 competitors. Ever Nimble sets its sights on future growth, with a heightened emphasis on cyber security, advisory services, and upskilling their clients. 

Problem: 

People were not excited to see IT teams, it was seen as a cost and something that had to happen.  

Solution:  

Create a team that people could rely on for tech issues 

One big piece of advice: 

Get some really good mentors 

Bullets:     

(00:00) – Introduction 

(05:29) – How retail skills are transferable 

(09:30) – Addressing the IT Professional Trope

(12:40) – The impact of a micro change  

(14:25) – Chris' leap into IT 

(16:50) – What is an MSP? 

(19:05) – The importance of Cybersecurity 

(20:06) – 5 years ago... 

(22:35) – Growing Ever Nimble 

(24:35) – What is Cyber Security? 

(26:35) – Cyber Tips for Startups  

(29:25) – Verifying Details 

(30:39) – Electric Peach 

(32:23) – Expanding Service Offerings 

(34:20) – The Importance of People  

(36:05) – Business Structure  

(37:00) – How Culture Helps Find Good People 

(39:37) – Burnout in Tech 

(40:15) – Standing out from Competitors. 

(42:00) – Reputation and Referrals 

(43:35) – The road to cyber 

(46:04) – Chris' one big piece of advice 

(49:40) – Show and Tell 

(51:10) – Chris on AI 

Show & tell 

• Pixie Home Automation
• Ever Nimble