Startup Stories - Mixergy

I’m excited to have today’s guest because he’s the kind of person who’s been on all those forums that I’ve been on forever, building his company quietly and making it into something really big. He did it without ever having that big TechCrunch moment where they say, “Look at me, I raised so much money.” In fact, for a long time, I’m going to say that TechCrunch would not want to cover you because if you did say, “Look at me,” it would be, “Look at me. I’m working at a company while building my company on the side and look at me, I continue to work for five years at my full-time job.” No one gets excited about that. That’s not a sexy story, but it’s definitely a Mixergy story. Aytekin Tank is the founder of JotForm which enables you to create online forms easily. It’s super simple and very functional. We’ll talk about that in the interview. Aytekin Tank is the founder of JotForm which enables you to create online forms easily. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today we’ve got an entrepreneur who created a search engine and sold it to Google about 18 months later. He took some time off and in his off time he invested in some companies, learned the other side of the entrepreneurial journey, and now he is back with a brand new business. The previous company he created was called Plink. Imagine being able to take a picture of something with your phone and then finding out more about it. That’s the technology that Google acquired and merged it with the rest of their business. His current company is called Pointy. What they do is they plug into a company’s barcode scanner, and as a result they know what’s in the store, what’s being sold, and they allow people who are interested in buying things locally to see available around them locally. The founder who started about those companies is Mark Cummins. I’m happy to have him here to talk about how he did it and what he learned from building it. Mark Cummins is the founder of Pointy which? lets ?local? ?retailers put their stock online so that they can be discovered via search engines. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest hit on an interesting issue. You’ve probably felt it but most of us don’t know what to do about it. Stress. Jane Smorodnikova is the founder of Welltory, an app that lets you measure your stress and be more aware of what’s going on in your body so you can understand what your body is ready for each day to feel better tomorrow. I had no idea how well the app was doing. I invited her here to find out how she got so many users and how she got them to pay so much. Jane Smorodnikova is the founder of Welltory, an app that lets you measure your stress and be more aware of what’s going on in your body so you can understand what your body is ready for each day to feel better tomorrow. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Wait until you hear the story my guest today has to tell. I can’t believe that I didn’t know about this. Brandon Evans is a guy who started a company and sold it. Frankly, that alone would make for an interesting interview. But then started another company and was fired from it. That too could make its own interview. Now he’s running something else where he’s taking entrepreneurs on Ayahuasca journeys. Brandon Evans is the founder of CrowdTap, influencer marketing that actually works and iheart, a conscious business collective. Brandon Evans is the founder of CrowdTap, influencer marketing that actually works. He’s currently the founder of 1heart, the first startup studio focused exclusively on building conscious businesses and backing heart-centered leaders positively impacting the world. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. With Bench, you get a professional bookkeeping team to do your books for you and our simple, elegant software to review your finances. It’s everything you need to forget about your bookkeeping, without actually forgetting about your bookkeeping. Sign up at Bench and get 20% off for your first 6 months. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

It all started with a realization. Two, actually. Jyoti Bansal noticed that more of the software that controls our lives will be in the cloud, and that it would all eventually break. So he decided to create a company to help the people who make software understand what was going wrong so they could fix it. This is the story of how he turned this vision into AppDynamics and why he sold the company to Cisco. Jyoti Bansal is the founder of AppDynamics which gives users real-time insight from your apps using Application Performance Monitoring & Management—how they’re being used, how they’re performing, where they need help. Sponsored byneedls – needls is the easiest and most effective way to advertise on Social Media. The needls ad platform allows businesses to automatically create, target and optimize digital ads across Facebook and Instagram, and in turn, determines the perfect target audience for these ads by monitoring social media conversations in real time. Using its proprietary intent engine and AI, needls identifies buying signals within posts, tweets and status updates, then delivers ads directly to these individuals. Toptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest noticed a problem. If you’re a web designer or app creator, you can’t see the look on users faces when they’re using your product. You can’t see if they encountered a button they don’t understand, for example. He thought companies should be able to create a great product without having to code analytics to find out how people are using it. So he built a company to solve that problem. I want to find out how he did it in today’s interview. Todd Olson is the founder of Pendo.io which helps product teams understand and guide users to create product experiences that customers love. Todd Olson is the founder of Pendo.io which helps product teams understand and guide users to create product experiences that customers love. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. With Bench, you get a professional bookkeeping team to do your books for you and our simple, elegant software to review your finances. It’s everything you need to forget about your bookkeeping, without actually forgetting about your bookkeeping. Sign up at Bench and get 20% off for your first 6 months. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest says that his company is going to make coding obsolete. If anything, they’re going to probably be building or teaching people how to build using his creation. Emmanuel Straschnov is the cofounder of Bubble, a visual programming language for web and mobile applications. We’re going to find out how he did it. Frankly, this isn’t just a vision for the future. It’s a real sustainable business today. It’s bootstrapped. It’s doing well. I invited him to talk about how well and how he got here. Emmanuel Straschnov is the cofounder of Bubble, a visual programming language for web and mobile applications. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest is an entrepreneur I have known for 8 years. His name is Ross Hudgens and he’s the founder of Siege Media, a content marketing agency with a focus on SEO. Here’s the thing that blew my mind about his story: I thought agencies could only grow so big and Siege Media has grown way beyond what I thought was possible. We’ll find out how big in this interview. Ross Hudgens is the founder of Siege Media, a digital marketing agency with a focus on SEO. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

We read a lot about entrepreneurs who are building SaaS companies and Ethan is someone who said, “I’m going to jump in and try it out.” Ethan Sigmon is the founder of SocialInsight.io, a software that helps you manage your Instagram marketing. I want to talk to him about what it was like to become a first-time software entrepreneur. It wasn’t as easy as it seemed and it wasn’t a disaster either. It was a story that’s a lot more common and I want to learn from it. Ethan Sigmon is the founder of SocialInsight.io, a software that helps you manage your Instagram marketing. Sponsored byneedls – needls is the easiest and most effective way to advertise on Social Media. The needls ad platform allows businesses to automatically create, target and optimize digital ads across Facebook and Instagram, and in turn, determines the perfect target audience for these ads by monitoring social media conversations in real time. Using its proprietary intent engine and AI, needls identifies buying signals within posts, tweets and status updates, then delivers ads directly to these individuals. Mailshake – Mailshake is an easy-to-use way of taking away the pain point of high volume emails while still being personal and not ending up in the “promotions” tab in Gmail. Use it as a biz dev tool to reach out to prospects on your target customer list. Mailshake is light weight and low cost email software for marketers and sales folks. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Usually, I have entrepreneurs on to talk about how they built their businesses. Today’s guest is not going to be doing that. Sherry Walling is the founder of ZenFounder, which helps founders handle the mental side of their work. Her new book is The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your Shit Together: How to Run Your Business Without Letting It Run You. Sherry Walling is the founder of ZenFounder, which helps founders handle the mental side of their work. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. needls – needls is the easiest and most effective way to advertise on Social Media. The needls ad platform allows businesses to automatically create, target and optimize digital ads across Facebook and Instagram, and in turn, determines the perfect target audience for these ads by monitoring social media conversations in real time. Using its proprietary intent engine and AI, needls identifies buying signals within posts, tweets and status updates, then delivers ads directly to these individuals. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

There are specific things that Jordan Harbinger did relentlessly that resulted in topping the charts of the podcasting world. I wanted to bring him on here to talk about how he did it with his previous podcast, Art of Charm. He’s now growing a second podcast called The Jordan Harbinger Show. His goal with The Jordan Harbinger Show is for every episode to solve a problem for you or make you better in some way. I listened to it. I didn’t want to just come here and say, “It’s a good show. Go download it,” because he’s a friend. I wanted to make sure it was actually good and it was. It will help you solve a problem, make you better in some way. Jordan Harbinger is the host of The Jordan Harbinger Show, where every episode solves a problem for you or make you better in some way. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

You guys are going to recognize the business model today’s guest created. It’s not laughable the way it was when he started out. People in the U.S. raised millions for that idea, he did not. It had to be bootstrapped. He built it from scratch and kept growing and growing and growing it. Bruce Jeffreys is the founder of GoGet, Australia’s first car-sharing service. I’m so fascinated by this scrappy way that he and his cofounder built up the business. Bruce Jeffreys is the founder of GoGet, Australia’s first car-sharing service. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

One of the things that I noticed living in San Francisco is every app seems to be built for the same group of people in Silicon Valley who all seem to be the same. But I also believe that there are fortunes to be made outside of the Silicon Valley mindset that the rest of the world might benefit from. Today’s guest is a great example of that. Trevor McKendrick is the founder of La Biblia Reina Valera, a Spanish language Bible app. He did really well with it and then sold the business to do other things. I invited him here to talk about how he came up with the idea, how he got people to download his app, where he got revenue and why he sold. Trevor McKendrick is the founder of La Biblia Reina Valera, a Spanish language Bible app. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. With Bench, you get a professional bookkeeping team to do your books for you and our simple, elegant software to review your finances. It’s everything you need to forget about your bookkeeping, without actually forgetting about your bookkeeping. Sign up at Bench and get 20% off for your first 6 months. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

I usually interview tech entrepreneurs about how they built their software companies. Today’s guest tried that and it didn’t work. Now he’s selling the opposite of technology. He’s selling hand grinders. Raj Jana is the founder of JavaPresse, a coffee company dedicated to helping consumers enjoy the perfect cup of coffee. We’ll find out how successful this business is, how he got where he is today, and what’s working and what’s not. I think it’s especially useful for anyone who is in ecommerce. Raj Jana is the founder of JavaPresse, a coffee company dedicated to helping consumers enjoy the perfect cup of coffee. Sponsored byWith Bench, you get a professional bookkeeping team to do your books for you and our simple, elegant software to review your finances. It’s everything you need to forget about your bookkeeping, without actually forgetting about your bookkeeping. Sign up at Bench and get 20% off for your first 6 months. Mailshake – Mailshake is an easy-to-use way of taking away the pain point of high volume emails while still being personal and not ending up in the “promotions” tab in Gmail. Use it as a biz dev tool to reach out to prospects on your target customer list. Mailshake is light weight and low cost email software for marketers and sales folks. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Ryan Carson was so good at telling the world why his unconventional way of doing business was right & others were wrong. Other companies worked 5 days a week. Treehouse worked 4. Others had managers. Treehouse had a more self-directed team. Others…well, I could go on, but you get the picture, right? Last time he was on Mixergy he talked about how that style took his startup to $140k in monthly sales. But to do much better, he had to mature as a leader. This is how he went from a startup founder to the CEO of a professional, growing company by doing some of the things he used to fight against. Ryan Carson is the founder of Treehouse, a place where you can learn how to design and develop code online. Sponsored byToptal – If you’re having trouble finding developers, Toptal is a network of elite pre-vetted software developers. You tell Toptal what you’re looking for, they search their network for the best people, they test the candidates, and then they present you with only the candidates who meet your individual needs. Once you pick someone you can start work with them the next day. They offer a no-risk trial period. Go to Toptal.com. Get the best of the best right now. HostGator – Ready to take your website to the next level? Whether you’re a first-time blogger or an experienced web pro, HostGator has all the tools you need to create a great-looking website or online store. A wide range of options includes cloud-based web hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Founded in 2002, HostGator is the perfect web partner for business owners and individuals seeking hands-on support. Visit www.hostgator.com/mixergy to see what HostGator can do for your website. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint