Startup Stories - Mixergy

How did a former emu rancher build a successful mobile app development company and sell it? Jordan Bryant is the Founder of ChamberDS which is a mobile app development company. Jordan Bryant went from being an emu rancher to helping customers build mobile apps despite not being a pro developer himself. Jordan Bryant is the Founder of ChamberDS which is a mobile app development company. 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. ViralSweep is the sweepstakes and contests platform for businesses. Through ViralSweep you can grow your email list and social pages, generate more leads, increase sales, and effectively make sweepstakes and contests one of your most reliable marketing strategies. Any Mixergy listener who becomes a ViralSweep customer will receive a complimentary audit on their first campaign, a $1,000 value. Go to ViralSweep to learn more. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

How did Kyle Racki persevere with building Proposify even when he didn’t have enough money to pay a toll? Kyle Racki is the Founder of Proposify, which allows companies to make better proposals faster to win more business. Kyle Racki launched Proposify in 2013 and he and his co-founders almost gave up in that first year but despite huge obstacles now they have 2500 paying customers. Kyle Racki is the Founder of Proposify, which allows companies to make better proposals faster to win more business. 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. ViralSweep is the sweepstakes and contests platform for businesses. Through ViralSweep you can grow your email list and social pages, generate more leads, increase sales, and effectively make sweepstakes and contests one of your most reliable marketing strategies. Any Mixergy listener who becomes a ViralSweep customer will receive a complimentary audit on their first campaign, a $1,000 value. Go to ViralSweep to learn more. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

How Roman Kirsch sold Casacanda 9 months after launch and turned around and built an even bigger company with Lesara. Roman Kirsch is the founder of Lesara, which is an ecommerce site that sells clothes at a deep discount. Roman Krisch created Lesara back in 2013 and within three years had over $100 million run rate and looks to double that this year. Roman Kirsch is the Founder of Lesara which is an ecommerce site that sells clothes at a deep discount. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. 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

How did Gary Nealon go from bankruptcy to building a company that will make a projected $40M this year? Gary Nealon is the founder of RTA Cabinets, which offers consumers the ability to purchase ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets online. Gary Nealon’s first venture into entrepreneurship sent him into bankruptcy but he bounced back and found success with RTA Cabinets. Gary Nealon is the founder of RTA Cabinets, which offers consumers ready-to-assemble kitchen cabinets. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. Fireside Conference – Fireside Conference is an all-inclusive, immersive, off-the-grid and off-the-record cottage-style weekend featuring the brightest minds in our business, startup, investor and media communities. Apply to be part of the exclusive Mixergy cabin. There are very limited spots available. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

How did Rhythm Superfoods crush the healthy snack food market and top $10M in sales in less than 10 years? Scott Jensen is a Co-Founder of Rhythm Superfoods which is a healthy snack food brand that offers vegetarian, vegan, non-GMO and organic superfoods. Rhythm Superfoods was launched in 2009 and topped more than $10M in revenue last year and is on target to surpass $20M this year. Scott Jensen is a Co-Founder of Rhythm Superfoods, which is a healthy snack food brand that offers vegetarian, vegan, non-GMO and organic superfoods. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. Fireside Conference – Fireside Conference is an all-inclusive, immersive, off-the-grid and off-the-record cottage-style weekend featuring the brightest minds in our business, startup, investor and media communities. Apply to be part of the exclusive Mixergy cabin. There are very limited spots available. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

In 2013 Colin Hodge was one of the most written about startup founders, because of his company’s suggestive name, Bang with Friends, and because of his masterful use of PR. Then Zynga sued him. Apple banned his app. And he had to lay off everyone on his team. This is the story of how he bunkered down in South America, worked by himself and rebuilt his company — and himself. The result was Down, a revenue generating dating app that he sold to Paktor. Colin Hodge is the Founder of of Down (formerly Bang With Friends) which is a dating app that he sold to Paktor. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. Pipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

How did a Mixergy listener launch his company and generate over $1M in revenue the first year? Justin Hartzman is the the founder of Needls, a robo social media advertising agency that creates 50 – 500 ads in real time and posts the ads for your business. Needls was launched in April 2016 and generated $1.7M in revenue the first year and is on track to make $4 in 2017. Justin Hartzman is the the founder of Needls, a robo social media advertising agency that creates 50 – 500 ads in real time and posts the ads for your business. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. Fireside Conference – Fireside Conference is an all-inclusive, immersive, off-the-grid and off-the-record cottage-style weekend featuring the brightest minds in our business, startup, investor and media communities. Apply to be part of the exclusive Mixergy cabin. There are very limited spots available. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Imagine you are the Chief Marketing Officer of a publicly traded company and someone comes to you and says “Trust us with all of your data”. Would you trust them? Nadim Hossain Founder of BrightFunnel was able to gain the trust of potential customers and landed big enterprise companies in the process. How did Nadim win over their trust? Nadim Hossain is the Founder of BrightFunnel which generates predictive, actionable revenue insights for B2B marketers. Sponsored byHostGator is your one-stop shop for all things web hosting. From design and marketing services to easy-to-use website builders, they are with you every step of the way. Thanks to their 24/7 – 365 days a year live support – which you can get via chat, phone and email – any and all questions you have can be answered in no time at all. HostGator offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, an easy to use control panel, one click WordPress installs and more. Acuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

I was just interviewed by another entrepreneur for another podcast where I was asked what you’re probably wondering…Why am I launching this thing called Bot Academy and what’s with this bot obsession? If you want to understand how I launched my business, validated it, and got my early customers then this is the interview for you. Interviewing me is Brian Casel of Productize Podcast, where he has conversations with entrepreneurs about life and the lessons we learn along the way. Brian Casel is the host of Productize Podcast, where he has conversations with entrepreneurs about life and the lessons we learn along the 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. Pipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

I’m noticing there’s a revolution happening in online entrepreneurship. It’s happening with physical goods the same way it happened with companies like Airbnb before anyone even realized it was a revolution. Entrepreneurs get an idea for a physical product and very often they’ll go to Kickstarter but more often than that they’ll start on Amazon. Today’s guest is a founder who had an idea for a side hustle and it ended up being a really big business. Erik Howe is the cofounder of Sic which makes cups that have a double-walled stainless steel technology that keeps your drinks ice cold for 24 hours. Erik Howe is the cofounder of Sic which makes cups that have a double-walled stainless steel technology that keeps your drinks ice cold for 24 hours. 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. Acuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

I thought when it came to online shopping, the Amazons of the world got all the business. But what I found while researching today’s guest is that there are niche marketplaces where people drive their tribe. Because people only want to buy from those sites, these marketplaces are thriving. Today’s guest is one of the entrepreneurs who helped build this kind of business. Jason Wyatt is the founder of Marketplaces which brings tribes together to shop in new ways. They’ve also created a platform where other businesses can use their software and know-how to create their own marketplaces. Jason Wyatt is the founder of Marketplaces which brings tribes together to shop in new ways. Sponsored byPipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API. 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 is Ryan Moses, the cofounder of Myles Apparel. They make things like that jacket you heard me talk about with Noah Kagan in this interview. They make a specialty line of menswear and activewear and we’ll find out why the world needs another line of activewear. I also want to find out how they survive in a world where we already have Nike and Under Armour. We’ll find out in this interview. Ryan Moses is the cofounder of Myles Apparel, a specialty line of menswear and activewear. 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. Pipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

I get shivers as I think about today’s guest, because I remember when I first used his software to send files before I even started Mixergy. The company did really well but they really needed to evolve because the world changed. It became easier and easier to send large files. Big companies like Google are even enabling it. So I’ve been wondering what happened to that business. This is an interview about what happens to a company as it starts, evolves with the world, and continues to grow. Ranjith Kumaran is the founder of Hightail, a software that enables professionals to easily send and share large files securely and get feedback all in one place. Ranjith Kumaran is the founder of Hightail, a software that enables professionals to easily send and share large files securely and get feedback all in one place. 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. Pipedrive is a sales management tool for small teams with big ambitions. It visualizes one’s sales pipeline and helps to make sure important activities and conversations won’t get dropped. Salespeople really like it because it’s easy to use and intuitive. Managers like it because they don’t need to nag their team to use their CRM. It also sports built-in forecasting, integrations with other software such as Google Apps, MailChimp and Zapier and a powerful API. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

About a year ago I realized that no matter how much effort we’ve put into my email list, I could never double the response rate. We kept growing it, but people were not using email much. So I started looking around for solutions and I started looking at bots. Bots are basically software that communicates with humans via a chat app. I came across one company that looked too good to be true. It’s called ManyChat. And I said, “I’ve got to find out who the founder is.” And today, Mikael Yang is the founder of ManyChat. Not only does the software work, but the intelligence behind the scenes of dripping out content, tagging people, interacting with people is brilliant. This whole space is still pretty young but it’s important to have this conversation because he’s gotten very far and because I want you to see the future of chat as a way of interacting with your customers. Mikael Yang is the founder of ManyChat, a visual bot builder for Facebook Messenger with broadcasts, analytics, scheduled posting and many other features. Sponsored byAcuity Scheduling – Acuity Scheduling helps businesses offer and manage their appointments online. With this tool, you’ll be able to automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & even payments without sacrificing you soul. Plus, automated reminders and follow-ups eliminate your no-shows, and incentivize repeat bookings. Get an exclusive 45-day trial at AcuityScheduling.com/mixergy 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 is the expert when it comes to creating great short videos. I’m really curious about the business behind creating those videos. Eric Hinson is the founder of Explainify which makes animated explainer videos for businesses. He’s has an upcoming book called Diamond in a Haystack. It’s about how to cut the crap and simplify your messaging by finding your diamond in the haystack. I think a lot of people can learn to cut the crap and just simplify their messaging from Eric. If you want to see it, he’ll give you the first couple of chapters of the book at explainify.com/mixergy. Eric Hinson is the founder of Explainify which makes animated explainer videos for businesses. Sponsored byActiveCampaign – Improve your marketing & sales processes by upgrading to an automated platform. Start sending follow-up that adapts to your customers’ behavior so you are sending the perfect message at the perfect time. You’ll have happier customers and higher conversions. See why over 150,000 marketers use ActiveCampaign to create intelligent marketing that gets better results. If you’re with one of their confusing competitors and you want something new, you owe it to your business to check out ActiveCampaign. 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