Startup Stories - Mixergy

Joining me is someone I’ve known for years and watched as he struggled with challenges with his business. But I also saw how committed he was. He’s here to talk about what that was like and how he pulled himself out of the hardest moments. Matt Ackerson is the founder of AutoGrow.co, which which helps agencies, marketers, and brands get quality marketing projects ‘done-for-you’ fast with 12 skillset for 1 price, and all without the headaches of hiring. Matt Ackerson is the founder of AutoGrow.co, which helps agencies, marketers, and brands get quality marketing projects ‘done-for-you’ fast with 12 skillset for 1 price, and all without the headaches of hiring. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Overpass – Transform your sales with the only platform for hiring remote sales experts, monitoring and managing your team, tracking outcomes and measuring success. Think of your sales reps on Overpass as an “in-house” team that works remotely and cost-effectively. The result is faster recruitment time, a shorter learning curve, greater rep longevity, and a healthier bottom line. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today I’m talking to two co-founders about this unbelievable service they have created. It’s a fascinating model solving a very specific pain point for a very specific group of people. I’ll ask them about it all in this interview. Erik Rico and Oscar Llarena are the founders of Bat Club USA, a subscription service for baseball and softball players. Erik Rico and Oscar Llarena are the founder of Bat Club USA, a subscription service for baseball and softball players. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Overpass – Transform your sales with the only platform for hiring remote sales experts, monitoring and managing your team, tracking outcomes and measuring success. Think of your sales reps on Overpass as an “in-house” team that works remotely and cost-effectively. The result is faster recruitment time, a shorter learning curve, greater rep longevity, and a healthier bottom line. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest is solving such a pain for anyone who has ever tried to make a transaction using cryptocurrency. I would have guessed that he was backed by huge VCs based on the product he’s built but it turns out the whole thing is bootstrapped! I want to find out how he did it. Ivan Soto-Wright is the founder of Moonpay, a payments infrastructure for crypto. Ivan Soto-Wright is the founder of Moonpay, a payments infrastructure for crypto. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Memberful – Memberful is membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. You can create any kind of subscription plan, optimized your checkout and easily manage members. Memberful works with your existing technology so you retain full control and can stay focused on building your business, rather than re-building your technology from scratch. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Nobody thought the old game of chess could turn into a real business in a world with internet. Frankly, there was a time when Erik Allebest, Chess.com’s founder, didn’t think it would and even tried turning his attention to a bigger, sexier market. But through constant cranking away, Chess.com became huge business. This is the shocking story of how that happened. Erik Allebest is the founder of Chess.com., the world’s largest chess community. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Memberful – Memberful is membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. You can create any kind of subscription plan, optimized your checkout and easily manage members. Memberful works with your existing technology so you retain full control and can stay focused on building your business, rather than re-building your technology from scratch. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today I’m talking to Kara Goldin, the founder of Hint, a flavored water I see all over San Francisco. I invited her here to talk about how she built up the business and a large part of this interview is based on her freaking amazing book, Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters. I actually don’t believe she really had that many doubts and doubters, but I’ll ask her about that in this interview. Kara Goldin is the founder of Hint, fruit-infused flavored water. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Overpass – Transform your sales with the only platform for hiring remote sales experts, monitoring and managing your team, tracking outcomes and measuring success. Think of your sales reps on Overpass as an “in-house” team that works remotely and cost-effectively. The result is faster recruitment time, a shorter learning curve, greater rep longevity, and a healthier bottom line. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

If you’re an entrepreneur who had an idea for a physical product but is overwhelmed by the idea of bringing it to life, you need this interview. John McEleney is the founder of Onshape, a Software-as-a-Service product development platform. John McEleney is the founder of Onshape, a Software-as-a-Service product development platform. Sponsored byHostGator – 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

My guest today is someone who comes off humble but I’m here to challenge him on that. I think it’s an act. We’ll find out in this interview. Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of MicroAcquire which lists startups with $500,000 ARR or less. Andrew Gazdecki is the founder of MicroAcquire which lists startups with $500,000 ARR or less. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Memberful – Memberful is membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. You can create any kind of subscription plan, optimized your checkout and easily manage members. Memberful works with your existing technology so you retain full control and can stay focused on building your business, rather than re-building your technology from scratch. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest was not the type of person who was selling candy as a kid because he was so entrepreneurial. But he did really care about health–particularly mental health. So Steve Lee and his brother built a mindfulness app called Aura. In this interview, we’ll talk about how they found a more modern business model and why things got a lot harder after they took significant funding. Steve Lee is the co-founder of Aura Health, a mindfulness app. Sponsored bySEMrush – If you’re doing content marketing of any kind, you need to know about SEMrush. Explore 40+ SEMrush tools and reports to find the best solution to your challenges. Find and fix SEO issues, track your daily ranks for any keyword, manage your editorial planning, discover the top content in your niche, and so much more. Mixergy listeners get to try their GURU level for two weeks, no credit card required. Just go to Mixergy.com/SEMrush to start getting insights for your content marketing. 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 created a car wash company that I am so freaking fascinated by. He took an old business model and was able to incorporate a membership component to it. Well, that business led to an experiment that gave him an entirely new business idea. I want to find out how he did it. Brent Oakley is the founder of Vibenomics, which sells Audio-Out-of-Home advertising. Brent Oakley is the founder of Vibenomics, which sells Audio-Out-of-Home advertising. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Memberful – Memberful is membership software for independent creators, publishers, educators, podcasters, and more. You can create any kind of subscription plan, optimized your checkout and easily manage members. Memberful works with your existing technology so you retain full control and can stay focused on building your business, rather than re-building your technology from scratch. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

My guest today couldn’t understand why the research industry wasn’t catching up to the technology of, say, the advertising industry. So he decided to do something about it. Patrick Comer is the founder of Luc.id, which helps companies make data-driven decisions inspired by the sentiments of real people. Patrick Comer is the founder of Luc.id, which helps companies make data-driven decisions inspired by the sentiments of real people. Sponsored byVervoe – If you’re considering hiring, use Vervoe to find the best candidate based on performance. Vervoe uses skills assessments that showcase the talent of every candidate so you can make better hiring decisions. Mixergy listeners who sign-up for the free three-month trial will also get a 30-min complimentary consulting session with our Customer Success team member. 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 someone who got $250K in credit card debt while trying to build his first business. In this interview, you’ll hear how his stubbornness got him out of that situation and into back-to-back multi-million dollar e-commerce businesses. Today, Jeff Sawyer Lee is the founder of FitTrack, a simple solution to help you gain insight into your health. Jeff Lee is the founder of FitTrack, a simple solution to help you gain insight into your health. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. SEMrush – If you’re doing content marketing of any kind, you need to know about SEMrush. Explore 40+ SEMrush tools and reports to find the best solution to your challenges. Find and fix SEO issues, track your daily ranks for any keyword, manage your editorial planning, discover the top content in your niche, and so much more. Mixergy listeners get to try their GURU level for two weeks, no credit card required. Just go to Mixergy.com/SEMrush to start getting insights for your content marketing. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

Today’s guest is someone who was new the US but had a great job and was making good money. So imagine how surprised and embarrassed he was when he was turned down for a Costco credit card when shopping with his family. That experience led him to look deeper into the market and see that there was a big opportunity to make credit more available for non-discretionary purchases. Arad Levertov is the founder of Sunbit, a buy now, pay-over-time solution. I invited him here to find out how he did it. Arad Levertov is the founder of Sunbit, a buy now, pay-over-time solution. Sponsored byHostGator – 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

It’s been said that the best businesses ideas are just replacements for spreadsheets. Well, that’s what today’s guest figured out after the failure of his first business. Raj Sheth is the founder of Recruiterbox, applicant tracking software. I’ll find out how he did it in this interview. Raj Sheth is the founder of Recruiterbox, applicant tracking software. Sponsored byHostGator – 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. Overpass – Transform your sales with the only platform for hiring remote sales experts, monitoring and managing your team, tracking outcomes and measuring success. Think of your sales reps on Overpass as an “in-house” team that works remotely and cost-effectively. The result is faster recruitment time, a shorter learning curve, greater rep longevity, and a healthier bottom line. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

One of the popular dinner topics here in San Francisco is who invested in what. And it’s one of those things that can easily feel exclusive because you have to spend time to build relationships, you have to have access, you have to have opportunity. And that’s where today’s guest comes in. Jon Medved is the founder of OurCrowd, which enables investments in pre-vetted startups and exclusive venture funds. Jon Medved is the founder of OurCrowd, which enables investments in pre-vetted startups and exclusive venture funds. More interviews -> https://mixergy.com/moreint Rate this interview -> https://mixergy.com/rateint

My guest today told his customers he didn’t love the business. They were shocked. Admitting it wasn’t working allowed him to create a new business. Today Chris Brisson is the founder of Salesmsg, simple, scalable, two-way business texting. Chris Brisson is the founder of Salesmsg, simple, scalable, two-way business texting. Sponsored byOverpass – Transform your sales with the only platform for hiring remote sales experts, monitoring and managing your team, tracking outcomes and measuring success. Think of your sales reps on Overpass as an “in-house” team that works remotely and cost-effectively. The result is faster recruitment time, a shorter learning curve, greater rep longevity, and a healthier bottom line. 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