366: Sock It to Me: How the Cofounders of Bombas Became eCommerce Millionaires

Adam D'Angelo was on the frontlines of the internet-startup boom. A passion for programming, which began in middle school, led him to work at Facebook in 2005 and launch Quora in 2009. Quora is a question and answer site that has 300 million visitors a month. He's experienced the highs and lows of the ever-evolving industry but is still motivated to use his skill set to give back to the world.   In this episode, Nathan Chan chats with Adam about:  Going to high school with Mark Zuckerberg and becoming Facebook’s Chief Technology Officer Why the day after Halloween was the most challenging day for engineers at Facebook The decision-making process to leave Facebook and eventually start Quora  Reorienting Quora on reuse of answers rather than just ask and answer Building momentum from a community of the early-adopters  Why it’s important to invest and think long term Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

3 Nov 202146min

Thomas Tull didn’t know anything about Hollywood when he started Legendary Pictures. However, he did know how to build a financial model and reach the untapped market of comic book fans. Legendary Pictures has produced films such as The Dark Knight, The Hangover, and 300. Under Thomas' leadership, they became a disruptor in the film industry by focusing on a global distribution strategy.    After selling Legendary in 2016, Thomas started Tulco LLC, a holding company that invests in artificial intelligence and technology solutions.    Listen to Nathan Chan chat with Thomas about:  His origin story as a local laundromat owner Raising half a billion dollars to launch Legendary Pictures Working with directors Christopher Nolan, Zack Synder, and Todd Phillips The portfolio theory of building a sustainable production company The feeling of creating a product that becomes part of the lexicon Behind the sale of Legendary Pictures to Chinese-company Wanda Group His strategy for selecting partners to invest in Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

27 Okt 202151min

JSHealth is one of the fastest-growing companies in Australia and sells a bottle of vitamins every 20 seconds. But for founder Jessica Sepel, JSHealth’s success is defined by how its products and philosophy change the lives of its customers.    JSHealth began as a health and recipe blog Jessica started at university while studying nutrition. The blog's success led to a book deal, content platform, and ecommerce business. Alongside her husband and CEO, Dean Steingold, Jessica is scaling her brand through vulnerability, honesty, and listening to JSHealth's powerful community.    Listen to Nathan Chan discuss with Jessica and Dean about: How 90% of their staff came from their community Creating the “JSHealthGirls” ambassador program Gaining 17,000 verified reviews on their product pages  Starting a UK office remotely during the pandemic  The pressure on female founders to perform in everything they do How to scale by overcoming challenges And much more...   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

20 Okt 20211h

Running a travel company in the middle of a global pandemic is not something Brian Kidwell would suggest for aspiring entrepreneurs. But Brian and his team were able to endure by trusting their product market fit and member base.   Scott’s Cheap Flights started in 2015 when Brian teamed up with his cofounder, Scott Keyes, to build a flight-tracking travel website. What started as a side hustle now has become a technology platform with over 2 million subscribers.    In this interview, Nathan Chan talks with Brian about: How a backpacking trip in Europe inspired him to start a travel company Why he didn’t meet Scott in-person for over a year "Duct taping" the early platform together using WordPress, Zapier, and ActiveCampaign Why hunting down a reporter’s email changed their business How they were able to survive the pandemic without making staffing cuts  The craziest airline deal he’s ever had  And much more... Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

13 Okt 202145min

After growing up around a failed family business, Verne Harnish was determined to use his experience to help young entrepreneurs succeed. 40 years later, he’s helped startups across the world scale to become multi-million dollar businesses and worked with some of the most famous entrepreneurs of our time.    Verne, known as the "Growth Guy,” founded the world-renowned Entrepreneurs' Organization, co-founded the Growth Institute, and has written 2 books including Scaling Up, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.   Listen to Foundr CEO Nathan Chan discuss with Verne about:  Hosting Steve Jobs’ first public speech after being fired from Apple Why sales is still the best proven way to get to $1 million in revenue The traits of success he’s learned from entrepreneurs like Mark Cuban, Brad Feld, and Nate Blecharczyk  Remembering “the look” of Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and Steve Jobs Why cofounders scale further faster than single founders  Why every entrepreneur needs to be a little crazy And much more... Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

6 Okt 202143min

Tim Draper, one of the most successful venture capital investors on the planet, thinks all entrepreneurs should read science fiction. He believes anticipating what the world needs in 15 years is critical to creating an innovative business idea.    As the founder of Draper Associates, DFJ, and Draper University, Draper has been an early investor in Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitter, Coinbase, and Twitch—just to name a few. The billionaire has also mentored well over 1,000 early-stage investors.   Foundr CEO Nathan Chan sat down with Draper to talk about:  The future-focused framework that will help you identify profitable opportunities  How traditional schools fail to prepare entrepreneurs for success  Why entrepreneurs must embrace mistakes Why the early stages of business should be like throwing a party  The value of focusing “a million miles deep and an inch wide”  The future of blockchain, Bitcoin, and entrepreneurship  And much more...   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

29 Sep 202135min

Gabby started Catch of the Day in a garage with his brother in 2011. Within 4 years they were Australia’s most viewed online shopping site. Since then, Gabby and his brother have invested in 20 startups and are hungry for more opportunities.    In this interview, Foundr CEO Nathan Chan sits down with Gabby to discuss:    Starting his entrepreneurship journey at age 32 The explosive popularity of Catch of the Day The formula for creating “luck” How he identifies intrapreneurs within his team Replicating his business toolbox with other brands The 1+1=3 concept  And much more... Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

22 Sep 202152min

After going bankrupt and losing his business, Aaron Marino launched a men’s lifestyle YouTube channel in 2008. Now he has over 6 million subscribers and is building his channel through sponsorships and ecommerce.    ​​Aaron is obsessed with optimizing his videos for YouTube and continues to test and tune to grow his audience. Now he’s ready to share what he’s learned.     ​​Aaron joined Foundr CEO Nathan Chan to talk about: Why thumbnails are the most important part of a YouTube video Why giving value up front keeps people watching  Why click-through-rate and watch time are the most important metrics for creators Why being a YouTube creator is like playing golf The worst mistake a creator can make  How Aaron became a more authentic version of himself on camera And much more...   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

15 Sep 202158min