615: Stop Chasing Sexy Businesses - This Boring One Made Me $500M+ | David Royce

Josh Reeves and his fellow co-founders wanted to tackle a problem they could spend decades fixing. But they didn’t want to solve something for Silicon Valley–it had to affect the masses. In Reeves’ experience, the hassle of setting up payroll and benefits was the problem to tackle. So, in 2011, the three Ph.D. dropouts spent a year building a payroll system that eventually became Gusto, a modern, online people platform that helps small businesses take care of their teams. On top of full-service payroll, Gusto offers health insurance, 401(k)s, expert HR, and team management tools. Today, Gusto has offices across the U.S and serves over 200,000 businesses. Nathan and Josh discuss: How his parents influenced his entrepreneurial mindset  Studying at Stanford and falling in love with problem-solving Why his first business didn’t have a purpose  Learning how to write code and building a payroll platform  The experience of the Y Combinator accelerator  How word of mouth and referrals drove Gusto’s initial sales Investing in content marketing and partnerships  The network effects of Gusto’s growth  Why fundraising is like hiring  And much more problem-solving advice… 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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

14 Dec 202243min

Mowbray is the co-founder of ZURU Toy Co., ZURU Edge, ZURU Tech, and Rhodes Pet Science. In 2018, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year in his home country, New Zealand, and he’s listed in the World Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. He and his siblings, co-founders Mat and Anna, are worth more than $3 billion, while the company revenue was north of $2 billion AUD in 2022. Despite their success, the siblings didn’t go into the toy business with a deep knowledge of business or manufacturing. In fact, they didn’t even know much about toys. They just had one hot air balloon model, a lot of hustle, and a willingness to learn from their mistakes. Listen to Nathan and Nick discuss: How a childhood hot air balloon model inspired the business Borrowing $20K from his parents to relocate to Hong Kong The growing pains of the early days and learning through failure  Their first toy megahits, Robo Fish and Bunch O Balloons Running a lean business using automation and no inventory The company’s 2% improvement philosophy  The brainstrust business practice  Working alongside his siblings And much more scrappy business growth advice... 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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

10 Dec 202257min

Sourcing specialist Kian Golzari returns to the podcast to discuss how to develop a product from research to launch. Golzari is one of the world’s top sourcing experts. He has manufactured products for top companies and NGOs, including Tesco, the United Nations, the 2012 Olympics, Google, and more. In all, he’s sourced more than 2,500 products and works with 100 of the top sellers on Amazon. Listen to Nathan and Kian discuss: Branding vs selling Choosing a customer avatar Researching the competition  How to pick your flagship product Branding your products  Choosing a supplier How to test and adapt products And much more product development advice… 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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

30 Nov 202246min

If you don’t know Mike Evans, you’ve probably used his first business when the craving for takeout hits you on a Saturday night. Evans started GrubHub in 2002 as a hobby and built it into one of the largest food delivery companies in the US, going public on the stock exchange in 2014. After exiting GrubHub, Evans took a break until he felt the pull to start a business that could benefit a community and customer base. In 2017, he started, Fixer, a “right now" home repair service that offers superior customer experiences while creating skilled employment paths in the building trades for men and women. Listen to Nathan and Mike discuss:  Starting GrubHub as a hobby website  Quitting his job and cashing out his retirement  How cofounder Matt Maloney helped scale the business Why creating value is more important than profit How delivery turned the business on its head His book Hangry and lessons on greed and empathy  Why quitting is okay Starting and building Fixer And much more founder advice… 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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

23 Nov 202248min

If you've hosted a webinar or live event that fell flat, then this episode is for you. Casey Zeman is the CEO and founder of EasyWebinar, a live-stream platform and marketing automation tool. As a former actor and mortgage broker, Zeman was fed up with having little control over his success. So with the encouragement of a friend, he became a video marketing consultant focusing on YouTube. His work as a consultant tapped into the capability of live videos and webinars as a sales tool. So, in 2015 he reinvested his earnings as a consultant to develop a plugin called EasyWebinar, which allowed people to create a live webinar through their website. In 2018, he changed EasyWebinar's model to a SaaS business, offering full services to any online business looking to engage and convert its audience.  Listen to Nathan and Casey discuss: How the 2008 recession spurred his career in digital marketing Becoming a video marketing consultant before it was a thing Investing his consulting earnings into developing EasyWebinar Changing his business model from a plugin to SaaS  The fundamentals of a high-converting webinar  The differences between automated and live webinars Webinar funnels and how they can generate qualified leads Using webinars as a customer retention tool Why feeling like an idiot is the most common webinar mistake And much more webinar and live event advice… This episode was powered by EasyWebinar. To learn more about EasyWebinar, and how you can use it to scale your business, visit; https://bit.ly/foundreasywebinar 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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

18 Nov 202252min

Following a 20-year career in media, Trinny Woodall established herself as the expert in all things style, skincare, and makeup. Inspired by her unique design of stackable makeup pots, she established Trinny London in 2017 with the mission to give everyone the tools they need to feel their best. In this episode, Trinny shares her experience in product development, funding, personal branding, and how to develop a diehard fan base and community.  Listen to Nathan and Trinny discuss:  One of her early businesses selling socks to trade investors  Her weekly fashion column in The Daily Telegraph  Why the dot-com bust was the lowest point of her career What she learned from 20 years of television and What Not to Wear Selling her clothing to raise funds for Trinny London Launching and building Trinny London without paid ads   The personalization experience of Match2Me Starting a brand around your personal brand Nurturing the Trinny Tribe community  And more beauty business advice…  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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

10 Nov 202258min

After graduating from Harvard Business School alongside future tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, Magnus Grimeland traveled the world as a consultant for McKinsey. After exploring Southeast Asia, he decided to lay down roots and leverage the region's enormous business potential. From 2013-2017, Grimeland built ZALORA into Southeast Asia's largest fashion ecommerce business. Now, he's supporting fellow founders through his latest business, Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm that invests in the defining technology companies of tomorrow. In the last 2 years, Antler made 190 portfolio company investments and has opened offices in 14 cities across 6 continents.   Listen to Nathan and Magnus discuss:  The atmosphere at Harvard during the Facebook era His journey to Southeast Asia and seeing its potential  Creating the first cash and delivery system in the region  Building ZALORA from scratch  Why ZALORA was a breeding ground for entrepreneurs His 3 things to look for in good talent  What separates Antler from most VCs Why time is the most valuable resource for startups And much more early-stage founder advice…      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.  Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

7 Nov 202247min

Some might say Alex Bouaziz, cofounder and CEO of Deel, was simply in the right place at the right time. Deel, an international payroll, compliance, and HR solution, launched in 2019 and, by May 2020, raised $14M in funding. Currently, they have 8000 customers worldwide, including Dropbox, Airtable, and Shopify. But good timing will only get you so far. To launch and grow a company as successful as Deel takes leadership with a clear mission and a solid infrastructure. The idea was simple: Create a company that matched employers and talented workers from anywhere in the world and give them the opportunity to work for the best companies without having to relocate.   Listen to Nathan and Alex discuss:  What Bouaziz learned from his first failed business How his work visa struggles inspired Deel  Taking the idea for Deel to Y Combinator The massive growth from the Covid-19 pandemic  Scaling through infrastructure and the customer Deel’s talent development strategy  A passion for unlocking talent beyond borders And much more talent leadership advice…         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.    Speak with our friendly course experts to get clarity on the next steps for your idea, business or career. You will get tailored insights from results achieved by our proven practitioners as well as thousands of students. Book a call now...    For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

28 Okt 202243min