Groupon's Founder Gets Inspired By Failure
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4 Feb 201919min
Every Investor Rejected Them. They Thrived Anyway.
It’s become a truism of startup life: To grow a company, first go out and get investors. But is that true? Does every company need investment? Not really. That’s what Eric and Sasha of the men’s retailer Buck Mason discovered, after they went out to raise cash and were rejected by every investor they met. It forced them to step back and rethink who they are as a company, and how they can thrive. Their conclusion: They needed to grow smarter, not faster. And now they’re doing just that. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Jan 201919min
How Do You Find Your First Customers?
How do you find your first customers? It’s a question first-time founders are often flummoxed by. But Keith Krach has developed a tried-and-true strategy—starting during his days at Ariba (which sold for billions), and extending into his current time as chairman of Docusign. In this special live edition of Problem Solvers, taped at Entrepreneur Live in Los Angeles, Keith explains how to turn a company’s first customers into valuable ambassadors. (This episode originally aired 2/26/18. At the end, we catch up with Keith for an update in 2019.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Jan 201927min
How The Points Guy Became The Points Guy
How do you turn a great idea into a great business? It’s an infinitely complex question. You have to build an infrastructure around that idea -- one that amplifies it and makes it compelling enough for someone to pay for. On this episode, we learn how Brian Kelly did just that. He turned a grueling side hustle into The Points Guy, which is now arguably the most well-recognized and influential site in the credit card world. It time, grit, and a lot of failure -- but that’s the real a recipe for success. (This episode is a replay, and originally aired 8/28/17. An update from 2019 is included at the end.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
14 Jan 201926min
The Downside of Going Viral
What’s it like when your company goes viral? Take it from Kristen Tomlan, the founder and CEO of a viral cookie dough company called DŌ: “It’s terrifying.” And exhausting. And it exacerbated every weakness in her business, including staffing, supply and production. We learn how she fixed it, and harnessed the kind of huge opportunity that may have sunk others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
7 Jan 201928min
Customers Come, Customers Leave. Now What?
There are a lot of Uber-like startups out there—companies that connect customers with some set of service providers, such as cleaners, lawn care pros, or, in the case of Storyhunter, companies looking for video freelancers. But these companies all face the same danger: They're at risk of disintermediation, or being cut out of the deal. (After all, if you're a consumer and find a great cleaner through a startup, why keep using the startup? Why not work with the cleaner directly?) This is the problem Storyhunter faced, and solved. Its solution: Understand its users, and then become incredibly valuable to them in every way possible. (Original air date: 7/31/17) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
31 Dec 201823min
Everyone Has Imposter Syndrome
IAC CEO Joey Levin told Problem Solvers host Jason Feifer that everyone -- everyone, at every level! -- feels like they're making things up as they go. On this episode, Jason dives deeper into that idea. At times when you feel intimidated, or worry you're not up to the task, or feel at a loss for the right answer, let this be your guide: It’s knowing that in actuality, nobody inherently belongs. Nobody is ready from the start. Nobody has the answer already prepared. And nobody sees you as an impostor any more than they see themselves that way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Dec 201818min
Scaling One Person Into A Company
Lauren Berger was like many solopreneurs: She'd built a one-person business called Intern Queen, and it made her a good amount of money. But it wasn't scaleable. She could only do so much. In this episode, we learn how Lauren ultimately transformed her one-woman shop into a company that can scale... and in the process, discovered a new line of work that now makes up 90% of her revenue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Dec 201821min
