#60 The Seth Waite Route

In this episode, Seth Waite, partner at Schaefer and former head of growth at a high-growth technology firm, shares his journey from law school dropout to building a thriving business. Seth discusses how his shift from corporate life to entrepreneurship was driven by a desire for freedom and solving customer problems. He reflects on the importance of staying hyper-specialized in business to maximize value without falling into the trap of the "bloated agency" model, which often dilutes expertise and margins. Seth also talks about scaling his business, the challenges of rapid headcount growth, and how he built systems that allowed his small team to operate at the efficiency of a much larger agency.

Seth recounts the acquisition of his previous company, the impact of COVID on his moving and storage startup, and how he pivoted quickly when faced with unexpected obstacles. As he looks ahead, Seth shares his plans for Schaefer’s future, focusing on the food and beverage sector to create more specialized, high-value services. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with entrepreneurial people and maintaining freedom in business. Seth's vision is to help the world feel "at home" by solving consumer problems with innovative solutions and building businesses that prioritize customer value over sheer scale.

(00:00) Intro

(01:14) Seth Waite leaves law school

(02:11) Walmart agency strategy lessons

(06:25) Going solo and first exit

(08:34) Scaling with the acquirer’s help

(15:24) Productizing services and nailing positioning

(17:38) Jump to moving tech industry

(21:05) AI-driven quoting and hypergrowth

(28:01) Next AI venture and new pivot

(32:05) Partnering with Sydney for Schaefer

(34:21) Pivot to food and beverage brands

(36:23) Lean team advantage in business

(40:52) Scaling with systems and efficiency

(45:25) Business valuation and exit strategies

(53:56) Lessons learned on staying focused

(59:13) Last meal on earth

Follow Seth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethwaite/Check out Schaefer: https://schaefer.co

—

Build a repeatable inbound motion and stabilize your revenue: ⁠https://duoconsulting.co/⁠
Each week, we share a new framework, concept, or example of how solopreneurs are scaling from $25,000 to $60,000+ per month: ​​⁠https://www.howsolosscale.com/⁠