From Start-Up to Flourishing Customer-Centric Business with Ethan Anderson Co-Founder of MyTime.com

Jun 16, 2016

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Ethan Anderson is the co-founder of MyTime, an online scheduling software that allows you to book appointments online with businesses ranging from haircuts to oil changes to dental exams – with over 2 million businesses to choose from.

Previously, Ethan founded Redbeacon, raising over $7.4million and growing the team to over 20 people before being acquired by Home Depot.

Ethan has a diverse background, going from Duke Economics to Harvard MBA, and working at McKinsey, Buy.com, Starbucks, Clorox, and Google to then founding 2 companies, one with a successful exit.

Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:

[0:40] Jeremy's introduction of Ethan Anderson, co-founder of MyTime.com.
[2:13] The most stressful part of Ethan's journey so far.
[3:53] A trademark battle Ethan faced and the stress involved.
[5:09] Mentally coping with the stress of things like the trademark battle.
[7:14] Launching a POS product and dealing with stolen credit card issues after the launch.
[8:33] How to remedy issues like the fraud issue they faced after launching the POS product.
[10:48] The importance of bringing scheduling online for small businesses.
[16:32] The objections Ethan faces when dealing with small businesses.
[20:40] Protecting domains and how MyTime approaches that.
[21:58] Success stories of people that were once resistant but ended up choosing MyTime.
[23:47] The beginning of MyTime and the features they included.
[30:13] Some discoveries of having one on one conversations with customers.
[36:45] Dealing with features customers want, but Ethan knew it wasn't the right direction for the company.
[40:47] Falling off a glacier.
[45:59] Other thrill seeking adventures Ethan has been on and how that influences his approach to business.
[47:59] Ethan's first passion and the path he saw for his life.
[51:09] The best advice Ethan's father gave him.
[52:28] Ethan discusses one of his early businesses.
[56:39] The opportunity at Buy.com.
[1:00:31] Ethan's greatest memories of working with Google.
[1:05:33] The sale of Redbeacon and how they celebrated.
[1:08:53] How winning TechCrunch50 helped Redbeacon catch the attention of Home Depot.
[1:09:54] How soon after Redbeacon sold did you start up MyTime?
[1:10:35] How to connect with Ethan.

In this episode…

After the resounding success of Redbeacon, Ethan knew he was equipped with the know-how to tackle a new venture in MyTime. Putting his diverse background to work, Ethan and the MyTime team worked tirelessly to refine the product into a flourishing online scheduling software with elite customer service and an array of offerings suited to businesses in just about any industry. From the stress of growing the business to a few mistakes along the way, Ethan shares the journey of MyTime in the hopes that it can enlighten fellow entrepreneurs as they seek the same success.

Ethan discusses the stress involved in being an entrepreneur and growing a new business. From team-building to raising capital to lawsuits, MyTime has seen it all. Ethan shares how stress has impacted him, and how he approaches the business, as well as how he dealt with a trademark lawsuit. He goes on to discuss a few key learnings that came shortly after the launch of a POS product, when faced $25k in credit card fraud right out of the gate.

Ethan talks about the resistance MyTime has faced when dealing with small businesses, as well as how they've managed to overcome that resistance. He shares one success story in particular, which came from a small-town barbershop with strong resistance to making any changes at all. After trying MyTime, this shop only allows online appointments, which is a huge win for the MyTime team.

As they close out their chat, Ethan shares a glimpse into his thrill-seeking leanings, including an adventure that ended with him falling from a glacier. He also offers insight into his background, from being a budding politician to a successful entrepreneur, and how he found his way to entrepreneurship, after following some solid advice from his father.

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