Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Stephanie Golik Founder at Huddle. Among many things, we discuss: From Design to Founder: Steph’s journey from studying Architecture to becoming co-founder of Huddle The Power of Building: How Steph used app development as a way to kick start her career in design Searching for The One: How moonlighting on different creative projects led to finding the one to go all in on. The Idea Graveyard: Learnings from killing small projects that helped launch Huddle Getting Paid In Equity: What designers and builders should know about getting paid in equity by startups. The Art of Investment: How getting seed funding was a strategic choice in moving quickly and catching the wave of people looking for more work flexibility Being Non-Scalable: The importance of doing non-scalable tasks early on to deliver a great customer experience, and how to relinquish that control later on. Quarterly Planning: How looking ahead helps Huddle stay on track with their vision to make the future of work more flexible. Enjoy the show! Links: Huddle site https://www.huddle.works/ Want to join as a builder? app.huddle.works/builder-invite/itomblack Want to hire a team? app.huddle.works/invite/itomblack Workshops on becoming a founder https://www.dive.club/course/go-from-designer-to-founder

Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where I, Ian Black, talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Hunter Hammonds, founder of Assembly. We discuss: What Assembly is: a business that builds businesses from scratch Hunter’s career pre-Assembly: from skipping college to 8-figure agencies The challenges of selling a design agency The importance of having your heart in your business 6 key attributes of a strong business operator Leading with a “Burn the ships” mentality A playbook for building a business from nothing Pivoting as a company of companies. How to decide which businesses to invest in 3 components to hiring at speed The value of building an audience Links: If you need the world’s best design team: https://offmenu.design/ If you need the most kick-ass high engagement short form viral videos: https://www.viralcuts.co/ Amazing product demo animation launch videos https://www.keyframe.design/ The coolest youtube agency in the world https://www.heyfriends.studio/ Twitter https://twitter.com/_hunterhammonds

Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Brigitte Kaps CEO & Founder of Rent a PR, a company that offers Public Relations & Communications Advisory on demand. Among many things, we discuss: Brigitte’s finance background before starting her company Seeking out inspiration from Silicon Valley: the mindset difference of the USA The main components of PR: Paid and unpaid media How to create a good PR briefing PR for different stages of a company: Startups to mid-cap Misconceptions about PR Choosing a PR agency: What kind of coverage do you need? The cost of PR: from on demand to retainers Crisis management for businesses And much more! So sit back and enjoy the show LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/brigitte-kaps-6912985/ Company Website https://www.rentapr.ch/ Twitter https://twitter.com/rent_a_pr

Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where I, Ian Black, talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Zach Frantz, founder of Wildland Coffee, a company that makes coffee in tea bags. Among many things, we discuss: The Inspiration for Wildland Coffee Product Development: From co-packers to packing in-house Business growth: The challenges of finding a scalable sales channel When to quit: How to identify the signal from the noise when evaluating business strategies Sales before Brand: The importance of revenue in the early stages of a business Secrets of success: The power of the ask And so much more! So sit back and enjoy the show. Company website wildlandcoffee.co LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachfrantz/

Welcome to Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Jamie Wace, CEO & co-founder of Talamo, a company dedicated to democratising access to dyslexia diagnosis. Among many things, we discuss: Why 80% of children aren’t diagnosed with dyslexia. How Jamie overcame the challenges of having dyslexia. The prevailing narratives around neurodiversity. How working at design agencies set Jamie up for success as a founder. How Talamo pivoted over time. How to run qualitative customer research for your startup. The reality of running a startup as a side hustle - its challenges, and its benefits. Coping with imposter syndrome, and dealing with uncertainty. Planning for a future in an uncertain market. And so much more… So sit back and enjoy the show! Podcast Talamo Thoughts Website https://www.talamo.co.uk/ --- This website is sponsored by The Obsidian Design Lab.

Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Jesse Vaughan, Co-founder and President at Kopperfield. Among many things, we discuss: How we can make an impact on climate change through our home Growing up an in a family of entrepreneurs The importance of accounting in business Finding the right problem to solve as a founder Letting go of your own ideas Maintaining a healthy state of mind to make better decisions Being vulnerable with your team Go-to-market strategies for a two-sided marketplace So sit back and enjoy the show! Website https://www.kopperfield.com/ Careers https://careers.kopperfield.com/ Contact Jesse jesse@kopperfield.com

Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Rishabh Jain - Co-Founder & CEO at FERMAT Among many things, we discuss: The impact of cookie-less browsing on Ecommerce brands How to learn to be a leader Tactics for getting the most out of your career The power of saying No The importance of placing big bets in business, to create non-linear changes How to come up with ideas that will create non-linear impact Deciding when to abandon a business idea Advice for fundraising a startup And so much more! Sit back and enjoy the show. Rishabh on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishabhmjain/ Rishabh on Twitter https://twitter.com/rishabhmjain Fermat Website https://www.fermatcommerce.com/

Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Matt Bahr, CEO at Fairing. Among many things, we discuss: The importance of the voice of the customer as a data source How brands use surveys to improve their products Finding product market fit through failure The shift in mindset required to go from running a bootstrapped company to a venture backed company. Choosing a cofounder Renaming the brand Why you should dogfood your own products So sit back and enjoy the show Links: Company Site https://fairing.co/ Matt LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbahr/ Matt Twitter https://twitter.com/mattrbahr Blog Post on databases https://fairing.co/blog/postgres-database-shopify-data-developer-not-required

Welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Felix Lee, Co-Founder of ADPList Among many things, we discuss: Why free mentorship is so important in a world where people are born with unequal career opportunities Growing up in Singapore, and discovering Silicon Valley The difference between entrepreneurs in Asia Vs The US How Steve Jobs inspired his tech journey Tactics for networking in a foreign country The one question every designer should ask themselves Turning problems of the covid pandemic into a business Mistakes in hiring And much more! So sit back and enjoy the show Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felixleezd/ https://twitter.com/felixleezd https://twitter.com/ADPList https://adplist.org/

Hello and, welcome to another episode of Ready For Launch. I’m your host Ian Black. Every episode, I talk to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Lena Jüngst, Co-Founder at Air Up Among many things, we discuss: How to create taste from just a scent The science of retronasal olfaction Turning a bachelor's degree project into a business How design school prepares you for building a business Growing pains when 10X-ing the team headcount. The importance of communicating to investors So sit back and enjoy the show! Company Website air-up.com LinkedIn - Lena’s https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-juengst/ LinkedIn - Air Up https://www.linkedin.com/company/air-up/