Leveling Up with Eric Siu

Greg Isenberg, community-building expert and founder of Late Checkout, shares insights on why communities are crucial for business success. He emphasizes retention and word of mouth as key pillars of community building, citing examples like Glossier. Isenberg also discusses his business model, the value of intentional businesses, and his favorite business tools. The episode highlights the importance of community in marketing, showcasing successful community-led businesses like TikTok.

How To Create Relevant Touchpoints with Magazines & More for Cheap with ReminderMedia ($50M+ Revenue!) A combination of strong approaches to marketing and sales is something that is rarer than you might think. Joining us on Leveling Up today to talk about ReminderMedia's fast rise and no-brainer offers are the company's founders Luke Acree and Josh Stike. ReminderMedia specializes in customizable marketing solutions for business professionals to stay top of mind with their clients, something that cannot be underestimated. In our conversation we cover some serious ground, talking about nurturing a database, how ReminderMedia's automation can make all the difference with this, the importance of being remembered, and how to approach strategic showcasing. Josh and Luke also unpack their 'FIT' framework of 'frequency, 'impact', and 'trust', showing how these three elements can really move the needle for your business. We do the usual round-up of useful information from our guests too, talking about their business numbers, growth, powerful tools, and much more, so make sure to level up with us today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:45] A little about Josh and Luke and how ReminderMedia operates. [01:23] Some of the important numbers from their business around clients, revenue and more!  [02:15] The task of building long-term relationships and converting this into revenue. [04:15] The three easy ways to build trust; showcasing accolades, testimonials, and educational content. [04:55] The business model at ReminderMedia and their current offers for clients. [06:34] Touchpoints that the company focusses on and the three components of their digital platform.  [08:36] The industries that ReminderMedia service and the foundation they built from real estate. [10:00] Prices for the company's services; set-up fees, digital components, and the magazine.  [11:24] Expanding on the value of print in an increasingly digital world. [12:09] The creative side of designing a company magazine through ReminderMedia.  [13:25] Thoughts on Oculus and the unique opportunities it represents for the future! [15:14] Approaches to growth for ReminderMedia; combining excellence in sales and marketing. [17:51] Reasons for the high retention rates that Josh and Luke have experienced. [18:47] How customer feedback led to ReminderMedia doubling down on local content and events. [20:22] Customization of the products offered; using templates and getting involved in the creative process. [21:44] Josh and Luke's aim of adding integrations to the range of current features. [22:39] Our guests' favorite business tools; the phone, Instagram, webinars, and Marketo! [25:31] Top business and marketing book picks from Josh and Luke. [27:40] How the vision and values for ReminderMedia have evolved since its founding.   Resources From The Interview:   ReminderMedia Stay Paid Podcast Oculus  Clubhouse Steve Olsher EventBrite Zapier HubSpot Marketo     Jim Collins  Must read books: Good to Great, Think and Grow Rich and The Bible     Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Are Magazines Back As A Marketing Channel? Steve Olsher From Podcast Magazine Thinks So Today we talk with Steve Osher, founder, and Editor-in-chief at Podcast Magazine. In this episode, Steve shares his career journey with us; one that has been filled with many highs and lows. He details how it affected his psyche, as well as the important lessons that came with failure. Expanding on this, Steve sheds light on the struggles he had with the dot-com crash, his battle to create success from liuor.com, and the important realizations that came with it. Later, we ask Steve about his book. Listeners will find out why he wrote the book, who it’s geared toward and why he hopes it’ll become his legacy piece. Steve’s book, What Is Your What? is filled with three main tenets: clarity on your core strength, understanding the primary vehicle that you will use to share your gift, and who you are most compelled to serve. In the second half of the show, Steve talks about Podcast Magazine, sharing information about its target market, how the magazine navigates tricky logistics, and its purpose. To hear more on why print is not dead, be sure to tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:34] Introducing today’s guest, Steve Osher from Podcast Magazine. [00:50] Steve shares some details about his background. [03:12] Steve explains how his psyche changed through each business blunder.  [03:55] How the real estate crash affected Steve. [04:09] Why it is important to always consider the “what-ifs”.  [04:40] Steve’s experience when the dot-com bubble burst. [08:17] How Steve’s experience with hardcore executives have shaped the way he builds teams today.  [10:13] Hear about steve’s book, What is Your What? [13:01] The three pillars that make up the What is Your What? framework.  [14:36] The best time to read Steve’s book. [17:32] How being an author of a successful book has changed Steve’s life. [18:34] Steve tells us about Podcast Magazine. [21:34] Hear about the different approaches Steve had for his magazine. [22:53] Why magazines give more authority than books.  [24:00] The theory of conflict. [26:25] Some of the logistics around creating a magazine. [31:29] Steve’s thoughts on focus.  [34:02] The one offer Steve sells. [34:46] Hear Steve’s favorite business tool.  [35:08] Steve’s favorite business book. [36:33] That’s it for today!    Resources From The Interview:   Steve Olsher on Twitter Steve Olsher on LinkedIn Podcast Magazine Podcast Magazine Subscription What is Your What? Liquor.com Brendon Burchard Sports Illustrated WIRED Foundr Magazine Jillian Michaels Katie Couric Dave Ramsey Conde Nast Madcast Darren Hardy Success Magazine Guerilla Marketing on Amazon   Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

This Co-Founder Doesn’t Read Books And Has A Mega Awesome SaaS Business ($50M+ Raised) With Multiple Revenue Streams Today’s guest is Cory Capoccia, Co-Founder, Chief Business Development Officer, and President of Womply, a local commerce platform that provides apps, APIs, and marketing and financial tools for over 500 000 American businesses. Cory starts by giving us some background information about how he fell into the fintech space and joined part of the founding team of a bootstrapped company called Verify. From there, we talk about the mission at Womply and take a deep dive into the three tiers of services they offer as well as how they make money from each of these. Womply has raised over 50M in venture capital, and we chat to Cory about the choice to raise money coming from a bootstrapping background. The conversation turns to customer acquisition and Cory sketches out the mixture of inbound and outbound strategies used at Womply, also highlighting the company’s recent achievements in the area of organic reach. Toward the end of the show, we hear from Cory about why he does not read books and talk a little bit about the benefits of aggressive internet research and peer learning. For all this and some final words from Cory about how Womply is helping make PPP funds more accessible, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:45] Background info on Cory and the main mission at Womply. [03:04] Metrics for Verify, the bootstrapped company Cory helped found before Womply.  [04:06] A deep dive into the all-in-one suite of tools for small businesses Womply provides. [05:48] How Womply makes money through its SaaS, financial services, and enterprise API divisions. [10:27] Why Womply chose to raise capital; customer growth and R&D investment. [12:55] The evolution of the customer acquisition strategy at Womply. [16:14] Different tools Womply has used in its sales stack.  [17:45] A personal tool of Cory’s that adds value to his life. [18:16] Why Cory doesn’t read books and where he gets his information from instead.  [21:15] The benefits of peer learning and mentoring others. [22:00] How Womply is helping smaller businesses and gig workers access PPP funds. [21:37] The best way to connect with Cory online.   Resources From The Interview:   Cory Capoccia on LinkedIn Cory Capoccia Email   Verify   Womply Salesforce 5Nines Zendesk Marketo YPO Redpoint Ventures Paycheck Protection Program   Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

Creating the Almanak of Naval Ravikant with Eric Jorgenson Eric Jorgenson is a founding team member at Zaarly and is the brains behind The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. In today’s episode, we talk in great depth about Eric’s book, as well as the business and personal growth that came with writing it. We kick off the show by hearing about Eric’s background and discovering his business mindset and knack for creating opportunities. Eric tells us more about his early years and why he has to try every idea that comes into his mind. Turning our scope toward Eric’s book, we ask him about what he aimed to get out of it. Following this, we uncover Eric’s methods for cherry-picking the best, most useful content about Naval Ravikant, and the long process behind sieving through information and creating drafts. Eric’s book is nothing short of a huge success, and he goes on to tell us how he managed to collaborate with big names like Tim Ferriss and Jack Butcher. We also talk about the substance of his publication and why Eric chose to write a book instead of creating a collection of blog posts or an audiobook. He then notes his favorite aspects of his book and touches on other influential publications. To find out what these are and much, much more, be sure to tune into this episode! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:16] Introducing today’s guest, Eric Jorgensen. [00:35] Today’s topics of business and personal growth. [00:50] Eric tells us about his background. [02:01] What projects Eric worked on in San Francisco and the risks that came with them. [03:10] How Eric came to realize he needed to be in San Francisco.   [03:53] How small experiments helped Eric get to a point where he could write a book. [04:20] What Eric was aiming to get out of his book.  [05:55] How it felt when Eric received a physical copy of his book for the first time. [06:39] Eric’s approach to pulling up all the best, most useful pieces of content.  [08:44] Hear about Eric’s publishing methods. [10:19] How Eric got the likes of Tim Ferriss and Jack Butcher to be part of his project.  [11:19] Twitter DMs were part of Eric’s success in creating his book. [12:14] Eric tells us about his 1,400 ratings and what it took to reach this number.  [13:42] How Eric feels about being the “Almanac” guy. [15:33] Eric talks about how his relationship with Naval has evolved.  [18:42] The methods behind Eric’s book updates. [19:53] Why Eric would choose to write a book over creating an audio book or blog.  [22:26] How Eric’s book has given back to him. [25:05] Hear what Eric’s favorite philosophy book is. [25:48] Eric’s best tool for business.  [26:33] The most compelling content that Eric has consumed recently [27:31] That’s it for today!    Resources From The Interview:   Eric Jorgenson  Eric Jorgenson on LinkedIn Eric Jorgenson on Twitter Zaarly Almanack of Naval Ravikant Scribe Media Jack Butcher Tim Ferriss  Christian Murdy Poor Charlie’s Almanack on Amazon The System’s Bible on Amazon Otter.ai Gong Grain Acquired podcast James Clear Farnam Street   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Reed Duchscher Reveals Creator Secrets Learned From Managing MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Typical Gamer & More (Over 1.7B Views!) Today’s guest is Reed Duchscher of Night Media, a multimedia talent management company and creative outpost for the largest creators on the internet. Reed’s company has worked with people such as MrBeast, Typical Gamer, and other voices from the most influential of the influential. In today’s episode we talk about how Reed founded Night Media and the role he is playing in shaping the future of the content creator business model. Our conversation begins with Reed’s journey from working as an NFL sports agent to founding Night Media in 2015. From there, we talk about the dynamic between content creators and managers, what informs Night Media’s choice for who to work with, and the services managers can offer to creators on the back end. Reed gets into the value he is adding to the creator community through the Creator Economics podcast, the work he did with MrBeast in launching the MrBeast burger, and his vision to map the blueprint for how to turn creators into sustainable virtual digital companies. We talk about the different products that creators can sell, whether creators should take equity or cash in partnerships, why creator communities are more important than subscriber count, and a whole bunch more in today’s conversation. Be sure to tune into this one. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [01:15] Introducing Reed Duchscher and his journey to working with content creators. [02:22] The business model at Night Media; why it’s not built like an agency. [03:10] How Night Media thinks about the types of clients it signs. [04:39] Prioritizing engagement and community over subscriber count. [06:10] What creators should expect from managers. [07:07] Why creators need to be good at creating communities. [08:38] Other creators Night Media is interested in/working with. [10:35] Making a new blueprint for what creators can do with their fan base. [10:50] The story of the development of the MrBeast burger. [14:04] Some indications of the revenue MrBeast Burger is generating. [15:21] Creator-focused educational content discussed in the Creator Economics podcast. [17:08] Reed’s thoughts on content creators getting cash or equity on collaborations. [20:03] Digital products and merchandise types open to creators. [21:50] The business infrastructure opportunities most creators miss. [22:45] Why creators are going to start having to raise capital. [23:32] Spend and production team size on MrBeast videos. [24:26] Blockchain and whether people will buy a small percentage of channels. [25:48] How Reed connected with the team of creators he worked with. [26:55] Favorite business tools of Reed’s. [27:55] Reed’s favorite business book. [28:20] The best way for people to find Reed online. Resources From The Interview:   Reed Duchscher on LinkedIn Reed Duchscher on Twitter Reed Duchscher on Instagram Night Media MrBeast Typical Gamer Matt Stonie Joey Chestnut MrBeast Burger Creator Economics Podcast Blake Robbins on LinkedIn Ludlow Ventures 100 Thieves Social Blade Must-read book: Start with Why   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

How To Design A Book The Right Way In today's video, Eric Siu talks about how to design your book the right way. Even if you are not a designer, you have to know what you want your book cover to look like because you do not want to outsource that vision. When designing the cover of your book, it also helps to look at other books and see what works and what isn't. Watch the video for the full guide on how to design your book the right way! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:00]- Introduction [00:10] - About the Leveling Up book cover [00:17] - Process of designing a book cover [00:47] - Importance of color [01:00] - Character design story [01:19] - You have to know what you want [01:29] - Different version of the book cover [01:32] - Things to consider for the book cover [02:40] - What Goes on Inside of a Book [03:16] - Badges throughout the book [03:49] - Under the dust jacket [04:05] - Pick who you want to work with [04:36]- Know When to Step Away [04:52] - Final Thoughts   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

In this podcast, Eric Siu discusses the red pill moment that got him focused on being prepared, creating your own luck with the right habits, equal opportunities for everyone, and the importance of self-improvement, consistency, and education for achieving success in life.

The #1 Mindset to Overcome Life Challenges Try this one, simple mindset shift and overcome any challenge life throws at you. If you approach life as a game, it's much easier to face your challenges and overcome them. These clips are highlights from interviews I've recently done promoting the upcoming book, Leveling Up!  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:00] Life is a game [00:14] How to have fun every day of your life [00:40] Jordan Belfort's show [00:51]  How to use pain as fuel [01:31]  Chris Do's show [01:45] Why I wrote Leveling Up [02:51] The importance of mindset [03:30] ClickFunnels Radio [03:45] How to build a strong culture Leave Some Feedback: What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed Connect with Eric Siu:  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter    

From Hooters Waitress and No Degree To Running Billion Dollar Brands with Kat Cole Today’s guest is Kat Cole and she joins us to share some of the frameworks she has developed to become the business mogul and empathetic leader she is today. Kat was a Hooters waitress before she transitioned to becoming the President and COO of Focus Brands, as well as an investor, advisor, thought leader, and board member for multiple companies. Our conversation starts with the story of how Kat was making over $40,000 as a waitress at age 19 when she transitioned into the corporate world for half the salary. From there, we talk about how Kat was able to rise so quickly in this new environment for a number of reasons, where she highlights being placed in leadership positions in unfamiliar situations, and the understanding of human nature she developed as a youth. Kat shares some of the frameworks for success that she has come up with over the years, such as the four characteristics of good leaders, ‘mentorship moments’, and monthly check-ins. She also gets into her method for arriving at these frameworks which involve unbiased reflection and a continuous willingness to apply new lessons going forward. Our conversation also covers the culture Kat fosters in her teams, the channels through which she is currently connecting to her audience, and a whole lot more. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:39] Introducing Kat Cole and her rise to success from humble beginnings. [00:50] The new platforms Kat is leveraging to grow her audience and share her teachings. [02:10] What lay behind Kat taking a huge pay cut to leave Hooters for the corporate world. [04:20] Developing the knowledge to run SaaS versus brick and mortar businesses. [06:30] How Kat developed the resilience to lead human-driven business models at a young age. [09:45] The role of humility, curiosity, courage, and confidence in good leadership. [12:02] Building trust  and having responsibilities as a leader in unfamiliar situations. [13:45] How Kat builds the mental frameworks she uses to level up using reflection. [14:48] The mentorship Kat arranged for herself using ‘mentoring moments.’ [16:50] Changing your mindset and applying the advice you are given. [17:26] How Kat levels up using her monthly check-in and hotshot rule methods. [19:46] The idea that our progress blinds us to the magnitude of our achievements. [20:34] A deeper dive into the types of questions Kat asks in her monthly check-ins. [22:03] The most beneficial tool Kat has recently implemented. [22:15] The relationship advice to be found in Kat’s favorite business book. [22:46] How to best reach Kat online. Resources From The Interview:   Kat Cole on LinkedIn Kat Cole on Twitter Kat Cole on Instagram Checking In with Kat Cole Focus Brands Clubhouse Must-read book: Give and Take   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter