Leveling Up with Eric Siu

With the business of podcasting still growing and the landscape continually shifting with big acquisitions and new players, we wanted to take this opportunity to fill you in on the biggest trends for the upcoming year. From Amazon and Spotify's big moves to ways to leverage your own audience, these are pieces that you need to know about, so tune in to hear it all! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:23] Competition is heating up in the podcast world! [01:18] What these big acquisitions in the podcast world mean for content and analytics. [01:40] Building and leveraging your community — going one step further. [02:24] The monetization of your podcast; the array of methods for doing this. [03:35] Useful tools for improving and growing your podcast in 2021! [04:20] Making the most of adjacent opportunities and collaboration. [04:46] The upward swing of the podcasting business and how getting involved can lead to other opportunities.   Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up   Spotify Megaphone Wondery  Dreamhost  Chartable    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    

Today’s guest is Austen Allred, CEO at Lambda School, the online web development and data science academy that students pay no tuition for until they are hired. In this episode, we talk to Austen about overcoming the challenges that Lambda’s unique payment structure presents, what he is focusing on to optimize the business, and the path he has taken personally to get where he is today. Lambda gets paid retrospectively from their hired students via income shared agreements and Austen shares about what it took to get the school off the ground and keep it afloat when they were earning no money from fees. Next up, we talk about the legal challenges of keeping Lambda School registered with state-specific education regulations across the U.S. From there, we get into some of the things Austen is focusing on to improve Lambda School as a company and a place to learn within, hearing him highlight things like scaling, job placement, repeatable student experience, internal communication, and organizational design. Austen also weighs in on how he is getting better at being a CEO, the value of hiring executives, and where the company is currently at as far as metrics for employees, enrolled students, and successful hires. Wrapping up, we talk to Austen about his experiences of living in a car in his early days and ask him about his favorite business tool and some of the books, companies, and CEOs that inspire him most.    TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:48] The idea behind Lambda School and the way it structures fees. [01:47] How the income share agreement (ISA) payment structure at Lambda School works. [03:38] A story about the career success of a Lambda School graduate. [04:38] How Lambda School graduates help market the company. [05:35] The method Austen used to get the ISA model off the ground initially. [07:35] What Austen is doing to embark on the scaling journey with Lambda. [09:12] The pain of keeping Lambda compliant with state-specific education regulations. [11:56] Metrics for the funding Austen has received to keep the ISA model running. [12:09] How Austen and his team are helping students land jobs. [16:07] What led to Austen writing Secret Sauce and how the book is doing. [17:12] Metrics for students, employees, and successful hires at Lambda. [17:50] What Austen is doing to get better at being a CEO. [18:57] The value of hiring executives and how to find proper ones. [21:16] Which areas of the business Austen is optimizing currently. [23:49] Companies and CEOs who inspire Austen. [24:54] The story of how Austen lived in his car and what he learned. [26:36] Austen’s favorite business tools: GitHub and GitLab. [29:00] Why Austen’s favorite business book is The Wright Brothers. [29:26] The best way to find and connect with Austen online.   Resources From The Interview:   Austen Allred on Twitter Lambda School   Secret Sauce: The Ultimate Growth Hacking Guide   Paul Graham Geoff Ralston Tesla SpaceX Amazon Elon Musk Jeff Bezos Stripe GitLab GitHub Rippling Airtable Zapier Roam   Must-read book: The Wright Brothers     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    

Tune in today to hear about the hottest marketing trends for 2021 as Eric unpacks the ones he thinks are the most powerful for you and your business! From leveraging a community and SMS marketing to connecting with influencers and going omnichannel, you do not want to miss these strategies that can make all the difference for the upcoming year!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:15] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:20] The power of community — bringing people together around a brand. [01:47] Automated account-based marketing and a different way to reach out. [02:38] Utilizing the amazing new capabilities of automated copy creation. [03:41] The continued dominance of influencer marketing!  [04:14] The omnichannel approach to content creation; making the most of what you make.  [05:23] Looking at the power of subscription economy. [06:13] How to leverage SMS marketing for a higher open rate.   Resources From The Interview:   Leveling Up   Circle  Metadata OpenAI Substack Patreon OnlyFans  Community   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    

It is becoming more and more popular to build businesses and platforms in public. As Eric explains in today's episode, there is really no downside to this way of doing things and the visibility factor is a big plus. This means that while you grow and improve your business, investors can find you more easily, and you can even get the public involved. Tune in to find out more. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:25] Conversations that are happening on Twitter right now around business and numbers. [01:09] There is nothing to lose by building in public!   [01:51] Looking at the example of copy.ai and their founder Paul Yacoubian. [02:41] If you are growing publicly, you are more visible to investors.  [03:42] Eric's thoughts on maybe trying this model out himself! [04:20] The different kinds of projects this model can be applied to right now.   Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up The Bachelor The Bachelorette   Paul Yacoubian Copy.ai ClickFlow Marketing School Pro Consulting School   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    

Today Eric unpacks some very interesting statistics on what it takes to gain YouTube subscribers! Referencing data published on Twitter, Eric shows how once again, just like in business, gaining an audience and experiencing success is all about sticking with it and being patient. From Logan Paul to MrBeast, these celebrities put in the time and reaped the rewards. This could be you too, so tune in to find out more.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:35] What the numbers show about the amount of time and content it takes to gain followers. [01:13] Getting subscribers takes time to grow and compound. [01:40] Most people play the comparison game and give up too quickly. [02:10] Where Eric's YouTube is currently at in terms of the statistics.  [03:01] Looking at podcasts and blogs — what this shows us. [04:02] Plans for upping the production quality of the Leveling Up YouTube content. [04:29] Home-runs come once in a while so stick with it. [04:50] The three 'H's of YouTube creation and how this can help. Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up   MrBeast Logan Paul    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    

With the lightning-fast developments in AI and content generation, it is easy to get left behind the newest advances. Today, Eric talks about GPT-3 and what this means for the immediate future of high quality content generation. It does seems as though this is a big step up for at-scale content creation, and will certainly raise the bar for general standards, as well as giving the SEO world a bit of jolt. Tune in to hear all about it today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:23] What is GPT-3 and how does it work? [00:58] Looking at the AI content-creation landscape up until recently.  [02:50] Creating content at scale with GPT-3 that is indistinguishable from human writing. [03:51] Examples of the capabilities of GPT-3 for quality content!  [04:22] Generating tweets in the style of a real person.  [06:01] What this means for the general standards of content creation.   Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up   OpenAI Crunchbase Sam Altman Y Combinator Naval Ravikant   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    

Laziness has traditionally been something that is frowned upon, however, as we hear from Bill Gates, there are certain aspects of laziness that can serve a business really well. Lazy people often look for the easiest way to do something, so this tendency, combined with intelligence, can be a great boost for finding new and quicker methods! These types of thinkers often did not do very well at school (like Eric!) and it is only out in the real world of business and startups that they can begin to excel by tapping into their unique gifts! Listen in to hear all about it!   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:26] Reframing your thoughts on laziness! [00:40] Finding shortcuts is a skill and using it can be a big benefit. [01:29] Eric's usual method for creating school papers at the last minute [02:00] What Eric would do now if he was forced to go to college and study history.  [02:30] The four classes of characteristics; clever, lazy, stupid and industrious. [03:24] Problems in the US school system and the issue of conformity. [04:39] What Eric looks out for when hiring — someone who can connect the dots. [05:21] Changing the connotations of laziness into something positive.   Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up   Bill Gates    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    

Our focus today is Paul Graham's essay, 'How To Think For Yourself', in which he details some very useful ways to view different jobs and the power of independent thought within them. A foundational element of this thought piece is in the idea that certain professions require uniform thinking while others need you to think originally. By understanding this difference, we can begin to find the right place to house our particular psychological preferences. Tune in to hear all about it! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:29] A quick introduction to Paul Graham and Y Combinator. [01:18] Not everyone is the same — find your best way to learn. [01:50] Excerpts from Paul's essay, on originality and quality. [02:34] Zigging when others zag — stand out and offer value. [03:01] Questions to ask yourself; what type of work are you doing? [03:58] Picking the right type of work for yourself in order to excel. [04:40] Getting the right people in the right seat on your team. [05:08] Gauging your own independent-mindedness and filling in the gaps. [06:16] The people you surround yourself with will impact your view of yourself! [08:03] Dangers of the news and media and how this can detract from free thinking. [08:37] Learning how others think through biographical and historical media. [10:20] Fostering curiosity and and an open mind — this will lead to growth!   Resources From The Interview:   Leveling Up   Paul Graham How to Think for Yourself Essay Y Combinator Airbnb Twitch  Dropbox  EO YPO Vistage    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 you looking to transform your eCommerce growth? Want to increase the efficiency, profitability, and value of your company? Today’s episode is for you! We are super excited to bring Trent Dyrsmid to the podcast today. He is the Founder and CEO of Flowster, which is a software company for eCommerce entrepreneurs to improve workflow automation through the creation and use of standard operating procedures. Through the use of their software, you can optimize execution through standard operating procedures, which are the lifeblood of today’s most successful organizations. If implemented effectively, they ensure every business process is executed exactly the same way, every time. They also improve accountability through an audit trail providing you with transparency into every aspect of your employees’ work. Teamwork is dreamwork, and by using this software, companies are able to allow team members to easily assign each other tasks, give due dates, upload files, and add comments to the work they've done — keeping everyone in the loop and your business running at peak efficiency. During today’s episode we talk to Trent more about Flowster, his journey from the beginning to where he is now, he shares his favorite automation tool, and so much more, so stay tuned and enjoy! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:35] How things are going with Trent and what he is up to. [01:13] Trent shares more about his first business, what it was, and how that lead to where he is today.  [04:18] More about the process of how he started to develop his standard operating procedure. [05:50] Trent talks numbers on his first company. [07:00] Trent elaborates about Flowster, creating processes in a digital, interactive checklist. [08:15] Why he decided to market to e-commerce customers.  [09:15] What the Flowster software offers — facilitating the process of delegation and more. [10:15] Trent walks us through an example of how the software functions and what the “magic button” entails.  [11:55] How many customers they have and we talk about the different pricing of their services. [15:00] Trent talks about his podcast and the value it’s given to him.  [16:22] He shares his favorite tool: Automation Zapier and his favorite Zap. [16:54] His favorite book: The E-Myth by Michael Gerber. [17:27] Where to find more about Trent and his business.   Resources From The Interview:   Trent Dyrsmid on LinkedIn Flowster Zapier The Bright Ideas Brand   Must read book: The E-Myth     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    

Today on the show we are looking at Keith Rabois' philosophy of ammunition and barrels! This is a way to look at the members of your team and who you choose to hire. Keith unpacks how these two different types of team members will serve you in certain ways — it is up to you to make the most of specific skills as well as hiring smartly. Tune in to learn more about the ammunition and barrels metaphor! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:40] Focussing on the team first and then the product that you are building. [01:31] The best people will give you most leverage!  [02:11] When you make a subpar hire, you bring down the quality of your company. [02:29] Hiring processes and company culture; fostering the best team possible.  [02:48] The two categories of high quality hires; ammunition and barrels. [03:52] The mindsets that will serve you and your company and lead to success. [04:52] Finding a way through challenges by hiring the right people! Resources From The Interview:     Leveling Up   Square PayPal Keith Rabois  OBS   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