Leveling Up with Eric Siu

We have a true legend of digital marketing on the show today. Rich Schefren has done a lot in the marketing space, to put it lightly! He is a pioneer of the modern marketing world and has been a mentor to many of the most famous young faces doing interesting things right now. We are so excited to speak to Rich today as he breaks down his experience in this episode that is absolutely brimming with information. Rich packs so much wisdom into each answer, and his decades of expertise become so apparent that you are definitely not going to want to miss this one! We discuss the discovery of the video sales letter, how he got a billion-dollar testimonial and what it means to be resourceful during difficult times. Rich tells us exactly why he loves his iPad so much, what he learned from the old guard of legendary marketers and how he has gone about laying staff off when it was necessary. We discuss pruning your business, building a strong team through profit-sharing, and the definitive moments from his career, 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! [01:54] A brief background to Rich's work and how he landed up where he is today! [04:58] Working with legendary direct response marketers.  [09:12] Rich's move into coaching and mentoring new faces in the game. [12:15] How writing 'The Internet Business Manifesto' changed Rich's life! [16:02] Resourcefulness and creating value for others; evergreen lessons from Rich. [18:39] Pruning parts of your business and enabling its further growth. [21:42] Rich's strategy for setting up profit-sharing in his company. [27:54] Lessons that Rich learned through layoffs and handling employees. [32:30] Rich's best books about direct response marketing! [34:42] The value Rich found in learning to speed read and his note-taking process.   Resources From The Interview:   Strategic Profits Rich Schefren on Twitter Ryan Deiss  Russell Brunson Zoom Fred Segal American Rag Timeout Jay Abraham Gary Halbert John Carlton Dan Kennedy  Stephen Pierce Gary Vaynerchuk Agora Publishing   The Internet Business Manifesto  Jon Benson ClickBank Charlie Munger  QuickReader Calibre Voice Dream GoodReader Evernote Kindle    Must read books: Breakthrough Advertising     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    

Here are give you three actionable lessons every marketer can learn from Tim Ferris! We talk about how Tim’s success can in part be attributed to his experimental nature, use of data in the content he produces, and willingness to keep learning! Tune in and hear what you can learn from Tim Ferris today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:25] Today’s topic: Three Actionable Lessons Every Marketer Can Learn From Tim Ferris. [00:32] Experimenting and building a brand by consistently marketing those experiments. [01:26] Don’t make claims! Content that uses data does better than content that doesn’t. [02:33] Tim is an obsessive learner; don’t stop learning no matter how successful you get. [03:27] That’s it for today! [03:29] To stay updated with events and learn more about our mastermind, go to the Marketing School site for more information.   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Tim Ferris The 4-Hour Workweek The 4-Hour Chef Warren Buffet Mark Cuban Leave Some Feedback:   What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below   Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.

Gary Vaynerchuck has been innovating on different marketing strategies for years. But how does all that translate to tactics you can apply to your own business? In this bonus episode, we learn 7 things that Gary Vee does exceptionally well and if you take even one of these tactics and apply to your own business you can see incredible results!

Ryan Levesque, the mastermind behind the Ask Method and founder of bucket.io, shares insights into leveraging quiz funnels for business growth. He emphasizes the power of data collection through interactive quizzes and showcases impressive success stories. Ryan explains how this strategy works for both established brands and startups aiming to build an audience. The conversation also touches on the evolving landscape of networking and events in a post-pandemic world, highlighting innovative approaches to audience engagement.

It is often said that niching down and making your offer specific to a particular need and section of the market is the key to success. Rick Carlson, our guest today believes that this idea is still under-appreciated. Rick is the CEO of SharpSpring, an all-in-one marketing automation platform that has experienced great success in its young life. We hear from Rick about his career in the marketing sphere, what he has chosen to give his attention to and the events leading up to the founding of SharpSpring. We chat about the company's base in Florida and why Rick decided to keep the company in his home state instead of one of the other startup hubs in the US. From there, Rick takes us through how SharpSpring approaches customer acquisition and their own marketing before we talk about finding the right type of customers and how he does this. The conversation ends off with the customary questions, with Rick opting to share his favorite business podcast instead of a book! For all this and a whole lot more from someone who is making great waves in the marketing world, and doing things slightly differently, join us on Leveling Up today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:42] Rick's background in sales, marketing and products, and his experiences in the field. [02:18] The strange story of how SharpSpring became a publicly-traded company.  [04:14] Rick's life in Florida; why he chose to base his company in his hometown. [06:22] SharpSpring's current client base and how they shape up next to their peers. [07:30] SharpSpring's target market and the interesting tactics they use for capturing. [09:01] Rick's tips for getting out there, finding market-fit and working with agencies.  [10:29] The effort that goes into connecting with the right companies and partners. [12:44] Focussing on a specific niche — the reasons for SharpSpring's success.  [14:37] Rick's favorite business podcast, article and tool! [15:55] Why Rick chooses to focus on his own work over following other companies and founders.  Resources From The Interview: Rick Carlson SharpSpring  AVG   Marketo  Act-On Eloqua  Pardot HubSpot Datanyze   Must listen podcast: Manager Tools   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 a world that seems almost fully-focussed on online and digital marketing, it may come as a surprise to some that physical means are still used to grow companies and for them to become known. PostcardMania is a very successful company in this line of work, using direct mail marketing to help their clients get the word out on their offers. They are a really great example of how older techniques and styles of marketing can still work in a contemporary context. The company was founded 21 years ago by Joy Gendusa, who we are so happy to welcome to the show today. They mostly serve small businesses and are up to about 60 million in revenue this year! Their pricing model is competitive but not comparatively cheap, and Joy explains how she pegs this. We talk about the history of the company and the organic growth that Joy has experienced over the last decades. She opens up about her target audience and the ways that have provided her with the biggest opportunities to scale and grow her team. Joy credits a lot of her success to her team, believing she leads a group of superheroes! We discuss their company culture, important practices and some of the perks and facilities at the office. So for all of this great stuff and to learn about a slightly different model for marketing, be sure to listen in! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:05] Joy's journey with PostcardMania and her learning curve with marketing. [03:11] The client-base for the company and the services they offer to them.  [04:52] Some of the important numbers from PostcardMania and how much mail they send. [06:36] The fee-structure at PostcardMania and the ways in which they make money. [07:46] The areas in which the company experiences the most growth and best results. [09:39] Struggles over the years; leading the ship through rough waters. [12:28] Joy's thoughts on CEOs’ groups, a bad experience she had and her love for her team. [14:48] Growing and evolving with the company; Joy's philosophy towards progress.  [51:52] PostcardMania's company culture and the unique perks that Joy offers her employees. [16:42] Monday meetings and the agenda for these weekly events at the company.  [18:06] Entrepreneurship and marriage; the benefits of a personal partnership with overlap. [19:40] Joy's growth practices; books, conversations, and pivoting. [20:42] A selection of a favorite business book and tool of Joy’s. [21:23] Why Joy is not really following any particular companies or founders currently. Resources From The Interview: Joy Gendusa   PostcardMania    Everywhere Small Business Free Zapier Subscription  Leveling Up 6c Postcard Special Shark Tank Alibaba Wade Foster   Inc. Magazine  Measure What Matters TedTalk     Basecamp   Postcard Marketing In An Online World: Success Simplified! Must read book: Measure What Matters   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    

Before thinking of building a Amazon or Apple, you have to think of your business as a 'launchpad' first. That's because even if you have a rocket, you can't go to space without a launchpad. We'll talk about the concept and how to do it.

When it comes down to it, SaaS businesses are valued on their ARR, but surprisingly, some still choose to manage the metrics and analytics that come as a byproduct of their order to cash process themselves. What they need is a platform, because having a single source of truth that drives all these metrics can’t be understated. Today’s guest is Tim McCormick, CEO of SaaSOptics, a platform that provides this very service. Specifically, SaaSOptics is a subscription management platform that provides early-stage and growth SaaS businesses with subscription billing, revenue recognition, financial reporting, and robust SaaS analytics. In our conversation with Tim today, we get into his career in tech running SaaS businesses in the security and energy management space, and the multiple exits he has orchestrated. He then dives into what SaaSOptics does and how they run their business to keep seeing such big growth. He gets into how SaasOptics automates the order to cash process, effectively sitting between the CRM and the general ledger. Tim talks about the metrics SaasOptics provides, their value-based pricing model, and how they balance marketing and sales in order to grow. We hear about the structure of their sales team, and their model of product cycles based on market changes too. There are around 30 000 B2B SaaS businesses globally thus the services SaaSOptics provides can’t come at a better time, so tune in to find out what it's all about! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:31] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:47] Tim’s career in marketing and exits in SaaS tech to founding SaaSOptics. [02:41] Why Tim keeps on exiting out: loving operating and helping the younger generation. [03:41] Vulnerability scanning and how it bridged Tim’s work in security and energy managing. [05:40] What SaaSOptics do to automate revenue recognition for smaller SaaS businesses. [08:00] Metrics SaaSOptics provides to help their clients get financing. [09:45] How SaaSOptics makes money by billing proportionately to clients’ revenue. [12:16] Ways SaaSOptics is growing: a blend of marketing/sales, and an account-based model.  [13:35] The structure of the SaaSOptics sales team and their service cycles. [14:35] Which revenue point customers start using SaaSOptics at: immediately if they’re smart!  [17:05] The relationship between product innovations and watching the market. [19:07] How Tim conducts his market research by assessing potential clients’ systems. [22:16] Tim’s favorite books: The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door, etc. [22:44] A favorite business tool of Tim’s: FullStory. [23:59] Companies Tim is following: Tesla, Pendo, and Salesloft. Resources From The Interview: Tim McCormick SaasOptics Traction Conference Internet Security Systems IBM Tom Noonan Cisco David Ryan Netsuite Quickbooks Salesforce   The Mom Test   FullStory Tesla Pendo Kyle Porter SalesLoft   Must read book:  The Lean Startup, Good to Great, The Millionaire Next Door   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 to hear some incredible tactics to get your consulting business up off the ground! These strategies will apply for agencies and consultants alike.

We talk about why community is the ultimate unfair advantage and why now is the best time to build one!