#Entrepreneur's Executive Editor Brittany Robins caught up with speakers at the Collision conference in Toronto and challenged them to a series of rapid-fire questions.
Learn everything from the practical advice Chris Cocks, CEO of Hasbro would tell his younger self, to the surprising item KJ Sidberry, partner at Google Ventures bought with his first paycheck—all in under a minute. 💫
I help businesses deliver a touchless customer experience that drives revenue growth, reduces the cost to serve and effortlessly scales with increasing demand.
When I got hired as a SE I was told that I needed to ‘walk and chew gum.’ The idea is that I needed to do more than just one thing. The CEO of Pied Piper would make a terrible SE
𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Richard Hendricks
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺: HBO’s show 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺
𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: CEO of a start up
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺: https://lnkd.in/gEivNrqA
The CEO of the Startup Can’t Explain His Own App
Great scene in the HBO show 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 where the CEO of a tech startup (who just got $200k from a Venture Capitalist) is lamenting how ‘awkward it is to not be able to describe your own company.’ He goes on to say that he built the app, you can see and use it, but he can’t describe what it is.
The key to selling isn’t just how the technology work, but why it is so important. The show makes fun of all kinds of apps (one that lets you send the word ‘bro’ to users on the app). But at the heart of it is “software needs to solve real problems, not just be cool tech.”
Every great SE knows not only how the technology works, but why it is so important to the prospect’s biggest problems. Every feature is demo’d for a reason and it solves not just the symptoms, but the root causes as well.
“Building in Public” is a proven method to help businesses raise millions of dollars, differentiate from the competition, and gain thousands of customers.
The biggest reason why I believe “building public” is so powerful?
Trust.
Documenting your journey online, where you not only show the wins but the failures, the challenges, and how you grow from those experiences, can allow an audience of potential investors and customers to understand you as a business owner and a human, building immense levels of trust.
Why is trust important? It’s simple.
People buy from people.
People are not only purchasing a product or a service but also buying into the people or the brand behind the product. The biggest factor in this is trust.
One month ago, I began my journey of “building in public” by starting a TikTok series where I take my audience on a journey to build my influencer management agency with a mission to elevate Asian American influencers through unique, personalized, full-service management that understands each individual’s unique background and journey.
In one month, I gained:
- 18,500 views
- 100+ new followers
- 1 customer interested in joining my management
In 30 days, I didn’t expect the result of documenting my journey at an early stage of my business to bring in new clients (even though it’s just one client).
Though putting more than necessary information out on social media can be terrifying, I truly believe the pros outweigh the cons.
If you are interested, check out my TikTok series (https://lnkd.in/gkFBw6yC), where I create weekly videos documenting the ups and downs of my entrepreneurial journey in the creator economy.
And if you are building in public as well - drop your @ here so I can follow along your journey :)
#buildinginpublic#creatoreconomy#entrepreneur
daily journal building a $BN company | ex-Goldman, Stanford MBA
Here’s how ‘Building in Public’ has changed my life:
🧠 Helped Me Raise $5M for My Startup
Because I’ve been vlogging my journey building Stan for so long - most of the VCs out there already know us!
Through sharing the ups and downs of my journey, we’ve established Stan as a key player in the Creator Economy and also built credibility for me as the founder.
This has helped me differentiate a ton in the fundraising process.
I even played my TikToks during my pitch meetings for extra pizazz! 🤣
😎 Made it 10x Easier to Get Customers
As I shared my learnings and insights on how to run a successful Creator business, I slowly built an audience…
And the cool thing (that I didn’t expect) - customers started reaching out to me!
📈 Created a Virtuous Cycle
As I continued to post, I saw this really cool cycle start where all these pieces of content led to more sales, which then led to more content…
which led to more sales, - and so on!!
The key: I don't think of creating content and my day-to-day job as two separate things - instead, I integrate the two - while I'm in a meeting or on a call with a customer, I'll press record and use that work as "content".
—
I actually walk through step-by-step how I build in public (without burning out) in my latest YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/gUTqaXfy
& if you start (or you already are!!) Building in Public - drop your @ here so I can follow your journey 🤝
#buildinginpublic#creatoreconomy#startup#venturecapital
I've been watching John Hu's journey building Stan for nearly 2 years now and this video highlights exactly what I think ALL creators should be focusing on:
Capture what you're already doing -> turn it into content that resonates and relates with your audience.
What a lot of aspiring or beginner creators think they should do is separate creating content and their lives/jobs as two separate pillars.
This makes content creation feel heavy and burdensome, leading to burnout or not creating content at all.
Over the last few months I have been mentoring a handful of young professionals who are looking to start and scale their own side hustles, and a huge blocker ALL of them have faced has been content.
A few common objections I've heard:
1. I don't know what to post
2. I don't know how to start
3. I am camera shy
4. I am not interesting
Capturing what you're already doing and then positioning it in a way that educates and relates is how you overcome these roadblocks.
Creating in public and sharing what you're doing, rather than creating content only highlight "what to do," is how you differentiate yourself in an incredibly crowded arena where it's hard to stand out.
I attribute my own success to this exact sentiment:
With Break Your Budget, I am distinctly sharing how I have approached my money and career throughout my twenties while integrating advice/tips/lessons, rather than simply telling you what you "should" do.
This has made it possible for me to:
1. Grow a following of over 1M young professionals across social media
2. Sell digital products by showing how I am personally using them
3. Publish 2 books before I turn 30 (Own Your Money in June 2023, Own Your Career coming summer 2024!)
If you're on the content wheel and feeling stuck or overwhelmed, I highly recommend watching this video!
#contentmarketing#contentcreation
daily journal building a $BN company | ex-Goldman, Stanford MBA
Here’s how ‘Building in Public’ has changed my life:
🧠 Helped Me Raise $5M for My Startup
Because I’ve been vlogging my journey building Stan for so long - most of the VCs out there already know us!
Through sharing the ups and downs of my journey, we’ve established Stan as a key player in the Creator Economy and also built credibility for me as the founder.
This has helped me differentiate a ton in the fundraising process.
I even played my TikToks during my pitch meetings for extra pizazz! 🤣
😎 Made it 10x Easier to Get Customers
As I shared my learnings and insights on how to run a successful Creator business, I slowly built an audience…
And the cool thing (that I didn’t expect) - customers started reaching out to me!
📈 Created a Virtuous Cycle
As I continued to post, I saw this really cool cycle start where all these pieces of content led to more sales, which then led to more content…
which led to more sales, - and so on!!
The key: I don't think of creating content and my day-to-day job as two separate things - instead, I integrate the two - while I'm in a meeting or on a call with a customer, I'll press record and use that work as "content".
—
I actually walk through step-by-step how I build in public (without burning out) in my latest YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/gUTqaXfy
& if you start (or you already are!!) Building in Public - drop your @ here so I can follow your journey 🤝
#buildinginpublic#creatoreconomy#startup#venturecapital
Here’s how ‘Building in Public’ has changed my life:
🧠 Helped Me Raise $5M for My Startup
Because I’ve been vlogging my journey building Stan for so long - most of the VCs out there already know us!
Through sharing the ups and downs of my journey, we’ve established Stan as a key player in the Creator Economy and also built credibility for me as the founder.
This has helped me differentiate a ton in the fundraising process.
I even played my TikToks during my pitch meetings for extra pizazz! 🤣
😎 Made it 10x Easier to Get Customers
As I shared my learnings and insights on how to run a successful Creator business, I slowly built an audience…
And the cool thing (that I didn’t expect) - customers started reaching out to me!
📈 Created a Virtuous Cycle
As I continued to post, I saw this really cool cycle start where all these pieces of content led to more sales, which then led to more content…
which led to more sales, - and so on!!
The key: I don't think of creating content and my day-to-day job as two separate things - instead, I integrate the two - while I'm in a meeting or on a call with a customer, I'll press record and use that work as "content".
—
I actually walk through step-by-step how I build in public (without burning out) in my latest YouTube video: https://lnkd.in/gUTqaXfy
& if you start (or you already are!!) Building in Public - drop your @ here so I can follow your journey 🤝
#buildinginpublic#creatoreconomy#startup#venturecapital
On the sixth day of business, my venture gave to me:
Six innovative ideas,
Five-star reviews,
Four Hours Just For Me,
Three loyal clients,
Two Discovery Calls,
and a purpose-built strategy, clear as can be
🎄🎶
On the sixth day of business, my venture gave to me:
Six innovative ideas,
Five-star reviews,
Four Hours Just For Me,
Three loyal clients,
Two Discovery Calls,
and a purpose-built strategy, clear as can be
🎄🎶
🌟 While many organizations are shifting from foundational start-ups to investor and tech funding—which is awesome—it's crucial to remember the importance of building a solid foundation first. How do we get Black businesses investor-ready without mastering the basics?
🔑 Let's start at the beginning: small business start-ups, mom and pop shops, hair and beauty businesses, and home-based businesses. I will remain in my lane, dedicated to helping these ventures thrive from the ground up.
Anyone else fall into this trap?
Brewd is a new(ish) business, but I’ve run studios before.
So I keep obsessing about scaling up - basically getting ahead of myself!
I’m definitely spending too much time on things that aren’t immediately relevant.
And I’m coming at projects, problems, and challenges (everything really) as if I have a studio already. That’s definitely the goal, but I’m not there yet!
I can’t help but want to set things up with that growth in mind.
Other founders, I’d love to know how you keep yourself in check.
#AgencyOwner#BusinessOwner#BrandingAgency
Dean Of Student Affairs at The Piney Woods School
1moSee you there’ll