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Growth Stacking Show with Dan Martell

Dan Martell is a Canadian serial entrepreneur and angel investor. Subscribe now and learn his best strategies to build and scale successful products and businesses. Now hit that button and start the show. It's FREE.
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Now displaying: April, 2019
Apr 29, 2019

Exclusive Resource: High Tempo Testing™ - Define a Solid North Star Metric & Identify Experiments Worth Running That Drive You Closer To Predictable Growth - http://bit.ly/2INZx2M

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Imagine this…

You’ve worked MONTHS gearing up to launch your product.

You’re absolutely CERTAIN that the market will receive it with the same level of enthusiasm as you do (and I mean… why wouldn’t they? Your thing is awesome).

So you put your reputation on the line by inviting 300 of your most influential friends and investors into a swanky-ass theatre for the official launch party. We’re talking people from Shark Tank, Dragon’s Den, Hootsuite, Freshbooks, etc.

You pull back the curtain. Give them all immediate access. And spend the longest, most excruciating twenty minutes of your life waiting for them to interact with your product and give the raving reviews you expected.

But instead you’re met with…

Crickets.

Welcome to the origin story of my last company, clarity.fm.

Before the 100K+ users and eventual exit, there was a botched launch and a punch-to-the-gut that nearly KO’d the company before it ever got off the ground.

What I share in this week’s episode is how I took clarity from 300 apathetic users that I pretty much bribed and begged to support the product…

… to having enough raving fans and active users to fill up Wembley stadium.

At a high level, here are the 5 steps towards growth hacking your way to 100K users:

1. Nail a problem
2. Map the universe
3. Value in advance
4. Drafting strategy
5. Rinse and repeat

While giving value in advance isn’t exactly mind blowing, there are TWO hugely impactful ways to go about doing this.

Most people are familiar with the first type (providing useful content that educates and solves specific pain points for your audience).

The other is a bit more subtle, but when done right (like Vidyard and Hubspot have done)… it can be the x-factor that unlocks massive growth for your company.

Watch the full ep to get the deep dive on the strategy, and then drop me a comment letting me know which of the steps you plan to test this quarter to spur more growth for your SaaS company.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: High Tempo Testing™ - Define a Solid North Star Metric & Identify Experiments Worth Running That Drive You Closer To Predictable Growth - http://bit.ly/2INZx2M

Apr 22, 2019

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - http://bit.ly/2IPphuH

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I recently got on a call with a potential coaching client who asked me the best way to create momentum during the fundraising process.

And it got me thinking…

“what’s been true in my own successful fundraising experience… as well as the 150M raised by those I’ve mentored/advised?”

Turns out, there were some consistent (and repeatable) markers that can make the difference between a fast and effective fundraising round…

… and one that stumbles out of the gates and flatlines before it ever gets momentum.

In this week’s video, I cover the 4 ways to create a fundraising narrative that draws interest from the right investors at the right time.

At a high level, it comes down to:

1. Two Peaks
2. Pre-Marketing
3. Manufacture Traction
4. Team Story

While timing your fundraising to match one of the “two peaks” is the most critical starting point, one of my favorite strategies (it’s also used at many accelerators), is to manufacture traction.

“Wait… what?… are you telling me to mess with my data to make it look like a hockey stick?”

Definitely not.

While it’s a bit nuanced (and requires careful planning)… manufacturing traction is not only perfectly ethical, but one of the most powerful ways for you to attract potential investors and get them reaching for their checkbook.

Highly recommend you pay close attention to that one.

Catch the full ep here and then drop a comment letting me know any questions you have about raising capital in your startup.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Fundraising Like a Pro - Learn the 3 phases of fundraising and a 7 week process for starting & closing your next round of funding - http://bit.ly/2IPphuH

Apr 15, 2019

Exclusive Resource: Confidence Creator™ - 4 Mind-Altering Ways To Become A Confident Entrepreneur Even If You’re Full of Self Doubt - http://bit.ly/2UDP68q

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I’ve spoken a lot about my 3 most recent SaaS exits (Clarity.fm, Flowtown, Spheric)…

But rarely do I talk about how EASILY I could’ve given up on each. I mean…

… Spheric got sued 15 months in.
… Flowtown got shut down by Facebook and had to be rebuilt from near-scratch.
… Clarity.fm launched to crickets (despite renting out a 300-seat theatre).  

As you’d imagine, each had me swallowing a confidence-killing cocktail of fear and frustration. Few would’ve blamed me for just burning the whole thing down.

And if it wasn’t for the 4 confidence-building strategies I cover in this week’s episode, I probably would’ve.

Sure, I would’ve missed out on three successful exits.

But what really makes my stomach sink is thinking about all the impact that hundreds of thousands of customers would’ve missed out on if I let my fear get the best of me.

Your customers deserve a confident, resilient version of “you”. As does your team and all the people you’ve brought into the trenches with you.

In this week’s video, I show you exactly how to get your confidence back on track no matter how much adversity you’re up against.

At a high level, here are the 4 ways to regain your confidence:

1. Product impact
2. Achievement list
3. Community made
4. Serve others

Thought testimonials, case studies and customer calls only serve a marketing purpose?

Nope.

One of my favorite ways to blast through the fake stories floating through my head, is to simply look at all the impact my product is creating in the real world.

Next time you find yourself sinking in self doubt at a time when you NEED to show up at your fullest, take a sec to call up a successful customer and ask them about how your product is making their life (and business) better.

Sometimes the main function of a case study is to sell a founder on him or herself :)

Watch the full ep here and then drop me a comment letting everyone know your personal strategies for dealing with adversity in your biz.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Confidence Creator™ - 4 Mind-Altering Ways To Become A Confident Entrepreneur Even If You’re Full of Self Doubt - http://bit.ly/2UDP68q

Apr 8, 2019

Exclusive Resource: Revenue Expansion Maximizer™ - Strategies For Increasing the Lifetime Value of a Customer Without Adding New Features - http://bit.ly/2Ga57sL

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Imagine this…

Your SaaS company lands a massive account almost right out of the gates.

They start using it.

They have feedback… lots of it… almost too much of it.

Your team takes it as gospel. Jotting it all down – committing on the spot – holding meetings about those new feature requests — making plans to push them forward.

Before you know it, they’re pretty much writing your entire roadmap for you. “All good” you say. They are, after all, your biggest account.

So your dev team moves forward. Codes the hell out of those new feature requests.

6 months later, your SaaS is barely recognizable. A product of a hijacked roadmap that only serves the interests of ONE (of many) customers.

Not only that, but you’re met with the ongoing costs of supporting the code that only benefits a single customer.

A surefire way to burn out your team, alienate  all other users, and sink resources into something that doesn’t serve your growth? Yep.

Avoidable. Definitely.

In this week’s video
, I cover the 5 key ways to collect customer feedback WITHOUT letting them leave their thumbprints all over your product roadmap.

At a high level, here’s what you gotta do to avoid that opening horror story:

1. Early Adopters
2. Customer Advisory Board
3. Vocal Minority
4. Advice. Not feedback
5. Log the Name and Circle Back

It’s tempting to let your biggest customers dictate your roadmap… or worse, your small customers (with the loudest and most persistent voice)…

But your product roadmap is sacred. It’s for you and your team to decide on.

On the plus side, there are SO many ways to make your customers feel seen and heard WITHOUT committing…  and then delighting them later if, and only if, you decide to move forward.

Watch the full episode here to learn exactly how to put this into play.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: Revenue Expansion Maximizer™ - Strategies For Increasing the Lifetime Value of a Customer Without Adding New Features - http://bit.ly/2Ga57sL

Apr 1, 2019

Exclusive Resource: The Talent Pipeline™ Process - Step-by-Step Strategy For Finding (and Hiring) A-Players - Even If You Don't Have an HR Department - http://bit.ly/2FJgpDR

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My first two companies FAILED hard.

Sure, there were many factors at play. But when I take a sec to assess where things really went off the rails, it all came down to this…

I had the wrong people on board.

And it’s no criticism to them.

As a founder (especially in the early stages), you’re ENTIRELY responsible for making sure that you have the right personnel for each position.

Where most founders go wrong is that they hire by default.

Maybe they’re too overwhelmed by all their other hats… maybe they hit a point of exhaustion in the recruitment process… maybe they don’t even have a recruiting process…

… but essentially they hit a breaking point where they just hire anyone who has the skill and is willing to show up.

Aka a warm body.

Not exactly a solid growth strategy.

Whether you realize it or not, your company’s growth is HIGHLY dependent on the quality of talent you have coming through the pipeline. Think of it as a sales funnel that repays you in human capital. The ROI (and cost of getting it wrong) is entirely underestimated.

That’s why in this week’s episode, I break down my entire process for constantly building and replenishing a pipeline of A-players that I know can drive my business forward.

Have an HR Department

At a high level, the 5 steps for building a talent pipeline are as follows:

1. Prep the position
2. Build a candidate pipeline
3. Quick to qualify
4. Simulate the work
5. Sell the future

The fourth step has been a staple of my hiring process for the last decade.

Essentially, I can’t work with you until I work with you.

So many founders rush to hire a candidate that looks great on paper (and even rocks the interview)… yet when it comes to the actual specific work that needs to be performed… they totally miss the mark.

By assigning a test project before officially bringing a candidate on board (and by assigning the same test project to all candidates)… you instantly identify who’s most ready to hit the ground running and make impactful contributions to your company.

Which at the end of the day is the reason you’re hiring in the first place.

Give the full episode a watch here
, and then drop me a comment letting me know what position you’re currently hiring for — and a test project you plan to give candidates.

--

Dan Martell has advised more startups than his hometown has people and teaches startup founders like you how to scale. He previously created, raised venture funding for and successfully exited two tech startups: Flowtown and Clarity.fm. You should follow him on twitter @danmartell for tweets that are actually awesome.

+ Instagram (behind the scenes): http://instagram.com/danmartell
+ Facebook (live trainings + Q&A): http://FB.com/DanMartell
+ Twitter (what I'm reading): http://twitter.com/danmartell

Exclusive Resource: The Talent Pipeline™ Process - Step-by-Step Strategy For Finding (and Hiring) A-Players - Even If You Don't Have an HR Department - http://bit.ly/2FJgpDR

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