Awesome chat with Angela Lee (37 Angels, Columbia Business School) about angel investing. We talk through what angels are looking for, who should try to raise from them, what'll happen if they do, and what the other options are. Then, we spend the last 15 minutes starting a $100mm Taco company. Angela walks through the process goals and financial milestones she'd want to hit in a fascinating startup exercise. Angela Lee 37 Angels Should you Bootstrap or Raise VC? Tacklebox...
Sep 07, 2022•40 min•Season 5Ep. 59
If you understand how the world works, you can let it do some serious heavy lifting for your business. If you ignore how it works, your business is as good as dead. Today we talk through three universal truths - forces that you can put behind your business to dramatically accelerate it. We'll use three examples - the best marketing campaign Brian's ever seen, the most magical product, and the mind-blowing growth of pickleball. Maria Maria 🎶 Tacklebox 🎣...
Aug 31, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 58
We spend a bunch of time on business fundamentals. These are important, obviously, but they're only relevant if you can build enough trust with customers to convince them to give you a chance in the first place. Today we'll talk about why people hand their keys over to random strangers on the street in New York City, how a person selling cures for baldness converts 80% of the people he speaks with, and how you can build a strategy to cultivate trust with your customers, too. Tacklebox...
Aug 24, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 57
Today, we'll start a business in 20(ish) minutes. We'll talk through the idea, figure out assumptions, run a test, and make a decision. We leverage a three step process to figure out if the idea is worth our time: Whisper Ideas vs. Rooftop Ideas, Rivers and Dams, and a Hypothesis Test. Tacklebox
Aug 17, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 56
I meet far too many unhappy entrepreneurs. The whole point of this thing is to build a business that makes you happy. It needs to work, but it also can't make you miserable. Lots of entrepreneurs set themselves on a bad path from day one by ignoring critical early decisions. We talk through them today. And if you're not happy building what you're building, it's not too late. Tacklebox
Aug 10, 2022•16 min•Season 5Ep. 55
Today we'll help you sink your teeth into value. We'll help you understand what people will actually pay for, talk through a framework to ensure you're creating enough value to anchor a business, and look at examples of a few startups doing this well and poorly. There's also a magician. Make $1,000 Today Tacklebox
Aug 03, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 54
This episode digs into how to reduce complexity and choose the right path through a mental model we call the river. You identify the dams that stop your customer and break them down, focusing on just them to bring focused, explainable, shareable value. Plus, the papaya. Which you'll have to listen to understand. Tacklebox The River (Bruce Springsteen)
Jul 27, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 53
We've spent a ton of time recently on tactics and strategies. Today, we talk about how to build a group to make sure you're implementing them. Here's how to build a 4 person startup accountability group that'll meet weekly. We talk through who should be in the group, what you should focus on, and why it'll help. There's absolutely no better way to get started. Tacklebox
Jul 20, 2022•16 min•Season 5Ep. 52
Today we reflect on the three core characteristics our fastest growing startups shared. We break each down and talk through how to check for them and optimize for them. We also realize that startup ideas without these characteristics aren't worth your time to build. Tacklebox Byldd Kunal Shah on The Knowledge Project...
Jul 13, 2022•25 min•Season 5Ep. 51
Today we think through an idea for an app that treats chronic pain. We'll use the Three Level system to figure out what we know, what we need to learn, and whether the business has enough potential for us to spend our time filling in the gaps. And, if you're a freelance designer, podcast producer, or in video production, and you're interested in working on and growing ITS, contact [email protected]. Tacklebox Miro...
Jul 06, 2022•25 min•Season 5Ep. 50
Today we'll talk about how early-stage entrepreneurs can get themselves unstuck. It's easy to get paralyzed when the things you do don't lead to the outcomes you want. The key is understanding that in the startup world, results and decisions don't always go hand in hand. Separating them and focusing on stacking good decisions while understanding that the results might be a lagging indicator is your best bet. That's hard to do. Today, we talk through it. Tacklebox Alex Honnold Video...
Jun 29, 2022•23 min•Season 5Ep. 49
A 20(ish) minute skills episode on sales 101 for entrepreneurs who hate sales. We go through three tactics and a bunch of examples to help you build a system for sales that'll help you grow without making you feel slimy. We set up sales for a sabbaticals as a service startup. And we talk through why entrepreneurs hate sales and how to reframe the whole thing. Tacklebox Text Expander Streak Pipedrive...
Jun 22, 2022•28 min•Season 5Ep. 48
Most entrepreneurs struggle with prioritization. When you need to do *everything*, where do you start? Today we lay out a three-part framework to make sure you're spending your time on the most important stuff. It includes a calendar, a weekly audit, and an environment makeover. Best of all, it works. Hat tip to Finland for the inspiration. Tacklebox Tom Eisenmann Episode...
Jun 15, 2022•27 min•Season 5Ep. 47
Today we talk through testing and getting to an idea that can grow before you invest time and money to build it. We do this through the lens of a meeting agenda startup, plus revisit Brian's basketball lesson business and the NYC speakeasy, Please Don't Tell. Immi Please Don't Tell Tacklebox
Jun 08, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 46
Today we break down a tough question: What makes a great product? We look at Brian's two favorite products to tease out themes and characteristics we can leverage to build a great first product at a smaller scale. Tacklebox Membership (with pod listeners discount / application)
Jun 01, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 45
Operating in a crowded market with a ton of potential is tempting - and tough. Today, we evaluate companies taking very different approaches to the coffee market. We go deep on Blank Street, Cometeer, and Nguyen Coffee Supply and pull out everything we can learn that'll help you build your business. Tacklebox Nguyen Coffee Supply , Cometeer , Blank Street Quibi Episode - How to lose 1.8bn dollars in 10 days Boston Towns Sketch Air Mail article on Blank Street...
May 25, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 44
Today's episode introduces the Product Pyramid Framework, a tool entrepreneurs who have never built products before can use to make sure they build the right thing. The three part system ensures you're focused on features that'll move the needle and translate into organic growth. Tacklebox
May 18, 2022•20 min•Season 5Ep. 43
Lots of people carve out time to work on their startup ideas. Most people spend that time doing things that don't matter. Today, we talk about something you can do this weekend that'll actually matter for your startup. Like, way more than anything else you could do. We get a little help from Martin Scorsese, a golf startup, and a restaurant that only serves French Dip. Tacklebox
May 11, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 42
Getting to a startup idea worth starting is active, not passive. The idea won't just show up - you'll need to find it. And it likely won't be the first idea you've got. The way to get a great startup idea is to get lots of startup ideas so you've got context and practice. The way to get lots of startup ideas... well, that's what the episode is about. The three pillars of getting lots of good startup ideas. Tacklebox
May 04, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 41
Here at Idea to Startup we're obsessed with the process of filtering through and choosing ideas. Today we're joined by Alex White, previously the founder of The Next Big Sound (acquired by Pandora) and current founder of Subcity, and someone with as thoughtful and rigorous an approach around ideation as you'll find. We dig in on how to think through an idea, how to pursue it, and how to decide if it's worth your time. Subcity Tacklebox Four Steps to the Epiphany...
Apr 27, 2022•52 min•Season 5Ep. 40
Writing copy for a startup is hard, especially when you're thinking it up from scratch. This episode goes through five frameworks that'll help you write copy that converts customers. We've got a bunch of examples in here and Brian has a sore throat so he "sounds pretty cool, actually" - his words. Byldd - MVP development agency Tacklebox - Build your startup with us (join before we move to application only May 2) Inflection Points...
Apr 20, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 39
Today we talk with Jonathan Hunt-Glassman, the founder of Oar Health. Oar Health makes safe, effective medication and convenient care for people who want to drink less or quit drinking altogether. Jonathan went through Tacklebox a few years back and created a path a lot of entrepreneurs with jobs would love to follow - validating, building, and growing before quitting his job to transition to Oar full-time. Since, he's raised funding, grown the team, and is tackling addiction in a unique and hig...
Apr 15, 2022•38 min•Season 5Ep. 38
Today we're going to start yet another startup in 7(ish) minutes. We'll flesh out an idea and figure out how to test it using four key questions. The problem we'll solve is parking in NYC. As always, if anyone wants to run with this - please do. Reach out if you do. This problem needs a solution. Tacklebox
Apr 13, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 37
The 100th episode of Idea to Startup dives into the most important thing our entrepreneurs with jobs have done to make progress - purposefully designing their lives so that inertia pulls them towards growth, not inaction. We go through how you can design your life to make progress on your startup the norm with a little help from Brian's grandfather, Poppy. Tacklebox
Apr 06, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 36
The best entrepreneurs choose what they compete against. They stack the deck so their product is overwhelmingly better than the alternative. The key to this is choosing the category your customer sees you in. Choose the category and you'll be able to dictate your competitors and ensure you have a good chance to win. Today we'll talk about choosing categories with a little help from e-bikes, protein bars, and a mattress. Tacklebox RSVP for Entrepreneurs with Jobs Getting Coffee in NYC on April 6 ...
Mar 30, 2022•13 min•Season 5Ep. 35
Your startup will only grow if you design for and facilitate word of mouth. The big mistake people make is thinking their business will generate that WoM growth - the key is making sure the conversation is already happening before you build a product. We'll talk through strategies for this today, with a little help from a wine investing platform and a product to help a two year old sleep. Byldd Tacklebox...
Mar 23, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 34
Today we'll talk about finding ideas that are primed to grow fast and grow big. As we dug in, we realized this was a great approach for any sized business. There are three pillars for this type of idea, and we'll go through each with a little help from Coke and Pepsi and my grade school friend, Aaron. Pepsi Challenge Generation Defining Stats The Innovator's Dilemma Competing Against Luck...
Mar 16, 2022•17 min•Season 5Ep. 33
Today we'll talk through how to test out and build a startup idea in ~10 days by answering four questions. We'll use an idea that's oddly popped up a bunch lately: Kitchen Organizer. We do this with a little help from a story about a poker player and my good friend, Penne Vodka Pete. Tacklebox Membership Wix
Mar 09, 2022•24 min•Season 5Ep. 32
Simple products win. You probably already knew this, but creating a simple product is harder than it should be. The reason is that a simple product has nothing to do with the product itself. Today we'll talk about Customer Deltas - the most important piece of the puzzle for a simple product that you can build fast and is primed for growth. Tacklebox The Psychology of Money...
Mar 02, 2022•19 min•Season 5Ep. 31
Today we'll talk about the irrational fears that keep entrepreneurs from doing the things they need to do to be successful. We've got stories about Barney Greengrass, a six year old pedaling on a Peloton with his hands, and a tourist ending up with the perfect order. And, a system to ensure you don't get caught making irrational decisions that hamstring your startup. Byldd Tacklebox Membership ITS habit pods: How to Not Waste Your Life You Need a Bouncer Do The Thing...
Feb 23, 2022•21 min•Season 5Ep. 30
