The Build Cycle

Ep #055 - How to Build a Consumer Direct Brand w/ Fezzari Bike's Chris Washburn

More and more entrepreneurs, myself included, are launching with a direct-to-consumer business model, and for good reason. It’s never been easier. 

But just because you can start easily, doesn’t mean running and scaling that business will be easy. Today, I’m talking with Fezzari Bikes founder Chris Washburn about how they’re selling high ticket items, sight unseen, by building trust with customers, plus how they deal with inventory forecasting, production, and all the other things you might not be thinking about when you’re just focused on launching your company. Chris shares how they set their pricing, which is a tricky subject when you’re competing against established brands with a strong retail presence, and many more of the challenges and lessons he’s learned in 12 years of building a business. If you’re running a direct to consumer company, this episode is for you!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #054 - The Easy Way to Close More Sales with Matthew Pollard

Do you want to make more sales? Do you struggle to close the deal? Then you're probably doing it all wrong.

Matthew Pollard bills himself as "The Rapid Growth Guy", and that branding is just the teaser to bring you into his world of story telling as the best sales method. It's not a fairy tell. As you'll hear, using facts and figures to convince someone to buy from you is a fool's errand. Better to tell stories that exemplify your knowledge and understanding, and combine those with questions that help you present the right information in the right way so the customer convinces themselves that they need you. The best parts? You basically take your competition out of the picture, and there's no need for a hard close. The right people will want to buy from you!

Get ready for a roller coaster of information overload, and be sure to bookmark the show notes on this for a recap. Hold on tight, here we go!

SHOW NOTES & LINKS

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

#053 - How to Double your Profits with Cadence author Pete Williams

What if I told you there were simple little things you could do that would double your revenues and profits?

Sound to good to be true? At the top level, doubling your business can seem like a monumental task. Where do we start? What do we do? In his new book, Cadence, author Pete Williams breaks it down to just seven things that drive growth, then walks us through the process of finding small, consistent wins in each. Before you know it, these small improvements across your business quickly add up. If you've ever struggled to grow or just don't know where to start, this episode is for you!

Pete shares some of the mistakes he was making in his company, many of which will probably sound familiar, and what he focused on turned things around. As you're listening, I encourage you to think about where each of these Seven Levers are in your business, then use the show notes as a reference guide.

Oh, and stay tuned through the end to hear how you can win a copy of Cadence for yourself!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #052: How to Create a Winning Brand w/ Ponysaurus' David Baldwin

Do you want to create a brand that stands out? Wondering how to create a world class brand that people actually care about and love? Then you'll love this Branding Master Class with Ponysaurus Brewing co-founder David Baldwin, who is also the founder of Baldwin&, an award winning advertising and branding agency in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Using Ponysaurus as a case study, David discusses how to create a memorable and impactful brand for your product, service or company by finding its authentic truth. This episode starts off with the story and process behind creating Ponysaurus, then we dive into more practical tips and topics on how you can create your own brand.

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #051: Create a Platform & Monetize your Videos w/ Uscreen founder PJ Taei

This episode is a mix of “how I built this” and “how to make money making videos”, with equal parts business strategy, startup story, and best practices for monetizing your videos. The expert is Uscreen founder PJ Taei, who built a video-on-demand platform that lets you sell your own streaming video content. His story shows the value of creating the right features, proving you can find paying customers, and charging enough for your product. And for aspiring video content creators out there, I think you’ll be both inspired and motivated by some of the stories he shares about his customers. The short of it? Sounds like you can make a lot of money by selling your video content to the right audience, and we talk about how to do just that. Lights, camera, action!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #050: How to Get Your Products as OEM Spec

This week’s episode is very short, under 30 minutes, but it’s packed with valuable insights about how to get your product spec’d as original equipment on something larger, or just get your product, service or tech bundled in as part of a bigger finished good.

 

Apologies in advance for the wind noise, I met the product managers from Marin Bicycles at an outdoor cafe while at a major mountain bike event in France to ask them how and why they choose the parts that go on their bikes. The lessons they shared are applicable whether you’re hoping to get your product on a bike, car, used as part of a retail or entertainment venue, or bundled in with another product to help drive sales. Or maybe you just wonder why you see the same parts and brands spec’d on so many different things?

 

If your product can be used to add value or functionality to something else, this episode explains the product manager’s thought process and walks you through the steps you need to follow to make your product a viable option for OEM spec!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

EP #049: Fireside Co-founders Tell How to (Possibly Not) Run a Conference

I'll be honest. This conversation didn't exactly head in the direction I thought it would, but that's what makes it so darn fun to listen to. It might be my most entertaining episode yet, and in the end, it came out full of value, too. Dan Levine and Steven Pulver started Fireside Conference four years ago with the idea that they'd make a startup conference more like summer camp - informal, fun, and intimate. The kind of event where you make real connections and new friends, far beyond corporate networking. It caught on, and even though they lost a lot of money that first year, Dan and Steve decided to keep doing things the way they want, financial consequences be damned. And there's lessons in that. But they keep growing, and have found ways to run an insanely cool conference that attracts some incredible talent without having to pay anyone to attend, and that's led to other revenue opportunities. If you're thinking of creating a conference or any other event, this is a great episode that covers a wide range of things you'll absolutely need to consider before putting your plans in place!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #048: Build a Better Service Business w/ Bikeflights.com Founder Bill Alcorn

If you're looking to build a service business, especially one that utilizes an existing service infrastructure, this episode is for you. There are some industries - finance, insurance, and  telecom come to mind - that are so big and so regulated, that they just seem insurmountable. Yes, they could all be better. Much better, but where do you start? This week’s guest is Bill Alcorn, founder of BikeFlights.com. He tackled another giant, complicated segment - shipping - in order to make it easier and cheaper for cyclists to ship their bikes to events, races or just ahead of them for a long weekend with friends. And when I say cheaper, I mean a LOT cheaper. So, how did he build an incredible customer service and benefits layer on top of FedEx’s existing network while talking them into offering rates as low as half of standard ground shipping? That answer and so much more in this interview!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #047: How to Build a Scalable Business w/ World Bicycle Relief founder FK Day

What if you start a non-profit out of a for-profit, then that non-profit starts its own for-profit to fund its non-profit operations? Sound confusing? It’s not, and it’s actually an incredibly smart way to help change the world without constantly relying on donations and hand outs to operate. FK Day co-founded SRAM, one of the world’s largest cycling component brands. Then, after 20 years, he stepped aside to launch World Bicycle Relief, taking all of the business lessons he learned from SRAM and applying them to grow rapidly and make a massive impact through bicycle donations. You may not be making the world a better place through cycling, but there are a ton of corollaries any entrepreneur can use to grow by empowering employees, building so you can scale, and going where your customers are. Listen in to hear how FK has built a massive global enterprise and his tips for doing the same with your own business!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Ep #046 - How to Crush Kickstarter with Peak Design's Peter Dering

Are you ready to CRUSH kickstarter? If you’re like me, you probably think of crowdfunding as a way to launch your product, using it to raise the money needed to fund the startup. Well, we might be all wrong. Peak Design did it differently, and they are killing it on Kickstarter, having raised more than $16 million across seven projects in as many years. So, what is founder Peter Dering’s secret? Getting the product ready to ship before launching the campaign, then use the campaign to build buzz and sales. Counterintuitive? Yes, and that’s only the beginning. We discuss his crazy early bird pricing concept that drives massive sales, plus margins, shipping, logistics, customer service, how to make a great video, and so much more. If you’re considering using Kickstarter, IndieGoGo or any other crowdfunding system to launch your product, you absolutely MUST listen to this episode. Please welcome, Peter Dering!

For full show notes, links and images, check out this show's post at TheBuildCycle.com/Podcast

Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, Overcast FM, or wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review and rating! And let me know who you'd like to hear interviewed...just message me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.