Foundr Magazine Podcast | Learn From Successful Founders & Proven Entrepreneurs, The Ultimate Startup Podcast For Business

Some might say Alex Bouaziz, cofounder and CEO of Deel, was simply in the right place at the right time. Deel, an international payroll, compliance, and HR solution, launched in 2019 and, by May 2020, raised $14M in funding. Currently, they have 8000 customers worldwide, including Dropbox, Airtable, and Shopify. But good timing will only get you so far. To launch and grow a company as successful as Deel takes leadership with a clear mission and a solid infrastructure. The idea was simple: Create a company that matched employers and talented workers from anywhere in the world and give them the opportunity to work for the best companies without having to relocate.   Listen to Nathan and Alex discuss:  What Bouaziz learned from his first failed business How his work visa struggles inspired Deel  Taking the idea for Deel to Y Combinator The massive growth from the Covid-19 pandemic  Scaling through infrastructure and the customer Deel’s talent development strategy  A passion for unlocking talent beyond bor

At 24, Guy Pearson turned down a partnership to start an accounting firm. His early clients were digital companies, and Pearson was jealous that there wasn’t an online commerce system for his industry. So in 2013, he launched a new company called Ignition to simplify and speed up the transaction process for professionals like him. To date, Ignition helped facilitate more than 1M client engagements and over $2B in client payments. Ignition has offices in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, US, and the UK, with over 170 employees globally.   Listen to Nathan and Guy discuss:  How intrapreneurship transformed into entrepreneurship  The challenges of building the original software for Ignition  Expanding to new markets outside of Australia  Why he still sits in on candidate interviews  The heartbreaking moments of raising capital  Starting vs. scaling a business  The balance between an accounting brain and entrepreneurial heart  How to lead with an experimental mindset Transitionin

Does the word “sales” make you squeamish or intimidated? If so, then this episode is for you. AJ Cassata is a maverick B2B sales consultant who helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses fast with his straightforward, systematic, and scalable approach to sales growth. His company, Revenue Boost, helps clients create a system for lead generation instead of just winging it.    Listen to Nathan and AJ discuss:  Starting in door-to-door sales as a teenager  Persevering through failure in his first business  Starting Revenue Boost to focus on lead generation  Why not all leads are created equal  How to stand out amongst competitors Why cold emails are still powerful  Implementing a repeatable process to get clients  How to spend zero dollars on advertising  LinkedIn Navigator tips and tricks  Why subject lines should be a disguise  And much more B2B sales strategies...       Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved thi

33 years ago, Brian Scudamore was sitting in a McDonald’s drive-thru when he saw his future–a beat-up pickup truck filled with junk. Scudamore started a junk-hauling business to pay for college, but what was supposed to fund his education ended up inspiring him to drop out. Today, Scudamore’s transformed his junk hauling side hustle, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, into a North American franchise business worth $600M. People told Scudamore that it was impossible to franchise his business, but he’s proven them wrong by expanding his model into other brands like WOW 1 DAY PAINTING and Shack Shine.   Listen to Brian and Nathan discuss: Rebranding his business name to 1-800-GOT-JUNK? Transitioning from a corporate to a franchise business Expanding his model into WOW 1 DAY PAINTING and Shack Shine How “The CEO Whisperer” Cameron Herold helped scale the business The 3 types of entrepreneurship paths The compounding growth of franchise businesses His new book BYOB: Build Your Own Business, Be Your Own Boss What Shaq taugh

Airtasker is Australia's #1 marketplace for local services. Over the past decade, they've acquired more than 4.3M registered users, built a worth of $255M, created a $1.7B value of job opportunities, and went public. But founder Tim Fung still feels the pains from the first 3 years, when everything he assumed about the business was wrong. He's learned that through the victories and failures of scaling a startup, remaining focused on providing value over profit is what lasts.    Listen to Nathan and Tim discuss:  The importance of going all-in on a startup Starting a business with 2 marketplaces  The 90-day wakeup call for founders  Inspiring users to use your product Sharing problems with your team Not putting off hard decisions Building a feedback muscle within your business And much more startup advice…     Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast

Davie Fogarty created Australia's fastest-growing ecommerce brand, The Oodie, which sells wearable blankets and accessories. But success didn't happen overnight. After multiple failed businesses, at 24 years old, Davie had a chip on his shoulder to prove he could succeed. So in 2017, he started 2 ecommerce businesses, and they both took off immediately. In the past 4 years, Davie has grown his company of 5 major brands called the Davie Group to $400M in sales. In this episode, you'll learn exactly what it takes to build an incredible ecommerce brand in 2022 and some of the pitfalls to avoid.    Listen to Nathan and Davie discuss:  Davie's early failed business attempts  The pros and cons of having something to prove Why bootstrapped founders become a jack of all trades  What was special about The Oodie as a product and brand How to create and test ecommerce products  How competition affects your ads  Why good marketing instills trust  Attribution tools and the changes in advertising  And much more ec

Jen Proctor loved being a performer. But when her dream to be a professional singer ended, she pledged to be a good person in the entertainment industry, something she knew wasn't a given. So in 2015, she launched her agency Cultivated Entertainment and works with clients like Meta, Pharrell, Drew Barrymore, the Obama Foundation, Stand Up for Cancer, and the Primetime Emmy Awards. She's built her agency based on the vision of seeing a need and filling it. So if you're interested in working with talent from actors to TikTok stars, this episode is for you.    Listen to Nathan and Jen discuss: Her early career as a field producer at Fox Why everything is an emergency in the entertainment industry Cultivating a superpower around talent Myths about working with celebrities and talent Why honesty is an essential part of relationship building Why she'll never forget an hour she had with Betty White  Working on the Dear Class of 2020 project with the Obama's  Negotiating and talent search tips   The three ga

Kendra Scott started her self-titled billion-dollar jewelry business out of failure. Her first business failed after 5 years, and she started selling handmade jewelry door-to-door as a side hustle. Now, Kendra Scott Jewelry is a billion-dollar business with 100 retail locations across the US. But success didn't come quickly. Through personal struggles, recessions, and rejections, Scott built a fashion business driven by an unforgettable customer experience.    Listen to Nathan and Kendra discuss: What she learned from her failed business  Fundraising and dealing with rejection The best piece of business advice she still follows  Shifting her business model from wholesale to retail The nightclub atmosphere of Kendra Scott stores  How philanthropy creates customer loyalty  How to weather the storm as a founder  Her new entrepreneurial memoir Born to Shine And much more founder advice…       Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star revi

Michele Romanow joined the cast of CBC's Dragons' Den in 2014 after successfully selling her digital coupon business SnapSaves to Groupon. At 28 years old, she was the youngest "dragon" on the show, but that didn't stop her from innovating. During her second episode, Michele decided to flip the traditional Dragons' Den pitch from equity to revenue.    The decision led to the creation of the investment company Clearco and the invention of the revenue-based financing category. The model helps fund ecommerce companies fast and affordable, where founders pay a set percentage only when they make revenue. To date, Clearco has invested $4B in 10,000 founders in 11 countries across the world.    Listen to Nathan and Michele discuss:  Why her first business was a caviar fishery  Acquiring customers through sidewalk chalk  Creating the Clearco model by shifting the Dragons' Den model Accepting rejection as part of the job Taking advice from people that you want to be How to build the relentless muscle  How data

After his first startup went public in 2016, Tony Jamous took time off to align what he does with what he believes in. In his previous company, Nexmo, he saw the power of distributed hiring worldwide and how it changed people’s lives. So in January of 2020, he started Oyster, a software company that helps make it possible for companies everywhere to hire people anywhere. The timing of Oyster was perfect, 2 months later, remote work changed forever. Oyster’s raised 230M in 2 years, and its network includes 100 nationalities distributed across 70 countries. The business grew 20x last year and is in the top 2% of all VC-backed companies in employee engagement.   Listen to Nathan and Tony discuss: Growing up during a civil war in Lebanon  What living in 10 different countries taught him about people Taking 10 flights to Casablanca to pay his first employee  Strategies for leading a global and remote business  The perfect timing of Oyster’s launch in 2020 The importance of risk management in decision making

In 2011, Lauryn Evarts Bosstick was in college and looking for a community. When a sorority came knocking, Lauryn turned to blogging instead, asking herself the questions every entrepreneur asks: How can I create this and do it better? After 3 years of blogging 7 days a week, Lauryn built Skinny Confidential into a community and a full-time business.    Today, The Skinny Confidential brand garners more than 2 million monthly impressions, and the podcast currently boasts more than 90 million downloads. In addition, Lauryn, alongside her partner Michael, launched a podcast incubator called Dear Media, which focuses on women's voices and narratives.    Listen to Nathan discuss with Lauryn and Michael about: How Lauryn built a loyal following as a college student  The early days of podcasting and how it's evolved Launching the HIM & HER spinoff podcast Launching their first branded product  Strategies to focus on your core audience  Why they've never missed a bi-weekly show Lauryn's book The Skinny Confide

What's the secret to sustain healthy behaviors like exercise, diet, and stress management? Coaching.    Rishi Mandal discovered this while researching the challenges of America's health crisis. So, he started Future, an online coaching platform that connects everyday people to coaches to receive custom one-on-one health training. Since 2017, Rishi and his team have raised $120M in funding and built Future into the largest employer of coaches and trainers in America. Most importantly, they've garnered a retention rate unheard of in the health and exercise industry.    Listen to Nathan and Rishi discuss:  Why his childhood was all about inventing  Lessons from his first 2 businesses, Slide and Sosh  Getting the price point to work for Future Building the company in problem-solving phases  Why retention is the most critical factor for success  Why customers pay for people's time, not software The decision to vertically integrate with their coaches  And much more subscription business advice…     Who do

In 2014, Erin Deering gifted Triangl swimwear to relatively unknown legacy celebrities Hailey Bieber ( Baldwin) and Bella Hadid. Their friend, Kendall Jenner, loved the products and reached out to Erin directly to get Triangl samples. Then Jenner posted on Instagram and tagged Triangl–that’s when everything went mad.    But the success of Triangl didn’t come from just celebrity endorsements. It came from developing a product that looked and felt like nothing else before. In 2018, Erin exited the business, but that’s when she stepped back and learned more about who she is as an entrepreneur and person outside of the multi-million dollar brand she built.  Listen to Nathan and Erin discuss:  How Triangl started on a second date at the beach When their manufacturer stole their idea  Why businesses undervalue word of mouth  Their “one bikini sale a day” mindset  Connecting with Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, and the Kardashians  Dealing with copycats and competitors  How they stayed lean amongst extreme growt

Are you ready to leverage the popularity of TikTok to grow your business? Gerardo Perez is the founder of Marketing&, one of the world's leading digital agencies focused on driving paid results on TikTok. Gerardo has 11.2M likes, 323,000 followers, and generated over 100M organic views. He's spent more than $2M in advertising on the platform and is ready to share his strategies with you.    Listen to Nathan and Gerardo deep-dive on: The rise of his marketing agency Marketing& Examples of dramatic results for his clients  Why it's a good time to start investing in TikTok ads  The unique language of TikTok content  Creating native content on TikTok  Producing creative entirely on mobile  TikTok's targeting capabilities  Why brands should still post organic content  TikTok trends and their attachment to audio  Researching the TikTok ad library Mix and match creative  And much more TikTok ad strategies…   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave

Harley Finkelstein is an entrepreneur, lawyer, and president of Shopify. Harley was store #137 when he started on Shopify as a merchant in 2009. After law school, he joined the team at Shopify and helped build it into the world’s #1 ecommerce platform. In 2021, the Shopify ecosystem generated $440B in economic value. For Harley, the success of Shopify all comes down to a belief that entrepreneurship is the greatest equalizer on the planet.    Listen to Nathan and Harley discuss:  Starting his first business at 17  How he supported his family by selling t-shirts  Why he went to law school to be a better entrepreneur Meeting Tobias Lütke at a coffee shop in Ottawa  The early days of Shopify and the Build a Business Competition Why he started a tea business on Shopify store in 2021 Why he looks for obsessiveness when angel investing in companies  The importance of self-awareness as an entrepreneur And much more ecommerce wisdom…       Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know!

Jamie Kern Lima spent 2 years pitching QVC for a segment to promote her business, IT Cosmetics. She was about to go bankrupt when she finally got her shot on the network. But moments before going on air, she went off-script. The decision changed her business and the beauty industry forever. Jamie built IT Cosmetics into a multi-billion dollar empire centered on authenticity before it was a buzzword. She became the first woman CEO in L’Oréal’s history and has written a book, Believe IT: How to Go From Underestimated to Unstoppable, about her incredible journey from the brink of bankruptcy to billionaire CEO.    Listen to Nathan and Jamie discuss:  Creating IT Cosmetics as a solution for her skin condition rosacea Sketching out a business plan while on her honeymoon  How to dig deep into your “why”  Creating a brand around an approachable beauty image Going off-script on her first QVC segment  The importance of her authenticity as a spokesperson Transition planning and selling to L’Oréal  And more femal

How did Ed Mylett gain 3 million social media followers without spending a dollar on ads? Authenticity. Ed is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, performance coach, and speaker. He landed on the Forbes 50 wealthiest under 50, and was recognized as one of the wealthiest self-made people in the world in his 30s. His recently published book, The Power of One More, will help you learn why you're closer to your dreams and goals than you think.    Listen to Nathan and Ed discuss: How to read people and listen intently  Learning the "power of one" philosophy from his father's sobriety journey Overcoming imposter syndrome and failure in the finance world Lessons from his new book, The Power of One More Becoming friends with his hero Tony Robbins Building a media empire from scratch  Balancing 17 different companies And much more business mindset advice…       Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode.   Wait,

Everyone kept telling Phil Hutcheon “that's just how it is” when it comes to the absurd processing fees for concert tickets. That's why Phil started Dice, a platform for fans to see the musicians they love in the most hassle-free way possible. Since its launch in 2013, Dice has raised over $100M in capital, has more than 380 workers, and is expanding its services globally. From testing the business idea with a fake company to phone calls with Kayne West, Hutcheon built Dice into a commerce engine for the music industry.   Listen to Nathan and Phil discuss:  Why he rejected a promotion to start a career in music  Building the Modular Records sound through legendary parties Bootstrapping his music management company Deadly People  Testing a ticketing model with a fake company Scoring the first contracts for Dice Why it took 3.5 years to build out Dice’s discovery feature Working with artists like Adele and Kayne West Raising over $100M in capital after a slow start And much more fundraising advice…  

Brittany Stewart is the cofounder of BURST Oral Care, one of the fastest-growing ecommerce businesses in the United States. She met her cofounder, Hamish Khayat, through a mutual friend, and it was a match made in startup heaven. Hamish had a revolutionary toothbrush prototype, and Brittany had the skills to make it a business.    After 3 years of attending dental conventions across the country, Brittany built BURST into a community of 30K dental ambassadors. Her ultimate goal–put a BURST product in every bathroom in America.    Listen to Nathan and Brittany discuss:  Bringing Hamish’s electric toothbrush prototype to life Why they felt like rock stars at their first dental convention How showcasing their ambassadors in ads doubled their growth Why customer service is the most important part of their business Working with influencers like the Kardashians Why clarity is the most valuable leadership trait  Hiring people based on personality over skills Why the giving is an investment in the business  A

Bill Smith asked for a briefcase on his 5th birthday, and it’s been all business since. After dropping out of school at age 16, Bill started, built, and sold 3 companies over the past 15 years. His last business, grocery delivery service Shipt, sold to Target in 2019 for half a billion dollars. But Bill didn’t rest on his success. The same year he exited Shipt, he started Landing, a flexible and furnished rental apartment service. So what’s next for this wunderkind turned startup mogul?    Listen to Nathan and Bill discuss Dropping out of school without his parents knowing Figuring out the prepaid technology business  Exiting his first company to Green Dot Corporation  His step-by-step process for proving a business idea Why he never takes breaks between businesses  Proving demand in the early days of Shipt  Selling Shipt to Target for half a billion dollars Why selling Shipt changed his philosophy of business His goal to build Landing into an enduring company And much more business scaling advice…