Outperform: The Acceleration Partners Podcast

On this episode of Outperform, we take a journey through affiliate marketing and travel with Brian Kelly – AKA, The Points Guy -- one of the largest credit card industry affiliate marketers and travel influencers. Brian is the founder and CEO of The Points Guy (TPG), the preeminent voice in the industry of credit card points, miles and everything travel-related. Brian launched TPG in 2010 during his time as a Wall Street road warrior, but developed his keen sense for maximizing travel experiences while minimizing spending much earlier at the age of 12. Since then, Kelly has grown The Points Guy into a powerhouse affiliate marketing travel and lifestyle media platform and was voted Forbes #1 travel influencer in 2017. Show Notes What inspired Brian to start The Points Guy (TPG) site and blog Why normal affiliate marketing techniques won’t work with credit card companies How much Brian made the first month he did affiliate marketing Why Brian is proud to call himself an affiliate How large publishers like Lif

On this episode of Outperform, we get candid with Kim Scott about radical candor. Kim is the author of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller. She is also the co-founder of the company, Radical Candor, LLC. Kim has been an advisor at Dropbox, Kurbo, Qualtrics, ReelGoodApp, Rolltape, Shyp, Twitter, and several other Silicon Valley companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google. Previously, Kim was the co-founder and CEO of Juice Software, a collaboration start-up, and led business development at Delta Three and Capital Thinking. Earlier in her career, Kim worked as a senior policy advisor at the FCC, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow, and was an analyst on the Soviet Companies Fund. Episode show notes: How Sheryl Sandberg practiced radical candor with Kim Why radical candor requi

Bestselling author, Gretchen Rubin, joined us on this episode of Outperform to discuss risk-taking, happiness, purposeful growth, our unique tendencies, and how to discover and use them to outperform. Gretchen is the author of several books, including #1 New York Times bestsellers The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, Better Than Before and The Four Tendencies. Her books have sold almost three million copies and been published in more than thirty languages. With her work, Rubin has emerged as one of the most thought-provoking and influential writers on habits and happiness. Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth, also have their own podcast called Happier where they discuss good habits and happiness. A graduate of Yale and Yale Law School, Rubin started her career in law. She clerked for Judge Pierre Leval and was clerking for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor when she realized she really wanted to be a writer. Gretchen’s ah-ha moment for leaving her law career and becoming a writer Interesting connection between Gr

Daniel H. Pink joins us on this episode of Outperform. Dan is the author of six thought-provoking books, including his most recent New York Times bestselling book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Drive, To Sell is Human, and A Whole New Mind. This episode is full of fascinating insights from Dan's research, including:  Dan’s drive behind writing Drive What most business leaders don’t understand about motivation Why business leaders often misuse if/then rewards  Why extrinsic motivators are like coal and intrinsic motivators are like solar power What chronobiology is and why it’s important to understand your chronotype Differences between Larks, Owls and Third Birds The three stages we move through during the day The best time of day to do analytic work, administrative work and creative work Why companies need to take chronology into account when scheduling meetings and tasks When the research shows kids should be given math or standardized tests What Dan learned about the dabbawalas from the r

On this special Outperform episode, members of our innovative Publisher Development team, Alison Chew and Cassandra Scarbeck, spotlight a few select publishers/affiliates that they think are adding value to advertisers’ affiliate programs. They review who they are, what they’re doing and what sets them apart in the crowded affiliate marketing landscape. Show Notes On this episode you’ll learn about: Two exciting technology partners out of the UK and how they’re helping advertisers outperform and drive incremental revenue A publisher that is helping retail advertisers increase their shoppers' basket sizes on average of 12% How this publisher is driving truly incremental revenue for merchants - all on a risk-free pay for performance basis Some well-known Mass Media publishers with massive followings and how they’re partnering with brands to monetize their extensive long-tail content online An innovative publisher that’s creating personalized deals tailored to the individual shopper in REAL TIME that are on-bra

Tune in to this episode to learn how financial services companies are using the affiliate model to promote their products and what opportunities lie ahead for those in the affiliate space who want to partner with them. We talk with Marilyn Valace, Regional Director at Impact about how financial services companies are leveraging the affiliate model to market their products and services. Show Notes How SaaS platforms have contributed to the changing landscape of the performance marketing industry How financial services providers are leveraging the affiliate model and why they’ve been slower to adopt this form of marketing compared with retail and e-commerce companies Important things financial services companies must consider when choosing partners (agency, technology, etc.) and publishers Types of publishers financial services companies tend to work with How SaaS platforms have made it more feasible for financial service providers to take advantage of the affiliate model The role Dodd-Frank, the Consumer Fina

On this episode of Outperform, we profile Jesse Eisenberg, VP of Client Services for Elite SEM. You’ll hear how he ventured into the world of digital marketing after a few years in the mortgage industry, his rise from account analyst to VP of Client Services at Elite SEM and his thoughts on how the digital marketing landscape has changed over the past five years. Insights Jesse shares during his podcast interview: His thoughts on how digital marketing change over the past five years Challenges that companies are facing in online/digital marketing today How Elite SEM stays competitive and attracts such a remarkable list of clients Elite SEM’s approach to staying on top of the consistent and numerous search engine and social media platform changes Things Elite SEM is doing to create an award-winning culture within their organization and how they’re maintaining that amid rapid growth A career mistake that Jesse’s learned the most from Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.co

On this episode of Outperform, we have a candid conversation with speaker and award-winning author, Jenny Evans about resiliency, stress, confidence and human performance. Listen in as we take a deep dive into how our brains work, how it’s impacted by stress and simple things we can do to quickly recover from stress while optimizing our personal and professional performance. Show Notes Jenny’s journey to changing her body, brain and performance and how it led her to start her company, PowerHouse Performance Jenny’s unique approach to helping others be more resilient and deal with stress Why stress is a chemistry problem and how it affects your brain, sleep, and decision-making How understanding strategies for optimizing our brain and physiology benefits companies Jenny’s definition of stress and resiliency Why we can’t reduce stress and what we should be focused on instead What the primitive parts of our brain crave that make change difficult Why will-power and self-discipline are limited resources What a p

On this episode of Outperform we chat with NYT bestselling author and Book In A Box co-founder, Tucker Max about why and how he and Zach Obront decided to start Book In A Box, what the traditional publishing industry is really like, why he decided to step down as CEO of Book In A Box and what he’s discovered is his true passion. Show Notes The inspiration behind why Tucker and Zach Obront started Book In A Box Impressive business results their first author realized from publishing her book through Book In A Box The difference between professional writers and people who own a company and want to author a book Why a book is so valuable to people who have a business How many copies of a book people typically must sell to hit bestseller lists What it really means to get a publishing “deal” and the only way to get it How you can tell how much a publisher believes in your book by who they hire to design the cover The realities of getting on the New York Times bestseller list The one and only thing Tucker liked abo

On this episode of Outperform, you’ll hear Bob Glazer and Financial Insyghts founder, Peter Atwater, discuss some fascinating topics, including why Peter looks at books, music, architecture and food when researching confidence-levels in the markets and why he recommends that you should buy Adele and sell Pharrell. Show Notes Tune in to this Outperform podcast episode with Peter Atwater to learn: What happens in our minds when confidence falls What the “me-here-now” concept is, how it affects our decision-making and why companies need to understand this How architecture gives us a peek into extreme peaks and valleys of confidence What Peter sees on the horizon for companies of the future Peter’s predictions for political and business environments, social media and global warming Key traits businesses will need to have to survive and outperform in future business environments   Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.   

On this Outperform podcast episode, we take a deep-dive into what it’s like to go through AP’s Affiliate Academy. Angela Hughes, AP’s Associate Director of Affiliate Training & Quality and Amelia Glynn, our very first Affiliate Academy graduate, share what it’s like to actually go through the program, how to get the most out of it and why someone with account management in the digital marketing world should consider it. Tune in to learn:Tune in to learn: How Amelia learned about AP’s Affiliate Academy and why she decided to apply, even when she had a successful digital marketing career Why the Affiliate Academy was created and who it’s primarily designed for What it’s like going through Affiliate Academy What surprised both Angela and Amelia going through the first Affiliate Academy cohort (as instructor and student) What Angela and Amelia enjoyed the most about going through Affiliate Academy What they found to be most challenging about the Affiliate Academy How the Affiliate Academy prepared Amelia to

What is the Capacity Experience Paradox? Why is it so critical to the success and growth rate of your business? And why is hiring someone who is “experienced” not always the wisest thing to do? These important questions are what AP founder and Managing Director, Bob Glazer and General Manager, Matt Wool, tackle on this special “Truth, Transparency and ‘Tails” episode of Outperform. Show Notes How Bob came up with the Capacity Experience Paradox Why this paradox is so important for a growth company The job of a great manager How the hiring process can help solve/resolve this paradox The hard choices that need to be made with the Capacity Experience Paradox The hiring pitfall that many growth companies fall in to What companies can and should do instead What AP has done that’s helped their success rate with employees and as a company When you should bring in an “experienced” hire from outside the organization and when you shouldn’t How to have the Capacity Experience Paradox conversation within your company

Ask many thriving, fast-growing companies the secret to their success, and many will respond with, “EOS.” What’s EOS®, you ask? It stands for the Entrepreneurial Operating System. On this Outperform podcast episode, Bob Glazer, founder and Managing Director of Acceleration Partners, walks us through what the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is and how we apply it at AP to outperform in our industry. You’ll also learn: Why it’s a model Bob wanted to implement at AP How Bob introduced EOS to key stakeholders within AP The six components to the EOS Model™ Bob’s favorite tools from the EOS Toolbox™ Why EOS is such a valuable system for businesses of all shapes and sizes How AP uses it to gain traction and achieve our vision.  Learn more about Acceleration Partners, our award-winning culture and how we outperform in business.  

On this Outperform podcast episode we chat with Mike Filbey, co-founder of ButcherBox, about how they’ve grown the company to over $30 million in just over two years marrying pay-for-performance with influencer marketing. Tune in to this episode to hear Mike generously share: ButcherBox’s marketing structure and why they decided to set it up this way The types of partners ButcherBox collaborates with for their marketing campaigns How ButcherBox tracks and measures the success of their performance marketing campaigns How ButcherBox finds and recruits their performance partners and ensures that they are brand-aligned Challenges that they’ve faced finding performance-based partnerships Advice on how establish and grow your business with performance partners. Links from the Episode + Promo Code! https://www.butcherbox.com/ https://www.butcherbox.com/roam/ https://www.butcherbox.com/about-the-box/ Use code PERFORMANCE30 to get $30 off your first box!    

In this Outperform podcast episode, AP founder Robert Glazer talks with David Baker about his fascinating background and some key insights from his newest book, The Business of Expertise: How Entrepreneurial Experts Convert Insight to Impact + Wealth. From growing up with a tribe of Mayan Indians in a remote village in Guatemala to becoming an author of five books, high performance motorcycle racer and TEDx speaker, David's vast and varied background is one of the things that makes him a sought-after business and marketing consultant. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why it’s so important to specialize or be an expert in business today How to make better decisions as a business when demand exceeds supply Some of the mistakes David’s made in his career that he’s learned the most from About the most common mistakes David see’s professional service firms making Examples of companies that are nailing the concept of identifying their expertise What parallels David sees between advising entrepreneurs and high perfor

On this Outperform podcast episode, AP founder, Robert Glazer talks with Dan Golden about an important challenge facing marketing agencies: balancing your core service competency with the demands of your clients. As President and Chief Search Artist at Be Found Online (BFO), Dan and his co-founder, Steve Krull, have built BFO into one of the fastest growing full-service digital marketing agencies in the Midwest, optimizing paid and organic media across search, display, social, and mobile platforms for their clients. BFO has also been voted one of the best places to work in Chicago. In this episode, you’ll learn: Dan’s journey from touring with a band to starting BFO How Dan and his team decide who their agency will serve and how BFO’s approach to handling client requests that are out of their wheelhouse When your agency should say “yes” to everything and when to start saying “no" About a time when a client asked BFO to do something and he had to say “no” to the request What Dan thinks about the “Agency of Re

In this Outperform podcast episode, AP founder Robert Glazer talks with John Ruhlin about all these benefits of gifting in business as well as common gifting gaffes.  John Ruhlin is the founder of gifting and logistics company, The Ruhlin Group and author of Giftology. When you listen to this episode, you'll learn How John got started in the business of gifting Why he recently sent one prospect 18 gifts over 18 months What the status quo of gifting looks like and why it’s not impactful Invaluable insights into how you should approach gifting in your business Why John doesn’t recommend sending a gift right after being sent a referral The gift that John and his clients give that have actually made the recipient cry If you care about getting more referrals, standing out (in a good way), getting a meeting with almost any decision-maker and winning the hearts and minds of your industry influencers and partners, then this episode is for you.

On this episode of Outperform, Emily Tetto (Director of Talent and Culture) and Angela Hughes, (Associate Director of Affiliate Training and Quality) discuss what Acceleration Partners is doing to reduce our reliance on the industry’s limited capacity of talent and fulfill the increasing demand for strategic account managers.  Show Notes What we mean when we say that there’s a lack of talent and expertise in the affiliate marketing industry Things contributing to the talent shortage in the affiliate industry Why this talent shortage is such a serious challenge for the industry What Affiliate Academy is and how it’s helping AP resolve this issue. Who the Affiliate Academy is designed for and why.   Learn more about Acceleration Partners and our company culture at http://www.accelerationpartners.com. 

This Outperform podcast episode features Griffin Thall, CEO and Co-Founder of Pura Vida Bracelets for our Profile of a Growth Marketer series. Listen in as Griffin delves into Pura Vida’s world, shares his and co-founder, Paul Goodman’s incredible Pura Vida journey and gives us a look at what’s ahead for this inspiring company. Episode Sneak Peek: Griffin and his long-time friend, Paul Goodman, founded Pura Vida Bracelets in 2010. Since then they've... Grown it into a million-dollar business venture Provided fill-time jobs to over 150 people in Costa Rica and around the world. Been named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30: Retail” list Been featured in Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret Grown their Instagram account account to almost a million followers (to date) Built a thriving affiliate program Donated more than $1,210,409.72 (to date) You'll also hear how Griffin and Paul got the idea for Pura Vida Bracelets, what pura vida means, how they've guilt such a strong online presence, what's helping them have such

This Outperform episode features Alison Chew, Acceleration Partners' Director of Partners & Innovation. Alison shares her expertise on how you can connect Influencer Marketing with Affiliate (Performance) Marketing to close the loop on tracking, get top of funnel and bottom on funnel metrics and tell the whole story of how your influencer marketing campaign is performing.  In this episode you'll learn about: How "influencers" and "affiliates" are defined What a micro-influencer is and how they are similar to and different from content affiliates Challenges and limitations to current approaches to influencer campaign tracking and measurement Some pitfalls to avoid when working with influencers and measuring the outcomes of your campaign What it means to pay influencers on a "performance plus" basis A unique program that makes it possible for brands to work with influencers via the performance model and get valuable top-of-funnel and bottom-of-funnel metrics   Learn more about Acceleration Partners and ou