Episode Summary
Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge are famously known as the Beekman Boys and the winners of The Amazing Race. When both Josh and Brent were laid off from their jobs and were facing a million dollar mortgage, they focused their full attention on turning their farm into a profitable business. They first started selling goat milk and goat milk soap products, but now they currently work with over 50 artisans and have their products featured in Target, Disney Resort, Anthropologie, and more. The guys talk to John on how they got started, important life lessons learned from their goats, utilizing their social media following to promote products, and so much more on today's episode.
Key Takeaways
- 01:35 - Josh talks about the three rules he and Brent live by.
- 03:15 - Brent shares their story.
- 06:55 - Josh talks about the Mortgage Lifter tomato and why it's important to give back.
- 09:45 - Brent and Josh still work on the farm. It reminds them where they came from.
- 11:45 - Josh shares a story of turning a negative situation into a positive outcome.
- 15:30 - Brent talks about the Beekman 1802 team.
- 21:00 - How did Beekman 1802 promote their tomato sauce when companies like Ragu have a huge marketing budget?
- 23:20 - Important life lessons you can learn from goats.
- 27:45 - Pitching tips? Tell the entire story of how and why the product or service was created.
- 27:55 - Today's consumers want authenticity in the branding.
- 29:20 - Sit next to or on the same side of the table as the potential investor or client.
- 30:50 - What can we expect to see in the future from the Beekman Boys?
Tweetables
When you pitch, sit on the same side of the table as the investors.
Look at your assets to pivot.
Shelfie vs Selfie.
Story Living vs Story Telling is key to success.
How can I use my assets to solve a problem in a creative way?
Links Mentioned
Beekman 1802 Website
Beekman 1802 Boys Facebook
Beekman 1802 Boys Twitter
Beekman 1802 Boys Instagram
Beekman 1802 Boys Pinterest
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Episode Summary
Alan Jones is a Startup Evangelist and Chief Growth Hacker for Blue Chilli Technology. Alan was also the Product Director for the Australia, New Zealand, and South Asian market for Yahoo. After leaving his job at Yahoo, Alan started several businesses, and failed, in a variety of industries he was personally interested in and now he uses his expertise to help teach other founders how to raise capital. In this episode, Alan talks on the importance of being clear on what your company culture is, using hand gestures in a pitch to reduce nervousness, and much more.
Key Takeaways
- 02:55 - Alan recommends founders to wear their brand and make sure it's memorable.
- 03:35 - Be clear on what your company culture is. Are you a t-shirt and jeans company?
- 04:25 - You can even adopt a certain hairstyle that helps you stand out. Own it and be proud of it.
- 04:50 - How did Alan go from Yahoo to Blue Chilli?
- 08:50 - Blue Chilli is an accelerator and a VC
- 09:50 - Blue Chilli has a curriculum for startup founders that takes 3-6 months to complete.
- 11:40 - How many people apply to Blue Chilli's program?
- 14:30 - Alan talks about his involvement with ScriptRock and Bugcrowd.
- 16:35 - Silicon Valley literally breathes startups. Everyone including your taxi driver has a startup.
- 17:45 - Some entrepreneurs believe if they just worked on an excellent product, they wouldn't have to raise capital and that is false.
- 20:30 - People invest in people no matter how great your idea is.
- 22:00 - How does Alan train people on how to make good pitches?
- 23:30 - It's about how you tell the story. What genre does your story fall under?
- 26:00 - Utilize the power of silence in your pitch.
- 27:00 - Using hand gestures can make you appear more confident in your pitch.
- 30:30 - What's the single most important trick to be a successful angel investor?
- 31:15 - The most common mistake a startup founder makes is they think once they've raised the first set of funds, life will get easier.
- 34:15 - Raising capital is just like raising money for charity.
- 37:00 - Alan believes it's important to work on your work/life balance and develop healthy habits.
- 38:50 - Alan recommends founders should read up on behavioral economics.
- 41:00 - You can find Alan all over the web as BigYahu.
Tweetables
People should wear their brand and make sure that it's clear and memorable.
Grab people by the heart strings and pull hard!
Use gestures to reduce your nervousness and increase your confidence.
Links Mentioned
Blue Chilli ScriptRock Bug Crowd The single most important trick to being a successful angel investor Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely Alan Jones Twitter
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Episode Summary
Matt Dunbar is the Managing Director at Upstate Caroline Angel Network and the Co-Founder of the South Carolina Angel Network. He was named Greenville's 50 Most Influential People by Greenville Business Magazine in both 2010 and 2013 and has a lot of wisdom to share about what it takes to be an angel investor. Matt also shares the four things you need in order to build credibility with angel investors in your pitch.
Key Takeaways
- 02:30 - Matt shares a little bit about his background.
- 05:50 - When Matt started his career, he slowly had an 'itch' to become an entrepreneur.
- 07:35 - You have to move away from left brain thinking in order to pitch someone.
- 08:30 - Matt talks on how he became involved in angel groups in South Carolina.
- 10:30 - How important is timing?
- 13:20 - Who does Matt let into his angel network?
- 16:00 - Investors are looking for some kind of exit strategy 3-5 years from now.
- 16:20 - Matt looks for pre-capital efficient startups.
- 19:40 - What kind of returns are investors looking for?
- 21:20 - Matt shares a ROI success story.
- 24:20 - In a pitch, build credibility with an investor.
- 27:35 - John recaps the four things that helps build credibility.
- 28:30 - How do you defend your business model and accurately know your numbers?
- 30:55 - Matt recommends two books, Venture Deals and Antifragile.
- 33:05 - Check out UpstateAngels.com and SCAngelNetwork.com for more information.
Tweetables
When you are faced with uncertainty and ambiguity, you can try to create order from that chaos.
When you get in front of investors, your key objective is to build credibility.
The best way for us not to run out of cash is to go get customers.
Validate the economics and then we can dream together.
Links Mentioned
Venture Deals by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Upstate Carolina Angel Network
South Carolina Angel Network
Upstate Carolina Angel Network Twitter
Effectual Entrepreneurship by Saras Sarasvathy
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Episode Summary
Sam Horn is an Intrigue Expert, author, and TEDx speaker. Sam has written six books with her new book entitled, Got Your Attention? Sam has helped hundreds of clients prepare for high-stakes key notes, fund-raising pitches, investor decks, and TED talks. She shares one success story where her client was able to capture the attention of investors within the first minute of her pitch. She even walks John through the 70/10/10/10 method live on the show and teaches him how to create a captivating and intriguing blog post.
Key Takeaways
- 03:20 - When you're first to the market, you own the market.
- 05:00 - People often times talk themselves out of a deal.
- 05:30 - What's the eyebrow test?
- 07:00 - How did Sam help Kathleen Callender make her pitch pop and get the investor's attention within 60 seconds?
- 09:40 - Don't become a bore, chore, or snore.
- 12:00 - Using the word 'imagine' in your pitch is so powerful. Get the investor to visually see what you're trying to solve.
- 15:30 - How did Sam become an Intrigue Expert?
- 17:50 - Big decision makers are used to being in control. So, put a sock in it and let them ask you questions.
- 19:05 - Welcome the 'no'. The sign of a true leader welcomes objections.
- 20:00 - Sam explains the 70/10/10/10 method.
- 24:45 - Sam coaches John on how to use the 70/10/10/10 method in real-time.
- 26:55 - Sam breaks down the WWWAVE acronym and what it means.
- 32:45 - In your blog post or story, what went wrong? A is for Adversity.
- 33:25 - V is for Victory, the happy phrase in your story.
- 34:55 - E is for Emotional context.
- 37:40 - Sam talks about her books.
- 41:05 - Feel free to follow Sam on Twitter and check out her blog posts on her website.
- 41:15 - What to prepare for a pitch, TED talk, speech? Get in touch with Cheri(at)IntrigueAgency.com
Tweetables
When you're first to market, you own the market.
We just got our ideas in your mental door.
So, let's not bore, chore, or snore.
You just GTS. Now, if you're a boomer, that's Google That Stuff.
Objections are the answer to the test.
Turn infobesity on its head.
Links Mentioned
Intrigue Agency
Sam Horn Website
Sam Horn LinkedIn
Sam Horn Twitter
Sam's Email Address
How To Become The Picasso of Pitches
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