Planning a marketing sprint
Rick is facing a unique situation. He has about two weeks to put together a marketing campaign before the window of opportunity closes. In this episode, we workshop his marketing plan. Let's go.
Traction vs distraction
This week, we talk about how to stay focused when starting and running a business.
Setting goals when you're just getting started
This week, we talk about how to set goals when your business is too young to be able to make accurate predictions about growth.
How big to go when moving upmarket
This week, we talk about the right size of customer to target when trying to increase ACV (annual contract value)
Startup community fatigue
This week, we talk about being burnt out on all the startup communities out there and a bunch of other stuff.
Offering night and weekend support without burning out your team
This week, we talk about how you can hire talented support people to work nights and weekends without hating their jobs.
The perils of being dependent on a platform
This week we discuss the upsides and downsides of building on a platform you don't control.
Building a moat
This week, we talk about how Less Annoying CRM uses customer service as a moat, and several other topics.
Should multiple products share a single brand
This week, we discuss whether Rick should launch his b2b product under the same brand as his b2c product
All-nighters
Rick is on a roll with LegUp Health, and he's burning the candle at both ends.
Handling capacity at a seasonal business
This week, we talk about how Rick is preparing for his busy season which starts in November
Pricing annual plans when users are added mid-year
This week we dive into how Rick could price his b2b service.
Learning no-code
This week, we talk all about no-code: What it is, what it can be used for, and how to learn it.
Networking without being annoying
This week, we discuss networking (both online and in person) and how to use it in a non-annoying way to make sales. Spoiler alert: Maybe it's not possible.
What if you get hit by a bus?
This week, we discuss when a startup should start putting together plans for losing a founder and much more.
How college students can prepare for entrepreneurship
This week, we answer a listener question about what college students can do to get ready for startup life.
The Sims, but way more boring
This week, we spend most of the hour giving updates on things we've been working on, including LACRM's decision to use Sococo.
Product positioning
This week, we discuss the book "Obviously Awesome" which provides a framework for how startups can figure out their positioning.
Asking for too much info during signup
Rick has heard feedback from his early customers that they're apprehensive about the amount of info he's asking from them during the signup process.
Building trust when you're an unproven business
This week, we talk about how Rick can convince his customers that he's trustworthy even though his business is so new that he doesn't have a proven track record yet.
Winning awards
This week is all about the updates. Less Annoying CRM won a big award, and as always, there's plenty of intern talk.
The dummy curve
This week Rick gives updates on his sales efforts and intern projects
A price increase is coming
This week we talk about Tyler's pricing change and a bunch of other stuff
How should a self-serve SaaS handle inbound enterprise leads?
This week, we discuss a listener question about how to handle enterprise leads if you don't have sales experience.
Curiosity or conviction
This we talk about intern projects, Rick's decision to stay focused on Legup Health, and more.
Racism
Because of the murder of George Floyd and the protests in America right now, we're taking a break from our normal format
Weighing options
This week, Tyler talks about the new interns and Rick discusses a potential new opportunity that fell into his lap
First revenue in the bank
Rick sees his first revenue with LegUp Health, and Tyler has some new ideas about how to think about Less Annoying CRM's product roadmap
The interns are coming
Tyler has an army of interns starting next week, and Rick just hired his company's first
It's all about the updates
In this episode, we discuss PPP, taxes, winding down an old company, what types of optimizations are good for the customer, and more.
The first 100 customers for a B2C company
This week, we talk about how a B2C company should go about acquiring its first 100 customers. Rick is shifting his focus towards growth, and he needs to decide how to spend his time.
Marketing during a recession
This week, we talk about how to market during a recession. When people aren't buying new things, what can you do to get yourself in front of the right people so that they'll be ready to buy when things get back to normal.
Attracting and compensating operating partners
This week, we discuss what Rick can do to give his early employees a share of the upside without giving away equity
Building remote culture
This week, we talk about how to facilitate building and strengthening relationships between coworkers at a remote company
Dealing with impatience as a founder
This week, we talk about how a founder or manager can deal with impatience. When you have a vision and it's taking longer than you'd like for it to turn into reality, that can cause problems with the company culture.
Optimizing a customer service team
This week, we talk about how to enable a customer service team to spend as much of their time on high-value conversations that really help customers, and less time on conversations that provide no value.
Writing a startup manifesto
This week, we discuss how and when to write a manifesto for your startup. What are the reasons to write one, who should the audience be, and what can you do with a manifesto once it's written?
Coronavirus and the stock market crash
This week we take a break from our normal deep dive topics to talk about current events. Between the coronavirus and the stock market volatility, a lot has been happening that could potentially impact our businesses and lives.
Industry-specific marketing
This week, we talk about how to segment your total audience and design a marketing campaign for a specific industry
Raising non-dilutive funding for your startup
This week, we discuss options for funding a business without dilution (i.e. giving up equity). From pitch contests and grants to consulting on the side, we walk through all the different options and weight their pros and cons.
Running one-on-one meetings with employees
This week, we talk about how to structure periodic meetings with employees. How often should they be, what format should you use, and what are the objectives?
Structuring your time to maximize productivity
This week, we're going to talk about how to structure a week in a way that allows you to spend your most productive time on your most important work.
What programmers can do to help with marketing
This week, Rick gives Tyler some advice on how to make the most of his work retreat. Specifically, Tyler is a programmer who wants to build tools to help the marketing efforts at Less Annoying CRM, and Rick will suggest how those tools can fit into a broader marketing strategy.
How to acquire customers in the early days
This week, we talk about one of the most fundamental issues that every startup faces: how to acquire customers in the early days. Rick has validated his idea for Legup Health and now it’s time to go out and bootstrap his way to profitability
Building a simple financial model
This week, we discuss financial models. What are they for, what should be included in them, and how sophisticated to they need to be for different types of businesses?
What it means to startup to last
This week, we go all meta and discuss what "startup to last" actually means. Why did we name the podcast this, and what characteristics do "startup to last" companies have in common?
Onboarding a new hire
This week, we talk about how to offer a great experience during a new hire's first few weeks. Tyler is about to have a new employee start, and he's looking for ideas on what he can do better.
If you're a listener, we'd love to hear from you
Reach out to us via Twitter or email. We're happy to discuss past episodes or consider your topic ideas for future episodes.
© Rick Lindquist and Tyler King