Introduction
On this episode of Business Insanity Talk Radio, we first talk about the Ultimate Startup Guide and what it takes to start not just one or two companies, but 40! Then, we discuss how to embrace the fear of the unknown and how to navigate some of business’s scariest moments. Next, many products develop out of a pain that a parent sees; we talk to a mom that got her business idea from a comment made by her son! Also, we speak with an entrepreneur who has made a fortune in sanitizing bathrooms! Finally, we preview National Entrepreneurship Week sponsored by Microsoft that is coming up on February 20th.
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Segment 1: Tom Hogan is co-founder of Crowded Ocean, a Silicon Valley-based marketing firm that specializes in launching startups. The company has launched over 40 startups to date, including some of technology’s market leaders, such as Palo Alto Networks, Nimble Storage and Sumo Logic.
1:45 – How has Crowded Ocean been so successful launching startups?
2:30 – Why startup founders need to ‘reverse their thinking hierarchy’ about their product, underlying components and the market they’re trying to reach.
4:15 – The 4 elements of successful marketing.
6:30 – How to organize your business so that you are not central to all decision making.
8:00 – The key difference between startups that succeed and the startups that fail.
9:15 – The Ultimate Startup Guide.
Segment 2: Julie Benezet has devoted her professional life to building companies, real estate and careers. She currently works as an executive coach, following 25 years in business and law. She is the author of the book “The Journey of Not Knowing: How 21st Century Leaders Can Chart a Course Where There Is None”. A hard-wired entrepreneur, Julie spent four years as Amazon’s first real estate executive through the company’s early steep ramp up phase to its emergence as an established business.
15:45 – The importance of embracing the fear of the unknown.
17:00 – How to define a purpose that will drive your organization through the discomfort of not knowing the outcome of new ideas.
18:45 – Recognize that human beings are messy.
19:45 – Accept failure on the way to success.
21:15 – Know when to move forward, even when you realize there is more to know.
22:45 – How to navigate the fear and chaos of everyday life post-election.
Segment 3: Heather McDowell is the founder and CEO of Tickle Water, a brand of naturally flavored sparkling water designed for kids. A New York-based entrepreneur, Heather launched the company to provide a fun but healthy, sugar-free, preservative-free beverage choice for families.
31:15 – How Heather took Tickle Water from concept to shelf in just a year.
34:00 – How did you get Tickle Water into stores?
35:00 – Heater employed a creative way to test the product by taking Tickle Water to playgrounds.
35:45 – What’s next for Tickle Water?
Segment 4: Pat Swisher is considered the founder of the commercial hygiene industry. He started Swisher Hygiene in 1983, took it public and sold it to Wayne Huzienga, former owner of the Miami Dolphins and Blockbuster. Five years ago, Pat started Enviro-Master and recently bought back his Swisher book of business from Ecolab and it is leading to nationwide expansion, including in Chicagoland, where there are already two franchise owners.
41:00 – How did you get into the sanitizing bathrooms business?
42:00 – The differences between a commercial janitorial company and a commercial hygiene company.
44:15 – Is it economical for businesses to hire a hygiene company?
45:00 – The 5 fundamentals of a good business opportunity.
Segment 5: Melanie Gass is a Senior Business Development Manager for Microsoft and the Brainchild behind Entrepreneurship Week. She helps shape Microsoft Community Connections (MCC) to deliver strong value to customers and influencers.
49:50 – Why is Microsoft sponsoring National Entrepreneurship Week?
50:30 – What events are planned for National Entrepreneurship Week?
51:30 – The theme of this year’s National Entrepreneurship Week.
