Growth Everywhere | Entrepreneurial Stories | Business Lessons

What Are Shoppable Livestreams? In today’s episode, Eric talks about shoppable live streaming, which is a livestream where someone talks about products that viewers can buy. He provides statistics to demonstrate the success of Amazon live streaming and describes some of his own success with selling his book live on Clubhouse. Find out what we can learn from the success of shoppable live streaming in China, the different platforms you can use, and how valuable it can be to those in e-commerce. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:14] Eric starts by explaining what shoppable livestreams are. [00:41] How Amazon is using shoppable livestreams. [01:18] Eric’s success with his book live in a Clubhouse room.  [01:48] Why conversion rates are so high. [01:59] Some statistics that demonstrate the growth of shoppable livestreams. [03:00] The benefits of educating yourself about Amazon live streaming and learning from the success of the Chinese if you’re in e-commerce. [03:21] Different platforms you can use for shopp

Whether you want to be self-employed or create a source of income to fund other projects, there are many good reasons to start your own digital marketing agency. Today, Eric breaks down a step-by-step guide on how you can do this. From reaching out to the people you most want to work with, to creating content to target them, finding work through different sources, and building a network, he covers all the bases. To level up from starting your side hustle to reaching your first 100k, tune in today. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] Eric introduces today’s topic by mentioning some of the reasons you might want to start a digital marketing agency. [01:02] The goal: your first 100k or to replace your salary.  [01:23] Why companies should encourage their employees to have side hustles. [01:54] Eric’s experience of being fired for having a side hustle. [02:16] Reaching out to your Dream 100: the top 100 people you want to work with. [02:36] Different channels you can use to reach out to people. [03:05] Deci

Today, Eric looks at the new Google Ads Insights, which surfaces trends tailored to your business so that you can see if you're keeping up with demand for trending products or services, and proactively formulate campaigns for related products. Hear about how this is Google’s way of trying to protect their ad revenue in the face of increased competition, and the implications of these increasingly AI automated processes on the future of marketing agencies. Tuen in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Google Ads Insights and what it means for you as an advertiser.  [00:29] What it does: it tells you trending keywords to help you proactively formulate campaigns for related products.  [01:21] Google's incentive: they want you to spend more on ads. [01:42] How Google is trying to protect its ad revenue in the face of increased competition. [01:59] How computers are increasingly automating these processes for us. [02:25] Why agencies need to evolve over time, especially on the creative

Sleep is one of the ‘power-ups’ in your life and, in order to perform at a high level, it’s important to get good rest. From preparing for bed to preventing disturbances and monitoring your sleep patterns, today’s episode looks at some quick yet powerful sleep hacks to help you perform at your best! We factor in the environmental, physical, and chemical factors that can help maximize your sleep quality for the ultimate night’s rest.  TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:23] The importance of sleep as one of the ‘power ups’ of your life. [01:27] Tip 1: Putting a piece of tape over your mouth. [02:34] Tip 2: Sleeping at 68 or 69 degrees. [03:18] Tip 3: Using an air filter to ensure high-quality air. [03:39] Tip 4: The benefits of tracking your sleep with an Oura Ring. [04:08] Tip 5: Cooling your mattress and monitoring your sleep with an Eight Sleep. [04:48] Tip 6: Being wary of taking too hot a shower before bed. [05:16] Tip 7: Avoiding screens before bed; read a book or use glasses with blue light filters.

How Zeus CEO Kulveer Taggar Plans To Tackle The $18B Corporate Housing Market Today’s guest is Kulveer Taggar, CEO of and co-founder of Zeus, a new flexible way to rent that caters for utilities, furniture, and fixed leases. Since 2015, the company has made over 150 million dollars in revenue and they have set their sights on the 18 Billion dollar Corporate Housing Market. Kulveer explains how he became an entrepreneur and sold a business for $5 million when he was only 24-years-old. He talks about how his motivation changed from making money to solving a problem, what inspired him to start this company, and how he continues to find ways to make it easier for people to move around and stay in places for longer periods of time. He also explains how the pandemic affected the business, how they survived it, and how it influenced their strategy going forward. Hear about how they managed to achieve customer acquisition long before they ever hired a marketer, and how they managed to scale from 100 homes to almost

The greatest predictor of human longevity, apart from genetics, is close ties and social integration. According to today’s guest, research has shown that even the success of a business can be traced back to the oxytocin levels (the chemical released when you feel a connection) found in the bodies of its employees. Jon Levy is the founder and host of Influencers, a private organization that arranges dining experiences dedicated to bringing together exceptional people and thought leaders. He is also a behavioral scientist and author who has a new book coming out, titled You Are Invited, about how to create connection, trust, and a sense of belonging. In this episode, John talks about how the human brain is wired for novelty, why networking events and swag bags are a waste of time, and how to genuinely foster human connection. Tune in and learn about the IKEA effect, the Mere-exposure effect, and an art heist at the Louvre that will blow your mind! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Jon Levy.

Today on Leveling Up, Eric looks at the social media trends for 2021. He gives a breakdown of what’s growing in popularity and what’s declining or leveling out. He gives a breakdown of his five favorite social media platforms right now and provides some insightful advice as to where you should or should not be targeting your efforts right now in terms of growth potential, competition, and organic reach. To level up on your social media game, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:14] Eric introduces this topic with a breakdown of trends in the usage of each platform. [02:28] Eric explains why he is most excited about YouTube. [03:20] Why LinkedIn is currently Eric’s second favorite platform: organic reach is strong. [03:40] Number three is Twitter: it enables Eric to interact with some of the smartest people in the world through DMs. [05:00] Number four is podcasting. [05:23] Why starting a blog in 2021 is a bad idea. [05:33] How to choose which social media platform to target: Go for low compet

Why Clubhouse Will Fail In today's episode, Eric continues his series on Clubhouse by explaining some of the major obstacles facing its success. He talks about how he became addicted to it, built up a following, and spent a significant amount of time on it, before dropping his usage by 90%. Hear about the problems with Clubhouse's execution, monetization, and follower retention, as competitors like Twitter and Facebook launch their own versions.   TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:19] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:23] How Eric started using Clubhouse in December 2020. [00:54] Clubhouse’s success among course-creators and coaches. [01:26] How Eric ended up spending 30 to 40 hours a week on Clubhouse. [02:12] Why Eric’s usage of Clubhouse dropped to 4 hours a week. [02:41] The emergence and threat of copies by competitors like Twitter and Facebook. [03:08] Copying may not kill you: Snap Chat / Snap is still successful despite being

In today’s episode, Eric shares the SEO strategy that he has found to be significantly more valuable than link-building: relationships. Find out how he came to believe that content and links were the two most important things for SEO and the lengths he went to to get links before he realized that relationships were far more beneficial. Tuning in today, you’ll also learn how you can build relationships and establish networks that will get you links but also have a much bigger payoff in the long term. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to today’s topic. [00:19] A breakdown of Eric’s businesses and how he came to believe that the two most important things for SEO are great content and links.  [01:00] Creating linkable assets, guest posts, directory links, and other things Eric did in the past to get links. [01:44] How social media and email provide touch points for building relationships.  [02:03] Eric shares examples of the time-consuming nature of relationship building. [04:08] Why you sh

In today’s episode, Eric shares his thoughts on Apple’s new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and analytics feature called Podcast Connect. He explains how one of its features enables podcasters to add different channels for SEO, email, and paid media, among other things, to group or curate episodes. Eric compares this to the membership platform of Supercast and breaks down the pros and cons of each. To find out whether or not Eric will be making use of Apple’s new features and why, tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:13] An introduction to Apple’s new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and analytics feature Podcast Connect. [01:09] How Apple has enhanced their podcast analytics: Stepping things up because they have been losing ground to Spotify. [01:29] New feature: You can add different channels for SEO, email, paid media, to group or curate episodes. [01:45] Eric compares Apple Connect to Supercast and breaks down the pros and cons of each: Apple doesn’t provide much data, Supercast takes a percentage

Startup Secrets with Activision Co-Founder Howard Marks Welcome back to another episode of Leveling Up hosted on Clubhouse! Today’s guest is Howard Marks, the legend behind Activision and Acclaim who has recently been pioneering crowdfunded investing with his company StartEngine. We also open up the floor to a bunch of different people in the Clubhouse chat who ask brilliant questions all centered around building a successful startup, from how to land funding to defending yourself from the competition. Tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:41] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [02:12] The story of acquiring Activision, moving to LA, and the innovations that followed. [12:53] Alisa Jacobs from Queens Gaming Collective introduces herself and her company. [14:48] Further details of Howard’s process of acquiring Activision. [17:10] Trouble Activision was in and Howard’s process of reinvigorating it. [21:36] Feeling things out, thinkin

How I Sold $65,000 of Books Using Clubhouse While Clubhouse might not as big a thing that some have been professing it to be, that does not mean that it has no use to you and your business. In today's episode, Eric explains how he used the Clubhouse app to spark $65,000 worth of book sales and the smart methods he used to up-sell certain customers. Tuning in you will hear about NFTs, what it takes to build Clubhouse credibility, and more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:11] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:29] The rooms that Eric hosted on Clubhouse to boost his sales of Leveling Up. [01:31] Time that Eric spent building relationships on Clubhouse in early 2021.  [02:15] How Eric redirected conversations on Clubhouse to the bulk orders page on his website. [03:50] The possibility of selling NFTs on Clubhouse and the money that is currently being made. [04:44] Concerns about the future of Clubhouse and why it might not beat out its

What Is The Creator Economy? Today’s episode is all about the creator economy and what this means for you. Listening in, you’ll hear about the recent success of platforms such as Cameo, Substack, and Clubhouse and how more and more money is going to the creators themselves. We talk about how being a creator and being an entrepreneur are increasingly becoming the same thing and discuss our fundamental desires to create, the many existing channels through which we can create, and how, by making a small investment of time every day, you can become a successful creator. Be sure to tune in today! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:16] An introduction to the creator economy. [00:23] The recent success of platforms such as Cameo, Substack, and Clubhouse. [01:03] How more and more money is going towards the creators themselves.  [01:20] How the creator is becoming an entrepreneur, and the entrepreneur a creator. [02:20] What “creator economy” actually means. [02:55] How the system is reversing: Now you build up an

Why Clubhouse Is NOT The Next Big Thing Despite us investing a significant amount of time on Clubhouse this year, there are good reasons to believe that the new platform will not, in fact, be the next big thing. The chief reasons for this come down to the amount of hours that are necessary to gain any sort of traction, and the competitors that are rising up to challenge Clubhouse in the drop-in audio game. Tune in to hear all about why you can still use Clubhouse, but should avoid going all-in on it. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:15] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:22] The amount of time Eric has spent on Clubhouse early in 2021. [00:46] Drops in engagement with the platform and the spike in Clubhouse's competitors. [01:27] The difficulty of establishing a user base and how this counts against Clubhouse. [02:29] How copying occurs across these social and business platforms. [02:37] The drop-in audio revolution; no going back fro

How to Use AI to Generate Copy for Ads, Social and More with Paul Yacoubian Welcome to the first episode of Leveling Up which is being hosted on Clubhouse! Today’s guest is Paul Yacoubian, Co-Founder, and CEO of Copy.ai. Generating quality content is a huge part of any marketing endeavor, which is why it can be so time-consuming. This problem is slowly fading away though thanks to Copy.ai, which leverages OpenAI’s GPT-3 language-generating library to generate all your content for you! Our conversation with Paul is all about the applications for Copy.ai, his philosophy of building in public, and what libraries like GPT-3 mean for the future of education and business. Paul talks about some of the use cases of Copy.ai, highlighting how it can help users run different copywriting tests very quickly and is a great way of building an audience organically for smaller businesses who can’t afford paid ads yet. Paul also does a great job of explaining the evolution of OpenAI’s GPT libraries and just how high-quality t

How to 10x Your Performance with Better Sleep with Eight Sleep CEO Matteo Franceschetti There are three pillars of health: Nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Arguably, sleep is the most foundational of the three because eating well and moving your body can only be effective when you are well-rested. Leading the sleep-tech charge is Eight Sleep, a company specializing in smart mattresses. CEO Matteo Franceschetti joins us to shed light on the business and the importance of sleep more generally. We hear about Matteo’s background in cleantech and the pride he takes in running companies that aim to improve the world. Eight Sleep has a dual vision: To compress sleep so that customers get better sleep in fewer hours and to save lives through heart-rate monitoring and embedded sensors. We gain insights into some of the company’s product offerings and the specific ways they help clients. Matteo also shares his sleep and health routine and offers details about his thermal shock, fasting, and keto practices. We also touc

Today, we're going to talk about what's actually more important than Link Building. We learn that two of the most important things are Content and Links. But when you look at big and successful websites, they did not beg for links, the just created REALLY GOOD content, and went beyond just links. TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:27] - Two Important Things [01:16] - Social Media As a Seed To Build A Relationship [01:40] - Eric's Experience On Clubhouse Connecting With Other People [03:19] - Foster The Relationship You’re Building [03:39] - Link is on the bottom of the list [05:09] - Should you focus on the smaller things? [05:42] - Think about the long term goals [06:27] - Relationships over links [06:37] - Outro   Leave Some Feedback: What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connec

Why Communities Are The Future of Business and Marketing with Greg Isenberg Community is the cornerstone of any successful business. This special group of people serve many purposes: they’re your megaphone, humble servants, and most loyal customers. Today we talk to a community-building expert to find out the many whats, whys, hows, and whens of community building. Greg Isenberg is the Founder of Late Checkout, a product studio, agency, and fund, and he kicks off the episode by telling listeners more about Late Checkout. Following this short but concise introduction to his business, we find out why you should value your community. After discovering the not-so-straightforward method of tapping into your community, Greg boils community down to two simple pillars: retention and word of mouth. Later, Greg shares a few examples how community leads to business success. As our conversation draws to a close, Greg shares why he loves Miami, what his best business tools are, and what content has been most influential

How To Create Relevant Touchpoints with Magazines & More for Cheap with ReminderMedia ($50M+ Revenue!) A combination of strong approaches to marketing and sales is something that is rarer than you might think. Joining us on Leveling Up today to talk about ReminderMedia's fast rise and no-brainer offers are the company's founders Luke Acree and Josh Stike. ReminderMedia specializes in customizable marketing solutions for business professionals to stay top of mind with their clients, something that cannot be underestimated. In our conversation we cover some serious ground, talking about nurturing a database, how ReminderMedia's automation can make all the difference with this, the importance of being remembered, and how to approach strategic showcasing. Josh and Luke also unpack their 'FIT' framework of 'frequency, 'impact', and 'trust', showing how these three elements can really move the needle for your business. We do the usual round-up of useful information from our guests too, talking about their business

Are Magazines Back As A Marketing Channel? Steve Olsher From Podcast Magazine Thinks So Today we talk with Steve Osher, founder, and Editor-in-chief at Podcast Magazine. In this episode, Steve shares his career journey with us; one that has been filled with many highs and lows. He details how it affected his psyche, as well as the important lessons that came with failure. Expanding on this, Steve sheds light on the struggles he had with the dot-com crash, his battle to create success from liuor.com, and the important realizations that came with it. Later, we ask Steve about his book. Listeners will find out why he wrote the book, who it’s geared toward and why he hopes it’ll become his legacy piece. Steve’s book, What Is Your What? is filled with three main tenets: clarity on your core strength, understanding the primary vehicle that you will use to share your gift, and who you are most compelled to serve. In the second half of the show, Steve talks about Podcast Magazine, sharing information about its targe