Bert Waugh rose from door-knocking real-estate agent during double-digit interest rates to owner of a firm later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Guided by faith, he founded Transitional Youth to break the cycles of homelessness through family-style homes, counseling, and the Breaking Cycles coffee and bike shops that restore dignity and purpose. His life’s work proves that love, structure, and opportunity determine a person’s future, not circumstance.
Show Notes & Links:
https://parisvega.com/62-bert-waugh-transitional-youth-braking-cycles/
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/61-nathan-hirsch/
00:00 The Entrepreneurial Journey Begins
03:20 Acquiring the First Customers: Strategies and Lessons
08:19 Marketing and Outreach: Cold Email and Social Media
11:54 Delegation and Business Expansion
Nathan Hirsch shares his entrepreneurial journey, detailing how he built FreeUp from a $5,000 investment to a $12 million revenue business.
He discusses the importance of customer trust, effective marketing strategies, and the significance of hiring the right people to scale operations.
Nathan emphasizes the need for feedback from initial customers to improve products and services, and he offers valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs on mastering hiring and delegation.
Richard White, CEO of Fathom, shares his strategy for acquiring first customers. He believes in giving away something for free to build trust and create word-of-mouth virality. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on building a sticky product that users love before worrying about monetization.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/59-dominic-rubino-ceo-profittoolbelt/
Dominic Rubino shares his experiences of getting his first customers and growing businesses from zero to $120 million in sales and from six franchisees to over 200. He emphasizes the importance of sales and customer-centric approaches in business growth.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/58-dan-french-atx-acquisitions/
Dan French, CEO of ATX Acquisitions, shares his journey in real estate investing and the challenges he faced along the way. He discusses the importance of finding customers and vendors, the differences between active and passive investments, and the lessons learned from his early deals. French also talks about the benefits of forming a long-term partnership and balancing real estate with other passions.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/57-pete-grett-blackrock-group/
Pete Grett, founder and CEO of the BlackRock Group, shares his experience of acquiring his first customers in the supply chain logistics industry.
He emphasizes the importance of nurturing relationships and leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn to stay connected with potential customers. Pete also discusses his content marketing strategy, which involves using AI tools to create and distribute engaging content.
He highlights the significance of balancing digital scalability with personal human interaction in service-based businesses. Pete recommends books for entrepreneurs.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/56-jeremy-parker-swag-space/
Discover how Jeremy’s innovative approach to customer acquisition and branding propelled Swag.com to become the fastest-growing company in its sector, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Custom Ink.
Now at the helm of Swag Space, Jeremy shares invaluable insights into starting from the top, the importance of focusing on unscalable things in the early stages, and why understanding your customer can make or break your business.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/55-arthur-petropoulos-hill-view-partners/
Building with an Exit in Mind: Arthur's philosophy on creating a business that's attractive to buyers.
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/54-marty-m-fahncke/
Marty M. Fahncke is an acquisitions advisor with Westbound Road who has done 1 billion in revenue and over 450 million in acquisitions over his career.
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/53-bryce-wuori-pavewise/
In this episode, Bryce Wuori, the CEO of Pavewise talks with host Paris Vega about how he's using AI to change the construction industry. He explains how Pavewise started as a simple project tool and grew into a big software company that’s now changing how construction projects are managed.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/52-graham-stewart-fibre52-cotton-processing/ First Customers episode 52 features Graham Stewart, founder of Fibre52, discussing his groundbreaking process to make cotton and textile industry more sustainable by replacing harmful chemicals with eco-friendly bioproducts. He shares insights into the challenges of introducing new technologies into traditional industries and the positive environmental and economic impacts of Fibre52's innovation.
Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/51-benjamin-shaffer-goldback-gold-currency/Goldback, a company that offers a gold-based physical currency, experienced rapid growth in just four years from zero customers in 2019 to over 1 million customers today. Benjamin Shaffer shares the story of how their gold-backed currency solves the problem of making small transactions with gold. "We wanted to make gold money but in a way that's practical for everyday transactions." – Benjamin Shaffer
Show notes: https://parisvega.com/50-adam-haugen-glad-tidings-leander-church-growth/
Listen to episode 50 of the First Customers podcast featuring Adam Haugen, an inspiring pastor who doubled the size of his church within a year. Adam shares his proven strategies for growth, offering insights valuable for leaders in any field. This episode is not just a success story; it's a masterclass in effective leadership and community building.
Episode Highlights:
Show Notes, Links, & Transcript: https://parisvega.com/first-customers-49-christoffer-sigshoj-kitex-wind-turbines/
In episode 49 of the First Customers, we talk with Christoffer Sigshøj, engineer & co-founder of KiteX, a Denmark-based company that's pioneering the world's lightest portable wind turbines. Christoffer shares the company's journey from its initial concept of flying wind turbines to creating portable, efficient, and user-friendly products that are opening up access to wind energy.
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/shani-bocian-steinberg-allermi-allergy-company/ On episode 47 of the First Customers podcast I spoke with Shani Bocian, CEO of Allermi, an allergy care company. Her company has seen significant growth (800% over the past 12 months) and offers a unique product: the world's first custom nasal spray. We discuss how she started the business, defined her target audience, and found her first customers.
Show notes: https://parisvega.com/brian-grimes-real-estate/ In episode 47 of the First Customers podcast, I sit down with Brian Grimes, real estate investor and founder of 24-7 Cash Flow University. With a portfolio built on over 300 fully renovated properties, Brian shares his journey into the real estate world and the strategies that have made him successful.
Show Notes & Discount Code: https://parisvega.com/barak-glanz-coddy-tiktok-tactics/
Learn the secrets of how Barak Glanz of Coddy.tech got his first customers and grew his business using TikTok. Like so many episodes of this podcast, I learned a lot from Barak and will be testing out some of the strategies we discussed soon. If you want smart tips straight from a pro, this episode is for you.
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/varag-gharibjanian-actuate/
Varag Gharibjanian, MIT grad & founding partner at Actuate, works with companies like Qualcom, Lenovo, & Bose to grow their revenue & helps emerging startups get their first customers. Get ready to dive straight into the world of sales with Varag, who is here to spill the secrets on snagging those crucial first customers. Whether you're just starting out or looking to revamp your sales strategy, this episode is packed with golden nuggets on building a sales process that truly works. Don't miss Varag's expert tips on marrying technology with sales to build relationships and drive success!
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/eli-packouz-crowdfunding-instafloss/
In episode 44 of the First Customers podcast, I chat with the Eli Packouz, an inventor and crowd funding master. Eli created eight products over the last several years including his most recent and disruptive ‘Instafloss’. He shares the story of his exciting business adventures, how he recently raised $2.5 million from crowdfunding, and the strategies he used to get his first customers.
Highlights
Mentioned In This Episode
Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/beau-button-atlas-reality-how-to-make-money-with-virtual-real-estate/
Episode 43 of the First Customers Podcast welcomes Beau Button, the CTO and cofounder of Atlas Reality. They're known for Atlas Earth, the largest virtual real estate platform in the world. Beau explains the virtual real estate world, the distinctiveness of their platform, the fascinating journey of Atlas Reality, and shares insights about being a technical startup founder.