Motivation Toronto

Motivation Toronto

Motivation Toronto is a podcast spotlighting the real journeys of Toronto’s most driven founders, creators, and entrepreneurs. Hosted by Abrham Bisrat, each episode goes deeper than surface level success to explore the mindset, discipline, failures, and decisions behind building meaningful companies, careers, and creative work. These are honest conversations about execution, resilience, and growth without shortcuts or hype. From early struggles to defining breakthroughs, guests share what it actually takes to stay motivated while building in business, tech, and culture. Motivation Toronto is for ambitious listeners who want real lessons they can apply to their own path. New episodes feature founders, builders, and leaders shaping Toronto’s future.

Episodes

  1. How a Toronto AI Startup Went From $0 → $200K in 90 Days

    5 JAN

    How a Toronto AI Startup Went From $0 → $200K in 90 Days

    How two founders built a Toronto AI startup from $0 to $200K in just 90 days. No hype. Just mindset, discipline, and execution. In this episode, Motivation Toronto founder Abrham sits down with Jack Lau and Zeeshan, co founders of Searcle, an AI startup disrupting the marketing industry, to break down how they built a Toronto based company from $0 to $200,000 in revenue in just 90 days. Jack brings a sharp analytical edge from his background as a quant on Wall Street, while Zeeshan is a four time startup founder who has built and scaled companies across multiple industries. Together, they combine deep technical thinking with real world execution. Jack and Zeeshan share their unfiltered journey from early ideas and tough decisions to the mindset, discipline, and systems that fueled rapid growth without hype. We dive into entrepreneurship, fear, momentum, consistency, and what it truly takes to build something meaningful in today’s tech landscape. If you are a founder, builder, or someone questioning the safe path, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, risk, and what it really means to bet on yourself. Timestamps 00:00 How a Toronto AI startup went from $0 to $200K in 90 days 01:07 Meet Zeeshan, a 10 year startup founder who’s seen it all 01:24 From Wall Street quant to AI startup founder 02:09 Why Jack walked away from Wall Street 02:59 Why Zeeshan chose entrepreneurship over safety 05:16 Jack’s biggest wins and painful failures 07:05 Zeeshan’s hardest lessons as a founder 08:48 The failed startup idea that taught them everything 11:10 What Searcle AI actually does and why it matters 14:37 Who their real customers are 17:10 The biggest mistake founders make with AI search 19:15 How Searcle gets companies discovered by AI tools 20:10 The content strategy founders should be using right now 21:27 How to market in an AI driven search world 23:18 The exact playbook behind $0 to $200K ARR in 90 days 24:14 How joining Focal Ventures changed everything 26:05 The mistakes killing most early stage startups 26:32 First principles thinking every founder needs 27:20 Why sales comes before product 28:10 Do you actually need a great idea to win? 29:49 The fastest way to validate before building 30:04 How smart founders get early insights 31:24 Jack’s real strategy for landing customers 33:00 How to run discovery calls that convert 34:31 Zeeshan’s outreach strategy that works 35:41 Why getting a job might make you a better founder 36:46 How to cold call without sounding desperate 38:12 Why authenticity beats tactics every time 39:04 Preparation and proactivity separate winners 39:56 Generic vs personalized outreach and what actually converts 43:33 Toronto vs SF vs NYC for startups, the truth 43:53 Inside the Toronto hacker house 45:10 What SF teaches founders fast 46:17 Build for customers, not VCs 47:47 The vision they’re building toward 49:01 Why pivots are inevitable in AI startups 49:31 The mindset that separates AI founders 50:01 How lean their team really is 50:36 Where to find Jack and Zeeshan 🎙️ Topics We Cover How Searcle AI went from $0 → $200K in 90 days Early mistakes and lessons learned The mindset required to move fast without burning out Building an AI startup in Toronto Staying motivated through uncertainty Advice for aspiring founders and entrepreneurs 🚀 About the Guests Jack Lau – Co-Founder, Searcle AI 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacktlau/ Zeeshan – Co-Founder, Searcle AI 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeeshansh/ 🔗 Learn more about Searcle AI: https://www.searcle.ai/ 🎧 About Motivation Toronto Motivation Toronto is a podcast highlighting driven, disciplined, and ambitious people who are building meaningful careers, companies, and lives in Toronto and beyond. If this episode resonated with you, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who could use the motivation. For inquiries, collaborations, or guest opportunities, reach out at motivationtoronto@gmail.com 👉 Subscribe for weekly conversations with founders, builders, and high performers. #MotivationToronto #Entrepreneurship #StartupPodcast #TorontoTech #AIStartup

    52 min
  • 1 Episode

About

Motivation Toronto is a podcast spotlighting the real journeys of Toronto’s most driven founders, creators, and entrepreneurs. Hosted by Abrham Bisrat, each episode goes deeper than surface level success to explore the mindset, discipline, failures, and decisions behind building meaningful companies, careers, and creative work. These are honest conversations about execution, resilience, and growth without shortcuts or hype. From early struggles to defining breakthroughs, guests share what it actually takes to stay motivated while building in business, tech, and culture. Motivation Toronto is for ambitious listeners who want real lessons they can apply to their own path. New episodes feature founders, builders, and leaders shaping Toronto’s future.

Information

  • Creator
    Motivation Toronto
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Motivation Toronto