Ready For Launch: How To Build A Startup

Ian Black
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A show about realizing the business ideas of early-stage entrepreneurs. Ian Black interviews early-stage company founders to hear what it's really like getting a business off the ground. How do you launch a startup? What does it take to turn an idea into a business? How do you turn a profit? On Ready For Launch, we get the answers to those questions straight from the people making it happen today. Be inspired by their stories. Learn from their mistakes. Understand the mindset it takes to create something from nothing.

  1. MAR 17

    056 - From Shopify to Startup. The 6-Month Plan That Outpaced Expectations, with Michael Kiss, CEO and Co-founder of Symmetry Commerce

    Summary Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show about how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. In this conversation, Michael Kiss, CEO and co-founder of Symmetry Commerce, shares his journey from a tech-savvy childhood in Ontario to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the e-commerce space. He discusses his experiences at Shopify, the challenges of starting his own company, and the importance of leadership and company culture. Links Website - https://symmetrycommerce.com/ LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/michael-kiss?originalSubdomain=ca⁠ Chapters 00:0 Introduction to Mike Kiss and Symmetry Commerce 05:10 Mike's Upbringing and Early Influences 09:43 Education and Career Path to Shopify 14:42 Lessons Learned at Shopify 19:48 Transitioning to Entrepreneurship 24:38 Building Symmetry Commerce 29:52 Mindset and Growth as a Business Owner 36:29 Vision for Building a Better Shopify 38:34 Evolving Service Offerings and Differentiation 43:29 Balancing Business Strategy and Execution 47:18 Team Collaboration and Problem Solving 49:52 The Remote Work Advantage 51:58 Reflecting on Initial Business Plans 53:39 Navigating Challenges and Growth 55:52 Defining Growth Goals and Company Vision 59:16 Integrating AI into Business Operations 01:01:19 Personal Sacrifices in Entrepreneurship 01:05:30 Lessons Learned from Starting Over 01:09:56 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

    1h 12m

  2. MAR 3

    055 - The AI-Driven Side Project That Gained Global Attention, with Adam Hale, Creator of Dry Outside

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show about how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. Adam Hale shares his journey from digital media enthusiast to data analyst and AI innovator, detailing how he built a weather prediction website using AI tools in just hours. Discover insights on AI experimentation, SEO strategies, human connection, and turning side projects into impactful tools. Links Website - https://www.dryoutside.com/ LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamhale2/ Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 02:29 The Evolution of Social Media and Personal Privacy 05:01 AI in Data Analysis and Website Development 07:27 The Role of AI in Daily Work 10:24 Building DryOutside: The Concept and Inspiration 12:58 Understanding Weather Conditions for Drying Clothes 15:41 The Journey from Idea to Launch 18:18 Initial Steps and Learning Process 21:14 Feedback and Iteration in Development 26:43 Building an SEO-Friendly Website 30:06 The Power of Reddit for Promotion 31:01 From Idea to Live Website in Hours 35:20 The Importance of Human Connection 37:34 Tech Stack and Data Sources 39:13 Unexpected Traffic Surge from Newsletters 42:58 Website Redesign and New Features 48:18 Feedback-Driven Improvements and AI Inspiration 53:13 Advice for Aspiring Project Builders

    57 min

  3. FEB 17

    054 - The Gap Between Design and Reality — and How Omar Salem Built Adora to Fix It

    Summary Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show about how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses. In this conversation, Omar shares his journey from growing up in Jordan to becoming a successful entrepreneur in Australia. He discusses his experiences at Canva, where he learned valuable lessons about scaling and product growth. Omar reflects on the transition to founding Adora, a company focused on providing visibility into product experiences. He emphasizes the importance of understanding customer needs and the challenges of building a startup. Website - https://www.adora.so/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omsalem/ Chapters 00:00 Omar's Early Life and Influences 01:55 Lessons from Canva: Growth and Product Development 13:45 The Transition to Entrepreneurship: Timing and Readiness 20:15 Exploring Ideas: Product Growth vs. Education 28:21 Understanding Engagement Mechanics 29:21 The Birth of Adora 33:31 Frustrations with Product Visibility 38:28 Building a Solution 46:10 Navigating the Development Process 51:07 Lessons from Beta Testing 55:43 Insights on Founding a Business 01:00:47 Advice for Aspiring Founders

    1h 3m

  4. 2024-03-27

    AI Revolution in the Job Market: Launching AI Apply - An AI-Powered Job Search Tool, With Co-Founder Aidan Kramer

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show about how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses into the world. This week, Ian Black talks to Aidan Cramer about his business AI Apply, which leverages generative AI to help job seekers find and apply for the best job opportunities. Aidan also shares his experience in building multiple businesses and the importance of finding product-market fit. Aidan shares his philosophy on killing ideas that don't work and focusing on the core offering, as well as his growth targets and the strategies he is using to achieve them, including content creation and influencer marketing. Website https://aiapply.co/ Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@aidancramer Twitter https://twitter.com/AidanCramer We Discuss What Generative AI is Common Mistakes in Job Applications Experimentation with Different Business Ideas How to Achieve Fast Growth and Profitability New Perspectives on Defining Product Market Fit Listening to Customers and Their Ideas Defining Success and Growth Targets Content Creation and Strategy Choosing the Right Co-founder Sacrifices and Loneliness of Entrepreneurship Motivations and Rewards of Entrepreneurship Advice for Starting a Business ––––––– Host: Ian Black Intro Music: ⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/moire/new-life⁠ License code: 9TQ4MEAPMU4WJWZ4

    1h 4m

  5. 2024-03-13

    Overcoming Your Fears By Bootstrapping An Allergy Friendly Protein Bar Business, with Patrick Manning, founder of Alio.

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show about how founders of early-stage companies launched their businesses into the world. This week, Ian Black talks to Patrick Manning, the founder of Alio, an allergy-friendly protein bar company, who shares his journey from medical school to entrepreneurship. He saw a need for a protein bar free from the top nine food allergens and high in protein, and decided to create it himself. He shares his perspective on overcoming doubts and challenges as a founder and the unique lessons he has learned through entrepreneurship. Website https://livealio.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/livealionow Instagram https://www.instagram.com/livealio Chapters Introduction and Background Identifying the Need for Allergy-Friendly Protein Bars Transition from Medical School to Entrepreneurship Finding a Mentor and Overcoming Fear Lessons Learned from Starting a Business Challenges in Recipe Development and Manufacturing Rebranding and Refining the Product Market Response to the Relaunch of Allio Importance of Customer Feedback and Launch Strategy Delegating and Bringing in Experts Building a Team and Seeking External Funding Organic Marketing Strategies Effective Sales Tactics through Engagment with Facebook Groups Sales Channels and Retail Expansion Profitability and Margin Refinement Shelf Life and Expiry Dates Daily Operations and Balancing Work Future Team Expansion Overcoming Doubts and Challenges Advice for Founders and Dealing with Doubt Setting Goals and Managing Friction Product Expansion and New Flavors Challenges in Scaling and Retail Expansion The Power of Creation and Overcoming Challenges Where to Find Alio --- Host: Ian Black Intro Music: https://uppbeat.io/t/moire/new-life License code: 9TQ4MEAPMU4WJWZ4

    1h 3m

  6. 2024-02-28

    The Van Conversion Expert: How to Unlock the Lifestyle You’ve Dreamed of - with Shane Monks O'Byrne, founder of The Van Conversion Dotcom.

    Shane Monks O'Byrne teaches people how to build camper vans and live a van life. He shares his journey into entrepreneurship, the philosophy of van life, and the lessons he learned from building his latest startup - https://www.thevanconversion.com. Contents: Introduction and Background Shane's Business: Teaching People to Build Camper Vans The Philosophy of Van Life Shane's Journey into Entrepreneurship Choosing the Right Path as an Entrepreneur Lessons from Investing Applied to Life Balancing Details and Output in Design Finding Fun and Passion in Work Finding Passion and Interests Using Childhood as a Starting Point Questioning False Assumptions and Self-Doubt Exploring Different Interests and Skills Learning New Skills and Trying Something New Learning How to Build a Van Documenting the Van Conversion Process Transitioning from Building Vans to Writing a Book Launching the Book and Building a Sustainable Business Preparing for a Long-Term Bike Journey Handling the Business During Time Away Starting a Business: Choosing the Right Direction

    1h 29m

  7. 2023-10-25

    Launching a non-alcoholic spirit brand in Asia and the USA, with Lorin Winata Founder of Melati Drinks (#50)

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where I, Ian Black, talk to founders of early-stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. I’m talking with Lorin Winata, founder of Melati Drinks, and part of the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2023. Among many things, we discuss: The history of Asian tonic drinks, dating back to 1293 What it means to be a non-alcoholic spirit, in the Better-for-you category Borrowing extraction techniques from the perfume industry to create the most accessible drink The loneliness of moving the business to a new country, new culture, with no network Whittling down 150 classic ingredients from the spice islands of Indonesia, into the two Melati drinks What it’s like to leave the male-dominated world of venture capital in Asia, to become an Asian female founder The challenges you face doing everything for the first time as an entrepreneur, and why it gets easier. And much more... So sit back and enjoy the show! Company website https://melatidrinks.com/ Find Melati near you: https://melatidrinks.com/pages/store-locator

    56 min

  8. 2023-09-20

    049 - Launching and Closing A Daily Brain Care Business, with Brian Davis, Co-founder of Parable.

    Welcome to Ready For Launch, the show where Ian Black talks to founders of early stage companies about how they launched their business into the world. This week I’m talking with Brian Davis, co-founder founder of Parable. Among many things, we discuss: Why Brain Care is so important for an ageing population The 4 Pillars of Brain Care How to communicate the benefits of a product when customers aren’t problem-aware yet The importance of finding founder-fit The problems with fundraising and launching a business at the same time Deciding to shut down the business The problem with taking advice from Outliers The lack of failure stories on social media Sit back and enjoy the show!

    1h 23m
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5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

A show about realizing the business ideas of early-stage entrepreneurs. Ian Black interviews early-stage company founders to hear what it's really like getting a business off the ground. How do you launch a startup? What does it take to turn an idea into a business? How do you turn a profit? On Ready For Launch, we get the answers to those questions straight from the people making it happen today. Be inspired by their stories. Learn from their mistakes. Understand the mindset it takes to create something from nothing.

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