Build a Better Startup Interviews

Mark Asquith
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Build a Better Startup Interviews Podcast

Define, challenge and conquer the BIGGEST issues facing you as an early stage entrepreneur or founder. With powerful episodes from the world's finest business experts, each episode challenges one specific issue and provides detailed, actionable takeaways that you can implement immediately within your business. Volume #1 features actionable interviews with John Lee Dumas, Guy Kawasaki, Rand Fishkin, Jeff Sanders, Bob Burg and Dragons' Den's Doug Richard along with multiple thought leaders, global business people and numerous NY Times / Amazon best-selling authors, Excellence Expected exists to help you live the life you want by dominating the problems that face every entrepreneur on their journey. This isn't just another interview podcast, this is the straight-talking, accountable and actionable show that features one problem, one expert and multiple solutions every single episode. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!

  1. 29/11/2021

    An Update on the Series

    Hey, Mark here with a quick update about this evergreen interview series and my other podcast, The Podcast Accelerator (https://www.markasquith.com/listen).

    1 min

  2. 25/08/2014

    From Burnout to Broadcast

    Welcome to Excellence Expected. Episode 1 is my opportunity to thank you for picking up the show and beginning this journey with me. During the episode I talk about how I bounced back from a business catastrophe to become founder of a rapidly growing design & digital agency, whilst also discussing how that rapid growth and the challenges it brought, caused me to burn out only two years ago. I take this opportunity to talk about what you can expect from each episode of Excellence Expected and the value that you, as a business owner or entrepreneur, can draw from the podcast. I also introduce my free eBook "The Essential 14 Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact", which is my blueprint and work-through template that will show you how to create more time every single day, become instantly more effective in your business and create the time to enjoy the things that matter to you. Excellence Expected is a podcast for business owners, by business owners, with each and every episode adding value to your busy business life. Let's learn, share and grow together; don't forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

    30 min

  3. 13/10/2014

    Overcoming Product Launch Paralysis

    Working on a new product or service and coming up against physical, mental or developmental obstacles at every turn? Unsure when to launch? Afraid of negative feedback? Worried your software or app isn't good enough? Adriano Ferrari from Gingko shares his wildly inspirational experiences with you to allow you to overcome these obstacles and get your product or service to market quickly and effectively. Adriano talks us through how the idea for Gingko formed as he went through his PhD, the challenges in raising a young family whilst bringing a product to market and delivers 3 exceptional pieces of advice that you can implement into your workflow to ensure your product reaches market readiness, confidently. Episode Links: * @AdrianoFerrari * Gingko - The better, faster word processor * John Cleese on Creativity * “The Rules for Customer Interviews” * “Conducting Customer Discovery Interviews” * “Techniques for Getting Customer Stories” A powerful, powerful episode for anyone developing new products or services! Don't forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

    49 min

  4. 20/10/2014

    From Education to Small Business – Leaving it All Behind to Start Again

    Thinking about leaving the rat race behind and pursuing a passion? This week's guest, Simon Hickton, did just that. Since then his business, Cornerstones Education, has grown from 3 founding directors to a team of over 35 people with a customer base that grows daily. Simon's inspirational story begins as he discusses leaving a stable and enjoyable career as a head-teacher and journeys through the creation of Cornerstones Education, through the challenges faced when experiencing rapid business growth and the challenges, both personally and professionally, that face Simon and his team every single day. Simon shares his own advice on making the jump from full time employment into following a dream along with offering actionable tips on how to prepare for that jump and making the transition as enjoyable as possible. Links: * Cornerstones Education This is a fun one guys, enjoy it and please let me know if you have any other inspirational advice for the Excellence Expected community by getting involved in the comments section. Don't forget: the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

    59 min

  5. 27/10/2014

    Essential Startup Survival Tips & Embracing Your Inner Entrepreneur

    Doug Richard is amongst the world's most successful entrepreneurs: an award winning entrepreneurial mentor, former Dragons' Den dragon and highly commended philanthropist. In 2008 Doug set up his first socially focussed business, School for Startups, a programme that has gone on to provide accelerated mentoring & financial support to over 15,000 business and over 30,000 people. I had the privilege of talking to Doug about the path that led him to creating School for Startups, exactly how the programme helps entrepreneurs of all ages and how the inner entrepreneur is a product of nurture, not nature. Packed full of superb anecdotes, entrepreneurial insights and a look behind the curtains at what makes Doug so successful, Doug closes the episode by sharing his 3 most valuable pieces of advice for any business. This really is a must-listen for any business owner, entrepreneur, startup or driven individual looking for actionable inspiration. Please let me know what you think of Doug's thoughts in the comments and don't forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you will excel.

    33 min

  6. 15/12/2014

    Kate Erickson’s “3 Ps” To Guarantee A Powerful Product Launch [Partner at Entrepreneur on Fire]

    Kate Erickson recently fulfilled a decade long ambition - to author and self-publish a book. "The Fire Path” was a labour of love for Kate and was borne from her role as partner at Entrepreneur on Fire, the highly successful podcast and digital business created by John Lee Dumas in 2012. Kate held the desire to write a book even before she knew HOW to write a book. But, through patience, active and planning “The Fire Path” is en route to becoming a huge success! In this episode, Kate shares her own personal background before diving into how “The Fire Path” took shape, including sharing her own actionable tips on: * How to follow a dream and a passion to create a product that SELLS * How to leverage multiple mediums to target every corner of your market * Overcoming the challenges of self-publishing * The 3 Ps of a powerful product launch: * Patience * Practice * Planning Links mentioned in this episode: * The Fire Path by Kate Erickson * Entrepreneur on Fire Kate’s journey is one of dedication and it is a journey that is full of inspiration and ACTION. Follow your passion, never let up and keep on moving - you will achieve your goals! “Resources & Reflections” – Even More Value, Even More Action From Kate Erickson's Episode… “Resources & Reflections” is my follow up episode to help you take action and EXCEL! Publishing after each topical, expert interview, I share my own actionable advice along with resources & recommendations to galvanise your thoughts into the will to take action. Listen to This Week’s “Resources & Reflections” Each episode of “Resources & Reflections” focusses solely on the topic in hand on the previous episode and is only available via your subscriptions feed – iTunes, Stitcher et al – or the player within each individual episode like this one: The week's resources are: * First resource * Kate’s Take podcast. * Second resource * GingkoApp.com - the finest writing tool on the web, hear founder Adriano Ferrari discuss overcoming launch paralysis on episode 8. What is YOUR action plan this week? Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel.

    29 min

  7. 18/05/2015

    Cash is King – Unlock Your Small Business Finances

    Money is a big deal, and cash is king when it comes to business. However, some businesses face a cash flow issue, but do not think about it until it is too late. Typical pitfalls regarding cash flow include businesses thinking it’s only their problem – no one else’s – but everyone suffers from such an issue. Also, a cash flow issue is created by the business owners because they do not have a proper plan and approach to managing cash flow. Managing cash flow needs to be higher on the business owner’s priority list. Some business owners do not like to manage cash flow or just don’t know how to manage it. But it’s not rocket science. They can either acquire the skills through Internet resources or hire someone to handle it. The following are basic cash flow tasks: * If you need money for your business, go to your customers. Get on the phone, call them, and ask them to pay you. It may make you uncomfortable, but it needs to be done. It is not a sign of weakness. Know your rights! Your businesses provided a service or product, so the customer needs to pay you for it. Build respectful relationships with your customers. * If you get an order that does not mean you just go ahead and fill it. Check the customer out to determine their credit and how to process the billing (cash on delivery or ship on open terms). Do not leave yourself open to being taken advantage of by the customer. * If you need to, unlock capital to fuel the next round of your company’s growth. Entrepreneurs need to be creative when determining what resources are available to help them manage cash flow. Start by surfing the Web! About David: David is the president of Interface Financial Group, one of the world’s leading invoice financers. Challenged Issue: In this podcast, we challenge the issue of how businesses can manage their cash flow and free up capital in order to grow. David’s Actionable Tips: * Managing cash flow: Understand what cash flow is and have a plan to deal with it. Use the Internet to find business plans, cash flow management plans, and other resources that are pertinent to your business. * Be proactive with your cash flow. Pick up the phone, and do what you have to do. Don’t run a sloppy business! * Think about alternatives, and think outside the box. You need to think about how to handle your business in order to grow.  Top Quotes: * “Cash flow seems to be the leftover.” * “The cash flow will not take care of its self. Nothing, in this day and age, could really be farther from the truth.” * “The customer is really sitting on your money.” * “You are not going out there asking for charity. You are asking for what is due to you.” * “..we might be naïve enough to think that we can trust absolutely everyone with whom we do business.” * “We live in the age of outsourcing.” * “It should not be seen as an expense. It should be seen as an investment.” * “Cash flow issues do not always translate into delinquent accounts, bad accounts, and overdue accounts. It often translates into growth.” * “There are plenty of ways out there to unlock that capital, which in turn keeps the wheel moving.” Guest Links: * Interface Financial Group (http://www.interfacefinancial.com/) Resources: * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (https://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/) Key Timestamps: * 00:27 Introduction of podcast topic * 00:54 Challenged issue * 01:05 Introduction of guest * 03:12 Pitfalls and problems

    26 min

  8. 01/06/2015

    Crowdfunding – Alternative Finance Uncovered by Startup Direct

    Crowdfunding - a word that brings with it excitement and the lure of billion pound startups. But what's the real truth behind this phenomenon, and what alternatives do you have; what pitfalls will you face? Curiously, and I didn't know this, there are different types of crowd funding: * Rewards-based is typically done through Internet fundraising sites where companies offer a product or prize as a reward and generates smaller amounts (from 1,000 to 50, 000 pounds). * Debt-based funding is for more established businesses where a whole bunch of investors are looking for a good return on their money –  millions can be raised. * Equity-based is where the general public invests directly and receives equity in the business in return. Make sure to avoid pitfalls when seeking financing for your startup company. Before you seek funding, lay out your business plan and forecast. Make sure there is a market and need for your business. Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this?” Plus, get tools from Startup Direct to avoid making major mistakes! About James: James is the CEO of Startup Direct, which has helped more than 700 startups access funding and mentoring. Challenged Issue:  In this podcast, we challenge the issue of securing funding if you are a startup company and how that can be intimidating. James’s Actionable Tips: * Invest time and effort in your business plan and forecast to identify what you need. * Consider all the options available. Banks, crowd funding, grant funding, angel investors – there are so many options out there! Determine which is best for you! * Agree on ownership of business before seeking funding. Avoid fallouts and arguments! Top Quotes: * “There’s quite a few (financing) options out there.” * “The alternative funding space is huge now.” * “There are opportunities there that weren’t there before.” * “I think generally starting up a business has become, in a way, sexy.” * “You don’t have to be in the same city to run a company.” * “The governments realize that startups are the way forward.” * “So many people that have just gotten so much more confidence to do what they want to do, what they believe in.” * “I applaud that passion and desire to succeed, but real life sometimes does kick in.” * “You need to be able to be pretty agile and shift on your feet.” * “If you have a job, keep it – for as long as you can.” * “It is not really a failure if you just change.” Guest Links: * Startup Direct (http://www.startupdirect.org) * Email (apply@startupdirect.org)  Resources: * Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/) * Indiegogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/) * Funding Circle (https://www.fundingcircle.com) * Fiverr (fiverr.com) * PeoplePerHour (http://www.peopleperhour.com/) * Google Glass (http://www.google.com/glass/start/) * GrantTree (http://granttree.co.uk/startup_funding_uk) * Horizon 2020 (http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/) * The Essential 14–Day Guide to Cutting Your Working Hours and Increasing Your Impact (https://www.excellence-expected.com/cwh/)

    31 min
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Define, challenge and conquer the BIGGEST issues facing you as an early stage entrepreneur or founder. With powerful episodes from the world's finest business experts, each episode challenges one specific issue and provides detailed, actionable takeaways that you can implement immediately within your business. Volume #1 features actionable interviews with John Lee Dumas, Guy Kawasaki, Rand Fishkin, Jeff Sanders, Bob Burg and Dragons' Den's Doug Richard along with multiple thought leaders, global business people and numerous NY Times / Amazon best-selling authors, Excellence Expected exists to help you live the life you want by dominating the problems that face every entrepreneur on their journey. This isn't just another interview podcast, this is the straight-talking, accountable and actionable show that features one problem, one expert and multiple solutions every single episode. Don’t forget, the more you expect from yourself, the more you WILL excel!

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