Cache Flow Brian Dainis

Dive into the podcast world with Grain CEO Jeff Whitlock as we unravel Grain's AI-driven meeting evolution, the merger that molded its future, and the star-studded story of Mike Adams. Get an insider's look into raising VC funds, the trials of startup life, and the riveting roadmap that Grain's cooking up, all topped off with some candid Silicon Valley talk.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.
Grain's AI Transforms Note-taking.Grain and Startups’ Merger Insight.SaaS Frameworks vs. Intuition.Raising VC Funds: Pros & Cons.The Future Roadmap for Grain.
Resources:
GrainCurotec 
Connect with Jeff Whitlock:
LinkedIn
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
05:00 - Yeah, we had  fun, fun that we thought that was fun. We joked to Mike, you're famous, you're old startup was mentioned in this show, but in his experience he kind of realized we're doing a lot of these remote learning sessions. To be honest, this experience around recording them is not very good. And so that was kind of the initial gist of the idea. So it started, grain started off just very much as this idea that all these meetings are gonna be moving onto from kind of analog conversation, digital conversations, and there's a lot of value in these meetings. We should make it a lot easier that for them to be, a lot easier to record and make them accessible and useful.8:16 - And so, we made some tough mistakes I think during that period. Really important lesson for entrepreneurship is like, money doesn't solve your problems. You know, I think we raised probably, I think when I first started entrepreneur, it was like, hey, if I can just raise that big round, success will be there and learn that that's not true. In fact, too much money can cause its own problems. It causes you to kind of be a little lazy and try to cut corners and hire people to solve problems. And I've just learned, and we've just learned time and time again that like the founders have to at least come up with a solid V one on most most things. It is really hard to sort of outsource that.10:33 - So we've had just a huge, huge number of new competitors join in that are kind of more like 2 to 3-year-old companies, whereas like the original ones like 4 to 5-year-old companies. So that's been interesting to try to compete with them. And they often have like new fresh blood, fresh capital and, we're still kind of going on and, that's been a really interesting to kind of think about the strategic and market dynamics of our industry and one with like obvious value but not great moats. And so that's been really interesting and not necessarily enough network effects for like there to be obvious winner take all quickly23:16 - I would be much more, I'd say cautious in taking VC money. I think, I think when I started my entrepreneurial journey, I just like, this is the way you do it. You know, get an idea, you get a little bit early traction, you sweat equity and then once you can raise money you should raise money because then you can pay yourself and grow and blah, blah, blah. I think there was like a very much like this is the path and I didn't consider many other paths. I would say if I were to do it again, obviously I think this time around I'd be in a position where I would have a little bit more starting capital and people who would maybe, maybe invest, but just as like, friends, family angels, which I didn't have the first time around.44:25 - Yeah, so the way I think about it is at a high level, well first of all there's a strategy and the strategy is essentially, in my opinion, it's defining where are you playing in the market and what's your theory on how you're going to capture the opportunity or win and that strategy should inform all your decisions then. So that's kind of at the macro level. And we could talk more about strategy if you want how I think about it then you have, at the micro level, I have some kind of like broad based heuristics

Dive into the cutting-edge world of real estate with Stash Geleszinski, Co-Founder of Nëdl – the data platform predicting property transactions before they hit the market. Discover how Nëdl is transforming brokerage with predictive analytics, empowering players to anticipate and capitalize on upcoming deals. Expect stories from the trenches of the commercial real estate industry and insights into the tech that's shaping its future.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.

Data drives real estate's future.Nëdl predicts market moves.Stories of commercial real estate.Tech intersects with property deals.The rollercoaster of brokerage life.
Resources:
NëdlCurotec 
Connect with Stash Geleszinski:
LinkedIn
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
13:01 - Well, no, the loan comes due, right? Like you've gotta do, when a loan matures, you've gotta do one of four things. You can refinance it, you can sell it, you can pay it off, or you can give it back to the bank depending on the situation. So there are only four potential outcomes.27:36 - So how do we get into those markets?  I think it starts with just looking and identifying what the patterns are and it's like if you look at the deals that trade, they'll tell you what. And then, so if you look at the deals that have traded and then you look on their history for the past six to 12 months, you can figure out what the tells are and then you can extrapolate that forward on the rest of the properties in that market or sub-market. And that's really, you know, what we're doing. So each property is gonna have its own functionality or difference of operation, but the data will tell you if you know where to look.38:29 - There seems to be a certain set of buyers though that they have found a way to exploit the system in that way and that's the business model. And occasionally they will buy a deal, so you will see them in the property records. So you're like, okay, they're legit. But then you get into bed with them in a transaction and it's like, oh my God, this is terrible. What are we doing? So I don't know, we've had a couple of those and so when we see them in our CRM system, it's like, do not call this person. Do not, I will disown you if you call.43:31 - Stash: I've heard of lenders not showing up to closings and buyers almost being delusional thinking that they are going to do it and then they end up not. But I've never, and I've talked with others, nobody has ever heard of a lender showing up with their funds, but then the buyer failing to show up with their funds.Brian: So what, what'd you do to send the money back to the lender and cancel the deal?Stash: Yeah, the escrow or the lender pulled it back through a CH, I guess, or a wire and you know, I think we gave him like a week like, okay, get your money together and then we can, you know, everybody was on the fence because everybody lives on fees, right? Lenders live on fees, brokers live on fees, sellers live on fees, you know, what have you. So we're all trying, you know, we all have a vested interest. Buyers live on fees, we all have a vested interest to get this deal done. Well, a week came and went and you know, the relationship is no more, but it was just the strangest thing.44:50 - The best deals actually are the ones where you go out, you get the purchase price, you do your marketing, you have a bunch of tours, you have a competitive bidding process. And then once you've agreed on price, on price and terms and the letter of intent, then you just hand it off to the attorneys and then they take it from there.

Dive deep with a former poker professional turned tech entrepreneur, as he shares a riveting journey of scaling a SaaS company in the competitive world of fantasy sports. From a strategic acquisition to multiplying revenues, gear up for insights on growth levers, product development, and the thrills of business gambles that pay off big.

Here are a few topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.

Secrets to 50-80x business growth.Crucial SaaS metrics for success.Content creation that drives views.Power of affiliate channels explored.Strategic bets in consumer SaaS.
Resources:
SaberSimCurotec 
Connect with Andy Baldacci:
LinkedIn
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
08:59 - It's only been recently that I feel like we've really taken much market share from our competitors because when you are telling someone who has made money for years doing things a specific way that the way they're doing it is not good you, it is just not an argument you're gonna be likely to win. And so for where we grew was on the back of all of the serious but still recreational players who tried to figure out these tools and just couldn't get past it. Like even when I try to use 'em now, I don't even know where to begin sometimes and it takes me so much time. So it's like if you're just doing this as a part-time thing, just literally like a couple hours, you have no expectations of going pro or anything else. Like you're not gonna be able to figure it out and it's like bad product.15:56 - Brian: So I want to go back to the poker stuff 'cause that's pretty interesting. I heard the guys on my first million talk about how the degenerate poker players always make the best entrepreneurs.Andy: I think I view it as you're going, so one of the biggest things to me is just like prioritization by understanding like probabilistic thinking in the sense of people just always say like, oh this is risky, or oh, this is gonna be like, we're gonna get some benefit out of this. But they don't try to quantify the scale of either the risk or the benefit. Like how big of an impact, neither direction is it, and then how often does that happen? And it's like without those components you miss everything. And it's, it's like when people, casual fans, even serious fans when they talk about like betting on sports, it's like, oh I guess in this Super Bowl it was super close, so it's like not the best example but like any of the times where there's been just a really lopsided matchup, they're like, oh yeah, like earlier I guess in the season it's like the ravens or the chiefs are gonna crush this team.18:17 - Like when people talk about someone being results oriented outside of poker, that's seen as a good thing in poker, that's like a horrible thing. It's you use that as like, oh you're being way too results oriented right now because you cannot control the outcome of this specific hand. You can control your process and just because you lost the hand does not mean you made a bad decision. But in day-to-day life, that is like the opposite lesson that's taught. And so I think that mindset is probably the biggest driver of, of success. But I also think a lot of people with anything, it's like you have the experts in one thing, there's some clever name for it, but it's like experts in one thing assume they're gonna be an expert in the other thing and and it's like rarely do skills transfer one to one or even close to that.42:28 - What actually happens is that we have a very healthy top of funnel that is generating a lot of new customers and they are churning at a very high rate. I mean not like, well I guess some people would say it would be insane, but like say you have a 50% renewal rate after that first month. Okay then what is it after the second month? What about after the third? And there is some point where like they're staying and I think there is a lot we can do on those earlier stages, but because we have healthy top of funnel, it's no

Dive into the high-stakes game of business acquisitions with our insightful speaker, who sheds light on due diligence, financial pitfalls, and leveraging government loans. Whether it's about vibrating excitement from snowboarding trips or critical business strategies, this episode is a treasure trove of knowledge for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business buyers alike.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.
A deep dive into the acquisition process.Exploring SBA loans and financial models.Unpacking due diligence best practices.Navigating seller relationships and trust.Leveraging government loans for growth.
Resources:
New Image LeasingCurotec 
Connect with Will Wilder:
LinkedIn
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
22:44 - Yeah, I mean if you look across people looking at business acquisitions, there's a million different ways you can slice it. I think the most important thing is upfront, being really clear about what's gonna work for you. You know, some people will have a very specific business thesis. So they came from software development at, you know, wherever and that they think they have a competitive advantage there.26:41 - You're gonna spend a lot of time like the diligence process from issuing an LOI to actually closing for me was three months and it was like a month and a half before the LOI from when I first heard about the business to actually having an offer that was signed and on everyone's plate. So I mean that's even kind of fast I think, right? Yeah, that's relatively fast. So I mean that was four and a half months combined. But if you end up with a seller that's not gonna sell, you don't believe 'em for whatever reason, there's a big potential that you spend five months, six months chipping away at getting a deal done with someone that's ultimately never gonna happen.41:15 - Most of the cash would come from these investors. They would still largely do lending for 75 or 80% of the deal, but the other 20% would pretty much all come from investors. Those deals would typically be the CEO would get 8% of the company upfront, another 8% based on performance, and typically another 8% on at the backend at sale or other performance levers. So start at eight and potentially go up to 24-ish percent. All of that is negotiable between you and your investors. So not fixed in stone, but that's one model of it50:39 - And those deals can be fantastic. You don't have to have the expertise, you can bring in systems that you've developed elsewhere to help grow the business. You've got a guy running it that really knows it well. So there's a lot of reasons why you would wanna do that. The SBA won't let you, you can have the seller stay on for up to a year. There has been some changes to this, but that's still generally the rule. And really as an employee though, stay on as an employee or even a contractor. And within that year it really has to be focused on transitioning the business.59:58 - So you need to figure that out and there's a bunch of ways that you can work around that, but you don't wanna find that out when you close, you'll wanna see if you have any major customer concentration. That was something that we dealt with here and a lesson learned from me was beyond just getting comfortable that yeah, we have a high, high customer concentration, but they either are contractually obligated to us or there's a reason why they're using us or it'd be really hard for them to switch. You can get comfortable with that. What I didn't do enough about is I really needed to actually get down to all of the leases, individual house leases with that customer. And if I'd done that, I would've understood, great, these guys are awesome, they have a great relationship with us, they're gonna keep using us.

Dive into the exhilarating tale of NeuroFlow, a company breaking barriers between mental and physical health through innovation and audacity. From late-night coding for a pitch at South by Southwest to cross-country trips without an overnight bag, the founders navigated fundraising challenges, transforming a vision into a multi-million-dollar business.

Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.

NeuroFlow's daring demo at SXSW '17.Scaling with a mission-driven approach.Tactics for navigating tough funding rounds.Strategic growth through significant raises.Blending tech with human healthcare goals.
Resources:
NeuroFlowCurotec 
Connect with the guests:
Adam PardesChris Molaro
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
24:20 - So it didn't help, the top line didn't help the bottom line. What you found was there was a reluctance to pay for stuff like this. Like a therapist would say, why am I gonna do this? Like there's, I have a line outside the door of people, so the demand with no shortage demand and there's no incentive to just add this additional work to the table. And that was a, I think a hard lesson for us because we wanted to help these therapists, you know, basically usher them into the 21st century using technology and data the same way every other medical professional is using. But the market just wasn't ready for that.20:32 - Once you have access, then you have to focus on quality. Are they delivering evidence-based care? So that's where the measurement-based care side of things comes in and we can talk about that from a NeuroFlow perspective, but now we're measuring, that's great. How about identifying people in the first place? Because there's also lots of challenges around people not self-identifying or not being identified within a greater healthcare system and then tying that into their overall healthcare. So not just treating behavioral health as, okay, great, we've identified them, we've found them a provider, we know they're delivering quality care, but we're gonna have that go treated in a silo. Like if someone has diabetes or obesity or COPD or any of these things, you're not just looking at that within a vacuum you're thinking, okay, well how does that relate to your lifestyle? How does it relate to social determinants like access to healthy food, you know, ability to pay for healthcare. 32:50 - Last year we identified 33,000 people of high risk of suicide that we were able to intervene with. And I don't think it's melodramatic to say like we've saved some lives. We, you know, those are 33,000 people that were struggling, many of which were urgent to the point where they had a plan and they felt hopeless. Our technology alerted the health system, our customer so that they were able to reach out in a timely way and get that person to the right level of care. And so that's what the technology is doing today from a hardware component. The only remnants of that today are we have APIs that integrate with wearables like the Apple Watch and so forth. So if you're exercising and so forth, that's a data point that goes into the risk stratification triage engine.52:13 - I don't think that was ever a good way to run a business, but you know, now it's certainly not even an option to run it that way anymore. And so we are on a path to, and we think that with our growth trajectory and the stability of our customers, we can sustain ourselves. Now, that's not to say we won't raise again because there are strategic reasons that you wanna raise again.45:31 - You know, 141 investors told us no, our first round, I remember one investor, in particular, said, Chris, we love the market. We think BH is a big opportunity. We think you're solving it in the right way. We just don't think that you are the right CEO. Wow. I mean that was, that was really hard to hear. But it was, you know, Adam has always been good in terms of anchoring us, going back and saying, okay, look,

Dive into the transformative world of corporate retreats with Jared Kleinert, Founder & CEO of Offsite. Exploring the evolution of workspaces, Jared shares his vision of bringing people together for impactful gatherings. Discover the blend of technology and hospitality shaping the future of remote and hybrid companies. It's more than just a venue – it's about connecting, solving, and inspiring. Join us for an insider look at reinventing offsite retreats!
Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Cache Flow Podcast.
Offsites are multi-day team-building experiences.Offsite offers end-to-end retreat planning.Insights into a dual service/software business model.Navigating the post-pandemic remote work evolution.The success of detail-oriented investor updates.
Resources:
OffsiteCurotec 
Connect with Jared Kleinert:
LinkedIn
Connect with our host, Brian Dainis:
Linktree
Quotables:
09:03 - I feel bad for early WeWork employees. One of our team members was relatively early at WeWork. I have a couple friends that were like first 50 or so. I feel bad for them and sort of, you know, we don't have to feel too bad for VCs, but like, you know, you feel bad for the people that invested in that and it didn't go their way. That being said, I do think the commercial real estate space is going to crumble and that's good for offsite because we would have even more business.16:51 - And a lot of companies have started that way, like take what was a manual process and automated away should be the formula for a great company, but we gotta do things that don't scale and see if it's a viable company to start. I also am not a technical founder, so my first move was seeing if I could get companies to pay for someone or something else to plan their offsites29:33 - If I look at the competitive landscape, if I look at the market size, it's like we have as good of a shot as anyone to build the category, defining a company or get up there with the, you know, top two or three. It's not gonna be easy to get there, but the path seems pretty clear. Like I'm doing annual planning right now, I'm like, okay, these metrics are kind of easy to define, they're gonna be hard to hit, but you know, there's pretty clear definition of what we need to do now. It's just a matter of executing. But I think that's a pretty privileged position to be in versus sort of having so many unknown unknowns and not knowing like what the north star is or who you're building for or why it's important. Like all these things are pretty clear for us. And you know, we have as good of a shot as anyone to win, which is all, all you can ask for.41:30 -  I think everyone skips that part. Like go interview your top paying clients, go, you know, do research to the point where it seems stupid and repetitive, but like you should get to the point where you can build an entire profile where you know every nuanced thing about your ideal client profile. Like the phrases they would use to describe your product or service, where they go to get their information online, what communities they're a part of, like go do very deep customer development work, step one, step two, run quick and cheap marketing experiments like a week long and you know, a hundred dollars or like if you're a Fortune 1000, it might be a month long and a $10,000 budget, but that relative to like scaling it, that's very small but quick and cheap experiments. 56:29 - On average the ones that are doing monthly updates are growing faster, are more successful than the ones that do quarterly or, or no updates at all. I think it's mostly, it's like an exercise in self-reflection on behalf of the founders and making sure that they're thinking about the business programmatically and, and systemically. It's also the communication with investors. People can offer support, bail them out, like when you need help.