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The Startup Junkies Podcast

The Startup Junkies podcast is hosted by Jeff Amerine and the team at Startup Junkie. We’ll cover topics ranging from getting started, planning, growing your business, proving your concept, leadership, marketing, exit strategies and so much more. We’ll interview business owners, entrepreneurs, experts and people we think will bring value to our audience. Subscribe, and together we'll take your business to the next level.
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Now displaying: 2020

This is the Startup Junkies Podcast. These are the stories of the people that are afflicted with creating the next great products and services that are going to change lives - not just in America, but worldwide. We're going to tell the stories of the next great beer producer, products and apparel makers, and the stories of people that don't accept the status quo and that want to make things better. 

Welcome to the Startup Junkies Podcast.

Dec 28, 2020

Hey everyone! This week, Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine zoom with Colin McIntosh, founder, and CEO of Sheets & Giggles. Sheets & Giggles is one of the fastest-growing sustainable bedding brands in the U.S and is disrupting the traditional industry. In this episode, you will get to hear the real story behind the ideation of Sheets & Giggles, the analysis that went behind finding the perfect industry to create a company, and the importance of getting the right people on the bus. We are glad to have you here!

Shownotes

(1:16) Introducing Colin McIntosh and Sheets and Giggles

(6:40) Sheets are part of the perfect business model

(8:29) Why eucalyptus lyocell?

(13:08) What sets Sheets and Giggles apart?

(16:40) Impact investing

(18:40) Reflecting on the entrepreneurial journey

(21:30) Maintaining culture through growth

(24:59) What is the end goal?

(30:38) Advice for the younger self

(32:55) Wrapping up

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Colin McIntosh 

Sheets and Giggles

Amazon Store  

 

Quotes

“The content that we do is insane compared to the rest of the space.  And if it makes us laugh, if it makes me laugh, it goes.  And that’s, I think, the thing that other brands don’t see...When you’re on Instagram and you’re scrolling, I’m not going to stop for the same thing I’ve seen a thousand times, but I might stop if I see a guy sleeping in a bathtub for an allegory about the amount of water that cotton sheets use.” (14:29)

 

“I would love to look back in five years and say that we built a large, national brand that does a lot of good in the world and is very well-respected and makes a lot of people laugh….Whether that’s a public company or a subsidiary of Mattress Corp, you know, like I’m pretty agnostic about that, as long as we can achieve the goal.” (26:43)

Dec 21, 2020

Welcome back! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward chat with Perry S. Marshall, owner of Perry S. Marshall & Associates. Perry S. Marshall & Associates has helped tens of thousands of small companies become big companies by applying advanced 80/20 to online advertising. Perry is one of the most sought after business consultants in the world, consulting in over 300 industries. Endorsed in Forbes and Inc Magazine, he’s guided clients like FanDuel and InfusionSoft from startup to hundreds of millions of dollars. In this episode, you will get to hear about common obstacles start-ups face, some topics surrounding some of Perry’s books, and interesting talk around AI and Machine Learning. Check it out!

(1:23) Introducing Perry Marshall

(2:11) Perry’s shower thoughts

(4:54) The problem with profit-based health care systems

(7:31) How Perry wrote the best-selling book on digital advertising

(18:54) Kindergarten business vs. the adult version of business

(22:23) Evolution 2.0

(45:49) The earth as a self-regulating organism

(51:50) Artificial intelligence vs. Biology

(56:52) Wrapping up

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Perry Marshall

30 Day Street MBA

Evolution 2.0   

 

Quotes

“So I write this book and then I turn it into an ebook, and right about then, like, Google hit the hockey stick and it just turned into this crazy magic carpet ride.  Like, the whole world discovered that the English language is for sale, and the French, and the German, and Spanish.  Right?  And, like, this thing just went supernova, and Google went supernova, and like, I just kind of rode the coattails and I hung on for dear life.” (16:54)


“I know how to explain things.  I’m a marketing guy.  And that’s why I wrote Evolution 2.0...This is literally the first book ever published that correctly explains how evolution works, that you don’t have to be a PhD to understand it.” (45:26)

Dec 14, 2020

Shownotes

(1:50) Introducing Giftgoat

(5:55) The story behind the name

(8:05) Grassroots customer acquisition

(12:22) How the three founders came together

(14:14) Managing workflow, company culture, and growth when working remote

(21:44) COVID-19’s effects on Giftgoat

(24:04) Managing launch week, and commitment to hustling through the early days

(26:47) Advice for the younger self

(28:39) Where can you find Giftgoat?

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Steven Gurley 

George Wauchope 

Evan Mathis 

Giftgoat 

 

Quotes

“We’re looking at data.  That’s all we want is to see how users are interacting with our platform so that we can make a better product.” (24:53)

“I would have told myself to not try to grow companies too quickly, because in the event of something like the global pandemic, that could be the end for your company.” (27:05)

“So I think the biggest thing is to just bury your ego and listen to people who are more accomplished and successful than you.” (28:14)

Dec 7, 2020

Welcome to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast!

In this week’s episode, Caleb, Jeff, and Matthew talk with Norman Crowley, entrepreneur, and climate change enthusiast.  By the time he was 40, Crowley founded and sold three companies for upwards of three-quarters of a billion dollars.  Now, Crowley is the CEO of the Cool Planet Group and focuses on finding solutions for climate change.  Tune in to this episode and you will hear about the businesses Crowley founded, how we can create cool, sexy solutions to climate change, encouraging the younger generations to innovate, and an electric 1963 Corvette Stingray with 1,200 brake horsepower!

 

Shownotes

(1:45) Introducing Norman Crowley

(12:18) Separating climate change from other agendas

(19:39) Predicting how the energy landscape will change in future decades

(26:48) Three areas Cool Planet Group is focusing on

(29:10) Norman’s opinions on alternative civilization settings

(32:45) The importance of galvanizing innovators in the younger generation

(37:36) Norman gives advice to his younger self

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Norman Crowley 

Cool Planet Group 

 

Quotes

“People just want to live their lives.  They don’t want to be constrained, and they don’t want to hear about what they can’t do.  They want to hear about what they can do.” (12:04)

“There are people in Bangladesh dying because water levels are rising, right?  And then that has nothing to do with the fact that you would like rich people to be less rich, right?  And it’s really dangerous tying both of those things together because when you tie both of those things together you alienate whole swathes of the population.  And then poor people in Bangladesh drown because you’ve got some other agenda.” (14:16)

“Find a way of becoming wiser earlier, right?  And then trust yourself once you are becoming 

wise.  None of us are perfectly wise, but find a way of listening to and trusting yourself.”  (40:29)

 

Nov 30, 2020

Welcome back to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward talk with Dr. Joseph Daniels, founder of Build Community Through Love. Build Community Through Love seeks to infuse AGAPE LOVE into the strategic and actionable redesign of authentic community.  Dr. Daniels has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Arkansas, is a community builder, and is a real investor. In this episode, some of the topics you will get to hear about our insights around inclusivity in ecosystem development, opportunity zones in real estate, the need for equity in Northwest Arkansas, and Dr. Daniels' why. Thanks for listening in with us!

Shownotes

(2:01) Introducing Joe Daniels

(5:06) Moving from a metropolitan area to NWA

(11:19) Inclusivity in entrepreneurial ecosystems

(26:12) Joe’s future with Build Community Through Love 

(32:15) Joe talks about what drives his passion

(35:48) Advice for Joe’s younger self

(38:55) Wrapping up

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Joe Daniels

Build Community Through Love Website

BCTL Podcast

BCTL Instagram    

 

Quotes

“We value all of these things and then allow for a seven day event where everybody comes in from outside to come into our home.  And we begin saying, you know what, we’re not gonna, we can’t do anything. We’re just going to let everybody be themselves.  And, you know, if I’m a taxpayer in this city, I don’t want to have to go to another city for a week just to let other people come into my house and wreck it, just for me to have to come back.” (27:20)

 

“So I would tell young Joe, as he’s coming out of high school, begin thinking of ways to employ people.  Begin using your mind to solve problems.  Don’t force yourself to get A’s in a system that’s gonna continue to keep you locked into as an employee, because your mind is so powerful.  And if you use your mind, you can always be an employee, but you can also be someone who can really affect change, and who can provide ideas that solve and can provide real solutions.” (37:08)

Nov 23, 2020

Welcome back to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast!

This week, Caleb Talley and Matthew Ward talk with Bo Lais, founder of Lula and KC Collective.  They chat about building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kansas City, silver linings from the Pandemic, and working with Pipeline.  Listen to this week’s episode to hear about an ideal example of a business that assesses the marketplace and adapts to address a need in the property management industry!

 

Shownotes

(2:24) Introducing Lula 

(5:46) KC Collective 

(10:20) Surprises of working with KC Collective

(12:42) Creating a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem

(14:40) A silver lining from the pandemic

(18:14) Raising capital for Lula

(21:13) Working with Pipeline

(26:44) Advice for the younger self

(28:27) Wrapping up

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Matthew Ward

Bo Lais

Lula  

KC Collective 

 

Quotes

“You really need universities, corporations, and they need government, right? You need all of them to play nicely with one another in order to be a really strong, entrepreneurial city.” (13:08)

“We’re always asking, you know, investors to take more risks but on the other side, you know, I think that founders, I think we need to do bigger things.  We need to have more exits, right? More exits and bigger exits.” (17:07)

Nov 16, 2020

218: Creating Startup Junkies

Jeff Amerine - Startup Junkie; Jeff Standridge - The Conductor

Welcome to a special episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley and Morgan Scholz sit down with Jeff Amerine and Jeff Standridge to talk about their new book "Creating Startup Junkies". In this episode, you will get to hear about the genesis of the book, the importance of venture ecosystem development, and the crucial pillars to creating a venture ecosystem. This is an episode you do not want to miss out on!

 

Check out this link to find more information on how to create an effective ecosystem: https://www.creatingstartupjunkies.com/

 

Shownotes

(2:03) What led to writing a book?

(5:09) Who is the book for?

(14:02) What are the benefits of building a startup in unexpected places?

(20:19) Discussing the four pillars

(27:09) Game-changing policy changes for startup ecosystems

(33:14) What is the biggest goal of the book?

(34:36) Wrap up



Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Jeff Standridge 

Morgan Scholz 

Creating Startup Junkies 



Quotes

“Otherwise they think of economic development as ‘we’re going to go attract a big plant from somewhere,’ and there’s a place for that, that’s important. But that’s kind of like buying a winning lottery ticket.  What we’re talking about in this book, and in everything we do, is sort of the Money Ball play, to use a movie reference. This is the how do you get a better on base percentage with the talent that you have locally, and it’s something that sticks.” (8:10) 

 

“If we believe that this is a movement that can change lives, our defining purpose and reason for being is to empower and enable innovators and entrepreneurs.  And by virtue of that, improve their lives or quality or standard of living.  The book is a manifestation of that.  It’s intended to be a little bit inspiration, a little bit practical and tactical detail for how to do it.” (33:32)

Nov 9, 2020

Welcome to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward have a virtual chat with Jonathan Kazarian, founder and CEO of AccelEvents. AccelEvents is a virtual event platform that creates high-quality broadcasts and on-demand videos at scale. With over 12,500 companies, organizations, and events who have utilized the platform, AccelEvents has been proven to be an effective solution. In this episode, you will get to hear about the birth and development of AccelEvents, advice to be successful with organizing and running virtual events, and emerging trends in the virtual event space. Check out this great episode!

Shownotes

(1:16) Introducing Accelevents

(7:03) The benefits of transitioning to virtual events

(12:44) Setting up a virtual event through Accelevents

(14:11) How virtual events favor tech employees

(16:26) Scaling quickly with a global virtual team

(18:02) Price structure and how sponsors benefit from virtual events

(22:56) The future of virtual events post-pandemic

(24:25) Jonathan gives advice to his younger self

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Jonathan Kazarian 

Accelevents 

 

Quotes

“One big trend that we’re seeing...is that these events that used to take three, six, nine months to plan in person and were crazy expensive, now through our platform, these event organizers can take that event and they can repurpose and reuse a lot of the content and bring that community back and re-engage that community every month or every quarter and build those deeper relationships.” (7:20)

 

“You learn best by taking the hit in the face with a two-by-four, because you know the kinds of things you won’t do again.  And some of those, I think some of those life lessons are the things that define good leaders.  If you could do everything right and you’ve kind of lived an enchanted life, when the first big obstacle comes up you have no idea how to deal with it.” (25:40)

Nov 2, 2020

Hey everyone! We are glad to have you here for another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward talk with Jeff Starling, an owner of The Source. The Source is a one-stop-shop for the highest-grade medical marijuana in the state. Their pledge is to create a high-end, seamless experience that enhances the patient's journey to healing and leaves them feeling cared for. In this episode you will get to hear about changing attitudes around medical marijuana, thoughts around full legalization, the impact COVID has had on the weed supply chain, and innovation in the weed industry. We are happy to have you here with us!

 

Shownotes

(1:12) Introducing The Source and Jeff Starling 

(3:03) Opening a business in a highly regulated industry

(4:56) Marijuana as medicine

(7:16) Changing the stigmas about medical marijuana

(10:57) A surprising client base

(12:25) Preparing for the full legalization of recreational marijuana

(14:26) Staying above board in the medical marijuana industry

(18:09) What’s next for The Source

(20:07) Marijuana quality in Arkansas compared to other states

(25:53) How Issue 3 can affect the future of legalized marijuana

(29:50) Jeff gives advice to his younger self

(31:39) Wrapping up



Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward



Quotes

“There was some resistance to us opening our location in Bentonville, cause everybody thinks it’s going to bring crime and, you know, this counter-culture attitude, and it’s just going to be a sore-spot… To be honest, it was already here.  People can just be more open about it, and everybody’s paying taxes on it now.  So the attitudes are definitely shifting.”  (7:20)

 

The powers that be in Arkansas did not want this, they didn’t.  They made every hurdle and bit of red tape to go through in order for anybody to get approved here.  But, the people voted.  The people spoke.  This is what they wanted.  This is how our government is supposed to be set up. That we, as the people, have the right to put things on the ballot that we want to see voted on.” (26:07)

 

“I think that when you start to see these small towns get this industry moving in and all the sudden there’s tax revenue and jobs, and again, the economics become way more important. You’re going to start to see people’s eyes are opening up.”  (27:41)

Oct 26, 2020

As a part of the Game-Changers Series for Startup Week, Caleb Talley sat down for a conversation with Tom Gordon, the co-founder, president, and CEO of Slim Chickens.  They talked about the early days of Slim Chickens, how the company has adapted through the pandemic, the current and future expansion of Slim Chickens, and much more.  You do not want to miss out on this tremendous episode!

 

Shownotes

(1:20) The beginnings of Slim Chickens

(6:12) Handling finances with a young business

(8:21) Taking outside capital after initial investors

(11:15) Building a culture that welcomes everyone from the community

(13:40) Going international

(15:33) Making menu decisions

(18:49) Adjusting to the pandemic environment

(23:55) Tom gives advice to his younger self

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Tom Gordon

Slim Chickens  

 

Quotes

“We say none of us really ever lost.  Everybody who has a company that they start from scratch makes sacrifices.  And those are things you’ve got to do.  You know, you don’t pay yourself.  You sell a car to make payroll.  You know, you take your money to the bank after Friday lunch to make sure you make Friday payroll for your people.  That’s real-life in business.  That’s real life in American capitalism, and if you stick to it, you know, often you can get to the next level.”  (7:45)

 

“You know, those are lessons that are learned and will always be valuable to me and Greg Smart.  And it just takes time.  Surviving is the key, and if you can survive long enough and have enough time and adjust quick, you know, I think that anybody in the US, anybody in this country has a shot at it.” (25:

Oct 19, 2020

This week, Jeff Amerine talks with Sam Alley, chairman, and CEO of VCC.  VCC is a leading general contractor in the nation, and it is the largest retail construction company in America.  In this episode, you will hear about how Sam started VCC with two partners, challenges the business has overcome, and the strong culture found within the company.  Sam also shares advice for engineers who are looking to build their own businesses.  As always, thanks for tuning in!

Shownotes

(1:10) Sam Allley introduces VCC

(3:46) Sam talks about the early days at VCC 

(6:18) Challenges that VCC has overcome

(9:34) Advice for entrepreneurs looking to build large enterprises 

(11:47) Building a strong culture

(14:19) Managing a business through COVID-19 

(20:06) Advice for engineers looking to start their own business 

(22:15) Sam’s take on the American Dream

Links

Jeff Amerine

Sam Alley 

VCC 

Quotes

“So really, construction includes engineering and business together, and that’s why I was really excited to choose the construction industry.” (2:41)

“If you ever go and start your own company, people will come and ask you to service them because they’ve dealt with you.  And it doesn’t matter what the name of the company is, it’s the individual that makes a difference.”  (4:09)

Oct 12, 2020

Welcome back to another episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine chat with special guest Sarah Frey, CEO, and founder of Frey Farms. Frey Farms is one of the nation's largest fresh produce suppliers and grows fresh produce in the Midwest, Southeast, and West Virginia. From a recent appearance on CBS to creating her book "The Growing Season: How I Built a New Life -- And Saved an American Farm", Sarah Frey has made an impact on many people telling her remarkable entrepreneurial story. In this episode, you will get to hear about Sarah's inspiring journey to save the family farm, an in-depth conversation around everything pumpkin related, and how COVID has affected the agriculture industry. Listen in to this great story!

Shownotes

(1:00) Introducing Frey Farms

(11:17) Frey Farms, the largest pumpkin provider in the country

(16:14) Educating the public on the pumpkin as a part of a meal

(19:20) The sales model of Frey Farms

(27:00) Using imperfect produce

(31:32) How Sarah’s childhood experiences prepared her for future success

(35:32) The future of Frey Farms

(38:40) Sarah’s advice to her younger self

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Matthew Ward

Sarah Frey

Frey Farms

Sarah's Homegrown   

 

Quotes

“Food was simple.  It was clean, and it was delicious.  Nothing ever went to waste on our farm, because we couldn't afford to waste anything on the farm where I grew up when I was a little girl.  And it’s those same principles that apply today to our business on a much larger scale.  And I think there is an opportunity to tell that story...to educate the consumer on this is who we are.  This is how we grow your food.  This is what’s important to us. And I think that translates to more customer loyalty at the grocery retailer.”  (20:17) 

Oct 5, 2020

Hey everyone! We are back again with another spectacular week of the Startup Junkies Podcast! This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward talk with Jeroen Corthout, co-founder and CEO of Salesflare. Salesflare is a simply powerful CRM that automates data to build better relationships and make more sales. It's a fast, visual, and easy-to-use sales machine that is built by humans for humans. In this episode,  you will get to hear about the evolution of Salesflare, the amount of time employees spend on SaaS platforms, the flexibility of raising various funds to run a startup, and the impact of COVID on Salesflare. We are happy you are tuning in with us!

Sep 28, 2020

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another great episode of the Startup Junkies Podcast. This week, Jeff Amerine and Matthew Ward have a lively conversation with Mark Donnigan, founder of d-launch. d-launch is a marketing consulting firm Mark started in 2010 to help startup companies crush their business objectives through marketing architecture. In this episode, you will get to hear about Mark's impactful journey from sales to opening his own marketing consulting firm, his approach to picking your first marketing hire, and why there should not be a demand generation function. Tune in for these words of wisdom!

Shownotes

(1:01) Introducing Mark Donnigan

(4:46) Go-to market engineering

(10:51) The importance of a startup’s first marketing hire

(19:30) Demand generation marketing

(23:35) The difference in B2C and B2B sales

(31:00) Mark’s advice for his past self

 

Links

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Mark Donnigan

d-launch  

 

Quotes

“The high failure rate of startups is due largely to the fact that - not because what was built didn’t work, or didn’t fulfill the promise...but it’s because they failed to educate the market as to the problem that this invention would solve.” (5:52)

 

“In some ways, a lot of the B2C motions are, are, are, the tactics are different in B2B.  It’s true, but at the end of the day, I’m still selling to a human.  And if that human doesn’t connect with me, as another human even at the most basic relationship level, I’m not going to close the sale” (23:59)

Sep 21, 2020

Hey everyone! This is another special week with your Startup Junkie Crew. This week, Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Matthew Ward have an insightful call with Steve Case, co-founder of AOL and CEO of Revolution. Revolution is a venture capital firm that helps entrepreneurs build the next generation of transformative companies outside of Silicon Valley. In this episode, you will get to hear about barriers around private investment activity, important aspects of developing a venture ecosystem, and opportunities exposed by COVID-19. You do not want to miss out on this valuable episode!

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