Best Shawn Stratton Podcasts (2024)

1
Go To Market - with Alex Kottoor of Dena Startup Lab 49:09

1M ago49:09

49:09

Over the years, as I’ve met hundreds of founders and talked about their challenges, I’ve often had this illusion that there are a million different problems holding startups back. But recently – as I really dug into it – I’ve realized that there is really 1 problem that defines whether or not a startup is going to go to the moon – or fizzle out and…

1
Founder Market Fit - with Shawn Miller of Inboundr.ai 45:14

2M ago45:14

45:14

We’ve talked quite a bit on the pod about Product Market Fit – and hammered home how critical that milestone is to the success or failure of any startup. But there’s an even more important factor that needs to be considered – and that’s founder market fit. Before starting his current venture, today’s guest, Shawn Miller, developed a deep understand…

1
The Forrest Gump path through the startup world – with Lee Lorenzen of Altura Ventures 52:58

2M ago52:58

52:58

Today’s episode features a conversation with Lee Lorenzen, a seasoned entrepreneur - and self proclaimed Forrest Gump of founders - who’s been building startups for over five decades. From mowing lawns as a kid to working at Xerox during its golden years of innovation, Lee has seen the tech industry evolve in some fascinating ways. In this conversa…

1
Getting to Critical Mass in a 2 Sided Marketplace - with Derreck Stratton of HUDU 54:15

2M ago54:15

54:15

The gig economy is booming, but there's still a gap when it comes to odd jobs and local services. Derreck Stratton, the founder of HUDU – who we first interviewed back in episode #2 – is looking to bridge that gap with an innovative platform. During our conversation, we talked about: · How Hudu is revolutionizing the way people find help for odd jo…

1
From Founder to Funder: Lessons in Pivoting, Perseverance, and Empowering Entrepreneurs – with Jessica Lynch of Raiz Capital 44:49

3M ago44:49

44:49

The entrepreneurial journey is full of ups and downs, pivots and persistence. Our guest today has lived that roller coaster and is now helping other founders navigate it. Jessica Lynch is a tech founder turned investor, and during our conversation, we talked about: - How early entrepreneurial experiences, even failures, can plant the seeds for futu…

1
Turning Adversity into Inspiration – with Priya Tronsgard of Edify 57:07

8M ago57:07

57:07

Like all of us, today’s guest had to face the hardships brought on by the global pandemic in 2020 – one of which was having her children learn at home instead of in school. But for her and her kids, something peculiar happened – and they actually thrived in the online experience. She later learned that other parents and their kids did not, unfortun…

1
From Marketplace to Community - with Katelyn Alberts of VERVERY 42:15

9M ago42:15

42:15

The startup journey is full of twists and turns – but it can also present new opportunities as you go down the path. Today’s guest, Katelyn Alberts started her journey with the idea of building a marketplace – and quickly transformed it into something even greater than that. During our talk, we covered some really timely topics for any founder: - H…

1
Lessons from a 6 Exit Founder – with Mac Lackey of Exit DNA 40:09

10M ago40:09

40:09

Starting and building companies is an amazing rollercoaster of ups and downs – and for many founders, achieving a successful exit at the end of the process is the ultimate goal. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience 2 major exits in my founder career – and I learned a ton from both of them. Today’s guest, Mac Lackey – has gone through a total of…

1
How products go viral and scale to millions of users – with Vincent McPhillip from Knomad 51:31

11M ago51:31

51:31

We’ve all seen products over the years that fizzle out or go sideways – and other products in the same category that achieve explosive growth and quickly scale to millions Likewise, we’ve seen companies enter red oceans with tons of competitors – only to quickly go viral there and dominate. Google did this in the crowded search space of 1998. Faceb…

1
SaaS Sales Breakthrough Conversion – with Matt Wolach from ToroWave 48:50

12M ago48:50

48:50

If you’re involved in selling – and especially B2B selling for a SaaS business, then you’re going to love today’s episode. In the last episode, we talked with Stephen Steers about how storytelling is important to sales. Today’s guest – Matt Wolach – shares a masterclass on another aspect of B2B sales that will help you massively increase your close…

1
Superpower Storytelling – with Stephen Steers 41:40

1y ago41:40

41:40

There’s one skill that every founder has to master in order to build a successful startup. I’m talking – of course – about sales. But – there are a lot of misconceptions out there about what sales is and what it isn’t. Today’s guest – Stephen Steers – has mastered the art of Startup Sales and codified it into a method he calls Contact Sales. During…

1
Taming the Startup Ecosystem – with Jonny Boyarsky 48:03

1y ago48:03

48:03

The modern startup ecosystem has been evolving for decades – since the evolution of Silicon Valley from farmland to the hardware companies of the 60’s and 70’s – to the modern tech startup space of today. But – even after all of these years, a founder looking for support can still feel like they’re living in the wild west. At the elite levels, acce…

1
Stacking the Deck – how to improve your odds of luck in the startup game – with Vlad Mkrtumyan of Logic Inbound 51:34

1y ago51:34

51:34

We’ve talked a lot on the podcast about the importance of asymmetric upside – or luck – in helping to drive entrepreneurial success. Today’s guest, Vlad Mkrtumyan, has made stacking the deck into a science in his ventures. In his first company, he launched an app featuring Drake quotes that got 2,000 downloads in week 1 - then he rinsed and repeate…

1
Funding Breakthroughs – with Mike Mills and Nick Spoors of Infinitary Fund 47:04

1+ y ago47:04

47:04

Every startup needs to make money – but some startups are architected with a much bigger purpose in mind. Today’s guests, Mike Mills and Nick Spoors of Infinitary Fund – have found a unique way to fund their mission. Their core innovation has enabled them to sell a product today that gives them cashflow and runway to build the business – while also…

1
Vision, Timing, and Execution - with Ace Bhattacharjya of MedicalRecords.com 1:02:09

1+ y ago1:02:09

1:02:09

Timing is one of the hardest challenges for founders. Execute an idea too soon – and you’ll run out of runway before someone gets there when the time is right. Execute it too late – and you face still competition from the incumbent that got there first. Today’s guest, Ace Bhattacharjya of MedicalRecords.com gives us a masterclass on how to stay tru…

1
Removing Friction from the Funding Ecosystem - with Stephane Nasser of OpenVC 45:32

1+ y ago45:32

45:32

One of the common themes I see with top entrepreneurs is that they find a way to get experience from multiple viewpoints within the startup ecosystem. Today’s guest, Stephane Nasser of Open VC is no exception – having had stints from the large corporate world building software for startups, then working within accelerators to help startups get laun…

1
Finding Your Entrepreneurial Superpower - with Peter Mann of Oransi 49:51

1+ y ago49:51

49:51

Today’s guest, Peter Mann, found out that he had autism in a late diagnosis as an adult. But – buried in this so called diagnosis was actually the operator’s manual for his supersuit. While working a full time 8-5 at Dell, Peter was able work another 8 hours per day launching his first side hustle – and he was able to find flow and focus throughout…

1
From Nightclub Owner to Founder & Investor - with Shaun Gold of OpenVC 58:43

1+ y ago58:43

58:43

There are a lot of paths into the world of entrepreneurship, but today’s guest has one of the most fascinating ones I’ve found yet. While running a popular Miami nightclub, Shaun Gold had front row seats to a parade of some very interesting and diverse people. By being curious – and making connections – Shaun built a network that would take him on …

1
The Startup View from the Dean - with Elad Granot of Boler College 47:41

1+ y ago47:41

47:41

I’ve gotten to talk with a lot of amazing founders on the show over the past 6 months. In today’s episode, I had the chance to speak to an expert with a unique vantage-point and mix of experiences. Elad Granot is a serial entrepreneur, the Dean of the Boler College of Business at John Carroll University, an active investor in startups, and also hos…

1
Upgrading the Experience for a $43 billion industry - with David Brown of SellStuff 42:56

1+ y ago42:56

42:56

One of the themes that keeps re-appearing on the show is that industries that look like they have been locked down for years or even decades – can suddenly go through a renaissance and lead to a new jump ball. Today’s guest is taking advantage of a massive shift that’s happening in the online selling space. As influencers flock to sell items on the…

1
Re-inventing Transport - with Zach Castaneda and Steven White of Shofeur 44:42

1+ y ago44:42

44:42

It’s easy for founders to look at an industry and think that you’ve already missed the boat. I could have done this with travel in 2003 and missed the destination wedding trend – and it would be easy to conclude that ride management has already been won by Uber and Lyft. But today’s guests – Zach Castaneda and Steven White are approaching the trans…

1
Finding Your Trinity Moment - How 10x Innovations Can Change the World 8:18

1+ y ago8:18

8:18

On July 16, 1945 at 5:29 am – the world changed. Up until that point – there was strong theory supporting the idea that enormous amount of energy could be unleashed by splitting an atom. At 5:29 on that day – that theory became indisputable reality – and the world was never the same. That test on July 16, 1945 was code named Trinity – and today we’…

1
Automating Coaching with Artificial Intelligence - with Rachel Cossar, co-founder of Virtual Sapiens 44:40

1+ y ago44:40

44:40

For most startups, the main task of launch and validation is to figure out if the market has any interest in the idea at all – and if it’s possible to gain traction. Today’s guest, Rachel Cossar – took a different approach. She was already operating a successful coaching practice helping her clients optimize nonverbal cues during sales calls. She k…

1
How Founders can maximize their future Exit - with Todd Sullivan of ExitWise 49:37

2y ago49:37

49:37

Todd Sullivan is co-founder and CEO of ExitWise. After building and exiting a series of his own companies, Todd now helps founders plan and maximize their own exits when the time is right. During our talk, we covered: - How solving your own burning need can be the best launchpad for a startup - How decisions you make now can set you up for a strate…

1
The Future of Education Technology - with Dr. Michael Connell 48:37

2y ago48:37

48:37

One morning just over 11 years ago, I met up with my friend Dr. Michael Connell in a Panera to talk about a startup idea he was working on in the education space. He told me about a groundbreaking research study that had been done during the 90’s that could have revolutionized how children learn math – but how previous attempts to deliver it at sca…

1
Removing Friction through Integration - with Akash Magoon, Co-Founder of Adonis 48:43

2y ago48:43

48:43

Akash Magoon's company Adonis is innovating the healthcare billing space – hoping to reduce enough friction so it feels much more like stripe than what patients and providers have to deal with today. We hit a lot of great topics today: - How having a strong relationship with your co-founder can set the stage for candor in your startup - How healthc…

1
Finding Your "Hell Yeah!" - with Matthew Turner, Author of Beyond the Pale 55:16

2y ago55:16

55:16

Matthew Turner is the author of the book Beyond the Pale. In writing his book, he interviewed over 100 founders to learn how they found balance in their lives as entrepreneurs. We talked about: - The downside of so called hustle culture – and why founders should try to avoid it - How founders can tap into the creation vortex – to drive their best i…

1
How Founders can Build a Portfolio of Startups - with David Sorbara from BarkleyHQ 39:22

2y ago39:22

39:22

David Sorbara is the founder of Barkley HQ – a software as a service product that helps pet groomers run their businesses. I learned so much from David – not just about his experiences growing Barkley HQ into a successful business – but also in how he is working to take his experience to launch even more businesses now – all while continuing to ben…

1
Navigating the Founder Career Path - with Mark Herschberg 49:16

2y ago49:16

49:16

Mark Herschberg - has worn many hats in his career including Founder, Chief Technology officer, Author, and Instructor at MIT. A lot of episodes have focused on the startup, today we went deep on the path and growth of the founder behind the startup. We talked about: - How the startup world presents challenges differently than how you were trained …

1
Re-inventing Software - with John Rush of MarsX 54:20

2y ago54:20

54:20

Every few years, there is a massive shift in the tools and platforms available to founders who are building out their dreams. On this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with John Rush, the Founder of Mars X – which is a new development platform that is reinventing how software gets developed. We discussed a lot of great insights during our cha…

1
How Founders can Master the Inner Game 14:05

2y ago14:05

14:05

There is a missing ingredient from all of the advice, strategies, tactics, and approaches given to founders on how to build their company. Today we dive deep into that missing ingredient: The Inner game – and why it’s so critical to founder success Why most advice given to founders always focuses on activities and neglects the most important ingred…

1
Begin with the Exit in Mind - with Josh Wilkinson 51:56

2y ago51:56

51:56

On this episode, we're joined by expert marketer Josh Wilkinson to share insights on how founders can master the art of marketing to launch and grow their startups. During our talk, we discussed: - How marketing applies at every stage of the venture – from startup to growth and exit - A process called ends to the middle marketing that helps you cla…

1
Breakthroughs in Online Learning - with Jake Press 55:14

2y ago55:14

55:14

The online course space is exploding - but it's created a massive gap where video quality has made it into the 21st century, but we're still stuck using antiquated tools to do the exercises and learn the material. Jake Press is founder of Workbookable.com - a company that is looking to fill this gap and help bring the entire online learning experie…

1
Founders Find 15:36

2y ago15:36

15:36

In this episode, I explore the 2 main ways businesses create value - and how startups often fail because they focus on the wrong mechanism. Large companies make money through exploitation - or maximizing value of what they've already discovered. Startups that try to exploit before they've properly explored get into serious trouble - or never leave …

1
Your 5 Second Pitch - with Sam Durso 34:56

2y ago34:56

34:56

Last week Sam & I talked about the challenge founders face when they try to get feedback on their startup idea. This episode, we peel back deeper to talk about how founders can actually start getting better feedback - and how they can make sure they are able to create a killer pitch for their idea.By Jeff Durso

1
When startup founders ask for advice - why does everyone tell them what they want to hear? - with Sam Durso 41:46

2y ago41:46

41:46

I interview my brother and business partner Sam Durso about the challenges founders face right now in the current funding environment. We talk about how easy it is for founders to get bad advice - and how this sends them down the wrong path. We also cover how founders often invest an enormous amount of time and effort building something that they c…

1
Why Breakthroughs Beat Optimization - with Ayman Sharaiha of Altibbi 42:35

2y ago42:35

42:35

Last episode, we talked about how "luck" is created by consistent testing and experimentation - and how this leads to the big breakthroughs in business. Today's guest executed this plan to build the largest digital health care provider in the middle east. By running repeated experiments with multiple niches - he's been able to build his business fr…

1
It's All About Luck 14:53

2y ago14:53

14:53

In the ongoing debate about what factor most contributes to startup success - between "Luck" and everything else, we settle the debate with some bad news (Spoiler Alert: It's all about luck). But, then we go on to talk about how once you accept that "it's all about luck" - you can focus on maximizing the amount of luck you experience in your startu…

1
Your Customer's Biggest Problem - with Z. Michael Miranda of OpTonal 40:29

2y ago40:29

40:29

Last episode, we first talked about the subject of fundraising - and introduced a framework for understanding fundability. Today's guest, Mike Miranda, started his company during the pandemic with a great idea - but later discovered an even more valuable idea when interviewing his customers for feedback. By focusing on his customers' biggest proble…

1
Becoming Un-Unfundable 11:23

2y ago11:23

11:23

Today, we look at the age old question, "should I raise money, or not?" and reframe it into a hierarchy that goes from Unfundable, to Fundable, to a secret level called "Un-Unfundable". Once you understand the difference among these levels, you can decide at each phase whether your best move is to focus on fundraising, building, or both.…

1
Flipping the Script on the Gig Economy - with Derreck Stratton of HUDU 41:03

2y ago41:03

41:03

Marc Andreesen famously gave his chilling prediction on the gig economy, saying that in the future "either you'll be telling the API what to do, or the API will be telling you what to do." Today's guest, Derreck Stratton, takes a fresh perspective on the gig economy - and he's building HUDU to put the power into the hands of gig economy workers.…

1
The Power of "Why" 11:14

2y ago11:14

11:14

One of the single biggest levers that determines whether a startup is going to succeed or fail is the depth of its "Why". In this inaugural episode of Founder Breakthroughs, I peel back the layers on how "Why" impacts a startup's trajectory through some stories of where Why made a difference.By Jeff Durso

1
James "KG" Kagambi: NOLS - Mt. Everest in Detail 1:30:07

2y ago1:30:07

1:30:07

Today our guest is James "KG" Kagambi, Senior NOLS Instructor and the owner of KG Mountain Expeditions. He joined NOLS as a field instructor in 1987. KG has worked many curses types over the years but regularly works in NOLS mountaineering programs in Patagonia, Alaska, East Africa, and India. KG is not only a senior NOLS instructor; he is the most…

1
(Rewind) Rachel James: NOLS - Storms from Patagonia to Alaska 59:39

2y ago59:39

59:39

Rachel James was born and raised in Palmer, Alaska. She started working at the NOLS Alaska branch at the age of 15, cleaning toilets and landscaping; this was also when she started ice climbing. Rachel took a NOLS Alaska Mountaineering course at 16 and started working as a mountaineering instructor after taking the first-ever NOLS Alaska Instructor…

1
Founder Breakthroughs - Trailer 0:51

2y ago0:51

0:51

Introducing the Founder Breakthroughs podcast - where every week, serial entrepreneur Jeff Durso interviews founders to hear their amazing stories and glean insights that can help other founders achieve success.By Jeff Durso

1
Jeff Rose: Outward Bound - Losing A Co-instructor, Losing a Student and Getting Lost 1:23:28

2y ago1:23:28

1:23:28

Jeff Rose has worked as an outdoor educator for over two decades, including 19 seasons with Outward Bound. Besides Outward Bound, Jeff has worked for numerous colleges and universities, including the University of Utah, Davidson College, San Diego State University, UC San Diego, and Indiana University. He also worked for Adventures Cross Country an…

1
Steve Smith: Outward Bound - Value of a Near Miss 1:00:50

2+ y ago1:00:50

1:00:50

Steve Smith has worked in the outdoor industry for over thirty years, in the field, in the office, in the board room, and in national leadership roles, specializing in program leadership, risk management, and staff training. As a teen, he took a NOLS semester course in 1991 and for Outward Bound from 1998 through to today. Since 2008 he has run a r…

1
Travis Holmes: NOLS - Alaska Canoe Epic, A Love Story and Crocodile Bites Canoe Paddle 1:40:02

2+ y ago1:40:02

1:40:02

Travis Holmes was born in grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He lived most of his life in Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon; however, for the past 15 years, he has been living in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, with his wife, ten and 8-year-old kids. Travis worked in outdoor education for much of the 1990s and 2000s. His work lifeguarding in swimming poo…

1
Mike Clelland: NOLS - One Epic Alaska Mountaineering Course! 1:28:05

2+ y ago1:28:05

1:28:05

As a young adult, Mike lived in New York City from 1981 to 1991, working as a freelance illustrator. During that time, he spent one winter season as a ski bum in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 1986 and couldn’t get it out of his system. So Mike moved west permanently in 1991, eventually settling in Driggs, Idaho, where he spent a quarter of a century. H…

1
Steve Whitney (part 2): NOLS - Instructor Disagreement, Big Falls, and Grizzly Bears 1:45:29

2+ y ago1:45:29

1:45:29

Steve grew up in Maine & New Hampshire and was an outdoor recreation major at Plymouth State College. He completed a NOLS student semester in 1993, and the rest is history. He has been an outdoor educator professionally since 1994 for many organizations, including Plymouth State College, Barnstead Elementary School, Tioga County Community Wildernes…

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