In 2004, David Williams was asked to help close down a startup that had amassed $2.5 million in debt and still had no product to offer. When David arrived on the scene, what he saw was “the opportunity of a lifetime.” On this episode, we explore the power of Social Capital and how 6 employees and 1 strategic partnership helped David transform Fishbowl into the leading inventory management solution. Sure, his approach might have “broken a few rules” but the results will compel you to reconsider the way you lead your organization.
“No individual has sufficient experience, education, native ability and knowledge to ensure the accumulation of a great fortune, without the cooperation of other people.” - Napoleon Hill
Since 2004, David K. Williams has been the Chief Executive Officer of Fishbowl, the maker of the #1 manufacturing and warehouse management software for QuickBooks. He has worked in numerous industries during his career, and he has worked hard to help Fishbowl become one of the fastest-growing and most successful software companies in the state of Utah. Fishbowl has won numerous regional and national awards from a number of respected organizations, including Inc. 5000, Deloitte, MountainWest Capital, and Global Red Herring.
In July 2013, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. published Williams' book, which he wrote to inspire his fellow business professionals and leaders, The 7 Non-Negotiables of Winning: Tying Soft Traits to Hard Results. In it, he detailed the secrets of his success as an entrepreneur. He writes a weekly column for Forbes, and he has also contributed to Harvard Business Review and Inc. Magazine in the past.
In addition to his work at Fishbowl, Williams also acts as the President of the Woodbury School of Business National Advisory Council at Utah Valley University, and he is a member of the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce's Executive Board of Directors. For more information about Williams, visit the Wikipedia article dedicated to him.
Entrepreneurs need to constantly be thinking about lead sources and profitable strategies to generate customers. In spite of so many overpriced lead strategies, the most powerful and often underutilized lead source is your own expertise.
My guest this week is Brian Horn, a best-selling author, investor and entrepreneur who helps professionals leverage their knowledge to gain authority status and national media exposure. On this episode, we explore the strategies of thought leadership and how entrepreneurs can convert their expertise into scalable revenue.
Visit https://salesfounders.com/007-thought-leadership-funnel/ for more information.
What does a venture capitalist look for in a winning startup? How does an entrepreneur know when it's time to scale? In this episode of SalesFounders, we explore the playbook of venture capitalist, Paul Ahlstrom, and take a deeper dive into his book, Nail it Then Scale it. Paul shares 4 key strategies that every startup must understand: What is a minimum feature set? How do I validate my solution? What is my go to market strategy? and Why VC's have no interest in your business plan. Do you know what it takes to build a scalable startup? Join us and find out!
Talking Points
Customers can validate but they cannot innovate - Paul Ahlstrom
Paul Ahlstrom is a co-founder and managing director of Alta Ventures, an early-stage venture fund and co-author of Nail it Then Scale it. For more than 30 years, Paul has operated on both sides of the table as a venture-backed entrepreneur (founder of Knowlix, sold to Peregrine Systems, sold to HP) and as an investor. To date, he has raised over $1B and directly invested over $500M in more than 125 startup companies. He earned his BA in communications from Brigham Young University and an honorary doctorate from the Netanya Academic College in Israel.
Entrepreneurs are often fascinated with the idea of disruption. The reason is obvious - it is typically associated with entrepreneurs who have defeated a giant, and/or redefined an industry. The reality is that disruption is arguably the most difficult and risky approach to entrepreneurship.
My guest this week, Andrew Weinreich, is an expert when it comes to the topic of disruption. Andrew founded SixDegrees (the first social networking platform) and is the "father" of social networking. Andrew joins SalesFounders to share his views on innovation and how he has founded multiple companies that all have one thing in common - massive disruption.
Andrew Weinreich is a serial entrepreneur, social networking pioneer, and active presence in NYC’s Silicon Alley for 2 decades. To date, he’s founded 7 startups and has been awarded 2 software patents.
Since 2013, he has sold 2 businesses, including Xtify to IBM, while advising 5 tech startups. He is currently the co-founder and Chairman of Indicative, a data analytics startup.