Founder interviews

Podcast

Jim Clayton: from dirt-farm sharecropper to selling his company to Warren Buffett

Founders September 29, 2019

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Founder interviews 10

Resilience & grit 8

Bootstrapping 7

• Born into genuine poverty; sharecropping had no known path to wealth
• Bankruptcy taught him to close every knowledge gap — so he went to law school
• A self-published memoir gifted to Buffett triggered a $1.7 billion cash acquisition

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Case studies

Podcast

How Don Valentine built Sequoia Capital and modern venture capital

Acquired September 26, 2019

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Case studies 10

Business models 7

Fundraising & VC 6

• Don Valentine backed markets, not founders — Genghis Khan welcome
• Selling Apple pre-IPO for $6M cost Sequoia hundreds of billions
• Handing the firm to Moritz and Leone in 1996 made Sequoia endure

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Social media

YouTube

How to find and buy undervalued websites on Flippa

Ahrefs September 25, 2019

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Social media 9

Growth hacking 8

• High domain rating plus low traffic signals an undervalued, SEO-untapped site.
• Sitewide links and hidden CSS links are instant disqualifiers when vetting backlinks.
• Only buy if you have the skills and passion to grow it — money alone won't.

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Deep work & focus

Podcast

Cal Newport on deep work, digital minimalism, and fixing your workflow

How I Work September 25, 2019

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Deep work & focus 10

Productivity & habits 6

• Changing habits won't fix email overload — only workflow redesign will.
• Solitude deprivation from constant screens stunts insight and wellbeing.
• Time blocking trains estimation skills; revising the schedule is the point.

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Social media

YouTube

Converting social media followers into leads using content and listening

Joanna Wiebe September 24, 2019

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Social media 9

Conversion rate optimisation 8

Customer experience 6

• Marketers post inspiration; consumers want discounts and case studies.
• Social listening finds ready buyers before they find your competitors.
• Google Analytics reveals which posts and networks actually drive conversions.

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Pitching investors

YouTube

How to cold email investors as a founder

Y Combinator September 24, 2019

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Pitching investors 8

Prospecting & outreach 7

• Your goal is a reply, not a meeting or a cheque.
• Six specific facts investors want in every cold email.
• Common mistakes that kill response rates before they begin.

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