First Customers

Aytekin Tank, the founder and CEO of JotForm, shares his journey of getting his first customers and the strategies he used to grow his business. He emphasizes the importance of making the product free, leveraging technology for PR, and building a community around the product. He also discusses the significance of AI in today's market and the value of customer feedback in product development. Takea...

Bert Waugh rose from door-knocking real-estate agent during double-digit interest rates to owner of a firm later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Guided by faith, he founded Transitional Youth to break the cycles of homelessness through family-style homes, counseling, and the Breaking Cycles coffee and bike shops that restore dignity and purpose. His life’s work proves that love, structure, and opp...

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/61-nathan-hirsch/ 00:00 The Entrepreneurial Journey Begins 03:20 Acquiring the First Customers: Strategies and Lessons 08:19 Marketing and Outreach: Cold Email and Social Media 11:54 Delegation and Business Expansion Nathan Hirsch shares his entrepreneurial journey, detailing how he built FreeUp from a $5,000 investment to a $12 million revenue busines...

Richard White, CEO of Fathom, shares his strategy for acquiring first customers. He believes in giving away something for free to build trust and create word-of-mouth virality. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on building a sticky product that users love before worrying about monetization.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/59-dominic-rubino-ceo-profittoolbelt/ Dominic Rubino shares his experiences of getting his first customers and growing businesses from zero to $120 million in sales and from six franchisees to over 200. He emphasizes the importance of sales and customer-centric approaches in business growth.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/58-dan-french-atx-acquisitions/ Dan French, CEO of ATX Acquisitions, shares his journey in real estate investing and the challenges he faced along the way. He discusses the importance of finding customers and vendors, the differences between active and passive investments, and the lessons learned from his early deals. French also talks about the benefi...

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/57-pete-grett-blackrock-group/ Pete Grett, founder and CEO of the BlackRock Group, shares his experience of acquiring his first customers in the supply chain logistics industry. He emphasizes the importance of nurturing relationships and leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn to stay connected with potential customers. Pete also discusses his...

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/56-jeremy-parker-swag-space/ Discover how Jeremy’s innovative approach to customer acquisition and branding propelled Swag.com to become the fastest-growing company in its sector, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Custom Ink. Now at the helm of Swag Space, Jeremy shares invaluable insights into starting from the top, the importance of focusing o...

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/55-arthur-petropoulos-hill-view-partners/ Building with an Exit in Mind: Arthur's philosophy on creating a business that's attractive to buyers.

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/54-marty-m-fahncke/ Marty M. Fahncke is an acquisitions advisor with Westbound Road who has done 1 billion in revenue and over 450 million in acquisitions over his career.

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/53-bryce-wuori-pavewise/ In this episode, Bryce Wuori, the CEO of Pavewise talks with host Paris Vega about how he's using AI to change the construction industry. He explains how Pavewise started as a simple project tool and grew into a big software company that’s now changing how construction projects are managed.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/52-graham-stewart-fibre52-cotton-processing/ First Customers episode 52 features Graham Stewart, founder of Fibre52, discussing his groundbreaking process to make cotton and textile industry more sustainable by replacing harmful chemicals with eco-friendly bioproducts. He shares insights into the challenges of introducing new technologies into traditio...

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/51-benjamin-shaffer-goldback-gold-currency/Goldback, a company that offers a gold-based physical currency, experienced rapid growth in just four years from zero customers in 2019 to over 1 million customers today. Benjamin Shaffer shares the story of how their gold-backed currency solves the problem of making small transactions with gold. "We wanted to...

Show notes: https://parisvega.com/50-adam-haugen-glad-tidings-leander-church-growth/ Listen to episode 50 of the First Customers podcast featuring Adam Haugen, an inspiring pastor who doubled the size of his church within a year. Adam shares his proven strategies for growth, offering insights valuable for leaders in any field. This episode is not just a success story; it's a masterclass in effecti...

Show Notes, Links, & Transcript: https://parisvega.com/first-customers-49-christoffer-sigshoj-kitex-wind-turbines/ In episode 49 of the First Customers, we talk with Christoffer Sigshøj, engineer & co-founder of KiteX, a Denmark-based company that's pioneering the world's lightest portable wind turbines. Christoffer shares the company's journey from its initial concept of flying wind turbi...

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/shani-bocian-steinberg-allermi-allergy-company/ On episode 47 of the First Customers podcast I spoke with Shani Bocian , CEO of Allermi , an allergy care company. Her company has seen significant growth (800% over the past 12 months) and offers a unique product: the world's first custom nasal spray. We discuss how she started the business, defined her target audie...

Show notes: https://parisvega.com/brian-grimes-real-estate/ In episode 47 of the First Customers podcast, I sit down with Brian Grimes, real estate investor and founder of 24-7 Cash Flow University. With a portfolio built on over 300 fully renovated properties, Brian shares his journey into the real estate world and the strategies that have made him successful.

Show Notes & Discount Code: https://parisvega.com/barak-glanz-coddy-tiktok-tactics/ Learn the secrets of how Barak Glanz of Coddy.tech got his first customers and grew his business using TikTok. Like so many episodes of this podcast, I learned a lot from Barak and will be testing out some of the strategies we discussed soon. If you want smart tips straight from a pro, this episode is for you.

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/varag-gharibjanian-actuate/ Varag Gharibjanian, MIT grad & founding partner at Actuate, works with companies like Qualcom, Lenovo, & Bose to grow their revenue & helps emerging startups get their first customers. Get ready to dive straight into the world of sales with Varag, who is here to spill the secrets on snagging those crucial first customers. Wh...

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/eli-packouz-crowdfunding-instafloss/ In episode 44 of the  First Customers podcast , I chat with the Eli Packouz, an inventor and crowd funding master . Eli created eight products over the last several years including his most recent and disruptive ‘Instafloss’. He shares the story of his exciting business adventures, how he recently raised $2.5 million from crowd...

Show Notes: https://parisvega.com/beau-button-atlas-reality-how-to-make-money-with-virtual-real-estate/ Episode 43 of the First Customers Podcast welcomes Beau Button , the CTO and cofounder of Atlas Reality. They're known for Atlas Earth, the largest virtual real estate platform in the world. Beau explains the virtual real estate world, the distinctiveness of their platform, the fascinating journ...

Show Links: https://parisvega.com/gareth-evans-veckta-marketplace/ In episode 42 of the First Customers podcast, we're joined by Gareth Evans, the dynamic founder and CEO of VECKTA. VECKTA's marketplace has made impressive strides in the renewable energy sector, recently facilitating $150 million of renewable energy projects. With clients like Raytheon and Honeywell, Gareth sheds light on VECKTA's...

Show Notes, Links, & Transcript: https://parisvega.com/building-a-successful-travel-agency-during-lockdown-with-amy-jordan In episode 41 of the First Customers podcast, we are joined by Amy Jordan , a visionary entrepreneur who took the bold step of starting a travel agency during the COVID lockdown. She shares her insights on how she grew her company to over 18 agents working with hundreds of...

Show Notes, Mentions, Links, & Transcript: https://parisvega.com/how-to-build-a-successful-link-building-agency-with-alexandra-tachalova/ In this episode, we are joined by Alexandra Tachalova, founder and CEO of Digital Olympus. Alexandra shares her entrepreneurial journey, starting from her days at SEMrush to creating a successful link-building agency that has worked with major clients like V...

Show Notes, Links, & Transcript: https://parisvega.com/mastering-youtube-lead-generation-with-ali-schwanke/ In episode 39 of the First Customers Podcast, we sit down with Ali Schwanke, a successful entrepreneur who has leveraged the power of YouTube to generate over a thousand leads. Ali's YouTube channel, a top unofficial source for HubSpot tutorials, has garnered a following of 18,000 subscr...