Idea to Startup
203 episodes - English - Latest episode: 20 days ago - ★★★★★ - 134 ratingsA podcast for people working on startup ideas. We have 15-minute tactical episodes and occasional interviews with people who did the early things exceptionally well. We've helped launch hundreds of startups worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and these are the building blocks.
"This is, without a doubt, the best podcast for people trying to build startups out there."
"If you aren't listening to this podcast and you're considering building a business (or you're already building one), what are you doing?"
"Must listen for first-time entrepreneurs - excellent storyteller."
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Episodes
Mini Series Ep 2 - We're Starting a Startup - Making Customer Interviews Doable
January 27, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBEpisode Two of our miniseries "We're Starting a Startup" details our first seven days after we decided to pursue an idea live. We talk customer interview strategy and stack, get a bunch of lukewarm feedback, and play clips from some of the interviews we ran. We also talk about Baked By Melissa cupcakes an uncomfortable amount. Big thank you to the customers we interviewed, including: Happy Medium SoWell Health And a few other things we mention: The Mom Test Tacklebox (Cohort starts M...
Mini Series Kickoff - Picking The Startup Idea We'll Start
January 20, 2021 11:00 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBIt was bound to happen. We're starting a startup idea on... Idea to Startup. Someone reached out basically daring us to, and we couldn't say no. Today, we'll run three startup ideas through our Idea Resume framework that evaluates an idea at the earliest stages. Then, we'll pick the one we'll start over the next set of episodes. Idea Resume Framework Follow along on Instagram + Twitter - we'll post the ads, landing pages, etc. Start a Wine Company in 17 Minutes Cohort 26 + Self Serve ...
How To Get Your First 1,000 Customers (feat. Pizza)
January 13, 2021 11:00 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBGetting your first 1,000 customers is hard, particularly when you're thinking about it wrong. We talk through how Push for Pizza and Slice took different approaches to growth in the pizza space. * Tacklebox + Self-Serve Product Slice First 1000 Substack Tacklebox + Self-Serve Product
The Sasquatch Problem (Are You Passionate Enough About Your Startup Idea?)
January 06, 2021 11:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBWe're told we need to be head over heels passionate about our startup for it to succeed. Is that... true? What if we haven't found something we're that passionate about - does that mean we shouldn't start it?How do you find something you're passionate enough about to build a company around? Is Sasquatch Real? The answers to these and more on this week's Idea to Startup Pod. Tacklebox Self Serve (and regular tacklebox accelerator) Tacklebox Newsletter (get articles and the full content ...
Three Stories for People Starting Startups in 2021
December 30, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 18 MBWe'll look back on 2021 as the best year to start a startup in the past 50. The world we're returning to will be a lot different from the one we left, and people will start meaningful companies to bridge that gap. Hopefully, one of those people is you. Here are three stories that'll help you position yourself and your startup to succeed in 2021. Show Notes Tacklebox Self Serve Tacklebox Cohort Pixar 22 Rules of Storytelling Madlib “I’m building X to capitalize on the confluence of these...
Make A Billion Dollars
December 23, 2020 11:00 - 19 minutes - 6.75 MBThat title is even spammier than last week. But it isn’t. Today, we’ll talk about how thinking through how to build a billion dollar business is actually a really useful exercise, too. Today, we’re going to fix Goodreads and drink a bunch of egg nog. Let’s see how that goes. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve (and regular tacklebox accelerator) Tacklebox Newsletter (get articles and the full content archive)
Make $1,000 Today
December 16, 2020 11:00 - 17 minutes - 5.85 MBThat title sure does sound spammy. But it isn’t. Today, we’ll talk about how thinking through how you’d make $1,000 today is the best way to actually start a startup. This episode is for people who are stuck - people who want to start something but can’t figure out the best way to go about doing it. People who are overwhelmed by what starting a startup might entail. We make it easy for you. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve (and regular tacklebox accelerator) Tacklebox Newsletter (get ...
The Holiday Mailbag
December 09, 2020 11:00 - 22 minutes - 7.62 MBToday we take a bunch of questions from ITS listeners. We talk through startup ideas for 2021, founder superpowers, and hutzpah. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve (and regular tacklebox accelerator) Psychology of Money Upwork + Designhill The Books: Range, The Passion Economy, Essentialism, Boomtown, Three Body Problem, The Lost Man, Atomic Habits
The Counterintuitive Way To Get Your First Customers
December 02, 2020 11:00 - 20 minutes - 7.06 MBThis episode focuses on the 4 best emails written on Black Friday, and the framework each used to break through the clutter. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve Lolli Essentialism (read this) Contagious (read this, too)
How Will I Know?
November 25, 2020 16:03 - 20 minutes - 7.17 MBEntrepreneurs favorite questions all begin with “how will I know..” The real answer is, you never know anything for sure. This podcast is about the process of entrepreneurship - how to set up and run lightweight tests to get a unique perspective no one else does. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve How Will I Know (🐐 ) How to choose the right customer (pod) Jobs to be Done Theory
Do The Thing (Motion vs. Action)
November 18, 2020 11:00 - 17 minutes - 5.99 MBIt’s easy to do everything but the thing that matters. Today we talk about how to identify the thing that matters and how to combat all of our instincts that tell us to push back against real reflection. We go through a few examples, including Ro.co, business school, and writing books, focusing on Motion vs. Action. Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve Atomic Habits + Range David Foster Wallace - This Is Water
Are You Good Enough?
November 11, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 5.57 MBImposter syndrome kills more startups than not finding a cofounder, competition, or funding ever could. Today, we’re talking about whether you’re good enough to compete in the startup world. Can you really turn this into your livelihood? Can you thrive? What happens if you don’t? Show Notes: Tacklebox Self Serve
How to be Resilient (feat. IOUs)
November 04, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 5.53 MBFounders need to be resilient. It’s beaten into our heads over and over. But what resilience is - and how to be resilient - is misunderstood. Today we’ll talk about all the IOUs you consciously and unconsciously write all day, and how they’re sapping you of your best work. We’ll finish with tactics to combat these IOUs. Go get ‘em. Tacklebox Self-Serve Program Atlantic City - Bruce (🐐)
How to Differentiate Your Startup (feat. Crabs + Running Shoes)
October 28, 2020 10:00 - 18 minutes - 6.24 MBMeaningful differentiation is hard to come by. Most startups pay lip service to differentiation and pay the price through higher customer acquisition costs and lower retention rates. A truly differentiated product is necessary for a healthy funnel - acquisition, conversion, retention, referral. Today we talk through questions that’ll help you differentiate your startup with the help of On, an apparel company that leveraged business model innovation to create a truly differentiated product i...
Start a Wine Company in 17 Minutes
October 21, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 5.95 MBNot all ideas start with the level of insight needed to build a differentiated company. Today, we’ll take a run of the mill idea and show you how to build a differentiated product. Specifically, we’ll launch the Tuesday Wine Company, a D2C wine brand that sells half bottles to people with dogs. LeadPages Site Upwork
Whisper Ideas
October 15, 2020 10:00 - 12 minutes - 4.15 MBIf you ever find yourself whispering your startup idea at a coffee shop, this podcast is for you. We dig in on what a good startup idea actually looks like and how to find the right idea for you.
How to test a startup idea in 7 minutes
October 08, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 6.13 MBYou’ve got startup ideas. You want to pursue them. You want to take them seriously. But what, exactly, does that mean? This episode dives into what it looks like to take your startup idea seriously. How to give it a fair shake and see if it’s worth investing some time into. We use an example of a Jackfruit company that’s out to make Jackfruit the plant-based alternative for people removing meat from their diet everywhere. Leadpages Unbounce Otter.ai
How to get a customer to choose you (and bagels)”
September 30, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 5.18 MBOn the first episode of season 3 we talk through the paradox of choice, how to facilitate decisions in your customers, how to build a brand, and bagels. We touch on Dan Ariely’s book Predictably Irrational, digging in on how architecting the environment for your customers will drastically increase your chances at conversion. We also talk about the two bagel shops that were next to each other in NYC, and why each wound up with a far stronger brand because the other existed.
INTERVIEW: Daina Trout on building Health-Ade from a kombucha-making operation in her kitchen to one of the fastest growing beverage brands in the U.S.
May 20, 2020 10:00 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBHealth Ade
How to lose $1.8 billion dollars in 10 days
May 13, 2020 10:00 - 24 minutes - 22 MBQuibi Tacklebox Virtual Cohort 23 starts June 15th, apply at www.gettacklebox.com
INTERVIEW: Jennifer Goggin on building Startle, a tech studio that bridges the gap between research and impactful companies.
April 16, 2020 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBStartle
INTERVIEW: Marc and Ashley Merrill on building Riot Games and Lunya, the role of a leader during times of uncertainty, and their perspectives on how to build a business.
April 08, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBLeague of Legends Riot Games Lunya Lahgo Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
INTERVIEW: Christoph Bertsch on building Vejo (and multiple other startups) and how to manage the long-game of entrepreneurship.
March 25, 2020 10:00 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBChristoph Bertsch, founder of Vejo among multiple other startups, stops by in what is one of my favorite conversations yet. He talks through what it really takes to start a company, the differences between b2b and b2c, fundraising vs. not, supply chain management, and team building. This is a wonderful, fun conversation that'll brighten your day. Heads up for some curses - they flow pretty freely from Christoph :)
Ladders and Lobsters
March 18, 2020 10:00 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MB"Chaos isn't a pit, chaos is a ladder." Coronavirus is an inflection point that will change all sorts of behavior and create all sorts of opportunity for startups. This podcast looks at the opportunities that'll be created and how you should approach them within the startup world.
INTERVIEW: Agatha Kulaga on building Ovenly, turning your creative outlet into a scalable business, and baking the best cookies I've ever tasted.
March 11, 2020 10:00 - 56 minutes - 51.4 MBAgatha Kulaga - co-founder of Ovenly, an award-winning retail and wholesale bakery with a global footprint - stops by to talk through the early days. How do you turn your creative outlet into a business? How do you scale high quality? How do you build a distinct brand as a wholesaler? A great conversation with a very smart and talented founder.
How to Evaluate a Startup Idea
March 04, 2020 11:00 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBWhat should it look like when you have a startup idea? What do you do first? How do you know if it's a good idea for you? We go through seven archetypes of innovation, then go through a framework to understand if you're uniquely positioned to pursue that idea. We then apply it all to a startup idea Brian has. This is the first of a few episodes testing out an idea Brian has in the food space.
INTERVIEW: Brian Linton on building United By Blue, removing millions of pounds of trash from the ocean, and scaling a purpose-driven brand.
February 26, 2020 11:00 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBBrian Linton, founder of outdoor apparel and accessory brand United By Blue, stops by to tell the story of how he built a purpose-driven brand that's removed over 2 million pounds of trash from the ocean. He talks through the earliest days - how driving up and down the east coast selling t-shirts gave him the foundation to build an omni-channel brand - and the tradeoffs necessary to build a profitable brand that also has a clear philanthropic North Star.
The Selfish Score: How to build a great customer acquisition funnel
February 19, 2020 11:00 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBTo build a great company, you need to build a healthy customer acquisition funnel. You need a consistent flow of customers coming in the top, tactics to keep them engaged as you build your brand and story, and urgency to get them to pull the trigger. The way to measure how effective your company can be at this is to measure how selfish you can be with your customers. How often can you contact them before they get pissed? The Selfish Score measures the potential for your company to have a sol...
INTERVIEW: Rob Petrozzo on building Rally Rd, how to test startup ideas before you quit your job, storytelling, leveraging personas for brand and marketing, raising money, and differentiation.
February 12, 2020 11:00 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBRob Petrozzo, co-founder of Rally Rd, stops by for an awesome interview that at it's core is about storytelling. Rally Rd is growing incredibly fast, but the early days were tougher to navigate. Rob talks through how building storytelling into the DNA of the product laid the groundwork for future growth, and how early stage founders can do the same. We touch on personas, customer segmentation, fundraising, growth, team building and composition, design, and more. Enjoy!
Two mental models that'll make or break your startup + a mystery company that can't stop growing because of them
February 05, 2020 11:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBThere's a mystery company that is one of the 10 best performing stocks since 2010. You've heard of them. You've eaten (hint) their product. You'd never in a million years guess who they are. They've grown because of two mental models, and we break down how you can leverage them for your startup.
INTERVIEW: Ashley Merrill on building Lunya, the beauty of capital-constrained businesses, true differentiation, and self-doubt
January 29, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBAshley Merrill, the founder of premium sleepwear brand Lunya, stops by and delivers a masterclass on how to build a brand in the DTC era. She talks about the earliest days, about what differentiation in a crowded space really looks like, about pricing and business model, brick and mortar, focus and prioritization, and self-doubt. If you're a startup founder interested in brand, or trying to start a DTC company, get a notebook ready. This is packed with insight.
The Secret Formula to Hot Ones' Success
January 22, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBHot Ones is a show on Youtube that you've probably heard of. A host interviews guests while they each eat 10 progressively hotter hot wings. The growth is preposterous - episodes routinely get over 10 million views. Hot Ones structure is brilliant - it creates and drives the growth - and it's something you can (and better) implement in your startup.
INTERVIEW: Marc Merrill on building Riot Games (League of Legends), prioritization frameworks, and focused growth
January 15, 2020 10:00 - 1 hour - 67.8 MBMarc Merrill, founder of Riot Games, joins the podcast to talk about building League of Legends into a cultural phenomenon (with over $20bn in revenue). We discuss the early days - how he built a complex product for customers with high expectations, fundraising, managing people, growth, prioritization, and more. It's an amazing conversation with one of the sharpest and most thoughtful people I've met. Enjoy!
You Should Start a Startup in 2020
January 08, 2020 11:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBFewer new businesses were started in 2019 than in 1970. That's terrible. We look at the two cognitive biases holding you back, and lay out a framework to help you overcome them and start your startup.
Idea to Startup Season 2: Build Your Startup in 2020
December 16, 2019 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.68 MBFewer companies were started in 2019 than in 1970. That’s preposterous. This is the single best time in human history to start a company - so why aren’t more people doing it? Season Two of Idea to Startup digs into why. Brian speaks with successful founders about how they navigated the tricky early stages, and delivers solo episodes on tactics founders can implement to start something in 2020. This is the year to start your company, and this is the podcast to help you do it. See you January ...
INTERVIEW: Dave Idell on building Croissant, a flexible coworking company competing with giants.
August 22, 2019 10:00 - 46 minutes - 63.2 MBDave Idell is the founder of Croissant, a flexible coworking company beloved by freelancers and entrepreneurs around the world. We talk about the early days - how he tested the idea, how they grew with some counter-intuitive and aggressive decisions, and how he thinks about growth. We also talk through his thoughts on early stage founders and the stuff they should nail down early. Enjoy!
INTERVIEW: Dave Idell on building Croissant, a flexible coworking company competing with giants.
August 22, 2019 10:00 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBDave Idell is the founder of Croissant, a flexible coworking company beloved by freelancers and entrepreneurs around the world. We talk about the early days - how he tested the idea, how they grew with some counter-intuitive and aggressive decisions, and how he thinks about growth. We also talk through his thoughts on early stage founders and the stuff they should nail down early. Enjoy!
INTERVIEW: Rich Fulop on Building Brooklinen, the Internet’s Favorite Sheets
August 08, 2019 10:00 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBRich and Vicki Fulop built Brooklinen after realizing there wasn’t an easy way to find and buy high quality sheets. There were no strong brands, no transparency into manufacturing - nothing they valued in a product. This interview is about how two founders turned that core insight and little else (no textile background, no knowledge of the bedding industry, etc.) into a global brand and the sheets I happily sleep on every night (and would whether Rich came on the podcast or not). Hop...
How to Leverage Storytelling Archetypes for Your Startup
July 31, 2019 10:00 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBPeople probably won’t remember your startup, but they’ll remember a story. Today we lean on Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling to help you tell a story that breaks through to your customer and changes behavior.
INTERVIEW: Kim Kaupe on Building Superfan with No Funding
July 03, 2019 10:00 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBToday, we’re speaking with Kim Kaupe, the founder of Superfan. Superfan was built to give fans unparalleled opportunity for engagement. Superfan works with clients like the Red Sox, Shawn Mendes, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, and way more. Kim has built Superfan over the past eight years with $0 in funding. Additionally, she’s built a powerful personal brand that has her LinkedIn startup videos amassing 10s of thousands of views, and has placed her on all sorts of 30 u...
INTERVIEW: Leo and Oliver Kremer on Building a Burrito Empire at Dos Toros
June 20, 2019 10:00 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBToday, we’re talking burritos. Leo and Oliver Kremer founded Dos Toros in 2009 because they couldn’t find the Mission-style burritos they grew up with on the west coast anywhere in NYC. However, they weren’t cooks and had never been in the restaurant or food space. We talk to them about the early days - about validating the need, creating the supply chain, getting into brick and mortar, creating a culture, and growth. It’s an awesome, helpful, and inspiring conversation. Enjoy!
How Do You Find Founder/Startup Fit?
June 12, 2019 10:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBYou need two things to build a great startup: specific knowledge and a lever to amplify that knowledge. On today’s pod, we’ll start a CBD startup with specific knowledge and leverage mind, and hear how Tejas, founder of Via, (a Tacklebox founder) was able to build a great business on the back of a mental model.
INTERVIEW: Elizabeth Yin, founder & GP @ Hustle Fund, where they invest in “hilariously early founders”
June 05, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBElizabeth Yin is a founder and general partner at Hustle Fund, where she invests in “hilariously early founders.” Prior to Hustle Fund, she ran the accelerator program at 500 Startups, started Launchbit (acq. 2014), and she writes my favorite VC blog @ http://elizabethyin.com. We cover a lot of ground, including who should and shouldn’t raise funding, how to build a customer base pre-product, how to find angel investors, and how to prioritize during the early stages of your startup.
How to Prioritize as an Early-Stage Startup
May 31, 2019 10:00 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBEntrepreneurs can do anything, but they can’t do everything. How do you prioritize early on? How do you differentiate? This episode presents a framework that’ll ensure you work on the things that give your startup its best chance at success.
INTERVIEW: Ben Conniff on Building Luke’s Lobster
May 22, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 44.6 MBBen and Luke, the founders of Luke's Lobster, knew how to make a killer lobster roll when they decided to start Luke’s Lobster, a lobster shack in the East Village in 2009. They didn’t know much else. Ben talks through how they were able to build an incredible company with locations all over the globe while keeping sustainability as a top priority. We focus on the early days, discussing tactics and learnings that will be extraordinarily helpful for our early stage founders.
INTERVIEW: Ben Conniff on Building Luke’s Lobster
May 22, 2019 10:00 - 48 minutes - 67 MBBen and Luke, the founders of Luke's Lobster, knew how to make a killer lobster roll when they decided to start Luke’s Lobster, a lobster shack in the East Village in 2009. They didn’t know much else. Ben talks through how they were able to build an incredible company with locations all over the globe while keeping sustainability as a top priority. We focus on the early days, discussing tactics and learnings that will be extraordinarily helpful for our early stage founders.
How to Choose the Right Customer
May 16, 2019 12:43 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBThere’s one decision that early stage founders make that can drastically tip the tables in their favor. This is a tactical episode, helping you push through the critical question of what customer segment to target first. We delve into a framework to help you identify and evaluate customer segments as your startup evolves.
INTERVIEW: Katherine Krug on Building BetterCo
May 08, 2019 12:34 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBWe chatted with Katherine Krug, founder of BetterCo. This conversation is packed with insight - you'll need a notebook handy as you listen. Katherine takes us through the tactics and tools she used to ideate and develop BetterBack, a product that raised over $3mm on Kickstarter (first solo female founder to do so). We then touch on validation techniques, not raising funding, life design frameworks, and prioritization. She also gives an amazing answer to the "Taco Truck" question.
Is Your Startup Idea Good?
May 02, 2019 19:29 - 19 minutes - 17.5 MBA walk down memory lane checking in on Brian's past startups and how you can make sure you're starting a company that has a shot at working out.
INTERVIEW: Joey Cofone on Building Baron Fig
April 23, 2019 13:40 - 47 minutes - 43.9 MBWe chatted with Joey Cofone, founder of Baron Fig, about the early days of building the company. He touches on a bunch of helpful topics, from breaking through to your customer with his archetype of the Attention Pie, to how non-designers can prioritize design, to building a company without outside funding.