Rocketship.fm - Business Explored

In this episode we take a deep dive into OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and why you should consider setting them up at your company. We learn how to use OKRs to achieve large, ambitious company goals, while keeping everyone on track at the team and individual level. We'll walk through some specifics that you can use to set yourself up for success, and include history about how these acronyms even came to be.

Including interviews with Thomas Knoll of Revelry.co and Kevan Lee of Buffer.

SC Moatti, author of Mobilized, talks with us about what the mobile revolution really means both for companies and for consumers. She shares insights about the rapid changes of an industry that is bridging the gap between technology, physical spaces, and our own identities. She shares the three “rules” behind all successful mobile products; they must be beautiful, give us meaning, and help us learn. More than ever, a deep understanding human behavior and expectations are what will set you apart in this landscape.

In part three of our series on data, we explore how three incredible companies, Hubspot, Codeship, and Shopify, leverage data to inform growth. We'll take you through each of their stories and break down the key elements they use to drive systematic growth. From "question-storming" to prioritization techniques, launching and measuring, you'll learn what it takes to successfully launch, measure, and learn from your experiments.

Including interviews with Brian Balfour of Hubspot, Manuel Weiss of Codeship, and Mike Thorpe of Shopify

Amr Awadalla, co-founder of Cloudera, talks with us about how they originally thought their customers would just be tech/web/telecom/financial industries, but the advent of the "internet of things" completely changed the game. Their technology is now being used for everything from early detection of sepsis after operations, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, to massive-scale agricultural implementations. This is an eye-opening look at how one technology can literally change the world. And according go Awadallah, it wouldn't have happened without Yahoo's initial embrace of the open-source.

In the second part of our series on data we talk about the origins of Hadoop, the technology that formed the very foundation of what we know as “big data”. The emergence of Hadoop represents perhaps the single most important development in our lifetimes for storing, processing, and retrieving big data. And not only is this technology behind just about everything you touch on the web, it’s now even being used in the medical field to save lives.

Vas Natarajan, Partner at Accel Ventures, talked with us about how data has impacted not only their industry, but businesses of every size all over the globe. He talks about the speed at which seed stage companies can move given the new access to collect and analyze data. He also discusses the new market of companies looking to help make data easier to collect, analyze and share up and down the entire stack.

We dive into two case studies, one on how the Cleveland Cavs use big data to keep in touch with their fans and how Mirum, a global marketing agency, helped one startup implement some data tracking anyone can do today.

Danielle Tate, founder of MissNowMrs and author of Elegant Entrepreneur, talks with us about why more women need the skills to confidently start and scale a business of their own. She shares lessons she's learned along the way as well as some great advice for those trying to balance multiple projects, family, and relationships.

Brett Hagler, founder of New Story, talks with us about keeping focus on the things they're really good at, and choosing strategic partners to help them achieve a larger vision. He also talks about the challenges of operating a non-profit sustainably over time, and shares the incredible impact they've had building homes and communities in Haiti and El Salvador.

Jason Lankow, founder of Visage and Column Five, talks with us about finding your own personal style to sales. With years of experience under his belt he has some great advice for finding your voice, keeping it authentic, and developing a healthy perspective.

In the final episode of our sales series we talk about the notion that you’re never really done selling. Sales doesn’t end when you close a deal. Nurturing the relationship, encouraging engagement, and following through on your initial promise is still part of the sales cycle, and key to any successful business.

Andy Paul, author of Zero-Time Selling and Amp Up Your Sales, talks with us about how it doesn't matter what you're selling, but how you sell it. He shares game changing tactics that will make you rethink your sales efforts, including sharing the one call you're probably not making.

In part four of our sales series we talk about the art of actually closing the deal you've worked so hard to nurture. We cover the questions you need to ask in order to get the key pieces of information necessary to make a close, and how to gracefully get there.

Mel Gordon, co-founder of TapHunter, talks about what it takes to build a sales-driven company. From building a pipeline, to perfecting your pitch, handling objections, and hiring great salespeople—we cover it all.

In part three of our sales series we dive deep into the techniques that separate good sales pitches from great ones. We walk through the traits of great sales people, from how they handle objections to how they stay resilient. We even run through an actual sales pitch for Churn Buster and talk through the key elements each step of the way.

In part two of our sales series we talk about pipelines. What is a pipeline? How do you build one? What tools and techniques can you leverage to make sure you're on the right track? With expert tips from the people who live this stuff day in and day out, you'll come away from this episode with a strong grasp of what it takes to put together a pipeline that makes sense for your company.

Joel Holland, founder of Video Blocks, talks with us about building his idea into a $25 million business. He walks us through decisions about moving toward a subscription sales model, and how he's been able to scale up volume. He also shares his perspective on raising money from very strategic partners, rather than partnering with anyone who is willing to write a check.

In part one of our series on sales we dive into the variety of ways you may approach sales (inside sales, outside sales, inbound leads, etc.), and how to identify what type of pipeline might be right for you. We also scratch the surface on the qualties of a great sales person, as well as touch on some basic sales terminology.

Including interviews with Justin Roff-Marsh author of The Machine: A Radical Approach to the Design of the Sales Function, Steli Efti of Close.io, Mel Gordon of Tap Hunter, and Perry Blake Gorman of Archively.

Timo Rein, CEO of Pipedrive, talks with us about what small teams can do to to make a big difference in their sales through a couple key tactics.  Timo is an entrepreneur and founder with a background in sales and has built pipedrive from zero to cash flow positive. He also shares his lessons learned pointing out the core philosophies that enabled his startup to succeed.