Ready, Set, Startup! - Strategies from Founders, Funders, and Beyond

Tristan Gillen, co-founder of Growth Division, turned down a business master’s at Imperial College London to learn by doing, joining his longtime co-founder Tom Dewhurst at Ordoo, a mobile pre-order app that was arguably a few years too early to market. While freelancing in CRM after Ordoo was acquired, he noticed that great marketers often hated selling themselves, so he started a Slack community where they could share clients. That community became Growth Division, which builds fractional growth teams of channel-specific experts and has worked with more than 150 startups and scale-ups. In this episode, we unpack why traditional agencies so often hand execution to junior staff, how Tristan uses the Bullseye Framework from Traction to pick three to six channels and cut the ones that don’t work, and the listicle playbook that helped Growth Division get recommended by AI tools. Tristan also explains why so few founders run real growth experiments, how AI hit agencies hard this year, why more output hasn’t meant better results, and how he’s responding by building GREX AI. --- Episode Resources “Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth” by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369) “The Innovator’s Dilemma” by Clayton M. Christensen (https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244) “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries (https://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898) GREX AI (https://grex.ai) Growth Division (https://growth-division.com) Tristan Gillen on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristangillen)

Erica Wassinger, co-founder of Proven Ventures, began her career in PR, and while working with venture firms as their agency, she kept watching the same pattern play out. Founders raised money, owned a smaller slice of a bigger pie, gave up control, and too often saw very little from an exit while their investors got paid. With Debt Equity, founders use a percentage of their monthly revenue to buy back the equity they sold, so the more valuable the company becomes, the more of it they own. In this episode, we break down how Debt Equity works and how it compares to traditional venture capital, why selling equity to solve a temporary problem means giving up a permanent piece of your company, and how one founder bought back her shares for $225K, only to see them valued at $2.5 million a few weeks later. Erica explains how to give your capital a job, what a smart capital stack looks like, why she backs honest founders over polished pitches, and where to look for this kind of funding outside Nebraska. --- Episode Resources Proven Ventures (https://www.proven.ventures) Proven Ventures Debt Equity Calculator (https://www.proven.ventures/debt-equity-calculator) “Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth” by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer/dp/1591848369) “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837) “Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life” by Mike Krzyzewski and Donald T. Phillips (https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Heart-Successful-Strategies-Basketball/dp/153874161X)

Kyle Mercer, founder of Inquiry Method, has spent more than 25 years as a private advisor to founders, and he is deliberate about that word. Not coach, not consultant, not guru. The pattern he sees over and over is that the bottleneck in a growing business is rarely the market, the software, or the hire that hasn’t been made yet. It’s the founder, and specifically what Kyle calls the point of greatest contraction, the belief or fear quietly choking off the energy in the whole system. In this episode, we unpack why the founder’s mood and clarity trickle down to every employee and customer, how founders slowly defer their authority as doubt creeps in, and why hiring senior people can make the bottleneck worse instead of better. Kyle explains the difference between a control process and an authoring process, why resistance in someone else is a signal that you’re being controlling, how to transfer real accountability instead of oversight, and the simple daily practice he’d ask every founder to start this week. --- Episode Resources “Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business” by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters (https://www.amazon.com/Rocket-Fuel-Essential-Combination-Business/dp/1941631150) “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business” by Gino Wickman (https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Get-Grip-Your-Business/dp/1936661837) Kyle’s Free Point of Greatest Contraction Inquiry (https://mercerkyle.com) Inquiry Method (https://kylemercer.com) “How I Built This” with Guy Raz (https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this) Stephen Covey’s Habit 5, “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood” (https://www.franklincovey.com/habit-5/)

Aya Jacob, a business psychologist researching connected leadership, believes most founders misunderstand what actually makes them effective under pressure. After a decade in high-stress digital marketing, she saw how a leader’s internal chaos quietly ripples through a team, shaping trust, performance, and culture. That experience led her to study the link between self-connection and leadership impact, and what she’s finding challenges the idea that so-called soft skills are optional. In this episode, we unpack why urgency often masks reactivity, how nervous system regulation influences decision-making, and why psychological safety is a strategic advantage in fast-moving startups. Aya explains what self-connection really looks like in practice, how presence changes communication even over Slack and email, and how leaders can create conditions where people feel safe, clear, and motivated to perform at a high level. --- Episode Resources “The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life” by Alice Schroeder - Brandon references this biography while discussing the power of compounding and applying lessons early rather than staying stuck in the learning phase. (⁠https://a.co/d/09ioHR6h⁠)  Relational Leadership Theory - Aya references this academic framework that views leadership as a dynamic social process emerging from interactions, rather than a function of hierarchy or title. (⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1048984306001135⁠)  Psychological Safety - A key concept discussed in relation to trust, performance, and team effectiveness. Often associated with Amy Edmondson’s research on teams and workplace culture. (⁠https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=54809⁠)  “Where your attention goes, results show,” - Aya’s closing quote emphasizing focus and intentionality as drivers of outcomes. This idea aligns with the broader focus principle often phrased as “Where focus goes, energy flows.” (⁠https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/focus.html⁠)

Artem Kuzmych, co-founder of Applica, went from freelancing in marketing to building a philosophy-infused mental health app that started scaling fast, until the App Store suddenly removed it and he spent the next two years fighting to get it back. That chaos forced a pivot that shaped everything he does now. Artem now helps mobile app founders grow with a full-cycle approach that goes way beyond paid ads, focusing on activation, monetization, retention, and the product experience that makes growth actually stick. We unpack how he validated early demand on Reddit, what it takes to hire people who can deliver value and communicate it, why he’d rather hire too late than too early, and how he keeps building a company while living through the war in Ukraine. --- Episode Resources “I am immortal until God’s work for me to do is done. The Lord reigns,” Artem references a quote commonly attributed to Henry Martyn (https://www.azquotes.com/author/32976-Henry_Martyn; https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/immortal-till-his-work-was-done) Notion - An all-in-one workspace for notes, docs, databases, and internal “wikis.” Artem mentioned saving the above quote in his personal Notion wiki. (https://www.notion.com/) Reddit - A network of topic-based communities (subreddits) where people discuss niche interests and share feedback. Artem used Reddit to validate the app’s idea and content with real users before scaling paid acquisition. (https://www.reddit.com/)

Jim Ryun went from getting cut from nearly every team to becoming the first high schooler in history to break four minutes in the mile. He credits much of that breakthrough to a coach who convinced him to adopt a dream he did not yet believe was possible, and to a moment when he decided to take ownership of it himself. That shift carried him beyond track into small business, public service in Congress, and eventually the Jim Ryun Running Camps, where he and his wife Anne blend elite training with character formation and faith. We unpack what ownership really means, how sacrifice becomes leverage instead of loss, what sports teach about leadership under pressure, and how to build something mission driven that outlasts you. --- Episode Resources Jim Ryun Running Camps (https://ryunrunning.com/)   Philippians 4:13 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+4%3A13&version=NIV)  Roger Bannister and the first sub four minute mile (https://www.olympics.com/en/news/roger-bannister-first-sub-four-minute-mile)  Jim Ryun Running YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/@JimRyunRunning)

Leah Ellis, founder of the Society of Child Entrepreneurs, is building a nonprofit that teaches kids ages 6 to 17 entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and leadership by making it real. Kids launch actual businesses, sell at children’s business fairs, and then workshop what worked and what didn’t so they can iterate and grow. She traces her own entrepreneurial streak from selling five-dollar MySpace layouts in high school to running an in-home daycare, until black mold, a deployment, and the March 17, 2020 stay-at-home order forced a pivot that sparked her daughter’s first business and, by accident, the organization she runs today. We unpack what makes her program different, how she funds and scales a mission-driven nonprofit, and why “nothing about us without us” includes a junior board of directors so kids help shape the curriculum. --- Episode Resources Society of Child Entrepreneurs (SoCE) - Leah’s nonprofit teaching entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and leadership to kids ages 6–17. (https://bit.ly/m/SoCEHub)  SoCE Circle - SoCE’s online community and lesson-plan platform for families, homeschool groups, and programs. (https://bit.ly/m/SoCEHub)  Acton Children’s Business Fair - The platform Leah uses to host children’s business fairs; also lets anyone apply to host a fair. (https://www.childrensbusinessfair.org/)  Host an Acton Children’s Business Fair - The “start a fair” page Leah referenced for applying to host anywhere. (https://www.childrensbusinessfair.org/start)  “Profit First” by Mike Michalowicz - Money management framework Leah uses to run the nonprofit with tight budgeting and ROI thinking. (https://mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first/)  Profit First Professionals - The organization Leah worked with (training accountants/bookkeepers/coaches on implementing Profit First). (https://profitfirstprofessionals.com/)  “All In” by Mike Michalowicz - Team/ownership framework Leah referenced for giving board/staff ownership over projects. (https://mikemichalowicz.com/all-in/) “Sparks to Stars: The Story of Astra & Zeke” by Leah Ellis - Leah’s published children’s book she wrote. (https://a.co/d/i34QqFg)  Bookshop.org - The retailer Leah recommended because it supports local independent bookstores. (https://bookshop.org/)  Search Institute: Developmental Assets Framework (40 assets) - The “top 40 skills/assets” Leah referenced as part of the standards/research base. (https://searchinstitute.org/resources-hub/developmental-assets-framework)  Junior Achievement (JA) - One of the other organizations Leah mentioned that teaches entrepreneurship/financial literacy to kids. (https://jausa.ja.org/)  Lemonade Day / My Lemonade Day App  - The lemonade-stand entrepreneurship program/app Leah references (https://lemonadeday.org/mylemonadeday)  YIPPEE Exchange - Entrepreneurship education marketplace/platform Leah mentioned. (https://yippee.exchange/)  The Young CEO Club - Another entrepreneurship-for-kids organization Leah mentioned. (https://www.theyoungceoclub.com/)

Marcio Goncalves, founder of a fast-growing virtual assistant agency (a team that handles admin and day-to-day tasks for busy founders) and a fully remote podcast production company, argues that scale comes from structure, not luck. He shares how his first taste of entrepreneurship started at 12, raising pet-store hamsters and finding homes for the new litters, and how that early instinct evolved into launching a podcast in 2012 before most people knew what a podcast was. He walks through leaving a steady salary after a quick real estate win, then building toward the businesses he runs today, including a virtual assistant company growing 10 to 15 percent month over month. We unpack how he turns getting new customers into simple math, the hiring order that helps founders stop being the bottleneck, and the kitchen-table low point that pushed him to adopt the Entrepreneurial Operating System framework plus personality assessments to steady the team and the metrics. --- Episode Resources EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) - A simple operating framework for running a business with clear priorities, weekly meetings, and a few key numbers to track. (https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-is-eos)  “Traction” by Gino Wickman (https://a.co/d/3Ox5Q9d)  Ninety - An EOS software (https://www.ninety.io/) Culture Index - A personality tool mentioned for hiring and team alignment. (https://www.cultureindex.com/) The Predictive Index, PI Behavioral Assessment - A personality tool for understanding how people are wired at work. (https://www.predictiveindex.com/assessments/behavioral-assessment/)  Gatekeeper for Spark Mail - Screens and blocks senders to keep inbox clean. (https://sparkmailapp.com/features/gatekeeper)  “The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber (https://a.co/d/11bO4lH)

Matthew Stafford, professional investor and co-founder of Nine Others, argues that simplicity wins. He shares how starting on the Venture Capitalist side sharpened his founder's empathy, the early signals he listens for, and how one dinner became a global peer network. We unpack the pre-boom London fundraising scene, practical ways to cut noise from your pitch, and the community mechanics that actually move founders forward. --- Episode Resources Nine Others - Official Website (co-founded by Matthew Stafford) (https://9others.com/) “What’s Keeping You Up at Night?” by Matthew Stafford & Katie Lewis (https://a.co/d/hMhyJBI) Overview of Matt & STAFFORD VC (https://www.stafford.vc/?pvs=143)

Cheryl Kellond has built startups from the ground up, survived the crash of a hardware business, raised millions in venture capital, and walked away with battle scars. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to lead a company through chaos. We get into why hiring fast can backfire, how funding can trap you, and what founders often overlook when chasing growth. Cheryl talks candidly about ignoring her gut, managing burnout, and staying true to the reason she started in the first place. It’s a sharp, honest look at the difference between building a business and building one that lasts. --- Episode Resources “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz (https://a.co/d/9j9DMya)  Tyler Denk’s Beehiv Newsletter (https://www.beehiiv.com/blog/newsletter-behind-the-scenes)