In this episode, of How I'm Building This, Prateek interviews Zak Kidd, founder of AskHumans, who shares his journey from childhood entrepreneurship to building a successful startup. Zak discusses the challenges and triumphs of transitioning from a service-based business to a product-focused company, the importance of accelerators, and strategies for hiring and marketing. He emphasizes the significance of self-reflection and maintaining strong relationships with clients and investors as key components of success in the startup world.
Takeaways:
- Zak's early experiences selling with his mother shaped his entrepreneurial spirit.
- The transition from a service-based business to a product-focused company can be challenging but rewarding.
- Building strong relationships with investors is crucial, especially in the early stages.
- Participating in an accelerator can provide valuable feedback and connections.
- Hiring should focus on finding generalists who can adapt as the company grows.
- Self-reflection and team retrospectives can help improve company culture and performance.
- Networking through intimate events can be more effective than traditional sales tactics.
- Understanding client pain points is essential for developing a successful product.
- Marketing should focus on building relationships rather than direct selling.
- The future of AskHumans is focused on leveraging human feedback alongside AI advancements.
Sound Bites:
- "I want to be a landlord."
- "It's less of a pain, it's more of an opportunity."
- "You should be able to sell what you're doing to at least one of every five people you meet."
In this episode, we cover:
00:00 Zach's Early Entrepreneurial Journey
03:02 Transitioning to Ask Humans
05:46 Navigating Investor Relationships
09:02 The Value of Accelerators
12:01 Hiring Strategies for Startups
17:56 Understanding Customer Pain Points
21:06 Building Relationships with Clients
28:11 Marketing and Customer Acquisition Strategies
35:59 Reflecting on Mistakes and Growth
43:00 Future Plans for AskHumans
Where to find Zak:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zkidd
AskHumans: https://www.askhumans.io/
Where to find Prateek:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateekmathur
Activated Scale: https://www.activatedscale.com
For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email prateek@activatedscale.com
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