119 Ryan Atkinson -- Advice from the trenches on starting and growing your business

If you've recently started or are thinking about starting a business you probably have a ton of questions and are looking for answers from others who are in the trenches like you are.

This week Ryan Atkinson, the founder of Spacebar Visuals and the the host of the UpFlip Podcast joins us to discuss his experience starting and building a successful business and what he's learned from interviewing dozens of entrepreneurs.

Timestamps
(00:20): Introduction.
(01:04): About Spacebar Visuals.
(02:05): What makes Spacebar Visuals unique.
(03:11): Ryan Atkinson’s background.
(06:53): Finding a co-founder.
(10:51): Who Spacebar Visuals sells to.
(11:36): About the Spacebar team.
(12:57): The hiring process.
(15:21): Lessons learned while growing the team.
(20:30): What does BDR stand for?
(22:23): About the UpFlip podcast
(25:03): How Ryan became the host.
(28:20): Lessons learned from interviewing guests.
(29:55): Ryan’s recommended reading and listening.
(32:00): Ken Trupke’s recommendations.
(33:40): How to connect with Ryan Atkinson.
(34:46): Wrapup.

Episode Quotes
“I'm a very opportunistic person, so if I see an opportunity, I'm going to run with the opportunity.”

“I'm only 25 years old, so I am not perfect by any means … I'm the farthest thing from perfect, so I'm learning every day.”

“If you are wanting to start a business, think about those specific criteria that you want to go after and who the end user is.”

“Hiring has been the most unexpected challenge I've had as a CEO and founder. It is so hard to find good talent and then also retain them and also set them up for success.”

“I've always loved entrepreneurship, I love reading books about entrepreneurs. I just love the whole entrepreneurship thing.”

“A lot of these companies that have scaled have put a company culture in place. They have their core values and they actually live by them.”

Recommended Reading

• “Walt Disney: The Biography” by Neal Gabler
• “Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.” by Ron Chernow
• “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson
• “Hangry: A Startup Journey” by Mike Evans
• “Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike” by Phil Knight
• “Elon Musk” by Walter Isaacson
• “Leonardo da Vinci” by Walter Isaacson

Recommended Listening and Viewing

• UpFlip podcast with Ryan Atkinson
• UpFlip YouTube Channel
• TechGuide podcast with Ryan Atkinson 

Follow/Connect with Ryan Atkinson

• Spacebar Visuals company website
• UpFlip Academy
• Ryan Atkinson on LinkedIn