The First 10 Podcast

The First 10 Podcast

Starting a business can be challenging and if you build it, the customers won’t necessarily come. Conor McCarthy, entrepreneur and coach, interviews business builders on their First 10 Customers to find out who they were, how they found them, how they talked to them, and what effect they had on their business. From idea validation to market traction, The First 10 Podcast describes what the path of selling to the First 10 Customers (and beyond) looks like.

Episodes

October 19, 2022 29 mins

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"The goal of this podcast is to help business builders learn some best practices when they go looking for their first 10, to expose the things worth doing and the things that might be dead ends and ultimately cost time and money. We should all be recycling these days, and when it comes to understanding your customers and how you talk to them, there's a ton of value that my guests have shared that is worth re...

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‘’In a start-up, you can’t move slowly because your competition is not moving slowly.’’ – Rob Walling. 

On this bonus episode of the First 10 Podcast, I have something a little different for you. I asked Rob Walling, serial entrepreneur, investor, author, and host of the popular podcast ‘Startups for the Rest of Us’ , if I could reshare the audio from a Youtube video he posted entitled "Top 10 Avoidable Mistakes S...

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September 1, 2022 38 mins

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Welcome back to the final episode of season four, and what a season it has been – but it’s not over just yet! Joining me to wrap up this serial-entrepreneur season is founder and chief side hustler of Side Hustle Nation, Nick Loper. 

Have you ever had the itch to get a side hustle going!? If so, you will love this episode! If you have ever researched how to start your own side business, chances are high that you’ve com...

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"When people are actively looking for a product like yours, and you're not marketing it, you are actually doing an act of disservice. You are starving them of something that they need, that they could use. By not marketing, you're putting a ceiling on your potential." – Corey Haines. 

Are you currently creating or marketing a product in the SaaS space? If so, you will love and learn so much from thi...

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Wondering how best to grow your audience or perhaps, how to fund your next trip to Ireland? If so, this week's podcast is a must-listen for you! This week, joining Conor on the show is special guest and serial entrepreneur Brennan Dunn. Brennan is the co-founder of RightMessage, a platform for online businesses to enhance their automated segmentation and website personalisation. In this episode, Brennan walks us ...

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This week, joining the podcast is special guest, serial entrepreneur, and the king of shiny objects, Brian Casel. Brian is the founder of Zip Message, a popular video messaging tool for async conversations, which launched at the beginning of 2021. Brian recently sold and exited some of his earlier businesses, including Audience Ops and ProcessKit. Brian firmly believes that with each business opportunity came great le...

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’If I don’t understand the cost of selling the product, how to price and how to monetize it, I’m kind of screwed. Right? And that’s why 70 to 90% of startups fail, they start with that first bucket, and they don’t look at the second bucket.’’ – Dave Parker.

Each week on the podcast, we are joined by inspiring business builders who openly discuss their entrepreneurial journey with us, sharing how they obtained their fir...

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‘’The biggest risk is not can you build this? The biggest risk is that no one cares. So how do you validate that someone will care? And how do you validate that someone will be willing to pay for what you are selling?’’ – Rob Walling. 

Calling all bootstrap founders! Joining us on today’s masterclass on launching and growing a business is special guest Rob Walling. Rob is an admired serial entrepreneur, investor, autho...

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Have you ever heard that to grow your business, you must think big? Well, what if we were to tell you that's not always the case. Joining Conor on today's episode is special guest Daniel Vassallo. Daniel is a master of taking small bets and has a fascinating story to share. 

Daniel's professional career was a roaring success as he worked for the globe's largest e-commerce retailer, Amazon. However, ...

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Are you ready to ignite an idea, fire up your business and transform your life!? If so, you will love soaking up today's episode with entrepreneur expert Shane Melaugh. Shane Melaugh has founded multiple seven-figure companies, including Thrive Themes, and is currently building his cultivating personal development community, ikario.

Shane's personal story is fascinating. His mission via ikario is to share his...

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Indie makers and marketplace shakers, this episode is a must-listen for you! Joining the podcast today is the prolific innovator and creator Jakob Greenfeld. Over the last two years, Jakob has successfully launched over fifteen software products and is the host of The Business Brainstorms podcast and creator of The Opportunities newsletter. 

In this episode, we learn about Jakob’s journey from becoming a physicist to t...

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Welcome back to season four of The First 10 podcast. Kicking off this season’s debut episode is special guest Andy Mackin. Andy is the proud CEO of the Mackin group, based in Cork and operating globally. The Mackin group consists of two renowned companies Mackin EHS a health, safety, and environmental service provider, and Mackin Talent, a talent management solutions provider. 

Andy is a wealth of business knowledge an...

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Season 4 of The First 10 Podcast will focus on serial entrepreneurs, and this episode is a short message about why. 

I want to shed a light on the people who have chosen the entrepreneurial path, again and again, to see what it was about them that enabled them to pivot their business, or drop a failing or undesirable business and pick up elsewhere, or spot new opportunities in a familiar space and launch prod...

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December 15, 2021 20 mins

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A recap of some of the incredible wisdom shared by my array of guests this last season.

Show Notes

Work with me - https://www.conormccarthy.me/work-with-me 

Link for review on Apple Podcasts

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The First 10 things I Wish I Knew are here.

Like anyone who works for themselves, I have a litany of things I learned the hard way.

All of them have taught me things that now are a part of my subconscious judgement when making decisions.

They help me be less wrong in the future.

In speaking with founders on The First 10 Podcast about how they found their first 10 customers, I have discovered that some of these mistakes an...

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It’s easy to look back at our mistakes and wonder how things might have gone differently, if only. There is only so much value to be had in that mode of thinking. The moment has passed, the decisions were made and paths were taken.

Here is a list of 10 things I’ve learned along the way that might help you improve your decision-making process.

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Listeners are in for a treat with this final episode of the season featuring prolific freelancer Tom Hirst. Tom is a WordPress developer, business owner, author, creator, mentor, and Twitter guru. Tom has a passion for helping others get ahead by sharing his experience and learnings with people from all corners of the globe, guiding them to become better freelancers through his newsletter, courses, books, and mentorsh...

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If a life coach and a business strategist had a baby, you would get Darrah Brustein. Darrah is a four-time founder, author, connector, and coach at Mind Your Own Business, a community for service-based business owners focused on maximising their profit and impact.  

In this episode, Darrah discusses her steered transition into coaching, how to go above and beyond for clients, and building a business that does not run y...

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Matt Olpinski is a successful UI + UX designer and developer who teaches thousands of freelancers how to get more clients, raise their rates, and create a better life for themselves. 

In this episode, Matt discusses in depth how to operate as a freelancer. Matt shares how he accidentally fell into the world of freelancing and how you can find clients through your personal network by letting people know what it is that ...

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Robbie Swale is a leadership coach who has built a successful practice of empowering clients to unlock their potential to thrive in their career, work, and life paths. Robbie’s clients include entrepreneurs, investors, theatre directors, and even other coaches.

In this episode, Robbie shares his coaching journey, discusses getting comfortable with talking about money, the importance of honesty, and how we can improve o...

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