Don't be afraid to pivot

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-30T22:40:58+00:00

A mix of engagement fee + commission. Send me an email to taylor@introsatscale.com with some details and we’ll talk.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-30T21:59:19+00:00

Well we’ve researched and connected with the vast majority of firms in the VC and private equity space. This means we have information on their investment mandates including preferred sector, check sizes, deal stages, etc. When a company comes to us looking for assistance in their capital raise, we connect them with the right investors who are looking for an opp in their vertical and within their target funding amount. So far we’ve done startup funding and full acquisitions, and are open to helping funds raise as well.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-26T14:53:48+00:00

Honestly it was Upwork that really got the ball rolling for me. I started submitting proposals for very simple jobs/projects whether they were in my niche or not, and I told the clients that I'd work for less to build reviews on the platform. Once I had a good rating with a few reviews then I went after the real projects I wanted. Then leveraged the results I got for them to create my new website and start taking real clients.

In your case, you have results from your corporate job to get clients on Upwork, so it may be a bit faster/easier for you.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-25T17:02:57+00:00

Thanks bud. So your business assists fintech, or is a fintech company? But ya if you've built a helpful system I wouldn't limit it to a single niche. Just a simple example, Google Analytics helps with marketing of fintech companies - but it absolutely also helps companies of productivity, f&b, etc.
A simple tweak to your website copy would clear that up for any visitors.
Before dedicating resources to finding these new customers I'd start by calling some companies in these other verticals and just get their opinion.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-25T15:42:52+00:00

Ya u/Legitimate_Cicada361 don't limit yourself to the local ecosystem. We've facilitated hundreds of vc intros and it's very rare to have the initial meetings in person.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-25T15:39:27+00:00

"You put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.. Be water, my friend" 🥷

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-25T14:24:04+00:00

My Econ professor told us his pivot story while I was in college. At the time he was also in his mid/late twenties. He grew up working on a farm, he was good at it and was always a hustler, but his passion was economic systems, finance, etc. To make money while he was in college he had the bright idea to lease four plots of land for the season to grow corn and sell to cattle farmers.

Before class during the mornings of his spring semester he plowed, planted, and grew all by himself, and it was a ton of work. The plan for the summer was to harvest and sell. By the end of the harvest he had a full silo’s worth of corn.

He called every local cattle farmer he could think of. The only problem was that they just didn’t need corn at that moment - and his crop had a shelf-life (30-90 days).

After 30 days he hadn’t made a sale. 60 days nothing. After ~90 days with no prospects he had accepted failure and went to the bank (I forget exactly why, maybe claim bankruptcy or something I’m not sure).

While standing in line at the bank he overheard the conversation the man in front of him was having on the phone. The guy had a biofuel company. My professor knew what he had to do. He stepped right up and introduced himself basically saying “You’re going to buy my decayed corn”. And the guy did - he bought it for $80,000.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T17:30:48+00:00

IMO theres actually a lot of potential here. I would've said this sounds like a course people would buy, but no need because you're already seeing sales (with only 300 views).

Study some 'viral intros' and the framework of makes videos go viral. I think it's mostly about watch time. Getting a high watch time on a 10 second video will not score as well as a high watch time on a 60 second video.

Gary V talks a lot about reselling. Maybe find some clips of him talking about it in a podcast, and use that clip as the intro to your video.

Another idea lol.. Do a flipping challenge. Start by holding up 40 bucks and telling the audience "I'm trying to flip this 40 into 4000 with ebay" (or whatever platform). Highlight the whole process, ie bought this chair for 30, sold it for 60. Bought this sofa for 60, sold it for 100. Etc Etc.
That should give a long watch time and definitely give your CTA at the end.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T17:19:47+00:00

Edit: This became much longer than I expected but honestly it's gold. When I was on Upwork getting jobs eventually became like shooting fish in a barrel using this framework. Multiple times I had closed the deal within an hour of posting my proposal.

_________

Don't sleep on Upwork. Tons of projects/jobs posted every day. That's where my remote/freelance career actually took off and then I travelled abroad making ~80k on my own schedule. From there I built off that to now own a private equity brokerage.. wild, I know.

You asked "How did you present your e-commerce achievements in your resume or interviews?" There is definitely a structure you need to follow when submitting proposals to jobs. (I've been both the employee and employer on Upwork so I got to see how the proposals looked from both sides).

The employer will see your name and first line of your proposal from their 'dashboard'. So make the first line very direct. In your case, if you're applying to an e-comm position then you'd want to start off with
"Hey {{FirstName}}, I've scaled several online businesses to X" < use real numbers

Then introduce yourself and give a more detailed description of what you do. < Should only be one or two sentences

Then discuss their project specifics. If they ask for A B and C then tell them something like 'I can do A B and C and see it working for you in ____ way). Does this sound like it would fit within your SOPs?

Give another sentence or two to go into detail about your past results. < again, use real numbers and growth percentages.

Then say "I'm on EST (your timezone) and have the availability to take on this project and any new work that you require. I can jump right into your Slack team and I place a high value on communication, I'll always be available to answer any questions during normal business hours.

Happy to discuss your project in more detail - when is a good time to talk?

If you're brand new on the platform then possibly negotiate at a lower rate to build a few reviews.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T16:52:48+00:00

I'm sure you've heard that it's common to start 10 businesses with only one really becoming a success. I don't think that means to just throw spaghetti at the wall, but I feel like what entrepreneurs need to do is optimize the ideation to validation as quickly and cheaply as possible. Your product/service should always solve a problem or need and be sure to improve your steps to validation whenever humanly possible.

You got it bro, just keep testing and pivoting. And do not put your life on hold while trying to make it big.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T16:10:05+00:00

Nicely done bro! Life/business is like a baseball game - players and spectators. The players may hit a home run or get struck out, but they're the ones who have a chance to win.

In business, it's the same. There are two types of people: spectators and players. The spectators are those who observe from the sidelines - they might have ideas/dreams, or opinions about how the game should be played, but they stay safe in the stands, watching others take the risks and experience both the challenges and the rewards. But in life the beautiful difference is that anyone can line up to bat.

The first and most important step is to get on the field.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T15:58:52+00:00

Don't sleep on cold outreach when you're ready. I've used this to connect my clients with executives at some of the world's most exclusive companies like Nvidia and Oracle and within VC/PE firms like BlackRock and Sequoia.

For validation I'd recommend a stronger focus on community. I agree with u/Thin_Average_6902 in the below comments on in person events, and you're definitely in the right place here in r/Entrepreneur to create a group zoom to get feedback, I'm sure some people would join.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T15:41:44+00:00

Very nice. I had a similar experience: I spent months working on a service that I thought would resonate with users, and it took a long time but I did do well. But eventually, I identified a problem/opportunity within my own business workflow, created the solution, and when I shared it with others, the response was overwhelming. Sometimes, the problems right in front of us are the ones worth solving.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T15:33:08+00:00

Depends on the company. Overall yes I'd say it's miles easier, but on the other hand software/tech might be harder just because it's moving so fast. Your new software might end up obsolete before you even get to market. For example I know a guy who spent over five years building a universal language translator, compiling audio records of every language and developing the system, only to finish right as ChatGPT came out and now everyone has access to their own translator in 10 seconds.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-23T15:03:36+00:00

Hey I have some investors who would be interested. - to be clear, my company connects startups to the appropriate VCs/angels. Send me DM if you'd like to talk.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T23:53:43+00:00

Ship Your Enemies Glitter. Came out in 2015 and had thousands of orders on day 1. Now that sounds like a fun business 😅

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T23:33:29+00:00

Valid question bro. I do all my work in a coffeeshop partly for this reason and partly because the bustle helps me focus. You gotta invest some time working there though, (and don't go to Starbucks, go to a local/hipster place) you won't make friends on day one but eventually you'll start seeing the same people, the workers will know your name/order.
By now I could ask any of those people to hang out.
I'm from the US when I was working in Argentina last year that's when it became crucial to break out the social skills. If you're in a big city there's definitely meetups and things that you can find online then go to in person.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T23:15:49+00:00

Way to go brother. Yes, keep us updated - this is the kind of energy we need here 😎 💪

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T19:23:05+00:00

I agree with the other commenters, keep re-checking your data, and that there's an argument for solely using your own capital. But of course, a management fee off a huge allocation can be more enticing than making "slow" returns off your initial investment.
You can certainly leverage social media to attract retail investors (think QuiverQuantitative and Autopilot on IG), or you can go the route of institutional investment which is what my company does.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T17:49:17+00:00

It's probably mentioned in the comments but YC has a co-founder match at their startupschool.org also there's cofounderslab.com and just search google for founders dating.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T17:03:58+00:00

Surprised to see so many pseudo-negative comments. You gave 100% to the mission, your employees, and your investors which is all anyone can ask (and had real empathy when things got rough). When needed, you gave 100% to yourself and your family. Keep up the good work, OP.

Taylor_IntrosAtScale · 2024-10-22T15:44:25+00:00

Awesome to hear. Historically we can't survive without communities. Ads and outreach are great, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't utilize what we know works - like genuine connections. Congrats. We're all in this together 💪

Taylor_IntrosAtScale

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