Building on what already exists with Shane Melaugh [#33]

03/03/22 • 43 min

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 life experiences with as many people as possible to help them break free and transform their lives into beautiful success stories. In this episode, Shane openly shares how his life transitioned from constraints, struggles, and an overwhelming sense of failure to finding freedom, wonderful success, and ultimately, unlocking a better life. Throughout the discussion, Shane explores the importance of building on what already exists, reveals a brilliant tool for filtering through business ideas, and highlights why we shouldn't overlook self-care and personal development. Key points within this episode include:

How to organically grow a loyal customer base.
Understanding marketing techniques to reach new audiences.
The power of personal interaction when building a business.
How to identify and meet your customers needs.
Sell before you make it! The benefits of testing your existing audience.
A brilliant tool for filtering new business ideas.
Napkin Maths – how to determine the feasibility of a business plan.
Becoming comfortable with saying no.
The ikario story: unlocking potential through self-development.
Why self-care should never be overlooked.
A book recommendation for becoming a better entrepreneur.
Shane's advice on obtaining your first 10 customers.

"Hustle and grind 24/7 till you make it is the worst way to try and make it. If you don't have rest in your life and you're not strategic about having high-intensity focus and then deep rest, you're just basically cutting yourself off at the knees because you're hampering your own ability to learn and make progress." – Shane Melaugh.

Connect with Shane Melaugh:

https://activegrowth.com/about/

https://activegrowth.com/podcast/

https://ikario.com/about/

https://twitter.com/actigrow

https://www.youtube.com/user/imimpact

https://www.linkedin.com/shane-melaugh

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:

https://www.first10podcast.com

https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod

https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/

Resources:

Book: So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport.

https://www.calnewport.com/books/so-good/

Check out my podcast partners!

Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1389931

Otter:
https://otter.ai/referrals/ETRNKY16

Calendly:
https://calendly.grsm.io/ilev18qxpn1e

This podcast was produced in partnership with podlad.com

Send us a text

How to organically grow a loyal customer base.
Understanding marketing techniques to reach new audiences.
The power of personal interaction when building a business.
How to identify and meet your customers needs.
Sell before you make it! The benefits of testing your existing audience.
A brilliant tool for filtering new business ideas.
Napkin Maths – how to determine the feasibility of a business plan.
Becoming comfortable with saying no.
The ikario story: unlocking potential through self-development.
Why self-care should never be overlooked.
A book recommendation for becoming a better entrepreneur.
Shane's advice on obtaining your first 10 customers.

Connect with Shane Melaugh:

https://activegrowth.com/about/

https://activegrowth.com/podcast/

https://ikario.com/about/

https://twitter.com/actigrow

https://www.youtube.com/user/imimpact

https://www.linkedin.com/shane-melaugh

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:

https://www.first10podcast.com

https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod

https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/

Resources:

Book: So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport.

https://www.calnewport.com/books/so-good/

Check out my podcast partners!

Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1389931

Otter:
https://otter.ai/referrals/ETRNKY16

Calendly:
https://calendly.grsm.io/ilev18qxpn1e

This podcast was produced in partnership with podlad.com

Previous Episode

Taking shots on goal with Jakob Greenfeld [#32]

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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 testing out the road of entrepreneurship with his bootstrapped products. Jakob gives us great insight into the early days of his workings, framework, and product launching tactics. Jakob also shines a light on taking shots on goal, the importance of authenticity, sharing your origin story and how to increase your business visibility. Key points within this episode include:

An introduction to Jakob Greenfeld.
The importance of hooking customers with your origin story.
Preparation and patience in business.
Building an online audience.
Market response and first product sales.
The downfalls of a product launch.
Why we should never underestimate newsletters.
The benefits of growing a sustainable community.
The power of authenticity and being personable.
Increasing your online visibility.
Jakob’s advice on obtaining your first 10 customers.

‘’In the long term, it all boils down to just putting your brain out there and hoping that like-minded people find you.’’ – Jakob Greenfeld.

Connect with Jakob Greenfeld:

https://jakobgreenfeld.com/

https://twitter.com/jakobgreenfeld

https://businessbrainstorms.com/

https://indieopportunities.com/

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:

https://www.first10podcast.com

https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod

https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/

Resources:

Book: How to be a capitalist without any capital by Nathan Latka

https://book.nathanlatka.com/

Book:
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work by Michael E. Gerber
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses

Book: Superfans by Pat Flynn

https://patflynn.com/book/superfans/

Trends.vc Newsletter

https://trends.vc/

Andrew Wilkinson – Co-founder of Tiny
https://twitter.com/awilkinson

Harry Dry – The Kanye Story

https://thekanyestory.com/

Pieter Levels – 12 start ups in 12 months

https://levels.io/12-startups-12-months/

Produced in partnership with podlad.com
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Check out my podcast partners!

Next Episode

Taking small bets with Daniel Vassallo [#34]

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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, despite the promotions, benefits, and attractive six-figure salary, Daniel decided to take the bold plunge from his desirable full-time role into the unknown realm of self-employment on a mission to strike a more sustainable work-life balance.

In this episode, Daniel reveals his small bets portfolio strategy, openly shares his learnings from failure, and explores the benefits of aiming for low-hanging fruit. Daniel also unpacks the randomness and unpredictability of business and reminds us how success is never a guarantee. Key points throughout the episode include:

An introduction to Daniel Vassallo.
Developing muscle for uncertainty.
The journey of self-employment and exploring future opportunities.
Daniel's inspiration generator for choosing suitable projects.
The key of knowing what to pursue and what to avoid.
The importance of making small bets and not over-investing.
Finding work-life compatibility.
Validating ideas and growing through failures.
The role of randomness and chance in business.
Finding inspiration amongst the wins.
Converting a hobby into a stream of income.
How small wins can make a massive difference.
Why analysing your customers buying patterns is vital.
The steppingstones to success: why visibility and credibility are essential.
Daniel's advice on obtaining your first 10 customers.

Connect with Daniel Vassallo:

https://dvassallo.com/

https://dvassallo.gumroad.com/

https://twitter.com/dvassallo/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielvassallo/

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:

https://www.first10podcast.com

https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod

https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/

Resources:

Book: Hollywood Economics by Arthur De Vany.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollywood-Economics

Check out my podcast partners!

Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1389931

Otter:
https://otter.ai/referrals/ETRNKY16

Calendly:
https://calendly.grsm.io/ilev18qxpn1e

This podcast was produced in partnership with podlad.com

The First 10 Podcast - Building on what already exists with Shane Melaugh [#33]

Transcript

Shane Melaugh00:00:01.199

I just live a better life now than I could have ever wished for. And, and one of the most important factors from here is freedom. I just have total freedom. I'm financially free, I can live wherever I want, I can basically do whatever I want with my time. And that is something that I wouldn't have dared dream of when I was younger.

Conor McCarthy00:00:18.280

Hello, and welcome to season four of the first 10 pod