![The First 10 Podcast - How to think about value with Dave Parker [#36]](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/lqzllufqs4nuazldrx97cs7s60th?.avif)
How to think about value with Dave Parker [#36]
03/24/22 • 35 min
’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 first customers and revealing what worked and what didn’t throughout the growing process. This week, listeners are in for a double treat as joining Conor on the show is tech guru and five-time founder, investor, coach, and author Dave Parker. Dave was formerly the VP of Programs at UP Global (Startup Weekend & Startup America) which Techstars purchased.
So much ground gets covered in this episode. We learn how to think about value, the importance of understanding your revenue model, and how to perfect your pricing. Dave has helped numerous founders across the globe achieve startup success and is a library of knowledge when it comes to launching a viable business. Not only does Dave offer golden advice for startups, but Dave also gives us the inside scoop of what it is like to reach the finishing line of exiting and selling a company. Key points throughout the discussion include:
- An introduction to Dave Parker.
- The first-time founder experience.
- Leveraging salesforce to grow your business.
- The reality of striking viral co-efficient.
- Finding the lifetime value of a product.
- What is a business model?
- The role of maths in business.
- Understanding revenue models and the importance of keeping your eyes on the numbers.
- Scaling for exit: an insight to selling a business and why you should always seek help when selling.
- The advantages of knowing your market and creating competition.
- Establishing product market-fit and traction.
- Dave’s advice for obtaining your first 10 customers.
Resources:
Book: Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit by Dave Parker.
https://www.dkparker.com/books/
Book: Mergers & Acquisitions – From A to Z by Andrew J. Sherman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mergers-Acquisitions-Andrew-J-Sherman/dp/0814413838
Connect with Dave Parker:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveparker/
https://twitter.com/daveparkersea
https://www.facebook.com/DKParkerLLC/
Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:
https://www.first10podcast.com
https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod
https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/
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
’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 first customers and revealing what worked and what didn’t throughout the growing process. This week, listeners are in for a double treat as joining Conor on the show is tech guru and five-time founder, investor, coach, and author Dave Parker. Dave was formerly the VP of Programs at UP Global (Startup Weekend & Startup America) which Techstars purchased.
So much ground gets covered in this episode. We learn how to think about value, the importance of understanding your revenue model, and how to perfect your pricing. Dave has helped numerous founders across the globe achieve startup success and is a library of knowledge when it comes to launching a viable business. Not only does Dave offer golden advice for startups, but Dave also gives us the inside scoop of what it is like to reach the finishing line of exiting and selling a company. Key points throughout the discussion include:
- An introduction to Dave Parker.
- The first-time founder experience.
- Leveraging salesforce to grow your business.
- The reality of striking viral co-efficient.
- Finding the lifetime value of a product.
- What is a business model?
- The role of maths in business.
- Understanding revenue models and the importance of keeping your eyes on the numbers.
- Scaling for exit: an insight to selling a business and why you should always seek help when selling.
- The advantages of knowing your market and creating competition.
- Establishing product market-fit and traction.
- Dave’s advice for obtaining your first 10 customers.
Resources:
Book: Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit by Dave Parker.
https://www.dkparker.com/books/
Book: Mergers & Acquisitions – From A to Z by Andrew J. Sherman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mergers-Acquisitions-Andrew-J-Sherman/dp/0814413838
Connect with Dave Parker:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/daveparker/
https://twitter.com/daveparkersea
https://www.facebook.com/DKParkerLLC/
Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:
https://www.first10podcast.com
https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod
https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/
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
Previous Episode
Finding people who care with Rob Walling [#35]
‘’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, author, and host of the popular podcast ‘Startups for the Rest of Us’. Since 2005, Rob has guided thousands of startup founders through his widespread books, recordings, articles, and MicroConf discussions.
In this episode, Rob kindly lends us his time to openly share his experience of finding people who care when starting and growing a business. Rob also reveals how to communicate with your customers and unpacks the magic within collecting customer feedback. This episode may seem short and sweet but trust us when we say it is stuffed with brilliant insights and actionable nuggets of advice for you to take away straight from the master of startups. Key points throughout the discussion include:
- An introduction to Rob Walling.
- When is the right time for building an audience?
- The art of selling: warm VS cold leads.
- Business development and the magic of customer feedback.
- The early day selection process: unlocking product-market fit.
- Smashing sales as an introvert.
- The key to capturing clients and communicating effectively.
- Sustainable marketing in a tech-savvy world.
- How to avoid an unprofitable business.
- Book recommendations for business builders.
- Rob’s top two sales techniques for obtaining your first 10 customers.
- Why a landing page is a must!
- The rhythm of business growth from beginning to take-off.
Connect with Rob Walling:
https://twitter.com/robwalling
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robwalling/
https://www.startupsfortherestofus.com/about
Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:
https://www.first10podcast.com
https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod
https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/
Resources:
Book: The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick.
http://momtestbook.com/
Book: Traction by Gabriel Weinberg.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/Traction
Book: How the World Sees You by Sally Hogshead.
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-the-world-sees-you
Book: Fascinate by Sally Hogshead.
https://www.howtofascinate.com/store/books
Check out my podcast partners!
Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1389931
Next Episode
How to talk to your customers with Brian Casel [#37]
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 learnings and experiences, which he has carried forward to get him to where he is today.
Get ready to dive into an episode filled with fascinating insights and advice as Brian brings us on his journey from freelancing to fearlessly launching and running multiple businesses. In this episode, Brian offers brilliant advice for business start-ups as he openly shares how to talk to your customers, tactics on building an audience, how to master sales calls and how to approach the awkward conversation of pricing. Key points throughout the discussion include:
- The leap from freelancing to building businesses.
- The joy of obtaining your first customer.
- Building an audience through networking.
- Mastering sales: how to get the most out of sales calls.
- Customer observation: learning from customer pain points.
- Curiosity is key: questions to ask your customers.
- Attracting your ideal customer base.
- Increasing brand awareness and speaking directly with potential customers.
- The benefits of asynchronous communication.
- How to discuss pricing with potential clients.
- Assessing and filtering through business ideas.
- Book recommendations for business builders.
- Brian’s advice for obtaining your first 10 customers.
‘’I went through this long list of businesses. I would never have landed on Zip Message if I didn't learn things from Process Kit. I never would have landed on Process Kit if I didn't learn a ton from Audience Ops and Audience Ops came from what I learned from Restaurant Engine. I wouldn't have landed on those ideas unless I had gone through that experience.’’ – Brian Casel.
Connect with Brian Casel:
https://briancasel.com/podcasts
https://www.linkedin.com/in/briancasel/
Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy:
https://www.first10podcast.com
https://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod
https://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/
Resources:
Book: The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick.
http://momtestbook.com/
Book: The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen.
Podcast partners
Buzzsprout:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1389931
Otter:
https://otter.ai/referrals/ETRNKY16
Calendly:
https://calendly.grsm.io/ilev18qxpn1e
Produced in partnership with podlad.com
The First 10 Podcast - How to think about value with Dave Parker [#36]
Transcript
Those five factors are the equivalent of the magic of compound interest. Right? Because when you have it, you have product market fit. If you have one of them, congratulations, go get the other four!
Conor McCarthyHello, and welcome to season four of the First 10 podcast. I'm your host, Conor McCarthy and I help people start and grow their businesses. I do that through joint ventures, collaborations,
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-first-10-podcast-380229/how-to-think-about-value-with-dave-parker-36-54287199"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to how to think about value with dave parker [#36] on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy