Santiago (Santi) Jaramillo

Which is better? Last week, Sandra Aguirre made a Crunchwrap Supreme at home. It looked amazing. So, I tried to recreate it myself. Judging from the picture on the right, you might say I failed miserably. But... I still found my Crunchwrap to be delicious. So, not total failure. In the years we’ve been building Repeat, I can think of at least a dozen times where we’ve envisioned a product feature and ended up with something that looks different from the initial vision. Never, though, has that been a failure. 0-1 product building often starts with a grand vision. Failure only happens when we stay married to the “grandness” of that vision, instead of the spirit of that vision. It can be hard to put the focus in the right place, but it has allowed us to ship much better product, much faster at Repeat. We’re willing to make an “uglier” Crunchwrap (compared to what we dream up) and improve it with our customers. Turns out, that ends up being just as good.

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Behind Kindr 's Logo *more detailed explanation in video below* At the heart of Kindr's logo lies a powerful message represented by two overlapping circles. The bold circle symbolizes our planet in its original state and purest form, untouched by overproduction and pollution, where biodiversity thrived in harmony. In contrast, the lighter circle depicts our current reality, where the delicate balance has been disrupted. Kindr's mission is to realign and close the gap between these two circles, guiding our world back to a state of equilibrium. Follow the journey as we work towards this vision on a global scale. #originstory #startup #socialentrepreneurship #kindr #yyc #esg #environment

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Being a founder is not a status symbol When I started Maera in Panama, I never called myself a founder. I didn't call myself anything, I just did the daily work because I needed to pay rent and buy food. After moving into the US, people started telling me that I was a founder. Met a lot of guys with ideas that were looking to raise millions, and they were all founders. I decided to look for a meaning of founder in the startup scene and came up with: "A founder is a person who comes up with an idea (hopefully a profitable idea) and then transforms it into a new business or startup." 90% of the people I met, qualify at the idea part; the profitable angle, quite a different story. From my limited experience in the US startup scene, I've noticed that profitability is not a priority of a lot of founders, but being a founder is; the way they want to grow their company is by raising the next round, and just pumping the valuation of their business. That's ok for some businesses, but I'd like to challenge the status quo. What if we all decided to see profitability as something important and aim towards it sooner than later, and just make a business that runs by itself. I understand that there are highly capital intensive businesses that don't quite fit the rule, but let's be honest, most of the companies being started out there are not those type of businesses. Back in Panama it's simple. If your company doesn't make money, you will shut down. In the US, it used to be if your company doesn't make money, someone will give you more money. This has been changing and it took a lot of companies by surprise, because they got used to depending on getting more money to save them when needed. Either you call yourself a founder or not, just remember that it's not a status symbol. It's a responsibility. If you decide to launch a business, hire people, raise money, etc., you are responsible for all of that. Every employee is a human being with family and responsibilities too. The money you got from an investor, was money that someone that to produce and now is trusting it to you. Honor the trust your team, investors, customers and all around you are giving, and make something out of it. As Tony Robbins say, where focus goes, energy flows. So how about we all start to focus on making good companies that are profitable and that are able to provide jobs and value to the marketplace.  

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It's not the first time I've joined a Techstars demo day. It was great again! But once you see it, you can't unsee it: no seasoned founders in these pitches. We need more age diversity, Techstars! #techstars #multigenerational #startups #agediversity #longevity

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Are you looking for quality without breaking the bank? Imagine a lifeline that doesn't just save you money, but turbocharges your startup with a rush of efficiency and quality. 🌎 Welcome to the world of #Nearshoring. Picture this: You're a startup in Denver, your development team is in Mexico. Same time zone No more pesky late-night phone calls Or Waiting for what seems like an eternity for email replies. That's the power of Nearshoring. But there's more than just time compatibility. You're diving into a fresh talent pool, slashing operational costs, and aligning cultures. You're turning traditional challenges into strategic advantages. Don't mistake nearshoring for another outsourcing buzzword. It’s the strategic partner your startup has been hunting for. It’s the key to assembling a global team that breathes and works together in real-time. It’s the weapon that will keep your startup a step ahead in the ruthless battleground of today's market. In the high-stakes race against time and competition, nearshoring is your startup's secret weapon. Ready to unlock its potential? #QualityAffordably #EfficiencyBoost #NearshoringAdvantages #GlobalTeam #StrategicPartnership #StartupSuccess #RealTimeCollaboration #SkilldLabs

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I'm excited to reshare this timeless episode of #Supermanagers featuring David O. Sacks, a member of the PayPal Mafia, founder of Yammer, Inc., and General Partner at Craft Ventures. David offers invaluable advice for CEOs, managers, founders, and anyone looking to elevate their organization. In this episode, David dives into:  - Introverted leadership - Managing hyper-growth - Knowing when to throw out processes  - And so much more. Don't miss out on his unique perspective and leadership journey. Tune in to learn from one of the best in the business! 🎧 Link in comments 👇

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ICYMI, we are in Techstars! This Techstars Workforce Development Accelerator is amazing to work in, not just because it's Techstars but also because of its deep focus on helping people develop at work. So, it's completely aligned. The other 11 companies are amazing peers to work alongside—if you look at my most recent Humanity Working newsletter, you will find a description of all of them. #futureofwork #workforcedevelopment #techstars

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“Why can’t we get these people to think more like an owner?” I’ve heard a lot of founders, investors, owners, and advisors say this. It leads to things like “Ownership Thinking” in the company Core Values. Sometimes I feel like Inigo Montoya responding to Vizzini in The Princess Bride movie: “You keep on saying that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” 👉 They’re not thinking like owners because they are NOT actually owners. Owners? • they wake up at night in a cold sweat because they know the numbers. Payroll. Float. Runway. Churn…. • they wake up at night ramped up because they’ve made a game changing, market leading connection that’s not obvious to anybody else. Employees? They wake up worried about different things. Nothing wrong with that. They’re just not motivated the same way because the reward goes to the owner. And.... few people have the risk tolerance that founders and owners have (capital calls, anyone?) The truth is that it *would* be fantastic if everyone in the business thought like an owner. In the course of your company’s life, there’s a good chance you’ll find one or two employees who really and truly get it. Who will, like you, wake up in the same cold sweat or with the same game-changing excitement. When you find these people, don’t doubt their sincerity. And *definitely* don’t let yourself feel threatened. It’s not a competition. If they want it, figure out how to help them get onto a path of meaningful ownership. Educate them on what it means. Be as creative about how you introduce them to the ownership experience as you were about getting into the business in the first place. Make a big deal out of it - publicly within your team. It’s worth celebrating these really unique people. This only happens by leading, mentoring, and taking smart, calculated, “out on the limb” actions that help someone change their trajectory from employee to owner. And, through the brilliance of reframing from “why don’t they” to “why don’t I”, you’ll actually start seeing more people think (and act) like owners. This photo from Tierra Mallorca (via unsplash) might help - can you imagine giving the keys to the business to someone else? If not, could that be a signal that ownership thinking within your team is limited by the person who holds the keys?

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Warning: rant incoming. (Look away if you don’t care about being spammed by salespeople who have not done their homework.)   Also, a special plea to all the salespeople (hope you’re reading this).   When I started my company last year, I had to place a notice in the classified section of two print papers to announce my business. Print ads! A bit ironic since my biz is SaaS. (I know! So arcane. Tip for entrepreneurs-in-waiting: it’s required for NY incorporation.)   It was my first public announcement. Immediately I started to get random sales calls—phone, emails, LinkedIn messages—for various services. The pitches were either generic, or completely missed the mark. Mind you, my website was up, my LinkedIn is open. They could’ve read up on me easily. But clearly didn’t.   I think what I’m doing is fairly clear (please tell me if I could be clearer!). So, a little effort could’ve saved me and the salespeople time and annoyance (not to mention the time I’ve spent writing this rant).   The other irony is that spamming is the antithesis of the whole premise of my company, ImpactPro Tech, which is:   Get to know your prospects and tailor your outreach based on their profiles before you reach out. Especially with major donors, but any donor really. The data exists to enable this. (Message me if you want to know more!)   Now, a brief sub-rant on AI. With all the GenAI tools out there, I see why people like using them. Makes it more efficient to generate content. But, please (!!), don’t rely on these solely. It’s so obvious they’re AI-generated. Do some human personalization. These generic correspondences won’t win me over. Get to know me first (see above).   I would’ve thought this was all obvious, but it’s not.   In fact, I just learned from Sharon Gillenwater’s new book “Scaling with Soul” that this is a relatively new concept even in the biggest enterprise sales companies. She built a whole business around this and convinced the smartest ones. But, apparently, many companies have still not learned.   Interestingly, nonprofits have been ahead of the curve all along. They’ve long had teams of prospect researchers and smart Development Directors doing the hard work of slogging through data, because they know it matters. (Shameless, but relevant, self-plug: call me if you’re one of the sloggers, ImpactPro Tech can save you slogging time so you can get on with meeting with the right donors faster!)   So, to all the smart fundraisers and salespeople out there, congrats on being on the leading edge.   To the rest, learn from them.   Rant over. Thanks! And, for any entrepreneur out there, check out Sharon's book. https://lnkd.in/eZ_J47Q2

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Harsh truth: Many founders struggle with building successful teams and scalable operations. As the former President & COO at Fernish, I led the company through its acquisition by Vesta/Showroom. I'm getting a lot of DMs from founders seeking guidance on team building and operational efficiency. So, I've opened up 5 exclusive 1:1 mentorship slots on @Intro. What can we cover together? ✔️ Leadership and team building ✔️ Streamlining business operations ✔️ Effective go-to-market strategies ✔️ Driving revenue growth ✔️ Optimizing logistics and supply chain management ✔️ GTM strategies Honored to be on Intro alongside world-class experts like Manjot Pahwa (former CEO of Stripe, India. VP at Lightspeed), Shankar Kumar (Global Exec, led $1B Business Turnaround at Caterpillar) & Morgan Polotan (Partner at Monashee Investments ($3B hedge fund). Ex: Comcast Ventures). Comment “interested” and secure your spot now: intro.co/kristintoth

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Successful startup founders are not unique. They aren’t smarter than you. They aren’t more talented than you. They aren’t more qualified than you. But what they are is more dedicated, driven and deluded enough to make it happen Mark Cuban didn’t take a vacation for SEVEN years after starting his first business Gary Vaynerchuck says new founders need to work at least 18 hours a day in the first year (I can vouch for this!) It's your mindset and your attitude that build a startup. Or would you argue otherwise? #GrowthMindset #Founders #Startups

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Unifire.ai Transform your content into 30+ formats in minutes with this AI content repurposing platform

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Founders, if you are not getting sales traction needed for growth and fund raising because you are avoiding basic sales activities we are here to move comfort zones. I am the former VP of Sales at Techstars. At Besingular.co we have designed a foundational beliefs based sales accelerator experience to help Startups to get sales traction. Our experience working with tenacious founders results in our thinking and acting as Founders. Here are our brand promises. 1. We will challenge, disrupt and questions all your beliefs around selling. 2. We move comfort zones. 3. You will improve one new belief at a time. 4. We will identify and amplify your Singularity. Join our 5 week sales accelerator cohort and de-risk the sales process with us. We are looking for 8 dedicated Founders only. Sign up at www.besingular.co

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Ok, Let’s jump into it. It’s time for another pricing page breakdown. I know, I know, it’s been awhile. I’ve been heads down building Artisan Strategies. Helping our companies launch, monetize, and put up some of their best months. Enough of that though - let’s jump into the good stuff. What company are we looking at today? Gitlab Jason Lemkin recently called them out on Twitter. They’re doing $700M in ARR Growing at over 30% And only worth about $7B (10x ARR) I think we’d all love to get to that level of ARR + growth rate, and let the market multiples make their way back up. So, they must be doing something right - let’s dig in. First Remember what a pricing page needs to do Convince people to register for your product. You need to get users into your product. If you do that, you can sell them later (even a few minutes later!) If you don’t, you need to reacquire them all over again. Anchor them to the right prices Whenver they are ready to pay (including now!) they need to understand roughly what they’ll be paying and why. It won’t help you convert users if you surprise them with the price. We’ve all been there and it sucks! Nearly always, we just leave. Address their questions - spatially This is always the hardest to pull off. Every type of user visits your pricing page, and each person has a different agenda, expectation, need, etc. So you need to bring the right information up to the right person, without overwhelming everyone else with pointless information. So how does Gitlab do? Honestly... incredible. This is one of my favorite pricing pages that I’ve seen in awhile. It’s very clear which plan is better. You get a rough feel of exactly where to go. Just getting started -> Choose free. Small business -> Premium Anything bigger -> Ultimate They’ve used a ton of subtle wording cues to guide you along too. “We host, no technical setup required.” - they’ve instantly told you whether you should choose something other than GitLab.com. If that resonates with you, you just move forward onto pricing. Anchor them to the right price They’ve keep their price simple too. Free, $29/mo, or a lot more. You know if you start on free, exactly where you’ll go if you upgrade, and you probably have some idea of what you’ll end up paying on Ultimate. Where could they do better? They have two surprise levels!! Plus 3 other add-ons. This feels more like someone across the org wanted to make sure these “add-ons” were included. I don’t think they’re adding any actual value. In fact, two of them have a “how to buy….” link and one “coming soon” instead of a way to purchase them directly. Want more of these? Drop a comment below with what company you'd like to see next.

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Poppie asks an interesting question. The question is one many business people ask as they see their calendars fill and want to improve their work-life balance while improving income. I preface my thoughts by saying that it is difficult to scale on your own and I use a team of VAs to help with this and deliver customer service. I ask this question of the people offering these courses. "If you have made so much money from your skills why do you bother to run or set up courses?" 99% never answer well I only asked 20 of them. Yes, it was a small sample. They promise passive income. This is an oxymoron. After all even investment income requires a degree of input to get a good return. At Web8 we have two forms of revenue stream one is the "One Off" Type work mainly building websites and ad-hoc client requests. The second is from subscription to our services, Services like SEO, Email Marketing, Ad Words, and Sales Genie. This income requires providing value-added services or products in return for money. The next question is how..do we generate this income? We have several funnels all of which require active input from our team. This is in the order of the highest to lowest in terms of ROI 1) Email Marketing: We automate a large part of this, we use automation to personalise the content we send. I personally write our content. So not as polished as our copywriting team can deliver, they cringe at some of my grammar and are grateful I am more careful with spelling. 2) "White Page" work for others in associated industries. Graphic designers and copywriters are examples of those who want to have additional revenue streams from their clients. We provide them with access to our services to offer their clients. 3) Referrals: Not the most reliable, but relatively low cost. We offer incentives and use email marketing to send regular "begging" notes for more referrals. 4) PPC: We turn this on and off as we need. Expensive and not reliable, huge competition

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🎙️🎉 **New Episode Alert**: The Pair Program Ep. 44 - "Overcoming the Valley of Death: Startup Solutions in Government Tech" is now live! 🚀   Join us for an insightful exploration into the intricate landscape of government technology modernization, as we delve into the daunting valley of death faced by startups in the defense sector.   Our guests, Warren Katz and Col Aneel Alvares, bring unparalleled expertise and firsthand experience in overcoming the regulatory, bureaucratic, and scalability hurdles that often impede innovation in government operations.   Here are some episode highlights: 1. 🎯 **Federal Acquisition System's Complexity**: Aneel Alvarez criticizes the federal acquisition system's complexity, advocating for 'Other Transactions' as a streamlined, risk-adjusted alternative to cumbersome traditional procurement processes. 2. 💵 **SBIR Program and its Impact**: Warren Katz praises the SBIR program for acting like seed-stage venture capital, providing non-dilutive grants to foster significant technological innovations without early equity loss. 3. ⚖️ **Challenges with Transitioning Innovations**: Both speakers highlight the 'valley of death' in transitioning SBIR-funded innovations to scalable government solutions, hindered by bureaucratic challenges and systemic inertia. 4. 🛠️ **Need for Legislative and Procedural Reform**: Warren Katz discusses ongoing legislative efforts aimed at streamlining the transition from technology prototypes to full-scale government production and integration. 5. 🔍 **Strategic Approaches to Innovation and Procurement**: The speakers suggest strategic reform in government procurement, like the 'Swiss cheese model,' to expedite and enhance the process by aligning procurement officers' incentives with efficient acquisition outcomes.   Feeling inspired? Dive into this important discussion to discover how startups can bridge the gap and foster significant change in government tech. 🔗 [Full Links to the podcast in the comments 👇]

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**PODCAST SHOW INTERVIEW WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR IS NOW ON YOUTUBE: 6-23-2024. Startup/Marketing expert and Bestselling Author Dr. D. Anthony Miles was a guest on “From Startup To Wunder Brand Show” with host Nicholas Kuhne. He was on the show to discuss his bestselling book, “How To Get Away With Murder in Marketing: Forensic Marketing.” In this interview Dr. Miles discusses the basis for his book, forensic marketing. He discusses impetus for his book he discusses: • Five types of marketing evidence categories; 
• Different types of forensic marketing investigations; 
• Four types of forensic investigation of marketing financial statements; 
• Ways to conduct an audit and minimize blind spots in an investigation. Dr. Miles talked about becoming a forensic marketing expert and the tools needed to become one. He also discussed his 13 years of experience in the retailing industry and how it was an inspiration to write this book. Dont miss this interview! Link:

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Someone broke down the estimated costs of a $15 Sweetgreen salad. We need these cost graphics for digital health to help future founders. Especially for tech enabled cos, the greatest cost is labor. Much of the "value created" is in curation and matching, which means the gross margins are reliant on labor arbitrage. Pay someone $X, but get paid $X+Y% per visit. The challenge with healthcare is that you often have to pick one of two business models: 1. specialized, low volume, high cost, low gross margin % 2. generalized, high volume, low cost, high gross margin % I'd argue founders should focus on gross dollars over the lifetime of the customer (like Jeff Bezos said) instead of gross margin %'s, but we'll leave that for another time. The challenge is that many tech enabled digital health cos have high cost of goods sold (labor) and moderately high product, design, and engineering budgets. We must build differentiated solutions for patients, clinicians, and clients to be out incumbents, however, we're realizing that companies are ultimately valued on the discounted value of future cash flows. And the high SG&A costs at most organizations might be inbalanced to the unit economics of the business. I'm not sure the math pencils out for everyone unfortunately. But I'm just a guy on the internet, would love to hear the thoughts from those smarter than I (you!). Comment below. --- p.s. I have no idea the accuracy of the graphic and not an investor in Sweetgreen. Cheers. Credit: David Crowther

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