The latest installment of the Foundr podcast is a landmark—our 300th episode! So to mark the occasion, we’ve got something a little different for you today.

Daniel DiPiazza, the founder of Rich20Something, was on the cover of Foundr Magazine last year, and today, he returns to Foundr to “reverse interview” our own CEO, Nathan Chan, ahead of the relaunch of Foundr’s beloved Instagram Domination course.

Together, Nathan and Daniel share the details of how they each found success on Instagram for their respective brands. They also explore Instagram’s algorithms, how it compares to other social media platforms, and the right way to use this powerful tool during the Covid-19 pandemic. Plus, they swap stories about their friendly competition, their time in the “Motivation Mafia,” and more!

If you want to learn more about our remastered Instagram Domination course when it launches, sign up for the Free VIP waitlist here (Get a FREE Lesson!).

Key Takeaways

• The reason for this special “reverse interview”
• How Nathan and Daniel got started on Instagram and are still finding success with the platform today
• Why Instagram is the most powerful tool for both personal branding and ecommerce
• A glimpse into Instagram’s algorithms and metrics
• Why Instagram needs to be about more than just follower numbers
• How Instagram can be a powerful tool through the current pandemic
• A throwback story about the “Motivation Mafia”
• Why Nathan would still pick Instagram as his platform of choice if he were to start a new company today
• A comparison of Instagram vs. YouTube
• How Daniel’s Instagram account helped him seal a six-figure book deal
• The question that stumped Nathan (and why he prefers to focus on the present)
• Why Daniel owes Nathan a trip to San Sebastián

Dylan Mullan took an extremely unconventional path to entrepreneurship.

While he was in school, Mullan was convinced he wanted to be a lawyer, until he started taking classes at university and realized that he hated them. After that, he spontaneously took an acting course and spent almost five years as an actor. It was eventually a desire to have more control over his life that led him and his business partner to launch Happy Skin Co together.

Through a mixture of hard work, strategic decisions, and a deep investment in understanding their target customer, Mullan managed to grow his at-home hair removal business from $0 to $20 million in just two years.

In this interview, Mullan maps out exactly what this path to explosive growth looked like. He breaks down his approach to everything from market research to Facebook ads and explains why mindset is ultimately an entrepreneur’s most valuable tool.

If there’s any other type of content you’d like to see that would be valuable to you during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out at support@foundr.com to let us know.

Key Takeaways

• The path from aspiring lawyer to aspiring actor, and how Mullan eventually wound up in the world of entrepreneurship
• A look into Happy Skin Co’s early days, from long nights of planning to packaging products in Mullan’s living room with friends and family
• The turning points that catapulted the company from $0 to $20 million in 2 years
• How Mullan approached market research and influencer marketing in the early days
• What the impact of Covid-19 has looked like for Mullan and his team, and the new opportunities it has opened up
• Mullan’s best advice when it comes to creating profitable Facebook ads
• An overview of the Happy Skin Co product development process and a sneak peek into what’s next
• How to deal with industry copycats
• Why Mullan is a huge advocate for visualization and believing in yourself

Josh Snow always finds ways to thrive in difficult situations.

Growing up, his family didn’t have a lot of money, and he wanted to help them cover basic expenses. So Snow taught himself how to create websites at his local library, which is how he stumbled into entrepreneurship. He eventually took that knowledge and built a software company from the ground up, which he sold by the age of 21.

Now Snow runs multiple successful businesses—with the most prominent one being his nine-figure teeth whitening business, Snow.

And he’s still finding ways to overcome adversity. Just as most businesses have been impacted by COVID-19, Snow also took a huge hit in terms of sales, with its conversion rates cut in half when the pandemic first emerged. However, by making fast, strategic changes, Snow got his company through the temporary setback and is today seeing higher-than-average sales on its site.

In this interview, Snow shares exactly how he made the necessary changes to his business. He also provides advice to other online businesses on how to get through this time by adjusting everything from your subscription model to your approach to influencer relations strategy.

If there’s any other type of content you’d like to see that would be valuable to you during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out at support@foundr.com to let us know.

Key Takeaways

• How Snow stumbled into entrepreneurship through necessity
• The journey to selling his first software company at the age of 21
• Why Snow believes adversity gives you the opportunity to pause and reprioritize
• The inspiration behind Snow, and how it grew to be a nine-figure business
• How the company has been affected by COVID-19, and the changes Snow made to help his business bounce back and make more sales than before the pandemic
• Snow’s recommendations on how to adjust your subscription products, influencer relations, and paid ads strategy during this time
• The importance of evolving and meeting your customer where they’re at
• Why Snow believes you have to be an “everything” person if you want a successful business
• Advice on using Shopify vs. funnels
• The choice between hunting rabbits vs. elephants (metaphorically)

Steve Blank is a legend in Silicon Valley. In addition to launching eight startups in 21 years, he’s also a well-known author and educator at Stanford University, Columbia University, and the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Having worked in the realm of entrepreneurship for so long, Blank has survived some of the worst recessions in U.S. history and has first-hand experience of what it’s like to keep your business afloat under high-pressure circumstances—knowledge that’s directly applicable to the COVID-19 global health crisis.

In this interview, Blank shares his three-step process for what every business needs to do right now to survive the pandemic. He breaks down everything from calculating your burn rate to reassessing the way you work with your team. Blank also shares his own personal experiences with the 2008 recession and dot-com bubble.

If there’s any other type of content you’d like to see that would be valuable to you during this time, please don’t hesitate to reach out at support@foundr.com to let us know.

Key Takeaways

• Why Blank believes today’s entrepreneurs should listen to the advice of seasoned founders
• The three-step process Blank recommends to understand where your business is headed, from calculating finances to reassessing business models
• The biggest lessons Blank learned during the 2008 recession and dot-com bubble
• Why Blank believes in planning for the morning after
• The importance of high-level execution during times like today
• How to think about recalibrating in terms of retaining staff and hiring
• The importance of setting expectations—whether in your marketing or management
• Why this pandemic could be an opportunity to re-evaluate how you want to spend your life