That Will Never Work – Details, episodes & analysis

This week’s guest Pat’s business centers on one of the most hyped and controversial investment forms ever – crypto currency.  His company The Giving Block is at the forefront of crypto-philanthropy, bringing a new generation of investors together with non-profits.

Despite market turbulences this is one hot sector and his team has ballooned from 5 to 100 strong.  But the speed of success comes with its own hurdles - how do you sculpt company culture and your hiring strategy when you’re growing at this pace? 

This is undoubtedly one of Marc’s favorite topics to explore… so listen in for valuable tips on how to approach the growing pains that come with scaling fast.

Want a deeper dive into these topics?  The paperback edition of Marc’s international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

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Many great entrepreneurial ideas were spawned in response to the pandemic.  For this week’s guest Kyle it all began with him wondering how he could recreate the in-person feeling of reading bedtime stories to his child in Canada when he was stuck in Texas while the borders were shut.  He also worried about how he could stop kids like his from falling behind.  His solution is the Edsoma app. 

So far everyone loves it – Shaquile O’Neill even just joined his advisory board!  But he is struggling to translate enthusiastic investor meetings into cash commitments.  Is it just because he’s pre-revenue or does he need to dig into other areas?

Listen in for an episode packed with actionable tips for jumping those funding meeting hurdles…

Want a deeper dive into these topics?  The paperback edition of Marc’s international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

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Ben is stuck.  He’s the founder of outdoor pop-up concept WEDriveIns, which repurposes disused urban parking lots as drive-in movie theaters. City officials have been gratifyingly swift to support the project which provides Covid safe entertainment and brings customers to shopping areas.  It all looks so promising… So why can’t Ben scale?

Well, he needs the permission of the movie studios to use the technology to get him there.  And, they ain’t budging.

This mindset reminds Marc of the early Netflix days and so he calls on the expertise of his “jungle guide” Mitch Lowe who not only helped overcome similar issues as co-founding executive of Netflix but went on to disrupt the industry as CEO of MoviePass and President of Redbox.    Can Marc and Mitch help Ben break through the analogue approach?

Listen in to find out…

Like the topics on today’s show? Why not take a deeper dive!

Mitch’s book Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass is out September 6th. Pre-orders: https://www.hachettebooks.com/titles/mitch-lowe/watch-and-learn/9780306827266/

The paperback edition of Marc’s international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

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Matt has an intriguing question - can a founder work just six months of the year and still have a successful business? Frightmare - his UK based scare attraction - turns a great profit every year.   But while the event itself is seasonal, he’s realized that to be a success the business needs backroom staff year round.  But he’d rather spend the off season in his camper, driving between the ski resorts of Europe.  Can a work-life balance really extend to taking 6 full months of Van Life at a time?   Or is it just a company culture disaster waiting to happen?

Listen in as Marc helps explore whether it's possible to have it all...

Like the topics on today’s show? Why not take a deeper dive! The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

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Krystina decided to take the leap and try to make her home- bakery business her full time gig just before the pandemic hit. 

While most people would have hit pause, she instead reimagined her offering and The Messy Cookie home kit was born.  Big names like Wayfair and Ebay jumped on board for her delicious virtual team-building escape.  But while she’s been able to get in the virtual door once, she’s struggled to get repeat business from the big companies for her cookie decorating parties.  What’s holding her back?

Listen in for a masterclass in how to convert your business from a product into a brand.

Like the topics on today’s show? Why not take a deeper dive! The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

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Some industries don’t want to be disrupted, but that doesn’t mean you should step back from the fight!  This week’s guest Alex Koefman knows he has a solution that surgeons like him all over the world need – but he needs to form partnerships with medical device companies in order for his SurgeryTV app to be successful.   The trouble is, they just aren’t biting.

The current system of creating an archive of videos involves a wearying series of steps including thumb drives, home downloads and expertise with editing software… but he has a way to do it with just a few clicks on your phone.

It’s such a clear solve to a problem - why is this neurosurgeon getting ignored?

Listen in for a masterclass in how to approach - and convince – reluctant potential partner companies to engage.

Like the topics on today’s show? Why not take a deeper dive! The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/

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When bars and pubs across the world closed during the pandemic, so did their game nights… For this week’s guest Mark Walsh it was a heart-stopping moment as British pub quizzes were his business.

 He immediately set to work reimagining this unique style of trivia entertainment for remote times by creating his Kwizzbit app.   

 The growth has been so fast that his lean team has been working to redevelop the platform to be able to host up to 100,000 players at a time.

 But Mark’s been struggling to meet the demands on his time.  Can he scale himself? And how should he approach scaling his team?

 Listen in for tips on growing your business as it begins to move past its fledgling stage and the metrics for making the tough decisions that come with success.

 Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/

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There are few industries more resistant to disruption than education… But despite the odds, this week’s guest Benny Boas seems to be making some headway.   

He’s the founder of Upright Education, a bootcamp-style program aimed at helping adult learners rapidly re-skill in tech. The course is intended to be white-labeled at colleges. But while the program runs at a fast pace, the company’s growth isn’t… The market changes so fast, shouldn’t it be self-evident to higher education institutions that the workforce needs to be able to re-skill just as fast?

What could he be doing better to try to get colleges and learners on board? 

Dive into this episode to hear actionable tips for sales and marketing strategies that will help you tackle even the most resistant of industries. 

 Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

Want to be a guest on the show? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/

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City red tape seems so baked into American life, that it stopped being a problem people even bothered trying to solve. But when Covid hit, it forced the opportunity for change. Businesses – especially restaurants - faced fast changing regulations and had to be able to get the new permits they needed to operate at speed, or face going under. No business, means no city tax and the city itself facing a funding shortfall.

This presented the opening for this week’s guest Catherine Geanuracos to move forward her Los Angeles based company CityGrows, which streamlines the permitting process.

This no-code, low-cost, subscription-based site requires little to no training, doing away with reams of paper and clunky, time consuming waits at the counter.

So surely cities everywhere should be racing to sign up? 

Well… that next part is tricky… Listen in as Marc helps Catherine figure out how her red-tape cutting business can cut through the red tape itself.

Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/

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Where to put the mountains of trash humans create is a problem that only seems to keep growing. Recycling is one part of solving the problem… the other is having consumer products last longer so we don’t create as much garbage to begin with.  That’s the thinking of this week’s guest Chris Burrage, founder of San Francisco based Proclamation Goods.  

With some savvy social media, the company’s core product – an ultra durable three-piece pan set – is becoming a sensation with the slow food set.  Its no-nonsense anti-coating, American-made vibe has led to design awards, a deal with Williams Sonoma and features in Food & Wine Magazine. 

But as the company moves out of boot-strap mode, Chris is still trying to figure out some management 101 - early team development and when and how to hire.  And delegation shouldn’t feel like a full time job in itself... right?

Listen in for some savvy advice on actioning a hiring strategy that will help any CEO grow.  

Why not take a deeper dive? The paperback edition of international best-seller That Will Never Work is out now in all good bookstores and online: www.amazon.com/That-Will-Never-Work-Netflix/dp/0316530182

Want to be a guest? Head to marcrandolph.com/guest to apply.  While you’re there, sign up for Marc’s newsletter: marcrandolph.com/newsletter/

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