Bert Waugh rose from door-knocking real-estate agent during double-digit interest rates to owner of a firm later acquired by Berkshire Hathaway. Guided by faith, he founded Transitional Youth to break the cycles of homelessness through family-style homes, counseling, and the Breaking Cycles coffee and bike shops that restore dignity and purpose. His life’s work proves that love, structure, and opportunity determine a person’s future, not circumstance.

Show Notes & Links:

https://parisvega.com/62-bert-waugh-transitional-youth-braking-cycles/

Richard White, CEO of Fathom, shares his strategy for acquiring first customers. He believes in giving away something for free to build trust and create word-of-mouth virality. He emphasizes the importance of focusing on building a sticky product that users love before worrying about monetization.

Liz Parker, Founder of LT Results, just released a new book called “Who’s Leading Your Business?”. Twenty-four years ago she quit her successful international sales training job at DHL in Hong Kong to start a strategic planning company from scratch. On this episode, Liz tells us the story of those first moments starting her business on the other side of the world and the tactics she's used to get customers again and again.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/liz-parker-lt-results/

Esteban Dalel, CTO/Co-Founder of Watermelon Tools, raised $250k before getting their first customer and now has over 4,000 users. Get insight into how a scrappy team of two programmers got their first investors, users, and how they plan to get their first paying customers.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/esteban-dalel-watermelon-tools/

Tyler Robertson, Founder/CEO of Diesel Laptops, quit his six figure job in the truck service business and scaled his part time gig into a $100 million business. This is a great story about slow and steady growth, taking smart risks, and obsessing over solving your customers' problems. Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/tyler-robertson-diesel-laptops/

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/58-dan-french-atx-acquisitions/

Dan French, CEO of ATX Acquisitions, shares his journey in real estate investing and the challenges he faced along the way. He discusses the importance of finding customers and vendors, the differences between active and passive investments, and the lessons learned from his early deals. French also talks about the benefits of forming a long-term partnership and balancing real estate with other passions.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/57-pete-grett-blackrock-group/

Pete Grett, founder and CEO of the BlackRock Group, shares his experience of acquiring his first customers in the supply chain logistics industry.

He emphasizes the importance of nurturing relationships and leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn to stay connected with potential customers. Pete also discusses his content marketing strategy, which involves using AI tools to create and distribute engaging content.

He highlights the significance of balancing digital scalability with personal human interaction in service-based businesses. Pete recommends books for entrepreneurs.

Show Notes & Links: https://parisvega.com/56-jeremy-parker-swag-space/

Discover how Jeremy’s innovative approach to customer acquisition and branding propelled Swag.com to become the fastest-growing company in its sector, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Custom Ink.

Now at the helm of Swag Space, Jeremy shares invaluable insights into starting from the top, the importance of focusing on unscalable things in the early stages, and why understanding your customer can make or break your business.