The Dirt
May 25, 2023
64. Adapt & Conquer: 3 Ways to Thrive in a Declining Industry (Solocast)
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If you're feeling powerless and frustrated as you keep investing time and money into your company, only to see diminishing returns and waning interest from prospects, you are not alone!
In this solocast, Jim Barnish offers insights and strategies for thriving in declining industries. Jim focuses on three key strategies, which, if executed correctly, will boost business growth and enterprise value. Hear the transformation stories of Netflix, Adobe and Domino's (didn’t think they were a tech company, did you?) in this episode.
Some of what we’ll get into:
- How to transform your business model to thrive in the rapidly changing landscape
- Embracing new technology in order to enhance your business relevance and value
- Broadening your horizons by tapping into adjacent markets
If you love what you are getting out of our show please SUBSCRIBE.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
More episodes from The Dirt
4 days ago
86. Overcoming Betrayal & Financial Setbacks: Sarah Jenkins' Resilient Path to Success
Sarah Jenkins runs several software and real estate companies, including Genesis Digital. Homeschooled as a kid and an entrepreneur since she was 15, Sarah epitomizes the I-can-figure-out-pretty-much-anything approach.
Join Jim and Sarah on this roller coaster of a conversation as they connect the dots between business success and personal challenges, such as Sarah escaping a cult, bouncing back after a partner stole from her business, and dealing with family trauma.
3 Key Takeaways
* Compartmentalization for Work-Life Balance: Learn to compartmentalize your role and responsibilities, both in professional and personal life. This strategy helps maintain a balance, ensures you can provide adequate support for your partners (both business and personal), and can be particularly beneficial when working with family, especially a spouse. This approach has helped Sarah to focus on different roles without them conflicting with each other, reducing stress and improving productivity.
* Innovation Starts with Listening: And who better to guide your company's future than your loyal customers? Sarah regularly asks her audience, “What should we do next?” And her audience tells her what they need. Remember, you don’t have to figure everything out on my own.
* Digital Detox. Going Analog: Invest at least an hour every week with your computer and phone off, and embrace the timeless practice of jotting down ideas with pen and paper. Disconnecting from the constant digital chatter allows for uninterrupted, deep thinking and fosters creativity.
Resources
Connect with Sarah Jenkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jenkins-763469123/
Learn about Sarah’s company, Genesis Digital: https://www.genesisdigital.co/
Learn about Genesis Digital’s all-in-one sales and marketing solution, Karta: https://home.kartra.com/
Listen to Sarah’s Paid To Create podcast: https://www.paidtocreatepodcast.com/
About Our Guest
Sarah Jenkins, a Michigan born homeschooled mom of five, boasts over a decade of experience in a variety of business niches, including the fitness industry, information products, and software as a service. Emerging in her early twenties with a #1 health website, she’s now considered a leader in self-funded business growth.
As Genesis Digital’s co-founder, CEO, and leading beacon, she is directly involved with the daily operations, finance, and management of 160 remote staff. Genesis Digital owns and manages Kartra, an all-in-one sales, marketing, and ecommerce solution that runs 100's of millions of dollars in sales for tens of thousands of clients since Sarah took over Genesis Digital after the passing of her husband Andy Jenkins.
Sarah is also co-host of the Paid To Create podcast.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here:
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Sep 12, 2023
85. Meet the Cofounder of Kyte, the Company Disrupting the Car Rental Industry - with Francesco Wiedemann
Francesco Wiedemann is Co-Founder of Kyte, a door-to-door, app-based car rental delivery company that ambitiously intends to become the largest fleet operator on the planet with 10 million trips per month by 2030.
Join Jim and Francesco as they how Francesco went from winning entrepreneurial pitch contests at Harvard and MIT to co-creating a rental car startup that has raised $300 million to date.
3 Key Takeaways
* Identifying Market Gaps: Francesco and his co-founders realized there was a gap in the mobility market for travel longer than an Uber ride but shorter than requiring a long-term car lease. This led them to create Kyte, a service that fills this gap. For entrepreneurs, the lesson is clear: look for areas where existing solutions are lacking or incomplete and aim to fill that void with a better offering.
* Finding the Right Pricing Strategy: Francesco discussed how they initially underestimated the complexity of pricing in their market. Over time, they invested in developing a pricing engine to optimize their offerings. Pricing is often an overlooked aspect of business strategy, but it's crucial for competitiveness and profitability. Entrepreneurs should continuously evaluate and reevaluate their pricing strategy to meet market demands and operational costs.
* Help Investors See Your Vision: Kyte secured a credit line from Goldman Sachs despite being a small operation at the time. This was possible because they could convey the potential of their business model and its scalability to investors. Entrepreneurs should focus not just on what their company is now, but also on what it could become, especially when pitching to investors or financial partners.
Use Kyte’s promotion code for $20 off
On Ktye’s website or in the Kyte app, at checkout use “THEDIRT20” promo code to get a $20 discount on your purchase.
Resources
Learn about how Kyte delivers cars on demand, for any trip longer than a rideshare: https://kyte.com/
Francesco Wiedemann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescowiedemann/
Stratechery by Ben Thompson is the podcast Francesco recommends to The Dirt listeners: https://stratechery.com/
About Our Guest
Francesco Wiedemann graduated with an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Technische Universität München and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before starting Kyte, he worked as a Product Manager for BMW Mobility Services, where he launched mobility services combining carsharing and ride hailing in the US and China. In 2019, Francesco co-founded Kyte, where he leads the company’s product vision and product strategy.
Fun fact: Years ago, Francesco broke the Guinness World Records for the longest mountain bike wheelie in one hour.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black
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Sep 5, 2023
84. Air Passenger Rights: What You Didn’t Know, with Tomasz Pawliszyn
Tomasz Pawliszyn is the brains behind AirHelp, the world’s leading legal tech company that helps air travelers get compensation or refunds for flight disruptions.
Join Jim and Tomasz as they go deep on air passenger rights during this episode.
3 Key Takeaways
* Build Healthy; Not Heavy: During Covid-19, when Tomasz’s staff headcount went from 700 to 200, he used that as an opportunity for restructuring, streamlining operations, and inviting the remaining staff into a new vision for a stronger, healthier company. Even in times of decline, you can lay the foundation for future growth.
* Embrace Hybrid Work: A lot of folks thought the future of work was remote, but that didn’t take employer preferences into account. Hybrid work models are what most companies have adopted. This flexibility to choose where and when to work while requiring some in-office time combines the best of both worlds.
* Product Diversity 🤝 Peace of Mind: When the pandemic hit, AirHelp had one product (focused on airlines that were no longer flying). Almost instantly, revenues dropped to zero. For Tomasz, product diversification wasn’t an option. It was a necessity. In your market, what if customer tastes shift — or a once-in-a-century pandemic shuts the world down? Are your offerings spread across enough product lines to stay alive when the unexpected comes knocking?
Resources
AirHelp: https://www.airhelp.com/
Tomasz Pawliszyn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomaszpawliszyn/
About Our Guest
Tomasz Pawliszyn is the CEO of AirHelp, the world's largest air-passenger rights company, and has 20 years of broad experience in leadership roles in high-growth environments. He has managed complex organizations on an executive level and driven major business transformation projects. He has extensive international expertise working with diverse cultures and has managed full P&L responsibilities as CEO, COO, and CTO as well as Managing Director and Regional Director Europe at global technology and multichannel companies.
About The Dirt Podcast
The Dirt is about getting real with businesses about the true state of their companies and going clear down to the dirt in solving their core needs as a business. Dive deep with your host Jim Barnish as we uncover The Dirt with some of the world's leading brands.
If you love what you are getting out of our show please subscribe.
For more information on how we dig into the dirt check out our other episodes here: https://www.orchid.black/podcast
About Our Company
Orchid Black is a new kind of growth services firm. We partner with tech-forward companies to build smarter, better, game-changing businesses.
Website: https://www.orchid.black
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orchidblack/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OrchidBlack
All contents of this show are rights of Orchid Black©️ and are not to be used unless authorized by written consent.
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