Seed Money (Jayla Siciliano)
Explore every episode of Seed Money
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Jul 2024 | Familiarity and Founder Fit: The New Rules of Raising Money w/ Samuel Cummings | 00:49:34 | |
The playbook of raising money that people used to rely on has changed a lot over the last few years. Now that the market is more competitive and the pace of innovation is so much faster, what worked a decade ago won’t produce the same results today.
Some of the best practices we were taught aren’t as entrepreneur-friendly as we think. A lot of founders are taught to build something massive, aim for a high valuation and raise as much money as possible, but that just might endanger the success of our exit. A lot of founders are taking an entirely different approach - choosing to stay cash flow positive, raise less capital and intentionally work within a shoestring budget.
Can a high valuation end up working against you? How do we create a great founder fit and use familiarity to get better results? Do you need to be in Silicon Valley to set your business up for success?
In this episode, I’m joined by the founder of Dataplant, Samuel Cummings. He reveals how the rules of raising money have changed, and what we should be doing right now if we want to have success.
Topics Covered; -The truth about getting that first investment -Pitching and winning a startup competition -Creating your value proposition and telling your story -The future of AI
Guest Bio
Samuel Cummings is an author, data scientist and customer success professional with a passion for driving outcomes. He is the founder of Dataplant, an automated customer management platform providing post-sales teams with the insights needed to proactively engage with each of their customers like never before. As former Head of Data Science at Gainsight, he led a global team responsible for implementing predictive analytics use-cases for Customer Success Management. Samuel uses his vast experience leveraging data to help customers make better decisions and build successful hiring programs. He is passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, data science and enterprise software. For more information, head to https://www.thedataplant.com/, watch episodes of The Scope here or connect with Samuel on LinkedIn.
Host Bio Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
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| 29 Oct 2024 | How to Build a Successful Startup Without Moving to Silicon Valley w/ Stefanie Monge | 00:38:48 | |
A couple decades ago, being a startup founder meant packing up and moving to Silicon Valley. It was the only way to easily access customers, investors and advisors. Today, you can build a business from just about anywhere without sacrificing the vital resources you need to validate your idea and get funded. As a result, many entrepreneurship communities have sprouted and developed in different cities, and that includes Nebraska! The state has become reputable in the startup space, and entrepreneurs there have made meaningful inroads and gained a ton of traction. Why has there been such an uptick in people going after entrepreneurship? What are some of the key trends emerging out of Nebraska’s entrepreneurship community? How do we build businesses that don’t set us up for burnout later? In this episode, I’m joined by startup veteran, strategist and community builder and editor at Silicon Prairie News, Stefanie Monge. She talks about Nebraska’s startup boom and why more early-stage entrepreneurs are recognizing the value of staying there. Topics Covered;
Guest Bio Stefanie Monge is the editor at Silicon Prairie News. She is an Omaha native and startup veteran, strategist and community builder whose background includes 15 years collaborating with founders and startups across the globe, 12 years working for equity and access in STEM fields, 6 years as a startup advisor and board member. Stefanie is also the founder and executive producer of international leadership development retreats and conferences, including GETconf (Gender Equity in Tech Conference), Think Start Do Women’s Entrepreneurship Series and Welcor Retreats. To learn more or work with Stefanie, connect with her on LinkedIn.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
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| 26 Nov 2024 | Startups, Sacrifice, and Salaries: Why Founders Should Pay Themselves First w/ Melissa Kwan | 00:26:41 | |
Should founders pay themselves? It’s probably the biggest debate in the startup world. Many entrepreneurs believe sacrificing and struggling is necessary to succeed; that we should put everything towards growth to our own detriment. Here’s the truth: being in survival mode isn’t the best state for a founder to be in. You can’t think, be creative or strategize effectively if you’re worried about covering your bills. In fact, not paying yourself could put you on the fast track to burnout. The good news: there is a way to build our businesses while setting ourselves up for financial security. From the idea we go after to the way we fund the business from day 1, we can succeed without sacrificing our own stability. Why is the concept of founders paying themselves so controversial? How do you build a business that feeds the life you want to have? In this episode, I’m joined by 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, and CEO of eWebinar, Melissa Kwan. We talk about why you don’t have to build a business in survival mode.
Topics Covered;
Guest Bio Melissa Kwan is a 3x bootstrapper, entrepreneur, host of the Profit Led podcast and co-founder and CEO of eWebinar. She is a digital nomad who believes in life over work, happiness over revenue, and creative work over hard work. To learn more, visit https://ewebinar.com/ and connect with Melissa on LinkedIn.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality! Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
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| 10 Sep 2024 | What Angel Groups Want In a Pitch Deck w/ Jonathan Myers | 00:40:58 | |
When entrepreneurs send a pitch deck to angel groups, they don’t realize they have a short amount of time to grab the attention of investors.
Angel groups are evaluating hundreds of pitch decks a week, so you have as little as 2 minutes to pique their interest and make them want to respond to you.
There are some things entrepreneurs do that instantly get investors to tune out, and they are super avoidable. Founders also don’t realize that these groups are also evaluating them as the face of the business. They will dig into your public profile as much as the numbers.
Well, today I’m joined by an angel group managing partner, and he shares what investors are really looking for. What are the things that will stop the investor from reading your pitch? How do you set your business up to be more appealing to angel groups?
In this episode, Seed and Series-A Stage Investor and founder of Los Angeles Venture Partners, Jonathan Myers. He shares what investors want to see before they give you any money.
Topics Covered; -What investors are truly looking for in a founder -The pros and cons of having contractors on your team -The top reasons a pitch deck grabs an investor’s attention -Easy pitch deck red flags you can avoid
Guest Bio Jonathan Myers is a Seed and Series-A Stage Investor and the founder and managing partner of Los Angeles Venture Partners. LAVP is an elite community of leaders, innovators & experts investing in high growth startups in the US. They offer educational resources, networking and curated investment opportunities to our community. To learn more, go to https://la-vp.com/, send an email to jonathan@la-vp.com or get the latest updates on LinkedIn.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
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| 28 May 2024 | Business is Equal Parts Art and Science: How to Trust Your Gut w/ Diana Wilson | 00:51:34 | |
The process of building a company, getting funded and bringing a product to market isn’t just data-driven. It’s gut-driven too. The numbers matter, but when you’re building a product without market acceptance, you have to trust your intuition and persevere when you’re told it won’t work.
In many ways, taking an entrepreneurial risk is a lot like taking a creative risk. You have a vision not many understand until you convince them. The journey can be lonely, and you’ll question yourself all the time. Considering that our guest took Ugg public and wrote a novel for the first time, she would know how similar the journeys are.
How do you keep going when you’re doing something so disruptive that no one sees the vision? What pitfalls do entrepreneurs fall into in that early funding stage? How do you learn to trust your gut?
In this episode, I’m joined by entrepreneur, leader and coach, Diana Wilson. She shares lessons from her own career journey, what it was like taking Deckers (Ugg) public and what every entrepreneur should be doing to succeed.
Guest Bio
Diana Wilson is a self-described industry agnostic, in addition to her most recent roles as CEO, Diana has held a variety of C-suite positions across a wide range of industries—from footwear to music—in roles covering all points along the strategic, financial and operational spectrum. Early career highlights include the high-intensity thrill of taking Deckers (Ugg, Hoka) public in 1993, spearheading a number of successful M & A transactions. Most recently she has completed a passion project of writing a fictional novel and launching a Substack Newsletter, Wit & Wisdom where she writes about everything from business and creativity—to health & wellness—to living a purpose-filled life. Connect with Diana on LinkedIn and subscribe to her newsletter Wit and Wisdom.
Host Bio
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank Entrepreneur, Real Estate Investor, MBA and experienced investor/founder in markets from consumer products to short-term rentals. If you like Alex Hormozi, Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas, or you follow sharks like Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner or Mark Cuban (who invested in my Shark Tank pitch) you’ll love this show! | |||
| 27 Aug 2024 | Before You Give Up On Your Entrepreneurial Dream, Do This w/ Shannah Game | 00:40:01 | |
Coming up with a brilliant business idea and sharing it with the world.
Raising money and getting investors to fund said brilliant idea.
Getting your first customers and crossing the profitability line.
These are all stops along the entrepreneurial journey. Each of them can be hard enough to make you want to throw in the towel and go back to corporate life.
Not to mention the imposter syndrome that can come with trying to start your own business. Ultimately, what will keep us going is our mindset and the relationship we have with money.
Once we get our mindset dialed in, we can push through the fear and challenges and discover what makes entrepreneurship so amazing.
What struggles do entrepreneurs face in those early stages? How do we allow ourselves to believe in a bigger money goal?
I recently sat down with leading Transformational Money Expert, Shannah Game, on her podcast, Everyone's Talkin Money.
We talk about my entrepreneurial journey, lessons I learned along the way and how to beef up your mindset for the journey of starting your own business.
Topics Covered; -Where entrepreneurs often get stuck -Some juicy details from my own entrepreneurial journey -How your relationship with money impacts your entrepreneurial journey -The importance of taking action
Guest Bio
Shannah Game is a leading Transformational Money Expert, Mindful Money Expert, Certified Financial Planner, Trauma of Money Expert, public speaker and author. Her podcast Everyone’s Talkin’ Money is dedicated to helping women (& the partners who love them) heal their relationship with money and build sustainable wealth! For more information, head to https://everyonestalkinmoney.com/.
About Your Host
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show! | |||
| 05 Nov 2024 | How to Stay Motivated in Business | 00:11:42 | |
Entrepreneurship is not easy, and even the most motivated entrepreneurs find themselves feeling uninspired from time to time. Instead of driving hard towards something, we find ourselves stuck in the mud, spinning our wheels and wondering how to get back into momentum. Whether you’re trying to raise money or you’re experiencing a lull between big projects, it’s a natural part of the journey. For a lot of entrepreneurs, these plateaus can make us question if we’re still on the right path. The good news is, it doesn’t have to come to that. There are steps we can take to deal with the ups and downs of business and get fired up again. How do we stop spinning our wheels? How do we check back in with the goal we originally set and make sure it’s still right for us? In this episode, I share 6 things I do when I start feeling unmotivated.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 23 Jul 2024 | Wired But Tired: How to Combat Burnout As An Entrepreneur w/ Christa Orecchio | 00:46:34 | |
For entrepreneurs, running fast and charging hard comes with the territory. But that could be doing nothing but running us into the ground.
A lot of the things we think are “normal” parts of building and running businesses are actually signs of burnout. So many of us are stuck in that “wired and tired” mode and we don’t even know that we’re well over the limits of our health.
We can only live in a state of chronic stress for so long before it turns into trauma and whirlpool of health issues. You can’t create something magnificent from a place of anxiety, stress and hurriedness. If we want to build sustainable business and come up with great ideas, we have to protect our flow state.
That means putting balance at the forefront of every decision we make. What are those early indicators of burnout and what small steps can we take to make things better?
In this episode, I’m joined by clinical and holistic nutritionist, entrepreneur and TV host, Christa Orecchio. She talks about steps we can take to run ourselves like fine-tuned machines.
Topics Covered -How to prevent burnout -A few easy actions to offset your body’s stress response -What burnout does to your body -Christa’s experience selling 30% of her company to a private equity firm
Guest Bio
Christa Orecchio is a clinical and holistic nutritionist, entrepreneur and TV host. She is dedicated to helping individuals use food, soil and self-awareness as medicine so that they can heal from the root cause. Since 2005, Christa’s passion has been helping people live optimally, with a focus on the role nutrition plays in overall wellbeing. In the last five years she’s truly understood how childhood trauma, limiting beliefs, unhealthy mental emotional patterning and societal conditioning can be a primary root cause for myriad of health issues (because safety starts in the nervous system) and she is grateful to have been on that path myself so that she can now support others on theirs.
Christa founded and ran The Whole Journey for 18 years which started as a private practice working with over 1000 clients, then evolved into a digital online program and supplement company for the last decade, serving over 16,000 customers to heal their gut microbiome and rejuvenate their immune system, overcome systemic candida, mold, and metals, replenish their thyroid and recode their adrenals and nervous system while creating emotional mastery.
Go to https://www.christaorecchio.com/ to learn more. Take the 3-minute TAG Disorder Assessment to find out your customized protocol here.
Host Bio
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 19 Nov 2024 | How to Get Your Product Picked Up By a Retailer | 00:44:08 | |
When you have a consumer product, getting picked up by a retailer is a HUGE win. There’s nothing better than a stack of juicy purchase orders and a stream of customers lining up to buy what you created! But here’s the challenge: there is a ton of competition for shelf space, and a lot of products clamoring for the attention of retailers. It takes a lot to get on the shelf (and stay there) but you can achieve it, even if you’re in the early stage. While the ultimate goal for most entrepreneurs is that big box national retailer, getting your product picked up can get expensive fast. Luckily, there are other channels you can use to get initial momentum, validate your product and garner some early adopters. How do you determine the right retail channel for your product? How do you build relationships with retailers and how do you pitch them? Once you get your product into a retailer how do you make sure it sells? In this episode, I share strategies for getting your product into a retailer, and the big mistakes to avoid as an early stage founder.
Topics Covered;
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 02 Jul 2024 | The Biggest Paperwork Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them w/ Darby Wong | 00:39:14 | |
When you build a business, you aren’t just creating a product, you’re also setting up a legal entity. The legal side of things can be daunting (and expensive), especially when you intend to raise capital in the near or far future.
Before you can even think of approaching investors, first-time founders have to make sure they have the legal ducks in the row, and that can be a costly exercise if done through traditional attorneys.
You could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars setting up the legal side of the business, and still get something wrong. That’s where Clerky comes in. They leverage tech to bring costs down and make the process of getting your paperwork together more efficient. You could have everything set up in as little as a week and for a fraction of the cost.
How can entrepreneurs set things up right the first time and not create issues down the line? What do you have to be thinking about if you’re planning on raising money?
How do you set up stock options that won’t disadvantage your early employees later on? In this episode, I’m joined by co-founder of Clerky, Darby Wong. He shares how their company helps early-stage entrepreneurs get the legal side of things done, common pitfalls and startup trends.
Topics Covered -The pitfalls many first-time founders and entrepreneurs end up in -How to set yourself up to raise future rounds -How to get your stock option paperwork set-up correctly -Startup trends (including one surprising one)
Guest Bio Darby Wong is the co-founder of Clerky, a platform that streamlines legal paperwork for startups through automated document generation and electronic signatures. With a background in computer science and a law degree from Harvard, Darby combined his expertise to address inefficiencies in early-stage startup legal processes. After practicing law at Orrick in Silicon Valley, he co-created Clerky to provide cost-effective legal solutions for early-stage entrepreneurs. Go to http://clerky.com/ to get started.
Host Bio
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 25 Jun 2024 | Fear is the Final Frontier: How to Move Past It w/ Aiden Chase | 00:55:08 | |
Fear is something everyone struggles with - whether you’re trying to raise seed money or (believe it or not) a billionaire who has already had success. No wonder they call fear the final frontier!
We often focus on the tangible aspects of entrepreneurship, but the mental and emotional stuff play a huge role in our success. In fact, if we don’t work on the intangibles, we reduce the effectiveness of the external tactics and strategies.
We talk about things like manifesting, trusting intuition, and increasing focus, but all of that is really hard to do when we’re afraid. How do we overcome fear and go after what we want? How do we manifest our goals? Why is joy so critical to our success as entrepreneurs? In this episode, I’m joined by "Hollywood's Healer," Aiden Chase.
The internationally acclaimed healer, intuitive and meditation expert talks about the invisible barriers that get in the way of our success and how to clear them from our path.
Topics Covered -How to move past fear -Techniques for increasing your focus and manifesting -Why finding joy as an entrepreneur is critical to your success -What billionaires fear
Guest Bio Known as "Hollywood's Healer," Aiden Chase is an internationally acclaimed, third generation, healer, intuitive and meditation expert. For over a decade, he has been the secret asset of Heads of State, Royalty, Titans of Commerce, World Spiritual Leaders, Entertainment Moguls and Academy Award Winners. Embodying his unparalleled skills of energy alchemy, with multi-disciplined expertise in business, Aiden uses ancient and futuristic techniques to boost success, creating powerful results. His intuitive strategic guidance and healing has advanced his clients in the co-creation of a combined culmination of hundreds of millions of dollars, the achievement of monumental resolutions and an impassioned intention for the manifestation of an enlightened and peaceful world. Aiden lives by the knowing that love heals, protects and transforms everything. His goal is to help you to clear the way and illuminate your path for you to fulfill your wishes and dreams. You can change your life now and find the love, success and happiness you desire! Aiden has been featured in Forbes Magazine, Inc. Magazine, People Magazine, on Access Hollywood and named “Hollywood’s A-list Psychic” by the Hollywood Reporter. For more information, go to aidenchase.com and follow @theaidenchase on Instagram.
Host Bio Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 30 Apr 2024 | My Shark Tank Story (and How It Almost Didn't Happen) | 00:27:17 | |
Years later, people still ask about this story. So here it is. Pitching to a group of influential investors is a nerve-wracking experience, and that’s even before you have to do it on national TV! It’s not just a business presentation - you have to be entertaining, compelling, relatable and likable. I found that out when I appeared on Shark Tank.
After suffering an unbelievable loss in my business, I reluctantly applied to pitch on Shark Tank, and it was a life-changing moment in my life and career…but it almost didn’t happen.
You would think all the action happens in front of the camera, but so much takes place before the pitch and after the handshake. How did I end up on Shark Tank, how did it impact my business and what did I learn? What was it like working with Mark Cuban?
In this episode, I share my Shark Tank story, including some surprising behind-the-scenes tidbits, how I prepared, how I structured the deal, and the doors it opened for me. | |||
| 20 Aug 2024 | 5 Stages of Funding: How to Find and Pitch Investors | 00:28:16 | |
In order to get funding for our businesses, we have to find and pitch to investors. Sounds easier said than done, right? This is one of the most nerve wracking and challenging steps you’ll take, but it is worth it.
If you put yourself there and talk to enough people, you will get the funding you need. Even if you’re an introvert. Even if you hate networking. Even if you don’t have a large list of contacts in your industry.
As scary as talking to hundreds of people is, this is ultimately a test of your belief in your business. If you let your passion and belief fuel you, you can push past the discomfort that comes with this process.
Pitching to an investor sounds like a tall order, so I’m going to break it down into small steps and show how easy it is to get it done.
How do you start networking and build a list of invaluable contacts? What do you need to have buttoned up before the pitch? What are the most important things you need to include in your pitch? In this episode - part 3 of my stages of funding series, I share how to present the opportunity to an investor.
Topics Covered; -Networking tips for introverts -The kinds of events you should be attending to build your network -Mistakes entrepreneurs make during the actual pitch -How to maximize conversations and leverage rejections -Prep, pitch, delivery and follow up
About Your Host
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 24 Sep 2024 | How to Find and Pitch Your Business to Strategic Partners w/ Mathew Drazic | 00:44:37 | |
For an early-stage entrepreneur, strategic partnerships are a critical lifeline and launchpad for growth. They allow you to amplify your mission, gain brand awareness and get input from investors and potential customers.
In the world of purpose-driven consumer products, it can be hard to know where to find these collaborators, but it’s often as simple as a cold email.
A lot of entrepreneurs are terrified to reach out to people, but what they don’t realize is how many organizations are actually looking to champion what they’re building.
For the founder of AGENCY Footwear, Mathew Drazic, this was the process and it led to a powerful partnership that aims to drive real change. How did Mathew create a sneaker brand for social good? What was his process for finding partners? In this episode, he talks about his journey, the story behind AGENCY and the bigger mission of his brand.
Topics Covered; -How Mathew secured the perfect strategic partnership -How to amplify your mission and gain brand awareness -Why it’s never too early to get feedback from investors
Guest Bio
Mathew Drazic is the founder and creative director of AGENCY Footwear. AGENCY Footwear was created to replace shoes activists and concerned individuals would otherwise have to buy in order to protect their feet from the overly concrete world we all navigate. The sneakers are built to support the desire to make change, starting with the brand identity. Change is hard work, so AGENCY Footwear is designed for comfort and versatility. General purpose sneakers with soft, stable platforms and all-terrain traction to conquer any obstacle activists might face. Change also comes from within, so AGENCY Footwear uses as many sustainable materials as possible and the shoes are made at leading facilities that meet or exceed the strictest fair trade, chemical handling and animal welfare standards. To learn more, visit https://agencyfootwear.com/ and follow @agencyfootwear on Instagram.
About Your Host
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice. | |||
| 06 Aug 2024 | Quit Your W2 Job or Run Your Business On the Side? How to Make the Right Choice w/ Matt Floyd & Craig Gerulski | 00:42:31 | |
When you know that you’re an entrepreneur at heart but you’re still working your W2 job, when do you jump ship? It’s the age old question all aspiring business owners ask themselves.
On one hand, we can burn the boats and go all in on the business. You’ll have way more time to dedicate to it and you can scale faster. Or you can get the business off the ground, build it up on the side and then quit when you’ve got some momentum going.
Most aspiring business owners have taken the latter approach - it’s an easy way to start without pressure and test out the concept to see if it’s viable. That’s the approach Matt Floyd and Craig Gerulski took. For the first 3 years of their business, they worked full-time in their W2s but put a date to leave in place.
What steps did they take to prepare to leave their W2? How did they build the business with strong operations from the ground up? How can our W2 experience actually help us in business? In this episode, the founders of Stay Classy Homes talk about their journey, and how they went about walking away from their W2 jobs and going all in on their business.
Topics Covered; -The power of getting around people doing what you want to do -The mental challenge that comes with leaving a W2 -How to prepare to leave your W2 -How to find the opportunity in boring businesses and industries -The best things about being an entrepreneur
Guest Bio Matt Floyd and Craig Gerulski are entrepreneurs and the founders of Stay Classy Homes. After staying at their first AirBnB's as guests in 2018 in Nashville and Breckenridge they quickly fell in love with this new concept of traveling like locals all around the world and creating genuine relationships along the way. Those experiences inspired them to begin investing in Vacation Rentals while working W-2 jobs for large corporations. Matt and Craig were both passionate about reaching financial freedom through real estate investing and felt that Vacation Rentals provided the best combination of cash flow, appreciation, and tax benefits while also allowing them to visit their investments with family and friends and create lifelong memories. For more information, head to https://www.stayclassyhomes.com/.
Host Bio Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 23 Apr 2024 | Storytelling Is The Secret to Successful Seed Funding w/Dan Negroni | 00:51:36 | |
The world of seed funding runs on two currencies - money and connection. Investors aren’t just paying attention to the financials, they are looking for a compelling story that makes them connect with us and then want to get on board.
Crafting our story is a step we can’t skip in the early stages of our businesses. The more clarity we have on it, the better we can convey it, and the easier it is to achieve funding.
A perfect pitch is incomplete without a strong story. What makes an investor want to join forces with us just isn’t a narrative about how awesome our product is. It has to show how we can solve a problem, serve our audience, and make life easier or better for our customers.
How do we craft our story and articulate it well? How does this help us connect with the right investors?
In this episode, People Activator, speaker, executive coach, CEO, and author, Dan Negroni shares why developing our story is the key to getting Seed Money.
Guest Bio Dan Negroni is a People Activator, speaker, executive coach, CEO and author of Chasing Relevance: 6 Steps to Understand, Engage and Maximize Next Generation Leaders in the Workplace. Dan unveils the art and science of building a people-focused formula that thrives on connections and relationships. He also helps early-stage entrepreneurs use narrative psychology to craft compelling stories that connect with investors and help them get funded. Dan has catalyzed billions of dollars in growth and transformed countless organizations.
To learn more about Dan, go to https://dannegroni.com/ and to get a breakthrough session, email dan@dannegroni.com. | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | 5 Stages of Funding: Deal Structure | 00:12:52 | |
Congratulations! You just found an investor who believes in you and wants to fund your business. Now comes the next hard part - structuring the deal and setting up your startup paperwork.
For early stage entrepreneurs, the step can be confusing and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be complicated.
In fact, you can get it dialed in quickly with minimal headaches. That’s if you set it up right from day 1.
The key? Being flexible, growth-friendly and accommodating future changes.
What are the two setups you can use? How do you make negotiations easier? How do you build in your option pool, and make sure you do right by the employees who believed in you early?
In this episode - part 4 of the 5 stages of funding, I talk about the components of startup paperwork and the least complicated way to set it up.
Topics Covered; -How to set up your seed funding with terms that are flexible and future-proof -Why you don’t want to have a valuation too early -SAFES vs. convertible notes -How to get into momentum faster -How to get legal counsel without breaking the bank
About Your Host
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice. | |||
| 07 May 2024 | Make “Boring” Cool: The Secret to Disrupting A Tired Category w/Josh Walker | 00:46:59 | |
The best products disrupt tired categories and breathe new life into done-to-death ideas, but is it still possible? Every year, there are fewer categories to disrupt, especially in clothing-based niches. How can you compete when people can easily buy knock-offs, dupes and cheap goods all over the internet?
By going premium, identifying an emerging customer base, making something “boring” cool and building a brand around a generational shift. That’s what 1620 Workwear did.
They saw how trade-work has become a lucrative and attractive field and the lack of stylish, aspirational utility apparel. They positioned their brand and marketing differently, and proved that some categories we see as oversaturated are still ripe for disruption.
How did the idea for the brand come about? Why is it resonating with the “toolbelt generation”? How did they create a minimum viable product (MVP)? How did they get funding?
In this episode, co-founder of 1620 Workwear and marketing expert, Josh Walker shares the story of the business, and why there’s still room to transform tired and tried-and-tested market categories.
Guest Bio Josh Walker is a brand builder, entrepreneur, co-founder and CMO of 1620 Workwear. 1620 Workwear is a Massachusetts-based brand that produces high-quality, American-made workwear using advanced technology and domestic materials. Their durable and comfortable products include work pants, hoodies, jackets, and accessories. Josh has extensive experience and relationships in modern culture, the sporting goods industries, action sports, hook and bullet sports, outdoor, video production, broadcasting, social networking, promotions, grass root activation and retail. Connect with Josh on LinkedIn, email josh@1620usa.com and go to https://www.1620usa.com/, and follow @1620usa on Instagram.
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| 03 Dec 2024 | Investors vs. Bootstrapped: How to Choose the Right Path For Your Startup w/ Jim Semick | 00:51:23 | |
Getting investors or bootstrapping? That’s one of the hardest decisions founders have to make. On one hand, raising capital has many benefits - you have a longer runway, more resources, and more cash to hire people and pay them well. It provides enough cash to get through the competitive hurdles to bring your product to market. But outside capital comes with strings attached and having to please others and conform your business to the expectations of investors. That’s why many founders choose not to go down the path of raising money and deliberately decide to bootstrap instead. While it means you’re operating in a resource-constrained environment, you get to retain more control and flexibility in the long-run. Bootstrapping your business means you have to be scrappy and do things a little differently, but it can work. What are the things you need to stay on top of when you’re bootstrapping? Why is product validation so important? How do you determine which funding model works for you? In this episode, I’m joined by speaker, angel investor and founder of Product Plan, Jim Semick. He shares why he chose to bootstrap instead of taking the venture capital route and how to self-fund successfully. Topics Covered;
Guest Bio Jim Semick is a Product Management Expert, speaker, leader, angel investor and founder of Product Plan. He has over 20 years of experience turning ideas into real products that customers love. Jim’s passion is identifying and launching successful SaaS products using a proven market validation process. The products he has helped launch continue to generate over $1 billion of revenue annually. Today Jim writes, lectures, and coaches on entrepreneurship, product management, and career decisions. To learn more visit https://www.jimsemick.com/ and connect with him on LinkedIn.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality! Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
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| 15 Oct 2024 | How to Successfully Bring a Food Product to Market w/ Bruno Xavier | 00:54:04 | |
In the world of food entrepreneurship, having a product that tastes GOOD is only the tip of the iceberg. Going from your kitchen to a store shelf comes with a ton of considerations, steps and potential snags. The margins are razor thin. Safety and stability are critical factors that can affect the viability of the product. Getting investors, retailers and co-packers on the same page can feel like trying to solve an impossible puzzle. To successfully bring your product to market, there are key things you need to have dialed in from day one. Even though the process can be challenging, it’s insanely fulfilling for a passionate entrepreneur. And now is the perfect time to innovate and bring something different to the marketplace! How do you make sure you raise enough money to weather a lengthy production process? How do you deal with co-packers, investors and retailers? In this episode, I’m joined by Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, Bruno Xavier. He shares how food entrepreneurs can set themselves up for success and how they help them achieve their goals. Topics Covered;
Guest Bio Bruno Xavier is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center. A nationally-recognized food engineer and scientist, Bruno has a Ph.D in Microbiology (Cornell ’08). He is the Associate Director of the Cornell Food Venture Center, a major extension program of the Department of Food Science at Cornell University and a Scientific Fellow at the New York State Center of Excellence in Food and Agriculture. Dr. Xavier and his team develop outreach programs and extension activities to support new and established entrepreneurs, processors and farmers introducing new products into the marketplace, providing guidelines and assisting in regulatory issues to ensure the safety of food products. As a Process Authority, Dr. Xavier oversees the establishment of schedule process documentation to comply with federal and state regulatory requirements for more than 2000 products per year for companies throughout the United States. To learn more or submit your product, visit https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-institutes/cornell-food-venture-center.
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice. | |||
| 21 May 2024 | Why I Walked Away From The Company Mark Cuban Invested In | 00:43:16 | |
Building a company, going on Shark Tank, raising $1 million dollars and working with Mark Cuban. Sounds like an entrepreneur’s dream, right? Well, that’s what I thought, until I walked away from it. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, but also the best one.
When you build your own company, it becomes an extension of you, so stepping away is no easy feat. But the longer I ran the business, the more I realized it wasn’t right for me. Coming into a non-existent category was hard, but that wasn’t the only challenge I faced.
Ultimately, I discovered that my vision for entrepreneurship and my company were two different things. Though it was tough to break it to my investors and close it down, things worked out the way they were supposed to.
What was the journey I took into the business, and what were the realizations I had along the way? How did it feel to walk away from the business just before the low alcohol market exploded? What’s wrong with hustle culture? In this episode, I share why I walked away from my dream company, and important lessons any entrepreneur can take from my story. | |||
| 12 Nov 2024 | Secrets to Secure Investors Even in a Cash-Strapped Market w/ Ed Kang | 00:47:03 | |
In today’s competitive, capital-strapped market, getting your business funded is a lot harder than it used to be. Entrepreneurs have access to a fraction of the funding that was easily available just a few years ago. Investors want a sure thing, so founders are jumping through a lot more hoops to get capital. It’s not enough to have an initial idea or a working prototype. You need to have significant traction, social proof, a reputable team, initial revenue, founder-market fit….anything to de-risk the investment. This sounds grim, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get an investor to write you a check, even if you’re in the earlier stages. How do you make sure you still get funded in this environment? Is this financing freeze going to thaw? Why does content creation make it easier to get funded? In this episode, I’m joined by 7-time funded founder, startup advisor, Chief Strategy Officer at Startups.com, Ed Kang. He shares the challenges in the current capital-raising space, and how entrepreneurs can still get the funding they need. Topics Covered;
Guest Bio Ed Kang is a 7-time funded founder, startup advisor, executive coach, author, Organization Development Consultant and Chief Strategy Officer at Startups.com. He helps aspiring founders and early and growth stage ventures with everything from launching, funding, and scaling. To learn more, visit https://www.startups.com/ you can also subscribe to Ed's channel here- http://www.youtube.com/@edkang99
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 14 May 2024 | Everything You Need to Prep For An Investor Meeting w/ Keir Dillon | 00:53:10 | |
In the path to getting funding for your idea, meeting with investors is the most important checkpoint. You only have one shot at a first impression, so the more dialed in your presentation is, the more successful you’ll be.
From pitch decks to financials, there’s a ton of work that goes into preparing for that face-to-face with a potential funding source. We literally can’t afford to show up without having everything dialed in.
We have to condense the idea, the numbers, and the opportunity into a 12-page pitch deck and a short presentation, and that’s not easy.
Luckily there’s work we can do proactively to have a perfect investor pitch. Even ChatGPT can be hugely helpful in getting prepared. What are the must-have materials for an investor meeting? Why is a business plan important (even if we don’t show investors)? How do you structure your business early on?
In this episode, I’m joined by Keir Dillon, an experienced entrepreneur seasoned in raising seed money. He talks about his new business venture and everything you need to do before you meet investors.
Guest Bio Keir Dillon is a former pro snowboarder and a seasoned entrepreneur. Experienced in capital raising, he was previously co-founder of a women’s fashion-forward headphone company, FRENDS, and is currently managing director of OPEN Brewing. OPEN is a new beer brand, forged in Los Angeles by a tight-knit, diverse, and talented squad of longtime friends. Based on the values of empathy, artistry, free thought, and diversity –- OPEN is infusing fresh energy into the beer world, encouraging dialogue, conversations, and excellent times amongst friends. Follow @keirdillon on Instagram and go to https://openbrewing.com/. | |||
| 11 Jun 2024 | To Raise Money or Not to Raise Money? How to Make the Right Decision w/ Ashley Chang | 00:31:38 | |
Raising money through investors is the default for growing a company, but it might not be the right move for everyone. Taking the VC route is like walking through a one-way door - once you make that decision it sets you on a specific trajectory.
That’s why more entrepreneurs are being thoughtful about the decision, and even opting out of raising money the traditional way altogether. If we chase VC money without making sure it aligns with our long-term goals, we might end up building the wrong company for us. Fortunately, if we don’t want VC money, there are other ways we can get the funding we need.
The team at Sundays chose family and friends funding for that early stage. How did they use a SAFE to structure this round? Why are they intentionally choosing to remain revenue-funded? In this episode, co-founder of Sundays, Ashley Chang talks about why they didn’t take the stereotypical Silicon Valley route to building their business.
Topics Covered; -Why you might consider NOT raising money -How to use a SAFE as the structure to raise your seed round -How to avoid huge attorney fees -How to find a co-founder -Questions you should ask yourself before you raise money
Guest Bio Ashley Chang is the co-founder and CEO of Sundays, an executive assistant service for working parents. Before this, she spent a decade as a product leader across a wide range of tech startups – she was the first employee at ReadMe and helped lead Carta's venture capital products from $10 to $100M+ in revenue. For more information, head to https://withsundays.com/ and connect with Ashley on LinkedIn.
Host Bio Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 13 Aug 2024 | Money Mindset: The Most Important Step in Preparing to Raise Capital w/ Jennifer Love | 00:47:58 | |
Before we can go out and raise money for our businesses, there are things we need to have dialed in. The idea, the numbers, our pitch and the investors we’re going after. This stuff is critical, but THE most important thing is the relationship we have with money.
Trying to raise money without dialing in our money mindset is a recipe for burnout, disappointment and regret. Being successful at fundraising and building a sustainable business and wealth starts with doing the inner work.
If we’re not valuing ourselves, we can’t expect other people to. As busy entrepreneurs, we tend to put off doing the inner work, but the truth is, we’ll get to our goals faster if we do it first.
How do we find the seat of our own value before we go out to raise money? Why do we need to pair deep inner work with outer preparation? In this video, Money Therapist and Entrepreneur, Jennifer Love talks about what we need to get dialed in before we raise capital.
Topics Covered; -The challenges of raising money as a female entrepreneur -Overcoming money blocks at any stage in business -How to figure out your Wealthy Why -How to get to the root of your money mindset -Why your money mindset will always control you
Guest Bio Jennifer Love is a Money Therapist and Wealth Alchemist specializing in supporting impact-focused professionals and business owners (their teams and loved ones) to live their wealthy lives. She educates on wealth as it relates wholistically to personal well-being, business, and relationships. Qualified in Organizational & Human Behavior, Economics, Communication and Conflict Resolution, Jennifer is a career long entrepreneur who has built 5 businesses from the ground up. Over the past 20+ years she has helped hundreds of leaders do the same. Jennifer knows what it takes to build a sustainable business and what it takes to build a sustainable human. Rooted in all she has seen and experienced in her life, she feels a deep calling to offer safe experiential learning environments for wholistic financial, business, and inner growth. Jennifer believes that Financial Freedom, Business Success, and Personal Fulfillment can truly co-exist. To learn more, go to https://jenniferlove.com/ and follow @thejenniferlove on Instagram.
About Your Host
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
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| 11 Apr 2024 | Seed Money Trailer | 00:01:43 | |
Seed Money is where everyday people learn how to raise capital and get the funding you need to FINALLY turn your amazing idea into reality! Whatever your idea is..
…or maybe you want to build or expand your small business… if you’re struggling to get people to believe in your vision and you don’t need a billion dollar deal in Silicon Valley, Seed Money will unlock the answers you’ve been looking for! Hosted by Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank Entrepreneur, MBA, real estate investor and experienced founder/investor in markets from consumer products to short-term rentals. If you like Alex Hormozi, Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneurs on Fire with John Lee Dumas, or you follow sharks like Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner or Mark Cuban (who invested in Jayla’s Shark Tank pitch) you’ll love this show! In this podcast you’ll get the mindset, methods and motivation to raise early stage seed funding from family, friends and investors. You’ll also hear the inspiring stories of everyday people who’ve walked the same path and overcome the same challenges you’re facing. So you can see the next steps, make good decisions and get the funding you need to turn your amazing idea into reality! | |||
| 04 Jun 2024 | 5 Stages of Funding: How to Make Your Mindset Unshakeable | 00:34:44 | |
The process of raising money is as much a mental one as it is a financial one. Before we start finding and pitching to investors or even structuring our deals, there’s a step we can’t skip, working on our mindset.
There’s no sugar-coating it - getting funded is one of the hardest things you’ll do. You’ll get told your idea doesn’t doesn’t work. You’ll be told no a bunch of times, and you’ll face all sorts of setbacks along the way. Self-doubt will creep in and you’ll run up against your own limiting beliefs all the time.
The process will wear on you - but there’s good news. You can proactively build up the mental fortitude to counter everything you’ll face and it will make the path to a “yes” so much smoother. If I could do it, so can you!
So what are some of the ways we can make our mindset unshakeable? How do you develop healthy coping tools for when you inevitably face setbacks? What’s the hard lesson I learned about visualization? In this episode, we’re kicking off a five-part series about the stages of seed funding and I’m starting with a critical part - mindset.
--- I created a guide on the 5 Stages to Funding, just for you! It's a completely free download and the perfect overview if you’re ready to go after the funding you need for your business. Learn about Mindset, Types of funding, How to find and pitch to investors, deal structure, and closing the deal. Download your free guide over at seedmoneypodcast.com.
Topics Covered; -What makes the seed funding process so hard -The difference between constructive criticism and negativity -How to mitigate the mental health challenges entrepreneurs face -Why it’s critical to carve out time for quiet reflection as a busy entrepreneur -Why we have to visualize with caution -The healthiest ways to cope with setbacks and challenges -The lessons I learned in my own journey
Host Bio Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 17 Sep 2024 | 5 Stages of Funding: How to Close The Deal | 00:12:29 | |
So you’ve pitched your idea, an investor loves it and wants to give you resources to grow your business. Well done! You’ve just secured a big piece of making your vision a reality - and that’s a huge feat.
Now it’s time to close the deal and actually receive the funding you’ve been seeking. Remember, once you sign the dotted line and they wire the money, there’s no going back, so this next part is VERY important.
Tying up the deal in a neat bow (legally and financially) can be intimidating. There are a few things you need to have dialed to set your investor relationship up for success. You have to make sure the story you told in the pitch actually matches the reality of your business. How do you avoid losing investor trust? In part 5 of the Stages of Funding, I give you a clear road map to successfully close the deal and manage the post-funding process.
Topics Covered; -The advantages of being polished and prepared -How to keep the excitement alive after the excitement of the pitch dies down -How to negotiate with clarity and confidence -How to make the due diligence phase easier
About Your Host Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast
Please rate, follow and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hearing your comments and questions helps me come up with the best topics for the show!
The information in this podcast is educational and general in nature and does not take into consideration the listener's personal circumstances. Therefore, it is not intended to be a substitute for specific, individualized financial, legal, or tax advice.
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| 18 Jun 2024 | 5 Stages of Funding: 8 Ways to Raise Seed Money | 00:20:10 | |
In the journey of starting a company, realizing that you need to raise money is par for the course. Maybe you need to test your product’s viability, increase your stock, or grow your team…these steps require funding.
Venture capital is the path many entrepreneurs take, but there are actually 7 other ways to get the funding you need.
Each method has its pros and cons and suits different types of companies. Ultimately (and this is important), the filter for your decision should be your personal goals.
Depending on what you want to achieve, you might be able to get the capital you need without working with VCs. What are the different funding methods, and the pros and cons of each? How do you pick the right one for you?
In this episode, I continue my special series on The 5 Stages of Funding. This time, I’m talking about all the different funding methods that you can use.
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Topics Covered; -The benefits of raising money through family and friends -Using loans and credit cards to fund your company -Crowdfunding: why it’s not as easy as it looks -The great thing about angel investor groups and incubators -What you must do before choosing Venture Capital
I created a guide on the 5 Stages to Funding guide, just for you! It's a completely free download and the perfect overview if you’re ready to go after the funding you need for your business. Learn about Mindset, Types of funding, How to find and pitch to investors, deal structure, and closing the deal. Download your free guide over at seedmoneypodcast.com.
Host Bio
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 30 Jul 2024 | My Business is 3000 Miles Away From Me...Here's How I Run It w/ Avery Carl | 00:33:41 | |
If you’re anything like me, being an entrepreneur appeals to you because you can design the life you want and enjoy a level of freedom you can’t get from a 9-5. The problem is: a lot of us build businesses that end up creating more stress and eat away at the freedom we got into it for.
Finding a business that meets your lifestyle goals is ideal. For me, right now, real estate investing and short-term rentals does that. It gives you more control over your time and a chance to build a business that fits seamlessly into your life. In fact: it has given me so much freedom, I run a business 3000 miles away from where I live (and have time to do things on the side like the Seed Money Podcast).
How did I go from the business I initially started, to a short-term rental business? How do I run a successful business from the other side of the country?
In this special episode, I was featured as a guest on Avery Carl’s podcast, The Short Term Show. We talk about my entrepreneurship journey and how to run a thriving short-term rental business.
Guest Bio
Avery Carl is the Founder of The Short Term Shop. The Short Term Shop is the country's first and largest short term rental-specific real estate firm. They have offices and agents in over 20 popular vacation rental markets. The Short Term Shop (brokered by eXp), has helped over 5,000 investors buy and sell short term rentals (airbnbs) since 2017 for a total of over $3 billion in transactions, which makes it safe to say they are the most experienced Airbnb and vacation rental real estate agents in the country. The shop has been featured as a top 15 real estate sales team by Real Trends/The Wall Street Journal annually since 2020, and has been the top producing team at eXp Realty 3 years running. They have also been featured in Newsweek, The New York Times, Forbes, and Yahoo Finance.
Host Bio
Jayla Siciliano, Shark Tank entrepreneur turned real estate investor, excels in building brands, teams, and products. CEO of a bi-coastal luxury short-term rental company, she also hosts the Seed Money Podcast where she’s on a mission to help early-stage entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality!
Connect: Website: seedmoneypodcast.com Instagram: @jaylasiciliano Subscribe and watch on YouTube @seedmoneypodcast | |||
| 15 Apr 2024 | Seed Money- What Blew My Mind About Early-Stage Funding | 00:09:53 | |
Early-stage fundraising may be a stressful stage in business, but it can also be the most invigorating and exciting time. The determination, drive, conviction, and guts it takes to get seed money is a powerful life force.
It’s not just an opportunity to get the resources we need. It’s a chance for investors to access your awesomeness, and absorb the infectious passion you have for your idea.
Getting the funding and expertise you need can feel like a huge obstacle. But I know it's possible after starting 2 businesses in recessions, with zero track record or revenue, in brutal industries. You can do it too, and I’ll show you how!
In this episode, I share why raising Seed Money and early-stage funding is such a fun stage in business.
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