Growing AskHumans with Zak Kidd

In this episode, of How I'm Building This, Prateek interviews Zak Kidd, founder of AskHumans, who shares his journey from childhood entrepreneurship to building a successful startup. Zak discusses the challenges and triumphs of transitioning from a service-based business to a product-focused company, the importance of accelerators, and strategies for hiring and marketing. He emphasizes the significance of self-reflection and maintaining strong relationships with clients and investors as key components of success in the startup world.

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Takeaways:

• Zak's early experiences selling with his mother shaped his entrepreneurial spirit.
• The transition from a service-based business to a product-focused company can be challenging but rewarding.
• Building strong relationships with investors is crucial, especially in the early stages.
• Participating in an accelerator can provide valuable feedback and connections.
• Hiring should focus on finding generalists who can adapt as the company grows.
• Self-reflection and team retrospectives can help improve company culture and performance.
• Networking through intimate events can be more effective than traditional sales tactics.
• Understanding client pain points is essential for developing a successful product.
• Marketing should focus on building relationships rather than direct selling.
• The future of AskHumans is focused on leveraging human feedback alongside AI advancements.

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Sound Bites:

• "I want to be a landlord."
• "It's less of a pain, it's more of an opportunity."
• "You should be able to sell what you're doing to at least one of every five people you meet."

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In this episode, we cover:

00:00 Zach's Early Entrepreneurial Journey

03:02 Transitioning to AskHumans

05:46 Navigating Investor Relationships

09:02 The Value of Accelerators

12:01 Hiring Strategies for Startups

17:56 Understanding Customer Pain Points

21:06 Building Relationships with Clients

28:11 Marketing and Customer Acquisition Strategies

35:59 Reflecting on Mistakes and Growth

43:00 Future Plans for AskHumans

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Where to find Zak:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zkidd‍

AskHumans: https://www.askhumans.io/

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Where to find Prateek:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prateekmathur

Activated Scale: https://www.activatedscale.com

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For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email prateek@activatedscale.com