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In this episode you’ll learn about:
- Scott’s proudest moments in business
- How UnMarketing got started
- The one big mistake Scott made when he launched his first company
- What happened when Scott’s first training videos went viral
and…
- Why it’s important to earn the trust of your customers
- Why it takes time to build a platform as a creative entrepreneur
- The one indication that you might be an aspiring entrepreneur
- The one biggest email mistake creative entrepreneurs make
Scott Stratten is the President of UnMarketing.
In this interview, Scott reveals his personal philosophy and his life behind the scenes: working with his muse and the people he most admires in the industry.
Once a music industry marketer and national sales training manager, and now an author of 4 books, he ran his UnAgency for almost a decade before solely focusing on speaking at events for companies like PepsiCo, Adobe, Red Cross, Hard Rock Cafe and Cirque du Soleil.
Scott now has over 175,000 people follow his daily rantings on Twitter and was named one of the top 5 social media influencers in the world on Forbes.com.
Recently signing to the CBS network with his podcast, UnPodcast, together with co-host, Alison Kramer, they have recently published their latest book, UnSelling, about the new customer experience.
Hear how Scott’s Mum knew he was going to be an entrepreneur the day she found him creatively managing dog poop and how he escaped bankrupcy 3 times.
“Once I made the jump I didn’t want to go back…” – Scott Stratten
Items mentioned in this episode (quick access):
Creative, loud and opinionated
[0:00:51] Introducing Scott Stratten.
[0:01:52] What Scott was like as a kid.
[0:02:23] When Scott’s Mum first realised he was going to be an entrepreneur. The dog poop story.
[0:03:10] Why Scott felt like he never really fit in (until his thirties.)
[0:04:01] The one indication that you might be an aspiring entrepreneur.
“Entrepreneur is latin for terrible employee” – Scott Stratten
Making the jump
[0:04:40] Scott shares his story about walking out on his job when his son was born.
[0:05:54] September 11th.
[0:06:11] When Scott set up his training company.
[0:07:07] The importance of finding a need and filling it.
“What can I do right now that has a value to somebody that I’ll get paid for.” – Scott Stratten
Early days of UnMarketing
[0:07:39] How UnMarketing started.
[0:08:55] Content marketing in the early days of the internet.
[0:09:15] The mistake Scott made when he launched his first company.
[0:09:54] How quickly Scott started getting clients. Newsletter Stop Thinking Start Doing. Life coach for businesses.
[0:10:22] Charging too little. Building a platform whilst working somewhere else.
“When you have no safety net it’s a huge motivator.” – Scott Stratten
The long winding road of entrepreneurship
[0:11:10] What happened when Scott’s first training videos went viral. Disney.
[0:12:20] Making videos for other speakers and authors. Viral video company. 60 million views.
[0:13:00] When the recession hit. Reinvention.
[0:13:38] Trying out the Twitter thing.
The essence behind UnMarketing
[0:14:01] The importance of trust.
[0:14:35] The transaction cycle. Dating.
[0:15:00] Speaking at events. The one thing every event organiser does with their budget.
[0:15:20] Over-promising. Under-delivering.
[0:16:03] Why who we hire makes a difference. Canadians. Holding grudges.
[0:16:40] Scott describes the biggest benefits and challenges selling on-line.
[0:17:40] Expectations. The one biggest email mistake creative entrepreneurs make.
[0:18:25] Tweeting 109,000 times. Scott’s story about a reader from Amsterdam.
Managing boundaries
[0:19:24] Balancing what’s right in front of you in a digital world. Giving his kids permission to ask him to get off his ‘phone. Being a jerk.
[0:20:35] Always working. Always on. Wanting to be home.
[0:21:12] Where Scott draws his inspiration from.
[0:21:50] Living with your muse. Meeting Alison on Twitter.
How Scott met Alison on Twitter
[0:22:30] Jay Baers, Mitch Joel and Michael Port.
[0:22:50] How Scott met Alison on Twitter. The first tweet Scott sent to Alison.
[0:23:50] The UnAudit. Talking for 8 hours.
[0:24:20] Costa Rica. Serendipity.
[0:25:40] Meeting amazing people on Twitter.
“I have found the most supportive, funny, caring, smart people I’ve ever seen in my life…that’s no accident” – Scott Stratten
Fitting in, removing borders and creating connections
[0:26:30] Listening to Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, White Zombie, Pantera.
[0:27:23] Oakville. Removing borders.
[0:27:48] Hanging out with college friends. Playing poker. Age mattering less.
[0:28:27] Who Scott loves to work with. Fifty episodes of UnPodcast. Creating a show.
[0:29:15] Helping out Michael Port with a presentation. John Morgan’s book, Brand Against The Machine.
[0:29:50] Content Marketing. Speak ‘n Spill. Trading stories.
“None of my friends were entrepreneurs, I had nobody to relate to and I didn’t have a water cooler to show up to” – Scott Stratten
UnPodcast and UnSelling
[0:30:44] Watching UnPodcast. Hiring a producer, video company and a studio. Signing with the CBS Network. Being 9 years late to the podcast party.
[0:32:00] Scott shares his proudest moments in business.
[0:32:35] TEDx talk at his college in Oakville, Keeping Going Until We Stop presentation.
[0:33:39] Scott’s first information product. Buildyourfollowing.com. The one piece of advice Scott would give to a younger Scott.
[0:34:25] Screw-ups leading to success.
[0:34:57] Facing bankruptcy 3 times.
“It was the best thing I ever did, it was the dumbest thing I ever did” – Scott Stratten
You call the shots
[0:35:40] Scott’s son. Why Scott wouldn’t change anything.
[0:36:11] Not regretting being on the internet for 21 years. Sharing the no button with geeks at conferences.
[0:37:31] Making an app for the android.
[0:37:50] Where to find out more about Scott, UnMarketing, UnPodcast and UnSelling.
[0:38:24] Convincing a designer to go with a blank cover. Chris at Kitestring.
“My biggest achievement in life is that I don’t work.” – Scott Stratten
Links and Resources:
- UnMarketing
- UnPodcast
- Scott’s latest book UnSelling*
- John Michael Morgan’s book Brand Against The Machine*
- Kitestring
- Scott’s TEDx Oakville talk Keep Going Until We Stop
- Build Your Following
- Nooooooooooooooo!
People mentioned in this episode:
- Chris Farias @kitestring
- Les Brown
- Alison Kramer
- Mitch Joel
- Michael Port
- John Michael Morgan
- Jay Baer
If you enjoyed this podcast, you’ll also like:
- Ali Clabburn on Community, Being Disruptive, and Creating Change For Fun
- Jeff Goins on Finding The Art of Work
- Chris Brogan on Owning The Game You Want To Win
- Charlie Gilkey on Delivering Epic Experiences with Creative Giants
- Pam Slim on Storytelling, Creative Writing and Childhood
Thanks for listening
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Enjoy the show!
*Inspirational Creatives may be compensated, at zero cost to you, if you choose to buy either of these recommended books. Thanks for your support!