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Alan W's Podcast Episodes

Updated: May 1

Build the Platform Without the Platform: Start Smarter, Not Bigger

Don’t let the size of your idea stop you from starting small. Platforms are long games. It’s okay — in fact, it’s smart — to begin with what’s within reach. Use free tools. Talk to real people. Solve one problem really well.


How to Cold Start Network Effects (and Why It's Tough)

Don’t romanticise network effects. They’re powerful, yes, but they don’t just appear out of nowhere. They’re built, slowly and intentionally. And they start with people — not products.


5 Simple things to build (or fix) your business

These questions force founders to get specific about their platform or marketplace’s value, its users, and the revenue model. Without clarity on these points, your platform or marketplace can struggle to gain traction.


The Difference Between a Platform and a Platform Business Model (And Why It Matters)

One of the biggest mistakes is assuming that just because you have technology that connects people, you have a platform business. Many startups build a SaaS tool and later try to pivot into a platform model, but that transition is not always easy.


Platforms & Marketplaces: Tackling Disintermediation

Disintermediation happens when users bypass the platform after an introduction. Founders need to take this seriously because disintermediation can kill a platform over time.


MVP: Launching Testing Iterating – What Comes Next?

Diving into the next crucial stage: what happens after you launch? We talk about how to gather feedback, iterate, and scale your MVP into a full-fledged product.


Building an Effective MVP – Strategy Tech Execution

Shifting focus to the strategy, technology, and execution of building an effective MVP.

What Is an MVP and Why Does It Matter?

We break down exactly what an MVP is, why it matters, and clear up some common misconceptions. We also discuss the role of MVPs in validating product-market fit and reducing risk for founders.

Online Marketplace Business Ideas

Exploring creative online marketplace business ideas, how to turn a simple idea into a thriving platform, and practical steps to validate your concept before diving in. Specifically talking about micro marketplaces.


Is Your Business Ready for a Platform Model? Key Insights and Options Explained

If you're considering transitioning to a platform model, take a long-term view. It’s easy to get excited about the scalability and potential, but the success of a platform depends on trust, consistency, and the value it offers to both sides of the equation — your users and providers. Start small, test your assumptions, and be prepared to iterate.


The transaction costs in B2B Marketplaces

As platforms evolve, it’s no longer just about connecting buyers and sellers - it's about streamlining everything that happens around that transaction. Think about all the time and effort that goes into finding, contacting, and vetting suppliers or customers. What if a platform could help cut down all that back-and-forth communication and make it easy to close deals faster? That's where the true value lies - hidden transaction costs to boost productivity.


Why hiring an expert pays off

Founders often have a strong desire to maintain control over all aspects of their business, understandably. However, realising that experts can bring unique skills and perspectives can be a crucial step in our growth as Founders.


Decoding reviews & audits for the platform business

As Founders, we are so close to our business, it makes sense that many times we would not even be aware of the blindspots in the platform we are building. Reviews are a good sense check to uncover these potential blind spots and it doesn't HAVE to be a thorough audit that can problem solve, reviews are a great starting point to sense check how we are really doing with our platform business.


Top 10 Client Philosophy

The constraint itself (of having only 10 clients) is the source of creativity to overcome the constraint and build a business that’s even stronger than we have now. With every new prospect that we want to take on we need to ask which client will we let go? It should be the one that we have the least exchange of value with, the one with whom we lack meaningful connection, the one who lacks depth of relationship. This will make us even more successful. Focussing on meaningful connections. Not just for us, but for our clients' betterment too. To hold us both accountable in investing in our shared success.


The Evolution and Impact of Online Platforms in HealthTech

The Evolution and Impact of Online Platforms in HealthTech.  In fact, many of the topics we’ll talk about are applicable to any type of online platform or marketplace.


The Prospect Consultation

What spurred this topic was the countless times we see entrepreneurs drained by prospects with  endless conversations and no actual conversion - and even when the conversion comes, they never get back the time and effort spent getting there, and many times relationships start to break down in the process, founders and CE’s alike are left wondering if it was all worth it.


Charting your business roadmap for the year ahead

As we dive deeper into 2024, it's crucial to have a clear and actionable roadmap for your business. To help you navigate this dynamic year, our latest podcast episode specifically focuses on charting your business roadmap for the months ahead.


The client consultation

A new way of solving the unique challenges Founders face. Get connected with Creative Entrepreneurs who use their creative abilities to develop new ideas and solutions to problems, making change and creating value while they do it.


Creative Pricing for the Creative Entrepreneur


What is Growth for the Creative Entrepreneur?

Growth can mean many things for a CE, and can look and feel very different from the traditional corporate view of growth.


The magic of connection for the Creative Entrepreneur

Something close to all of our hearts as CE's is the topic of collaboration for the greater good. We discuss it in this week's podcast.


Conversations on.....Entrepreneur Loneliness

What is entrepreneur loneliness? Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. And it’s mostly ignored, and rarely discussed. It is time we acknowledged loneliness in entrepreneurs and did something about it.


Conversations on...platforms as a business model

If you don't open your own online platform business then be sure you're at least PART of one. Platform business models are here to stay.

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