Enterprenuer
Adrian is on an ambitious mission to make digital marketing more accessible.
He is the founder of several sales-focused WordPress plugins.
These plugins help over 4,000 small businesses launch their funnels and grow their lists.
What is the story of Groundhogg?
I was a part of a family company that focused on digital marketing skills training business owners.
Infusionsoft was used for much of our CRM training and implementation.
I decided that I did not want to be a trainer or implementer for the rest of my life and wanted to move into the product industry.
I have worked with Infusionsoft, as well as many other CRMs.
They all had their drawbacks and wouldn’t work with WordPress.
So I entered the market with a WordPress-focused option to improve the user experience for small businesses and agencies that use WordPress.
How do you stay productive?
I am still involved in the day-to-day. I do calls, answer tickets, code, and you name it.
Although I now have a team around me, it is hard for me to get away from this stuff.
Are productivity hacks possible? Yes, but not me. I use a workflow account to add things that need to be done haphazardly.
Prioritize the ones that will bring in the most revenue, direct or indirect. Then hyper-focus until it is done.
My current focus is on increasing our search visibility. We’ve hired SEO firms and writers to create a content plan.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Basecamp’s Shape-up process is something I love. It’s a simple way to define the problem, the solution, and the user experience.
However, I don’t take too many steps and move straight from writing code to whiteboard sketches most of the time.
Because we have a vast library of reusable codes that we have built, it is much easier to create products in days rather than weeks or months.
Once you have an idea, you can produce it by feeling.
Groundhog was founded in 2018. I was surrounded by paper and marker sketches.
We had a vast kanban board with sticky notes that contained all the stuff we needed.
We released our MVP in less than two months after conceiving the idea and immediately began making money.
What’s your favorite trend?
Regulation, data protection, privacy, and regulation.
The money is there, don’t get me wrong! The more data on the list, the more money can be extracted.
These lists were traditionally centralized around search and social media companies; however, as the business community becomes more aware of their data and their customers, they are now looking at other options for hosting their data.
WordPress is an excellent option for businesses that want complete control and data ownership.
We are seeing more enterprises make data privacy-conscious decisions, and people are leaving SaaS to start their data walls.
What habits make you productive?
Hyper-focus. It’s not clear if this is a mental condition or a habit, but I can focus on one thing and do nothing else until it is done.
I can also move quickly. Many entrepreneurs spend a lot of time perfecting their product before moving on to the next stage.
I release anything that “works” and is semi-interesting to use.
Then, we work on it in real-time.
Our greatest strength has been our ability to bring new features and innovations to market quickly.
This has helped us remain competitive in a highly crowded marketplace.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
Additional charges may apply.
In year 1, we lost a lot of money because we didn’t charge enough.
A new founder should not try to undercut their competition or chase the economy of scale.
This is the easiest mistake—a bad idea.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
This one is split, I think.
Lifetime deals can be an excellent way to ensure that your company is never sold and protect future revenue potential.
What do you recommend as an entrepreneur?
Engage customers and make sales calls.
If you lose sight of what people want, you can lose sight of what makes your company unique and special.
Then you spend 100K on a feature that no one asked for.
+ Get involved in the lives of others and be a good egg.
You can leverage the universal law for reciprocity by answering questions and participating in communities that are not your own.
The universe will add value to you if you add value to it. It could come in the form of new friends, wealth or colleagues, or an idea, but it’s what makes me here today.
What’s your rich strategy?
This podcast opportunity is an excellent example of how to pursue podcast opportunities.
It helped spread the company’s name and made me a “persona” that could help continue spreading the company’s word.
Many organic backlinks
Podcasts are not intended to promote your product or brand.
Instead, podcasts should add value to the listener’s lives through lessons learned. You get a 30-second plugin exchange.
How do you overcome Failure?
I spent 100K on an update I didn’t need when I should have listened to my customers.
I could have spent the 100K more wisely because I “knew better.”
Can you share a business idea?
Telemetry/metrics and retention tools for LMS company.
Better metrics for engagement.
You can identify lessons and videos that are performing well vs. poorly.
What’s your recent best buy?
I paid $100 for a plugin license that I could have obtained free from a friend.
However, I believe supporting friends and colleagues directly by purchasing their product is a great way to build goodwill and an excellent tool for networking.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
For project management, I currently use Workflowy.
Which book would you recommend?
Inside Advantage Rob Bloom
What’s your favorite quote?
“If enough people help get what they want,”
Zig Ziglar
(Universal law on reciprocity)
TL;DR by Adrian Tobey
- You can add value wherever you are, but don’t sell. Just help.
- You can charge more until the person stops paying
- Pre-sales calls are a great way to get to know your customers. They’ll tell what you’re willing to pay.
