93 Greg Smith Creating a Viable Product

Jaime Jay welcomes Greg Smith to today’s podcast. Greg is the owner of Thinkific. An online learning platform designed for entrepreneurs that Jaime is reallyGreg Smith stoked about! Listen in to learn why!

In the Beginning

Greg is a proud kiteboarding and hockey playing husband and father of one. Greg was intent on becoming a lawyer. While in law school, he created an online course as a hobby with his brother. It eventually was generating more revenue for Greg than his lawyer gig.

It was so successful for Greg that he started another course. It grew and people were wondering if he could duplicate the software for them. Everything was custom so it was easier said than done.

The Software is Born

Out of the need for software to duplicate his successful online learning courses, he and his brother developed Thinkific. Now others can create their other courses. Greg loves helping others succeed and Thinkific has provided him with the platform to do it.

“Keep moving forward until you find that perfect product, market, fit for people.” – Greg Smith

Tweet this episode for Greg

Building a Business

There is always the initial excitement of building a new business. Then there’s the dip.  it’s a bit of a down period where you are questioning yourself. You are putting in a lot of effort without much return. This is the point where a lot of people quit.

Greg SmithGreg was lucky enough to get the right advice at the right time. He kept experimenting and moving forward until he began to see the exponential growth on the other side of the dip.

Shiny Object Syndrome

When you’re a year or a year-and-half into a new business and you’re not seeing the success yet, you want to keep the excitement going. Then you see the new shiny object and reach for it.

If you want to learn how Greg Smith avoided the pitfalls of early entrepreneurship and found success, then make sure to listen to this episode.  You can also check out his links below to learn more about him.  He welcomes all questions, comments, and inquiries! Don’t forget to mention you heard about Greg on Stop Riding the Pine:-)

Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
LinkedIn
The Dip by Seth Godin

Here are the highlights of my conversation with Greg Smith if you are in a hurry:

  • Who is Greg Smith? (4:56)
  • Greg’s Calgary story (7:43)
  • Challenges as an entrepreneur (10:12)
  • When is it ok to invest in marketing? (16:52)
  • The most successful way to use Thinkific? (25:00)
  • Greg’s Breakaway Moment? (28:56)
  • Greg’s takeaway? (32:55)

Special Mentions:
(iTunes Shout Out) Peggy Sage

Thank you to Alexis Ayala, for providing the incredible editing for this episode. If you need to find an audio editor, send Alexis an email at lex@slapshotstudio.com.

Interview ValetThank you to our awesome sponsor, Interview Valet, A professional concierge guest booking podcast service for hosts and guests – You be the Guest, We do the Rest! Check out their new website at InterviewValet.com.

This episode of Stop Riding the Pine Podcast was brought to you by DoneForYouWP.com

Done For You WPAre you a busy coach, professional or agency looking to have your WordPress website headaches handled by your very own development team for wholesale prices? Then you should visit DoneForYouWP.com to find the solution that best fits your current challenges with a full-scale approach to managing your WordPress website.

Stop Riding the Pine is a lot of fun and we love sharing the shows we’ve done. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping us grow this show by not only downloading the episodes but also sharing them.

Jaime Jay

About Jaime Jay

Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.

Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.

He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.

When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.

He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.

He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.

Victoria Dorsano
Victoria Dorsano
2023-09-17
Bottleneck has been such an amazing support for my business! They have a seamless process to ensure you find the right fit for your DDA. I am so thankful I started working with them! I'm now able to accomplish so much more in my business with a personal DDA and editing team on my side. Thank you!!
Rockwell Felder
Rockwell Felder
2023-03-15
I cannot thank the team at Bottleneck enough for their incredible support of our business. Their team has played a vital role in helping us staff our customer support and ensuring our customers were satisfied with our services. Their Distant Assistants were extremely helpful in answering inquiries promptly, handling complaints, and providing solutions to our customers' needs. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and communication skills are exceptional. Working with Bottleneck has been a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend their services to anyone needing a reliable and efficient virtual assistant, especially for customer support.
Karen Ravano
Karen Ravano
2022-09-24
I am grateful and blessed to be part of this team. It’s such a wonderful experience because i gain more experience and help me enhance my basic skills. This will be my stepping stone to my career as a newbie in this kind of industry. It would help to reach my goals.
Jeany Mercadal
Jeany Mercadal
2022-09-16
Bottleneck Distant Assistants can lessen the burden of company owners. We provide excellent services depending on our client needs. We are not scam, clients surely get more than what they pay for. Being part of this team helped me hone my skills and become excellent in all my works.
Jeff Peñaflor
Jeff Peñaflor
2022-09-14
I started last March 24, 2021 as a Dedicated Distant Assistant and it was an awesome experience. In this new journey, as Security Administrator of Bottleneck Distant Assistants, I have been supported by the team, A LOT !!!! All help that I need, the whole team is there to support me. I know that there are a lot of room for improvements with my skills and what I know, but because of BNDA, I became equipped with all the weapons I need to conquer the daily challenges especially with my tasks. With BNDA, they will not just help you to aim high, but soar the skies!
Tinoe D
Tinoe D
2022-09-09
I don't remember the last time I loved what I was doing until Bottleneck came into the picture. I love working for bottleneck, they are professional. The management makes the workplace fun and they're very flexible. I definetly recommend that you make that important switch and be part of something big today by joining BNDA.
Michael Goodcliffe
Michael Goodcliffe
2022-09-09
Jaime and his team are incredible at what they do! Joining them has been one of the best decisions in my life! I whole heartedly recommend them to anyone who are looking to scale and improve their business. Their highly 'Dedicated Distant Assistants' are well trained. They are top notch!
GM Simon
GM Simon
2022-09-08
Working with Bottleneck is not just having one or two assistants working alongside you. You have the support of the whole team behind them as well.
Ma. Edeliza Silot
Ma. Edeliza Silot
2022-09-07
Aside from the knowledge gained, the trainers are highly commendable.
Sara Knox
Sara Knox
2022-09-07
What an awesome business! Finally, a way to hire the RIGHT person for my administrative tasks and they are remote! No office space to consider, W2's, 1099's or payroll. Jaime and his team of remote workers are top-notch! I hired my first assistant in May. I recently suffered a motorcycle accident and it left me unable to work for 2 weeks. But my assistant stepped right in to guide our CEO on all matters financial. It’s so nice to have that stress eliminated from my life!
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