FranchiseFWD

Co-Founder

Soccer Skills Lab

www.soccerskillslab.com 

Founded and launched a youth skills-based soccer clinic that has generated $XXK/mo in revenue. Responsible for all digital marketing and strategic partnerships.

Futrwrk.

Tech Transition Coaching

Head Coach

ACE Kiosks

As a player/coach, I generated inbound sales opportunities with 200+ booked conversations. Achieved $1.2M+ in revenue growth. Boosted brand visibility and recognition, resulting in a 500% increase in website traffic and higher search engine rankings. Led forecasting, quota setting, pipeline management, sales training, and asset management for consistent revenue growth.

VP of Sales & Marketing

Buddy Punch

Sales hire as a player-coach for PLG startup wanting to grow ARR from $3M + primarily upmarket into Enterprise. Primary focus was to grow conversion for large segmentation ARR deals from  20% to 30%+

Sales Director

Akerna Corp. 

Oversaw B2G and B2B Small Medium Business units at Akerna, including Sales, Onboarding, Account Management, Customer Support, Project Management, RevOps, and Knowledge Team.

Improved client churn from > 4% to 2.5%.
NRR 12-month rolling was 74%, and 3-month rolling was 94.55%.
Oversaw and managed a sales team that exceeded the quarterly quota by 5%.
Exceeded forecast goal by 16% in FY 2021
Jointly launched training program and revolutionized sales team through MEDDIC and Value Selling methodologies which drove Revenue by 35%.

Head of SMB & Mid-Market

Strategically led 6 successful acquisitions from close to fully integrated with scalable and repeatable 100-day plans through all business workstreams.

Aligned metrics, tools, and processes to level up Akerna Corp by taking best-in-class methodologies to streamline all organizational motions through influence.

Decreased spending by over $100K annually throughout the 6 acquisitions while increasing revenue through cross-selling motions by over $120K annually.

Director of Integrations (M&A)

Coached and mentored an 8-member +/- sales team to grow global revenue by 150%
Implemented Strategic Account Management program, which led to an increase in $X.XM ARR.
Spearheaded partnerships resulting in additional ARR in the first year.
Ran and coached all reps via 1-on-1s, pipeline inspection, and role-playing exercises.

Director of Sales & RevOps

Responsible for high visibility and must-do projects for Akerna to obtain substantial growth.

Sr. Project Manager

Arrow Electronics

Responsible for high visibility and must-do product updates for Arrow Digital to obtain substantial 2018 Growth – including Azure Migration, Frontend Re-Architecture, expansion of a Chinese Arrow site, and the program of Page Load Performance.

Product Manager

Ball Corporation

Collaborate with various internal departments to ensure releases are incorporated into the most mature, gold-standard JD Edwards production system across the entire organization. Coordinate projects to create a seamless design and ensure on-time and on-budget delivery.

DevOps Release Manager

Sogeti

As a consultant, acted as Scrum Master, Project Manager, and Business Analyst - Collaborated with Sales and Project Team, consult on client calls and meetings to establish customer relations and communicate customer delivery needs in accordance with expectations and requirements.

Consultant

As a Consultant; developed in Java in an Agile environment and migrated between multiple testing environments. As Project Analyst; collaborated with PMO Team in a mixed-methodology system of Agile and Waterfall.

WANT A PROVEN SYSTEM TO GROW REVENUE? 

I'm all about B2B, SaaS, DTC, Ecomm, and H2H (human to human).....

🔴 FUN-FACT 1: Your company could be making more money but..
🔴 FUN-FACT 2: You don't have the skills and haven't hired the right person to grow it. 


▶️THE PROVEN REVENUE GROWING BUSINESS SYSTEM◀️
My coaching has helped a dozen+ businesses to:

✅ 3x revenue. 
✅ Slash unnecessary operational expenses. 
✅ Achieve revenue objectives

▶️HOW I GET RESULTS◀️
I have a proven framework to help you figure out your GTM strategy.

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐑𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐘, 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 2 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 I 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔:
1️⃣ - DM me personally. I'm happy to chat about where you are at.
2️⃣ - Learn more about me and how I can help you at my website >> ianblock.com

When you see an operations role, what do you think of? 

Sales and Marketing are for generating revenue... 

So, are operations roles inferior? 

Absolutely not, but they are the - 

Denis Rodman to the Michael Jordan. 

The Jules Winnfield to the Marsellus Wallace.

The Marcy Tizard to the town of Ballinagra.

They're willing to do the behind-the-scenes work so that the team can win.

They clean. 

They optimize. 

They support. 

All for the team's glory. 

The SalesOps, The MarketingOps, The RevOps, The OpOps. 

But how do you ensure success? 

Every scenario is different. 

At Akerna, our revenue engine was clunky, failure-prone, and inefficient.

Quotes were generated multiple times. 

Sometimes, they were exported as PDFs to be sent manually via Docusign. 

Which hindered all of the automations.

We revamped our CRM, CPQ, and Billing systems to accelerate our sales cycle.

Salesforce to HubSpot. Zuora to MonetizeNow. 

You read that right. 

That's your core systems for a SaaS company.

It also helped with client experience. 

What are some of your biggest operational projects?

Ian Block

I Help Companies Grow Revenue Through Marketing & Sales Strategies.

I just did some quick research. 

For every 5 LI posts written by a man, I get 1 written by a woman. 

Shout out to all the badass women killing it right now. 

Here are a few from my feed that I have found impactful lately…

If you want to learn tips on how to keep your marketing & sales teams aligned - Courtney Vevea is it!

If you want to learn lean marketing - Sarah Noel Block, MS !

Learn marketing operations/retail - Steph Vrona!

Several more out there, but to name a few.

I'm pivoting. 

While I have helped many professionals
- Get a job.
- Start a business. 
- Learn. 

I haven't found a sustainable business model for my career coaching business. 

It's been the most rewarding experience. 

Seriously. 

The joy I've gotten from this has been incredible.

When a person trusts you and the process.

By the end, find a path forward. 

Then go on to do what they set out. 

There is nothing better than helping. 

But... 

I haven't figured it out. 

So, I need to pivot myself...

How important is pivoting in one's professional life?

How can a career coaching business be made sustainable?

What are some ways to help professionals find a path forward?

Struggle with delegation and micro-managing?

Become a parent. 

You'll have unqualified minions who want to do everything for you.

It's great! 

Then they'll...

Take 10x long.
Do it incorrectly.
Make a mess.
Do it incorrectly again.
& you'll still love them. 

Next time, they'll do slightly better. 

Then, a bit better again. 

Next thing you know, they're pros! 

Or bored.

This post is brought to you,

by making Birch Benders's delicious buttermilk pancakes,

with a 5 and a 6-year-old who insists on mixing, flipping, and serving.

Every weekend. 

They're pretty good now, tbh.

What is the importance of delegation in professional settings?

How does parenting relate to leadership skills?

Interested in boring businesses that make > $XXXK on average?


Tech has been a whirlwind the last couple of years. 

I love it.

But it prompted me to check out some other business models.

I also had a water leak and had to call 5 places to get a plumber out ASAP.

They were all booked up until the following week!

Business must be doing well!

Got me thinking of diversifying streams of income. 

I was curious about HVAC repair, plumbing, etc. 

I know very little about it all, so I have three options - 
1. Start my own from scratch
2. Buy an existing business
3. Franchise

All 3 are decent options... 

I looked into franchising. 

I filled out a form for more info and got calls from 5 brokers...

Respect the hustle, but I'm just researching. (more on that a different day)

I noticed this was all over. 

So I built - https://franchisefwd.com/

The trained GPT has information from over 500 different franchises. 

Give it a go, and let me know what you think!

What are some best practices for franchising?

What do I need to know about HVAC repair?

Why is it important to diversify income streams?

Open article: Buying A Franchise Without Talking to Someone – Franchise Forward by franchisefwd.com • 1 min read

Buying A Franchise Without Talking to Someone – Franchise Forward

It's funny how your ideal customer profile (ICP) evolves as your startup evolves. 

You start wide, and then it starts to narrow.

When we started ACE, we started w/ all dispensaries. 

Any retail operations outside of a select couple of markets.

Now, it's dispensary operators who are opening their third (or more) location. 

We can be more targeted with our messaging and outreach. 

Have you found something similar?

How important is targeted messaging and outreach?

What impact does startup evolution have on ICP?

Riding the T-Swift content wave for our soccer company. 

Which one is your favorite? 

PS—IMO, theatrical diving and apparent near-death experiences have improved in recent years. Thank heavens.

"It takes tremendous courage to say - I think I’m struggling. I don't think I can do this alone. Can you help me?"

- Simon Sinek

It's humiliating. 

But it’s the single greatest lesson to learn. 

To say you need help.

So if you can do it in the worst of times you can do it all the time.

So all the GTM experts out there including me....

We know a sliver.

It teams we are great.

Tag an all-star teammate or someone who has helped you!

How can seeking help contribute to personal development?

What impact does acknowledging struggles have on personal growth?

How does teamwork benefit individuals in challenging situations?

I've been studying and using Kévin Moënne-Loccoz Cheat Sheets for a while. 

Here are some of my favorite tips for writing - 

Write short sentences.

Tell a compelling story.

Show instead of telling.

Make the hook intriguing.

Focus on 1 single outcome.

Include what’s in it for them.

Find inspirations from what works.

Every sentence should tease the next one.

Talk about the outcome, not the features.

Write often, it’s a muscle you need to train.

Understand your target more than anybody.

Use simple words, clarity wins over anything.

Ask copywriters / your audience for feedback.

Make your text scannable to improve readability.

Be as specific/tangible as possible, use numbers.

Never stop using Grammarly.

Give very specific examples.

Write to 1 specific person.

Write the way you speak.

Write in the present.

Tap into emotions.

What's your favorite tip for writing?

What impact can writing tips have on content creation?

How important is feedback in improving writing skills?

How to successfully launch a scrappy referral program in 8 steps


1 - Identify Your Goal - What do you want? More users? Increased sales? Define. 

2 - Understand Your Audience - Tailor your program to the preferences and behaviors of your target customers.

3 - Tech Terms - Pick a platform to utilize like GrowSurf, Referral Factory, or Referral Rock. Set contract terms.

4 - Offer Irresistible Incentives - Rewards that excite your customers will motivate them to participate. Cash, discounts, or exclusive access work wonders.

5 - Make it Easy - The simpler the referral process, the more likely people will do it. Ensure it is straightforward and seamless. (like Superhuman example pictured here)

6 - Communicate Clearly - Use clear, compelling messaging to explain how the program works and the benefits of participating.

7 - Leverage Social Proof - Show testimonials or case studies of happy customers who’ve benefited from your referral program. HubSpot does this well.

 8 - Track and Optimize -  Monitor the program’s performance and adjust as needed. Use data to understand what's working and what's not.

What impact can a referral program have on a business?

"This conversation has been really helpful." - says the other person. 

Probably the best compliment you can get in the business world. 

Especially in sales.

What are some tips for successful sales conversations?

How important are compliments in the business world?

Demand efficiency comes in many forms, and in today’s world, most buyers don’t want to be assisted by sales.

Some do, and others don’t. 

A little mini-series cheat sheet for this week to efficiently generate demand and maximize profits based on your leads in a PLG enviornment. 

First questions - 
Do you have an established PQL program?
What is your PQL definition?
What is your PQA definition? 
How many product-driven growth experiments do you test each month?
None | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5+

Have you implemented -
Lead routing
Lead scoring
Automated Lead booking
Lead enrichment

Do Sales <> marketing have...
Leadership alignment
Performance reporting
Pre-campaign briefing
Lead/opp quality feedback
?

Yay or nay?

How does PLG impact demand generation and profit maximization?

What is the significance of defining a PQL in lead management?

How does lead routing contribute to efficient demand generation?

#1 habit for job seekers and career pivoters is...


Give. 

It's hard when you are stressed. 

It's hard when you have so much doubt. 

It's hard when things are unknown. 

You are trying to get a lot out of each conversation. 

But remember to give.

Pay it forward. 

Make it a habit in your networking and job-seeking discussions.

Doing loyalty right is a make-or-break for your business. Not only is it so you can post your NRR as amazingly awesome on LinkedIn but here’s why….

Customer retention = 
Lifetime champions for you as they move to different companies.

Customer acquisition is getting harder, more expensive, and harder as budgets tighten.

Winbacks are insanely challenging and expensive.

LTV expands w/out raising your CAC. You can raise your prices and increase revenue.

Your marketing spend will become more efficient. You know your segment and your loyal customers intimately. 

What would you add?

How does customer loyalty impact business success?

What is the significance of customer retention?

How does customer acquisition affect business growth?

Tried and true low-cost customer acquisition strategies  - 


1 - Referral programs
2 - Strategic partnerships
3 - SEO & organic search
4 - Social media engagement (without pitch slapping)
5 - Email marketing 
6 - Newsletter
7 - Networking events
8 - Niche influencer partnerships

What would you add?

How can SEO enhance customer acquisition?

What are effective email marketing strategies for customer acquisition?

How do networking events contribute to customer acquisition?

Who’s the best guerrilla marketer you know? 

Chris van Praag⚡️ is doing remarkable things in my eyes. 

Relatable, witty, and hysterical content. Give him a follow.


Who’s focusing on creating buzzworthy, shareable content that resonates with their target market? Who’s being bold, being memorable, and watching their audience grow organically?

What impact does guerrilla marketing have on brand awareness?

Why is organic audience growth important for businesses?

Had some solid engagement with this one! 

They all should definitely buy right...

Right...

Book the revenue?!?!

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