How to Scale Your Startup or Small Business for Uber Success with iCracked CEO & Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur AJ Forsythe

What this episode covers

We live in a world of technology, and start-ups are so prominent. There are many different challenges, and things can scale very fast. Start-ups are very serious business. Here's how you can learn from one of the tech industry's brightest ventures and scale your business quickly, effectively and for longevity. Most of us have the notion that start-ups are wildly successful and make people millionaires. However, AJ says that is nothing farther from the truth. Instead, if you plan to create or participate in a start-up business, you will be working long hours, not making much money, and be stressed out. It is a wild ride with a tough learning curve. Yet, AJ finds it fulfilling. People involved with start-ups need to take risks, be prepared to absorb as much information as possible, be a part of everything, and have a willingness to learn. Go with your eyes wide open! AJ never envisioned the fast growth of his company. It took a lot of hard work and dedication. Also, there was a lot of fear of the unknown, in trepidation, and concern. What lies ahead? Are we making the right decision? But you can’t slow down and take time off if you want grow your business fast and be successful! About AJ: In 2010, AJ founded iCracked in his college dorm room out of necessity. He kept breaking and cracking his cell phones, so he would take them apart and fix them. iCracked offers on-demand repair and trade-in network services for iOS devices. Now, his company features more than 1,885 certified iTechs across the United States (and 11 other countries). Challenged Issue: We challenged the issue of how to grow a young business extremely fast and more importantly, how to do it properly. AJ’s Actionable Tips: How to grow your business fast! * Hiring Employees: Is this the best person in the world for this job right now? Wait for the right person! And remove existing employees who are not right for the company. * Capital: Every company goes out of the business the same way. Scale each department according to revenue. * International/New Markets: What may work in one market wildly fails in another market. Make sure to change your business plan as needed. Top Quotes: * “I think one of the important things of being a founder is really putting yourself in the shoes (of your customers).” * “We’re servicing hundreds of thousands of customers a year, which was not even in our wildest dreams three years ago.” * “We’re kind of going down that dark, winding path of starting a company where we know 90 percent of the start-ups that we’re involved with will probably not be around in five years.” * “You are probably going to work harder than you ever have in your life.” * “You have incredibly high highs, but even lower lows where you start doubting yourself.” * “If you’re going to take money from people, make sure you research and know exactly who they are and what their expectations are.” * “Fail fast, move fast, and make sure your company doesn’t die while iterating and trying new things.” * “It’s just been a wild ride. I don’t think I’ve slept very much over the last three years.” * “You have to diversify quickly and you have to stop doing things that aren’t making sense very, very quickly.” Guest Links: * iCracked ( icracked.com ) Resources: * WhatsApp ( http://www.whatsapp.com/ ) * Uber ( https://www.uber.com/ ) * Instagram ( instagram.com ) * Facebook ( facebook.com ) * Y Combinator (<a href="http://www.ycombinator.

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