In Episode 3 of the Art of Waging Small Business Warfare podcast, we bring you up to speed with Guerrillapreneur news, news at the sharing and circular loop economies:

•Smart is launching a car sharing (similar to Mercedes' Croove) service called "smart ready to share." Car owners can use the smartphone app to post the time when their cars are available and invite friends to use it. Users can un-lock shared Smart cars using the smartphone app.
•Chinese bike-sharing start-up Mobike closed a $215M series D funding round.
•Massachusetts-based bike sharing startup, Zagster, announced a $10M Series B financing round lead by Edison Partners.
•Airbnb announced that Kenya doubled the number of homes available for sharing in 2016 reaching a total of 4,000 homes. Airbnb also noted that the number of guest staying in Kenyan homes tripled over the same time period.
•Kenya has become a hotbed for sharing economy startups. Little Cabs, a ride sharing service similar to Uber and founded by telecommunications company Safaricom launched in July, 2016. Little Cabs already has 2,500 drivers and 90,000 active accounts. Lynk, a startup similar to Angie's List, launched a sharing platform that connects customers in Kenya with service providers.

Also in this episode, I launch the VERY first Guerrillapreneur Mastermind Interview with the President and CEO of the Selma Good Company, Robert Armstrong. The Selma Good Company owns the line of G Mommas Cookies. The Selma Good Company is based in historic Selma, Alabama. Armstrong started this company with a $7,500 loan (using his truck as collateral) and a cookie recipe. Armstrong used shared economy tactics including sharing a local restaurant's kitchen (baking his cookies during their off hours) to launch his startup. Armstrong stated,"I knew the value of the product was in the product not in the equipment that I was using to make the product." Armstrong grew his cookie startup from 3 local stores to more 1,000 national chain stores around the country. The G Mommas's cookie line includes a Chocolate Chip with Pecans and a "Buddascotch" oatmeal both in 5.5oz retail packs. Since the launch of G Mommas cookies,

Armstrong has used sharing economy tactics to increase the asset utilization of the equipment he purchased to pack and ship his cookies. The Selma Good Company now provides services to smaller manufacturers including 3rd Party Auditing, Packaging Sourcing, Warehousing and Distribution. Selma Good can pack candy, snack food, grocery and specialty food, coffee, mixes and powders and nutritionals. Armstrong use of sharing economic tactics has helped him preserve cash and extend the runway for the successful launch of his business. The interview with Armstrong is a mini-MBA for startups. Listed below are the business topic areas that are covered in the interview:

•Leveraging the shared economy to avoid capital expenditures until you prove your concept
•Focusing on your core competencies and outsourcing other non-strategic services
•Identifying the right strategic outsourcing partner
•Conducting market research on a show string budget
•Getting your product on retail stores

Please share your feedback and ways that we can make the show better for you. You can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, GooglePlay, RSS, or Podomatic.com. Sign up for the Guerrillapreneur startup kit at ceyero.com. The startup kit includes templates, startup guides and the 12-Step Guide for Developing Disruptive Slingshot Innovations. Follow me on Twitter @guerillapreneur.


Host: Mark Peterson Host Social Media: @Guerillapreneur (Twitter)
Guest: Robert Armstrong, President & CEO of the Selma Good Company
Guest website: www.gmommas.com and www.selmagood.com
Sponsors: Ceyero Consulting, www.ceyero.com