In this episode, we speak with Shane Murphy, the CEO and co-founder of Boostly. Shane shares his transition from a successful sales career to the world of entrepreneurship, detailing his journey of launching an SMS marketing startup for restaurants. He emphasizes key strategies such as validating business ideas, leveraging mentorship, adapting to market needs through flexible pricing and product offerings, and the critical importance of building a strong, capable team.

(00:00:00) - Icebreaker game: Never have I ever
(00:00:59) - Introducing Shane Murphy from Boostly
(00:01:33) - Boostly's $22 million Series A announcement
(00:02:34) - Welcoming Shane to the Startup Ignition podcast
(00:06:49) - Diving into Shane's background and history
(00:07:55) - Shane's journey to becoming a sales leader
(00:08:52) - From music major to sales
(00:10:09) - First exposure to sales as an SDR
(00:10:48) - Joining American Healthcare Lending
(00:11:53) - Assuming a founder-like role
(00:12:42) - Investing in American Healthcare Lending
(00:13:16) - Preparing to be an entrepreneur
(00:13:57) - Transitioning to Jolt
(00:14:29) - Scaling sales at Jolt
(00:16:05) - Discovering Startup Ignition
(00:16:46) - Attending the Startup Ignition boot camp
(00:18:35) - Jotting down ideas and problems to solve
(00:19:32) - Gaining confidence to start a company
(00:20:10) - Being a meticulous lean startup follower
(00:21:05) - Advice on approaching a startup idea
(00:22:28) - Pouring everything into Jolt
(00:22:58) - Preparing financially to go all in
(00:23:53) - Validating while working for someone else
(00:24:19) - Getting the push to quit and start a company
(00:25:07) - Discussions surrounding quitting
(00:25:42) - Feeling nervous and getting a sign
(00:26:19) - Validating the startup idea
(00:27:11) - Starting cold calling and setting appointments
(00:27:43) - First hypothesis for a business model
(00:28:55) - The classic marketplace chicken and egg concept
(00:29:34) - Landing on a direct online ordering solution
(00:30:24) - Timeline from quitting to landing on the third or fourth idea
(00:31:13) - Pre-selling as part of validation
(00:31:48) - Only a founder can do what Shane did
(00:32:28) - Testing the Chowow hypothesis
(00:33:18) - Showing customers PowerPoint slides
(00:34:04) - Pitching to Chowow customers
(00:34:50) - Hunting for a co-founder
(00:36:16) - John's network and finding Mikey
(00:37:35) - Mikey's background and desire for a business co-founder
(00:38:35) - Mikey checking every box
(00:39:32) - Serendipity, timing, and being easy to work with
(00:40:02) - Mikey's business acumen
(00:40:19) - Working together at the startup building
(00:40:46) - Incorporating the company
(00:41:15) - Launching the MVP
(00:41:59) - Launching to pre-sold customers
(00:42:26) - Realizing the need to pivot
(00:43:14) - Brute force sales and product market fit challenges
(00:43:58) - Pivoting and focusing on marketing tools
(00:44:53) - Leaning into the value proposition
(00:45:27) - Everything's a hypothesis until validated
(00:45:48) - The accelerated process and quickness
(00:46:27) - Going to the International Pizza Expo
(00:47:09) - Focusing on retention and doubling revenue
(00:47:34) - Restaurants shutting down due to the pandemic
(00:48:06) - Validating additional products during the pandemic
(00:49:04) - Restarting with a new pricing model
(00:49:44) - Going through Y Combinator
(00:49:54) - SMS marketing for restaurants
(00:50:30) - Raising capital at the end of Y Combinator
(00:51:15) - Marketing tools for restaurants
(00:51:26) - Closing a seed round of capital
(00:52:07) - Trestle partners leading the seed round
(00:52:25) - Peak Span Capital leading the Series A
(00:53:06) - Trestle's investment stage
(00:53:47) - Closing the seed round in May 2024
(00:54:16) - Peak Span reaching out and structuring a deal
(00:55:12) - A preemptive series A
(00:56:28) - Are you happy?
(00:57:19) - Shane's a great guy who assimilated information
(00:57:59) - Aligning with methodologies
(00:58:11) - Parting wisdom and advice
(00:59:28) - Fundraising takes care of itself if you build a good business
(01:00:34) - Wrapping up the podcast
(01:00:50) - Staying up to date with Boostly
(01:01:14) - Boostly's been around for eight years
(01:01:45) - Shane's a good person
(01:01:57) - Success comes from solving real-world problems

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