Gavin Zuchlinski is the founder of Acuity Scheduling, the slickest way for businesses to automate and manage their appointments online, allowing clients to schedule themselves. He is a self-professed tech geek and espresso maniac who wholeheartedly believes that business should be fun.
Subscribe to EOFire
Resources Mentioned:
- Your Big Idea: Successful Entrepreneurs have One Big Idea. Follow JLD’s FREE training & you’ll discover Your Big Idea in less than an hour!
- Audible– Get a FREE Audiobook & 30 day trial if you’re not currently a member!
- Amazon Echo – Gavin’s small business resource
- Anything You Want – Gavin’s Top Business Book
- Acuity Scheduling – Gavin’s website
- Follow JLD on Snapchat and Instagram to catch daily value bomb drops!
- The Freedom Journal – Set and Accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days!
3 Key Points:
- Generate revenue to a point, but don’t just focus on the money.
- When you create something good, you can’t stop it.
- Take customer feedback and use it to build a better service.
Sponsors
- MVMT Watches: Classic design, quality construction and styled minimalism. Get 15% off plus free shipping and free returns at MVMTWatches.com/fire!
- Northeastern U: Northeastern University’s D’Amore McKim School of Business offers the master’s degree for corporate entrepreneurs and is now accepting applications for its January cohort of online Innovation students!
Time Stamped Show Notes
(click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.)
- [01:02] – Acuity was actually built for Gavin’s mom
- [01:33] – Gavin moved to Pennsylvania from New York with his wife
- [02:40] – One BIG and Unique Value Bomb: Forget about money
- [04:20] – JLD believes you are obligated to generate revenue, but only to a point
- [05:57] – Worst Entrepreneurial Moment: A larger company came to Gavin and offered to buy Acuity and he said no to the offer. He came back with a ridiculous offer and the company still said yes
- [08:58] – Two years ago a user started with Acuity
- [10:39] – Never change your business for one client
- [11:55] – Understand what you’re selling and make sure your clients understand that, too
- [12:17] – Entrepreneurial AH-HA Moment: Gavin just decided to kill Acuity to focus on his job. And that failed because Gavin started getting referrals even though public sign-up’s were turned off
- [13:51] – Listen to your audience
- [14:38] – Once you get a good product, you can’t do anything to stop it
- [15:20] – What is the one thing you are most FIRED up about today? I’m excited about making customers happy, but I’m doing so at a level of scale
- [16:58] – The Lightning Round
- What was holding you back from becoming an entrepreneur? – Stepping back and being able to lead to scale up
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – Try to understand what is motivating the people you are talking to
- What’s a personal habit that contributes to your success? – I did customer support myself
- Share an internet resource, like Evernote, with Fire Nation – Amazon Echo
- If you could recommend one book to our listeners, what would it be and why? – Anything You Want –Derek Siver’s philosophy just resonated with me
- [19:05] – Take everything your users say very personally and never develop a thick skin
- [19:18] – Special offer for Fire Nation at Acuity Scheduling (Sorry! This link was active when this episode was first published in 2016 but is no longer an active offer.)
Killer Resources!
1) The Common Path to Uncommon Success: JLD’s 1st traditionally published book! Over 3000 interviews with the world’s most successful Entrepreneurs compiled into a 17-step roadmap to financial freedom and fulfillment!
2) Free Podcast Course: Learn from JLD how to create and launch your podcast!
3) Podcasters’ Paradise: The #1 podcasting community in the world!
Subscribe to EOFire!
