Driving Growth Through User-Generated Data, With Steven Nelemans
Release Date: 04/05/2022
From Revenue to Real Business Value Explained
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode, Carl sits down with George Sandmann of Growth Drive to discuss how business owners can increase the value of their company by building strategic capacity. They explore the gap between what owners think their business is worth and what it could be worth. The conversation highlights how improving leadership, systems, and execution can increase valuation multiples and create predictable growth. Key takeaways: Strategic capacity drives higher business value Revenue alone does not determine worth Most businesses are too dependent on the owner Private equity rewards...
info_outline
How to Build Systems That Create Real Results
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode, Carl speaks with Will Spengler about what it takes to build success that lasts. They discuss the role of discipline, clarity, and execution in business and leadership. Many people focus on ideas, but this conversation highlights the importance of systems and consistent action. Key takeaways include: • Why clarity drives better decisions • The role of discipline in long-term success • How systems improve performance • What separates high performers from others This episode offers a practical look at how to think, act, and lead with purpose. Listen now and apply these...
info_outline
How to Sell High Value Services the Right Way
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode, Carl speaks with Mike Garrison about referral-based sales and how service businesses grow. Mike shares why most sales approaches fail and how business owners must shift their thinking from price to lifetime value. He explains how referrals should be treated as a system, not a hope. Key takeaways include: • Why predictable referrals matter • How buyers think about long-term value • The role of trust in high-value sales • Why sales is the core of every business This episode gives a clear and direct look at how to improve your sales process. Listen now and rethink how you...
info_outline
How to Move from Employee to Business Owner
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode, Carl speaks with Jon Ostenson about franchising, business ownership, and the shift happening in today’s workforce. As AI reshapes jobs, many professionals are exploring ways to build their own income streams. Jon shares what he sees across the market and what separates successful business owners from those who struggle. Key takeaways include: • Why following a proven system matters • The role of mindset in business success • How “non-sexy” businesses can drive strong returns • What to expect when transitioning from employee to owner This episode gives a clear...
info_outline
Why Leaders Burn Out and How to Prevent It
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, Carl J. Cox speaks with Dr. Tracy Gapin, founder of the Gapin Institute and a leading expert in executive health and performance. After years of success in traditional medicine, Dr. Gapin realized that many high-performing professionals were neglecting their own health while pursuing business success. The conversation explores how stress, poor sleep, hormones, and lifestyle habits affect leadership performance and long-term health. Key takeaways include: • Why many entrepreneurs wait until health problems appear • How small daily habits...
info_outline
How to Actually Use AI to Scale Smarter
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, Carl J. Cox sits down with business strategist and performance coach Ashley Shaw. Ashley shares how she transitioned from the fitness industry into entrepreneurship and built a thriving business focused on helping entrepreneurs scale smarter through systems, recurring revenue, and AI-driven processes. Key insights from this episode include: • Why entrepreneurs must deeply understand their ideal customer • How recurring revenue creates financial freedom • The role mindset plays in scaling a business • How Ashley reduced marketing...
info_outline
Tariffs, Energy, and AI: Economic Signals to Watch
Measure Success Podcast
Economic headlines move fast. Strategy requires context. In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, Carl J. Cox speaks with economist about the trends shaping business decisions today. The conversation covers tariffs, supply chain strategy, artificial intelligence, workforce shifts, and energy markets. Dr. Connerly explains why tariffs rarely trigger immediate recession but can reshape sourcing decisions across industries. Companies are shifting toward supply chain reliability after years of disruption. The episode also explores the real impact of AI in business. The greatest...
info_outline
How to Build a Reputation in Business
Measure Success Podcast
In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, Carl J. Cox speaks with Steve Griggs, founder of Steve Griggs Design, one of New York City’s premier luxury landscape design-build firms. Steve shares how he built a successful company after starting in the lawn care business at age 16. With more than 30 years of experience, he explains what it takes to manage high expectations, lead construction teams, and deliver exceptional results. Key takeaways include: • Why successful clients value honesty and execution • How focusing on one project at a time improves outcomes • The...
info_outline
Startup Strategy in an AI-Driven World
Measure Success Podcast
AI is accelerating innovation—but it is not a substitute for strategy. In this episode, Carl J. Cox speaks with Josh Carter, co-founder of Upstart Collective, about what founders must understand to build sustainable companies. Josh shares insights from working with early-stage startups, including why chasing trends weakens businesses and how defensible value is created. The conversation covers AI misuse, founder blind spots, customer discovery, fundraising realities, and why execution still separates winners from noise. This episode is a must-listen for founders, operators, and leaders...
info_outline
The Truth About Business Valuation and Risk
Measure Success Podcast
Selling a business is not a simple transaction. It is a strategic event that often defines an owner’s financial future. In this episode, Carl J. Cox speaks with Gregory Kovsky, President and CEO of International Business Associates, about what it really takes to sell a privately held business. Gregory shares insights from more than three decades of deal experience, including why only a fraction of businesses ever sell and what separates those that do. The discussion covers buyer demand, valuation mistakes, financing hurdles, and the risks behind earn-outs and retained equity. This episode is...
info_outlineIn This Episode…
Many people might think a company’s great ideas come from its leaders. But the best companies? They draw their biggest ideas from the ones who know the market best: their users.
In this episode of the Measure Success Podcast, Carl J. Cox talks with Steven Nelemans, a 26-year-old entrepreneur who has used the power of user-sourced data to build his current company, Luna. Luna is a SaaS platform that finds the perfect leads for their users, then writes a personalized outreach message to those leads.
But when it comes to new features or new goals for the company, Steven said it can be powerful to listen to what customers are saying – and that the more companies stray away from that data (and towards focusing only on competitors), the less likely it is that company will actually succeed.
In this episode, we also talk more about how to sustainably grow a company (and how fast is TOO fast to grow), obstacles Steven faced in building his first startup that he didn’t want to repeat at his second, and how Luna’s users are actually driving how the company’s AI system is “trained.” Tune into the full episode!
Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:
- How AI is getting “smarter,” plus how Steven’s company uses those tools
- How software users can actually be the ones to “train” an AI system, and how they inform and inspire new features from a company
- Steven’s beginning in the startup world at 19 years old, and how he used what he learned then to inform his current company
- The inspirational power of Silicon Valley
- The obstacle Steven experienced with his first company that he didn’t want to repeat at his next
- The importance of metrics when it comes to measuring growth and product market fit
- How to sustainably grow a company and why it’s important to focus on your customers, not your competitors
- What Steven does to balance his work life with his personal life and stay energized in each
- How to measure personal success, plus the power of weekly planning and reflection