Summary:
Welcome back to the Startup Junkies podcast!
Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Grace Gill were joined by Amanda Earhart, CEO and Founder of PushKin. Amanda is on the quest to build a healthy community where businesses can communicate and reach their potential. This tool is shaking up the way companies have meetings, celebrate employees, and set culture and vision. Be sure to listen to the podcast and even hear all about why you might want to be a doomsday prepper.
Thanks for tuning in!
Shownotes:
(0:58) Introducing PushKin
(3:39) The Backstory of Amanda Earhart
(4:56) Working with Cartwheel
(9:34) Web 2.0, Meta, and Entropy
(11:44) The Future of Ownership in B2B SAS Software
(13:26) A Passion for People to Grow
(17:02) PushKin Industry Domination
(22:48) Fighting Frontline Worker Fatigue
(24:22) The Impact of Mentorship
(27:22) Raising in Venture Scaling
(33:15) Advice to Younger Self and Closing Remarks
Links:
Quotes:
“[Who can support a startup?] You look to accelerators, you look to startup studios, and you look for a mentorship group.” (5:23) – Amanda Earhart
“Communication, when you get down to the brass tacks of it improves so many business outcomes.” (15:05) – Amanda Earhart
“One of the things [my mentor] was always really passionate about for me personally is to get out of my comfort zone. When she saw me comfortable, she would challenge me.” (25:41) – Amanda Earhart
Improving the Employee Experience
“The core thread of [PushKin] is bringing people together in online healthy environments.” (1:54) – Amanda Earhart
Amanda Earhart is known for her excellence within eCommerce, which spans across decades. She held positions and climbed the ladder for companies such as eBay and Facebook. While she saw success in the tech world, she had an underlying dream that led her to move to Northwest Arkansas.
In this passion project, Amanda wanted to unite a healthy online community. As Covid regulations changed work environments, Amanda saw a need for frontline and restaurant workers to have access to information via technology. Because they aren’t allowed their phones while on shift, most frontline and restaurant employees are in the dark while they are at work.
She created a device that lives on site and allows employees to stay connected to the outside world, receiving updates, protocols, and news that their company might want to communicate with them.
Startup, but with a Twist
This entrepreneurial journey is unique in that Amanda was chartered for three months to get PushKin to the next financial milestone. She was hired as an entrepreneur in residence—a CEO in waiting—for this product as it was beta tested by Chick-fil-A. She would figure out a market strategy, make case studies on customer discovery, build-out business plans, pitch decks, and then finish by building a website.
The venture scaling techniques that Amanda attributes to PushKin’s success include:
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Start a product to solve a current problem.
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Do your research to make sure that that problem is vetted and validated.
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During product creation, keep the perfect industry in mind who suffers from that problem and set them up to be the first beta-tester.
Offering Value as a Passion Project
PushKin fulfilled the passion Amanda has for people by coming alongside these companies to be the communication tool that serves their long-term vision. The day-to-day tactile management structure pushes the entire business or franchise to grow together.
PushKin believes in the value of communication without losing efficiency. Onsite meetings that last longer than you plan can now be substituted for a structured and scheduled device.
The biggest challenge came with the accuracy of read receipts. Most apps can get around five to six percent confirmation that the employee read a message, but PushKin offers 70-80%. This means a guarantee that you can have a greater trust that the messages you send will not only be read but that you will know who has received what information.
Amanda has BIG dreams for moving vertically and stepping into even more beloved franchises. Don’t miss any of it by listening to the full podcast above!
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Want to learn more about this product and how your company might use it? Check out PushKin’s website.
Do you consider yourself a startup junkie? Join in the conversation by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services?
Episode Sponsors:
AEDC – https://www.arkansasedc.com/
Teemyco – https://www.teemyco.com/
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