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Clarity

Aaron Vidas

Vancouver, British Columbia

I help Retail and B2B companies determine their marketing ROI and what to do next in their marketing and sales to drive up their revenue.

Worked around the Olympics + B2B tech startups. Traveled the world, passionate about values-driven entrepreneurship.

$8.33/min

75 Calls

12 Reviews

32 minutes
Avg. call

Entrepreneurship Fundraising Event planning Public Speaking Market Research Strategic Planning Stakeholder Management

Call me to talk about

How to Calculate Marketing ROI

Trying to figure out how to grow your revenue without spending more on marketing?

What marketing to invest in today to grow revenue now and in the future?

Snapchat or youtube?

Over the past seven years I've studied the business models, customer acquisition costs and marketing strategies of 1000's of businesses. Working with the Boards and C Suite of pre-revenue to 250M companies on how to drive up revenue.

I drove $112k in incremental revenue to a client within a few hours of starting work with them.

I can help you quickly determine what your marketing ROI is and what changes to make in pricing, customer segmentation and marketing spend to drive up revenue.

How Do I Generate More Leads Without Spending $$$?

"How can I grow my revenue without spending more on marketing and sales?"

"What biz dev should I invest in today to grow revenue now and in the future?"

"I'm a B2B company, should I use Snapchat or youtube?"

I drove $112k in incremental revenue to a client within a few hours of starting work with them.

I can help you quickly determine what your marketing ROI is and what changes to make in pricing, customer segmentation and marketing spend to drive up revenue.

How to Find Your Most Profitable Customer

I help high-growth companies find their most profitable customers. I get entrepreneurs to clarify their vision (it's why people are attracted to a product/service), what problem they solve and how much that is worth to a customer. Then determine how they can reliably scale only what is valuable.

My clients have included everyone from B2B startups to natural foods company Nutiva (329% over 3 years).

My passion is creating and growing businesses that do well and do good for their communities. 

Answers 13
Reviews 12

Answers

Aaron Vidas answered

What's harder, creating the opportunity or financing it?

You need to target seed stage investors who like to "follow." Your current investors act as validation for your idea and deal. Investment is a game of knocking on the right doors versus sales, which is just knocking on a lot of doors. Ask around your network for investors that have done similar deals in the past to what you are proposing. Connect with them and gauge their interest and what they'd be able to bring to the table. Keep up meetings and provide updates, getting them excited about what you're up to. Presenting at a game-centric Angel Forum is another avenue.

You literally have done the "hard" part, you have a lead investor. You've made it where 99% of venture-backed businesses don't. However, getting people to part with large sums of money still takes time, they need to trust you will do well with it. Keep talking to seed stage investors who have funded ideas like yours and you'll get there.

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Fundraising

Funding

Aaron Vidas answered

Who were the early mentors of the current generation of ultra successful entrepreneurs? Zuckerberg, Page, Brin, Dorsey, Hoffman, Thiel, etc.

For many it was Bill "Coach" Campbell of Inuit: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Campbell_(business_executive)

Also check out Ben Horowitz's "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" for more on Bill.

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Entrepreneurship

Mentoring

Entrepreneurial Skills

Aaron Vidas answered

How much traction does a b2c app needs to get to series A?

There's no magic number that automatically get's you "approval" for a Series A. Some questions to ask:

- How do I define my market and how big is it?
- Who are my customers and if a competitor did the exact same thing why would a customer choose me?
- How fast am I converting prospective customers to paying ones? If someone where to give me the capital I need tomorrow how many customers would I add?

These are the types of questions a Series A funder is looking for you to ansewer. They want to know "x" amount of capital will return roughly "y" for them as you've determined most of the major aspects of your business model (what you do, who your customer is/could be and how you make money). Feel free to call me if you'd like to walk through more of these questions for your company.

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Fundraising

Aaron Vidas answered

We have a pilot deal with an insurance payer in negotiation for our mhealth platform, how can we use projected cost reductions to close the deal?

First off, sounds like a great product. I have a family member with diabetes and this is something they could have used years ago.

I worked with Tom Nagle who wrote the bible on b2b pricing and he taught me to always think about the immediate problem you're solving for your customer and what value that delivers.

In your case that could mean your app increases attendance at diabetes info sessions because patients are having more fun. Or decreases missed appointments (which had an easy to calculate cost) because that functionality is built into your fun app. You need to figure out what's the immediate pain your relieving for the healthcare provider and sell on that, not long-term potential cost savings.

Happy to brainstorm and share some
techniques on zeroing in on how you solve an immediate problem.

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Marketing Strategy

Online Marketing

Aaron Vidas answered

Where do we look for venture capital for a debt-free direct sales/party plan business that is expected to do 1 million in its first year (2014)?

Hi there, I've worked for a VC firm running a consulting practice and advised pre-revenue startups on their fundraising. Sorry, as others have mentioned your business is unlikely to attract VC investment (service-based businesses are usually unattractive to VC's).

The first question I would ask is, if an investor were to give you all the capital you asked for, what would you do with it?

If it's for purchasing equipment, perhaps you could get favourable vendor financing. If it's hiring employees there could be a government granting program that you qualify for (I know this exists in Canada for hiring young employees).

An old boss used to say 'equity is like toothpaste, once it's out it's really hard to get back in.' So with any investor take a hard look at why you need the money in the first place and if there are non-dilutive options you can pursue first to accomplish the same goal.

I hope this helps!

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Direct Sales

Aaron Vidas answered

How would be the major differences between a centralised platform business model , a central franchise model & a distributed model?

Before you weigh the pros and cons of different platforms structures it's important to think about who your customers are and how you want the business to grow.

I help companies find their most profitable customers and have worked with pre-revenue to high-growth $70M+ companies in the SaaS, consumer products and professional service spaces. We usually start our work by aligning around what the vision for the company is asking questions like "Where do we want to be in 3 years? Why?"

From there we think about how customers will encounter and use the product, asking:

- "Is it a business where relationships and high company involvement is needed after a sale is made?" A centralised business model is a good fit (more quality control).
- "Are we a service based business seeking to minimize risk while expanding?" Then a franchise model is better.

A business model/structure tumbles out having clear answers to these questions. One business structure is not inherently better than another. You're just picking the structure that best facilitates your business goals. Don't hesitate to contact me if you'd like to discuss your potential business model in more detail.

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Business Strategy

Franchising

Distribution

Aaron Vidas answered

Close friend from outside the U.S asked me if I can use my account to receive money for his online payments. How much % should I charge him?

Depending on average transaction size, number of transactions and the potential risks you are taking on (i.e what are you responsible for if your friends product or service isn't delivered on?). Anywhere from 2-20% could work depending on the above.

As for accounting, I would recommend keeping the transactions in a separately coded lines of revenue and expenses so you can clearly show the in and out flow of money for his app. It will be taxed as income so you can include that in your fee if you wish.

Also know that banks these days are very sophisticated with detecting fraud and money laundering so ensure you document the arrangement with your friend so you can easily show everything is on the up and up.

I hope that helps!

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Income Tax

Negotiation

Money

Aaron Vidas answered

Do venture firms invest in startup digital / creative agencies focused on campaign performance?

I run an online marketing agency for socially conscious retailers. We do conversion rate optimization, email marketing, SEO and PPC. We have 25ish employees and our clients represent $700M+ in revenue.

Generally no, VC's don't consider digital/creative agencies to be in their purview. The multiples for service-based companies like agencies are quite low (usually between book value to 1.5x) so it doesn't fit their investment model.

In my career I've met one guy who invests in agencies/consultancies. And that's because he's built and scaled several and sold them to Big 4 firms.

However, if you have a product with traction that solves a real problem for your clients you'd have the ear of an investor. That's how Hootsuite started.

I hope this helps.

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Venture Funding

Fundraising

Funding

Aaron Vidas answered

We are building a marketplace for yacht and sailing industry. What early preparations can be done to make sure we are able to attract funding later?

I help b2b companies in finding their most profitable customers and have worked with several companies creating marketplace business models. If I was in your shoes I'd:

- Sell, sell, sell. Even if you're manually connecting buyers with sellers at first. Ensure what you're offering is a genuine need. People hate change (not a bad thing) so you have to offer them something that is leagues ahead of what they already use. Meaning it's a lot faster, cheaper, easier and funner then what they already do. Talking to potential customers is the easiest way I've found of figuring out where the pain/problem is and how you can address it.
- Ensure your market is specific, but big enough. Who are your customers and how many of them are there? At first you need to target a segment of the yacht/boating industry, own it and get people raving about you. Then you can move into bigger/adjacent categories. This proves traction and revenue and shows investors where you can grow into.

Feel free to call me if you'd like some more specific advice for your situation and stage of growth.

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Funding

Online Marketplace

Raising Venture Capital

Aaron Vidas answered

At what point should an entrepreneur give up on their venture?

I help B2B companies find their most profitable customers. This a tough spot with no cut and dry answers. I would ask the following:

- There's a lot of things I could do, why did I choose to do this? Think of this as a gut-check to gauge whether you want to push through or not.
- Define 'no traction' with customers. What was the reason they originally bought from you? What problem are you solving for them today? You can find this out by calling and asking.
- Can I be cashflow positive just providing them what is of value?

If you're getting positive answers to each of these questions, keep going. Not every products needs, or can have, a hockey stick-like growth chart with customers.

Finally, I would pretend the $150k investment didn't exist and I still had the customers and product I have today. What would I do with the product? The more you invest in something (emotionally and financially) that harder it becomes to abandon it. This is known as the 'sunk cost fallacy.' Stepping away from it can provide much needed prospective.

Feel free to give me a call if you'd like to chat more about your specific situation.

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Entrepreneurship

Fundraising

Aaron Vidas answered

How do you determine if a business idea is worth pursuing?

I help companies find their most profitable customers working with everyone from pure B2B startups to $75M+ consumer businesses. First, I would separate whether you are solving a problem for a consumer or a business (they have very different ways of being sold to).

To build on what Daniel is saying, I would begin with meeting as many people as possible you think you solve a problem for. At first, ask them what's bugging them about the area of their business or lives your idea pertains to. Is what they currently do too slow, too complicated, too expensive? Shoot for talking to a couple dozen people. Clarity and your friend group are a great place to start these conversations.

As you have these conversations you'll start to see patterns emerge. Holes in what's currently being offered in the marketplace, etc. From there you can start narrowing the conversations. After they've discussed what they don't like about what's currently out there you can pitch your idea. "Hey, listen it sounds like you really hate changing your summer tires to winters. What if I could have a team come to your home, change them and store the summer tires for you all for $49.99?" And the last bit is the most important part, asking for the sale. People will throw out objections: "Too expensive." "Nah, it's actually not that important. I'll change them myself." Or they'll say "yes" which gets some $ in the door. That's when you can start doing the traditional business planning of determining market size, etc.

I hope that helps!

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New Business Development

Entrepreneurship

Business Ideas

Reviews

The call was excellent. Aaron asked all the right questions and provided me great insight.

Giovanni Dienstmann Source: Clarity

The conversation with Aaron was excellent! He knows his stuff inside out and I would surely recommend him if you are interested in understanding the impact of your marketing efforts on your revenue.

Amit Ghasghase Source: Clarity

Very nice guy. Gave me some useful insights, terms and phrases. Thanks Aaron.

Andrea Martins Source: Clarity

Great call, to the point! Aaron provide different tools and ideas that we can use for the next steps.

Vikrant Rayate Source: Clarity

Gave ideas for thought on new product launch. Helpful to have someone like Aaron to brainstorm with.

Gene Lieb Source: Clarity

Aaron cut right to the chase, asking me a few direct questions and helping me solve that problem I was asking about right then and there. Highly recommend chatting with him.

Jacinthe Koddo Source: Clarity

Great to speak with Aaron re: growth. My only mistake was not booking long enough. Looking forward to speaking again soon.

Luke Kennedy Source: Clarity

Great call - got a lot of actionable ideas that will get us going in the right direction. Aaron took a complex idea and distilled it down to where it makes sense.

Gus Skarlis Source: Clarity

Very knowledgeable and a great guy

Dave Blakey Source: Clarity

Aaron was a ton of help and had no trouble jumping in and discussing the details in a 30 minute call. He is savvy, knowledgeable and up front with his advice and ideas. Looking forward to speaking with him again!

Source: Clarity

Talking to Aaron sold me on the Clarity.fm product. Aaron's experience and intelligence were evident, and he gave a young entrepreneur and strategist the time of day.

Ben Millstein Source: Clarity

Member since June 2012