Fred Schebesta, Finder.com | Why your first business goal should be to make $1 profit

Metigy Podcast - Marketing for SMEs

Finder.com's CEO, Fred Schebesta on why your first business goal should be to make $1 of profit, how to show your employees that you care about them, and focusing on your strengths.
And this week, my very special guest is Australia’s first ever digital marketer, Fred Schebesta.

Over the last 15 years, Fred has built Finder.com a fintech that helps people around the world make better financial decisions and improve their lives.

Fred is not only one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs, but he is also one of the most generous with his time, always willing to help others navigate the challenges of starting and running their own business. And he shares many of his business secrets in today’s episode that helped him grow Finder to over 500 employees across 6 countries.

In my conversation with Fred we cover a wide range of topics including why your first business goal should be to make $1 of profit, taking your marketing mastery and turning it into a process and frameworks that you can use make the best decisions for your business.

Fred also tells a great story of how he ran over the Manhattan Bridge to secure a whiteboard for his new office for $8 from Craigslist and there is a great business lesson to learn from this story.

So please enjoy this wide ranging conversation with Fred Schebesta.

What you will learn in this episode

• Ways that you can make the best decisions for your business
• Why it’s important for business owners to save money where they can
• Lessons from Fred setting up international offices in US, Canada, UK and other countries
• Why your first business goal should be to make $1 of profit
• Why you need to pay your staff well
• How to show your employees that you care about them
• Fred’s advice if you are just starting a business (you need to separate yourself from your company and look at it objectively)
• Why you need to focus on your own strengths
• Take your marketing mastery and turn it into a process
• How Fred manages his time between so many exciting projects and responsibilities
• How Fred has leveraged video to build his personal brand
• How Fred learns new skills

Quotes

"I believe that the world’s a better place when it's well-informed to make decisions. With that premise, I Co-founded Finder. We're trying to better all the world's decisions."

"If you separate yourself from your business and look at it objectively, you can start to take actions that are objectively good for the business. *Do what’s best for your business."

When starting a business, you need to focus on your own strengths.

Take your marketing mastery and turn it into a process.

I’m engaging in the mastery of video, and therefore translating that into processes and systems that Finder can use.

The internet is full to the brim with answers.

"In the beginning, I made so many mistakes and they really hurt. They are the scars that you wear that no one else can see, but you can feel them. "

"The moments when you are outside your comfort zone is when you tend to fail, but that’s the moment where you can find the most incredible opportunities. Those are the moments in time when you’re feeling so much anxiety and duress, that if you can just put your head up and look around, you will see the greatest opportunities. "

"If you’re not growing and not feeling uncomfortable, you’re not pushing hard enough. "

Resources & links mentioned

• Finder.com
  HiveEx.com – Fred’s global OTC & brokerage desk specialised in large order cryptocurrency trading -- https://www.hiveex.com/
• Running over the Manhattan Bridge for an $8 Craigslist Whiteboard - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/running-over-manhattan-bridge-8-craigslist-whiteboard-fred
• Aeron Chair by Herman Miller - https://www.hermanmiller.com/en_au/products/seating/office-chairs/aeron-chairs/
• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts - https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X#:~:text=The%205%20Love%20Languages%3A%20The,9780802412706%3A%20Amazon.com%3A%20Books
• Larry Ellison Co-Founder of Oracle - https://www.oracle.com/corporate/executives/ellison/
• Brian Armstrong Co-founder of Coinbase - https://twitter.com/brian_armstrong
• Ben Horowitz Co-Founder of a16z - https://twitter.com/bhorowitz

Book Recommendations

• The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman
  https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X#:~:text=The%205%20Love%20Languages%3A%20The,9780802412706%3A%20Amazon.com%3A%20Books
• Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Handbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell
  https://www.amazon.com/Trillion-Dollar-Coach-Leadership-Handbook-ebook/dp/B07JFKHCNY
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
  https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Thing-About-Things-Building-ebook/dp/B00DQ845EA/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2R9V873FP337Z&dchild=1&keywords=the+hard+thing+about+hard+things&qid=1594418787&s=digital-text&sprefix=the+hard+thin%2Cdigital-text%2C350&sr=1-1
• Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00NX91DR4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
  https://www.amazon.com/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/0743269519
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
  https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1PV401QGJ95ZW&dchild=1&keywords=how+to+win+friends+and+influence+people&qid=1594419470&s=books&sprefix=how+to+win+fr%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C347&sr=1-1

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
https://www.amazon.com.au/Everything-Store-Jeff-Bezos-Amazon-ebook/dp/B00DJ3ITKS

What business would you build on Mars?

I’d start a water business. When I look at a company, I like to solve problems.

How would I promote it? I’d call it “Earth”.

Reach Fred here

• Fred Schebesta on LinkedIn
• Fred Schebesta on Twitter
• Finder.com