The No Instructions podcast, hosted by Chad Ingram, brings together founders to discuss their journey of building businesses. Chad himself is a three-time founder and CEO at Distro, a platform helping businesses build teams globally. In this episode, Landon Taylor, the founder of Skyrocket Media, BestCompany.com, and Snoball, joins to share his story. Landon was a great fit for the show, given his entrepreneurial spirit and experience creating three impactful companies in the digital marketing and word of mouth marketing spaces.
Quick Inspiration
In this episode, Landon Taylor delves into the origin stories of his companies, particularly Skyrocket Media, BestCompany.com, and Snoball. He discusses how his background and family upbringing shaped his entrepreneurial journey. He also touches on topics like the highs and lows of self-funding a business, the challenges of lead generation, and building a sustainable company. Landon emphasizes the importance of word of mouth marketing, which culminated in the creation of Snoball — a platform that automates referrals, reputation management, and reviews for home service companies. Here’s a quick taste of what Landon shares:
- "I want to control my own destiny."
- "If I’m going to put in all this energy, I want to make sure that I can maximize the output."
- “We've lived and harvested off of Google, but we've also felt the acute pain that Google can bring your business to its knees literally overnight.”
- “If you don't own the offer or the product, you're playing an arbitrage game.”
- “Life is all about making choices. You're not going to bat a thousand. You're going to make choices that you're going to learn from.”
- "Our product provides a lot of value. It helps good companies grow from their happy customers."
- "Profitability is kind of a vanity... Cashflow is really where the rubber meets the road."
- "The people we have on our team know the business inside and out. And they're contributors to the core.”
Top Insights from Building 3 Companies
Throughout the podcast, Landon shares valuable lessons learned from building multiple companies, providing insights that any entrepreneur can benefit from. These insights highlight the importance of financial independence, learning from mistakes, and surrounding yourself with a committed team. Each of these elements played a crucial role in Landon's journey and can serve as guiding principles for aspiring founders.
1. Self-Funding Is Key to Freedom
Landon Taylor’s experience with self-funding his companies highlights the freedom and control that comes from reinvesting profits rather than relying on outside capital. From his early days at Skyrocket Media to building BestCompany.com, Landon made it a priority to finance his ventures internally. "Instead of going wild with our lifestyle, we just parlayed the profits into building BestCompany," he recalls, reflecting on how self-funding allowed him to stay true to his vision and grow at a sustainable pace. This method also shielded him from external pressures often imposed by investors, giving him the flexibility to make decisions that aligned with his long-term goals.
Landon’s commitment to this approach helped him build lasting businesses without the burden of heavy debt. His companies were able to grow organically, reinvesting profits to fund new ventures. "It was about maximizing the output for the energy I put in," Landon explains, underscoring the importance of owning your success. This insight serves as a reminder to entrepreneurs that controlling their finances can often be the best way to stay in control of their future.
2. Learn from Your Mistakes
In their conversation, Landon and Chad discuss a pivotal moment when Landon and his partner decided to buy out their third partner in Skyrocket Media. In hindsight, this was a mistake that placed an unnecessary financial burden on the business. "We paid a premium… It kind of readjusted the clock," Landon reflects. This decision, while made with good intentions, ended up altering the financial trajectory of the company, causing stress and affecting their overall growth. Both founders agree that mistakes are part of the journey, and the key is to learn from them rather than dwell on them.
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Landon Taylor
CEO @ Snoball
“For years, I beat myself up. I wish I could rewind the clock. But I came to this realization... this is what life's all about.”
The lesson here is that mistakes will inevitably happen in business, but they don’t have to define the future. Landon admits that for a long time, he beat himself up over this decision, but over time, he came to realize, "But I came to this realization… this is what life's all about." Entrepreneurs can’t expect perfection, but they can focus on learning and growing from each choice they make. The ability to pivot and keep moving forward is what defines successful founders. Dwelling on the past can be paralyzing, but taking lessons from it is what builds stronger businesses.
3. The Importance of a Good Team
One of the key factors in Landon’s success has been the people around him. He mentions several individuals who helped shape his journey, providing the support and expertise necessary to grow his businesses. When Landon founded Snoball, he chose to keep much of the same team that helped him build BestCompany.com. This continuity allowed him to move quickly, leveraging the deep knowledge and experience of his team to build a product that worked. Chad has seen the opposite in other startups. He recalls, "They purchased the most expensive people possible and they burned the most amount of money."
Landon agrees, saying that having a team that is fully bought into the mission is more important. "The people we have on our team know the business inside and out. And they’re contributors to the core," he explains. In the early stages of a company, hiring employees who are willing to roll up their sleeves and adapt is often more valuable than hiring high-profile talent that may come with a hefty price tag. The right team is one that is hungry, aligned with the company’s goals, and willing to grow alongside the business.
Top Actions You Should Take
Landon’s experiences offer practical takeaways that entrepreneurs can implement immediately. These action items are not just theoretical but have been tried and tested in his own companies. From building momentum to automating repetitive tasks, these steps can help any business owner make better decisions and scale more effectively.
1. Build Momentum with Consistent Effort
Landon stresses the importance of patience and consistent effort in any business. Entrepreneurs should expect to invest long hours and significant effort upfront before seeing results. The key is to build momentum, just like he did with BestCompany.com, where years of steady work eventually paid off with a profitable, sustainable business.
Pro Tip:
Be patient with yourself and work hard. Your consistent efforts will pay off!
2. Control Your Own Destiny
Throughout the episode, Landon emphasizes the importance of owning your business and controlling your fate. While it might not work for everyone, self-funding his businesses helped him to avoid the pressures of external investors. Entrepreneurs should consider maintaining control and reinvesting profits into their growth instead of being beholden to outside capital.
3. Automate Repetitive Tasks
Snoball was created to systematize word of mouth marketing so companies can focus on what they do best. Similarly, entrepreneurs should look for ways to automate repetitive tasks to free up time for more strategic activities. Automating these processes can lead to more consistent and scalable results.
Want to automate the tedious word of mouth marketing processes? Let Snoball help! Schedule a demo to see what Snoball can do for your business.
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Landon Taylor’s journey from door-to-door sales to building multiple companies shows that entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to take risks and learn from their choices. From the importance of self-funding and learning from mistakes to the value of a strong, committed team, Landon’s experiences provide actionable insights for anyone looking to start or grow a business. His latest venture, Snoball, helps companies harness the power of word of mouth marketing by automating referrals, reviews, and reputation management. Landon’s story serves as a powerful reminder that success comes from persistence, smart decisions, and surrounding yourself with the right people.
