The best day to start a business? Today! That’s the word from David Wachs, the highly successful serial entrepreneur featured on this episode of The Tension Podcast.
Most recently the visionary behind Handwrytten, a robot-based platform for writing personalized notes in pen, David shares his words of wisdom and life experiences that have shaped his career. He has never been afraid to get in over his head, embracing tools before he could fully imagine them and building out technologies on the fly.
You’ll find out how David bootstrapped his earliest ventures and got out way ahead of the mobile marketing curve by growing a widely used platform to deliver millions of text messages to consumers for clients like Toys-R-Us, Abercrombie & Fitch, Sam’s Club and Pizza Hut.
He also explains how, more recently, he has pioneered Handwrytten robot-based solutions capable of sending out personalized, direct-mail notes at the rate of some 20,000 per day. It’s no surprise that David is a sought-after speaker at technology hotspots like South-by-Southwest and a commentator for prominent publications like The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Learn why personal connection is more valuable than ever to business success in a world increasingly dominated by AI, robots and automation. The show also wraps with recommended reading you won’t want to miss!
Curious about how Handwrytten can translate your personal thoughts into pen and ink communications? Visit their website to get all the details about how your business can deepen customer bonds through systematic direct-mail that conveys a human touch.
Relevant Links/Further Resources
Sign up for the Tension newsletter here.
Find out more about Zapier, the automated workflow platform that integrates with a wide range of business applications.
Explore Handwrytten’s many partner relationships – including Salesforce, Shopify, Hubspot and others – at this link.
Learn more about Roger Martin, business thought leader, speaker and former dean of the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto.
More about how to transform your business at EOS Worldwide
Get more info about Ninety, the central hub for remote, hybrid and in-person teams.
Michael E. Gerber’s books about all facets of the “E -Myth” are available here.
"Creating Superfans: How to Turn Your Customers Into Lifelong Advocates," by Brittany Hodak.
"Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business," by Gino Wickman.
What You’ll Learn:
Life-Changing Encounter: How talk show host Conan O’Brien changed the trajectory of David’s career with this advice: Always get in over your head!
In the Deep End: Why – even more than specific expertise – David looks for people who have the “figure it out” gene – the innate ability to get ingenious.
Out of Ashes: How David’s first entrepreneurial ventures grew out of adversity and a strong gut instinct for leveraging the early mobile marketing wave.
The Magic of Handwritten: About the opportunity David identified to zig where other marketers were zagging, offering an automated sales tool to generate personal letters.
Organic Growth: Why David is a big believer in bootstrapping businesses rather than taking (and burning through) outside investor funding.
Key Differentiator I: How Handwrytten’s advanced technology and platform separated its service from the pack of competitors who were unable to scale.
Visionary Framework: What it looks like to develop a platform driven by a robust API layer rather a static website with limited interactivity and applications.
Key Differentiator II: More than a one-off marketing gimmick, Handwrytten is a utility whose design fully integrates with daily CRM functions at scale and on an ongoing basis.
Spinning Gold: Why snail-mail retrieved from an old-fashioned mailbox is received like treasure these days – and how Handwrytten leverages that special feeling.
Maximizing Time: How putting in place systems and tools that telegraph a personal touch sends a signal to customers: We care on a human level.
David’s evolving leadership style incorporates:
An inclusive approach.
Mindfulness with regard to demeanor and behavior.
Meditation or hypnosis and other tools that support calm.
Coupling intentionality with deliberation (before action).
A Shout-Out for Business Management Tools that Work:
Mantras for Handwrytten’s Corporate Culture:
Be the change you seek (aka figure it out!).
Focus on the customer.
Play as a team.
No B.S. – be open, transparent.
How David Protects Work-Life Balance:
Uninterrupted dinner time is non-negotiable.
Online work at home has to wait until after the kids’ bedtime.
Weekends are devoted (as much as possible) to family time.
David’s Recommended Resources for Entrepreneurs:
Michael E. Gerber’s books about the "E-Myth."
Brittany Hodak’s "Creating Superfans: How to Turn Your Customers Into Lifelong Advocates."
Gino Wickman’s "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business."
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#19: David Wachs — Technology vs. Tradition