Episódios

  • 5 Businesses You Should AVOID Starting in 2026 (And Why!)

    5 Businesses You Should AVOID Starting in 2026 (And Why!)
    Dec 3 2025
    Thinking of starting a business in 2026? In this episode, I break down the business models I’d avoid, from influencer marketplaces to novelty AI startups. Learn from my experience, discover what makes a business sustainable, and get tips for success in the new year. Share your thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to subscribe for more founder insights every week! Subscribe to my substack: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com 00:00 - Intro: 2026, Year of the Entrepreneur 01:17 - Why I Wouldn’t Start an Influencer Marketplace 03:45 - The Problem with Targeting Enterprise First 06:52 - Recurring Revenue: Why It’s Essential 08:58 - The Harsh Truth About Social Media Startups 12:00 - Novelty AI Startups: A Cautionary Tale 13:45 - Final Thoughts & Community Q&A Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    14 minutos
  • 6 Lessons That SAVED My Business in 18 Minutes 💡📈🚀

    6 Lessons That SAVED My Business in 18 Minutes 💡📈🚀
    Nov 26 2025
    In this episode, I reflect on the monumental lessons learned in 2025 as a founder and creator. Get 10% off your Squarespace purchase using code NATALIEBARBU or go to https://squarespace.com/nataliebarbu From nearly shutting down to hitting $2M ARR, I share the real, raw journey of building Rella, the power of niching down, why customer obsession is more than a buzzword, and how staying small can be your biggest advantage. Plus, I reveal the #1 trait every founder needs to succeed (hint: it’s not what you think). Sign up for my substack: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ If you’re ready to grow, learn, and get inspired for the year ahead, hit subscribe and join the community. Share your biggest lessons from this year in the comments! Timestamps and key takeaways below 👇 00:00 – Intro & Year-End Reflections 02:00 – The Turning Point: From Near Shutdown to $2M ARR 04:24 – Lesson 1: Niching Down Saved Us 07:15 – Saying No to Grow 09:07 – Sponsor: Squarespace 10:21 – Lesson 2: Customer Obsession in Action 13:20 – Lesson 3: Small Teams, Big Results 16:00 – Stop Comparing Your Journey 18:30 – The Power of Consistency 20:30 – Final Thoughts & What’s Next Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    19 minutos
  • We Spent 2 Years (and $1 Million) Building the Wrong Product! - Here's What We Learned

    We Spent 2 Years (and $1 Million) Building the Wrong Product! - Here's What We Learned
    Nov 19 2025
    What does product-market fit really look like? In this episode, I share the raw, unfiltered story of how we spent two years building the wrong product, the painful lessons we learned, and how we finally found true product-market fit with Rella. You’ll hear about the metrics that fooled us, the pivots that saved us, and the real signals that your product is actually working. If you’re a founder, creator, or just curious about the startup journey, this episode is for you. Timestamps and chapters below! 00:00 – What is Product-Market Fit, Really? 02:34 – The Early Days: Rella 1.0 and False Signals 06:26 – The Slack & Figma Stories: Real Product-Market Fit 10:20 – Vanity Metrics That Fooled Us 14:21 – The Pivot: Rebuilding from Scratch 18:07 – How to Know When to Pivot vs. Persevere 21:00 – Metrics That Actually Matter 23:41 – What to Do After You Find Product-Market Fit 25:38 – Final Thoughts & Where to Find Me Subscribe for more honest founder stories and business growth tips. Subscribe to my Substack: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    27 minutos
  • From 200+ NOs to $1 Million: The Real Startup Fundraising Journey

    From 200+ NOs to $1 Million: The Real Startup Fundraising Journey
    Nov 5 2025
    After 200+ investor rejections, we finally raised $1M for our startup. In this episode, I share the real story behind our fundraising journey, lessons learned, and practical tips for founders facing rejection. Whether you’re starting out or deep in the process, this is the advice I wish I had. Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction & Podcast Background 3:30 — Fundraising Journey: Rella’s Pre-Seed Story 8:15 — Reflections on Fundraising vs. Bootstrapping 11:06 — How to Pitch: Storytelling & Investor Outreach 21:08 — Tactics: Finding, Contacting, and Tracking Investors 27:48 — Mindset, Rejection, and Getting the First Check 30:08 — Alternative Funding & Closing Thoughts Sign up for my newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 minutos
  • We Burned $1M Before Learning This Pricing Lesson (Don’t Make Our Mistake)

    We Burned $1M Before Learning This Pricing Lesson (Don’t Make Our Mistake)
    Oct 29 2025
    Welcome to "Just Grow With It"! In this episode, I share the biggest mistake we made as founders: not charging customers soon enough. We wasted two years and nearly lost our company before learning the hard truth about pricing. If you’re a creator, founder, or entrepreneur, this episode will save you time, money, and heartache. Newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ 00:00 – Why not charging was our biggest mistake 01:00 – The myth of traction vs. real revenue 02:30 – Why free users rarely convert to paid 04:00 – Our failed freemium launch and what went wrong 06:20 – The painful pivot: relaunching with a paywall 08:00 – How charging saved our business 09:30 – Should you charge from day one? 11:00 – Free trial vs. freemium vs. paid: what works 13:00 – The psychology of pricing and perceived value 15:00 – How to set your price and test your model 16:30 – Final lessons and advice for founders If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and sign up for my newsletter for more founder stories and lessons every week! Get 10% off your first purchase using code NATALIEBARBU or go to https://squarespace.com/nataliebarbu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    18 minutos
  • How We Hit $1M ARR in 11 Months: The Real Secret to Finding Customers

    How We Hit $1M ARR in 11 Months: The Real Secret to Finding Customers
    Oct 21 2025
    In this episode, I reveal the real secret to finding your first customers and how we scaled to $1M ARR in less than 11 months. Get actionable steps for startup growth, customer acquisition, and building a loyal audience. 00:00 - Intro & Why Finding Customers Is Hard 01:10 - The Customer Adoption Lifecycle 05:30 - Focusing on Early Adopters 09:21 - Squarespace Sponsor 10:30 - Steps to Find Your First Customers 18:00 - The Power of Social Media & Viral Growth 23:00 - Cold Outreach & Referral Programs 29:00 - Lessons Learned & Final Thoughts Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and share if you found this helpful! Get 10% off your first Squarespace order by using code NATALIEBARBU or go to htps://squarespace.com/nataliebarbu and sign up for my newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 minutos
  • How We Built Our MVP in 2 Months: Lessons from Launching a Startup

    How We Built Our MVP in 2 Months: Lessons from Launching a Startup
    Oct 15 2025
    In this episode of "Just Grow With It," I share the real story behind building and launching our MVP (Minimum Viable Product) — from taking a whole year the first time to just two months the second time around. Learn the biggest mistakes founders make, why launching early matters, how to get your first users, and what to focus on to build a product people actually want. Whether you’re a startup founder, product manager, or just curious about entrepreneurship, this episode is packed with actionable advice and honest lessons from the trenches. Timestamps / Chapters:00:00 – Intro: Our MVP Journey00:19 – Welcome to Just Grow With It00:36 – What is an MVP?01:01 – The Earliest Version: Solving the Core Problem01:20 – Why Start Simple?01:43 – Our First MVP: The Perfection Trap02:48 – Launching Too Late: What We Learned03:09 – Building Fast: Our 2-Month MVP03:27 – Don’t Overspend: Using AI Tools for MVPs03:50 – No-Code & AI: Building Without Developers04:29 – How AI Tools Can Help You Build04:45 – Simple, But Usable: Avoiding Overcomplication05:09 – Competing with Big Players05:27 – Project Management vs. Content Scheduling05:44 – Finding Your Unique Value05:45 – Getting Your First Users06:02 – Why Marketing Matters from Day One06:20 – Building a Waitlist & Social Sharing06:41 – Launching to Early Adopters07:06 – Community Building: Facebook & Slack Groups07:48 – Treating Your First Customers Well08:05 – Learning from Real Users08:24 – What to Look for After Launch08:41 – Is Your Product Intuitive?09:08 – Watching Real Users Onboard09:24 – What Features Do People Actually Use?09:42 – Decoding Customer Feedback10:01 – User Experience: Less Clicks, More Value10:46 – Embracing Feedback & Avoiding Churn11:29 – Is This a Real Problem or a Nice-to-Have?12:13 – Going Deep, Not Wide: Focus Your Product12:50 – Saying No to Feature Creep13:46 – Our Short-Term Goal: Be the Best at What We Do14:48 – Q&A and Outro Subscribe to my newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    16 minutos
  • How to Find the Right Cofounder (and Spot the Red Flags Early) 🚩

    How to Find the Right Cofounder (and Spot the Red Flags Early) 🚩
    Oct 8 2025
    65% of startups fail because of co-founder issues—don’t let yours be one of them! In this episode of "Just Grow With It," I share my personal journey as a founder, the hard lessons learned about co-founding, and actionable advice to help you find (and keep) the right co-founder for your business. We’ll cover: The pros and cons of having a co-founder Where to find the right co-founder (even if you don’t know anyone) How to know if your co-founder is “the one” Red flags to watch out for Navigating equity conversations and vesting Legal tips to protect your business Whether you’re just starting out or looking to restructure your founding team, this episode is packed with real stories, practical tips, and honest advice to help you build a strong foundation for your startup. Timestamps: 00:00 – Why most startups fail: The co-founder dilemma 00:18 – Welcome to Just Grow With It 00:36 – My co-founder story: The early days of Rella 01:15 – Do you really need a co-founder? 02:20 – The pros and cons of co-founders 03:55 – Emotional support and shared responsibility 04:50 – The cost of giving up equity 05:50 – Control, decision-making, and team dynamics 06:30 – Picking the wrong co-founder: Why it’s so risky 07:13 – Where to find your co-founder: Networks, events, and online 09:48 – How to know if your co-founder is the right fit 11:00 – Red flags: Communication, trust, ego, and motivation 14:16 – The equity conversation: How to split and vest 17:05 – Legal musts: Vesting, agreements, and lawyers 18:49 – Final thoughts and community shoutout Subscribe to my newsletter: https://thegrowthlist.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    20 minutos