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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

How to use authenticity to better serve clients

Clarence Hairston (AKA the Tempo personal trainer dubbed Lil Bizzy) joined the Air Force at 21. And after 5 years, he left with pretty much zero plans, other than “don’t go broke.”

But as he struggled to find his footing (including his own sexuality), he realized success had a lot more to do with authenticity than with earning lots of money. And he spent a lot of the next few years trying to figure out who he actually was. 

“In a world of social media, people know what’s real and what’s fake,” he notes. And people are attracted to those who embrace their authentic selves because it gives them something to relate to. So that's what he does.

By being vulnerable first with his clients, he opens the door for them to reciprocate. People bring a lot of their personal stress into their workouts. And rather than rushing past it, he uses those stressors to deepen his relationships and better support his clients.

Similarly, we often feel pressured to shut our authentic selves off in the workplace - for the sake of “professionalism.” But this does a disservice to ourselves and those around us.

So, rather than pretending to be something that you're not, what is one thing you can do today to share your most authentic self with your team? And if you feel uncomfortable doing so, what’s standing in your way?

👉 Check out the full interview here.

WATCH OUT JEFF

The Amazon of SMBs just raised $45M

Early last week, Shippo raised $45M to help small businesses offer best-in-class shipping service without the high markups that come with overnighting goods. AKA to help them compete with Prime.

The startup already works with 70k e-commerce companies and over 80 shipping partners (UPS included). And in 2020, Shippo doubled its top line (shipping $12B+ in goods), per Tech Crunch.

With the new funding, CEO Laura Behrens Wu plans to double down on acquiring new customers and partnerships. Which, if all goes to plan, should lead to even more new customers and partners. But it also means better shipping service options for the small businesses that use Shippo. 

And this funding couldn’t have been more timely. Right now, the US e-commerce market is at an all-time high. In Q4 of 2020, e-commerce spending hit $245B with the holidays (up more than 30% from the previous year).

And Shippo is along for the ride. Last year, Shippo grew more than 3x faster than the US e-commerce shipping market. A market which itself grew as much in Q2 of 2020 as it did the previous 5 years combined. And without the end of the pandemic in clear sight, this trend isn’t showing signs of slowing.

All we can say is, Bezos, you might want to watch out for the little guy.

👉 See what Shippo CEO had to say about the funding.

FINALLY SOME CLARITY

Spotify's working on a big win for small biz ads

Podcasts are proof that video did not, in fact, kill the radio star. Just reinvented them. 

By 2023, the podcast industry is projected to pass 164M active listeners. And to no one's surprise, advertisers want to get in on the action.

This year, American businesses alone are expected to spend over $1B on podcast ads, per research firm eMarketer. A 45% increase from the year prior.

But the investment doesn’t come without its kinks. When you advertise on podcasts, you don’t get: 

• Clear key metrics (like impressions) that give insights on whether your ads are working. Meaning, you have no way to measure the ROI of your ads
• To choose who sees your ad. Instead, you're left guessing what shows your target audience might be listening to and putting your ads there

So, Spotify, a top podcasting platform, is creating new tools to help businesses get the most of their podcast ads. Namely: 

• A Facebook-like system for hitting the right audience with your ads
• A tool to help make your ads slick and professional

But all this is still in the works - and the race for podcast ad dollars is stiff. So, don't be surprised if a Spotify competitor like Apple or Amazon beats them to it.

👉 Get a full explanation of Spotify’s latest play.

THE WFH SLUMP

A tactical guide to fighting Zoom fatigue

We'll just say it - with all of our meetings happening online, Zoom Fatigue (AKA the feeling that you're mentally drained after being on video calls) is super real.

And by the end of the workday, we're actually more tired than we used to be - which negatively impacts our personal relationships. 

But the key to avoiding Zoom fatigue? Turning off your camera. At most companies, this is a no-go for company culture reasons. So, instead: 

1. Move back a bit. Physically, move your seat further back from the camera. That way, you can take breaks from looking at the camera - without looking like you're just not paying attention
2. Use the “hide-self” feature. Chances are good that you're spending more time looking at yourself than anything else - which can chip away at your mood and mental health. So, get rid of the temptation!
3. Take audio-only breaks. Meaning, shut off your cameras and make a few of your meeting old-school phone calls. This way, you can give your eyes a rest without putting your work off

👉 Read the full guide.

TL:DR

Other news you'll want to know

• Get an insiders sneak peek at all the new Trainual features coming in 2021! (Plus, learn how to get them first.)
• Apple launches its first-ever Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers, an immersive tech lab for app-driven companies led by BIPOC.
• Still can’t get into the Club? No worries -  Zuckerberg is bringing the Club to you via a rip-off Instagram feature. He’s dubbed it: Live Rooms.
• With 42M users and $1.3B in 2020 revenue, Coinbase filed to go public at a $100B+ valuation (making it the biggest IPO since Facebook).
• Twitter is trying to make the OnlyFans model happen with a Super Follows feature that lets you charge your followers to see exclusive content.