BROADCASTS.com

Holly Cardew, a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 list and the founder of Pixc - an online image optimization service. Holly dropped out of college to grow an image editing empire that\u2019s making just short of $1 million in revenue each year. Listen as Holly and Nathan talk about Pixc\u2019s bootstrapping ethic, the importance of revenue over investment, and how to get the most from an affiliate program.

Famous 5
Favorite Book? \u2013 The Lean Startup
What CEO do you follow? \u2014 Ben Chestnut, though he\u2019s kind of hard to track
What is your favorite online tool? \u2014 Intercom
Do you get 8 hours of sleep?\u2014 No
If you could let your 20 year old self know one thing, what would it be? \u2014 I wish my parents had told me to go to Silicon Valley. I should have learnt how to code.

Time Stamped Show Notes:
01:15 \u2013 Nathan\u2019s introduction
01:56 \u2013 Welcoming Holly to the show
02:03 \u2013 Holly took a corporate job in London after university
02:20 \u2013 Tried multiple online businesses before Pixc
02:40 \u2013 Pixc is an online image optimization service
02:50 \u2013 Sells credit image packages
03:05 \u2013 Launched a landing page in 2013; started properly in 2014
03:20 \u2013 Largely self-funded; raised $150k in capital
03:55 \u2013 \u2018At the end of the day, you need to have a business - not just capital\u2019
04:15 \u2013 16 team members
04:30 \u2013 Revenue in the range of $200k - $1 million per year
05:10 \u2013 What are the running costs?
05:20 \u2013 Semi-automated process with some human input
05:35 \u2013 Currently breaking even and re-investing in the business
05:50 \u2013 Holly is 28; she dropped out of college to start her business
06:20 \u2013 Working with over 7,000 clients
06:40 \u2013 Acquisitions through referrals, integration, content marketing and affiliates
07:10 \u2013 Affiliate program is very effective. One article brought in 70+ customers in 3 weeks
09:20 \u2013 Affiliates make 20% commission on referrals
10:40 \u2013 What\u2019s the competition? Largely freelancers.
11:03 \u2013 What\u2019s Pixc\u2019s growth strategy?
11:40 \u2013 Planning to expand the affiliate program and build partnerships
11:50 \u2013 Thinking about what other services they can offer in this niche
12:20 \u2013 Connect with Holly on Linkedin, Twitter and at her blog
14:58 \u2013 Famous Five

3 Key Points:
Focus on revenue, not on investment. You have to know that your idea can make money.
Learn how to code - it\u2019s a basic skill that will pay you back a hundred times over.
If you\u2019re looking at expanding, consider what other services fit in your niche. What else do your customers need that you can provide?

Resources Mentioned:
Freshbooks - The site Nathan uses to manage his invoices and accounts.
Host Gator \u2013 The site Nathan uses to buy his domain names and hosting for cheapest price possible.
Leadpages \u2013 The drag and drop tool Nathan uses to quickly create his webinar landing pages which convert at 35%+
Audible \u2013 Nathan uses Audible when he's driving from Austin to San Antonio (1.5 hour drive) to listen to audio books.

Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives

\xa0