Sam Shepler - Video Testimonials for Growing Companies - Ep.100

Published: Jan. 25, 2022, 11 a.m.

My guest on this episode is Sam Shepler. Sam is the founder of Testimonial Hero, a company he bootstrapped that helps companies create more effective video customer testimonials. Sam and I spend much of the episode talking about how to create great testimonials for your company and what the driving reasons are for using video over text or other mediums. \nIn addition to being focused on a really interesting part of a sales process, Testimonial Hero itself is an interesting case study at what a bootstrap services company grows into overtime. \nOver the course of the episode, we talk about hiring a great team, using software and technology in your business to automate processes, and we spend some time near the end discussing time management and productivity. Enjoy.\nListen weekly and follow the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Breaker, and TuneIn.\n\nLinks:\nSam on Twitter\nTestimonial Hero\nGumroad\nAndrew Wilkinson: Lazy Leadership\nTopics:\n(3:31) - How do you think about investing yourself and your professional development?\n(6:45) - What are some of the biggest changes you\u2019ve made in your routine as you\u2019ve grown in your career?\n(8:05) - What are some learnings you\u2019ve had from working with coaches?\n(10:02) - How did you build Testimonial Hero? What were the early days like?\n(12:12) - What research have you found in the comparison of effectiveness between pull quotes and video reviews?\n(14:15) - What kinds of companies are best suited for video testimonials?\n(17:16) - If a company doesn\u2019t have a content strategy or video testimonials, which should they pursue first?\n(18:16) - Were video testimonials always the main product at Testimonial Hero?\n(19:11) - What\u2019s been your journey as a founder?\n(21:01) - Was there a tipping point that launched your growth?\n(22:15) - What did your day as a CEO look like in year 1 vs. now?\n(24:40) - Was there a moment where you realized you needed to bring on a General Manager?\n(25:50) - Tracking a CEO\u2019s time\n(27:53) - What college course would you teach if it could be on anything?\n(28:35) - What strongly held belief have you changed your mind on?\n(29:24) - What\u2019s the best business you\u2019ve ever seen?\n(30:53) - Are there parts of Gumroad you\u2019ve tried to emulate?