Frank Growth
Frank Growth is a sharp, execution-first podcast about how companies actually grow. Hosted by Jason Shafton, it features candid conversations with founders, operators, and investors who are in the work right now. The focus is real decisions: distribution, demand, pricing, org design, incentives, and what breaks once the early playbooks stop working. No hype. No recycled advice. Just clear thinking from people accountable for outcomes.
Episodes
The $10 Million Rule with Seth Lowery
Episode #226: Seth Lowery — The $10M rule that kills good ideas, not just bad onesHow to decide which growth bets to fund when every idea on the table already looks good.For marketing and growth leaders drowning in too many opportunities and a team that's too small to chase them all.Seth Lowery is VP of Marketing at Octane, a fintech that has originated over $8 billion in consumer loans and runs b
The Taylor Swift Effect with Blakely Neilson
Episode #225: Blakely Neilson — Building a high-growth EdTech brand when buyers aren't on LinkedInThis episode is a tactical playbook for marketing to a buyer that ignores LinkedIn, retargeting, and white papers: the school district.For operators and founders selling into education, or any relationship-first market where you can't performance-market your way to pipeline.Blakely Neilson came from f
The Bootstrapper's Revenge with Alex Roy
Episode #224: Alex Roy — Bootstrapping an AI company for 12 years, no fundingHe founded an AI company in 2014—when AI was a punchline—bootstrapped it with zero outside capital, and landed Fortune 50 clients.For founders and growth operators figuring out how to build (and sell) AI products in a market that shifts every few weeks.Alex Roy is the founder of SalesBox AI, a single-founder, bootstrapped
Most Tests Will Fail, That's Fine with Divya Ramaswamy
Episode #223: Divya Ramaswamy — Running one growth function across travel and fintechHow a lean team runs acquisition, retention, and cross-sell across a travel marketplace and a fintech suite on a single brand.For growth leaders who own multiple products serving one customer across very different trust thresholds.Divya Ramaswamy runs growth across travel and fintech at Super.com—acquisition, acti
Getting a CFO on Board with Your Growth Plan with Simon Heyrick
Episode #222: Simon Heyrick — How CFOs become real growth partnersWhat it actually takes to turn your CFO into a growth ally instead of a gatekeeper.For founders, CEOs, and CMOs trying to align finance with marketing and growth investments.Simon Heyrick is the CFO of Sun World International and was Jason's CFO and then CEO at Soothe. In this conversation, Simon walks through what changes the momen
Stop Selling. Start Method Acting. with John O'Donnell
Episode #221: John O'Donnell — Selling AI Trust When Your Best Outcome Is InvisibleHow do you sell infrastructure that works best when nothing bad happens?For GTM leaders, founders, and sellers building pipeline in category-creating, mission-critical sales motions.John O'Donnell leads go-to-market at Alice, where he sells AI trust and safety to the top foundation model companies and the enterprise
The Neobank of Insurance Playbook with Jacob Batist
Episode #220: Jacob Batist — Launching the first new health insurance company in Canada in 70 yearsHow a European challenger broke into a market controlled by three incumbents — without a CEO on the ground, without brand awareness, and without growth-at-all-costs spend.For founders and growth leaders entering markets dominated by entrenched incumbents, where trust is the real constraint and speed
Meet Your On-Demand Co-Founder with Wade Lowe
Episode #219: Wade Lowe — Why GTM in the AI era is a Rubik's CubeThe business takes on the personality of the founder. If there are problems, look at thyself.For founders running $5M–$50M companies trying to crack go-to-market when the playbook keeps changing.Wade Lowe is a 3x co-founder with two exits, focused on bootstrapping, AI, and mindset. He's led revenue at two Inc 500 companies (ranked 72
The Sephora of Chocolate Strategy with Pashmina De Shon
Episode #218: Pashmina De Shon — Why Friction Is The Moat In Craft ChocolateHow a bootstrapped founder built a $3M+ craft chocolate marketplace by owning the operational pain everyone else outsources.For e-commerce operators, bootstrapped founders, and brands weighing the jump from DTC to physical retail.Pashmina De Shon is the founder of Bar and Cocoa, a curated marketplace for craft chocolate fe
The Swiss Army Knife Operator with Jeff Bishop-Hill
Episode #217: Jeff Bishop Hill — How Swiss Army knife operators scale marketplacesWhat breaks first when a marketplace expands into new markets.This episode is for founders and operators balancing growth, ops, compliance, and enterprise sales at the same time.Jeff Bishop Hill breaks down what it takes to scale marketplaces when one operator is covering multiple functions at once. Drawing on his wo
Why Your Lead Gen Keeps Failing with Matt Putra
Episode #216: Matt Putra — Cracking paid lead gen for a services businessHow to lower lead costs by teaching instead of pitching.For service founders stuck with expensive, inconsistent lead flow.Matt Putra of EightX explains how he finally cracked lead generation for his fractional CFO business after spending $150,000 over 18 months on cold email, outbound, hiring, and agency support that did not
Make Merch People Actually Wear with Jay Sapovits
Episode #215: Jay Sapovits — Turning branded merch into a strategic growth toolHow to stop wasting money on swag that gets ignored.For founders and operators buying merch without a plan for impact.Jay Sapovits of Ink’d Stores explains how branded merchandise becomes useful when it starts with audience, objective, and distribution instead of a last-minute product order. He shares lessons from a fai
Why Billionaires Pay Him a Retainer with Leigh Rowan
Episode #214: Leigh Rowan — Building a premium service business without adsHow to grow a premium service business through trust, referrals, and client retention.For founders and operators building high-touch services and trying to scale without paid acquisition.Leigh Rowan, founder and CEO of Savanti Travel, joins Jason Shafton to break down how he built a luxury travel management company serving
Buy a SaaS, Skip the Startup with Doug Breaker
Episode #213: Doug Breaker — Buying a SaaS instead of building from zeroHow to acquire a profitable SaaS with minimal upfront capital.For operators considering ownership but hesitant to start from scratch.Doug Breaker, CEO of Shoeboxed and former CEO of MD Hearing Aid, explains why he chose to buy a 20-year-old SaaS company instead of building one. After running an eight-figure DTC business, he ac
Getting Your Mind Right for Growth with Dan Kessler
Episode #212: Dan Kessler — Building organic growth beyond paid acquisitionHow to build consumer app growth without defaulting to paid media.For founders and operators scaling consumer subscription apps and looking for durable growth levers.Dan Kessler joins Jason Shafton to break down how he thinks about consumer growth across partnerships, product loops, and app portfolio strategy. Drawing on wo
Kill the CMO Role with Elia Wallen
Episode #211: Elia Wallen — Building a $2B travel platform by serving SMBsHow a founder built a multi-billion dollar company in an overlooked market.For operators deciding whether to chase hype markets or serve ignored customers.Elia Wallen is the founder and CEO of Engine, a business travel platform that grew out of his earlier company Travelers Haven. What started as a corporate housing service
The Art & Science of Product Marketing with Seif Salama
Episode #210: Seif Salama — Why most product marketing fails to drive revenueProduct marketing only matters if it changes pipeline, adoption, or retention.This episode is for founders, PMMs, and operators trying to make product marketing actually impact growth.Seif Salama joins Jason Shafton to break down what product marketing really does when it works. Seif has led product marketing across compa
Data Systems Designed for Scale with Pat Ryan
HTMLEpisode #209: Pat Ryan — Building loyalty systems that protect marginsHow to design data systems that actually drive business outcomes.For operators building analytics, loyalty, or AI initiatives under real constraints.Pat Ryan, with experience at Discover, Organizing for Action, and United Airlines, joins Jason to break down what “data systems designed for growth” actually means in practice.
How to Build a World-Class Sales Motion with Lindsay Crittendon
Episode #208: Lindsay Crittendon — Build a repeatable revenue system without spamOutbound email is an impression now—not a response channel.For seed to Series C revenue leaders building a real funnel and motion.Lindsay Crittendon (CRO, Taylor Bird) breaks down how to build revenue strategy that persists—grounded in how customers actually use your product, not heroics. She explains why the first di
Designing Serendipity with Kushagra Shrivastava
Episode #207: Kushagra Shrivastava - Engineering serendipity in community and eventsHow to design events where the right people actually meet and follow through.For founders and operators building communities, networks, or community-led growth.Kushagra Shrivastava is a builder and community investor behind Zoogler, a 40,000+ ex-Google alumni network. He explains how he defines “serendipity” as str
How to Write Like a Human with Steve Dennis
Episode #206: Steve Dennis — How to Write Like a Human in the Age of AIAI can generate endless copy. The new bar is making someone feel something.This episode is for founders, marketers, and anyone who writes for a living and wants their work to connect.Steve Dennis is a writer and ghostwriter who has shaped voices the world knows—including Andy Puddicombe at Headspace. Jason and Steve go back to
From Audience to Community with Jordan DiPietro
Episode #205: Jordan DiPietro — How to Turn an Audience Into a Community That Compounds GrowthMost companies stop at audience. This episode shows you how to build community that creates its own pipeline.For founders and operators who want retention, not just reach.Jordan DiPietro has built audience-to-community flywheels at The Motley Fool, The Hustle (inside HubSpot), and as CEO of Hampton. In th
I Hate Sales with John Kennelly
Episode #204: John Kennelly — Founders who hate sales still have to sellIf sales feels intrusive, this episode reframes it as problem-solving.Built for founders avoiding sales calls, decks, and outreach.John Kennelly, Founder of I Hate Sales, works with founders who have never had a sales job and actively avoid selling. In this episode, he explains why sales fear is usually a mindset problem, not
Acquisitions and Inorganic Growth with Trevor Houghton
Episode #203: Trevor Houghton — How to buy growth without risking cashHow founders use acquisitions to grow without betting the company.For operators considering their first inorganic deal.Trevor Houghton is CEO of Pass Galleries and a former private equity and corporate development operator. He breaks down how founders can use acquisitions to increase enterprise value without overextending capita
How Investors Think About Growth with John Connolly
John Connolly - Make your growth story hold up in investor diligenceHow to present growth so it is defensible, measurable, and scalable.For founders raising and operators building board-ready growth reporting.John Connolly is a Managing Director at Spectrum Equity, and he explains what he expects to see when a company tells a growth story at the growth equity stage. He covers why founders often st
Building Your Growth Operating System with Cait Anderson
Episode #201: Cait Anderson — Building trust into a repeatable growth systemTrust breaks faster than funnels.This episode is for operators trying to make growth predictable without killing speed.Cait Anderson is Chief Marketing Officer at Winston Francois. In this conversation, she and Jason unpack what actually makes a growth system sustainable: predictable returns, clear operating rhythm, and tr
How to Fix Healthcare and Other Bad Words
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox explore the intricacies of business and personal growth. In this episode, they interview Hank and Carly Schlissberg. Hank is the CEO of Evio Pharmacy Solutions, and Carly is a stay-at-home mom to their three daughters. Hank and Carly discuss their experiences as parents and entrepreneurs, sharing insights
Up All Night To Get Lucky
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox explore the intricacies of business and personal growth. In this episode, they interview Brian and Sam Rose, husband and wife duo and partners in Mvnifest, a single platform to manage your commerce operations, from concept to customer. Brian and Sam met in college and have been growing businesses and peopl
From Vegas to HomeLife
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox explore the intricacies of business and personal growth. In this episode, they interview Jessica and Marshall Morris, husband and wife duo and partners in HomeLife brands. They discuss the importance of relationships in business and parenting and the need to understand and support individuality. They also
Father's Day Special: Uncommon Dad Truths
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox explore the intricacies of business and personal growth. In this special Father’s Day episode, Jason flies solo and interviews Nick Aubin, the co-founder and CEO of Commons Clinic, about his experience as a dad and an entrepreneur. They discuss the challenges of balancing work and family life, the importan
Take a Trip on the Othership
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox explore the intricacies of business and personal growth. In this episode, they engage in a fascinating conversation with Robbie and Emily Bent, the visionary co-founders of Othership. Othership is not just a platform, it's a transformative concept that combines a physical space and a mobile app. It'
Growing a Business and People
Welcome to Frank Growth, the podcast where husband and wife duo Jason Shafton and Alyssa Fox delve deep into the complexities of business and personal growth. In episode one, Jason and Alyssa open up about the intricacies of balancing work, life, and parenthood. They talk about some of the advice they have gotten that was “total bullshit,” and share the unique and creative way they decided to cele
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