Interview with Andy Jacob

Good morning, we are very excited to have one of America’s leading business consultants join us. Andy Jacob specializes in the customer sales cycle, online monetization, and startup business consulting. Andy Jacob is the CEO of the Jacob Group, the author of The Beautiful StartUp Quiz, and the founder of numerous multi million dollar companies throughout his career. Andy has become known for his one hour business consulting, where gets to the bottom of both simple and complex business problems very quickly. Andy uses a series of specialized questions for each company he works with that he has developed through his 30 years of business experience. Today, we are going to put Andy through a speed round of questions, and just for fun, limit his answers to one sentence. Andy is known for his ability to break things down very quickly, so we are going to also use a timer, and make sure he answers in one sentence, and in less than 5 seconds for each answer. This should be enlightening for our readers, so let’s go.

What’s the most important thing a startup must think about in raising money?
They need to think about how they are going to make paying customers happy.

When did you decide that you wanted to become an entrepreneur yourself?

It all started in 1970 when a neighbor gave me $3 to shovel her driveway after a Michigan snowstorm.

What gave you the courage to start multiple successful companies, speak out, and become a public figure? 
Sometimes it’s better to not know any better.

What is one of your greatest accomplishment to date? 
Getting my wife to say yes when I proposed to her .

Tell us about something in business that you are most proud of? 
I’m most proud of the fact that I still talk to all the partners I have ever had in business, and we are still friends.

What was your most embarrassing moment in business?
I once did an important phone interview for a national radio show from home, and could not get my Labrador retriever from barking at squirrels in the background.

What message would you send to inspire all the other entrepreneurs out there who look up to you?
Everyone skins their knees on the pavement, and the more bloody they get, the better the story of rising up it becomes.

What do you understand about your industry that other people don’t understand? 
Entrepreneurs and startup founders need solid questions so they can see the competitive landscape clearly.

What’s next for you in your career?
Finishing what I started, and starting new ideas that I plan on finishing.

What does Disrupt mean to you?
It means figuring out how to make paying customers more engaged and happy than anyone else has ever done before.

What’s the one thing most startup entrepreneurs forget about?
They forget about their customers.

What is the one thing startup entrepreneurs spend too much time on in the first three months of their idea? 
The name of the company.

In one word, what is the single most important idea that a startup entrepreneur should think about at 2 AM?

Their customers.

What is the one thing from sports that an entrepreneur can learn to be successful.

Outperform and be humble.

Andy, thank you so much. If anyone would like to speak to Mr. Jacob directly, you can contract him at the following.

Thank you again for your time.

www.AndyJacob.com
www.ScottsdaleAngels.com
www.BeautifulStartup.com