Oliver Kenyon is a UK-based entrepreneur and the Co-Founder of ConversionWise, a company specializing in conversion rate optimization (CRO). Under his leadership, ConversionWise has collaborated with over 3,500 brands, including GFUEL, Lotus Biscuits, and Lamborghini, as well as prominent figures like Lionel Messi and Kim Kardashian.

He is also the Founder of AffiliateFix, a leading affiliate marketing community that grew to over 70,000 members and 400,000 discussions. This platform was later acquired by Neil Patel’s investment firm in 2017.

Before his entrepreneurial ventures, Oliver was a fully qualified chef. Beyond his business achievements, he is dedicated to education, offering courses on platforms like Udemy to share his expertise in CRO.

Summary

In this episode with Oliver Kenyon, you’ll learn:

• How Oliver built ConversionWise, a large conversion rate optimization (CRO) agency, including how they helped put landing pages on the map.

• Since the landing page industry exploded, how ConversionWise has evolved and adapted.

• When Oliver met his co-founder Andy and how they divide their workload.

• Whether they have any systems in place, such as EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) or OKR (Objectives and Key Results).

• The current status of the affiliate community that Oliver built (and his first exit), AffiliateFix.

• Whether Oliver started out specifically aiming at eCommerce or if he had adopted a more general approach.

• Some examples from Oliver of best practices that apply across the whole industry.

• Where Oliver sees issues where direct response does not really work but conversion is optimized, such as traffic that is too expensive.

• Whether Oliver thinks tech stack and brand infrastructure can affect conversion.

• How he feels about the future, including CMS (content management systems), Shopify, and AI.

• How ConversionWise works with brands on the CRO side and what their retention is like.

• How you can get in touch with Oliver.

In this episode with Luc Arama, you’ll learn:

• HSBC Innovation Banking’s acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Luc’s feelings about it.
• How companies manage a debt facility with SVB in both the UK and the US.
• Why a founder should consider going down the debt route rather than the equity route.
• At what stages does HSBC Innovation Banking lend to companies.
• What terms HSBC Innovation Banking usually offer for someone who is raising money through both an equity round and a venture debt facility.
• How HSBC Innovation Banking differentiates itself in the market against traditional banks, venture debt funds, and VC funds.
• How it differentiates from revenue-based financing.
• Why HSBC Innovation Banking helps so many software companies compared to e-commerce.
• What the due diligence process is for HSBC Innovation Banking when it underwrites.
• Examples of covenants being breached and what happens if they are breached.
• What needs to happen for HSBC Innovation Banking to auction off a business.
• How Luc sees the financing landscape evolving in the future.
• How you can get in touch with Luc.

In this podcast episode, Alexej and Rand Fishkin discuss the advantages of angel funding over venture capital for startups, emphasizing sustainable business growth over rapid scaling. Rand shares insights from his experience with Moz and SparkToro, highlighting alternative investment structures and the potential impact of AI on search and SaaS industries. They also explore wealth-building approaches for entrepreneurs and the importance of antitrust policies in fostering innovation.

🔍Timestamps:

00:01 Alexej welcomes Rand to the conversation

00:44 Rand introduces himself, discussing Moz and SparkToro

02:19 Discussion on non-VC funding choices

04:40 Reasons for preferring angel investment over VC

08:34 Critique of the venture capital model

13:57 Explanation of SparkToro’s unique funding terms

18:19 Approach to building profitable, sustainable businesses

22:18 Liquidation preferences and SparkToro’s terms

24:31 Structure of SparkToro’s board and decision-making

29:27 Investors overlapping in multiple projects

34:01 Future of search and AI's impact on Google

38:03 Discussion on AI's role in SaaS

42:05 Implications of AGI and SaaS models

45:07 Wealth-building through sustainable entrepreneurship

51:54 Challenges of modern entrepreneurship and monopolies

57:00 How to connect with Rand on LinkedIn and Threads

-- LINKS --

► Show Notes: https://nuoptima.com/saas-podcast/sparktoro-rand-fishkin

🔗 Follow NUOPTIMA:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexej-pikovsky-9743701/
• Website: https://www.nuoptima.com

🔗 Follow Rand:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin
• Website: https://sparktoro.com/

🔔 Stay Updated: Turn on notifications to never miss our latest videos on growth tactics in SaaS, trends, and business insights.