Innovation

“The Millionaire Maker”

We have all been bombarded with ads promising the one secret to wealth beyond our wildest dreams.

Once again targeted through algorithms, personal information, and cookies that leave us vulnerable to scam artists and con men.

That’s what surprised me about Charles Schwartz. His clients refer to him as ‘The Millionaire Maker’. You see, Charles has never run a Facebook ad promoting what he does. For someone who has been retiring entrepreneurs for over 15 years, you’d be stunned to learn that he did not even have an Instagram account until 2020. When he joined social media, he gained 100k followers and did a 6-figure launch in a weekend.

In a saturated market, it is refreshing, all bit perplexing, that Charles avoids the limelight. From time to time, he pops his head up to lecture at Ivy league schools like Yale, train our United States Coast Guard on human behavior, and speak at think tanks for Fortune 500 companies. If you can catch him, hold on tight. He adores human behavior, systems, and leveraging something he coined ‘persona shifting’. Speaking to his former clients, they shared how without his persona shifting, the seemingly endless income stream would never be possible. Most of his past clients I spoke to, quickly acknowledged the generational wealth he creates, yet they all wanted to talk about something else. Some spoke of how Charles saved their marriage, helped them reconnect with their kids, and others walked back from the brink of suicide. It seems that there is more to this ‘Millionaire Maker’ than just the bottom line.

On this evening, he was speaking with a group of successful entrepreneurs on stage about scaling companies. Most were speaking the normal regurgitated sales pitch, but Charles wasn’t. Instead, he started exploring the issues of those who raised their hands to ask questions. He would speak about scaling, systems, branding cycles, and K.L.T. Most of us had never even heard of K.L.T. (Know, Like, and Trust) prior to this evening. His authenticity was infectious and his energy was relentless. There was something strange watching him speak on stage. As people spoke, he seemed to know what they were going to say before they said it. He could identify exactly what the hurdle was, and then gave them concrete steps on how to fix it—all in a matter of minutes from meeting them. It ‘broke some domes’ as he likes to put it. One audience member was having a hard time understanding, so Charles asked if he minded coming up and trying something.

It is difficult to explain what happened next. Charles started identifying which ‘version’ of this audience member was showing up. He explained that we all have versions of ourselves; from the one who does not think they are enough, to the unstoppable force. He explained that if we give all the resources to the first version, nothing gets accomplished. But, if we can master being the ‘ideal’ version, everything becomes easy.

He then spent no more than three minutes on stage with the audience member, and POOF! Clarity, direction, and a step-by-step plan came flying out of this audience member’s mouth. It was like Charles had unlocked this super power that was within him. I looked to my right, and the lady next to me was feverishly journaling while repeating, “it all makes sense now.” Charles went on to pivot people and break down plans to scale their companies within minutes. People he had never spoken to before, and industries he had no experience in.

He kept saying, “Humans are predictable, leverage that. When you unlock their truth, you can scale anything.”

To my surprise Charles is a Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author, but what he did next made my jaw drop. An audience member asked where he could pick up a copy of the book. Charles quickly responded, “Please don’t buy it, that is what Instagram is for. Send me a direct message and my team will send you a digital copy.”

So, we all whipped out our phones, and sent his account (iamCharlesSchwartz) a DM saying FREEBOOK.

Within 24 hours, there it was, but something was off. There was no upsell. No ‘pay for shipping’, no attempt to purchase anything. Just a wall of authenticity and a free digital copy of the book.

For the rest of the evening, we mingled and I watched another strange phenomenon. People walked up to Charles, talk for a few minutes, and then quickly either sat down to take notes, or called their business partners explaining how everything just changed. On my way to talk to Charles, I passed a group of guys he had just spoke to, saying to each other, “Dude! This is going to make millions.” Yet you would never know it by looking at Charles. Casual clothes, scruff, and always holding a water bottle. He was as quick to share a hug as he was to share advice. I won’t tell you what we spoke about, but what I will say is I am pretty sure, ‘the Millionaire Maker’ has struck again.

Innovation

The Ashley Marie Collection – Natural Hair Care for Gen Z by Gen Z

As a new generation of beauty consumers emerges, the beauty industry is undergoing a significant transformation. Gen Z consumers, in particular, are highly conscious about the ingredients in their beauty products. With a population that accounts for almost 30% of the world, Gen Z (born roughly between 1996 and 2012) are a major focus for several brands.

The desire to be environmentally and socially aware, has led to a change in this generation’s values and spearheaded the movement, urging companies to take action on the climate crisis. This is not merely rhetoric. Based on a survey conducted by Capgemini, in 2021, approximately 69 percent of surveyed participants belonging to Generation Z stated that they were willing to spend more on health and beauty products that contain natural and clean ingredients.This trend has led to the rise of natural beauty products, and the Ashley Marie Collection is at the forefront of this movement.

Created by 17-year-old entrepreneur Ashley Marie Gibson, the Ashley Marie Collection features a range of natural hair care products that cater specifically to the evolving needs of Gen Z consumers. Don’t be fooled by her young age – Ashley is a total boss. As a Gen-Z entrepreneur, Ashley is passionate about creating products that use natural ingredients and prioritize health and well-being. The Ashley Marie Collection reflects Gen Z’s preference for natural and eco-friendly products with its commitment to using only the cleanest, ethically sourced ingredients. All products are cruelty-free, color-safe, paraben-free, sulfate-free, and formulated with natural ingredients.

If being clean wasn’t enough, this brand checks off another box – being diverse and inclusive! The Ashley Marie Collection is an entire hair care line specifically for 4C hair, a hair type that is often overlooked in the beauty industry. The line features a range of uniquely formulated products, including a Clarifying Shampoo, Moisturizing Shampoo, Hydrating Conditioner, Protein Conditioner, Leave-in Conditioner, Coil Cream, and Curly Coil Styling Gel. All of which work wonders for kinky, thick coils and will leave strands feeling and looking even better!

Innovation

It’s your last day to apply to speak at TC Disrupt

Today’s your last chance to apply to speak at TechCrunch 2023
Why should you drop everything to get that application in by 11:59 p.m. PDT today? Not only will you help inform and educate the next generation of startups — and potential unicorns — but you’ll also establish or enhance your reputation as a valued thought leader and partner. Around here we call that a win-win situation.

How to apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023
When you apply, you’ll choose one of the two formats below and submit a title and description of your topic:

Breakout Session: Up to two people (including moderator) lead a 30-minute presentation followed by a 20-minute Q&A from an audience of up to 100 attendees. You’ll be able to display a presentation and have limited AV capabilities. You’ll present one breakout during Disrupt.
Roundtable Discussion: One person leads a 30-minute interactive conversation for an audience of up to 25 attendees. There is no presentation or AV — it’s all about organic conversation. You may potentially repeat this roundtable twice during Disrupt.
TechCrunch vets every application and then selects the finalists who will participate in the Audience Choice voting round. We’ll post the topics, descriptions and speakers online, and then TechCrunch readers will vote for the sessions they would like to see at the event. The top vote-getters will present live at Disrupt.

These are the important dates you need to know:

Application deadline: Today, April 21, by 11:59 p.m. PDT
Finalists notified: April 27
Audience Choice voting: May 1–12
Winners notified: May 15
Once more — a little louder this time: It’s your last opportunity to submit your application to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt on September 19–21! The application window slams shut today, April 21, at 11:59 p.m. PDT. One more reminder: Save up to $825 with an early-bird ticket. Buy your Disrupt pass, and join us in San Francisco!

Innovation

TechCrunch+ roundup: Deep tech tips for SaaS VCs, toxic fundraising, student visa startup options

If someone said “startup” while we were playing a word association game, I’d respond with “fundraising.” (I bet you would, too.)

Asking people for money is a key aspect of every founder’s journey, but Techstars Managing Director Collin Wallace says it can also “accelerate your demise.”

For example, raising a round to rev up engineering, sales and marketing sounds positive — but what if the business itself has negative unit economics?.

“Most of the time, what stands between a company and its ability to achieve scale is not a lack of money,” writes Wallace in TC+.

“It’s better to ask: Do we have hustle problems? Product problems? Process problems? People problems? Is my business model fundamentally flawed?”

In this article, he examines four scenarios that often lead entrepreneurs to seek out new cash and explains why getting “a clear picture of what is fueling losses” is much more important.