I recently went one on one with Eric Siu. Eric is the founder of content intelligence software ClickFlow, the Chairman of ad agency Single Grain, and the author of the new book Leveling Up: How to Master the Game of Life.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Eric: Sure. I’m an entrepreneur who helps other businesses grow. I have a marketing agency that has served companies like  Amazon,  Nordstrom,  Salesforce,  and  Uber.  I also run a marketing analytics company called ClickFlow. But before all the business-y stuff, I was a hardcore gamer. I actually spent most of my youth playing World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Defense of the Ancients, Counter-Strike, Quake, Team  Fortress, Warcraft III, Diablo, you name it. My biggest challenge was always that I accomplished much more in games than I did in real life.  I had to log off,  In games, I won championships, played with the best teams, and accomplished really difficult goals. Not so much in real life. I was constantly written off and had little confidence in myself. It was only when I figured out how to apply gaming concepts to real-life did things start to transform for the better. That’s why I wrote Leveling Up, to teach others how to do the same.

Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?

Eric: So at a high level scaling from $0 to $1M was all about finding service/market fit. It took some time to discover what we do best, but once we found it we were able to deliver great work for our clients. Scaling beyond that point to say $5M required us to take a look at our processes and build great repeatable systems. The point we’re at now is building an executive team to scale us even further.

Adam: What is your best advice for entrepreneurs and those working at small businesses on how to cultivate relationships and sell to large companies?

Eric: I believe building ‘relationship capital’ is one of the best investments any entrepreneur and/or small business owner can make. The best way to cultivate relationships is to always think about the other person’s needs before your own. It’s ethical persuasion 101. But the people that take it a step further, and check in with their network frequently asking how they can help, are the ones that cultivate relationships that can turn into sales.

Adam: What are three things everyone should understand about marketing?
Eric: 

1. Sales - No matter what job you’re in, you’re always going to need to sell yourself. To get a promotion, negotiate with insurance, etc it’s best to get good at it.

2. Learn the basics first - Too many people that want to learn more about marketing dive headfirst into the specifics of PPC, email, and SEO. Instead, start with the basic 101 knowledge of marketing before niching down.

3. Adopt an attitude of openness - Marketing is changing so rapidly that what works today might not work in the next 5 or 10 years. Be open to what other people are telling you and don’t be afraid to pursue emerging trends.

Adam: What are three things people who work in marketing should understand?
Eric: 

1. Copywriting - This is just sales in print and will be required no matter what you’re doing. My best advice here is to read the book Breakthrough Advertising.

2. Learn to delegate - It can be easy to fall victim to ‘Superman’ syndrome where you think you can do everything on your own. But it’s always more productive to find what you’re especially good at, then learn how to delegate out the rest

3. Have candor - To be an effective marketer you have to work with lots of different people from many different teams. At the end of the day the ability to speak up and get things done will get you respect, it’s usually best to be direct. 

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Eric: The best quality for a leader to have is selflessness. Knowing that at the end of the day it’s not about them, it’s always about the team. The truly great companies have leadership teams that instill a sense of belonging with all the employees with core values to follow. For example our core values here at Single Grain are growth, long-term vision, integrity, accountability, creativity, and tenacity. If you’re an aspiring leader I say don’t be afraid to ask for brutally honest feedback. It’s never good to guess. Know what people like and dislike about your leadership style, even if it stings, it will help you fix your weaknesses. 

Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives and civic leaders?
Eric: 

1. If you’re just starting out don’t be afraid to work for free. It shows tenacity and that you’re willing to bet on yourself to get work done, it can open up a lot of doors for you.

2. Follow what leaders in your industry are saying. This will help you understand your industry trends and get a better sense of how things will change in the future.

3. If you don’t execute it won’t matter. Get out there and implement your plan even if it’s not fully polished yet, done is better than perfect.

Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading and managing teams?

Eric: Before you hire anyone, ask yourself, would you work for this person? I think it’s a really important question to ask because at the end of the day you want to hire other leaders. 

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Eric: Done is better than perfect.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Eric: Visit levelingup.com to get a copy of my new book and bonuses.


Adam Mendler is the CEO of The Veloz Group, where he co-founded and oversees ventures across a wide variety of industries. Adam is also the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one on one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. Adam has written extensively on leadership, management, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities and non-profit organizations.

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