For the past six months I've enjoyed the in-depth interviews Andrew Warner conducts on his site Mixergy. The quality and depth of insights he garners from these people in one hour is terrific. It's the intimate metrics driven conversation you've always wanted to have with that person.Personally I end up learning a lot I can apply directly to my work in the start up world and sort of feel like I met these people myself.
Here's what I mean about detail: when interviewing the Wufoo guys, I don't just learn that they got a humongous traffic boost when they were covered on Techcrunch, Warner goes deeper and I learn that traffic channel "...converted to paying customers at .25%" which is abysmal, hence don't count on Techcrunch coverage to seed your user base. See that difference?
I also really appreciate how Warner always asks the truth about acquisition prices and how well an interviewee made out even if it makes for an awkward moment.
Here's an easy way to start:
My Favorites
Paul Graham: I'm pleasantly surprised by Paul's jovial manner. Learn about the inside workings of Y-Combinator.
AirBNB: It's a great story and I love their hustle.
Wufoo guys: Give great metrics
Seth Godin: Andrew and him have a great repi
The Why Guy: I almost skipped this one but it's now a favorite. Offers a straightforward way to figure out what to do with your life.
Who I'd like to See on Mixergy
Jessica Livingstone (Update - DONE!)
Tavi the 13-year old fashion blogger
Things I'd Improve
Warner is sometimes too preoccupied by the audio-visual so when there's a snag he gets too distracted and it takes away from the interview. Edit those parts out or be cooler when that stuff happens. When you're fazed it gets passed to your audience. Also sometimes Warner is shy when asking certain questions. There's no need to be. Own it, boy!
I could spend days on his site. He even interviews a porn star.
So check out Mixergy.com. I've found the easiest way is to subscribe to this podcast through iTunes.
