You know what hustle is, right? But I bet you use the word "hustler" wrong. Don't worry, 99% of people do too. But I'm here to clarify... In the startup world, most people define a hustler as someone who works at a startup but doesn't code. And if you're like me, you call every startup-er you know who doesn't code a hustler...and in doing so we devalue the title to the point that it becomes meaningless. But this year's speakers for Hustle Con blew my mind SO MUCH that they completely brought meaning back to the word "hustler." They made me realized that a hustler isn't just someone who doesn't code, but someone who goes BIG. And just so happens to run a startup. Hustle Con 2014 is on. Over the next couple weeks I'm gonna tell you a story about each of our amazing speakers for this year's conference. This way, you'll see EXACTLY what I mean. Be warned…these people are gonna blow your mind. I'm talking about guys like Rick Marini, who sold his business Tickle.com for $100+ million dollars. And Hiten Shah, who founded both KISSmetrics and Crazy Egg...two immensely successful startups. And they didn't know a lick about coding. Talk to you soon...and get pumped! -Sam PS: Use the discount code "pre" to get 30% off your ticket today. Click here to see the speakers and buy your ticket NOW. BTW: My name's Sam. Nice to meet you! I'll tell you a little bit about myself later, but feel free to hit "reply" with any questions.

“Oh, Snapchat just raised another $100 million?” “That’s cool. What’s their revenue like?” “Well...they don’t have any revenue..." LAME! It may seem like Techcrunch only profiles well-funded startups like Snapchat and Instagram, but the truth is there are hundreds of profitable, revenue generating startups in the Bay Area. Gabe Luna-Ostaseski’s startup, CalFinder, is one of those companies. Gabe successfully bootstrapped his startup to $25 million in annual revenue. He was able to do that because of one HUGE factor: he’s a freakin’ sales savant. Gabe Luna-Ostaseski I first came across Gabe, when Tim Ferriss tweeted his blog post “Sales Hacking - a bootstrapper’s guide to turning $2,000 into $2,000,000 in sales in 4 months.” It blew me away! In his post, Gabe gives a step-by-step guide on how he built and scaled a repeatable and automated sales machine for CalFinder. I want to share his post in its entirety, so here it is: "Sales Hacking - a bootstrapper’s guide to turning $2,000 into $2,000,000 in sales in 4 months." At Hustle Con Gabe’s talk will be all about sales. He’ll cover:

• How he shortened the product/market fit time from 12 months to 12 weeks.
• How to know when you’re ready to scale your sales process.
• How to scale your business quickly.
• How he built CalFinder’s first website.
• The process he used to help startups in his sales accelerator bring in $42 million in combined sales in 4 months.

Tomorrow, I'm gonna tell you all about the talk I'm most excited for. My life changed after hearing this person speak... Talk to you soon, Sam from Hustle Con

Mad Men made writers look sexy again. The King and Queen of Cool Think about it. Don Draper is dark, moody, and mysterious in all the right ways. He's a creative genius too, lounging on his office couch, sipping scotch while crafting the perfect slogan to capture the minds of America. And it's not just Don who makes writing look sexy. All of them do. Peggy, Don, even Roger. But it's not that they're sexy, it's their work. They sit around, thinking up the perfect ad. Then, they convince their clients to spend wads of cash on it. And next thing you know, BOOM - millions of people are rushing to the store to buy their product. My buddy Neville Medhora, who'll be speaking at Hustle Con about design and copywriting, is a modern day Don Draper. Or as he'd call himself, "The Brown Don Draper." You see, I wouldn't say I'm a great writer, but I'm better then I use to be (hey, you've read this far right?) And it's all because of what I learned from Neville. And I gotta say, I was SHOCKED at how much irresistible copy could help my start up. Not only did it increase conversions, but it made my product message clear and helped me articulate what my company did. Because of Neville, I learned:

• Why good copy is WAY more important than good design.
• How to use words to increase my conversion rate (awesome copy = more money).
• A formula that made writing tasty copy extra easy.
• How good copy shaped my brand.
• How small changes in the words I wrote equalled big changes in results.
• How to write cold emails that actually made sales.
• How to tell a story that captures my audience's attention and makes the sale.

Neville Medhora - The Brown Don Draper I know you write a lot. We all do. Texts, web copy, emails, Facebook messages. Which is why it's so important. In our latest post, I'm gonna show you EXACTLY how to write a successful email. Use this tactic TODAY and see the results - click here to get started. Now I can't promise that you'll look as good as Don Draper, but I will promise that after learning from Neville you will know how to craft a message that sells. In his talk, titled "The Difference Between Good Design And Good Copy, And How Not To Suck At Both," Neville is going to explain why most startups suck at writing copy and how you can excel at it so you'll make more money, increase conversions, think clearer, and build a brand people LOVE. I know his talk will change your life. And if it doesn't Hustle Con will give you a prompt and courteous refund, no questions asked. To come, click here and use the code "draper" for a 15% discount. -Sam PS: Have you noticed I always use a "PS" at the end of emails? That's because PS's always get more attention and clicks then any other part of an email (proof). When sending an email today, try putting the important part of your message in the PS section.

Have you ever had a Facebook post that got more than 100 likes? I posted my 8th grade yearbook photo the other day for Throwback Thursday and when it got 120 likes (my highest ever), I jumped in joy. Now imagine posting something and getting 108,000 likes. Or 130,000 likes. And 2,000,000+ views. Well that’s the case for Rohin Dhar, the CEO of Priceonomics. In our latest post Rohin talks about how he grew Priceonomics' to 2.1 million monthly visitors using viral content. Click here to read it now. At Hustle Con Rohin will be speaking about:

• The framework he uses for creating viral content.
• How he pumps out 4,000+ word articles on a daily basis with only two writers.
• How the site has grown from 0 to 2.1 million unique visitors.
• How they're regularly featured in Wall Street Journal, Huff Post, and The New York Times.
• Why their only customer acquisition channel is blogging.

If you wanna hang out with Rohin and learn about creating viral content to grow your startup, then click here to get your ticket. Sam PS: Use the code "copy" TODAY for a 15% discount. Click here to get your ticket now.

You use Twitter, right? Then I guarantee you've heard of Buffer (even if you don't recognize the name). You see how this tweet has the word "buff.ly" in it? That's Buffer, a tool that schedules social media posts for you. But we didn't just invite Joel Gascoigne, Buffer's CEO, to speak at Hustle Con because he created an innovative product that's crazy popular... We invited him because Joel is one of the most transparent (and popular) startup CEO's in the startup game. When Joel started Buffer he struggled (like most people) to get traction. So to market Buffer he began revealing just about every possible Buffer metric you could imagine. This includes Buffer's failures, successes, revenue, and even their salaries. And it worked. Buffer has since grown to 25 employees and $3.5 million in monthly revenue. In our latest column Joel explains how launched Buffer with a 2 page website that took just a few minutes to make and an unfinished product: From Revenue on Day 4 to $3.5 Million A Year: How Buffer Started Lean and Stays Lean with Joel Gascoigne At Hustle Con Joel's gonna talk about how Buffer found its early traction and how they still use fake door testing and release unpolished products on a regular basis. See you there! -Sam from Hustle Con

If you like this photo, then I suggest you read on... Have you ever bought something online and a week couldn’t even remember where you got it from? “Oh, somewhere online” you say when someone asks “but I forget where.” That reaction is the archenemy of a great user experience. Brand lovegasm = great user experience The biggest (and most neglected) facet of a strong user experience is building a lovable and unforgettable brand. But when done properly you create a brand lovegasm. And startup that builds a brand lovegasm is a company users never forget and will spread to their friends..regardless if they bought the product or not. One startup whose head and shoulders above the rest in the brand lovegasm category is Chubbies Shorts, a line of short shorts aimed at young men with a booming social media presence. The Chubbies founders, who'll be speaking at Hustle Con $600,000 in one day Chubbies Shorts, launched in 2011 by four buddies from Stanford, recently raised $4 million and grown to 20+ employees. Although they won’t reveal their revenue, they once sold 10,000 pairs in one day. (At $60 a pop, that’s $600,000 in sales…in one day.) At Hustle Con, Chubbies’ co-founder Tom Montgomery is gonna give the low down on how he’s been able to grow sales and plow down the competition by building a customer lovin’, fun havin’ lovegasm brand with army of loyal followers. Whether you sell shorts, wine, ads, or content - if you wanna build a brand people LOVE then you'll wanna hear Tom's talk. Tom Montgomery, founder of Chubbies At Hustle Con Tom will teach:

• How the Chubbies’ wildly successful YouTube channel effected business.
• How he built a team of 150+ college ambassadors to spread Chubbies love.
• Why Chubbies not only has a hilarious blog and newsletter, but also a manifesto.
• How he used social media to grow sales by 600%.
• And dozens of other tactics to make sure customers lovegasm over your brand.

And if you're feeling extra frisky, check out Chubbies' latest YouTube video...it's kinda NSFW, but that's never stopped you before now has it. See you at Hustle Con on August 1st! -Sam "everyday I'm hustlin" Parr PS - Apparently last week's email was a good one because we sold a ton of tickets, so even if you just kinda wanna come to Hustle Con make sure to get your ticket now. No, this isn't a sales tactic, I just don't wanna feel like a jerk when people ask if there's tickets left in a few weeks and we're all sold out.

For most people, being asked to build a strong community is like a cooking noob like me being asked to whip up a gourmet meal… ...I'd have NO idea where to start ....I wouldn't even know what tools to use .....I'd start making something, but how would I know if it was a success or not? ......And what the hell does puree even mean? I know community is something EVERY successful startup has, but it can be really confusing: Is community just a message board for users to chat with one another? How do I even create a community? How do I grow it? And does a strong community actually generate revenue? These are just a few of the 100's of the unanswered questions I had. But that all changed after listening to Jess Lee, the founder and CEO of Polyvore, during our pre-Hustle Con conversation. Jess Lee - CEO of Polyvore How Polyvore built a community of 22 million: You see, Jess has grown Polyvore, a shopping discovery site, from a dinky website into a global community with tens of millions of diehard members...and in the process Polyvore transformed into a profitable company. About Polyvore:

• A global community that helps people discover and shop for new fashion.
• $22 million in funding and profitable. (!!!)
• Considered the most visited fashion website in the world.
• Has over 22 million monthly users.
• Founded in 2007 and has 73 employees.

At Hustle Con, Jess is gonna give her step-by-step process on how she grew Polyvore's community from 0 to 22 million monthly users and why she thinks building a strong community is the #1 way to grow your startup's revenue. In the meantime, check out this except from Jess's interview in WIRED. Click here to get your tickets to Hustle Con! -Sam from Hustle Con PS: Need your boss to pay for your ticket? Use our Boss Excuse Letter!

"How on earth did you find the speakers for Hustle Con so fast?" We've had a lot of people ask us this lately. So we decided to give you our step-by-step guide for contacting anyone and making them act. The 4 Ways To Contact Anyone And Make Them Act This includes our exact email scripts and screenshots of how we did it. -Sam from Hustle Con

It might surprise you that other than Hustle Con I’ve never been to a conference before. And why do I, a conference organizer, avoid going to other conferences? Because 99% of them are SOOOO BORING. And the ones that aren’t boring cost an arm and a leg (TED cost $6,000). Pretty ridiculous, right? Because of this, we decided to add Ignite Talks to the Hustle Con line up. What’s an Ignite talk, you ask? Each speaker has 5 minutes, and must use 20 slides with each slide advancing automatically after 15 seconds, forcing speakers to get to the point, fast. The topics will be actionable tactics, but cover more than JUST tech. The goal - to quickly enlighten and entertain YOU! You see, we don’t want Hustle Con to be a boring ole conference. We want it to be enlightening, energetic, and badass. Think a less fluffy TED without the hefty price tag. So without further ado, let me introduce you to this year’s Ignite speakers: Matt Fiedler - Founder of Vinyl Me, Please “In a world of more, why we offer less” Vinyl Me, Please is a monthly vinyl record club with over 1,500 members. Matt’s talk will cover why his team purposely minimize product features and how that’s impacted VMP’s revenue. If you’re the type of person who has 100’s of ideas but can't pick one then you’ll really like Matt’s talk. Jordan Harbinger - Founder of The Art Of Charm “Why people buy you” Woah, a pick up artist at a tech conference? Kinda. Jordan is the founder of The Art of Charm, an academy teaching confidence and emotional intelligence. The business has grown to 7 figures in revenue and students range from men who wanna meet women to US military members studying body language and persuasion. Jordan’s talk will teach you how to make people buy into you, not your idea. Chip Forsythe - Founder of Rebel Coast Winery “Build what you live” Imagine if you let the Dos Equis man into a startup incubator. That’s kinda what Chip is like. As the founder of Rebel Coast Winery, Chip successful talked his way into Boost, making Rebel Coast Winery the world’s first wine startup to go through a tech incubator. He even convinced the legendary Tim Draper to be an advisor. Chip’s a self-described marketer who happens to sell wine. His talk will focus on why you should build a brand that BLEEDS with your personality. Jack Smith - Founder of Vungle and Shyp “How, why, and when to automate” Pando Daily called Jack the biggest hustler they’ve ever meant after finding out that he used Facebook ads to convince Thomas Korte to accept him into AngelPad. Vungle, Jack’s first startup, was founded in 2011 when he was only 22 years old and raised $25 million. He also co-founded Shyp, the ever so popular shipping startup. At Hustle Con Jack’s gonna give the low down on he’s automated his hiring process. Andrew Fogg - Founder of Import.io “10,000 leads in 10 minutes” That’s a pretty sexy talk title, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t want 10,000 more leads! Andrew is half mad scientist, half charmer and 100% hustler. As the co-founder of import.io he leads a team of 17. At Hustle Con, Andrew will show you the trick he uses to find thousands of potential leads in minutes. I'm really pumped about these Ignite Talks and know you'll love them too. See you at Hustle Con! -Sam PS - In a few days I'm gonna tell you all about Rick Marini, who sold his startup for $100 million, and Mark Organ, who sold his for $871 million. Yeah, pretty crazy,

“Joe, no one will ever buy sunglasses through mail” In 1987 Joseph Sugarman, a marketer from Chicago known as The Mail Order Maverick, set out to do something everyone thought was impossible: sell sunglasses through the mail. The original BluBlocker ad It may not sound crazy today, but until Sugarman did it no one believe it could be pulled it off. How would readers of the ad know if the sunglasses fit them? Would they be overwhelmed with returns? Don’t people want to try things on before buying? These were a few of the questions Sugarman faced. People told him he was crazy. One executive said he was ruining his career. But he did it anyway. And it worked. Within just 6 months of running his first ad in a magazine, Sugarman sold $4 million worth of sunglasses - a HUGE hit. Since then, his famous ad has sold over 20 million pairs of sunglasses. Aarthi Ramamurthy, the founder of Lumoid and True&Co., is the modern day Joseph Sugarman. Aarthi Ramamurthy In 2012, Ramamurthy founded True and Co., a startup aimed to revolutionize the way women buy bras online. When she started it, Ramamurthy faced the same doubters Sugarmann had to deal with. Finding the right bra size is hard enough in stores - would women really trust an online shop to get the fit right? But she did it anyway. And it also worked. Within just 36 hours of launching True&Co. had 20,000 sign ups and has raised over $6 million in venture capital. Ramamurthy then went on to found Lumoid, a startup that lets users rent and use electronics before making a purchase. Although Lumoid was only founded in January, they already have a $1 million run rate and are growing 30% month over month. Yeah - that’s really, really fast. At Hustle Con, Ramamurthy will be discussing how Lumoid found its first customers using methods everyone thought were crazy (but effective). Ticket prices go up on July 25th - so if you wanna save a couple bucks make sure to get your today! See ya at Hustle Con! Sam "The Story Teller" Parr PS: If you haven’t heard, HustleCon has partnered with the Startup Sales Conference for their launch on July 24 in San Francisco. Dozens of conferences tell you how to acquire leads and have conversations. This one actually tells you how to close deals. See Agenda. Featured Sessions Include: Lean Startup For Sales: Everything Your CEO Won’t Tell You Buyers 2.0: Where Startup Sales Professionals Are Screwing Up CloudFlare: The First 1000 Customers For two days only, we are offering a special $50 discount exclusively for our subscribers. Offer expires Friday, July 18th. Don’t miss out. Get your 99$ pass today.