John Frechette is the founder of Sourced Economics. His mission is to bridge the gap between business and economics, and his company utilizes academic research to solve business problems spanning pricing and revenue management, supply chain finance, organizational restructuring, and sustainability. As an entrepreneur, getting caught up in creating the perfect website or presentation is tempting and can easily distract from the primary goal of selling a product or a service. There is a learning curve in implementing successful sales strategies, and one needs to be persistent and constantly adapt based on feedback.
John and I discuss the challenges and nuances of integrating academic findings into business models, highlighting the need to critically evaluate historical and current academic papers to understand and leverage them effectively in a business context. John reflects on the initial challenges and learning curves, emphasizing the importance of persistence and adaptability in sales and business development. Every pitch and meeting is crucial in developing successful sales strategies, and becoming skilled in sales and business development is beneficial not only for entrepreneurs but also in various professions. We touch upon a common tendency among creators to seek perfection in their work, which can become a mental barrier to starting or progressing in their endeavors.
Where to find John
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jfrechette/
- Website: https://sourcedeconomics.com/
Where to find Ida
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ida-johnsson/
- X: https://twitter.com/IdaBJohnsson
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGBjKfzdALl_FQVcA4b8TA
Referenced
- The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
Timestamps
00:00 Preview
00:19 Intro
00:31 John – introduction
01:46 Blockchain at Ernst & Young
03:49 Starting a business
04:56 Leveraging academic literature to solve business problems
07:27 Client profile
13:18 The value of new vs. old academic papers
25:08 Stakeholder communication
26:41 Collaboration with academic researchers
29:55 Entrepreneurship: sales strategies
37:19 Thoughts on career path
39:12 Reading the classics
40:44 Critical thinking
45:08 No substitute for hard work