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Mar 3, 2016 · 17m · top-founders

The Art of Building Something From Scratch with Shahar Gilad

Shahar Gilad · 8m spoken Nathan Latka · 7m spoken
0:00 / 0:00

gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions

In this episode of The Top, host Nathan Latka interviews SoundBetter founder Shahar Gilad on scaling a specialized music production marketplace to an $800,000 run rate with a lean two-person team using long-tail SEO, insider domain expertise, and strategic marketplace monetization.

How this conversation actually went

Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Nathan holds 44.4% of the talking time here. How this is scored →

Nathan as informed peer 3.7 Guest teaching 1.2 Guest disagreement 0.7 Nathan pushing back 1.2
05100:0010:000:41–2:56 · Nathan as informed peer 3/10 Introducing Shahar Gilad and SoundBetter Nathan introduces Shahar's background at Apple and Waves Audio in a warm, welcoming tone. Shahar offers a minor factual clarification about splitting time between New York and Tel Aviv rather than solely being on the West Coast, but the exchange is entirely cooperative.2:56–5:47 · Nathan as informed peer 5/10 The SoundBetter Marketplace Model and Growth Nathan probes into SoundBetter's financials and breaks down the annual run rate calculation for the audience. When Nathan repeatedly pushes to see which side of the marketplace is more lucrative, Shahar gently reframes the premise to emphasize that both sides must receive balanced value.5:47–7:48 · Nathan as informed peer 4/10 SoundBetter Business Mechanics and Revenue Streams Nathan creates a hypothetical scenario using an Uptown Funk track to drill down into unit economics. He interrupts to press on exact dollar figures and platform fees, which Shahar readily outlines.7:49–10:42 · Nathan as informed peer 6/10 Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Strategy Nathan actively tests Shahar on SEO strategy with a lawn care business example. Nathan then synthesizes the advice into an actionable audience takeaway, earning an explicit compliment from Shahar on the articulation.10:42–13:01 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 User Conversion and Platform Trust Shahar explains how SoundBetter's conversion funnel works around platform trust. When Nathan playfully urges Shahar to sing on the show, Shahar firmly but good-naturedly declines the request.13:01–16:09 · Nathan as informed peer 2/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five format. The interaction is completely friendly, ending in mutual appreciation and standard outro plugs.0:41–2:56 · Guest teaching 1/10 Introducing Shahar Gilad and SoundBetter Nathan introduces Shahar's background at Apple and Waves Audio in a warm, welcoming tone. Shahar offers a minor factual clarification about splitting time between New York and Tel Aviv rather than solely being on the West Coast, but the exchange is entirely cooperative.2:56–5:47 · Guest teaching 2/10 The SoundBetter Marketplace Model and Growth Nathan probes into SoundBetter's financials and breaks down the annual run rate calculation for the audience. When Nathan repeatedly pushes to see which side of the marketplace is more lucrative, Shahar gently reframes the premise to emphasize that both sides must receive balanced value.5:47–7:48 · Guest teaching 1/10 SoundBetter Business Mechanics and Revenue Streams Nathan creates a hypothetical scenario using an Uptown Funk track to drill down into unit economics. He interrupts to press on exact dollar figures and platform fees, which Shahar readily outlines.7:49–10:42 · Guest teaching 1/10 Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Strategy Nathan actively tests Shahar on SEO strategy with a lawn care business example. Nathan then synthesizes the advice into an actionable audience takeaway, earning an explicit compliment from Shahar on the articulation.10:42–13:01 · Guest teaching 1/10 User Conversion and Platform Trust Shahar explains how SoundBetter's conversion funnel works around platform trust. When Nathan playfully urges Shahar to sing on the show, Shahar firmly but good-naturedly declines the request.13:01–16:09 · Guest teaching 1/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five format. The interaction is completely friendly, ending in mutual appreciation and standard outro plugs.0:41–2:56 · Guest disagreement 1/10 Introducing Shahar Gilad and SoundBetter Nathan introduces Shahar's background at Apple and Waves Audio in a warm, welcoming tone. Shahar offers a minor factual clarification about splitting time between New York and Tel Aviv rather than solely being on the West Coast, but the exchange is entirely cooperative.2:56–5:47 · Guest disagreement 1/10 The SoundBetter Marketplace Model and Growth Nathan probes into SoundBetter's financials and breaks down the annual run rate calculation for the audience. When Nathan repeatedly pushes to see which side of the marketplace is more lucrative, Shahar gently reframes the premise to emphasize that both sides must receive balanced value.5:47–7:48 · Guest disagreement 0/10 SoundBetter Business Mechanics and Revenue Streams Nathan creates a hypothetical scenario using an Uptown Funk track to drill down into unit economics. He interrupts to press on exact dollar figures and platform fees, which Shahar readily outlines.7:49–10:42 · Guest disagreement 0/10 Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Strategy Nathan actively tests Shahar on SEO strategy with a lawn care business example. Nathan then synthesizes the advice into an actionable audience takeaway, earning an explicit compliment from Shahar on the articulation.10:42–13:01 · Guest disagreement 2/10 User Conversion and Platform Trust Shahar explains how SoundBetter's conversion funnel works around platform trust. When Nathan playfully urges Shahar to sing on the show, Shahar firmly but good-naturedly declines the request.13:01–16:09 · Guest disagreement 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five format. The interaction is completely friendly, ending in mutual appreciation and standard outro plugs.0:41–2:56 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 Introducing Shahar Gilad and SoundBetter Nathan introduces Shahar's background at Apple and Waves Audio in a warm, welcoming tone. Shahar offers a minor factual clarification about splitting time between New York and Tel Aviv rather than solely being on the West Coast, but the exchange is entirely cooperative.2:56–5:47 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 The SoundBetter Marketplace Model and Growth Nathan probes into SoundBetter's financials and breaks down the annual run rate calculation for the audience. When Nathan repeatedly pushes to see which side of the marketplace is more lucrative, Shahar gently reframes the premise to emphasize that both sides must receive balanced value.5:47–7:48 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 SoundBetter Business Mechanics and Revenue Streams Nathan creates a hypothetical scenario using an Uptown Funk track to drill down into unit economics. He interrupts to press on exact dollar figures and platform fees, which Shahar readily outlines.7:49–10:42 · Nathan pushing back 1/10 Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Strategy Nathan actively tests Shahar on SEO strategy with a lawn care business example. Nathan then synthesizes the advice into an actionable audience takeaway, earning an explicit compliment from Shahar on the articulation.10:42–13:01 · Nathan pushing back 2/10 User Conversion and Platform Trust Shahar explains how SoundBetter's conversion funnel works around platform trust. When Nathan playfully urges Shahar to sing on the show, Shahar firmly but good-naturedly declines the request.13:01–16:09 · Nathan pushing back 0/10 The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five format. The interaction is completely friendly, ending in mutual appreciation and standard outro plugs.

speaking balance: gold is Nathan, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)

0:00 · Nathan 50.8% · guest 49.2%0:00 · Nathan 50.8% · guest 49.2%3:00 · Nathan 42.8% · guest 57.2%3:00 · Nathan 42.8% · guest 57.2%6:00 · Nathan 33.5% · guest 66.5%6:00 · Nathan 33.5% · guest 66.5%9:00 · Nathan 37.8% · guest 62.2%9:00 · Nathan 37.8% · guest 62.2%12:00 · Nathan 40.5% · guest 59.5%12:00 · Nathan 40.5% · guest 59.5%15:00 · Nathan 66.5% · guest 33.5%15:00 · Nathan 66.5% · guest 33.5%
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 12:28 Declining host request to sing

Nathan repeatedly presses Shahar to sing a chord or vocal line on the air, but Shahar flatly rejects the prompt and redirects back to his personal site.

 Hardest push from Nathan ▶ 6:39 Pressing on marketplace fees

Nathan stops Shahar mid-explanation to demand the specific dollar amount charged to providers just to submit a proposal.

 Biggest teaching moment ▶ 5:22 Reframing marketplace monetization

When Nathan pushes Shahar to pick which side of the marketplace is more exciting and lucrative, Shahar educates him that prioritizing one side over the other causes two-sided marketplaces to fail.

 Nathan holds their own ▶ 10:07 Demonstrating keyword targeting mastery

Nathan steps in to summarize and sharpen Shahar's SEO advice into a crisp framework, prompting Shahar to acknowledge Nathan explained it better than he did.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
ChapterTopicNathan as informed peerGuest teachingGuest disagreementNathan pushing backWhy
Introducing Shahar Gilad and SoundBetter 3110 Nathan introduces Shahar's background at Apple and Waves Audio in a warm, welcoming tone. Shahar offers a minor factual clarification about splitting time between New York and Tel Aviv rather than solely being on the West Coast, but the exchange is entirely cooperative.
The SoundBetter Marketplace Model and Growth 5212 Nathan probes into SoundBetter's financials and breaks down the annual run rate calculation for the audience. When Nathan repeatedly pushes to see which side of the marketplace is more lucrative, Shahar gently reframes the premise to emphasize that both sides must receive balanced value.
SoundBetter Business Mechanics and Revenue Streams 4102 Nathan creates a hypothetical scenario using an Uptown Funk track to drill down into unit economics. He interrupts to press on exact dollar figures and platform fees, which Shahar readily outlines.
Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Strategy 6101 Nathan actively tests Shahar on SEO strategy with a lawn care business example. Nathan then synthesizes the advice into an actionable audience takeaway, earning an explicit compliment from Shahar on the articulation.
User Conversion and Platform Trust 2122 Shahar explains how SoundBetter's conversion funnel works around platform trust. When Nathan playfully urges Shahar to sing on the show, Shahar firmly but good-naturedly declines the request.
The Famous Five Rapid-Fire Questions 2100 Nathan runs through his standard rapid-fire Famous Five format. The interaction is completely friendly, ending in mutual appreciation and standard outro plugs.

Statements from this episode (7)

Insight
Product marketing means building what users want, not marketing post-product
“The key to marketing and to product marketing is, is not doing marketing that's post product, just taking, you know, being handed something and then, you know, working real hard to market it, but building something That people want and really understanding you…”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 2:40
Assertion Not checkable as stated
SoundBetter reached an $800k run rate in June 2015 with two people
“Well, we're at 800 K as of June, 2015, a yearly run rate, which is pretty exciting for us. Cause we're a two person team.”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 4:28
Disclosure
SoundBetter charges service providers four dollars per proposal submitted
“It's about four dollars per proposal right now.”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 7:07
Disclosure
SoundBetter takes a five percent fee from providers on completed jobs
“And then if the job actually closes, you know, you pay this person, you hire them, and then you close the job, they'll give us an additional five percent of the job value.”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 7:16
Disclosure
SoundBetter's primary top-of-funnel acquisition channel is organic search
“Our main top of funnel channel is organic traffic.”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 8:02
Assertion Not checkable as stated
SoundBetter reached nearly 30,000 monthly unique visitors by March 2016
“Close to 30,000 as of right now and growing every month.”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 8:16
Insight
High-ticket service marketplaces face longer conversion cycles than standard e-commerce
“It's sort of a bit of a long play in a website or a marketplace like ours where the services are several hundred dollars per service and you know, people will discover it as a resource and then when they're ready to actually hire someone, then they're going to…”
Shahar Gilad Mar 3, 2016 ▶ 11:07
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