How to Build an Audience with Jim McCarthy Co-Founder of Goldstar

Jim McCarthy is the co-founder and CEO of Goldstar. Goldstar started in 2002 and now sells millions of live event tickets to millions of people on behalf of more than 5,000 venues and producers each year. Jim is the curator and co-founder of TEDxBroadway and he on the Board of Directors for Union Station Homeless Services as well as the Pasadena Playhouse.  

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [2:30] Jeremy introduces his guest, Jim McCarthy. 
• [4:20] Jim talks about working at Noah's Bagels.
• [10:30] Why growing your customer base is so important. 
• [12:10] Jim talks about his college years. 
• [15:30] Book recommendations from Jim. 
• [20:00] Early challenges in building a business. 
• [26:15] What did the early days of Goldstar look like? 
• [33:20] Creating more ways to serve people. 
• [36:00] What is it like running a business with a co-founder? 
• [38:30] Making the right partnerships. 
• [41:00] The lowest moment in business for Jim. 
• [43:50] Proud moments from the journey. 
• [45:00] Closing thoughts. 

In this episode…

What does it take to build an audience for your brand that will show up and keep your business growing? Is there some secret formula or innovative approach that you can learn? On this episode of Inspired Insider, you’ll hear from entrepreneur and business leader Jim McCarthy. In his conversation with Jeremy, Jim opens up about working at Noah’s Bagels, what his college years were like, challenges he’s encountered along the way, what it took to get Goldstar up and running, and much more. Have pen and paper ready - you’ll want to take notes as you listen to this fascinating episode! 

As you look back on your career - can you pinpoint a specific moment or lesson that started you down the path you are on today? Did you have a crucial leader invest time and energy into mentoring you? Were there opportunities that gave you an advantage over your competition? Too often the general public looks at leaders like Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg, and they assume that they were gifted with some superhuman ability to start a business. The truth is - it takes hard work and determination to achieve your goals more than anything else!

Are you someone who loves to learn and grow your capacity for understanding? Do you prioritize your education, or are you so focused on your business you can’t invest the time? Wherever you are in your journey, you need to find out what works for you. In his growth as a leader, Jim McCarthy turned to some specific books that helped him expand his capacity. Whether it’s reading, joining a mastermind, or something else - the key is to push yourself - you’ll never grow if you get complacent! You can find the links to the books that Jim mentioned in the resources section at the end of this post. 

In your industry, did you have to build your audience from scratch or were you able to capture the attention of an already established audience? Let’s face it - building an audience is not for the faint of heart - you have to pour a ton of time and energy into the effort if you want to be successful. According to Jim McCarthy, building an audience is challenging, but worth the effort. Jim had no significant connections - just a good idea and some great partners when he started Goldstar. What can you learn from Jim’s story? 

Is it a good idea to build a business from the ground up with co-founders and partners? Does it take some of the load off or does it become too much of a, “Too many cooks in the kitchen” type of situation? Over the years, Jeremy has interviewed numerous co-founders, and they each have their unique take on what the journey has been like with business partners. If you are in the middle of building your business with partners or you are considering it - this episode will serve as a helpful resource for you. 

Resources Mentioned on this episode

• https://www.goldstar.com/
• www.sellingout.com
• The Inner Game of Tennis
• Wooden
• Leadership and Self-Deception
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things
• Shoe Dog
• Intro Music by Kidd Russell

Sponsor for this episode

Rise25’s mission is to connect you with your best referral partners and customers.

We do this in 3 ways…

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Since these each require a lot of humans to do the work we have limited bandwidth and only want to work with the right company. so if any sound interesting to you go to Rise25.com and contact us or email support (at) rise25.com.

If your company wants to attract and connect with your highest level customers and referral partners then you can learn more and contact us to find out if your company qualifies at Rise25.com.

Rise25 was cofounded by Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran.