When it comes to business, do you believe luck plays a part? On this episode of Hole in the Whole, listen as Tom and Yana share their views on luck. Yana attributes her success to hard work and says that she doesn't believe that luck plays any

#Scaling: Fake It till You Make It

Sep 21st, 2020 28m 6s

Today, Tom and Yana discuss how to fake it until you make it, and Tom adds the subtitle how to fake it until you make it without getting delusional and lost in self-hypnosis. Yana believes that when people don't know the risks, they move fast,

#Going Nuts: Gods and FinTech

Sep 14th, 2020 21m 52s

In this episode of The Hole in the Whole, Yana and Tom break their golden rule and discuss religion. The idea started with Yana's new favorite book called The Darkening Age, which led them to discuss church, new gods, and philosophy. Listen as

#Selling: Pitching for DAU’s (aka “Dumbest Assumed Users”)

Sep 7th, 2020 25m 7s

How do you structure your sales conversations? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss how to know at which level you should start your pitch. Do you pitch to the dumbest person in the room and hope the smartest one doesn't ask questions or pitch to the

#Things Break: False Sense of Security

Aug 31st, 2020 28m 39s

Having a false sense of security can get you blindsided. Listen as Tom and Yana discuss why it's a good idea never to stop applying for jobs, even if you are happy where you are at. Never believe that you are safe in your job, always look and s

#Scaling: Deep Technology, Deep Domain Expertise and Deep Data

Aug 24th, 2020 15m 57s

Do you believe that you need to go deep? Tom believes that without deep technology, deep domain expertise, and deep data, it's hard to succeed. Yana agrees and disagrees; she gives an example of what she is talking about. Tom shares his views o

#Scaling: The Lifestyle Business and Why Investors Won’t Approve

Aug 17th, 2020 29m 52s

Does your lifestyle choice promote business growth, or is it in conflict with your business objectives? Listen, as Yana and Tom discuss the suggestion that if a business hasn't grown and reached a certain level, it is viewed as a lifestyle choi

#Scaling: B2B and B2C Models May Be Extinct, So What Comes Next?

Aug 10th, 2020 27m 46s

Do you think the services we use are more of an ecosystem play? Listen as Tom believes that we have moved into the E2E model and defines what he means by that and what the E stands for. Yana says that conceptually she would love to see this E2E

#Things_break: “All or Nothing”- Good or Bad Strategy?

Aug 3rd, 2020 15m 24s

What are your views on ‘all or nothing?’ Do you agree with Yana that it is a way to make sure you are performing at your highest level and leaves very little room for compromise or do you think Tom’s view that it depends on what you want either

#Money: “Income or Impact: Should Startups Care About Social Responsibility?”

Jul 27th, 2020 32m 57s

Have you ever misused the word impact in a business context? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss how startups look at income versus impact. Yana shares that if a company or client chooses to work with you because of the value you bring, then she con

#Scaling: Is Pivoting Hard, Or Just An Excuse To Stop Trying Harder?

Jul 20th, 2020 25m 53s

How much harder do I need to try to make this work? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss when it's time to stop trying to make something work and move on to another project. Tom believes that many startups don't take the metrics game seriously enough

#Going_nuts: Even Strong People Need Support Sometimes

Jul 13th, 2020 21m 55s

Have you ever been called a strong person at work? Listen as Tom and Yana debate whether being called a strong person is a compliment or a curse. Yana feels like when people perceive you as strong, you don't get help when you need it because th

#Team: Making Versus Marketing or What Queen B and Michael Jordan Have In Common

Jul 6th, 2020 23m 17s

Do you have a hive mind when it comes to working? Listen, as Yana and Tom discuss their opposing views on this and their analogies between sports icons like Michael Jordan and the queen of a beehive. They both speak about winning as a team and

#Money: How Digital Product And Consultancy Are Linked

Jun 29th, 2020 26m 9s

Do you need more clarity before you sell your digital product? Listen as Tom and Yana discuss living off the revenues of consulting and treating your digital product as a hobby versus having the discipline and focus on knowing that consulting i

#Team: B2B Sales For Extreme Introverts

Jun 22nd, 2020 18m 31s

Selling products can be hard for introverts. Listen as Tom and Yana discuss why this is and ways to get around it. Making sales takes patience and a willingness to handle the hassles that might come your way. Yana believes that people shouldn't

#Going_nuts: Our 12 Post-COVID Wishes Inspired by Steve Martin’s Unforgettable SNL Performance

Jun 15th, 2020 21m 2s

Did you need this quarantine downtime to consider your priorities and to plot a path for the future? Listen, as Tom and Yana share their twelve wishes for a post-pandemic society. They each share six wishes that range from buying a yacht to peo

#Scaling: Too Much Fantasy and Not Enough Sweat

Jun 8th, 2020 14m 36s

Could your idea be the beginning of a new startup? Listen, as Tom and Yana discuss this controversial topic and, as usual, disagree about much of it. Yana shares that she believes you can start a business with an idea, but you must first get it

#Things_break: Startups and Breakups

Jun 1st, 2020 21m 26s

Has the pandemic caused you to think about changing jobs? Listen as Tom and Yana share that breakups happen in startups all the time, and it's how you prepare for them that can make the difference. Tom and Yana bring some excellent points and t

#Team: The Business Side VS The Tech Side and Division of Labor

May 25th, 2020 19m 21s

What is the difference between just in case and just in time? Listen as Tom Yana speak about the difference between iterate or architect, how much time we need to get from an idea to a product, and what ontology means. They also share the much-

#Going_nuts: We Are Playing Cards Against Humanity

May 18th, 2020 17m 30s

Have you played Cards Against Humanity? Listen as Tom, Yana, Fabio, and Pavel play their version of this game. They have changed up the questions and answers to reflect startups and their scope of expertise. It's hilarious, a little dirty, and

#Reflections: Entrepreneurial Freedom

May 11th, 2020 20m 48s

Do you feel freedom as an entrepreneur? Listen as Yana and Tom discuss this and the four liberating examples Yana and her friend came up with and how they relate to freedom. Tom and Yana also share their predictions for the economy in the next

#Scaling: From Idea to MVP Mini-Series. Part 3 - What Do You Do With All of These Distractions?

May 4th, 2020 25m 21s

Listen in as your hosts Yana and Tom discuss the third phase of their digital project. They speak about distractions and what qualifies as one. Yana and Tom also chat about improvising and having uncommon scenarios that you want to achieve and

#Scaling: Digital Product Phase 2: It Is Never Too Early to Ask For Feedback

Apr 27th, 2020 18m 41s

Do you ever ask for feedback? Listen in as your hosts Yana and Tom discuss the second phase of a project they are working on and how it is never too early for feedback. Tom says that sometimes feedback can encourage you, but Yana says that her

#Scaling: From Idea to MVP Mini-Series. Part 2 - Ask For Feedback

Apr 27th, 2020 18m 41s

#Scaling: Why You Absolutely Should Have a Digital Product

Apr 20th, 2020 24m 27s

Do you have a digital product? Listen, and your hosts Yana and Tom as they share their journeys to digital products and how they wanted them to operate. They both agree that there are many advantages to digital products and very few disadvantag