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Episode 278: Aytekin Tank – Automate Your Busywork, Founder of Jotform

Aytekin Tank, the Founder and CEO of Jotform and Bestselling Author of Automate Your Busywork, joins the show to share his journey from using the school computer on weekends to creating online forms for 20 million users. Hear his Rules on Hiring, Gross Margin, and Productivity, how to scale your business to millions of users, open more offices, and focus on the important work, plus lessons on motivation from Michael Jordan. This episode covers everything from taking the bus to working ON the business. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What’s the most common misconception people have about Computer Science
• How does it feel to have 20 million customers
• Philoso-pee?
• Where did Aytekin’s Rule on Hiring come from
• What did Jotform look like in the early days
• Congrats & a voice crack
• The Automation Flywheel
• What’s a rule Aytekin has outside of work

Connect with Aytekin at Jotform.com, AytekinTank.com, and check out his book.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Computer Science
  • [0:28] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:38] Connect with Aytekin at Jotform.com, AytekinTank.com, and check out his book
  • [2:21] We’re even
  • [2:35] Cool
  • [2:56] What’s the most common misconception people have about Computer Science (CompSci)
  • [3:54] Open-Source
  • [4:32] Kelley Marketing & Entrepreneurship
  • [5:11] How did Aytekin become interested in computers
  • [6:51] What feeling did he have the first time he used a computer
  • [7:41] Code

• The Jotform Story
  • [8:28] How does it feel to have 20 million customers
  • [8:56] Media Company
  • [11:55] Bootstrapped
  • [14:04] Philoso-pee?
  • [14:17] Salary
  • [14:44] Revenue
  • [14:47] Where did Aytekin’s Rule on Hiring come from
  • [15:01] Poker
  • [15:25] Gross Margin, Accrual Accounting
  • [16:02] Hiring Freeze
  • [17:20] Interior Designers
  • [18:00] How has Aytekin’s approach as CEO (Chief Executive Officer) changed since opening more offices
  • [18:21] Remote Work, Working From Home (WFH)
  • [19:01] Open Office Floor Plan
  • [21:17] Yum
  • [21:44] What did Jotform look like in the early days
  • [22:50] “Good Software Takes Ten Years. Get Used To it.” by Joel Spolsky
  • [24:31] Jotform Support
  • [25:08] Jotform Form Builder
  • [25:37] Email
  • [25:57] Jotform Approvals, Jotform PDF Editor, Jotform Sign, Jotform Apps
  • [26:58] Liz Giorgi – Wild Business Growth Podcast #276: Virtual Product Photography, Co-Founder of soona
  • [27:29] Revenue Streams
  • [28:02] How do you scale to millions of users or millions of customers
  • [28:45] 50/50 Rule
  • [29:54] MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
  • [33:53] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [33:55] The Wild Business Growth Podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Aytekin
  • [34:56] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • [34:58] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
• Automate Your Busywork
  • [35:21] Automate Your Busywork by Aytekin Tank
  • [35:30] What is Aytekin’s philosophy on productivity
  • [35:57] Accounting, HR (Human Resources)
  • [36:30] Google Forms
  • [36:39] David & Goliath
  • [37:52] Inbox Zero
  • [38:01] Upwork
  • [39:15] Congrats & a voice crack
  • [39:39] Time Audit
  • [41:52] Bill Gates Lazy Quote
  • [43:15] Automation Flywheel
  • [44:04] Calendly
  • [45:01] KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
  • [45:23] MAX

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [46:19] Connecti-kittens
  • [46:28] Shoutout, StamVegas!
  • [46:39] University of Bridgeport
  • [46:45] What’s the best and worst part of living in Connecticut
  • [47:55] Shoutout, Spense!
  • [48:21] Metro-North Railroad (MNR)
  • [48:45] Istanbul, Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, Bosporus, Aegean Sea, Cappadocia
  • [49:51] What’s a Weird Talent Aytekin has
  • [51:18] Michael Jordan, The Last Dance
  • [52:40] What’s a rule Aytekin has outside of work
  • [53:58] Connect with Aytekin at Jotform.com, AytekinTank.com, and check out his book
  • [54:53] What are Aytekin’s Final Thoughts
  • [55:40] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
  • [55:45] Come to CEX (Content Entrepreneur Expo) May 5-7, 2024 in Cleveland, OH! Save $100 off the in-person ticket price by registering at CEX.Events and using the coupon code: MAX100
  • [55:48] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [55:50] The Wild Business Growth Podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Aytekin
  • [55:59] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [56:05] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [56:19] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Aytekin Tank on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And shoot some hoops with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!