The fifth episode of the Outfoxed podcast by Hunter.io features Adam Goldfarb, founder of Transcendence Audio. Although he has 17 years of corporate strategy and operations experience in the medical assessment industry and an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School, Adam’s true passion is leveraging his 25+ years as a passionate audiophile to serve the unique high-end audio manufacturing market. He now helps these companies — from boutique speaker manufacturers to amplifier designers — navigate business challenges in a contracting, highly specialized market where products can cost tens of thousands of dollars.Adam shares how he achieves a 20% positive response rate through hyper-targeted cold outreach, why he spends 80% of his time researching prospects and only 20% writing emails, and how his industry expertise has become his competitive advantage. His approach proves that deep knowledge and custom messaging outperform automation and mass campaigns, even in a world increasingly obsessed with AI.This episode delivers tactical guidance for consultants, outreach professionals, and anyone building expertise-based businesses — filled with specific processes, honest metrics, and practical advice from someone who's chosen precision over scale.Podcast Episode Highlights:How to achieve high response rates by establishing credibility in the first sentenceWhy 80% research and 20% writing beats automated mass campaignsThe minimal tech stack that outperforms complex automationWhy Adam refuses to use AI for writing but embraces it for researchAbout Adam Goldfarb:With 17 years of corporate strategy and operations experience in the medical assessment industry and over 25 years as a passionate audiophile, Adam Goldfarb is the founder of Transcendence Audio Strategic Advisory, a consulting practice that helps high-end audio manufacturers navigate a specialized market where products can cost tens of thousands of dollars.Learn more about Adam:https://transcendenceaudio.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamvgoldfarbCredits: Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

The fourth episode of the Outfoxed podcast by Hunter.io features Mattias Liivak, cofounder of ProcessPlot. He’s also a seasoned marketing and PR professional with over a decade in the IT industry. After spending 10 years at mobile payments company Fortumo through its acquisition, Mattias took the entrepreneurial leap to build ProcessPlot — a change management platform that transforms how organizations communicate and implement internal changes.Mattias shares the reality of pivoting when your first product doesn't resonate, why cold outreach beats warm introductions for real validation, and how he learned to embrace selling despite being an introvert. His story is packed with insights for reluctant founders, first-time salespeople, and anyone building solutions for organizational change management.This episode delivers actionable frameworks for introverted founders and reluctant sellers. It’s filled with systematic approaches, honest pivots, and tactical advice from someone who's learning to validate ideas the hard way.Podcast Episode Highlights:Why you need to love your product but put it away to get honest feedbackThe power of cold outreach for validating ideas vs. relying on your networkHow to identify intent signals without expensive toolsBuilding sustainable work-life balance while grinding through startup challengesWhy change communication is broken in most organizations (and how to fix it)About Mattias LiivakMattias Liivak is the co-founder and Head of Marketing & Growth at ProcessPlot, a startup that helps companies reinforce workplace learning and prove the ROI of training. He is a seasoned marketing and business development leader with over 15 years of experience in the tech industry.Learn more about Mattias and his work via:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattias-liivak-16b9511bhttps://www.processplot.comCredits:Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

The third episode of the Outfoxed podcast by Hunter.io features Rand Fishkin, cofounder and CEO of SparkToro (and former cofounder of Moz). As a longtime leader in digital marketing, Rand has spent more than two decades helping companies understand where their audiences are and how to reach them effectively. His work has shaped how marketers think about SEO, audience research, and the balance between data and creativity.Today, Matt and Rand cut through the noise to talk about how SparkToro navigated a hard pivot off social media to clickstream data, why zero-click marketing changes how success is measured, and how founders can find their first 100 customers by focusing on channels they genuinely enjoy (including offline ones) instead of chasing trends. They also discuss the limits of AI-generated content and why judgment still matters more than automation.This episode offers practical lessons for founders, marketers, and creators — packed with data, candor, and grounded advice from someone who’s built and rebuilt in public.Podcast Episode Highlights:How SparkToro survived losing its primary data source and rebuilt from scratchWhy your first 100 customers should come from channels you actually enjoyThe rise of zero-click marketing and what it means for audience researchWhy AI is a useful tool but a poor substitute for human creativityAbout Rand Fishkin:Rand Fishkin is the cofounder and CEO of SparkToro, an audience research software company that helps marketers identify where their ideal customers spend time online. Known for his contrarian approach to entrepreneurship, Rand has earned a reputation for challenging Silicon Valley norms while building enduring, profitable companies.A Seattle native, Rand attended the University of Washington before leaving to help rescue his mother’s struggling marketing firm from debt. That company became Moz, which he co-founded in 2004 and led as CEO from 2007 to 2014. Under his leadership, Moz grew from a seven-person blog into a global, 200+ employee SaaS company that generated over $50 million in annual revenue.At Moz, Rand launched the Whiteboard Friday video series, co-authored “The Art of SEO,” and played a pivotal role in making SEO education accessible to millions at a time when the industry was notoriously secretive. He was named to BusinessWeek’s 30 Under 30 and became one of the most recognized educators in digital marketing, keynoting more than a hundred conferences worldwide.After leaving Moz in 2018, Rand cofounded SparkToro, which pioneered an alternative, transparent funding model and built tools that help marketers discover where their audiences actually spend time. His 2018 book, “Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World,” drew widespread attention for its candid take on venture capital, founder burnout, and mental health in tech. He also cofounded Snackbar Studio, an independent game company that experiments with creative funding models.He lives in Seattle with his wife, award-winning author and travel blogger Geraldine DeRuiter.Learn more about Rand and SparkToro via:https://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin/https://sparktoro.com/https://sparktoro.com/blogCredits:Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

The second episode of the Outfoxed podcast by Hunter.io features Joel Simkins, founder of XST Capital and a seasoned investment banker with nearly 30 years in the gaming industry. His career spans hundreds of deals in Vegas and beyond, and today he’s helping fast-growing digital gaming and sports betting startups raise capital and scale.Joel shares how he built a thriving firm from the ground up, using email, newsletters, and personal relationships to drive growth. His story is packed with lessons for entrepreneurs, sales leaders, and anyone building a pipeline in competitive industries.This conversation reflects the Outfoxed ethos: creating opportunity through persistence, leaning on technology without losing the human touch, and proving that even in fast-moving markets, relationships are the real differentiator.Podcast Episode Highlights:Why resilience and rejection go hand in hand in businessHow newsletters and referrals fuel B2B growthWhy tight, authentic messaging outperforms AI-generated fluffBe really tight with your delivery — Joel SimkinsAbout Joel Simkins:Joel Simkins brings a reputation for trusted industry insights, market relationships, and a rare track record of success advising both sellside and buyside clients for more than 25 years.Prior to his tenure at Houlihan Lokey, Joel was Head of Gaming & Leisure investment banking at Truist Securities, growing its business from a nascent state in 2016 to a top-seven platform during his tenure through March 2022. He was the only sector coverage banker with experience in sellside debt/equity research and buyside investment management and one of a few successful former analysts to convert. Earlier, Joel worked for Credit Suisse Securities, Macquarie Capital, and Deutsche Bank Securities.Before his career pivot, Joel was an equity research analyst known for bold and correct stock picks, deep industry expertise, and substantial connectivity. He was named Best Up & Coming Analyst in the 2009 Institutional Investor Poll and subsequently ranked No. 6 overall in 2012. A highly recognized and respected voice in the industry, Mr. Simkins has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg, Canadian Business Channel, and Fox Business and has been a featured speaker at industry conferences and on other media outlets.Joel earned a B.B.A. in Banking and Finance, with highest honors, from Hofstra University, where he sits on the business school advisory board. He is an outdoors enthusiast and also sits on the advisory board of Protect Our Winters, a climate advocacy foundation. Joel is a 6 time marathon finisher, avid yoga practitioner and proud father of 2 children. Learn more about Joel and XST Capital via:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-simkins/- https://xstcapital.com/- https://xstcapital.com/whats-nxst/?category=considerationsCredits:Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.

The launch episode of the Outfoxed podcast by Hunter.io features award-winning photojournalist Spike Johnson, whose work has appeared in WIRED, NBC, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.Spike turned a creative passion into a thriving business using email, and his perspective will help entrepreneurs from all backgrounds.This is a perfect reflection of the Outfoxed ethos: it’s about building something meaningful, overcoming fear of failure, and success through audience relevance and personal vulnerability.Podcast episode highlights:Why writing underpins everythingWhy fear is part of the journeyHow personal pitches create successAbout Spike Johnson:Spike is an independent photojournalist and filmmaker. His work has been published by NBC, BBC PBS, CBS, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Harper’s, Vice Magazine, Foreign Policy, and Human Rights Watch.  His projects have received funding from the Fund for Investigative Journalism, the Society of Environmental Journalists, and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. Johnson has been recognized with awards from the National Press Photographers Association, The International Photography Awards, and the College Photographer of the Year competition.Learn more about Spike and his work via:- https://www.instagram.com/spike_johnson- https://www.spikejohnson.co.uk- https://www.linkedin.com/in/spike-johnsonCredits:Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.