What happens when a molecular biology major realizes they aren't meant for the lab bench? In this episode of North Star Scientific, we sit down with David Nathan, CEO of Scaler Marketing, to explore the intersection of science, storytelling, and entrepreneurship.
David shares the raw reality of starting a business with a family of five, the unconventional lessons he learned from Amway, and how he transitioned from selling $5,000 websites to running a specialized agency for major scientific companies. We also dive into the future of SEO, the "empty" side of AI creativity, and why every science professional needs a community like SAMPS.
00:00:00 - Intro: The power of being active on LinkedIn
00:01:54 - Growing up in the lab: From Princeton to New England Biolabs
00:03:57 - The Epiphany: Why I wasn't meant for the lab bench
00:05:22 - The "Storytelling Gap" in scientific companies
00:07:05 - Lessons from Amway: Redesigning your life path
00:10:31 - Starting a business with triplets and a $0 salary
00:14:12 - How my wife "kicked me out" to find my first client
00:15:53 - Handling a 6-month sales drought
00:19:35 - How to scale: "Make a mess, then clean it up"
00:23:00 - Moving from $5K websites to $100K projects
00:24:31 - Is SEO still relevant in the age of AI?
00:27:45 - How AI pulls information: The role of backlinks
00:29:18 - Simon Sinek and the "Struggle" of creativity vs. AI
00:30:51 - What is SAMPS? A community for science commercial professionals
00:34:04 - Closing thoughts and future collaborations