EP.36 - Systems to Space with Louis Shulman
In this episode of Retained Trust, host Karl Hughes sits down with Louis Shulman, co-founder of Orbit, to explore how a content marketing agency evolved into a multi-pronged venture encompassing data analytics, automation thannel to launching Orbit Marketing, Metrics, and Flows—each built arools, and an ambitious software roadmap. Louis shares the path from growing a viral YouTube cound a thoughtful blend of automation, services, and long-term vision. He discusses early-stage customer acquisition, operational workflows, and the deeper motivations that fuel his entrepreneurial journey. Tune in for a real-time view of what it means to scale smart—and with purpose.
Key Points From This Episode:
[00:00:00] Louis explains how his podcast-based YouTube channel grew to 13,000 subscribers.
[00:03:19] How viral clips of famous entrepreneurs drove thousands of new followers.
[00:04:34] Why Louis had to take those clips down—and what came next.
[00:05:15] What keeps Louis interested in podcasting after several years.
[00:06:51] How podcasting serves as a tool to learn directly from domain experts.
[00:09:56] Overview of Orbit’s three branches: Marketing, Metrics, and Flows.
[00:13:55] How their AI tool for newsletter automation came to life.
[00:15:07] Why newsletters were chosen as Orbit Marketing’s first major offer.
[00:16:58] The internal evolution from services to scalable software.
[00:17:43] Louis reflects on his personal motivations and the broader vision.
[00:20:50] How Orbit ties into co-founder Sean’s goal of self-funded space R&D.
[00:23:08] Why the path is “services → software → space.”
[00:24:56] The threshold for stepping back from services to focus on product.
[00:26:38] Value in following through instead of chasing shiny new projects.
[00:28:23] Louis shares why newsletters remain an ideal medium.
[00:31:41] Personal story of how Louis built newsletter habits in college.
[00:33:32] Using a newsletter as a long-term nurture tool for leads.
[00:35:35] Lessons learned from early mistakes in outsourcing sales.
[00:38:01] How Orbit used relationship-based outreach and pricing strategy to grow.
[00:42:41] Behind-the-scenes: how Orbit’s ops team delivers dozens of newsletters weekly.
[00:47:40] Tech stack and internal tools that make Orbit’s workflow scalable.
[00:49:35] The hidden tradeoffs of location freedom and flexible schedules.
[00:52:34] Managing psychology as a founder through highs and lows.
Links:
Louis Shulman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisshulman/
Orbit: https://www.orbitmarketing.io/
Karl Hughes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karllhughes
Production and editing by The Podcast Consultant: https://thepodcastconsultant.com
