Kent Gustavson, Founder & CEO - Blooming Twig
Kent has the distinction of a first on the podcast. So far he is the only guest Founder who has played the banjo on the show. And, wow, is he good. His talent is relevant to the show's topic. Kent discusses the challenges of scaling an award-winning publishing company that is focused on quality, not necessarily templates that other firms use. In the process he has learned a lot about:
This Emmy Award winning leader's wisdom abounds in this fun and candid interview. At 19, Beck Bamberger graduated from UCLA in two years rather than the usual four. The University of Pittsburgh took on a dare or otherwise thought a teenager would do well with graduate students typically twice her age, and she graduated with an MBA as the school’s youngest graduate to date. At 21, she knew her “formal” education was done, which meant the real stuff was about to go down.
Real stuff, indeed. In 2006, she ran her first marathon and went to San Diego to start working on a TV show and first company, BAM Communications, while working at NBC 7/39. She was fired from NBC and had her show airing by the following week on the competing network, CW.
Beck shares her startup story and gets personal about the challenges of hiring a business development team and why getting clear about the long term vision of the company helped her with this.
She is a smart, savvy Founder with a lot to share.
Brian Schoenbaum, Founder & CEO - Vuka Collective
It's not a secret that Austin, Texas is prime real estate for the startup and scale-up world. But, you may not have heard of a Founder & CEO who has been a big part of nurturing that spirit of innovation with a healthy dose of personal professional development. Brian Schoenbaum is one of those unique founders who can keep his success in perspective while embracing a thoughtful reflection on his own personal development.
This former University of Georgia football player talks about what makes Vuka Collective special and how he manages to deal with the stress of scaling three mission driven companies.
Rebecca Sholiton, Co-Founder & CEO - Wise Apple
I'm a Dad. So, I was incredibly excited to learn about Wise Apple. After speaking with Co-Founder & CEO, Rebecca Sholiton, I was even more excited. Her passion and enthusiasm is contagious. And, as an Executive Coach, I was impressed by her emotional intelligence and what she has learned about herself after going through some tough times with her co-founders. She's real, authentic, and wants you to know it's not easy being a CEO, but it's worth it.
Gary Darna, Co-Founder & CEO - CompleteSet
Gary and I met about a year ago when he and his early team were really just getting started. Under his leadership, the team has accomplished a lot since that first meeting. With 40% month over month grow, over 60 countries, millions in investment, and a growing fan base, CompleteSet is on a roll. What are they up to? Helping you monetize your collectibles.
While Gary and his team are carving out a new marketplace, Gary is also learning a lot about being a leader. He details his personal growth steps about co-founders, mentor feedback, hiring, and becoming a strategic communicator in a revealing interview that I know you will take a lot from.