Being an entrepreneur is challenging. Being an entrepreneur AND a parent is even more challenging. For some, being a black entrepreneurial parent can be even tougher. James knows this. As a Founder himself, he understands the struggle and partnered with people like Brad Feld and many others to build this amazing startup Foundation.
He's also quite candid about his personal struggles. In this interview, listen how James battled through depression and came out on top. As you look toward 2021, I hope James' story brings you hope for a great year ahead.
Mario and his team are the real deal. His passion for people and culture is quite inspiring. He and his company's work is legendary. That's why his story about hiring the wrong person seemed so interesting to me. It's not something he takes lightly. And, his lesson is profound.
Dr. Choi shares some incredible insights and actions you can take to leverage neuroscience in order to improve YOUR performance.
His LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenekchoi/
His Website: https://destinyhacks.co/
His Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neurohacking-podcast/id1545882602
If you are looking to be inspired by a Founder's startup story, look no farther than this interview with Gwen. She sure does have grit and a lot of other positive qualities.
And, like the rest of us, she also has more to learn about herself on the journey From Founder To CEO.
In this interview she discusses how she has handled the difference between being friendly and friends with team members.
We all lose loved ones. This year seemed particularly difficult.
You might say I was quite touched by Joe's mission. He and his team are really trying hard to make it easier to stay connected to our loved ones.
As Joe has scaled the company, he has had to deal with his own challenges reaching out to "significant people." I'm sure you can relate
Listen as he describes he advice on how to get over the intimidation of speaking with key people that will make your business grow.
COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for artists to launch and sustain a living.
That's why I LOVE what Nicholas and his team are doing for artists. They have created a platform that helps take the middle man out and add the profits in for artists who have traditionally not gotten a fair shake.
Nicholas is tackling a big issue, at a relatively young age. Listen as he describes his 2 biggest challenges shifting from Founder to CEO. The first is his own health and well-being, The second is his relationship with his developer as they hashed it out over development strategy.
Some of you dream about building a great company and achieving a great exit by having your company bought by a company like Berkshire Hathaway.
That exactly what Vic did...more than one company.
In this candid interview, Vic speaks about the journey to those sales and how a piece of feedback about "loosening his grip" led to great success.
Dan Soviero, Founder of Signature, discusses how he and his team focused on simplicity for his customers AND his business and how that generated a lot more success.
Dan is one of those guys that you immediately like. He is a former lacrosse players who just wants to help other lacrosse players.
He explains why his company has been so successful and why he and his Co-Founder parted ways
Co-Founder relationships are tricky. Dan speaks to this issue with a high degree of emotional intelligence.
Check out Zac's website: https://topmencoach.com/
Top Men Method
Zac shares the 4 Limiting Beliefs/Myths that hold Founders back from achieving fitness while they scale.
About a year ago I started paying attention to some of the new approaches to lead generation many Founder were using. They include quizes, calculators, assessments, polls, and chatbots. Want to get to know one of the Founders who has made these lead generation tools easily accessible to us? Yes? Then, listen to this episode of the podcast.
Randy, his co-founder, and his growing team are experts on interactive content.
And, because his company is growing so fast, Randy has had to hire lots of people. The problem? Initially, he wasn't very good at it.
Randy explains what he learned about hiring AND about himself in this candid interview.
I have always been passionate about great reporting and quality journalism. I started out as a paper delivery boy and later a journalist for a short time period. I guess that is one of the reasons Arjun and I really hit it off. He started as a paper delivery boy as well.
Today, he is tackling a mighty endeavor...finding a way to increase the amount of credible news we consume.
It's a big mission...driven by a Founder who also embraces self-awareness.
Listen as Arjun explains his journey of discovery: "It was humiliating and embarrassing, I realized I wasn't a good product manager."
Register For Their Couples Academy Event On Dec 1:
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Justin and Alyse's website:
Justin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-roethlingshoefer-7252a766/
Alyse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyse-gaulin-a7128211/
This is one former Navy Seal you are going to want to listen two...twice...and read his book too:
"The Process, Art, and Science of Leadership"
Errol's Book: https://leader193.com/the-process-art-and-science-of-leadership/
Errol's Website: https://leader193.com/
Errol on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/errol-doebler/
I think you may want to listen to this interview...twice.
Shawn is incredible. He is one of the deepest thinking Founders I think I may have interviewed in 5 years.
Why?
He discusses something that many of us Founders struggle with...the tension between reaching the aspirational elements of entrepreneurship and the realities of the moment.
The relationship between the barber and the barber's client is very important. No one understands that more than Obi and his co-founder.
They started "The Cut" in 2016 and have seen incredible growth.
That growth has come with the need to grow as a leader.
For Obi, delegating certain things has been a challenge. Listen as he describes what has been the hardest thing for him to give up as he transitions from Founder to CEO.
If you are looking for an example of a hardworking Founder & CEO, look no further than Carl Daikeler.
Carl has been leading his company for 21 years and has the failures and success...more of them...to show for it.
In this interview, Carl details what makes Beachbody unique, how he and his team successfully navigated Covid-19...and a surprisingly revealing admission about him and the future of the company.
You'll want to listen to this to the very end.
I grew up in Connecticut and LOVED when we were able to get Dunkin Donuts' Munchkins® Donut Hole Treats. So, many years later having the opportunity to interview Robert Rosenberg, the CEO of Dunkin Donuts for over 30 years, THAT was a REAL treat.
Bob and spoke about his new book, "Around the Corner to Around the World: A Dozen Lessons I Learned Running Dunkin Donuts." I really enjoyed his book because Bob is quite candid and vulnerable about not only the successes but ALSO his personal mistakes and failings.
What got in his way, early on? Hubris. Bob talks at length about how hubris temporarily impacted him AND the company...and how he recovered from it.
Let Bob and I know what you think of his book.
15 years ago, Kara and her husband, Theo, set on on a grand adventure. With no experience in the beverage industry, they wanted to create a beverage drink with only one thing in it, fruit...nothing else. That proved harder than you might think. She chronicles the ups and downs of Hint Water in her new book, Undaunted.
Kara and I had an in depth conversation about the business, the book, her family, and her biggest challenge moving from Founder to CEO.
If you aren't using a valid and reliable pre-employment assessment to augment your hiring efforts, then you may be missing an opportunity. Josh explains why and also talks about his own mistakes with hiring.
Johanan has created a win-win-win with Algas Organics. He takes nuisance seaweed that washes up on the beaches of his island country, turns it into fertilizer for farmers, and employees a growing number of fellow citizens in the endeavor. I think you’ll be amazed at what he and his team have accomplished in a relatively short time period. And, a bad situation with an “intermediary” turned into great wisdom for him and for you.
AJ will impress you will his LinkedIn Ads knowledge, his dedication to his craft, and his work ethic. But, I think you'll also be impressed by AJ's candid and transparent story about becoming the leader of his company.
Nick and his fellow Founders had a big exit with Carvana. Yes, that Carvana. Now hey are tackling the car load market with a great deal of experience from their previous company. Nick gets real about stress and hitting the wall. He shares what he does and we discuss what you can do when you experience Founder stress.
This was a hard conversation to have. I'm grateful to Rachel for trusting her story with me. All our entrepreneurial journeys have struggles that help transform us. Rachel and others like her, sometimes have an additional struggle. I left this conversation more informed and greatly inspired. I hope you are too.
Queen City Angels Entrepreneur Boot Camp September 22-23, 2020: Sign up HERE
Scott Scott Jacobs, Executive Director of QCA, Shares 4 Mistakes Founders Make Pitching Angel Investors