If Not Now Wen Podcast: Recent Episodes
Wen Zhang
Dreaming of venturing into the world while growing up in an isolated mountain town in rural China, Wen completely transformed her life by teaching herself English using a cassette machine. Despite countless challenges, she pushed forward to become the only person who ever left her hometown, and achieves her dream of seeing the world four years later.
On this channel, you will meet different entrepreneurs, who have accomplished unimaginable feats, to share their dreams, the ups, the downs, and everything in between, while giving you a peek behind the curtains of how they make it possible!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Steve Schaffer, a seasoned entrepreneur and investor, as he shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early days in the magic business to venturing into Silicon Valley's tech scene. With a focus on continuous improvement, Steve reflects on the lessons learned from his ventures like mysterynet.com and offers.com, emphasizing the importance of metrics-driven decision-making and strategic adaptation in the dynamic world of business. Through anecdotes and insights, Steve's passion for entrepreneurship shines, offering practical wisdom and inspiration for both aspiring and established entrepreneurs.
Our conversation delves into the significance of understanding key metrics in business, such as contribution margin, and how we drive sustainable growth. Steve shares insights from his own experiences, including a pivotal moment where a marketing campaign failure led to a re-evaluation of metrics and experimentation processes within his company.
Steve reminds us of the transformative power of perseverance, adaptability, and strategic thinking in navigating the ever-evolving landscape of entrepreneurship. With a renewed sense of empowerment, you'll be inspired to embark on your own entrepreneurial journey with confidence and purpose.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Steve’s entrepreneurial journey and commitment to supporting startups.
🔹 Steve emphasizes the importance of learning from failures and adapting to challenges in entrepreneurship.
🔹 Discussion on the significance of understanding key metrics in business, illustrated with examples from Steve's experiences.
🔹 Emphasis on the need for a culture of metrics-based decision-making and clear objective setting for sustainable growth.
🔹 Steve shares personal insights and experiences, highlighting the importance of metrics-driven strategies, timing in walking away from ventures, and having a clear plan before raising funds.
Steve is such an inspiration, and he has so much wisdom to share. Tune in to the full episode to hear more of his amazing story.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Christian Drapeau. Christian is a stem cell scientist, author and creator of the first stem cell supplement. He holds a graduate degree in Neurophysiology and has been involved in medical research for 30+ years, the last 20 specifically dedicated to stem cell research.
The author of 5 books, including the best-selling "Cracking the Stem Cell Code,” Christian has published dozens of scientific papers on brain research and a biological process he coined called “Endogenous Stem Cell Mobilization”. Having lectured in 50+ countries on stem cell research, he is known by scientists, physicians and biohackers alike as an expert and pioneer of his field.
Christian is a scientific advisor to many companies and is currently the CEO and Founder of Kalyagen where he developed the most potent stem cell mobilizer, STEMREGEN.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 The power of meditation and the pursuit of truth and self-discovery
🔹 The exciting new science of stem cells
🔹 Removing stress and fear from your life
🔹 How you can be your own “Blue Zone” for health and vitality
🔹 Secrets for successful meditation
Christian has such an incredible journey to share. He is a true scientist devoted to finding the truth and sharing it with the world. I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing take-aways.
In this episode of If Not Now Wen, we are so excited to welcome special guest, Grant Newlin. Grant is a founder and general partner of Newlin Ventures, investing at Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A across both North and South America.
Grant began his career as a process improvement / strategy Consultant for Ernst & Young where he aided the nation’s largest financial institutions in the post-financial crisis, Dodd-Frank world. He then worked in M&A sell-side and buy-side transactions for Waller Helms Advisors in Chicago, leading middle-market deals often as the sole junior banker. During the merger of Kraft Foods and Heinz, Grant worked with 3G Capital as the Lead, Senior Finance Manager to spearhead the finance and operations post-merger integration; he reported directly to the CFO and President of the US. And before Newlin Ventures, Grant was Head of Dealflow at New Stack Ventures, leading inbound and outbound dealflow strategies, owning all phases of diligence, and supporting LP engagement.
Grant is also a staunch supporter of non-profit Surge for Water where he manages the US endowment. He was Chair of the Minnesota chapter and has served on both the Governing and Associate Boards. Grant also plays Advisor / Mentor to Techstars, Gener8tor, the University of Virgina iLab, and several other leading innovation hubs across the country.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 The key things investors are looking for from founders seeking funding
🔹 Secrets for a performing fund
🔹 Why South America is the next frontier for venture
🔹 Bridging the gap between the Americas
🔹 Advice for the early-stage entrepreneur who may be feeling stuck
Grant is such an inspiration, connecting and uniting the Americas and helping all the amazing dreamers live their global dream. He has so much insight to share, and I know you will enjoy this episode as much as I do.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Josh Chodniewicz. Not just an entrepreneur, but a leading expert in regulations in crowdfunding, entrepreneurship and investing in startups, Josh has consistently been at the forefront of industry evolution.
From humble beginnings selling chicken eggs in his neighborhood to navigating the complexities of the digital art world, every step has been marked by perseverance, vision, and an innate entrepreneurial drive.
Today Josh is the founder of Fundify, democratizing startup investing and empowering both accredited and non-accredited investors, allowing investments starting from just $1. Fundify embodies Josh's unwavering commitment to innovation and his ambition to empower every potential entrepreneur and investor.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Recognizing the potential of the internet in 1994 and having the vision to see it as the vehicle for endless possibility
🔹 Overcoming hardships and setbacks
🔹 The challenges that come with a merger and the impact it has for founders
🔹 Equity crowdfunding and how Fundify is democratizing the process
🔹 Avoiding fatal decisions as you grow your business
Josh is such an inspiration, and he has so much wisdom to share. Tune in to the full episode to hear more of his amazing story.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Lucas Mitchell. Lucas is the founder and managing partner of Infinite Ranges, a company that drives digital adoption by connecting the global integrator and resellers with the outcomes and people needed to deliver solutions. They help clients activate, deploy, and optimize their software securely.Lucas has over 25 years in the tech sector with expertise ranging from cybersecurity, devops, app modernization, and human capacity scalability. He also serves as an advisory council member at VMware Tanzu, where his teams collaborate with senior executives from channel partner organizations to explore and validate Tanzu's vision and direction.Lucas is passionate about creating outcomes that matter and empowering teams to achieve their goals, vision, and direction.In this episode we talk about:🔹 Setting goals and pushing limits🔹 How solving that one problem can lead to big things🔹 The many hats that entrepreneurs wear and navigating those transitions as your business scales🔹 Lucas’s biggest lesson and most expensive mistake🔹 The morning routine that lays the foundation for successLiving life with such resiliency, Lucas runs towards what scares him the most and faces things head on with discipline and determination. He is such an inspiration, and I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Rima Chakrabarti. Rima is a partner at KdT Ventures, the standard for early-stage frontier science investing, where she partners with scientific founders engineering the world at the molecular level.
Rima studied biology and neuroscience at Brown University and earned her MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. While in medical school, she was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research fellow in the lab of Dr. Helen Hobbs, where she created bio-tools for measuring lipid activity in the body. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for her clinical residency in neurology, after which she jumped to the Fannin Innovation Studio, a human-health focused venture creation firm in Houston, TX, where she directed the development of a portfolio of preclinical assets, three of which are now in clinical trials.
Since joining KdT in 2020, Rima’s investments to date span the fields of material science, cell immunotherapy, cancer metabolism, and surgical robotics. She currently sits on the boards of Dimension Inx, Cypris Materials, and Modulus Therapeutics.
Rima is truly an inspiring example and model for technical founders who are on a path and looking for a way to change the world, and she is doing amazing things on this planet. I know you are going to love this episode as much as I do and get so many amazing takeaways.
We talk about:
🔹 Discovering a passion for building with biology and exploring the “why” of disease
🔹 Uncovering the steps for the commercialization process in the biotech space
🔹 What you need to know about the investor/founder partnership
🔹 Determining if Venture Capital funding is right for your biotech company
🔹 What to focus on in your pitch to get a seed investor excited to partner with you
Rima has such a love for technology, innovation, and creating an impact which is truly making the world a better place. Tune in to the full episode to hear more of her inspiring story.
Our special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Ash Maurya. Ash is the author of two bestselling books “Running Lean” and “Scaling Lean” and is also the creator of the highly popular one-page business modeling tool “Lean Canvas”.
Ash is praised for offering some of the best and most practical advice for entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs all over the world. Driven by the search for better and faster ways for building successful products, Ash has developed a continuous innovation framework that synthesizes concepts from Lean Startup, business model design, jobs-to-be-done, and design thinking.
A leading business blogger, Ash's posts and advice have been featured in Inc. Magazine, Forbes, and Fortune. He regularly hosts sold out workshops around the world and serves as a mentor to several accelerators including TechStars, MaRS, Capital Factory, and guest lecturers at several universities including MIT, Harvard, and UT Austin. Ash serves on the advisory board of a number of startups and has consulted to new and established companies.
Ash is passionate about giving back and sharing his knowledge to serve the entrepreneurial ecosystem and create more successful entrepreneurs. He is such an inspiration, and I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways.
We talk about:
🔹 Recognizing patterns in the start-up process
🔹 The 3 stages of the entrepreneurial journey
🔹 Early mistakes for founders to avoid
🔹 How to structure your pitch so that you can discuss pricing with ease
🔹 Defining success and the American Dream
Ash has such a transparency and self-awareness and has so much insight to share. He has such a big heart and is driven to help more people enter this profession and be successful doing it. Tune in to the full episode right here.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Valerie Ward. Valerie recently completed her MBA at UT Austin's McComb's School of Business, where she is concentrated in Strategy and Innovation with a special focus on Social Enterprise and Social Impact, and she'll be joining Strategy&'s Customer Transformation practice in early 2024.
Valerie was the co-founder of Sweet Ritual vegan ice cream shop and non-profit Good Work Austin. She is a mentor at Capital Factory in Austin and is dedicated to increasing access to entrepreneurship. She has taught, directed, and performed improvised theatre for over 20 years, touring internationally with her troupe Parallelogramophonograph.
An authentic people leader, Valerie is passionate about connecting with others and building a community. She is such an inspiration, and I know you are going to love this episode as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 Finding balance between the dream and the reality of building a business
🔹 Why networks and community are so crucial
🔹 Deciding whether to persist or move on to the next chapter
🔹 Giving yourself grace and letting go of perfectionism
🔹 Advice for founders starting out and those who are in the process of growing and scaling their business
Curious to learn more about Valerie and her amazing story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re so excited to talk with special guest Jake O'Shea. Jake is a professional match-maker and superconnector. He currently works as the Director of Portfolio Operations at Foundation Capital, building tools and systems to operationalize the firm's network and leading the 30yo firm's Platform and Portfolio Support functions.
Prior to Foundation Capital, Jake was Director of Platform at Capital Factory, where he was responsible for managing and developing the firm's value-add initiatives for portfolio companies. Jake is a co-organizer of AITX, a local Austin AI community. He is also cofounder of Serend.ai, a GPT-powered network management tool, and creator of ShowerThoughts, allowing you to turn your unstructured brain dump into a short summary with highlights and action items that are delivered directly to your inbox.
In this episode Jake gives an inside look into the venture capital business model and has an incredible way of demystifying the investment process in a way that is very clear and refreshing. He is an open book and gives clear steps and game-changing advice for founders.
We talk about:
🔹 The 3-step process for successful fundraising
🔹 Understanding the different rounds of funding
🔹 How to create an incentive for a lead investor to offer you a term sheet
🔹 Determining the right valuation for your company
🔹 How to build relationships with potential investors
Jake has such a big heart, and he is passionate about supporting others and creating a positive impact. He is a leader with a wealth of knowledge and insights that are incredibly important for founders. I know you are going to love this episode and get so many amazing take-aways.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Ron Green. Ron is Chief Technology Officer at KUNGFU.AI’s. A serial tech entrepreneur and expert in machine learning, he has built several successful companies in telecom, biotech, e-commerce, social media, and healthcare.
Ron was most recently CEO and founder of Thrive Technologies (acquired by CLOUD), a mobile healthcare startup. Prior to Thrive, he ran software development at Ziften Technologies, Powered (acquired by Dachis Group), and Visible Genetics (acquired by Bayer).
Ron is such a humble leader with an incredible journey to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways.
We talk about:
🔹 Why it’s never too late to start something or learn something new
🔹 The biggest lessons learned from start-up failures
🔹 Why getting repetitions at startups is really valuable
🔹 Mistakes early-stage founders should be aware of
🔹 Fundraising advice for a tough capital environment
Curious to hear more from Ron and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Megan Gallagher. Megan is a 2x TEDx speaker, 4x Amazon best seller, TV Host and mental health advocate.
While growing up Megan experienced chronic anxiety and panic attacks. She grew inspiration from reaching rock bottom at 16. She decided to ask for help, and that started her on the journey of understanding herself. She became motivated by her struggles and has been on a mission to change the public school system for the past 10 years. She is dedicated to ending the stigma and inspiring young adults by giving them the tools they need to live a high quality life.
Megan currently speaks at Colleges and Fortune 500 companies about mental health, avoiding burnout and wellness in the workplace. She is an incredibly talented speaker, author, blogger, TV Host, freelance model and fitness lover.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Megan’s inspiring mental health journey
🔹 The power of resiliency in overcoming challenges and rejection
🔹 Recognizing the lessons in any situation
🔹 How to overcome fear and process negative emotions
🔹 Mastering your mind
Curious to hear more from Megan and her inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Lyn Graft. Lyn is the Chief Story Officer at Shār Snacks, founder of Storytelling for Entrepreneurs, and author of the best-selling book, Start With Story.
He has filmed over 1,000 entrepreneurs including the founders of Starbucks, Whole Foods, TOMS, and LinkedIn. He co-created and produced CNBC’s first primetime TV series ‘American Made’ and has produced 1,200 videos for entities such as Entrepreneur Magazine, Microsoft, Dell, and Nestle.
Lyn founded 8 companies and has raised $10.0M in venture funding and serves or has served on advisory boards for SXSW, Dell, and Empowering a Billion Women. Lyn has given over 50 keynote presentations on entrepreneurial and business storytelling at entities such as HP, Dell, EY, EO, SXSW, Wharton School of Business, and the University of Texas. He also is a mentor at the SKU Consumer Packaged Goods Accelerator, Founding Institute Startup Accelerator, and EBW Women Executive Accelerator.
Lyn is passionate about sharing what he has learned and channeling his gifts and experience to help other entrepreneurs. Lyn has so much incredible wisdom to share, and I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways.
We talk about:
🔹 Blazing trails and discovering a passion for capturing inspiring founders’ stories
🔹 The most important asset you have as a founder
🔹 The do’s and don’ts of great entrepreneurial storytelling
🔹 One of the fastest ways that a founder can come up with a good starting origin story
🔹 Discovering your power and how you can differentiate yourself
Curious to hear more from Lyn and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
Connect with Lyn:
START WITH STORY - Book by Lyn Graft
https://www.amazon.com/Start-Story-Entrepreneurs-Guide-Business/dp/1544501390/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2QT2XT5QHXOLH&keywords=lyn+graft+story&qid=1690993295&sprefix=lyn+graft+story%2Caps%2C140&sr=8-1
SHĀR SNACKS – Organic Trail Mix Site
https://sharsnacks.com
CREATE – Online Storytelling Course for Founders
https://www.storytellingforentrepreneurs.com/lyn_graft
LYN GRAFT – Author & Speaker Site
http://lyngraft.com
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re so excited to talk with special guest Jennifer Sethre. Jennifer is currently founder and CEO of Intry and AntiBias Tech, a revolutionary HR tech startup. She is a builder of businesses to her core and is re market savvy, technically sharp and an astute leader with a history of building and exiting successful start-ups. She has also run two public companies in China and the US.
Highly skilled in creating strategic partnership, Jennifer has collaborated with big names such as Apple, the Gates Foundation, Goodwill, Care Innovations, and Foxconn and has been featured on CNBC, NBC, Yahoo Finance, Austin Statesman, Austin’s 50 Tech Companies to Watch, Silicon Valley Review, MN Monthly, Awarded 40 Under 40, Stevie Award, and is part of Forbes Women.
Jennifer’s mantra in life is “no fear”, and she is always moving forward with tenacity and courage with the growth mindset to figure things out and make things happen. She is a true warrior and has such an inspiring story to share.
We talk about:
🔹 Becoming an accidental entrepreneur and the queen of pivot
🔹 Following new opportunities with no fear
🔹 Critical aspects to being successful
🔹 Overcoming adversity and practicing gratitude
🔹 Difficult lessons learned in life and business
Jennifer leads with such a humility and kindness in heart and will continue to do good things on this planet. Tune in to the full episode to learn more.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest and dear friend Ruben Arias. Ruben is a founder and Chief Executive Officer at Beereaders. He is a seasoned edtech entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience. Hailing from Santiago, Chile, he overcame a challenging upbringing in a low-income household to become the first in his family to pursue higher education.
Motivated by his own journey, Ruben has dedicated himself to transforming education and empowering students. His edtech ventures have positively impacted the lives of over half a million K-12 Spanish-speaking students across Latin America and the United States, generating substantial revenue and securing more than $9M in venture capital.
Ruben is continuously seeking new ways to improve learning outcomes and bridge educational gaps and is passionate about empowering students of the world to have the opportunity to seek out their own potential. He has such an authentic and impactful story to share, and I know you will love it as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 What is different about growing a company in the U.S.
🔹 Advice for international founders who are thinking of bringing their business to the U.S. on a global stage
🔹 Overcoming language barriers and seeking new opportunity
🔹 What investors are looking for with international founders
🔹 The biggest lessons learned from raising 9 million dollars
Ruben is such an inspiration and has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. I can't wait to hear what you think!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Jimmy Ramirez. Jimmy is Managing Partner for Prometheus Growth Partners (PGP) and BhavaMar Development (BhavaMar). Jimmy oversees the legal, land, construction development, investor relations, cost management, real estate project valuation and private equity investments.
Jimmy began his professional career while attending UTSA with a national commercial general contractor in Houston, TX working at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (NASA) building 21. He quickly moved up within the company and became a lead field engineer within the first 6 months. He then pursued his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Houston Law Center and focused on real estate development and mergers and acquisitions. After gaining experience in the legal in house and public sector, Jimmy switched over to the private sector where he worked on real estate transactions and general business and commercial transactions.
Incorporating two drastically different careers throughout his journey, Jimmy is a visionary who is able to see something from nothing, and he has a grounded, intentional approach to life and business. He shows up with positivity and authenticity and is passionate about giving back, helping others, and giving people the opportunity to follow their dreams. I know you will love his story as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 The power of relationships and networking
🔹 An objective and logical approach to business and failure
🔹 Working and hustling for the things you want
🔹 Seeing the big picture and connecting the pieces
🔹 A different, transparent approach to investing
Jimmy has such an inspiring personal story of how he has achieved all these incredible, amazing things. Tune in to the full episode to learn more!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Matthew Mussenden. Matthew is Managing Partner for Prometheus Growth Partners (PGP), a private investment firm that focuses on supporting founders who are extremely passionate about their business and helps them from the ground up. He is also a partner for BhavaMar Development, a Texas-based residential and commercial development company. Matthew oversees investor relations, cost management, real estate project valuation and private company investments.
Matthew has experience in a variety of roles across business including audit, FP&A, sales and trading, investment banking and private equity and has professional experience at 3M, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs, Guggenheim Securities, and Stone Point Capital. Additionally, he currently helps manage a $250 million fintech ventures fund for Huntington Corporate Ventures.
Matthew does not give up. No matter what the universe tells him, he moves forward and hustles every step of the way. He is so authentic and transparent, and I know you will love his beautiful story as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 The value of great mentors
🔹 Pushing the boundaries of the box and reaching just a little further
🔹 Following your heart, going all in, and doing whatever it takes to succeed
🔹 Bridging the gap between VC and private equity
🔹 Sharing high finance knowledge
Curious to hear more from Matthew and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Vincent Hsieh. Vince brings 25 years of relevant entrepreneurial and operating experience in the software and services sectors, including launching and growing two successful software start-ups. Today he is a partner at Cypress Growth Capital where he participates in all facets of Cypress’ investment process and actively supports portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Cypress, Vince spent 16 years starting, building and scaling two SaaS companies, Atlas RFID and Geoforce. As CFO and COO of Geoforce, Vince’s responsibilities spanned finance, operations, marketing, human resources and legal. He also led numerous debt and equity raises, international expansions, and acquisitions. He currently serves on the Boards of both Geoforce and Atlas RFID and is a frequent speaker and panelist on the topics of entrepreneurship, growth company operations, and capital strategy. Vince is a CFA charter holder, is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and holds an MBA from Duke University and BS in Economics from UC Berkeley.
Vince is an authentic people leader who is passionate about helping and supporting others. He is such an inspiration and has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways.
We talk about:
🔹 Why representation in leadership matters
🔹 Pivoting after facing failure
🔹 Keys to successfully raising money at different business stages
🔹 Transitioning from startup to VC world
🔹 Important tips to know before reaching out to investors
Curious to hear more from Vince and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Kevin Parakkattu. Kevin is a Partner at Plug and Play Ventures, where he leads the firm's Commerce, Media, and Consumer investments.
Throughout his 5 years of investing at PNP, Kevin has led seed and early-stage investments in over 30 companies including companies like BigID, MANSCAPED (filed for $1b SPAC), Madison Reed, Naadam, ZigZag Global (acq'd Global Blue) and others.
He also sits on the Innovation Advisory Board at the National Retail Federation. Prior to PNP, Kevin was an investment analyst at Centripetal Capital and a cofounder of a pure-play customer apparel business.
Kevin is such a sincere and grounded person who leads with kindness and a genuine desire to connect with the people around him. He strives to become a facilitator of opportunity and growth for others. Kevin is such an inspiration, and I know you will love this episode as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 How the right mentor can change the path of your future
🔹 Huge lessons learned as a VC
🔹 How Plug and Play is becoming a global scaling partner
🔹 Understanding the life cycle of a fund
🔹 Advice for entrepreneurs in today’s climate
Curious to hear more from Kevin and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re honored and excited to talk with special guest Brad Bentz, a partner at ATX Venture Partners.
Brad spent ten years as a field archaeologist working on research projects in Pakistan, Syria, Bulgaria, and the U.S. before establishing a second career as a software developer and team lead. After business school, Brad joined a boutique private equity firm and participated in over a dozen transactions involving more than $72M in equity capital. More recently, he worked at IDC and Boston Consulting Group before joining the investment team at ATX Venture Partners.
Brad is passionate about working with and supporting founders who are bringing innovation to the market, making people’s lives better, and trying to make a dent in the universe.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Fundraising for early-stage entrepreneurs and advice for first time founders
🔹 How to know if Venture Capital funding is the right fit for your business
🔹 The most important things potential investors are looking for
🔹 The key to success for the first 10 million dollars
🔹 How to connect with potential investors
Still the archaeologist at heart, Brad has such a thoughtful way to examine and find the next exciting superstar and to support them on the path of growing and scaling. He is such an inspiration and has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. I can't wait to hear what you think!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest and dear friend Nick Spiller. Nick is a veteran of the Texas startup ecosystem and one of the biggest startup supporters, personally providing advice and mentoring many amazing founders.
Nick spends most of his days helping entrepreneurs through raising capital. He works at the most active seed stage venture capital fund in Texas, Capital Factory, where they have helped their 750+ portfolio companies raise billions in venture capital plus over half a billion in non-dilutive funding from defense and government innovation groups.
Nick is a humble leader who is passionate about creating an inclusive startup ecosystem in Austin, TX and helping the people around him to grow.
We talk about:
🔹 Making Austin a better Silicon Valley
🔹 Recognizing the difference between a founder and a CEO
🔹 Utilizing a data driven curation process to connect with investors
🔹 What makes a startup fundable (or unfundable)
🔹 Building trust with investors
Nick is such an inspiration and has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. I can't wait to hear what you think!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Andra Vomir. Andra is a co-founder of Efficient App, a lifestyle business that helps teams find and integrate their software stack and streamline and map their operational processes to the software. Also known as “The Efficient Girl”, Andra is passionate about helping businesses save dozens of hours a day with automation.
Andra is also a partner at Efficient VC where she angel invests in the B2B SaaS products that she’s found to be game-changing for herself and her clients.
Andra believes in optimizing life for the enjoyment of each and every day. She is such a sincere and kind person with a beautiful presence, and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 What it’s like to run a business with your spouse and the qualities that make it successful
🔹 The pros and cons of raising funds for your business
🔹 The top 5 software products that everyone should have
🔹 Embracing fear and dealing with imposter syndrome
🔹 Defining success and optimizing happiness
Curious to hear more from Andra and her inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Alex Bass. Alex is a founder and investor who is obsessed with product, automation, and integration. Over a decade ago, Alex Bass founded Efficient App with the goal of helping teams find and integrate their perfect software stack.
From seeing first-hand the time savings these tools resulted in, he knew he wanted to get involved on a deeper level. What started as a healthy obsession in product feedback, evolved into a budding career in angel investing.
In July 2021, his first investment was put into Motion. Over the 12 months that followed, an additional 18 startups were added to his portfolio, all with a primary focus in efficiency B2B SaaS.
Alex is passionate about creating relationships, and he creates impact through a desire to help and provide support. Alex has a transparency and authenticity that is so refreshing. He is such an inspiration, and I know you will love this episode as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 The power of transparency to create connections and opportunities
🔹 Focusing on supporting and building relationships
🔹 How providing product feedback led to angel investing
🔹 Getting comfortable with the unknown
🔹 Alex’s unique investing strategy
Curious to hear more from Alex and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Eric Engineer. Eric is a partner of S3 Ventures where he supports portfolio companies as a board member and advisor for strategic growth.
Eric was previously CEO at Invodo, an S3 Ventures portfolio company, which was acquired by CoCreativ in early 2018. Prior to Invodo, Eric was a Partner at Sevin Rosen Funds in Dallas, where he helped lead the firm’s investment in Invodo. He also worked at Microsoft, where he held a variety of roles in product management, product planning, and enterprise sales across several business units.
Eric began his career as a Sales Engineer at Trilogy Software in Austin, TX. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School as well as an MCS in Distributed Systems and a BA in Computer Science from Rice University in Houston.
Eric has the rare career experience that includes corporate, start-up, and VC. He has graduated into a recession – twice – and navigated two of the biggest bubbles in recent history. Eric is a humble and compassionate leader who strives to help others. He is such an inspiration, and I hope you enjoy his story as much as I do.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 How a bump in the road or a detour can lead you to bigger and greater things
🔹 The unique ecosystem in Texas today and what it holds for the future
🔹 What you need to know about venture capital
🔹 Advice for entrepreneurs during this down cycle in the economy
🔹 Tips for raising capital in today’s environment
Curious to hear more from Eric and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
What was your biggest takeaway? Let me know in the comments below!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Cara McCarty. Cara is the Founder & CEO at Betterleave, the leading platform built to support organizations and families as they navigate grief and loss.
Prior to Betterleave, Cara co-founded Code Pilot, one of the fastest growing training & recruitment platforms for developers. Code Pilot was acquired by AngelList in 2020, the second largest talent marketplace in the world.
Cara loves to partner with founders and leaders to support complex organizational and high-growth people initiatives for successful outcomes -- including WorldFirst, Acquisition and RetailMeNot, IPO. Cara is also an Advisor for the Founder Institute, Partner at The Fund Austin, and a member of the Forbes HR Council.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Cara’s personal journey of inspiration
🔹 The biggest lessons learned through the acquisition process
🔹 Going from founder to corporate world and back again
🔹 Important tips for raising capital
🔹 Valuable advice for fellow entrepreneurs
Cara is a courageous leader who is passionate about supporting individuals through difficult moments. She is such an inspiration and has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. I can't wait to hear what you think!
The name Wen actually means “rainbow in the sky” in Chinese. I was born and raised in a tiny mountain village in the southeast part of China. Where I grew up is a beautiful town where people are born there, live there, and die there happily. But I never saw that for myself and always dreamed that one day I would go and see the world.
Now, here I am in Austin, Texas running a global accelerator INNW Institute where our goal and our mission is to support entrepreneurs from all over the world to tell the right story to get a YES. As a young girl, I never could have even imagined that I would be where I am today.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, I’m sharing an interview that I did with fellow entrepreneur Wendy Shew from when we first met at the Business Capital and Exit Strategy Summit. We discuss my journey from China and my thoughts on business and life. I hope you enjoy it!
We talk about:
🔹 Living your truth in life
🔹 Overcoming barriers and societal expectations
🔹 Redefining women as entrepreneurs
🔹 Following your heart and your passion
Life is short, so you might as well do you and truly dream big because the world is waiting for you.
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Justin Siegel. Justin is an entrepreneur and investor, and he is the co-founder and CEO of two successful mobile entertainment companies. The first company, JSmart Technologies, was a pioneer in mobile games. It was acquired by the SK Group in 2004. The second company, JNJ Mobile, backed by General Catalyst Partners and Softbank Capital, built one of the first mobile social networks. Today it is one of Android’s top-grossing social applications and a leading mobile platform for HTML5 games.
Justin is the founder and Managing Partner of ATX Angel, LLC, which invests in early-stage companies. He is also a Techstars mentor and advisor to Boston Seed Capital.
Justin has always known that he wanted to live a life of adventure, and he has chosen paths and ideas that he finds interesting and exciting. Justin has gone from being a French teacher and journalist to becoming an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. He is such an inspiration, and I hope you enjoy his story as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 A grounded, bottoms-up approach to building business
🔹 Loving the process of what you do
🔹 Navigating from the early days of mobile games, apps, and social networks
🔹 Dealing with uncertainty and disappointment and the importance of timing
🔹 Advice for early-stage entrepreneurs
Curious to hear more from Justin and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
Today we’re celebrating the 100th episode of If Not Now Wen. Thank you to all the listeners. Your support truly means the world to me.
In this episode we’re switching things up a bit, and I’m passing the mic to my dear friend Wendy Shew. People often ask to hear more about my story, so I thought it would be fun to have a conversation and dive more into my journey.
You may already know that I am the founder of the INNW Institute, a global accelerator supporting entrepreneurs from all over the world and helping them to articulate their story and their vision to get YES. We have served over 300 entrepreneurs globally. Our entrepreneurs have gone on to do amazing things and have raised over 10 million C capitals this year. Additionally, our institute is now raising a 40 million dollar VC fund to support and back those dreamers.
Thank you for allowing me to share my story and journey. I hope you enjoy today’s episode.
We talk about:
🔹 Following your own heart and not the path others see for you
🔹 Persevering in spite of repeated failures
🔹 Deciding what is non-negotiable for you
🔹 Making your own opportunities and giving yourself a chance
🔹 How finding what you are “meant to do” is an evolving process
Curious to hear more about my journey and how I got here today? Tune in to the full episode to learn more.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Jason Scharf. Jason is a bio strategy leader and active early-stage investor in the life science and digital health sectors. He has built and led teams in strategic planning, market intelligence, and innovation at large biopharma, genomics, and medtech companies.
In addition to his roles within the corporate environment, Jason has served as a co-fund manager of the San Diego Angel Conference, an investor with NuFund Venture Group, and a mentor with both the NexCubed Digital Health Accelerator and the Illumina Accelerator. He invests in startups at the intersection of the technology, biology, and the consumerization of health.
Jason is the creator and co-host of the Austin Next Podcast, an exploration of Austin’s transformation into the next great innovation powerhouse, and he serves on the Board of Directors for BioAustinCTX.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Having the courage to find what lights you up
🔹 How technology and biology are beginning to fuse and how the consumerization of health is changing the field
🔹 Innovation’s impact on the world
🔹 The unique opportunities that exist in Austin and other Texas cities
🔹 Why the storytelling element is so important to investors
Jason is a visionary and a leader who has become a catalyst for innovation. He is such an inspiration, and he has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways. I can't wait to hear what you think!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Wendy Shew. As a first generation Asian American, Wendy experienced firsthand how education can ultimately become the equalizer in anyone’s life. At an early age, she experienced the tragedy of losing her mother, which has become her catalyst for 25 years in social impact work.
Determined to break through gender barriers, Wendy studied aviation, learned to fly single engine prop planes, and worked in the international aviation business as a jet engine specialist.
After volunteering in 2014 at a girl’s orphanage in India, she quit her job four months later and sold all her things. She left the country to travel the world all across Asia, Europe, and Africa for six years, where she spent much of her time as a volunteer and mentor to young girls.
Three months after an earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, damaging 9,000 schools, Wendy traveled to Nepal to support in earthquake disaster relief. From there, she founded Building Education in 2017 with the vision to help others transform tragedy to purpose in rising out of poverty.
Wendy truly embodies what it means to become the change you want to see in this world, and she has such a beautiful journey to share with us today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
We talk about:
🔹 Listening to your internal guidance and following your heart
🔹 Discovering yourself and your purpose
🔹 Recognizing the fundamental role education plays in empowering people all over the world
🔹 Stepping in when you see a need that is not being met
🔹 Wendy’s journey from aviator to founder and her impact along the way
To hear more from Wendy and her inspiring story, tune in to the full episode now.
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Igor Vainshtein, a serial entrepreneur from Australia. Igor started his entrepreneurial journey at age 16 building websites in 1996, when most people didn’t even know what a website was.
When Igor was a child, his parents migrated from former USSR (Moldova/Ukraine) to Australia in search of a brighter future. Following in his father’s steps, Igor became passionate about tech and built a successful career in IT, later becoming CTO for several companies in the healthcare sector.
Just over a decade ago, Igor got hooked on golf and became an accidental entrepreneur and co-owner of a virtual golf company in Melbourne, Australia. Eventually, that evolved into an e-commerce business that now has warehouses in Australia, Europe, and the United States. 24/7 Golf sells affordable golf simulator solutions for people’s homes, offices, garages, or barns that are self-assembly in just 15 minutes.
Igor also developed GolfTrak, a golf simulator app which allows people to play virtual golf using the cameras on their phones. He recently moved to Dallas, Texas to expand his business and democratize golf simulation.
Igor has had such an amazing and inspiring journey, and I know you will enjoy his story as much as I do!
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Seeing the possibilities
🔹 Finding the spark from within
🔹 Embracing the entrepreneurial itch
🔹 Starting over after losing everything
🔹 Defining success for yourself
Curious to hear more from Igor and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
What was your biggest takeaway? Let me know in the comments below!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Marc Nathan. Marc is an experienced leader in the technology startup community with a talent for connecting entrepreneurial business owners to customers, employees, investors, and partners.
Marc is the Vice President of Client Strategy of a law firm based in Austin, Texas where he helps his clients discover appropriate capital sources, and he founded T-Squared Agency to support selected clients with a comprehensive growth strategy and funding sources.
Throughout his career, Marc has assisted early-stage companies with business strategy, capital acquisition, digital and mobile marketing, customer development, strategic partnerships, and product development. Today, he publishes the weekly must-read Texas-Squared Startup Newsletter that offers news, opinions, and events across the entire startup ecosystem in Texas. Marc is passionate about connecting people, and he continues to create impact through service and leadership.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Marc’s biggest surprise in working with startups
🔹 Becoming an expert in something you do well
🔹 Defining success and psychological profit
🔹 How the Art of War relates to doing business
🔹 The critical aspect of being a successful company
Marc is such an inspiration, and he has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Marc? Catch today’s episode right here.
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Deanna Brown. Deanna is an early-stage innovation specialist and start-up strategist. She is recognized for delivering extraordinary growth and innovation for some of the world’s most influential brands such as Yahoo and AOL. Today Deanna is a managing partner for PMC Venture, a venture fund based in Austin, TX.
Deanna is passionate about supporting diverse teams and mission driven founders. She believes that it’s time for more diversity in business and leadership and is excited about the opportunities that are becoming available for women.
Deanna’s ability to pay attention, ask the right questions, and listen well has helped her to become the leader she is today. Deanna is such an inspiration. I know you will love her story as much as I do!
In this episode we discuss:
🔹 Recognizing and developing entrepreneurial skills
🔹 Facing fear and failure
🔹 Hiring the right people
🔹 Why diversity and inclusion in business is so important
Curious to hear more from Deanna and her inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is my friend and mentor, Satish Kambalimath. Satish is a serial entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience in a vast array of leadership roles at IBM, AT&T Bell Labs, Lucent, Cadence and Niksun.
Satish has held senior leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies as well as startups, and he has a proven track record in taking emerging technologies from inception to market validation, customer acquisition and revenue growth. He is currently on his fourth startup venture as the Founder & CEO of Predecir, The Last Mile in Actionable Predictive Analytics to identify and eliminate waste and optimize cloud spend.
Satish defines himself as a technologist who likes to apply technology to real world problems and find solutions. He has an amazing sense of humor, humbleness, curiosity and authenticity that truly makes him special. Satish is such an inspiration, and I hope you enjoy his story as much as I do!
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 How entrepreneurialism is a learning exercise
🔹 An effective exercise to help you overcome fear
🔹 How to keep moving forward after failure
🔹 Keys of successful fundraising
🔹 Creating a good founding team
🔹 The importance of having gratitude in your life
Curious to hear more from Satish and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Heather Emerson. Heather is a founder of Prep To Your Door, a food business serving Austin, TX and beyond organic, farm-to-table meals in zero-waste packaging.
Heather is passionate about the impact food has on human health as well as on the environment. Her mission is to change food through strengthening local food systems so that everybody wins: the community, our health, our planet.
In this episode we discuss:
🔹 Overcoming adversities and discovering your passion
🔹 Getting really clear on your “why”
🔹 Finding your inner compass and living your life for yourself
🔹 The importance of practicing self-care
Heather is such an inspiration, and she has so much insight to share. I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Heather? Catch today’s episode right here.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest and serial entrepreneur Daran Herrman. Daran is the founder and CEO of Goboto, a full-service marketing firm that brings efficiency to the online real estate marketplace. He is the host of the Establishing Your Empire show which is a podcast that inspires entrepreneurs, creatives, and future business owners to pursue their passions, grow their organization, and build their empire.
Daran is a natural leader and visionary. He is such an inspiration, and I know you will love this episode as much as I do!
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 Celebrating your successes
🔹 One of the biggest lessons in decision making
🔹 Knowing your strengths and recognizing when to bring others in to help
🔹 Setting daily and long-term goals with intention
🔹 Determining what is most impactful
Curious to hear more from Daran and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Brian Beck. Brian is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Sabio Tech Partners, an Austin-based technology advisory firm focused on helping middle market private equity firms achieve greater investment valuation with reduced risk. Sabio has developed an innovative approach and toolset, called “Quality of Technology”, specifically designed to enable private equity firms to conduct robust and rapid technology diligence of their potential acquisitions.
Though Brian has worked and traveled extensively in Canada, Europe, India and Asia Pacific, he has called Austin home for the past 20 years and is passionate about the Austin food scene, its new professional soccer club (Austin FC), and grilling on his back porch.
Brian always likes to be learning, solving problems, investigating, and figuring things out. His desire and courage to embrace new and different challenges and experiences has helped him become the leader he is today. Brian is such an inspiration, and I hope you enjoy his story as much as I do!
In today’s episode we talk about:
🔹 Facing your fear and putting yourself in new or uncomfortable situations
🔹 Building confidence in yourself
🔹 Gaining new perspective through travel
🔹 Why you learn more from failure than from success
🔹 What to do when you experience failure after failure
🔹 What you need to know about the acquisition process and how you can prepare for it
Curious to hear more from Brian and his inspiring story? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re excited to talk with special guest Joshua Lee. Joshua is a serial entrepreneur who has built 16 companies throughout his career. Today he is an expert on LinkedIn and is proud to have earned the nickname “The Dopamine Dealer of LinkedIn”.
Joshua is the founder and CEO of StandOut Authority where he works with entrepreneurs to help humanize professional or company brands on LinkedIn using authentic, inspirational engagement with your clients or audience.
Joshua believes that there is no B2B or B2C, just Human to human connections, and one of the most important things anyone can do in their business is to truly build long term and lasting relationships that flourish.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 The journey to truly discover yourself and your passion
🔹 Finding the courage to forge your own path
🔹 The struggles of entrepreneurship that aren’t often discussed
🔹 Why there is no such thing as work-life balance
🔹 How to build connections and relationships organically using LinkedIn and online
Joshua is such an inspiration, and he has so much insight to share. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Joshua’s story and his mission to bring authentic, human connections to the online space.
In today’s episode of If Not Now wen, we’re talking with special guest Shawn Flynn. Shawn started his life as a business owner founding and growing a successful company in Beijing China before returning to the US to work with companies ranging from fast growing Silicon Valley startups to established overseas public companies. He brings his international experience working with all stages and sectors of businesses to his role as Principal at a premier middle market investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation.
Shawn holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD. He speaks Mandarin and Spanish, which he learned by immersing himself in local communities and cultures while he lived abroad for almost 8 years. He is also the host of the award-winning Podcast "The Silicon Valley Podcast".
Shawn has welcomed one challenge after another to become the amazing global leader he is today. Shawn has such an interesting journey, and his story is so inspiring!
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 The invaluable skills you can gain from traveling to other countries
🔹 Why it’s so important to pick your partners wisely
🔹 How to be strategic in your thinking and goal setting
🔹 What investors are often looking for that a founder or startup may overlook
🔹 Why the power to ask questions is an underrated skill
I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Shawn? Catch today’s episode right here.
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Rajesh Gopi. Rajesh is the co-founder at TWO12, an Austin-based FinTech SaaS company providing equity management and fund administration solutions.
Rajesh is passionate about supporting founders to build great companies by sharing valuable lessons learned from his experience being part of multiple successful startups.
In this episode we discuss:
🔹 The drive to step outside of your comfort zone
🔹 How you can capture the market without a lot of resources
🔹 Helping founders get the answers to the questions investors want to know
🔹 Multi-tasking and finding balance
Rajesh is so inspiring, and I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Rajesh? Catch today’s episode right here.
Welcome to today’s episode of If Not Now Wen. We are talking with special guest and serial entrepreneur Henrik Johansson. Henrik co-founded and built the product company Boundless into a $100M company. Currently he is the co-founder and CEO of Gembah, a product development platform and marketplace with a vision to democratize product innovation.
Henrik specializes in technology-enabled services, marketplaces, and software as a service. He is an expert on scaling startups, building world-class teams, culture, and scalable processes and infrastructure and has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Austin Business Journal, and was named Counselor's 2017 Person of the Year.
Henrik believes that we are born to create and that it is innately and uniquely human to want to create things. His mission is to democratize product creation and bring the ability for anyone who has an idea for a product to be able to create it.
Henrik has such a big heart and a desire to make a difference by connecting the world and empowering everybody to create and make their dream come true. I hope you enjoy his inspiring story as much as I do!
In this episode we’ll talk about:
🔹 Experiencing the dot-com era as an entrepreneur and the lessons we can apply today
🔹 The piece of advice that has helped create amazing opportunities
🔹 Navigating a company through the Great Recession
🔹 Learning from mistakes and failures
🔹 Bringing together the perfect product plan with the perfect people to create products
Curious to learn more about Henrik and his inspiring vision? Catch today’s episode right here!
We’re so excited to be talking with special guest Jaclynn Brennan in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen. Jaclynn is a creative executive and expert on connecting between business and branding. She has over a decade of experience as a creative director for a variety of luxury fashion brands. Jaclynn has helped lead twenty-two major corporations in executing their branding strategies, and she is also the authority on taking brands, organizations, and entrepreneurs on to the next level of their success.
Today Jaclynn is the CEO and co-founder of Fyli, a female mastermind membership community that focuses on educational masterclasses, accountability, peer to peer mentorship, leadership advancement, and founding opportunities for early-stage female founders.
Jaclynn has such a clear vision, determination, and passion to create a sustainable change and impact in the world. She is a global leader and super connector, creating such a beautiful community with thoughtfulness and love.
In today’s episode we talk about:
🔹 Learning how to trust yourself
🔹 Why you need to ask for what you want and what you need
🔹 Empowering and supporting female founders
🔹 The importance of choosing your tribe with intention and authenticity
🔹 How female entrepreneurs can access and flourish through mentorship
Jaclynn is such an inspiration, and I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I do. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Jaclynn and her mission of investing in the future of female entrepreneurship.
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re talking with special guest Joel Trammell. Joel is a serial entrepreneur and lifelong learner who is super passionate about building great organizations. His leadership has led to multiple successful exits and exceptional investor returns over his 30-year career. Joel is the owner of Texas CEO Magazine, which reaches more than 10,000 CEOs across the state. He is a pioneer in the field of CEO education and training.
After discovering there might be some gaps for business leaders who are struggling to build great businesses, Joel launched American CEO to provide educational resources for chief executives. He is also the author of The CEO Tight Rope, a comprehensive guide featuring proven techniques and approaches for overcoming the unique challenges of being a CEO.
As a leading CEO educator, Joel regularly speaks at conferences and events nationwide. He has contributed to Entrepreneur, Forbes and Inc.com, sharing his experienced-based insight on business leadership topics. He has served on the boards of public, private and non-profit organizations. He was named Chairman Emeritus of the Austin Technology Council and regularly teaches a course for Austin CEOs.
Joel is the ultimate chief educator to chief executives. He believes that great CEOs make great jobs, and great jobs and great success in business drives success for a country. He is passionate about helping others make their organizations as successful as possible.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
🔹 What to know before you make your pitch
🔹 How to know when to quit and when to keep going
🔹 Knowing when it’s time to sell
🔹 What it means to be a professional CEO
🔹 The biggest blind spot and challenge for many CEOs
🔹 How to be a great CEO
Joel is such an inspiration, and he has so much wisdom to share. Tune in to the full episode to learn more about Joel’s story and how to confidently step into the role of CEO.
Today we’re talking with special guest and serial entrepreneur Christine Prydatko. Christine is a founding partner in Simple Vodka, a fully sustainable product with a social impact model. She is the co-publisher and SVP of business development at James Lane Post, a media company and publication on the East End of Long Island, New York. She has also joined Ethereal Global which is a web3, blockchain, & NFT consulting firm, and is also producing the first ever Hamptons Tech Week.
Christine also spends her time giving back and advising to many noted organizations. She is currently a member of the Summit community, as well as the prominent female mastermind known as Fyli.
Christine is a creator and a visionary who sees entrepreneurship as a journey and adventure. She is passionate about making an impact and creating positive support for the community. Christine is such an inspiration, and I hope you love her story as much as I do!
In this episode we’ll talk about:
🔹 Learning to trust yourself, your intuition, and your gut
🔹 Knowing when to pivot
🔹 Supporting the people who support you
🔹 How to harness the power of collaboration and build your team
🔹 Keys for success as an entrepreneur
Curious to hear more from Christine and learn more about creating a legacy and an impact? Catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re talking with special guest Juan Ignacio. Juan was born and raised in his beautiful country, Costa Rica. He has extensive experience in country development strategy, as well as in the investment, wealth management, and real estate development sectors, where he has served as a general manager and director of expansion and marketing for Central America and consultant for renowned national and international firms. He earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell and MBA from Wharton.
Juan is passionate in his efforts to try to contribute to his country's growth and development, to generate the best jobs, and to try to raise the quality of life and standard of living for Costa Ricans. Juan is such a visionary with heart and passion for country development and a strategic mind to connect the dots between international knowledge and his local ecosystem.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
🔹 Juan’s inspirational journey and his vision to serve his country and people
🔹 How to overcome challenges and obstacles and continue to move forward
🔹 Why exploring the motivation of the person behind an idea or project is so important
🔹 Staying disciplined and finding balance
🔹 Defining success
Juan’s mission to so admirable, and I hope you love his inspiring story as much as I do!
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now When is Rena Pacheco-Theard. Rena is the CEO of Boutiq, which is building a trusted vacation rental brand and real estate investment engine. At Boutiq they use data science to acquire and manage luxury vacation rentals. They believe that time is precious, and special memories will last a lifetime.
Prior to launching Boutiq, Rena came from a corporate as well as a startup world. She earned her MBA from MIT, Master of Public Affairs from University of Texas, and bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.
Rena’s desire to make a difference has been a driving force during her entrepreneurial and life’s journey. She is such and inspiring super leader who brings a lot of courage, integrity, and intelligence to her endeavors.
In this episode we talk about:
🔹 How the journey to success rarely happens in a straight line
🔹 Why it’s so important to keep an open mind about the different opportunities that present themselves
🔹 How you can have perseverance and still not be afraid to change your mind when needed
🔹 Two valuable elements you want in a cofounder
I hope you enjoy Rena’s inspiring story as much as I have!
In today’s episode of If Not Now Wen, we’re talking with our special guest Chris Fronda. Chris comes from a corporate background with years of experience in software development. Today he is a chief logic officer at Logictry where they are helping organizations overcome knowledge transfer and software development challenges and streamline their business for success.
Chris loves continuous learning and helping other people learn complex topics. His current passion project aims to provide better democratized access to expertise and expert thinking into the world that will unlock better economic opportunities for everyone.
Today we’re talking about Chris’s stirring vision, story, and insight. This is such an inspiring episode I know you’re going to love to hear!
In today’s episode we’ll talk about how:
🔹 When you're passionate about something, the risk doesn’t seem as high
🔹 You can figure out the “what” first and the “how” will follow
🔹 The ability to ask the right questions separates the expert from the novice
🔹 Alignment with your “why” and what you do is what creates true success
Chris is so inspiring, and I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Chris? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode is Brooke Bains. Brooke has over 20 years in sales, go-to-market operations, and consulting for businesses, whether publicly traded, privately held, or venture-backed companies. She is passionate about the customer experience and believes that this is where the journey to creating valuable partnerships ultimately begins.
Brooke founded the company Bombshell, simplifying business travel for women. She is currently the Chief Commercial Officer with Thinktiv, a value creation consultancy. Today she is also an Entrepreneur in Residence with Techstars in Austin, as well as sitting on multiple advisory boards for other startup businesses to help and support them on their growth journey.
Brooke shares her wisdom and insight on the entrepreneurial spirit and the power of embracing your humanity in order to thrive in your environment and business.
On the podcast, we discuss:
🔹 How to overcome adversity and turn the challenges you face into huge learning experiences
🔹 The joy of being in alignment and not trying to force something to happen
🔹 How you can be unknowingly limiting yourself and your potential
🔹 How taking the time to know and understand yourself can create the change you want to see in the world
🔹 The top mistake Brooke sees founders make and her advice for other entrepreneurs
Brooke is so inspiring, and I hope you love this episode as much as I do! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Brooke? Catch today’s episode right here.
In today’s podcast we’re speaking to Chris Beaman who is a software developer, product designer, growth marketer, and serial entrepreneur. Over the past 10 years, Chris has built several companies, as well as mentored dozens of early-stage founders.
A natural super connector, Chris is most passionate about introducing great people. In his current role as CEO at Astronomic, Chris is building software to connect founders with the cofounders, advisors, investors, contractors, and employees who will help them scale their companies to the moon.
One of the biggest mistakes founders make in pitching is not telling us why, why we should listen to what you have to say, and why your business matters in the world. Today Chris is sharing insights into his successful personal journey. And his why is out of this world inspiring!
You’ll learn how:
🔹 People can be shaped by their childhood experiences and how that can lead then to find their passion and their why
🔹 It’s so important to go into entrepreneurship with openness and to be able to adapt to feedback
🔹 You can take a desire to do something creative and turn it into a highly scalable, profitable business
🔹 We need as many innovators and entrepreneurs as possible
🔹 Entrepreneurship is the ultimate social cause
Curious to hear more from Chris and his inspiring why? Catch today’s episode right here.
I hope you love this episode as much as I do! Let me know what your biggest takeaways are in the comments below.
My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Martin Martinez. He is the Entrepreneur in Residence at Founder Institute, the world’s most proven network to turn an idea into startup and turn a startup into global business since 2009, helping 5500 companies across the world and on six continents.
Martin is also the host and producer for the online show Global Startup Report and Founder Showcase Series. He is passionate about supporting founders as an advisor and he serves on the advisory board for many entrepreneurship programs as well as one of the world’s leading festivals and conferences South by Southwest.
Martin helps to build community and support for entrepreneurs to really create their dream business, and his story and mission are so inspiring!
On the podcast, we discuss:
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Why having the right support network can make entrepreneurship more manageable and successful
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One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a startup (and how you can avoid making it!)
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Why it’s so important to engage the right advisors who understand small startups
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Some of the biggest misconceptions about the startup world
I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Martin? Catch today’s episode right here or connect with Martin directly on LinkedIn!
Today I want to share a little bit more about my story and my why.
I was born and raised in a little mountain town in China. There were no cars, no internet, no way out. Girls like me were expected to follow a specific path, but I never saw myself in it. I always dreamed about seeing the world beyond the mountain.
In the episode I will share:
🔹 How the discovery of a cassette tape changed my life
🔹 Why my years in the startup space and then working in businesses operating at the large and global scales led me to find my why
🔹 How my passion for entrepreneurship inspires me to help entrepreneurs globally to raise capital through storytelling and pitching
🔹 The mission of INNW Institute
I have always wanted to make a difference, create impact, and be the change I want to see in the world. I am truly just so honored and so excited to have a chance to work with founders from all over the world and help them tell stories.
Curious to hear more? Tune in to this episode here!
I hope you enjoyed this episode and hearing about my why! What about you? What is your why?
My special guest in today’s episode is a successful multi-disciplinary leader working with amazing people at global innovators, including NASA (Senior Engineer), Goldman Sachs (VP - Product Strategy), Hypersciences (COO), and ibble (Co-Founder and CEO).
Raymond Kaminski's goal is to bring accessibility to complex ideas, and this is such an inspiring episode, I know you're going to love to hear!
On the podcast, we discuss:
🔹How taking risks can lead to huge rewards
🔹How failure can be a game that you use to your advantage to propel you forward
🔹How taking action towards what you really want can make such a difference in your life as well as others
Raymond is so inspiring and I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!
Curious to hear more from Raymond? Catch today’s episode right here!
My special guest in today’s episode is long time Silicon Valley technology and startup veteran, Paul O’Brien. Paul has been in Austin, Texas for a dozen years and is heavily involved in the startup boom of the state, working at the crossroads of economic development and venture capital.
He’s a founder and the CEO of MediaTech Ventures, a venture development company in Media, worked to bring Founder Institute and MassChallenge to Texas, serves on the board of a number of startup incubators and accelerators, and is a managing director of venture capital programming in Funded House.
Paul shares the lessons he has learned from being a tech venture entrepreneur and his insights on how facing life challenges head on has helped him to grow in his life and work.
On the podcast, we discuss:
🔹How you can make sense of and overcome hardships in your life
🔹How having the right mindset can help you see opportunities that you otherwise would not have seen during times of difficulty
🔹Tools you can use to help you pivot successfully in transitionary seasons of your life
🔹The mindset you need and practices you can implement in order to thrive in the start-up/tech-venture industry
Curious to hear more from Paul and learn more on the strategies he uses to remain successful in the start-up space? Catch today’s episode right here!
Connect with Paul here.
On today’s podcast, we are joined by the inspiring Marcos Gutierrez, who is the CEO of QA Systems, Inc based in Austin, Texas.
With over fifteen years in the high tech industry, Marcos leads his businesses with a motivational and charismatic methodology that promotes constant personal and professional improvement.
Marcos has worked with both commercial and public entities of all sizes by promoting an excellent customer service mentality which creates and cultivates long-term business relationships.
Marcos shares amazing insights on the intersection between business success, family and mastery. Tune in to this episode to find out more!
Some of the things you will learn today include:
- How being innovative and finding ways to create value can help you build a multi-generational legacy
- Marcos’ top 3 learnings received from his charismatic father and how you can apply these in your own life
- Advice for starting and growing a successful business
- Ways to create a balance between work and life, particularly when working in a family business
- The power of using your life challenges as a platform to help you grow in life
Be sure to tune into this episode to hear more from Marcos and to gain new perspectives on business, leadership, family and legacies.
You can connect with Marco directly here.
In today's episode, welcome with me the CEO of global consultancy "Strategy Sprints", Simon Severino. Simon is the author of "Strategy Sprints" & "Habits of Success", Creator of the Strategy Sprints Method, and a contributor for Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine. He's also a member of Silicon Valley Blockchain Society and the #1 speaker on agile strategy and agile sales.
In his 19 years of entrepreneurship, he has executed hundreds of go-to-market strategies with B2B teams around the globe. He has scaled his own consultancy and has retired from operations. Simon reached financial freedom and became an investor and has since helped thousands of entrepreneurs reach financial freedom too.
Simon shared amazing advice about creating success along the entrepreneurial journey. If you are serious about thriving in the future, join me and listen in to this episode!
Today, we’ll discuss:
🔹 The importance of identifying and focusing on the One Thing for which you will stand
🔹 The significance of integrity in your entrepreneurial journey
🔹 How to focus on your superpowers and overcome yourself doubts
🔹 Why do you need to build a system to clarify, change and adapt goals
🔹 How you can use his 3-Step "Strategy Sprints" Method to succeed in business and life
Curious to hear more from Simon and learn more on his winning approach to success, catch today’s episode right here!
In today’s episode, my special guest is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer of MODintelechy, Scott Thomas. Scott has an impressive background which includes corporate/marketing strategy and execution, lead generation, intellectual property licensing, and software selection/implementation. He worked for and with several industry leaders.
Prior to founding Intelechy Group, a leading Revenue Growth Marketing Agency, Scott was the Director of Client Marketing, Lead Development at Rainmaker Systems, where he created and executed lead generation programs for respected technology leaders such as Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Panasonic, and Red Hat.
Scott is an entrepreneur who is both creative and data-driven. His one-of-a-kind journey is just amazing, and what I like the most about him are his core values.
Today, you’ll learn:
🔹 How to find your path and your true-calling
🔹 The power of turning potential into reality
🔹 How to balance between perseverance and reality
🔹 The importance of Integrity, Loyalty and Impact
🔹 The value of self-awareness to accomplish success
Are you eager to learn more from Scott Thomas and his amazing journey? Tune in for more exciting insights!
In today’s podcast, we are speaking to CEO and co-founder of DivInc., Preston L James II. Preston is a startup advisor/consultant, investor and evangelist for tech startups with 25+ years in the technology sector, mostly in IT technology sales/consulting.
Preston joins us today to talk about his work on diversity and inclusion and to give us a different perspective on how to approach our differences as humans.
We discuss:
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How to approach differences with curiosity instead of assuming the negative
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The importance of moving forward despite challenges
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How you can use your core values to shape how you interact with others in business and life
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How to recognise gaps in the space you operate in and how to use that information to be the change you want to see
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Preston’s journey in the tech start-up world and his learnings since he has been in this space
In today’s episode, you will meet my special guest Omar Zaki. Omar is a Venture Partner with TechRanch, where he supports startups in Digital Health and MedTech, as well as empowering venture and innovative ecosystems & programs around the world.
By age 25, he pioneered an international Telehealth and EdTech startup which connected thousands of physicians across the MENA region in real-time, disrupting the traditional Continuous Medical Education industry. Since then, he has been building and managing international ventures and projects for the past 20 years.
Today's episode was one of my favorites! With his global perspective, Omar shared deep insights from his successful personal journey. I welcome you to join in as well!
In this episode, you’ll learn that:
✅ Diversity is a fruitful foundation for successful minds
✅ There are multiple pathways to success and you need to find the best one for you
✅ Optimism and curiosity can be your allies in face of challenges
✅ Perseverance, timing, and understanding people are crucial for your success
✅ Failure teaches you more than success does
In today’s episode, our guest is Amos Schwartzfarb, Managing Director at Techstars and Author of Best Selling Books Levers and Sell More Faster. Amos launched his career into the startup world by creating one of the earliest e-commerce companies.
Thanks to his passion and love for adventure, he founded six additional startups within a few years while adventure racing, where his team was ranked 2nd in the nation twice and 20th in the world after completing the 2001 Eco-Challenge.
Now, he has positioned himself as one of the most active early-stage investors, and I’m so excited to have him on the podcast today!
Today, you’ll learn how:
- Passion and obsession may lead you to success
- Following your gut can help you prevent failure in the startup market
- Focusing on developing products and solutions is your best way to succeed
- Business is about the journey rather than just the destination
- Embracing and confronting your fears is possible
To learn more from this passionate and adventurous early-stage investor, here’s where you can watch today's episode!
I’d love to know your thoughts on this episode's takeaways.
In today's episode, our guest is Steve Hoffman, also known as Captain Hoff. He is the Captain & CEO of "Founders Space", one of the world’s leading startup accelerators. He launched Founders Space with the mission to educate and accelerate entrepreneurs. He has trained hundreds of startup founders and corporate executives in the art of innovation and provided consulting to many of the world’s largest corporations.
He is also a venture investor, serial entrepreneur, and author of several award-winning books. Steve is a fascinating storyteller who will take you on his exciting entrepreneurial journey and give you advice that you can implement in your own journey.
Today, you’ll learn how to:
🔹 Find your passion and start your journey even without experience
🔹Survive the early stages of being a startup
🔹 Build courage, be open to possibilities and seize opportunities where they present themselves
🔹 Deal with the hardest difficulties that you can face as a startup and progress
🔹 Benefit from Steve’s biggest lessons in order to prosper in your own entrepreneurial journey
Curious to learn the best advice to grow your business from one of the top startup accelerators?
Today, Captain Hoff shared with us his philosophy and deep insight, and provided us with the best startup business tips around!
On today’s episode, we have founder, creator and curator Moe Choice! Moe is a solopreneur who works with creatives, digital nomads, freelancers, coaches & consultants who want to turn their knowhow into their model to achieve their freedom lifestyle.
Moe joins us today to share some of the things he has learned in his entrepreneurial journey thus far that have helped him achieve groundbreaking successes like co-founding 12 businesses that hire over 1000 people, raise millions in investments and found the "One Page Plan" concept.
Topics discussed on this episode include:
- The importance of self-belief as a risk-taking entrepreneur
- How understanding your why is critical to business success
- Why focusing on the journey is better than focusing on the destination
- How visualising and planning your future will help you stand a better chance of success
- The One Page Plan and how it can help you achieve success
It was a pleasure having Moe on the podcast today as he shared a ton of insights on entrepreneurial success that I know will be super helpful to you in your own journey. Moe’s passion and vision is truly inspiring, and I know it will help you look at your journey and your goals in a whole new way.
What insight did you find the most helpful? Hit reply to this email and let me know - I would love to hear from you!
On the podcast today, we have the incomparable Carl Copeland - founder and president of Möbius Aero. Carl is an innovator, inventor, serial entrepreneur and humanitarian who boasts more than 40 granted patents under his belt. Over and above these impressive accomplishments, Carl serves on the board of two NGOs that are focused on eliminating poverty, hunger, illiteracy and human trafficking in developing nations.
Carl joins us today to share his story of how he overcame the difficult circumstances he grew up in to become the successful inventor he is today.
In this episode, we discuss:
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Rising above childhood circumstances to go on and live the life of your dreams
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Holding a vision for the future you strive for and persevering until you succeed
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How taking a different path than most people can lead to success
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The biggest lessons Carl learned during his entrepreneurial journey (and how we can benefit from them)
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Making decisions from a place of peace, rather than from a place of fear
Julia is a Recovering perfectionist, Leadership & Career Coach and a Keynote Speaker and she’s on a mission to enhance human connection and fulfillment at work and in life. 😍 She has a unique focus on emerging female leaders who are ambitious AND emotionally aware, are looking to build more authentic work-lives, and combat imposter syndrome.
She’s a Contributor to Forbes (read her articles at https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliawuench/) and was proudly named a Business Insider Most Innovative Career Coach of 2020. ✨
She has an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and she’s a certified Positive Intelligence Coach.
In her non-work time you'll catch her on her soap box talking about why "follow your passion" is terrible career advice, napping (self-described Queen of Sleep 💁🏻♀️), or FaceTiming with her sisters.
She lives in North Carolina with her amazing husband and floofy labradoodle.
💪🏻Her most booked keynotes and workshops are:
❌ Don't Follow Your Passion: The Career Advice You Actually Need
👩🏻🤝🧑🏽 Stop Networking and Start Connecting
🧠 Mental Fitness: Strategies for Moving Beyond Just Resilience
👹 I'm a Fraud! Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb
Welcome to the newest episode of If Not Now Wen! In this episode I am talking with Maria Maso!
Maria Maso is a passionate, driven, and business-oriented entrepreneur and investor that combines her passion for innovation to support early-stage start-ups while investing in diversity. She is the founder and CEO of the Business Angel Minority Association- baMa which aims to bridge the investment gap in minority-led start-ups or start-ups targeting minority driven markets and is a growing business angel network and community.
In this episode you will learn:
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The biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make
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How to take time off (being a full-time mom and shifting into the workforce)
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How to actually handle failure
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How to learn what you want and then go after it
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What the American dream is and what that means for Maria
Welcome to the latest episode of If Not Now Wen! In this episode I am talking with Kendall Cherry!
Kendall is a writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur based in Austin, Texas. Before she started her own business, she was bored and burnt out at her “dream job” in corporate America.
Kendall now helps small business owners and creative entrepreneurs master the art of storytelling with PR, content marketing, and copywriting. You’re going to feel so fearless after hearing Kendall talk about her transition from corporate to entrepreneurship and how you can learn from everyone while taking the steps towards your dreams.
In this episode we discuss:
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How to deal with negativity
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Why you shouldn’t be afraid of change
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How to start taking action
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Why it’s important to have support from friends or mentors
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Why your mental health is so important
Welcome to the newest episode of If Not Now Wen! In this episode I am talking with Abhijeet Khadilkar!
Abhijeet is a business operator and problem solver at heart, with experience in Management Consulting and Tech. He has worked in the past as an entrepreneur, management consultant, and product management leader from Fortune 50 companies to startups. He’s also an Amazon best-selling author of Unlock!, a modern career leadership playbook. Abhijeet loves to build great teams that are excited about solving hard problems while having fun doing it.
You’re going to feel so inspired after hearing Abhijeet talk about mentorship and how you can find the best in the business to guide you through your entrepreneurial journey!
In this episode we discuss:
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Why redefining success will make you happier.
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Why expectation management is so important.
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How to best seek mentorship and create win-win synergy.
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What the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make and how to avoid them.
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Why self-care will make you the best entrepreneur you can be.
Welcome to the next episode of If Not Now Wen! This episode features the inspiring Bryan Menell!
Bryan has founded or co-founded companies in a diverse set of industries including customer relationship management systems, point of sale technology, e-learning, systems integration, and the deskless workforce. For the past 25 years he has been doing his part to make Austin, Texas a vibrant and growing technological community.
You’re going to feel so motivated after hearing Bryan talk about flexibility in business and how you can use those principles to pivot and grow with ease when the time is right!
In this episode we talk about:
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The biggest mistake founders make.
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How good timing is everything.
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What the secret is to becoming a unicorn founder.
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How important it is to be willing to pivot your business.
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How the early days will impact your outcome.
Welcome back to another episode of If Not Now Wen! Today we are talking to the serial entrepreneur Gary Hoover!
You're going to love hearing from Gary! He started Bookstop, which was later sold to Barnes & Noble for $41.5 million. This laid the foundation for the book chain's success. Gary then started Hoover's, Inc, with a successful exit of $117 million and digitized business information in the modern world.
Today, he is leading the American Business History Center with a mission to inform and empower entrepreneurs to learn business lessons from the great history in order to shape the future.
Gary and I discuss:
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How Gary started out, his passion for business and how he started his own companies.
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How learning from history can help you understand the future.
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How long you should look into the future when you start your business.
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How to react when life throws you obstacles.
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How entrepreneurship is a life-long discovery of yourself and your life goals.
A driven visionary at the intersection of strategic partnerships, impact, entertainment, & global business development .
Dena’s work includes working with UHNWI, entertainment space, United Nations, startups, and established brands providing consulting, marketing, PR & communications strategy. Dena brings her resources to appropriate business opportunities.
Impact driven communication agency, Style & Resilience works to amplify underrepresented voices by using communication strategies, strategic partnerships, and creativity. Dena works within the entertainment space to leverage influence through social good campaigns, partnerships and more.
From playing an integral role at Oprah magazine, to moderating International Day of Peace 2016, Dena was chosen along side notable Goodwill Peace Ambassadors strategizing peace strategies with Leonardo DiCaprio, former Secretary General of the United Nations, Stevie Wonder, and personally recognized by Michael Douglas.
Dena advises startups, corporations, family offices, non- profits & high profile clients including Royal Family Office in Dubai. Dena acts as the key liaison & bridge for US & Middle East Markets. The ability to thrive in a multicultural and dynamic environment leads to impact & long term value.
'If that dream does not scare me, it does not excite me!' - @Yinka
In this INNW episode, Dr. Yinka shares her winning strategies on how to win in life or business. Simply put, how the ''The Nigerian Gas Lady'' make her American Dream come true.
In this conversation, we discussed:
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What skills you need to be an entrepreneur
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How to move through self imposed fear
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How she made her American dream come true
Dr. Opeke is a Houston-based International Business Consultant with over 15 years of industry experience, connecting businesses, mentoring startups, and brokering mutually beneficial relationships among organizations at private and government levels. She graduated from the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria with a B.Sc. in Geography, and M.Sc. in Geographical and Information Systems (GIS). She later proceeded to the United Kingdom to obtain another M.Sc. in Project Management from Queen Mary University of London. In 2018, she bagged a doctorate degree from Walden University, Minnesota, USA, where she specialized in Entrepreneurship and Organizational Leadership. Yinka is PRINCE2 Certified and has been privileged to attend several local and international training & workshops. Dr. Yinka is the Managing Director of Smart Gas, a Nigeria-based company established to leverage technologies to solve challenges faced by consumers when purchasing cooking gas. Smart Gas is the only technology-driven, app-based platform in the market designed from the ground up for clients to experience a more convenient way to purchase cooking gas, increase transaction efficiency, and optimize user experience. Dr. Yinka is the Founder & CEO of Trade Expo Africa (TEXA), a U.S.-registered, Houston-based company focused on promoting bilateral trade relations, investment opportunities, educational advancements, international collaborations and information exchange between businesses in the U.S. & Africa. With her commendably strong business networks with SME-focused, public and private organizations in Nigeria, she has succeeded in helping businesses penetrate international markets. She achieves this through exhibitions, study trips, B2B Meetings & trade missions. She has received Certificates of Recognition from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, State Representative Shawn Thierry and Mayor of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner for her tremendous efforts at promoting trade and investment in Houston. Dr. Yinka is also a Managing Partner at TEXA Property Group, a U.S.-registered, Houston-based company focused on empowering individuals through real estate investments in Texas. A result- oriented Realtor with proven sales & marketing experience, Dr. Yinka’s business ethics is centered around a “win-win or no deal.” Presently, she holds an executive board position at the Texas West Africa Chamber of Commerce (TWACC) as their Treasurer, Head of Strategy & Corporate Governance. Together with her team, they promote trade alliances between businesses in Texas and West Africa. Since the inception of TWACC in 2019, Dr. Yinka and her team have hosted the President of Guinea, 3 Ambassadors, and visited over seven African Ambassadors in Washington D.C and Houston. She is also the co-founder of Raph & Rosa, the not-for-profit arm of Smart Gas. Their vision is to enhance the quality of life of vulnerable and older adults in Nigeria. They do this by providing individualized care via their adult diapers and bedmats drive. They also cater to their overall physical, mental, and social wellbeing, in an environment that is safe and promotes social interactions among the elderly. Her professional strengths are Innovation & Strategic Thinking, Strategy Formulation & Implementation, Management & Leadership, Brand Management, Sales & Marketing, Project Management, Business Process Improvement, Team Building, Coaching & Motivation.
If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going - Winston Churchill
In this INNW podcast interview, meet Damien, a fearless business leader who shares with us his entrepreneurial journey and how to build perseverance and remain optimistic during business hardship.
In this conversation, we covered: 1. How to deal with setbacks and failure
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How to crave a path to live a life worth living
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How to avoid deadly mistakes when scaling a business from 0 to 1 to 500 team size.
Here is a brief bio about Damian: Damian is the Chief Commercial Officer at Founders Factory, building and investing in early-stage tech businesses backed by the world's largest corporates. In 2008 Damian founded Adglow, one of the first social advertising platforms, which was acquired in 2016 and grew to 350 people across 17 markets under his leadership. Since then, he has worked as NED, board advisor and consultant to high growth businesses in the creative industries, as well as developing and launching the CBD brand, GoodRemedy.co and production company, Otherly Entertainment.
https://foundersfactory.com/
''When someone told me no, I said watch me.'' - Linda Ginac
In this INNW Interview, meet Linda, a fearless and passionate technology leader, CEO, and chairwoman of TalentGuard. She always believes in human potential, and everyone deserves to be in a role where they’re appreciated, respected, while shining their own lights and unique talents to make an impact within their role.
In this episode, we discussed:
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How to be fearless and turn down the dial in your head
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How to build real confidence and not let other's biases get in your way
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How to pivot in the midst of challenges and darkness
Here is a brief bio about Linda: Throughout her career in talent management, CEO Linda Ginac has always believed that everyone deserves to be in a role where they’re appreciated, respected, and able to make the most of their passion and talents. She founded TalentGuard in 2009 on the back of that belief while seeing the potential for technology to enhance the way companies and employees develop and utilize their skills. Since then, TalentGuard has helped clients in every industry—from banking to biotech—uncover and foster the talent that lies within their organizations. Seeing them transform from the inside out to create happier employees, lower turnover rates and stronger bottom lines is the reward that will keep TalentGuard going for years to come.
https://www.talentguard.com/
You never lose - You learn or you win. - Gavin Gallas
In this @INNW episode, meet Gavin, the ultimate innovator. Gavin is passionate about leveraging technology to create business and solve problems.
In this special heartfelt interview, we discussed:
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How to grow your side hustle while you have a day job
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Why everyone should attend a startup Hackathon and the impact of a successful elevator pitch.
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How to validate your startup ideas and test product/market fits
Here is a brief bio about Gavin:
Focused on helping innovators make progress. Experienced tech CEO with a demonstrated commercialization of IP-driven projects. Digital transformation focused on interests in behavioral science, blockchain, and machine learning. Live in the future, then build what's missing. -- Paul Graham Gavin is the CEO of YGC. Head of enterprise software venture studio. Leading transformative product development and new ventures. They discover new industry opportunities, launch startups to address their software needs, and partner with enterprise leaders to bring new products to market. https://www.ygcdata.com/#hero
Lisa, is a lifelong learner as well as a teacher, who is passionate about empowering our next generation. After decades in the classroom, Lisa decided to pivot, and step into the kitchen, to create an incredible CPG brand the other mother. A vinegar drink company, that offers an incredible taste as well as all the wonderful health benefits you need in one small bottle…
https://www.othermothervinegar.com/
''You don't really understand it until you do it'' - Deepak
In this interview, Deepak share with us:
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How to increase your self-awareness and know oneself
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How to best carve a career path for yourself
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How the role of gratitude play in his life and contribute to his success
More fun facts about Deepak:
🚀Founder of gotFollowup.com - stop lighting your marketing dollars on fire.
📈Teaching Biz Operators to become OWNERS
🦄 Investor/Advisor, Father of 2 beautiful kiddos, Husband to my incredible wife for 17+ years and I’m a consummate Entrepreneur and Innovator.
⚡️12 startups over 25 years
🦄 Speaker/Mentor on Uncovering Revenue - go from 🙈 to 👀 to 💰
🤓Expert in Automating Sales💰 & Marketing📣 Follow-up
🧭I love ❤️ mapping the business process, it’s weird, I know!
🙏🏼Tony Robbins Platinum Partner 🗣Speaker on Sales Training, Marketing, Business Process, Holistic Health, and Children’s Education
🧐Fun fact: I’ve spent over $250,000💵 on personal development📈 and now I’m on a mission to bring this technology and language to kids. What if...we made the work by Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Dale Carnegie and Sean Callagy STANDARD education for kids?
🙋🏽♂ Born in Philadelphia ||📍 Living Austin, TX for 27+ years || 🦅Lifelong Eagles fan: E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!
Natural born sports enthusiast and serial entrepreneur, Michael started his first business in Hockey in school. Six business later, Michael is CEO of SwiftRide, with a mission to building commute solutions for every need, while keeping sustainability at their core.
https://swiftride.co/index.html
2013 Bootstrap Awards - Guerilla Marketing | Mobilithink
'Don't be afraid for it is me who is knocking on the door' - Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers)
In this episode,
We discussed:
-How to move forward in presence of fear & failure
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Her big 'why' to start Zane Venture Fund
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How to be successful entrepreneurs
See Shila's Bio here:
Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers) an instigator and a catalyst who instigates critical changes in the capital universe and speeds it up with my drive, focus, connections, and mentoring.
Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers) was compelled to create Zane Venture Fund because I’m committed to providing the platform that supports underrepresented founders in their quest to create thriving sustainable businesses that provide generational wealth opportunities for their families and their communities.
Her mission to champion underrepresented founders rests on the foundations I’ve built throughout my career. It’s a career that includes everything from leading organizations that foment change, including the Black Women’s Health Initiative, to working with inner-city schools in the public education sector and their students to make sure those students had access to the programs and materials (including food and clothing) to be successful at school.
This experience participating in and leading organizations that champion the human rights of people of color has given her an unequaled view into what it is to be overlooked. It has also accorded me a unique understanding of the importance of investing in human capital. All of this underlies my absolute determination to deliver solutions that address those disparities.
To that end, in addition to Zane Venture Fund, she created Zane Access, the programmatic vehicle that delivers the access underrepresented founders need to build sustainable businesses and generational wealth. This includes access to peers, business experts, mentors, and investors,
She has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Ventures, completed entrepreneurial programs at the University of California, Berkeley, speaking to women and student entrepreneurs at Cornell, MIT, and Georgia Tech.
From $1M Capital Raised 'Pheramor Lady' to Successful VC - Brittany's Path of How to Rise to the Occasion and Stay True to Her Path of Making an Impact in Women's Health
Interview with Brittany Barreto, Serial Entrepreneur & Venture Capitalist
Dr. Brittany Barreto is the Co-Founder, Executive Director, and Podcast Host of FemTech Focus. While finishing her PhD in genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany became the CEO and Co-Founder of the revolutionary dating app Pheramor. The ambitious venture was the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked on a new path into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory, She was tasked with launching the fund's Houston branch. Under her leadership, the Houston accelerator portfolio grew by an impressive 205% and she led due diligence on several successful investments.
Brittany now has her sights on advancing the women’s health and wellness community through her latest world-changing venture - FemTech Focus. She is the host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has over 100 episodes, 30K downloads, and subscribers in 100 countries. FemTech Focus has assisted hundreds of femtech founders to build, launch, and succeed through their events, resources, and market research reports. Additionally, Brittany is the founding partner and emerging fund manager at Coyote Ventures, an early-stage femtech investment firm.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
https://www.coyote.ventures/
https://femtechfocus.org/
Is this true that 98% of startups are not fundable? In this episode, David shares with us his American dream, his journey from being an engineering, transition into a serial entrepreneur, and eventually turn into a successful VC. We discussed:
How to lead the business and make the right decision during challenges? What makes a successful entrepreneur & VC? What is the future for healthcare tech? How to successfully raise money?
David is a pioneer and passionate leader of the venture capital ecosystem in Silicon Valley and built the F50 ecosystem system, where he drove the selection of 500 startups to the F50 platform, and lead the investment into 30 of them, including Knightsope (IPO 2021), Doc.AI (Sold at 20X), Plastic, Flirtey, Oculii, Seven.ai, Zeitro, Voke VR (Sold to Intel), Invi (Sold to Google), David has intensive experience in healthtech, deeptech.
David founded Silicon Valley’s largest grassroots entrepreneur community SVE, where he hosted SVE Talk and SVE Demo. He is the producer of F50 Global Capital Summit, and F50 Global Insights youtube channel. He is also serving or served as an advisor for DocuSign, Ehouse Capital, Peakview Fund of Fund. David Cao was the Founder & CEO of GWC US (Sold to holding company); the founding president of the Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Toastmaster Club; founder and CEO of ExtendLogic (Acquired by BeyondSoft). Prior, he was the VP of Engineering at PlayPhone (Acquired by Gungho), a leading mobile entertainment in USA, and Engineering lead for LightSurf, acquired by VeriSign for 274M USD.
In this episode INNW we are so grateful to have a conversation with Bobby Tang from Mana, to share his story of how he turns early failures and rejections into ultimate success. In this episode, you will learn: - How to get over rejection and failures while staying true to who you are - How to be intentional about the impact you are creating in this world - How to carve your own path into the entrepreneurial world Engineer by training, commercial and product leader by passion, Bobby's international experience spans Silicon Valley, Europe, Australia, India, and China.
His career highlights include working on trillion-dollar tech innovations and e-commerce platforms, building groundbreaking AI products that leverage computer vision and NLP, and founding companies that enrich human interactions and enable economic empowerment.
Bobby is a multi-hyphenate - outside of his "normal" job, he is a performer featured in commercials such as Dove for Men and Chelsea Football Club, and previously sang on-stage with Taylor Swift.
one of the most sought after minds in strategic communications, Rakia Reynolds is a thought leader, taste maker and branding expert who advises name brands on creative strategy. Her guiding principles as an intriguing storyteller focus on distilling equity in messaging, and her ability to navigate the ever-increasing complex cultural and social media landscapes are only some of the reasons Rakia has successfully created her own distinct brand of authenticity and expertise for over 15 years. Rakia serves as Founder and Executive Officer of Skai Blue Media (SBM), a non-traditional communications agency that proudly hosts an eclectic group of storytellers, brand experts, and strategists. Rakia continues to be a key influencer in the creative business industry as she works with her team to launch, brand, re-brand, and revitalize lifestyle, technology, non-profit and entrepreneurial clients. This list includes Airbnb, Comcast, Dell, Serena Williams, Morgan Stanley, Jill Scott, and more. Recently Rakia has added #FanofYourBrand (tactical business tools) and clothing brand EVRYDAY Jane to her growing business portfolio.
As a thought leader and proven authority in marketing, creative strategy and business development Rakia regularly contributes her expertise to the pages of Forbes, Inc.com, HuffPost, Fast Company, and more. Onstage, she captivates audiences across many industries as her talks span branding, media, multicultural business, economic development, and the entrepreneurial journey, all of which are more than relevant to the recent challenging and changing times. Rakia is recognized for her innovative approach and commitment to authenticity and has spoken at TEDx, SXSW, Inbound, and others. More than a keynote speaker, Rakia is often called upon to moderate panel discussions due her in-depth knowledge of a wide range of topics affecting the business community.
James Lo is Co-Founder and CEO at Mana, a platform for everyone to share their passion with 1:1 sessions, live classes, and subscription content. Mana closed a £1.5M pre-seed round in Jan 2021. Prior to entrepreneurship, James was at SoftBank Vision Fund, where he worked on strategic transformations at WeWork and Arm, and led Social Impact initiatives such as SoftBank’s COVID-19 response and UNICEF/ITU GIGA, an initiative funded by Elon Musk and endorsed by the UN Secretary General to connect every school to the internet.
He was previously a McKinsey consultant, where he was also Head of UK Business Development at Generation, a youth employment charity. He graduated from LSE with First Class Honours in Government as Sir Edward Youde Memorial Scholar in 2016, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2019.
Kerry Rupp is General Partner at True Wealth Ventures, an early-stage VC fund investing in women-led businesses that are improving human and/or environmental health. She teaches for the NSF I-Corps program, mentors startups, and consults on innovation and strategy. Kerry was previously CEO at DreamIt, a Top Ten US startup accelerator and VC fund. She founded Holiday Golightly, a group travel service for women. Kerry holds an MBA from HBS and a BA from Duke.
Venture investor in World Positive Startups | 3x founder | Kitesurfer | Supporting minority founders Flight Ventures is the largest group of online investors in the world. Using AngelList's platform, we source deals for a group of 3500+ investors and 30+ syndicates. The majority of Flight's partners live in San Francisco and NYC. I launched our international office out of London and ran that 2015-2017. Having recently moved back to the USA during COVID 2020, Nancy rejoined the partnership. She is leading Flight's early-stage, positive impact deals - Seed and Series A (US-based) companies, which are addressing the world's most pressing problems.
Khulan is a Mongolian social-entrepreneur, public speaker and mentor who has founded her company Natural Essentials LLC in 2014. She started Mongolia’s first ever organic skincare brand LHAMOUR with the vision to be a leading role model. A lot of the focus in the last decades was on political reforms and natural resource exploitation. Khulan wants to change this image as she sees that she can use traditional ways to be incorporated into modern forms, which can be accepted globally. As Mongolia’s first organic skincare entrepreneur she is trying to pave the way for everyone else in Mongolia to try and overturn conventions and to contribute to positive social change and economic growth in Mongolia and even Asia. She is the founder of the “Finding your passion” program that provides teenagers with the skills and mindset to find their inner passion and get prepared for the international world.
She holds a MSc in Public Policy from Hertie School of Governance, Berlin (2011) and from Columbia University, New York (2012). She was the recipient of the Julius Brocker Scholarship and is the UN ambassador for Womenseday in Mongolia. She was awarded as Asia-Pacific’s best entrepreneur of 2016.
Yoon is a social entrepreneur and CEO at Pop. Pop is a relationship platform where students can make friends in college. It is meant for deep and meaningful relationship building. We are solving the problem of social media and feelings of emptiness among the generation. We dream of a world where we can love an authentic self and others, where we can build strong and genuine relationships wherever we go.
Yoon completed two years of military service, participated in a Korean TV talk show, and created a Non-profit Culinary Organization. Yoon received a business education from The University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business.
Dena is a speaker, impact strategist, and consultant for private family offices. She is involved in business development for high net worth individuals, and partners of the royal family in the UAE. Dena serves as the bridge for multinational companies in the USA, as well as the MENA region. Dena also focuses on impact investing, she believes in the power of human capital.
Dena works with partners to facilitate lines of communication with business leaders while assisting them in building valuable relationships in the market. Dena consults influential figures in the entertainment space upon entering the UAE, evaluating opportunities that will expand their brand’s reach.
Dena founded Style & Resilience, a marketing & consulting company, providing lines of communication for high profile clients (UHNWI) & business deals in the UAE & US market. We provide PR/ Marketing services for brands, high-profile individuals, non-profits and family offices.
Style & Resilience connects qualified investors with companies and/ or high net worth individuals in order to allocate capital, as well as forge high-profile relationships.
David is a seasoned executive and board director building teams, business units, and companies. David has been a technology executive, and an entrepreneur/operator for more than 40 years launching companies, raising equity & debt capital, and achieving successful exits. He has served as the CEO, COO, CFO or CIO for 5 startups he launched since 1999. For the last two decades, he has been an Angel investor and an LP in three Venture Funds. David has served on 17 for-profit and non-profit boards over the last 30 years. He has extensive knowledge and experience in Technology, Healthcare, Financial Services, Fintech, Manufacturing, Energy, Technology, and Outsourcing Industries.
''Success is the function of happiness'' - Joe.
I am truly inspired by Joe's story, and his perspective of how he is making the world a better place, one day at a time.
In this interview, we discussed:
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Old America vs new America - his worldly view to see the world
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How to do more together and his secret of being happy
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How to overcome hard times and be successful being a first-time entrepreneur
Joe Merrill is a General Partner at Sputnik ATX, investing in companies that seek to improve the world by providing opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential. Sputnik ATX provides seed stage through series B funding and operates an accelerator program in Austin, TX. Prior to Sputnik, Joe was the founder of Pan Am Education, the first blended-online learning system; was a senior director at Apollo Global, a Carlyle Group $1bn joint venture fund with Apollo; and started his professional career as a U.S. diplomat as a Career Member of the U.S. Foreign Service, posted to Washington DC; Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Abuja, Nigeria; and Seoul, South Korea. He is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, and earned his M.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Chicago. Josef volunteers as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Legacy Traditional Schools TX, as a Trustee at the University of Potomac, and as a founding board member of Emma’s Choice and the STEM Academy. His blog about the intersection of economics, entrepreneurship, and international politics can be found at www.econtrepreneur.com or find him on Twitter @Austin_VC.
''The cemetery is the world's most expensive real state, underneath where burry countless dreams and aspirations, whether it is a music album, inventions, and business that never get started. - Dan Janjigian'
In this INNW interview, Dan Janjigian shares his journey about how he accomplishes all the greatness in his life, from athlete, actor, author, entrepreneur, coach and so many more.
Dan's favorite saying - 'It is all about good time' truly inspires me. 'If I would not try this, would I be ok with that?'
In this episode, we discussed:
-How to leverage Warren Edward Buffett exercise to prioritize and maximize your time
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How to overcome fear and sell anything?
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What does Dan learn through competing in the Olympics?
#entrepreneur #entrepreneur #podcast #interview #leadership #music #successtory #overcomechallenges #selfmastery #serialentrepreneur
Currently, a professional coach/trainer, as well as the owner of Gridiron Financial, with offices in Washington, Arizona, and Texas. Dan is also involved outside of traditional markets, co-authoring a book with Jack Canfield (The Soul Of Success (v2)), acting in Hollywood with cult hits at "The Room," and even being portrayed on the big screen with the 2018 Golden Globe-winning film, The Disaster Artist, where he was played by Zac Efron. Dan was also the founder and CEO of SpeedMenu, Inc, a technology company that allows users to order food, drinks, and merchandise from their phones directly onto their tabs. As one of the owners of the popular Hollywood restaurant, Geisha House, which was featured on popular television shows such as MTV’s Punk’d, and HBO’s, Entourage, Dan is probably best known for competing 9 years internationally in bobsledding, taking a Silver Medal in the '05 America's Cup, and as an athlete in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. He's also been involved in several other big and small screen roles including two reality shows, and mainstream films including Seabiscuit and The Longest Yard. He's hosted for Home Shopping Network and QVC, and in 2013 featured on Wheel of Fortune.
Kendall Cherry is the founder and creative director of The Candid Collective, an online and in-person community for entrepreneurs to come as they are, regardless of gender, age, race, revenue, or years in business. The company's mission is to create a world that’s more candid and kind. She also produces The Candid Kendall Podcast each week.
https://candidcollective.co/
David, a Navy Gulf-War Veteran, is a seasoned technologist with more than 24 years of experience. He has participated in two IPOs (Rackspace and SolarWinds) and delivered more than 10 applications to market on the Salesforce AppExchange. Over the last decade, Franklin has focused on cloud computing and machine learning for health care applications. He has studied at Moody Bible, Penn State, and MIT.
He is the founder of knowRX, Inc., as a top nationally ranked Start-up that focuses on empowering patients through medication adherence and clinical research engagement opportunities.
As founder and managing director, Jim Denholm created IronBridge to assist clients on their paths to success. Every aspect of IronBridge was developed with a client-first mindset, including financial planning, portfolio management, risk mitigation, customer service and innovative fee structures. Jim has earned numerous awards for helping clients pursue their financial goals. Prior to founding IronBridge, Jim was a Senior Vice President with Wells Fargo Wealth Management, where he managed customized portfolios for high net worth clients. His knowledge and diligence earned him recognition as a Wells Fargo Premier Advisor for each of the past 10 years and a nomination as a Barron’s Top 1000 Advisor. Before joining Wells Fargo Advisors in 2005, Jim was Senior Vice President at JPMorganChase as a Wealth Advisor. He began his career as a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Jim has been trading stocks since 1997, and has been advising clients on investment strategies since 2001. Jim brings a unique and distinguishing educational background to his client relationships. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, providing a strong analytical basis for investment management and planning. In addition to his engineering degree, Jim is furthering his education in portfolio management by pursuing advanced certifications in globally recognized, graduate level programs that provides a strong foundation of investment analysis and portfolio management skills. These designations emphasize the highest ethical and professional standards. Jim’s commitment to service also carries over to his involvement with the local Austin community. He currently serves on the board of the Austin Symphony and the Dell Medical Children’s Trust. He has previously served on the boards of the United Way Financial Stability Council and the Downtown Austin YMCA. The Amarillo native and his wife, Melanie, live in Westlake with their two sons, Mac and Patrick, and two very large Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs. They enjoy what Austin has to offer, including live music, spending time on Lake Austin, and trying new restaurants. Away from the office, Jim is an avid golfer and enjoys Texas Longhorns sports. https://www.ironbridge360.com/
'I always want to be the best player, I never want to lose.' - Minh Tran
In this INNW interview, Minh Tran shares his entrepreneurial journey: from the moment when he knew his calling at such a young age, to strive to make an impact via a successful business.
In this podcast, we discussed:
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What is his biggest failure and how to overcome it
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How to overcome insecurity & hesitation in life and business
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What is Minh Tran's American Dream
Minh Tran’s family moved from Vietnam to the US after the Vietnam War. As the youngest of 8, Minh was born and raised in Michigan. As an entrepreneur, Minh has combined his passion for sports and his entrepreneurial spirit and created a rapidly-growing international business called Executive Fan. Executive Fan is an innovative, manufacturing, marketing, and distributing company focused on bringing fans unique products that connect them with their favorite sports teams. The first product on the market is a special type of office, packaging, and duct tape with college logos called Fan Tape. The idea was developed in 2009 by Minh and a few of his friends—all avid sports fans—and they began in a basement, testing samples and working on licensing and market analysis. Their first customer was Meijer, and they have since expanded to major colleagues across the US, as well as pharmacies such as Walgreens. Minh’s advice to young entrepreneurs is to stick with your vision and don’t get off the path. “I started at one of the worst times for businesses and I survived,” said Tran. “If you believe in it, do it.” Minh soon launched Executive Fan into a successful global business and sold it in 2016. Currently, Mihn is the Board President of Leander HS Golf Booster Club and a member of the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce. He lives in Texas with his wife and his beautiful family.
www.ifnotnowwen.com
A philanthropist, world traveler, a devoted family man, a loving husband, and a proud father, living in gratitude, with the intention of making each day count. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, Raf came to US at the age of 14 years. Being an ambitious and independent young man, he took up small jobs to pay for his education, learn the American Life and not be a financial responsibility on his father anymore. Upon graduation, he immediately landed a handsome job at a IT firm, as head of sales, for the Southwest region, selling Computer hardware and peripherals. By then his parents and sister had moved here as well and father and son started their first Company, Meher Trading Corporation. Being a fashionable and creative person himself, with a forte at sales, Getting into the Health and Beauty Industry was inevitable, and soon one storefront in the Asian trade district in Dallas, TX grew to 19 locations all over the United States. Perfumes of the World (Scents, INC) opened its doors in 1997, as a wholesale Distribution Center for Branded Health and Beauty products, and haven’t looked back since then. March 2000, is when the next phase of his life began, Rafiq married Sonita. With his parents blessings and family tradition, they had an Arranged marriage. Sonita, herself came from a family business background and an Education in Business. Together they became a power couple, growing their empire with innovation, and hard work. Rafiq's wife, Sonita, is his best friend, confidant, and business partner, and together they have 2 Beautiful daughters, Kimaya and Kiaana, who they are raising with the same values that they were raised with. Besides being actively involved in the Day to day administration and being the lead buyer at Scents, Inc, he expanded his business into the lucrative fields of Manufacturing of Private Label Fragrances, Real Estate and Chain Restaurants. In addition, Raf has served as the Director of The Asian American Chamber of Commerce in Texas & as Administrative Director at One World Bank in Texas, as well as a frontline volunteer of his Religious community, The Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, led His Highness Karim Aga khan.
Lin Chen is a second-generation Asian American and was raised in Southern California, schooled in Texas and Taiwan, and is now pursuing her passions in NYC. She has a passion for building brands – particularly those that share her values in wellness, sustainability, and ethos. As a marketing communication professional with an emphasis on consumer lifestyle and beauty industries, she has worked for companies in various industries, ranging from startup to international public brand and B2B tech to beauty.
Her experience and passion for holistic living ultimately led her to create Pink Moon, an NYC-based consultancy, a boutique consultancy and a newly launched WellCare e-commerce that features female-founded eco-beauty/lifestyle brands. Pink Moon aims to uplift and radically transform the eco-beauty industry.
In less than 3 years, she has helped nearly 20 different female-founded brands bloom in various dimensions of their journey. She has intentionally built a business that works solely with female-founded brands that value sustainability, philanthropy, and holistic wellness because she believes that these values are key to creating a more conscious and empowering beauty space.
Every aspect of Pink Moon has been carefully crafted with intention. Lin has built Pink Moon leveraging deep industry experience – including her internship at 100% Pure (one of the first companies to bring plant-based beauty to the masses), her role as Customer Guide / Social Media Manager at natural skincare retailer Ayla Beauty as well as her Marketing & Sales Director role at luxury organic skincare brand Bottega Organica. Lin’s passion for eco-beauty and wellness is long-standing in both her personal and professional lives. Because of this, she has completely immersed herself in every dimension of the eco wellness space possible, making her knowledge invaluable and vision unparalleled.
https://pinkmoon.co/
Marc Siegel is a man with a vision. That vision is to help peoples’ lives improve through health, fitness, and well-being. Originally from Staten Island, New York, Siegel spent the first years of his career with a well-known bank in the city, where he had a $22-million-dollar book which he brought up to over a $100 million. In the process of being a High-flying city slicker, he gained at least 50 pounds in weight. Siegel knew things had to drastically change during a visit to a gym that left him lying on the floor, panting for breath and covered in sweat. He left the banking job, his wife left her job in advertising, and they then headed to South Florida to start a new life. Following the move, Siegel got into serious shape and felt better than he ever had. He made a decision that he would help people improve their bodies by training and educating himself to become a personal trainer. Starting at the bottom of the ranks at a gym, he soon became area manager. However, this was not enough and he knew he needed to go solo. He started his company, Quantum Performance Training. After seven licenses through the National Association of Sports Medicine and working with all types of clients from people wanting to get fit, to professional athletes wanting to up their game, Siegel knew he wanted to help even further. He started to look into the concept of CBD. Today, Marc is the owner at Quantum Performance CBD. https://www.quantum-pt.com/
CS Freeland is a serial entrepreneur and recently has started two pandemic companies. She is co-founder of ATX KIT, a snack company that has supported over 50 Austin entrepreneurs. She also launched Founder House Austin, Austin’s first luxury co-living concept for entrepreneurs. She's also been part of several angel networks, early-stage venture, and informal investment clubs including Southwest Angel Network, Shaper Impact Capital, Austin Women in VC, and Next Wave Impact. Previously she spent seven years as an entrepreneur-in-residence and Managing Director at Powershift Group, a tech venture studio in downtown Austin that founds, funds, and grows early-stage companies. Christa is also a multi-award-winning political operative and worked on Austin Mayor Steve Adler, and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price successful re-election teams, specifically for her creation and execution of a new digital strategy. www.csfreeland.com
Founder, entrepreneur and strategic operational leader. As a strategic leader and brand creator, Davina is passionate about challenging the norm and making a difference with every company she has worked with. With Element Apothec, Davina brings to the table vast experience in team building, business strategy, and operational management and a mission to create good in the world.
Davina is the CEO & Co-Founder of ELĒMENT APOTHĒC. Element Apothec is the trustworthy brand-conscious consumers are demanding. They have created clean, safe, and effective products with medical oversight and are committed to complete transparency. They look to disrupt and change, for the better, an industry that has abandoned responsibility for their consumers' wellbeing and health.
She is driven by a desire to truly make a difference both professionally and personally.
https://elementapothec.com/
Julia is a recovering perfectionist, leadership and career coach, corporate trainer, and keynotes speaker with a mission to enhance human connection and fulfillment at work and in life. Using positive psychology and her blueprint The Authenticity Guide, she provides critical confidence and “soft-skills” training to individuals, corporations, and university teams. As a graduate of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, she deeply understands and focuses on the 3 C’s of culture: connection, communication, and collaboration. She is a contributor to Forbes and has been featured in Business Insider. Some of my clients include Marriott, Lenovo, Cisco, Women Business Owners Network, Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and more.
http://www.theauthenticityguide.com/book/
' You can't understand money isn't everything until you have it. ' - Yuen Yung
In this INNW episode, Yuen Yung shares how he created multiple businesses while delivering significance and impact.
I am inspired by his approach to life... with intentionality and immense focus on what truly matters - family and relationship.
Grab your copy of Yuen Yung's book
In this special heartfelt interview, we discussed:
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How to make the tough decision
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How to create wealth and successful business
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When is the best time to exit the business
As CEO of Casoro Group, Yuen is responsible for the overall management of operations including business development and investor relations. Prior to joining Casoro Group, Yuen was the founder and CEO of the franchisor How Do You Roll? a fast-casual sushi restaurant. In 2013, he appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and received the highest investment offer in the history of the show from investor Kevin O’Leary. Yuen previously spent 13 years in the investment management and advisory industry a Managing Partner of Kenty, Yung, Ozias & Associates, where he oversaw advisors and was responsible for the capital raise and management of more than $300 million in funds raised from high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, and charitable organizations. In his earlier years, he developed 27 commercial retail sites as an entrepreneur.
http://theblindgrind.com/ https://casorogroup.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Business-Model.../dp/B08H6QD18L
Misty Perry is a soulpreneur and multi-million dollar real estate pro. She left a toxic marriage with three kids and systematically built a new life Within her first year of real estate, she won her first million-dollar producer award. As a struggling single mom, she put the "sing" in single mom embarrassing it as an adventure. Her entrepreneur journey began after hearing The Secret in 2015. From bartender to entrepreneurship she is now the CEO of the nashvillemisty brand, misty kae coaching, momager to her two teen sons, podcaster, author, investor, talent manager, side hustle queen, and real estate affiliate broker in the Nashville area. Misty has also been a correspondent on TMZ, and has three brand partnerships due to her savvy social media presence. background in modeling/acting finalist Miss Tennessee, runway and printfrom runway to toxic marriage and back again
https://followyouraliveness.vipmembervault.com/products/courses/view/1039439
https://www.facebook.com/groups/596989954116737
My name is Johnny and I'm a huge fan of investing! In the past few years, I've found a deep passion and love for sharing my experiences in investing and small business.
I have decades of industry experience in technology, TV & film, nonprofits, marketing, and food & beverage. As a small business mentor, I've been able to add value to dozens of businesses and as an investment coach, I'm putting all my energy into adding value to the lives of everyday people who are looking to create long-term, low-risk passive income.
http://investmentbootcamp101.com/about/
instagram.com/waltzinthestreet
Amber Ybarra is a business owner of 6 years and runs a construction company in San Antonio, TX. She is also certified in the science of psychology and has merged those two trades together to give women the tools to build their best lifestyle and business through her coaching program. She is the podcast host of The Positive Platform, Author of Thriving into Thirty, and cheerleader of all women working to create their best lives yet!
https://open.spotify.com/show/3PTih2g8cd5Z8St00J3oXh?si=-OvOqX89QWO-x9nXb4CRKg
Www.amberybarra.com
Sandy Wong, owner of Rugs by Roo, has an ambitious mission to end child labor in her lifetime. Her passion and dedication to this cause started when she watched the film “The Price of Free” with her daughter who was 4 years old at the time. She saw children about the same age as her daughter being forced to work in factories making rugs day in and day out, without being able to go home and see their families. She decided to join forces with an organization called GoodWeave International and truly bring this cause to light through her company and her initiatives.
But Sandy’s purpose and the mission were not always this clear and it took a few pivots along the way. Sandy worked the corporate ladder in her former career as an accountant. She started and ended several businesses including her wedding photography business, Sandy Tam Photography, of six years and her stationery business, Pulp Function, of three years. Along the way, she’s become a mom, fought mom-guilt like most mompreneurs, hit rock bottom financially, and made some costly mistakes where she learned and thrived from.
Today, her wish is to not only bring to light the child labor issues that surround the rug industry, her ultimate wish is to inspire those around her to live a purpose-driven life that serves others.
To learn more about how you can shop smarter as a consumer and support anti-child labor initiatives, visit GoodWeave International (https://goodweave.org/)
If you’d like to connect with Sandy, you can find her at https://rugsbyroo.com
The film that she highly recommends everyone to watch is called “The Price of Free” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsqKz1hd_CY)
Lumi Ispas is a real estate investor, broker, and national speaker. She has been engaged in real estate since 2001 when she started selling and investing in Real Estate. As the 2008 crises hit she lots all her real estate portfolio & everything she had along with a lot of people all over the USA and in the World. What was a huge personal loss, it becomes her strength as she learned from what the 2008 winners did differently. By 2011 she's turned around her business and started investing again using these new strategies for her own portfolio and her client's portfolio.
The Chicago Association of Realtors recognized her results by naming her in the top 1% of Chicago Brokers based on her number of sales in the city. She started teaching seminars with the winning strategies she's learned to help both the uninitiated and people in the real estate industry invest with a very simple strategy she employed to achieve Financial Freedom and become multi-millionaires as a side business for themselves.
Her clients and students range from beginners to Fortune 500 owners.
Her free seminar, "Wealth Building & Financial Freedom through buying Real Estate with low down-payments", was the topic she was invited to speak about at both the last NAR and Century 21 franchise annual conventions, where she was invited to teach real estate brokers how to invest for themself and learn to teach their own clients Lumi's strategies.
At present, in addition to investing in & selling real estate she is coaching brokers & real estate investors on what steps to take now to thrive in this COVID challenging environment using her experience from the 2008 housing crash. You can find more about Lumi and sign up for her seminars at www.luminita.ispas.com
Paz Avivi is the definition of a serial entrepreneur. Coming from a very tough past full of obstacles, he overcame the challenges with never give up spirit, and eventually found his way to live life to the fullest by combing happiness and wealth. He owned over 20 businesses before the age of 30 and started a global real estate inventing group by the age of 32. Now he is a full-time Elite mindset coach that helps entrepreneurs and leaders across the world make a massive impact on the world.
You can find Paz @ https://rebrand.ly/Paz_YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLSS8MFT4MxDy1sSE1vlDiA
facebook.com/groups/OfficialGoldMind
http://m.me/ItsPazAvivi
Aaron Hines is the co-founder of Darbe, a social network for philanthropy. He is also an alumni of the Founder's Institute, the world's largest pre-seed startup accelerator. After graduating from Texas State University with a degree in Economics he joined gener8tor to help grow their gBETA startup accelerator in Houston, TX. Gener8tor is a top tier gold-ranked accelerator and VC firm based in the Midwestern US.
You can reach out Aaron @aaron@darbe.co; Volunteer. Donate. Fundraise. www.darbe.co
Prior to founding AngelouEconomics, AE’s Principal Executive Officer, Angelos Angelou, spent nearly 12 years with the Austin Chamber of Commerce as Vice President of Economic Development and Chief Economist and brings a practitioner’s approach to AE’s Economic Development Consulting Practice. During his time at the chamber, Angelos handled the recruitment of 800 technology companies and some 70,000 employees, including IBM, Apple, Samsung, Motorola, AMD, Cypress Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Sematech.
He is a founding member of the Site Selector’s Guild, an association of the world's foremost professional site selection consultants. Angelos has sited over $18 billion in capital investment projects, from high tech to health care to governmental clients around the world. His record of achievements includes the attraction of $26 billion in capital investments and the creation of over 285,000 direct and indirect jobs.
A highly visible leader in the field of economic development, Angelos is widely regarded as an expert on technology-based economic development, public policy, investment attraction, marketing and entrepreneurship. The national and international media regularly seek his comments and insights in the technology sector and on economic development issues. He is also widely regarded as the chief architect in the establishment of Austin as a nationally recognized high-tech center. Angelos is also the Founder and Chairman of the Board of the International Accelerator in Austin, Texas, which is focused exclusively on foreign born entrepreneurs and launching their technology startup businesses in the US. Angelos is an angel investor in half a dozen startups in Texas.
Angelos recently received a Proclamation from the Texas Governor and the Mayor of Austin in recognition for his 30-year leadership and contribution to economic development in the State of Texas and Austin. Mr. Angelou is the Governor’s appointee to The CPRIT Oversight Committee (Texas Governor Appointee), a $3 billion Texas Grant Program specializing in Cancer Prevention, Research and Commercialization. He is a Fellow at the IC2, an international think tank on venture capital and entrepreneurship. Current Board appointments include Advisory Board of The College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin (largest college at UT). Angelos is also President of Schoox.com, and President of Gridmates, member companies of the International Accelerator. Past appointments include board and advisory posts at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the Social Sciences Department at St. Edwards University and the World Information Technology Conference. Angelos was awarded the US Economic Development of the Year award by Site Selection Magazine.
As CEO of Casoro Group, Yuen is responsible for the overall management of operations including business development and investor relations. A true savant in his field, Yuen brings a wealth of experience across a broad range of disciplines, among them: finance, investment management, capital raising, wealth planning, venture capital, portfolio management, alternative investments, commodities, strategic planning, leadership and training, sales and organizational structuring.
Prior to joining Casoro Group, Yuen was the founder and CEO of the franchisor How Do You Roll? a fast-casual sushi restaurant. In 2013, he appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and received the highest investment offer in the history of the show from investor Kevin O’Leary. Yuen previously spent 13 years in the investment management and advisory industry a Managing Partner of Kenty, Yung, Ozias & Associates, where he oversaw advisors and was responsible for the capital raise and management of more than $300 million in funds raised from high-net-worth individuals, families, corporations, and charitable organizations. In his earlier years, he developed 27 commercial retail sites as an entrepreneur.
He currently sits on the board of Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, and previously the Board President of Austin-based non-profit The Thinkery and he has served on the Board of Directors for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He also volunteers as a mentor for Ignite Accelerator, an Austin-based business incubator as well as Founders Firm. Yuen was named as a finalist for an Austin Under 40 award in 2013 and was honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award from The University of Texas Professional Development Center in 2006.
Yuen holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also a graduate of MIT’s Entrepreneurship Masters Program and has professional certifications as a Chartered Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC®) and Board Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuenyung/
http://theblindgrind.com/
https://casorogroup.com/
Why am I starting this podcast? The mission overview I want to make the world a better place by serving you and hopefully inspiring you to move forward with your dreams and goals. I will bring amazing entrepreneurs to the show to share their journal, their up, and downs, and hope you will find it beneficial. Additionally, I’m also launching my business EverGreener in a month. I want to invite you behind the scene with me to share my entrepreneurial journey.
How Courtney Started:
Great Uncle Ray's Peanut Brittle is a symbol of that sweet kind of love that's shared between one friend to the next. In light of her and her uncle's mutual love for the candy, as well as the country charm, She has perfected the 35+-year-old recipe and is now manufacturing it for retail so that everyone can get a taste of that same, sweet kind of love!
Uncle Ray always used his peanut brittle as a way to make new friends, and she took a call out of his playbook and shared it with anyone she met during her travels. There was something to this sugary treat that melted people of all cultures and allowed them to accept an outsider like her without question. We could all agree that there was something to love about showing up sweet.
Moving deeper into service to others allowed her to help a local family in Fiji, headed by a strong woman—Roshni. During my service in the Peace Corps, She learned so much about life, friendship, and the simple, pure, free love of one human to the next. While making so many friends, one, in particular, stood out. One she loved like family. That call hit her hard—and she was ready to serve.
An Austin-made peanut brittle recently won one of the top prizes at H-E-B's Quest for Texas Best contest. Uncle Ray's Peanut Brittle is a product from Austinite Courtney Ray Goodson, who took the first place prize of $20,000 at the San Antonio-based grocery store's annual product competition
You can find her at: Www.unclerayspeanutbrittle.com
Buy peanut brittle @ HEB @Central Market
Grace Gong started her entrepreneurial journey when she created an English newspaper in high school in Beijing, China. Recently, she worked in VC and PE firms focusing on consumer tech and real estate investment. Passionate about entrepreneurship, she is eager to learn from the world’s top talents.
Grace shared how American entrepreneurs created their companies in her first book, The Last Key To Success, with 21 founders featured on Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016. In 2017, she interviewed 22 investors who were featured on the Forbes Midas List for her second book How To Be A VCon how they invested in companies like Facebook, Apple, Twitter, LinkedIn etc. She is passionate about learning and sharing the knowledge she learned from top founders and investors in Silicon Valley.
Apple:http://apple.co/3d6bGea
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/37ENiz9
Website: http://smartventurepod.com
YouTube: https://bit.ly/gracegongyoutube
As the founder of Fireside Insights,LLC, and CoachedIt, Jocelyn work with clients to ensure they have the skills, network, and confidence they need to build and grow.
CoachedIt was founded by Jos Michelle in 2020 through her work as Founder & CEO of Fireside Insights, LLC. Working with industry leaders and entrepreneurs, Jos Michelle realized that one of the most critical barriers preventing people from accomplishing their goals wasn't just a lack of adequate resources and experience; lack of confidence and a community of support proved to be critical barriers. CoachedIt was created to bridge the gap.
Jos Michelle is a Chicago native and life-long learner. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Connecticut College, Master's from Boston University and is currently a part-time law student. Jos has roots in the healthcare sector where she has worked as a consultant and leader for multiple thriving companies such as CVS Health, GfK (now Ipsos), and Steward Health Care Network.
firesideinsights.com
coachedit.com
FREE Goal Journal: https://www.mygoalscalendar.com/successjournal
Makena Sage was raised in seminar rooms – and was the youngest person to ever complete her mom's high-performance leadership & coaching certification when she was just 12 years old. Despite this empowering upbringing, in her teens, she struggled with body image, and a deep desire to fit in. As a result, she pursued what she thought 'success' looked like – graduating summa cum laude with a business degree, then building her own 6-figure online marketing company in just 18 months. While she finally had the freedom and income she dreamed of, Makena was also dealing with health issues, anxiety, and burnout.
Returning to her roots and The Aliveness Method™ saved her life. She went from having near-daily panic attacks and countless “mystery” symptoms to feeling lit up, energized, and 100% healthy in a matter of months... and she never looked back. Makena became determined to share these skills and tools in a much bigger way – and she partnered with her mom/mentor Gigi Sage to become the co-founder and CEO of Follow Your Aliveness™ and the Aliveness Mastery™ program.
Makena loves bringing her 6 years as a copywriter and marketing strategist (helping her clients create tens of millions of dollars in revenue) to her work as a coach and trainer. Her mission is to empower 1 million women to become fully self-actualized… creating lives of freedom, fulfillment, AND financial success – without compromise! Aliveness
Compass Quiz: www.CompassQuiz.com
Aliveness Mastery Certification Program: www.AlivenessMastery.com
You can also reach out Makena at makena@followyouraliveness.com
FREE Goal Journal: https://www.mygoalscalendar.com/successjournal
Co-founder of KOYA Innovations, samba admirer, marketing fanatic, and adventure enthusiast with a background in Psychology and Global Communications. You can find Courtney and her company at:
https://getkoya.com/
https://www.carynnoel.com/
http://courtneyruth.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hello.courtneyruth/
Lee Levy is a Los Angeles based web designer and consultant, and founder of Nex Graphics. She has a proven track record of helping companies build a strong web presence across the Internet. Bringing 25 years of industry experience, she provides graphic design and web solutions with a refined aesthetic. With the constant evolution of the industry and requirements to adapt, she loves educating her clients and getting them to achieve all their goals. She was recently featured as a successful entrepreneur in DOTCOM and VoyageLA magazine.
Lee is a wife, mom, entrepreneur, and breast cancer survivor. She loves to travel, read, and design anything and everything. When she is not working, you can find her doing Zumba and Bellydancing.
You can find Lee at:
https://leelevydesign.com/ https://nexgraphics.com/
Join her new Facebook group for FREE web design training at https://www.facebook.com/groups/designtipsandtricks/
Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/nexgraphics https://www.instagram.com/nexgraphicsla
Rachel Madorsky is a psychotherapist, relationship + business coach, speaker, trainer, performer, and co-owner of the award-winning improv comedy venue ColdTowne Theater located in Austin, Texas.
For over two decades, Rachel has been facilitating, coaching, performing, and teaching at conferences, comedy festivals, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, universities, non-profits, and leadership organizations around the world. Her incredible impact has been featured on Bravo, The Learning Chanel, SXSW Interactive, and CBS News.
You can find Rachel here:
www.rachelmadorsky.net
www.coachingtherapistinstitute.com
Learn about ColdTowne Theater at: www.coldtownetheater.com
To hire ColdTowne to teach for your business: https://www.coldtownetheater.com/austin_corporate_training/team-building
To help ColdTowne through this pandemic, please consider donating to the theater at paypal.me/coldtowne
Tune into the 11th Annual Austin SKetchFest Aug 21-22 on twitch.tv/coldtownetv . More info at atxsketchfest.com
Sabrina is a former fashion & beauty marketer who traded the corporate world to start her own business as the Brand & Social Media Strategist that helps millennial entrepreneurs build their brand identity & her Pretty Sure.
When she's not busy creating her empire, her other passion is traveling and her goal is to visit as many countries as possible in her lifetime.
You can find her here: @Instagram www.instagram.com/sab_sc
@Podcast www.instagram.com/prettysurepodcast
Or to listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/3tnDCfeQme0L836IxpwEtk?si=vUmoCnAQRBizDl2_nW8TKQ
Dave Buckman served as Artistic Director of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam. He culminated his run in Europe directing Boom Chicago: RockStars, the second stage-swap with The Second City’s Main Stage in its 50-year history. After Europe, Dave worked as a director, actor, and teacher at The Second City in Chicago. He was also a Senior producer for The Out Of Bounds Comedy Festival for 10 years as well as Austin SketchFest and Executive Producer at ColdTowne Theater, where he has been performing, teaching, and directing since its opening in 2006.
As a co-owner of CoTowne, Dave is dedicating his time to cultivate an inclusive comedy community in Austin, TX.
Learn about ColdTowne Theater at: www.coldtownetheater.com To hire ColdTowne to teach for your business: https://www.coldtownetheater.com/austin_corporate_training/team-building
To help ColdTowne through this pandemic, please consider donating to the theater at paypal.me/coldtowne Tune into the 11th Annual Austin SKetchFest Aug 21-22 on twitch.tv/coldtownetv . More info at atxsketchfest.com
Jennie Stowe is a wife, mom, and business owner. Formerly a birth and postpartum doula, she created Stowe Bookkeeping LLC in order to be home with her son … and to pursue her passion for numbers and accounting.
Today, she is passionate about helping female service providers with their bookkeeping so they can focus their time on booking more clients and making more money.
For those small businesses that can’t yet afford a bookkeeper, Jennie has them covered with her online course: Keep Your Own Books - The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Small Business Accounting. When not working, you can find Jennie baking artisan bread or outdoors with her two year old.
https://keep-your-own-books.teachable.com
https://stowebookkeeping.com
Wilson Hailey, owner of multiple award-winning coffee shops. He trained competitive baristas, and helped 20+ coffee shops up their game and start providing actually good coffee.
Born and raised in Austin, TX, Wilson ventured to Beijing, China from age 16-27, where he discovered his passion for his life - coffee. Featured in VICE, Pangbianr, Lumdimsum, SmartBeijing, and various other publications, his Beijing award-winning cafe, Rager Pie, was known for Thanksgiving and it’s weekly pie-to-face events, as well as for being the first to bring nitro cold brew to China.
Today, Wilson found TEZPRESSO in Austin, offering monthly subscription coffee delivery service while teaching the best brewing technique possible to serve his customers.
Check out his free weekly coffee brewing class here: https://www.tezpresso.com/bbb
https://www.tezpresso.com/about-our-coffees
Lisa Liu is a Chinese-American violinist, composer, orchestra contractor and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles.
She began her musical studies on the piano at the age of 3 with her mother, a professional opera singer, and continued with violin lessons at the age of 8. She followed her mother’s footsteps and attended The Juilliard School, receiving a Pre-College Diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in violin performance while studying with world-renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay for 9 years.
Join me for an incredible conversation with Lisa Liu, a beautiful & authentic story of how a musician finds meaning through her love to music and how she started a platform to connect and serve all musicians worldwide during COVID 19, so they can continue to create and compose music freely and use the music to connect and serve the world.
As an entrepreneur, Lisa is always searching for new connections and experiences that inspire and challenge her to evolve. She is the brand ambassador to a cannabis start-up that has multiple patent-pending formulas, with the mission to educate the greater community on designing a healthy, high-performance lifestyle. Please follow on IG: @idmarkhealth
Alongside fellow Juilliard alumni, composer Laura Karpman and conductor Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony, Lisa is one of the creators of the Unison Orchestra, a virtual network of composers and musicians striving to continue working from their home recording studios in the midst of a massive global shift. For more information, visit www.unisonorchestra.com
Jessica Zeitz has a bachelor in Communications from Concordia University. She's traveled to 23 countries while working as a digital marketer and has recently started her own digital marketing agency Copfox. But this isn't her first business she actually started a small pickling company and made pickles and sweet peppers. However, digital marketing and real estate are two passions she couldn't ignore and were thrilled to combine them by marketing for real estate developers. https://copyfox.co/
From Nepal to Austin, from corporate to startup, and a nonprofit world, Sav took us through his journey of his American Dream and how he shows up to the world.
Sav is the founder of Menuette, he is also an innovator with a dream and dedication to build delightful experiences and strategic vision to achieve them. He is also a UX researcher and a designer who places user empathy at the center of his design process. His vision to create apps that truly delight users is fueled by his passion to understand human behavior and to augment problem-solving by using technology.
https://www.finddeliciousfood.com App store: Menuette; https://apps.apple.com/us/app/menuette-find-delicious-food/id1382472110
Sav is also a co-founder of Nepal Rising, a non-profit organization, working towards community resilience through community engagement and asset-based community development (ABCD). https://nepalrising.org https://m.facebook.com/TheNepalRising/
Sav has a doctorate in Human Factors Psychology, holds multiple US patents, loves to cook, and has two cats.
From a professional ballroom dancer to the CEO of Marketing Choreography, in this podcast, Lexi shared with us her authentic journal of how she found her way to entrepreneurship and many failures and setbacks along the way.
Lexi Ruffell, a former Professional Ballroom Dance Competitor, is the chief operations officer for Majic For Life. After graduating from college with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology she went on to get trained in Life Coaching and Personal Development as well as attend the school of hard knocks in marketing and business. Lexi is the founder and CEO of Marketing Choreography and has been the orchestrator of more launches than she can count. She is passionate about helping business owners prepare, plan, and execute full-scale launch plans for their online businesses.
You can find here via Facebook and Instagram @ Alexi Ruffell or via Website: https://lexiruffell.com/marketingchoreo
From an Investment Banker to an Energy healer, Sabrina Antou has come along the way of overcoming her fear of following her intuition and say no to conventional knowledge of following her corporate path, instead, she finds the path to freedom and her happiness.
Today she is the founder of private equity firm, consulting firm, and coaching and healing company < The Magnificent Abundance Manifestor>.
Please join me in this podcast to unfold her journey, and hope you can gain inspiration for starting your own path.
Sabrina's resources:
Free Session: https://themagnificentabundancemanifestor.com/free-healing-session/
Single Session: https://themagnificentabundancemanifestor.com/individual-sessions/
6 week programme Standard https://themagnificentabundancemanifestor.com/bringing-magic-into-your-life/work-with-sabrina-11/quantum-transformation-one-to-one-standard/
6 week programme Intensive: https://themagnificentabundancemanifestor.com/bringing-magic-into-your-life/work-with-sabrina-11/quantum-transformation-one-to-one-intensive/
Was there a moment in your life that you wanted to give up? Was there a moment you felt you were never going to make it? well... I was in the exact spot.
In this episode, I shared my American dream, and how did I leave my mountain town and be the only one person who ever left, and to see the world as I always dream of.
If you were also on your journey to achieve a goal, or if you were constantly waiting for your big break, like me, well, listen on. I hope you find this is helpful.
Please leave your comments below. I would love, and love to hear from you. Thank you, friends! Bye for now,