The Founder Factor: Recent Episodes
Designli, Word of Web
On The Founder Factor, we’ll bring you behind the scenes with South Carolina's most impactful entrepreneurs so that you can discover the strategies, ideas, and mindsets you need to unlock your next business breakthrough.
Brought to you by Designli (South Carolina's top-rated app development firm) and Word of Web (your partner in website strategy and design).
"We will never sacrifice a person for a dollar." Geoff Wasserman has lived by these words at The Brand Leader for over 24 years. In today's episode, Geoff shares his biggest inside tip to being a sucessful leader: stop guarding the door. For Geoff, this meant being financially tranparent with his staff and giving them permission to make mistakes, change roles, and leave when they are ready. Improving quality of life for a diverse staff community at work ultimately contributed to The Brand Leader's long standing success.
Love and business aren't often mentioned in the same sentence. In this episode, Marty Osborn breaks down this stereotype, expressing the love he has for his employees, customers, and company. He reveals that cultivating a caring and considerate culture in the workplace is what ultimately drove the financial sucess of his businesses. In this episode, discover how stepping up as a successful, entrepreneurial leader means understanding who your employees are as individuals, and relinquishing control to let them grow.
Some people are destined for jobs they never expected to have. With an accounting background, Brandy Amidon never thought she would be a co-president of a creative agency. But year after year, as the company grew, her skillset was just what it needed to adapt to an ever changing market. Amidon discusses her opinion on what being a leader means, how to stay calm and focused during times of change, and how to rely on others to make the whole team better.
Many people unconsciously think about startups as a company selling a product... but what if you are selling your time and knowledge? Scaling a service company looks different than commodifying a product. Josh Tucker & Keith Shields of Designli chat through the pros, cons, and paths to growth they experienced while growing their software development business.
In this special episode, you get to learn more about your host, Caroline Jennings. Having studied psychology and neuroscience in school, Caroline never dreamed of starting her own business. But when her web design hobby grew into something bigger, she decided to embrace the entrepreneurial path and launch her business full-time. Discover Caroline's journey with Word of Web – and her successes, challenges, and learnings along the way.
When Nicole Johnson and her husband co-founded Boyd Cycling back in 2009, they had no idea it would become as successful as it is today. In this episode, Nicole dives into the importance of leveraging your network, the art of creating a work environment that people enjoy, and the resilience required to navigate big business challenges.
In 2008, Didi Caldwell decided to make an offer to buy out the financial firm she had been working for. To her shock, amazement, and horror, they accepted her offer – and that's how Global Location Strategies was born. In this episode, Didi discusses the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of optimism and delusion and working hard to mitigate risk without being paralyzed by fear. In addition, she explains her team's journey to creating a technology business – Global Location Technologies – to complement their core consulting business.
Kenzie Biggins and her business, WorxBee, are living proof that not every company has to be a tech company to be successful and scale. In this episode, Kenzie shares her experiences with raising money as a services business and navigating the double standards she's faced as a black female founder. Additionally, she opens up about learning to leverage her dyslexia as a superpower and getting comfortable sitting in discomfort.
Having worked with dozens of entrepreneurs throughout his career, Peter Micali has seen all of the peaks and valleys they experience. He even felt a few of them himself as the co-founder of a nutrition company in Boston. In today's episode, Peter offers advice on some of the most common challenges entrepreneurs experience – like finding the right mentors, overcoming imposter syndrome, and learning how to leverage your personal story.
As a serial entrepreneur, NEXT mentor, and Professor at Clemson's MBA program, Michael Mino knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship. Tune in to today's episode of The Founder Factor to hear Michael's perspective on when, if ever, to bring on a business partner, how to get started as a first-time entrepreneur (whether you have an idea or not), and deciding on what kind of business suits your lifestyle and stage of life.
As one of the few women in venture-backed tech, Paige McPheely has worked hard to figure out how to stay authentic to who she is and what she cares about while also 'playing the game' effectively. In today's episode, we dig into how Paige has built her remote executive assistant business, Base, in a way that prioritizes 'being human' first. Plus, she offers some tips on fundraising and how to weather a potential recession.
Scott Millwood knows his way around entrepreneurship: from founding several companies of his own to mentoring up-and-coming entrepreneurs through NEXT. Join us as we dig into Scott's perspective on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and learn his tips on how to plug into South Carolina's entrepreneurial support network.
Scale is always scary, but that's never stopped Ryan Johnston and Ryan Heafy, Co-Founders of 6AM City. The hyper-local media company expanded from 7 cities to 24 in just nine months, more than tripling the size of its team and subscriber base. In this episode of The Founder Factor, we dive into the growing pains of scaling, and how the Ryans have navigated each new obstacle and opportunity.
Four years ago, Lelia King, Executive Director at Build Carolina, didn't even consider herself an entrepreneur because she didn't fit the typical mold. Now, she realizes there is no mold – and that's what makes entrepreneurship so exciting. In this episode, Lelia tells us about how she has learned to overcome Imposter Syndrome, navigate uncertainty, and give herself permission to go and try something new.
It wasn't until Jenna Spencer started taking time away from her virtual assistant company that the business really began to grow. Eight years and $5MM later, she still gives herself the rest and space she needs to guide AssistPro in the right direction. In this episode, we explore Jenna's approach to balancing work satisfaction with personal goals, and resisting the pressure to work around the clock.
You don't hear about many entrepreneurs who were kicked out of college. But that's exactly what instilled Austin Jones, Co-Founder of Daedalus Industrial, with one of his biggest superpowers: being okay with failing big and knowing how to come back from it. In this episode, we explore Austin's unconventional path to success and learn how some pretty crazy risks made all the difference – in his life and his business.
Welcome to The Founder Factor, where we’ll take you behind the scenes with South Carolina's most impactful entrepreneurs so that you can discover the strategies, ideas, and mindsets you need to unlock your next business breakthrough.
Brought to you by Designli (South Carolina's top-rated app development firm) and Word of Web (your partner in website strategy and design).