Plan Your Start Podcast

How do you go from growing up so poor there was sometimes no power or food in your home, to self-made millionaire in your twenties, to losing it all and then climbing back to build a product that now ranks as one of the top 6,000 websites in the world? Well that’s the rise, fall, and then rise story of RJ Garbowicz. Hear how he built a Social CRM platform that just crossed over 6M members and has a business model that gives 50% of revenues back to the users - hundreds of thousands of dollars paid out already. Now he’s pretty sure he can create 1 million millionaires on the platform.   SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://securestartup.com) - Securely and efficiently manage all of the documents between founders and investors.   Opening: Allen and RJ discuss how long Allen has been following RJ’s platform webtalk and the exponential growth over the past few years, despite Goliath competitors in the space.   1:34 RJ explains his journey of getting webtalk to 6 million users and his 600k personal followers.   3:30 Allen talks about the comparison to LinkedIn and other social media platforms and RJ explains how webtalk takes those concepts much further (i.e. how about some basic CRM and contact management functionality); and rewards users for engagement.   5:00 RJ breaks down LinkedIn’s approach and business model and where that platform falls short.   9:20 Allen talks about a key incentive to using webtalk, the “sharing the pie” model.   10:20 How webtalk created massive growth utilizing a reward and revenue sharing system for engagement.   16:10 What is RJ’s message to entrepreneurs? It’s a long, hard road.   17:10 Opening Question: How determined and deranged must an entrepreneur be for success? What is the entrepreneur disease?   18:05 RJ says that entrepreneurs sometimes reach the end of their journey when they are too exhausted and need to exit. The bigger your goal, the more difficult. “How bad do you want it?”   19:25 RJ lists a plethora of negatives to being a startup founder when seeking different levels of success. Allen and RJ discuss how your decision to strive for achievement can affect your social life and those around you.   23:17 RJ talks about his history with entrepreneurship and when he knew he was an entrepreneur - it started in grade school!   24:42 Allen and RJ discuss the obsession that is making money while RJ talks about his struggle as a child growing up with very little.   26:00 RJ talks about his first established business in high school. He started a lawn care service through which he hired a couple of his friends to work for him.   26:40 The problems he experienced by being young and having expendable cash, were lots of dangerous vices. He attended military school shortly thereafter to help get his life back on track.   29:10 RJ lost his privileges to drive before he was even old enough to drive because he bought a car for cash at the age of 15!   30:20 Allen lists all of the jobs RJ worked over the years, and RJ learned he could do everything that the companies did and make more money. He harnessed his entrepreneurial spirit and grew ANOTHER business.   33:15 Allen referred to his previous interview with Steve MacDonald, and how some owners sell out too early and short-change both themselves and their investors. His suggestion is to strongly consider hanging on a little bit longer.   34:20 RJ took his check for selling his company and some time away in order to figure out what his next steps were. He learned through years of entrepreneurship, that the Internet and tech was the way of the future.   35:35 Started an online real estate business in 2005, where he was met with rapid growth but short lived success.   37:20 RJ tells how he survived his loss. “Do what you gotta do. I grew up so poor all I had to eat some days were condiments. I can survive this.”   39:10 RJ says “Once you realize you can survive with nothing. You are willing to bet everything”   41:00 He learned early to go after high cash-flow jobs to earn his capital to get some skin back in the entrepreneurship game even after a loss.   41:30 Allen questions RJ about when he created his local nightlife-to-Internet business, and how he monetized the platform.   42:52 The dangers you face when taking on investors (you can be kicked out of your own company) and how RJ navigated his negative experience.   46:20 The birth of webtalk. RJ explains how he came up with the concept, and what problem he wanted to solve for his lifelong journey.   54:10 Allen goes through a guided walkthrough of some of the services of webtalk with RJ.   59:54 RJ gives a brief overview of the roadmap for webtalk throughout the next year - including launch of the mobile app.   1:02:50 Allen asks RJ the final question: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”   Webtalk: https://www.webtalk.co   Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com

In these challenging times, we need to hear from entrepreneurs like Christina Dills. After rapidly rising the ranks at Microsoft from intern to Channel Development Manager for all Latin America. Christina was a rising corporate star - but something was missing. She felt unfulfilled and that there had to be more to life, contribution, and work. So she began her research, made a plan, and Quit to Start. Hear how she did it and how she now prioritizes the mind and spirit in her daily routine as a startup founder with intention, gratitude, and exercise - resisting negative thoughts and negative energy. A daily work and life strategy to strongly consider in these times - and all times. SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://securestartup.com) - Securely and efficiently manage all of the documents between founders and investors. Opening: “Life is Beautiful” written on the office wall behind Christina. She explains her belief that words have energy. 1:47 Discussion on gratitude and how it is the best cure for negative thoughts. Christina explains how energy frequency ties into living at your best. 3:45 Setting your intentions and how to manifest them. The best way to to predict your future is to create it through your thoughts and your intentions every single day. 7:20 Christina gives her recommendations to early entrepreneurs: always set up your day with intention, gratitude, and exercise. 9:00 Allen saw Christina recently pitch her startup. He asks her about the experience and she talks about why pitching is part of the journey and it's good for you. 14:55 Cristina explains how she became less and less fulfilled at her job and why she had to plan her escape. 18:00 Despite the amazing lifestyle and personal finances of her corporate job, she felt that she was missing something bigger in life. 21:28 Christina discusses how she self-funded her startup and then discussion on the downsides of taking investment. 26:40 Believe in yourself, who knows your business better than you? Whose two cents matter to you as a founder? The mentality of others cannot affect your vision. 31:40 Allen explains one concept in his book “you are a threat” and Christina talks about the lesson she learned from telling others about her potential start. Who can you trust? Who can you talk to? 36:50 Keep it quiet until you get momentum. 37:50 Finding the people that compliment you and you can trust. 40:20 Allen talks about confidence and the mindset behind its perception both inside and out. 42:08 Growth in business is the same as growth through exercise. Sometimes it’s painful, but you have to push through in order to grow. 43:30 Christina walks through her childhood and high school years, and the most valuable lesson she ever learned, her grandmother taught her - “education is your ticket”. 49:00 Christina explains that she has always had the entrepreneurial spirit and was always experimenting with startups on the side. 52:00 Your entrepreneurial journey is whatever you want it to be. You don't just magically become an entrepreneur, you grow into it. 54:00 Rising the ranks at Microsoft - she explains her unrelenting drive to learn. 57:00 Christina talks about the stress of life and how to heal yourself in a stressful environment. 1:02:00 Allen and Christina discuss the risks of entrepreneurship and how we weigh it against risk of not making the change or not taking action. 1:05:15 Allen talks about the hidden aloneness and anxiety of entrepreneurship - Christina talks about how she persevered through it. 1:06:40 Taking the leap. Christina talks about the moment she knew she was going to leave and start her company. 1:13:40 Discussion on facing your fears and gaining the escape velocity needed to become an entrepreneur. 1:15:16 Christina discusses detaching the tentacles of the workplace and the removal of comfort to embrace your future. 1:18:00 Christina talks about getting into the abundance mindset. The belief that good things are going to happen and avoiding the negativity of the scarcity mindset. 1:22:10 Think about getting somewhere and do it on purpose. Christina explains that “you can choose your thoughts like you can choose your clothes”. 1:23:20 Christina explains the value of starting broad and intentional in your thoughts and then moving to specificity. 1:25:00 Final thoughts - be open to the flow of the universe and believe in yourself and don’t let others deter you. Smart Edge Technologies: https://smartedgetech.io/ Plan Your Start: https://planyourstart.com

How does one come back from an epic two decade run of entrepreneurial success - then to watch it slowly evaporate around you as market forces shift? This is the story of Brad Kugler and the building of an eight figure cash flowing business that brought him and his family the life and freedoms every entrepreneur dreams - then the crash, the fight for survival, and the epic comeback. Brad tells his rise-fall-rise story, how he learned more on the way down than on the way up, and how he’s now growing again in triple digits for 3 straight years - and disrupting an $8 billion dollar market. SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://securestartup.com) - Securely and efficiently manage all of the deal documents between founders and investors. Opening: Allen and Brad talk about how they first met almost 20 years ago when Allen helped Brad create his first e-commerce website & order management platform. 4:10 Brad talks about how his big run started - taking over his dad’s VHS movie media distribution business. It had revenues of $2M with about 10-15 employees - by 2012 Brad had grown it to $25M and about 55 employees. 7:30 Allen and Brad talk about how what he's doing now with direct mail has parallels to what happened to him with the movie media distribution business - but this time he is the disruptor. 9:10 How does Brad's current business Direct Mail 2.0 work? Direct physical marketing mail traditionally has a very low response rate. With Direct Mail 2.0's technology, companies typically see a dramatic 25% to 50% increase in response rates - and with tracking capability they've never had before. 16:40 Brad talks about growing up in the Chicago area and how his great grandfather, an immigrant, started a window cleaning company that expanded to janitorial services over three generations, to his grandfather, and then to his father. 19:10 Brad’s father purchased a movie VHS media distribution business in Florida and by the early nineties, Brad took over the helm. The business did very well for the next 15+ years and Brad, with his brothers, were able to buy out dad. 25:10 He tells the story of when DVDs arrived - Wizard of Oz was the very first movie on DVD. Brad sold 30 copies in 30 seconds on eBay, that was his clear sign to transition to DVD from VHS. 26:25 Brad and his company achieved #1 DVD seller status on Amazon for several years. Brad once had a meeting at Amazon headquarters and Jeff Bezos walked in - one of many meetings to come with Jeff Bezos. 34:05 Allen asks Brad about what it was like making so much money in his thirties - and the incredible personal freedom, toys, and opportunities that came with the success. 41:30 Then a storm started brewing - a flat year in 2012, the first in a decade. Then in 2013 things got worse - the advent of online movie streaming had begun. The business began to free-fall over the next few years, unable to pivot fast enough. 48:25 Brad says he learned way more going down than going up - how to stretch cash flow, navigate legal, problem solve, etc. The company was forced into bankruptcy - but he was able to buy it back on the courthouse steps as a tiny shadow of its former self. 51:30 He stayed determined - he learned bootstrapping at the end of success, not the beginning like normal. He became profitable albeit small, never missed a payroll, never bounced a check. 53:10 The company limped along until he got a call one day from an ex-employee, top salesperson from 20 years prior. Her name was Joy and she now had her own massively successful direct mail print marketing company. 54:55 Joy said she had watched how Brad had fought and persisted in the business despite adversity - she was impressed and offered him to take over a direct mail software technology product she had developed in-house. 57:10 Being in-house with the larger company helped develop new features and feedback - but they needed to develop more freely to meet and capture the outside market. Brad talks about the importance of sticking with the vision and focusing on your prospective customers. 1:03:10 Brad has grown the company with triple digit growth the last 3 years in a row - and began paying back the investment. Brad talks about the balancing of growth with profitability - especially in a growth market. 1:06:00 Now in his early fifties, Brad wants this to be his last ‘necessary’ entrepreneurial venture - starting to think more about body, mind and longevity. 1:09:50 What’s Brad's ‘go to advice’ for aspiring entrepreneurs? You’ve got to have passion first and foremost. Second, you must have a compelling value proposition with customer validation. If you don’t have those two things, passion and value, do not proceed. 1:15:30 Allen thanks Brad for being on the podcast - his rise-fall-rise story is cautionary, inspirational, and now available to others to learn from and be inspired. Direct Mail 2.0: https://directmail2.com Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com

Probably no other startup founder has made the cut at TechCrunch Disrupt, NPR's How I Built This fellowship program, and Babson's WIN Lab. But Lizia Santos is not like any other founder. She built a travel tech startup as a non-tech entrepreneur while simultaneously a mom to three little ones. But she almost lost it all, ran out of money and had to start over. She was ridiculously resilient and came back better and stronger. Now despite the pandemic, her travel platform is growing and expanding internationally. Hear her story, how she did it, what she learned and wants to pass along to aspiring entrepreneurs. SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://securestartup.com) - Securely and efficiently manage all of the documents between founders and investors.   Opening: Allen & Lizia are on opposite sides of the Florida peninsula. Lizia in Orlando near the Space Coast, Allen in Tampa on the Gulf Coast. 4:05 Lizia gives the origin story of City Catt. She was a journalist with a big idea for better travel. She is from Brazil and travel was always a big part of her life and family growing up. 7:10 One day Lizia and her Dad were discussing their passion for travel. Lizia had her ‘aha moment’ - how can people get access to local information when visiting a location where they don’t know people? 10:40 She did her competitive research and found no websites or apps that did exactly what she was envisioning - there were personal guide solutions but those did not include background checks. This did not feel safe and family friendly. 12:15 Discussion - what’s the first thing you should do when you want to start a software, web, or app company? Lizia describes how she did it wrong by jumping right in to build the product. 14:50 From feedback she would have discovered that her first version could have and should have been much simpler than what she was building. 15:50 Discussion on the non-coder founder dilemma of when and how to work with programmers. 23:40 Allen asks about the dark period when the project was not coming together, cash was running out - how did she cope and pull through. 26:05 Lizia talks about what she had to do personally to survive the difficult time - she brought back her exercise, diet, family, and faith to overcome the stress. 29:30 Lizia is not a proponent of going all-in on your business at the expense of personal health and balance. You need to be equally as intense with your personal life and health as you are with your startup. 30:25 You wouldn’t sprint the first several miles of a marathon - because if you do, you won’t finish the race. 33:50 Allen and Lizia are both TechCrunch Disrupt alum. Amazing experience, amazing connections. 36:10 Growing up in Brazil, Lizia talks about being a pastor’s daughter, a go-getter and a big dreamer. 41:35 Met her husband at a wedding in Boston. Stayed there and started a family until moving to Orlando, her son’s asthma was not good with the cold weather. 48:00 Discussion on how she inadvertently raised seed capital from family. 49:32 While building City Catt, Lizia lost her tech team and ran out of money, and without a working prototype. 52:10 She realized she needed help and mentors. She applied and got accepted to the Babson WIN Lab. There she was challenged to use her resources and creativity. 55:20 WIN Lab taught her to set short-term reachable goals - and believe in herself as a CEO. As a woman and a mom, you are a natural multi-tasker - use this skill in your startup. 1:01:50 The WIN Lab experience woke up the SUPERWOMAN inside of Lizia - felt she could conquer the world. 1:02:20 HOW I BUILT THIS fellowship summit opportunity came up - 16 fellows will be chosen. Lizia believed she could be selected - and then she was. 1:05:47 Met Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia at the registration sign in table and had a great one-on-one conversation - fellow travel tech founders! 1:08:30 Lizia and Allen talk about the importance of being bold and taking chances. 1:10:00 Being authentic and honest with your startup’s journey, especially when small and vulnerable, people are drawn in to help you. 1:14:00 Lizia builds her team on skills, personality, and culture fit - not resume. 1:16:00 With the pandemic, Lizia shares how her user's needs have elevated so the level of City Catt service has been elevated also - more trust and transparency. 1:20:25 City Catt also offers a trip planner that works seamlessly with the City Catt full experience - she calls it a ‘Social Trip Planner’. 1:22:30 Lizia says she is now addicted to the startup life - pivoting, improving, and living by the lean startup method. 1:26:45 City Catt is now international - opened by an opportunity with the Olympics in Japan. 1:29:05 SUDDEN INTERRUPTION! A very delicate off-camera negotiation unfolds... 1:30:55 Lizia answers Allen’s final question on how does CityCatt drives traffic and leads? City Catt: https://www.citycatt.com Plan Your Start: https://planyourstart.com

Growing up in a tough neighborhood and making it to college as the first in his family, Rodrick DeBose beat the odds. He received his bachelor's degree and with only $2,600 of debt - but decided he didn't want to work a nine-to-five. He wanted to work for himself and own his own business. So he worked his way up from valet to owning his own parking and shuttle business to now owning rental property and a personal training business and a financial consulting business - helping others stay out of bad debt (use good debt) and start businesses. Hear Rod's story and how he uses Instagram for business ideas and key connections - and how he retired undefeated in his short professional boxing career. SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://www.securestartup.com) - document management between startup founders and investors. Opening: Rodrick is father of 3 girls. Allen & Rod met years ago. Rod owns several businesses and was a professional boxer for a short time - retired undefeated. 2:20 Discussion on good debt and bad debt. Rodrick talks about the difference and gives examples from his own life of business and asset ownership. He now coaches others. 6:30 Rod talks about the ‘bad debt system’ and helping people stay out of it - easy to get into, very hard to get out. Rod graduated college with only $2,600 in debt. 8:05 Rod talks about the difference between a business with few employees and businesses with many employees - and how he parlayed the profits of his parking and shuttle businesses into launching new businesses. 12:00 Discussion on starting a personal training business, the uncertainty of income and the required dedication. 13:55 Rod talks about growing up in Fort Myers, FL. He didn’t know how rough his neighborhood was until he went back to visit from college. Rod decided he didn’t want to be a statistic. 18:15 His best business role model growing up was his father who owned a small business. 20:12 Rod was the first to go to college in his family, he had to figure out for himself (no one told him or helped him) how to test, apply, and make it. Now he helps others like him figure out the process and not miss the window of opportunity. 21:52 Rod traveled a lot while in college to see the country, didn’t want to regret or have ’could have’s’ or ’should have’s’. Actually came back home for a semester and that was scary because often we don’t go back. He went back. 24:30 Rod graduated with a degree in Criminology from University of South Florida, but knew he wanted to be his own boss, didn’t want to get a job. He already had the entrepreneurial mindset. 28:10 He worked at a valet to help make his life expenses - almost quit the first day! Instead, he grew it and it became his first start up. Allen shares how many entrepreneurial friends he has that started in valet. 30:00 From valet Rod learned to be outgoing and dug deep to find the strength to expand his personality and his customer service disposition. 34:15 Influential people attend the Bucs games and Rod valeted for them. He was invited out to a game by a very successful businessman. 36:00 This person became Rod's friend and mentor. Follow up meetings included building a plan to start his business. He taught Rod how the successful use 'other people’s money’. Rod has used this technique with his recent home renovations and rental property setup. 40:42 He bought into a franchise of Super Shuttle and this was quite successful from a revenue generation perspective - gave him a breakthrough financially. 43:00 He exited this to pursue a business closer to his passion - he became a physical trainer and financial consultant helping others. 45:00 Rod decided to help others with the skills to improve their personal credit. Personal credit and business credit are extremely different and knowing the power behind each can improve your financial situation. 47:30 Most people who know wealth know the separation of personal and business assets and credit, most average people and even those with high salary incomes do not know how this works. Reference to the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. 49:35 Rod gets a lot of business ideas and connections through Instagram - Instagram is powerful, found his number one business mentor there - has found business partners and of course customers on Instagram. 56:00 Allen & Rod wrap up by talking about Rod’s boxing career, the physical, the fun, the technicalities, and the business side of the sweet science. Rodrick DeBose Instagram: @rod_d1fitneess Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com

What was it like to be on the ground floor of Toms Shoes, part of the early team at Spanx, and then leave to start your own textile technology company while a mom and raising a family? Well, that’s been the adventurous and inspiring life so far of Mary-Cathryn Kolb and in this interview she talks about her journey and the pursuit of big things. She shares advice and learnings from her career and talks about risk-taking and the insatiable, inescapable entrepreneurial mindset.   0:07 Allen and Mary-Cathryn are both from the state of Georgia - Mary-Cathryn from Thomasville, Allen from Savannah. 3:47 She lives in Atlanta now and has pitched and developed key relationships at the annual Venture Atlanta conference - https://ventureatlanta.org. 8:50 How do natural-born entrepreneurs see risk? Mary-Cathryn says “we don’t”. It excites and energizes us. 10:35 If someone had told her how hard it was going to be and all of the things that would go wrong - she wouldn’t have believed and would have kept going. That says it all about the way natural-born entrepreneurs process risk. 12:17 She lost a co-founder and most doubted the company could or should move forward. She never considered stopping. 14:00 Are you wired to be an entrepreneur or can you learn to become one? Mary-Cathryn has always known she was wired to be one. It’s her “north star”. 14:47 There’s a spectrum of entrepreneurship, the moderate risk end and the massive risk end of the spectrum. 16:55 If you go for high risk, high reward, you must be mentally tough and a little lucky. There’s either win or lose on that end of the spectrum, no in-between. 17:45 If you think you can be happy working for others, then by all means do that. There is too much romanticism in entrepreneurship as viewed from the outside. 18:40 If you are wired this way, to be a risk taking entrepreneur, then you probably don’t have a choice but to pursue it. 21:40 She explains how, since she was a little girl, there was never a question that she wanted to do big things and was always enterprising. 22:30 Allen & Mary-Cathryn discuss ‘failure’ and how it’s often celebrated in entrepreneurship but in fact ‘fear of failure’ is a strong motivator and failure should be avoided at nearly all cost. 26:28 Mary-Cathryn talks about growing up with a twin, her college experience at SMU, graduating and going to Los Angeles, then New York to pursue an acting and vocalist career - her childhood dream. 31:34 But it was feast or famine and it’s where she learned about ‘financial runways’ and frugality. She was offered a position with a major designer, so she relocated to New York - her first project was with Beyoncé! 38:35 While in NY her college friend from SMU, Blake Mycoskie, called and asked her to work for Toms Shoes on the ground floor. 40:45 Later, Spanx called, recruited to be one one of the first 30 employees. So she relocated to Atlanta, her husband enrolled at Georgia Tech for his MBA. 42:15 She explains how special the experience and culture was in the early days of Spanx - an amazing sisterhood amongst that early team. 47:10 But with time came new leadership and change. She didn’t feel the changes were best for the team and customers. She felt she had to speak up and take a stand. She knew she’d either be heard or be let go. She was let go. It was her Jerry Maguire moment. 51:20 Discussion on how hard it is for those with intense entrepreneurial mindsets to last very long inside of someone else’s company. And when she took that stand, she had no idea what was on the other side, no backup plan. 55:00 There was an intense emotional hangover after leaving, she needed a break to reboot, but knew immediately that she would start something of her own. 56:50 So brrr was born and with a strong commitment to product, company culture, and shared ownership. 58:50 Working with a polymer scientist and textile engineer, a ‘cool to the touch’ fabric (not just polyester moisture wicking) was developed - patented “Triple Chill Effect”. 1:05:45 She explains brrr is an “ingredient” brand - embedded into fabric of major brands you already know. 1:06:45 Initially designed for women but now brrr is embedded in menswear also. Bed, Bath, & Beyond now carries ‘cooling sheets’ powered by brrr. Her newest project is bringing a much needed cooling effect to children’s car seats! 1:10:00 What advice for someone creating in the clothing or garment space? Mary-Cathryn says make the business as lean as possible and go big on social media! 1:14:00 Take the risk of entrepreneurship if it’s for you but know that it’s lonely, will take twice as much money and time that you imagine - so get a support system. 1:15:30 This is a personal journey, she has three young daughters and wants them to see up-close what a successful woman entrepreneur and working mom looks like and that family and career can coexist if that’s what you want.   brrr: https://brrr.com Plan Your Start: https://planyourstart.com

Art Fyvolent gave it his everything in trying to work for others. He had a very successful early ad agency career but he knew he was meant for more and meant to work for himself. He finally broke away to start his own agency, sold it years later, then took a year off to recharge and reset his life. He came back and became an idea machine and 'multipreneur'. Now Art has Squirrel Ventures which is a collection of all his startups at various stages of growth and development. At this stage of his entrepreneurial life, Art gets to engage in multiple ventures at once while also championing society-improving projects that ultimately put a 'ripple in the universe' and leave a legacy of helping others.   0:30 Art starts by saying he identifies with Allen’s new book “Quit to Start” because he has been all 3 types of entrepreneur - Type A, Type B, and Type C. And a good laugh at how Allen and Art are wearing the same shirt for this interview. 2:10 Art is a 'Multipreneur.' - many different startups at various stages. He created Squirrel Ventures to hold everything - and sometimes just domain hoarding. 3:40 Is Multipreneurship a gift or a curse? Art enjoys switching brains from one thing to another. He likes to build up a team, hand it off, which frees him up to pursue other ventures. SPONSOR - SecureStartup (https://www.securestartup.com) - managing all of the important documents between founder and investor. 7:30 Art was an early adopter of Internet marketing. He built a successful agency, building online presence for some of the biggest brands in the U.S. 9:30 Starting out you need to focus on one thing. Later, with experience and connections, you can do more. 11:05 Discussion on two lanes of motivation for entrepreneurship - be your own boss or create something big. Art adds a third that can come later, helping others. 12:15 Art’s great-grandfather was a street entrepreneur selling fruits and vegetables. His grandfather came out of law school and directly started his own practice. His father went out on his own also. So Art feels that it's in his DNA, it’s what he's supposed to do. 14:30 Allen asks if while Art was working for others, did he feel something was off and that he should be working for himself - Art emphatically says yes. Even in college, he started his own side marketing company. 16:00 Art took his shot working for an ad agency in Atlanta, was doing quite well but realized he couldn't climb the ladder all the way to NYC - so he moved back to Florida and went to work for an agency in Tampa Bay, took business classes by night at USF. 19:14 Art then moved up to a bigger firm in the area - but he had an 'independent streak' and one day talked back to the boss and got fired. He went to work for a competitor for several years. But he just couldn't take it anymore. 20:00 He went home one day to his pregnant wife (and their home in mid-renovation) and said that he had quit his job and was starting his own company. Allen shares his first epic quit which was similar - he and wife had just moved into their first starter home and had a brand new baby. 22:40 Art's first client stiffed him for $6K. That was grocery money, baby money, everything money. He got help from a supplier to cover this. 24:00 Discussion on the generosity from people during the early stages of business. Clients, suppliers, and partners will recognize your drive and will want to help you. 25:55 Art landed one of the largest accounts in Tampa Bay while working out of his home, they took a chance on him. That put his small business on the map and gave other large companies the confidence to sign with him. He went on to grow and sell the business years later - and then took a year off. 29:20 Founders need time to detox and re-energize after selling their business. Art came back with a different mindset. 35:40 Fun discussion on domain hoarding - at one point Art owned 1,600 domains. It's one of the best ways to capture a business idea. 38:40 Art has several active ventures such as iGrew - security-first parent portal to capture and safely share your child's life; Smiling Dog CBD for Pets; Redneck Jobs for blue collar jobs; and more. 43:50 You can’t pursue multiple ventures without an income base - a few of Art's ventures are generating the income he needs to do this. 46:00 Art stresses that entrepreneurship for him has never been about the money. 48:50 He likes to put a 'ripple in the universe' and contributing to society. Art discusses his passion for pit bull rescue and a local refuge facility for large dogs. 55:10 Being a successful entrepreneur allows you to one day work on issues important to you. Art wants to leave a legacy of helping others - including animals. 57:00 Entrepreneurship is maybe the only path to create the significant time, money, and resources needed to make a really big difference in the world - put a ripple in the universe!   Squirrel Ventures: https://squirrelventures.com Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com

Winning $100k investment from Steve Case and being named one of "100 Powerful Women" by Entrepreneur Magazine didn’t come easy for Ashlee Ammons. She left her great job and income to be an entrepreneur, fought self-doubt, rejection, and the challenges of not looking like a typical tech founder when pitching and meeting with investors. In this interview she talks about all of that and how she and her mother and co-founder raised their first $1M with smarts and determination. 1:00 Ashlee & her tech startup Mixtroz are in Birmingham, AL - discussion about the special tech & investor ecosystem there. 2:40 Nashville was great but the opportunity in Birmingham was greater for what they needed to accomplish as a company. 3:40 In 2017, Ashlee and her co-founder (her mother, Kerry Schrader) went to Collision Conference in New Orleans. They wore matching t-shirts, "Black Female Founder, Fund Me - Got Seed?". 4:40 The t-shirts caused a stir, but the event yielded three big connections - an article in Forbes, an invite to Creative Startups pitch competition in New Mexico (which they won), then to Copenhagen (won there also), and most importantly, met the future executive director of Velocity Accelerator in Birmingham. 7:20 In 2018, won Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest $100,000 competition in 2018. Went on to raise more than $1M but it was hard. Fundraising is brutal, it takes invaluable time and energy away from your startup. It can also be soul crushing, similar to the superficialness of a beauty contest. 8:50 White males seem to raise six figures in about 3 months on average. White women maybe 4-5 months, women founders of color, at least 6 months. 9:30 Ashlee talks about how her and her mom had to be mindful of their appearance when they were raising money. Ashlee talks about how she keeps her hair in braids-dreads because (a) it’s ridiculously hot in the south, (b) it’s low cost and (c) it’s low maintenance - smart for a bootstrapped entrepreneur. 10:50 Allen asks Ashlee her secret to public speaking on big stages. She says it’s preparation, memorization, and practice, practice, practice. 14:00 What if you don’t look like a typical tech founder? Ashlee and her mother are non-technical black women founders building a tech product startup - none of that is typical. 17:50 Ashlee suggests founders find a partner over the age of 40, especially a woman - especially one like her mom that had a successful executive business career. 19:40 Women over 40 are often highly energized, motivated, and an invaluable source of experience and determination. 22:00 Ashlee and her Mom took personality assessment tests that identified their strengths and weaknesses, helped them with roles and responsibilities. 23:20 SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://www.securestartup.com) - Secure and easy way for startups to share documents with investors. 26:20 Ashlee was determined to be successful since a child. Her parents worked hard to set her up with opportunity. Her grandparents did the same for her mom. 30:00 Through a connection, Ashlee became LeBron Jame’s first intern. This demonstrates the power of relationships and networking. 33:20 Then with the help of LeBron’s connections, she became an event planner in New York. She went there to do all the grunt work she could get, to learn and build relationships. 38:10 Then one day she had a lackluster experience at a conference - networking disaster. She called her Mom that night and funny enough, her mom had just had a similar experience. What could solve this problem? Mixtroz! 42:40 So she made the leap, moved to Nashville, moved-in with her mom, loss of independence and income. 45:00 Ashley says that “comparison is the thief of joy.” Startup depression is real - self-doubt, isolation, and professional loneliness. 47:00 Friends and family don’t always understand, can be non-supportive (you’re going to fail) and some envious (you’re going to succeed). Ashlee says the anxiety is real and feels like a rollercoaster. 49:00 Ashlee and her Mom bootstrapped - put in their own money, then small investments from friends and family - another advantage of having an over-40 partner, her mom’s connections had more investable capital. Mom would not allow large investments from friends and family. 55:10 Is entrepreneurship a 'sport for the elite'? Access to capital, connections, and generational wealth is a big hidden success factor. 59:00 Ashlee and her Mom have had to fight to get their place at the table - even when they had to pull up their own chair. 1:03:00 Are women founders (and founders of color generally) over-mentored and under-funded? Yes. And Ashlee explains that women founders and male founders of color, it feels like they'll only get one shot. 1:07:00 Ashlee closes by talking about the opportunities and adjustments during COVID-19, their current growth capital raise, and the exciting road ahead for Mixtroz. Mixtroz: https://www.mixtroz.com Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com

This week's guest is Steve MacDonald. He started without money or connections but found a way to build a startup to over $100M in revenue and a 9 figure exit. Now he's an investor himself having personally invested in over 120 companies and counting. In this interview we talk about what it takes to be a successful company builder and then a successful angel investor. Steve breaks down how founders should approach capital raising and he describes what he will be looking for with his new investment firm, MacDonald Ventures.   0:05 Allen finds Steve in Aspen, CO getting a break from the Florida heat and humidity.  2:30 As an entrepreneur, better a maverick or maven? Steve says knowledge (maven) is power, but not without action. Steve will take a maverick over a mavin every time. 4:00 To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to be great at a lot of little things, not just a specialist at one thing.  5:40 How does an entrepreneur balance being an independent-thinking maverick with also being a team-player? 7:00 Steve says a founder building a team or raising capital must be flexible and open-minded. 11:15 - SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://www.securestartup.com) - Secure and easy way for startups to share documents with investors. 12:40 - Steve sold his company in 2017 with a 44x return on investment to his investors. He's had several other startups with successful exits prior and along the way. Prior, he worked for a Fortune 500 company at which he rose the ranks. 15:00 Steve has personally invested in over 120 early stage companies. Steve discusses the importance of 'diversified portfolio' approach to early stage angel investing.  18:30 Steve talks about what a 'syndicate lead' investor - and strongly recommends that approach to new investors. 20:30 New investors typically do not have exposure to enough opportunities (deals) to make a truly informed investment decision. Plugging into an existing funnel and co-investing alongside syndicate leads is the best strategy 23:05 Steve says that it typically takes 7-10 years before an early stage investor receives a return - and it's typically not until year 7 that a company hits the acceleration phase. 24:28 And when a company starts to accelerate, the founders are tempted to cash out. But if they stick with it, the win to both them and their investors can be much larger. 26:55 Investors that understand and accept the long game are more relaxed, which is good for their co-investors and the entrepreneur. 27:40 Years 3-4 are often gut-check years, for the founders and for the investors - can we be patient and get to the acceleration phase? 29:20 Why tolerate the long game as an investor - because of the big home runs that can happen. But you need a portfolio, you don't know which one(s) will breakout and which ones will fail. 31:00 MacDonald Ventures: Steve discusses his new investment company and mission to find the world's next phenomenal tech companies. The 5 attributes looking for in a founder: Realistic, Humility, Traction, Preparation, and Commitment. 33:00 Realistic - when a founder is unrealistic (on many things including valuation), it hurts their opportunity within the investment community - because investors talk.  37:55 First-time founders don't always know how to 'set themselves up for success'. 38:50 Why is humility important in a founder and how does it manifest? 40:40 What should founders think when they are being passed on for funding? 46:25 How much traction is needed to attract a professional investor? 50:33 Steve talks about how CEOs need to be focused on asking the right questions and setting the right metrics. 52:20 No matter how great the product, business, or team - you cannot be unprepared for an investor meeting. 56:05 Steve talks about the importance of commitment and perseverance - this is probably number one of all attributes. 56:18 Steve says being an entrepreneur is like "getting in the ring with Mike Tyson every day for 10 years." 59:05 Steve talks about how he was not raised in wealth, just the opposite, and had no investor connections when he started. He describes how he did it - and it wasn't asking people for money, and he was able to raise $5 million dollars. 1:03:26 Courting investors is a relationship building process and you shouldn't behave as though you expect a check in the first meeting. 1:04:45 How to use the cascading 'herd mentality' approach to raising money. 1:10:10 The kind of businesses that MacDonald Ventures will typically be interested - business process automation will always be high on the list. 1:12:35 Steve explains why consumer product companies find it so hard to gain investment - and the Twitter origin story that few know. 1:16:26 Parting message from Steve - we are in difficult economic times right now but this is when great companies and great entrepreneurs shine through with perseverance and creativity.   Plan Your Start: https://www.planyourstart.com Another interview w/ Steve: https://bit.ly/3jgu5Jn

Christy Brown, a three-time exited founder and now investor, mentor, and advisor to early stage companies, especially women and minority entrepreneurs. Hear about how Christy learned business acumen from her entrepreneur grandmother and tenacity from her mother, raising her and her sister solo while working. She goes on to excel at male-majority Georgia Tech and then a skillful run of working for big corporate, to startup founder, to acquisition, back to corporate, then back to startup founder - rinse and repeat 3 times. Now she is an investor, volunteers for the causes she cares about, and helps women and underserved founders navigate the waters of early stage business and capital-raising. 1:50 Discussion on how first-time founders don’t always understand the long game needed to raise capital, months or years of relationship building before a check is written. 2:30 Staying in touch with potential investors is critical. Christy says getting monthly updates from companies is what she values the most. 4:00 Discussion on what it says about a founder that takes the time to send out monthly updates to current and potential investors. 5:30 If a potential investor has a great feeling about you and what you’re doing, they are likely to introduce you to someone (else) that could invest. The founders that know how to communicate effectively are the ones that win. 7:00 How many mentors does an entrepreneur need? If you are growing as a company, it would be normal that you outgrow your mentors along the way and need new mentors as you grow. 11:50 SPONSOR: Executive Launch (https://www.execlaunch.com) – from corporate executive to startup founder. 13:00 Christy’s bio: President Launchpad2x, advisor to Tone Networks, venture partner w/ Republic crowdfunding, mentor with TechStars, board member with Venture Atlanta Conference, Board Ambassador with American Cancer Society, former chairperson of C5 Georgia for teens, and advisor to several other non-profit and social cause organizations. 14:05 Christy is in the 3X club having built and sold 3 companies a.k.a ‘exits’ that provided her financial gains that each time enabled her to recharge for another run. 15:00 She lived a playbook of going from corporate to startup, back to corporate, then startup again. This is a winning strategy for exits and acquisition. 18:05 Allen & Christy talk about how they both struggle to watch Shark Tank the TV show 22:10 Christy talks about the influence of her grandmother and mother. Her grandmother was one of the first women entrepreneurs in the Atlanta area. Working mother of 4, amazing storyteller, stood in the boardroom with men, didn’t take no for an answer. 25:35 Christy talks about the influence of her mother. She demonstrated work ethic, tenacity, and competitiveness. 27:40 At 7 years old, Christy got her first computer, a Commodore 64 and started programming. 29:35 She didn’t realize she was unique as a young girl that liked science, complicated math, and computers. 31:40 Christy wanted to be a fashion designer, wanted to study textile/fiber engineering at Georgia Tech. An internship with telecom giant WorldCom steered her to electrical & computer engineering. 34:20 Christy talks about often being one of the few girls in class at Georgia Tech and the challenges. 37:10 Her first job after graduation at WorldCom, what she learned from their massive bankruptcy. 39:10 Then her first startup, a web development and e-commerce company. Just one starting client and no money. Later cashed out to her partner and took a year off, competed in several triathlons around the world, contemplated what to do next. 45:30 Recruited to open an Atlanta office for a large staffing/recruiting company. Financially exited later to open her own firm – which was then acquired a few years later by a large company. 50:00 Able to financially exit again and recruited to be a senior executive with ADP. After four plus years, left to start investing and create another startup. 54:40 Began dedicating more time to helping women entrepreneurs and executives – the ‘broken rung’ problem. 57:00 Christy describes the challenges for female founders and founders of color. 1:04:20 Discussion on the unique psychological challenges of women and minority founders – and the dramatically disproportionate lack of investment. 1:06:50 Studies show that women founders outperform male founders in investor ROI. So why are women severely under-represented on both sides of the table? 1:09:50 Founder confidence isn’t the only issue, it’s often allowing for the founder’s ‘authentic self’ to shine through. 1:13:10 Final thoughts from Christy on how anyone can be an entrepreneur if they set their mind to it. It’s similar to endurance running and triathlons. Not everyone can be a competitive sprinter, but nearly everyone can be a competitive endurance runner or triathlete if they commit. Christy's LinkedIn Page: https://bit.ly/3egZ4RX Allen's Website: https://www.planyourstart.com

Janel Laravie is the Founder & CEO of Chacka Marketing. She turned a side hustle into a multi-million dollar, award-winning digital marketing agency - but not easy and not overnight. Tune-in to find out what Chacka means and how Janel rose from a small rural town in West Virginia to corporate VP - then leaving it all to launch a startup from her spare bedroom with only 3 months of savings. She talks about the advantages of starting a business in a down economy and her keys to success and growth. SPONSOR: Secure Startup (https://www.securestartup.com) - securely managing the important documents between startup founders and investors. 00:43 The Tampa Bay entrepreneurship community is so supportive - no one says no! 02:23 Is it ok to move the goal post? 05:36 Part of being successful is setting outrageous, audacious goals, even ones that people say you’re crazy. If you see that the goal you set is one you no longer want, pivot and change the goal. 07:30 Janel says maybe her favorite thing about business ownership is creating jobs - but that comes with responsibility. She’ll never forget when an employee asked her for paystubs when applying for a mortgage (gulp!). 09:00 It’s ok to be uncertain about what your next goal is. ...sometimes it’s just about survival. 12:54 She had an investor offer early, but then realized she only needed startup money to cover her salary for several months and a cushion. She needed the money, it was scary, but she said no. 15:33 Janel grew up in West Virginia, in a one traffic-light town. She acquired grit and determination. Allen and Janel have a lot in common growing up in a small rural town. 18:50 Started gymnastics as a kid, 1984 Olympics, she watched Mary Lou Retton who was also from West Virginia. It inspired her. Later, she realized gymnastics is one of the few sports that teaches you both individual and team achievement. 21:52 Went to West Virginia University. Her father, whom she was very close, passed away in her senior year. He had a strong work ethic, a strong moral compass, and a big impact on her life and character. 24:42 Janel was an English major who wanted to be a writer - still writes today, blogs, etc. 25:47 Her first job in college was at Outback Steakhouse. Most important lesson - how to deal with people, and the demands of multiple people at once. 29:18 Allen asks - “Why dig into the early life of an entrepreneur?" How did they get there, where did they start, what were the challenges? Helps aspiring or struggling early entrepreneurs see themselves in a successful entrepreneur. 31:02 Had a job at a car rental company, thought she was getting promoted but found out her boss told upper management (falsely) that she wasn’t interested. She quit immediately. 33:15 If you hold your employees back, you will lose them! 33:30 She started coaching gymnastics and bartending. A restaurant customer gave her her first marketing job. Allen’s dad liked to say - “You have to work hard to get lucky!” 34:30 Today: Chacka Marketing - 26 employees, 11 years in business, multiple awards. Major national clients - Experian, Shutterfly, Harvard Business Review, and more. 36:36 Most meaningful award to Janel: Awards for Best Place to Work - Ad Age Magazine (biggest of the industry), 2019, Ranked #1. 38:18 Chacka - Hawaiian surfer lingo for “better than gnarly”. 39:45 Before Chaka - VP of Marketing in a company going through bankruptcy. Started side work that led to Chacka. In our current economic climate, a side hustle can be smart, and could turn into more. But keep fairness in mind for your main employer. 43:05 Her first big new account closed only after she made the leap full-time. When you take the big leap, people respond (family, friends, even clients). 45:45 She had gotten married just 1 week before quitting to start. They even gave her a generous offer to stay, including equity - she passed. 47:55 Started out of a spare bedroom, cashed out her 401(k), had 3 months runway. 51:16 The 'unintended entrepreneur’ - Wasn’t the plan, just saw as she was rising the ranks that she could sell, lead, and get the work done herself. 52:26 Someone asked her where do you see yourself in 10 years, she said “doing this for myself”. He challenged her on timing - “do you think you’ll have the chance in 10 years?” 54:29 She was at a point where she had the capability, but needed the opportunity. Allen calls this the ‘Quit Zone’ in his book, where capability meets opportunity. Build up your capability so when the opportunity comes, you’re ready. 55:25 Janel started Chacka in a down economy. Why is a down economy a good time to start a company? 1:00:40 Your greatest asset will always be your people. Attracting talent and holding them together is an underrated skill of the entrepreneur. 1:03:30 Key: Take care of your people and don’t be afraid to move your goal post! 1:03:55 Thank you and closing Chacka Marketing: https://www.chackamarketing.com Allen's website: https://www.planyourstart.com

My guest this week is Dr. Tylisha Johnson. How does one escape being a statistic - born to a teenage mother and an absent father, getting a college degree the long route, then a masters, then a doctorate. Hear how she experienced the loss of her 11 year old son to leukemia and didn't want to carry on, then pulled through and persevered. And finally how she left corporate and academia to start her own consultancy that helps businesses and non-profits reach their fullest potential. 3:10 Dr. Ty never meets a stranger, she loves people immediately. 4:00 Dr. Ty (Tylisha) started her own consulting business over 4 years ago and loves being a solopreneur. Prior to that she had a corporate and education career. But being a solopreneur has it’s challenges and it takes a special type of person – you actually work harder than any job you had prior. 6:10 How big does your WHY need to be? If it’s not strong enough, you won’t last long enough. External motivating factors don’t work long term, there must be strong internal motivating factors - and doing something bigger than yourself, with a desire to help others. 9:20 The strength of your WHY is tied to your ability to not give up. 10:50 On May 18, 2011, Tylisha lost her 11 year old son to Leukemia. She didn’t want to live anymore or carry on. But an inner voice told her ‘do not quit’. 13:15 From that point she decided her life would be an ‘excuse free zone’. There’s nothing that you cannot overcome. 15:55 SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) – going from corporate executive to start-up founder. 17:30 Tylisha is from Dover, Delaware. Born to a teenage mother and a grandmother that helped raise her. Her grandmother was very strict, gave her lots of chores – and her mother had a very hard manual job and would take Tylisha to work with her – Tylisha realized she didn’t want that life, motivated to get her education. 24:10 A key turning point was when she was sent to the principal’s office but the principal believed in her, that she was special, and told her she could be anything she wanted to be. 28:30 She always wanted to be a teacher since a child – so she majored in Business Education. Went on to get her MBA and her Doctorate of Business Administration. 32:15 She took a business class in high school that sparked her interest. She participated in Business Professionals of America (BPA) - won at the state level and then to nationals. 35:00 Not having a relationship with her biological father was painful but it drove her to succeed and prove herself. 37:00 Successful entrepreneurs often have something traumatic in their childhood and something they are still driving to overcome. 39:30 Was with her ex-husband from the age of 14 to 40. Divorce at age of 40 was just another challenge to overcome. 42:20 She didn’t immediately go to college from high school, went back to college as a young mother. 43:20 Too much TV is ‘tell’ ‘a’ ‘vision’ – when you need to be working on ‘your vision’! 46:00 Minority women have extra challenges – have to work that much harder. It’s hard enough for women generally, it’s that much harder for women of color. 47:30 Black lives matter is not at the expense of all lives matter. Can we talk about what we’re talking about? 49:50 Pushing past your own negative thoughts is critical in entrepreneurship, especially solopreneurship. Fears and doubts are color-blind. 51:20 On race, we’ve made great progress but can we make more progress from here? It’s really just about being human. Can you simply respect me for being human, with feelings? Can we agree we’re all part of the human race? 53:45 Sometimes racism is part of a ‘lens’ and discrimination and bias isn’t always conscience. And we aren’t born with racism, it’s learned. 58:00 If there’s no opportunity available, create one. If there’s no door for you to walk through, create one. If you weren’t invited to the table, create your own table – and invite others to join you. You have talents, intelligence, and gifts you were born with. You can do anything you want to and no one can take that away. 58:55 Missed opportunities come back around, sometimes better. Life is a series of opportunities, setbacks, opportunities, setbacks, on and on. 01:00:25 Dr. Ty loves the beach, here’s why. 01:03:35 Dr. Ty’s consulting company is called Transcending Horizons and the logo is an eagle flying high. And the limit that we see in the horizon is not the true limit. 01:06:10 She did her dissertation on how non-profits thrived during the last recession and now helps non-profits optimize and identify their unique differentiator. 01:11:40 Her method is called S.O.A.R. which stands for Sight, Opportunities, Activating, and Risk-Taking. 01:15:40 This is the time for innovation and risk-taking - what are you not just good at, what are you great at? Dr. Tylisha Johnson's website: http://www.transcendinghorizonsent.com Allen's website: http://www.planyourstart.com SPONSOR: Executive Launch: http://www.execlaunch.com

We're back with episode guest Marcus Howard. Hear about what it feels like to be in a startup pitch competition and cause a double-take when you're not part of the wait staff - and then win that competition. Then years and countless investor meetings without investment - in a hot market like gaming and esports. Marcus talks about the challenges of being a black male startup founder trying to raise venture/angel capital and the rarely discussed issues of race in gaming and esports. 01:05 Introduction, husband, father of two, full-stack, full-time developer for Gerdau Steel. Side projects and startups include, many with his identical twin brother Malcolm - ProjectMQ, IdeaGist, Blockchain Game Alliance, GameCredits, and TAG. 03:48 Why should corporate support employee-preneurship? Gerdau Steel is a great example of how this can benefit the company while also supporting the employee’s entrepreneurial spirit. 06:35 What is the difference between employee-preneurship and intra-preneurship? 08:35 Allen talks about his own departure from a large company to pursue a startup and how the CEO personally supported him before and after. 12:10 SPONSOR: SecureStartup (https://www.securestartup.com) - Securely managing the important documents between startup founders and investors. 13:04 Marcus talks about how he and his brother went to Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA, studying Information Technology (Malcolm, Computer Science). Allen’s grandmother lived in Statesboro so he spent time there as a kid, has family there today. 15:35 Marcus talks about how he and his brother were obsessed with gaming since childhood. During college he and his brother did everything together, lived together, same job, same fraternity. 16:57 Marcus’ uncle marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his grandmother’s house was firebombed - the fire department didn’t immediately come. 17:32 Marcus grew up in the Atlanta area, in a mostly all-black neighborhood then later moved to a mostly all-white neighborhood. He and his brother were in accelerated academic school programs and were picked on for being ‘smart’. 23:07 Marcus and his brother once took a week off to beat the game Halo 2. 25:12 Is our brain muscle being strengthened through gaming to prepare us for competing with computers in the future, i.e. artificial intelligence? 26:27 Marcus says he learned more about business in gaming than he ever learned in college. Decision-making, solving complex problems, and working together multi-player. 27:20 Esport athletes show the same degree of brain engagement and stress levels as physical sports players. 30:35 Marcus talks about ‘trash talk’ in online gaming that goes too far (racial and sexist slurs, with anonymity) and the lack of diversity in the industry executive ranks. 35:15 Gaming industry executives are overwhelmingly white males. Only 2% of the professional players are black, 12% of our population is black, but 20% of the esport fans are black. And that’s before you add-in brown players and fans. All together at least 40% of players and fans are brown or black. 39:23 After trying to raise investor capital for 7 years and only raising a ridiculous $5k, Marcus says he stopped being filtered on the topic - outspoken, but with respect. 40:19 Marcus and Allen talk about how women led startups seem to be making progress but black male founders it’s not so clear. 44:37 We talk about how we don’t think investors are inherently racist or sexist but we do think that investing in people that look like you (and maybe a younger version of yourself) feels safer and easier to assess, more comfortable and familiar. 48:05 The data says that women and minorities produce better results - and investors should understand that minorities approach and solve problems differently, and can open bigger doors on a worldwide scale. 49:30 Diverse teams can better deliver value to a diverse customer base. 50:10 Investors should see that the future is very diverse so betting on diversity is smart. 51:15 It’s interesting that investors are committed to diverse portfolios (varied types of companies and sectors) but not yet to diverse teams and founders. 54:20 Race aside, Marcus and Allen touch on ‘success bias’ and the mental game of entrepreneurship - and that everyone in entrepreneurship is struggling more than they are letting on. Marcus is committed to transparency on this. 57:15 Where is Marcus in 5 years? He’d like to have a financial exit and then start a fund for gaming, esports, and indie games. 59:00 And there’s another issue with minorities and gaming - it’s that serious gaming requires about $3k in PC hardware to really compete. That is beyond the realm for most low income families. 1:09:30 Closing - the Tampa Bay community is lucky to have Marcus as a tech leader and advocate for esports, gaming, diversity, and change. Marcus on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3i0vW4t Allen's book: https://www.quittostart.com

Steve Fiske is co-founder of first-to-market residential keyless entry technology company UniKey (Shark Tank Season 3) and now co-founder of iApartments (www.iapts.com), smart home technology for multi-family residence communities. On this episode we talk about Steve's rise from computer/art nerd to being burned out and maxed out financially before breaking through with UniKey. He talks about the lead-up to and post Shark Tank, but before that, the struggles - and the importance of personal and team determination to the vision and mission, for ultimate success. 03:38 What to let in, what to keep out - stick with your gut, when you let too much in, you lose track of your vision and mission. 08:00 Learn to say no. Often it’s hard to say no to power (investors) or authority (mentors). 11:27 Just because an investor has been successful in the past doesn’t mean their ideas or advice are necessarily applicable to you or your venture. 13:42 SPONSOR - SecureStartup (www.securestartup.com) - securely manage all of the documents between a startup and investors. 15:35 As a kid Steve was into art and computers. Built his first Linux box at 12, built his first website at 12. Also played soccer and ran cross-country. 18:30 - Went to UCF to study computer science but switched to computer animation, got a Bachelors of Fine Arts. Worked three jobs to pay for school. 21:38 - First job - design work for a defense company then shortly after moved to a biometrics company in Orlando. 24:50 - First company - created an IoT (Internet of Things) platform - bringing “dumb” pieces of hardware online. Had a proven team, investors lined up...then the economy crashed. 31:25 - Started UniKey with 2 partners in 2010, created a biometric lock with Bluetooth fingerprint swipe. 36:20 - Sketchy investor stories - had one case where investor said had to hire him to redo the business plan for $50k before his group will invest. Or, spent a lot of time with investors that wanted to talk and meet a lot - but would never write a check! 44:44 - Shark Tank - applied online, did a video pitch to present (also did a Kickstarter video that was rejected). Got accepted for the show, filmed the episode in Aug 2011. 49:50 - No guarantees that the show would even air and then had to wait several months after we filmed it - and since we were out of money, we had to go get jobs. 50:25 - On the show, it was the first time all 5 Sharks went in. It got down to two sharks (Cuban and O’Leary), worked on a deal for 3-4 months and ultimately we turned it down. 51:25 - Wasn’t sure it would even air and thought they’d edit/paint us in a bad light because we had turned down the deal, but they didn’t, and it ended up being the Season 3 finale - May 2012. 53:30 - Investors immediately lined up - over 1,000 investor emails. Actually had our selected investors fall through as we were waiting for the wire - but were able to go with a VC firm out of NYC. 56:00 - Finally quit our jobs to get started. 57:40 - You can’t overestimate how the perception (yes, perception) of a winner can change based on what people (and investors) see or hear - from industry/market/mainstream PR. 59:02 - Perception of investors kept changing depending on the prevailing winds. At first, it was bad to be a hardware company and they weren’t interested. Then Nest was sold for a billion dollars to Google - then they were interested and we look smart. But wait, you’re not fully a hardware company - now not interested. Fundamentals are not always the drivers for early stage investors. 1:00:56 - It was 8-10 years without a vacation. Venture capital backed companies take years to stand up and get going. Steve maxed out his credit cards twice, burning the candle at both ends. 1:04:30 Hard to have personal relationships (i.e. dating) with such limited time, money, and attention span. And paying down your credit card debts means you’re still cash limited. If you can find a spouse/partner that can do this with you, it’s as important as a co-founder. 1:05:38 - Venture capital backed companies are so much harder than you’d expect. It’s romantic, but a hard road, always fighting for survival - zero-sum game, if you don’t climb the mountain, you don’t win. Especially when disrupting a market or bringing something brand new to market 1:10:30 - iApartments - smart home, smart apartment platform ecosystem for multi-family housing. 1:16:35 After success, second and third time founders often make ‘bad picks’ on their subsequent ventures, plenty of theories on why this is. 1:16:52 - Steve, after leaving UniKey, had many opportunities. Got great advice from a mentor, “Sit on your hands, sit on your hands - and wait for the right one.” 1:19:20 The opportunity cost of moving on the wrong opportunity is very high - you are not available for the right opportunity when it comes. 1:20:46 - Closing and thank you. Is Steve more Iron Man or more Batman? iApartments - www.iapts.com Plan Your Start - www.planyourstart.com

In this episode we talk to Sheryl Hunter of Hunter Business Law - The Entrepreneur’s Law Firm. We opened with "Are Partnerships and Investors Like Marriages?" Then we step through Sheryl’s backstory from Georgetown Law to big corporate and ultimately starting her own firm dedicated to entrepreneurs. Among other topics, we talk about the biggest and most common legal setbacks and derails she sees with entrepreneurs, partners, and investors - and how to avoid them. SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder. 0:10 - Are partnership or investor breakups worse than marriage breakups? Sheryl says they definitely can be and we discuss how risky it can be going into business with a friend or family member. Just because you know someone well in a social setting doesn’t mean you know them well in a high pressure business setting. 4:42 - Check personalities - are you more likely to say ‘Let’s make our best guess and go!” or “Let’s not go until we know!”? People’s thought processes and work styles can vary dramatically and it isn’t clear until tested in business. Allen says ‘go camping’ with your prospective partner. 8:15 - Are you more likely to say “A penny saved is a penny earned” or “you have to spend money to make money”. And then there’s the ‘idea person’ and the ‘doer person’. 10:37 - SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - from corporate executive to startup founder. Sheryl reinforces the difference between corporate decision-making and startup decision-making. Example executive-to-founder: Salesforce, Peoplesoft, Zoom, etc. 16:15 - Grew up in Illinois & Indiana. Competitive golfer, tennis, skiing, named her daughter Aspen. George Washington U as undergrad - no attorneys in family, no plans to be an attorney. 18:25 - Internship at a state attorney's office - inspired to be an attorney to help people. Went back to DC and Georgetown Law. 21:06 - Joined large law firm, great firm. They did a lot of pro bono, she worked on the battered women's clemency project. But something didn’t square for Sheryl, that voice inside. 24:27 - Made move to a small specialty firm - Nursing Home Abuse Law Center, helping our most vulnerable. 25:47 - Allen’s book Quit to Start (www.quittostart.com) - Why would you leave a big secure job with a big firm? 26:54 - Then a big leap, started firm with a partner. Having worked at a large firm and then a small firm, gave her the foundation, and experiences needed. 29:22 - If you’re young and switching jobs every few years, use an extra lens to envision how you would do it as an entrepreneur yourself - perhaps you will one day. And develop your personal professional brand. 37:35 - Then Sheryl made the biggest leap to start her own firm that she runs today - Hunter Business Law (www.hunterbusinesslaw.com). Combining law and business, 360-degree business viewpoint with clients. Tiny office to start but was able to build her client base quickly, years of relationships and experience paid off. 49:20 - Building a profitable services company is a solid path, you are building something of value that you can sell one day if you choose. Building do-or-die tech products can often leave you with no value if not a home run. 51:53 - How did you find clients in a niche market? Existing relationships but also - gave talks, free content, entrepreneurs afternoon teas - being generous with time, volunteering. Can’t see how to have a 40 hour work week as an entrepreneur. 56:05 - Advice to founders with investors: transparency & over-communication. Investors can be helpful now but more importantly, later. 1:01:18 - Advice in partnerships. Control disputes - they can lock the gears of a business. Best to have a prenup agreement - and have an advisory board to help decision log-jams. 1:03:14 - The Money Man (non-operational investor partner) and The Worker Bee (non-monied operational partner) - important to keep the working partner motivated. If you’re doing well, increase rewards and possibly equity for the worker bee partner. Partner agreements: equity, control, & comp. 1:06:35 - When company is struggling, still need executive motivation. Investors are more likely to be fair and reasonable if you’ve been communicating. 1:11:58 - Key question to a business owner or starter - are you sure you need a partner? Collaboration is important, but do you need a business partner for that? 1:16:00 - Do you really need an investor? Many founders say they wish they hadn’t. You’ve worked hard to be your own boss - then you wake up and realize you have a boss, your investor(s). Look closely at the alternatives. 1:22:30 - Sheryl’s passion projects relate to women’s issues. GirlTalkShop - happy hour for women to talk business. GEMS (www.girlsgems.org) - Girls Empowered Mentally for Success. And, founder of Liberty Law Suites, co-working and accelerator for attorneys. Hunter Business Law: www.hunterbusinesslaw.com Quit to Start - The Book: www.quittostart.com

Ben Gordon is the co-founder of cabinets.com which was started with his partner on free Panera wi-fi and then ultimately $35M in revenues selling high-ticket custom kitchen cabinets online. Ben talks about walking away from the big corporate job to be a freelance solopreneur that lead to cabinets.com - and then his recent financial exit to pursue his next, even more ambitious startup. SPONSOR: SecureStartup (www.securestartup.com) - Secure and easy startup documents between founders and investors. 2:20 - Opening and how Ben got his nickname ‘The Ghost’ 3:05 - Bio and profile of Ben Gordon - co-founder and former CTO of Cabinets.com 5:12 - You left the company recently - why and how did you do it? 9:33 - How did you square your exit with the core values of the company? 10:00 - Note to young founders - if your startup becomes successful, you will one day likely want to leave and start a new challenge. 11:12 - SPONSOR: SecureStartup (www.securestartup.com) - securely manage all of the documents between a founder and an investor. 12:15 - About Allen’s book: QUIT TO START - How to Discover Your Best Idea, Gain the Confidence, and Plan Your Escape. www.quittostart.com 13:30 - This story starts with Ben doing freelance web design in the real estate industry. Then the economy tanked and all work dried up, he struggled to make ends meet. Decided to work without pay, for equity and performance compensation. Had nothing to lose, in his early 20’s and single - can’t get any worse, there’s nothing you can’t recover from. 18:03 - Quick note for today - now is the best time to create a startup - so many companies started in a recession. It can trigger the warrior spirit - an opening for only the bravest. 21:58 - One of Ben’s favorite mantras: productive paranoia 23:15 - Overwhelming number of now successful companies were started during a recession. 23:58 - Ben used emerging Magento web platform to build cabinets.com, rode that horse. Now is a good time to adopt new platforms, hitch your wagon to something smart, new, and lean. 26:35 - Ben is now using a new tech platform for his new startup. The energy flow from a new platform is invaluable. 29:02 - After leaving cabinets.com, took 3 months off to decide what to do next. Wants to take more risk than cabinets.com. Ben sees cabinets.com as a double (baseball analogy), doubles are great. Getting a double gives you the opportunity to take a bigger risk later, maybe a home run. First time founders want to swing for the fences. Getting on first base is really important - be careful to not swing past the customer, especially on your first startup. 32:30 - Ben grew up in Allentown, PA - started trading stocks in middle school, ran home each day to watch ESPN and CNBC - not motivated by the money, motivated by the game. 37:25 - Won $25K business competition at University of Florida - then internship at Raymond James Financial but it didn’t connect - valuable because it helped him decide corporate wasn’t right for him. Many don’t realize until too late, after climbing the corporate ladder for years/decades. 41:14 - Moved to South Florida, got freelance jobs, moved in with a close friend. Moved to Tampa a few years later with the booming housing market, just a few years before the crash. 44:08 - During the economy crash, he was fortunate to have friends and family who supported him. 46:55 - Had to pivot to commission and performance based comp - and cabinets.com was one of those. Met now partner who ran a custom cabinets retail showroom. Owners abruptly closed the business. Let’s start an online rendition. 48:40 - Partnership - both have entrepreneurial spirit, confidence in themselves and confidence in each other. Personalities fit together. 50:58 - They started the company - first meetings at Panera for the free Wi-Fi, UPS store next door was the business address. 53:50 - Began growing fast, secret sauce was paid traffic, AdWords for dummies, SEO, content rich products - competitors were doing it but they weren’t trustworthy websites, our first tagline was: “A website you can trust”. 55:41 - We were so excited about our first customers, what got them comfortable enough to make a five figure purchase online? 58:12 - Our industry was archaic, those are the best to disrupt. 59:27 - Average sale on the website $5-$7k, sometimes up to $60-$80k 1:00:34 - We originally had a different domain - kitchenresourcedirect.com, then bought cabinets.com - paid a lot of extra money to keep anyone from finding out how much we paid - let’s just say it was a lot.. 1:03:53 - In these current times, there is much uncertainty, - instead of updating your resume or waiting around, now is a great time to take that risk. This is a watershed moment, an entrepreneurial opportunity. 1:08:04 - Tech is a field leveler - you don’t need a fancy education or expensive equipment. Now is the time for many to make their move.

Many successful companies were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs - Google, Tesla, Chobani, eBay, Liz Claiborne, Yahoo, Capital One, Instagram, Kohl’s, and more. Today, one in four U.S. entrepreneurs are first generation immigrants. In this episode we talk with the founders of The Underdog Olga and Q about why immigrant entrepreneurs are often disproportionately more successful than others. SPONSORED BY: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - from corporate executive to startup founder. 2:30 All about The Underdog - two recovering communists 9:15 Where did the name ‘The Underdog’ come from? 15:50 Why would a scientist partner with such a bold marketer? 18:40 As partners, you need to like each other, get along, understand each other - and ideally a similar sense of humor! 20:20 The Blue Orange Agro-tech Accelerator (blueorangeaccelerator.com) 27:30 Olga’s story: Born and raised in Ukraine 29:05 To get the most valuable degrees, you had to have money - so she studied literature & linguistics 30:00 Became an English teacher and English translator or Ukranian businesspeople doing business with western countries - in a power position as interpreter, front-row seat to major business deals and presentations. She learned... 31:50 But she felt she could do more, bigger things. Went to Oxford, UK for business school. Then back to Kiev. 33:40 Moved to U.S. with husband, didn’t know anyone, decided to get MBA from University of Florida. Then investment banker in Miami but decided to not pursue, instead - created The Underdog. 37:40 Olga says that she is the ’Type A’ entrepreneur as described in Allen’s new book - Quit to Start - How to Discover Your Best idea, Gain the Confidence, and Plan Your Escape. 39:50 Immigrant entrepreneurs understand that they have to use their skills to excel - and that the U.S. market is the most competitive in the world. 41:40 Q’s background growing up in Romania. Frustrated that opportunities would not exist in Romania, chose to pursue PhD in chemistry at University of Florida - and Gainesville, FL was no Bucharest! 45:35 Moved to Pittsburgh. Carnegie-Mellon projects, then a startup as Chief Scientist. Then her own startup while working for others and consulting. 51:15 Olga explains how unfortunately typical it is in Eastern Europe for ambitious and talented people to not find opportunity at home. 52:10 Immigrant entrepreneurs (or immigrants with entrepreneurial mindset) are not afraid to take calculated risks. 53:55 There is always immense pressure with entrepreneurship - and immigrant entrepreneurs are used to that. 55:20 Immigrants know their 'why' - so they get on with the 'what'. 57:00 Olga prefers the athlete’s mentality - don't focus on the outcome, focus on everyday effort and good work - the outcome will take care of itself 58:15 Q says immigrant entrepreneurs have a high self-perceive-ability, understand their unique advantages, disadvantages. 59:00 There are different degrees of failure, what is the worst thing that can happen? This is how immigrant entrepreneurs think, assess and mitigate risk. 1:00:10 Weird to hear founders talk of first round funding from ‘friends and family’ - this is not available to most immigrant entrepreneurs. 1:01:55 Little to no advantages for the immigrant entrepreneur - hence The Underdog! 1:02:20 But having no outside money and few advantages can be very liberating! 1:03:25 Raised in Eastern Europe with very little so learned to be creative and no waste - it’s how you build your ‘creative muscle’. 1:05:20 The current COVID-19 will be a big test for company’s creativity and resourcefulness to survive. 1:06:25 Growing up in Eastern Europe, entrepreneurship was not a respectable profession and was discouraged by parents and friends. 1:09:20 The communist mindset was very deep and still very prevalent 1:10:05 Purposeful work was not a priority and self expression was discouraged. 1:12:20 At The Underdog, we always do our homework and research before we speak or recommend. We also have a similar view for aesthetics - and we have team chemistry. 1:13:30 At the Underdog, we have a scientific basis and many years of experience. And we are very good at helping international companies come to U.S. 1:15:30 Eastern Europeans are very direct and honest in their opinions. Sugar coating is not helpful. 1:17:15 We are confident as women partners and advisors because we put in the work, research, and preparation. Q says this is what immigrant entrepreneurs do. 1:18:20 Allen feels as though Olga and Q would be very strong and fight for what they believe or knew was right and correct. Q says that is absolutely correct and Olga says she is ultra-competitive and always has strategy in mind. 1:20:30 They like a challenge, they like ambiguity - that’s when they're at their best. 1:21:20 Olga asks about Allen’s projects 1:24:30 Q talks about their new side project that fits this new difficult economy. Thank you and close... https://theunderdog.solutions

Joe Hodges started his company with just $3,500, often slept in his office, and had incredible people help him get started. Then he built it up and sold it for millions 15 years later. Joe joins Allen on the podcast for this special Cinco de Mayo episode, tells his story, and gives inspiration and advice to all those aspiring and early entrepreneurs out there. Cervezas and laughter included. Hyperlinked minute-by-minute show notes below: SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - from corporate executive to startup founder. 0:50 Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! 1:10 We dance badly 2:30 Joe’s bio including knighted into the Order of Salvadore at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg - and on the board of the Tampa Bay Wave startup accelerator. 8:15 Our sponsor EXECUTIVE LAUNCH (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder. 10:50 Joe talks about reading Allen’s new book QUIT TO START - How to Discover Your Best Idea, Gain the Confidence, and Plan Your Escape (www.quittostart.com) 13:30 Joe’s story starts in Augusta, Georgia - a kid dishwasher in his first job. One of 8 kids, competitive environment. 17:05 Moved to Tampa Bay area, more dishwashing …and disco. But mostly, he liked to work, that was his thing. 18:55 Had a 1.42 grade point in high school and got kicked out twice. So it took two junior colleges to ultimately land at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. 19:40 Started selling and publishing a magazine in college and expanded it to other cities 21:00 Early sales jobs seems to always correlate strongly to future successful entrepreneurs 25:10 How to use a clipboard to open a bottle of beer 26:50 Aspiring entrepreneurs should find current entrepreneurs and watch what they do 27:30 Older entrepreneurs never lose the competitive urges 28:40 Personal trainer business in college - and got on a nationally syndicated aerobics TV show called Body Electric 31:06 A nursing home job - learned about the risk of overselling 34:50 Joined third party administrator for health plans, then went out on own with partner. 38:12 Broke up with partner, difference between getting along well and having business alignment. 41:15 Depressed, needed something - a friend helped 43:54 All about Joe’s current venture CareValet (www.carevalet.com) 46:15 People you meet mid-career and become partners later 47:05 Add people that can balance your weaknesses. Entrepreneurs struggle adding people and delegating, we're all control freaks and perfectionists. 49:39 Miracles can happen to those that are ready to receive 50:30 Assignment in Puerto Rico 51:29 Non-compete ended, started own company Inetico. $3,500 in pocket. Slept in the office. Had 30 days to get revenue going. Local restaurant owner gave him free meals every day. 54:55 A friend flight attendant donated his companion ticket with Southwest Airlines so Joe could get to clients around the U.S. 56:12 Allen calls Joe the ‘Hobo Entrepreneur’ 56:30 Generosity is so important in entrepreneurship - people helping struggling entrepreneurs. And generosity doesn’t have to be money, even more valuable when it's not money. 1:02:30 Sold the company for millions after 15 years, 60 employees - kept first client the entire 15 years 1:03:45 Clients are the most important - they believe in you, take a chance on you 1:04:36 Be authentic, be true to what you’re selling, be transparent 1:05:08 Get good at telling your story and talk to everyone about it 1:07:20 How Tony Robbins changed everything for Joe one day when he was depressed and lost in his career and purpose 1:09:30 Identify your fears, share and burden with someone you love 1:15:25 Meet and connect with interesting people 1:17:15 Swimming with sharks (literally) 1:22:00 Put yourself in difficult situations - and always celebrate accomplishments, with those you journeyed with 1:24:10 The biggest motivation and biggest reward in entrepreneurship not talked about enough 1:25:50 If you’re stuck, this is the best exercise

Conversation with Chris Adamo. Chris rose from store manager at CVS in NYC to executive at 1-800-Flowers as part of their rise from $500M to $1B. He then broke away to be a founding partner at Social Venture Partners Miami and become an investor in Epic Games, Acorns, Caribu, Binske, and currently an investor (alongside Jason Calacanis) at WhereBy.Us. In our interview we talk about the importance of knowing who you are, finding your purpose, increase your ‘helping curve’, and earn (and give!) more social capital to thrive in today’s world. SPONSORED BY: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder... Show Notes: 2:05 - Chris talks about why he has worn a Jams World Hawaiian shirt every single day since December 2016. 3:20 - Chris’ father lost his memory for several months and could only remember him by the colorful shirts. 8:10 - SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder. 10:45 - Chris describes WhereBy.Us (www.whereby.us) and how they help create not only custom digital, monetized newsletters but an online community around your product or service. 17:50 - Early success in baseball playing for the USA Junior Olympic Team. Then cut twice from team in high school, transferred to ultimately get college scholarship for baseball - then cut again. Had to leave baseball behind. 20:30 - CVS Manager job, Times Square NYC - learned the pains of working retail. Retail and food service are the two hardest jobs. 22:20 - Joined his first startup with a friend, it failed miserably. Then recruited to 1-800-Flowers. This company was more progressive than most people realize, i.e. the first to do customer service over social media; understood SEO before it was a thing. But after 8 years, needed something new. 25:30 - Wanted to move from NY to Miami, convinced 1-800-Flowers to let him work from home one day a week in NY. Then it was an easier sell to move to Miami and work completely remote. 28:10 - Left his six figures job w/ 1-800-Flowers to a startup where he failed quickly. Took the chance but learned a lot about digital media/marketing. 29:05 - Allen talks about his recently published book “Quit To Start” (www.quittostart.com) on this subject - invites Chris to come back for his 'Quit Stories' podcast later this year. 29:50 - Went to North Carolina to do some re-thinking of his career and purpose, 'walked the woods'. What do I want to do - I want to build community. Back to Miami... 31:00 - When Chris was looking for his next gig - he went to lunch with someone new every day. (Spoiler alert: this was how he found the right job and culture) 31:45 - Chris invested in the company with all his personal savings. The importance of owning equity in a company you work for. 35:00 - Looking back, grew miserable in every job where his purpose and potential were not realized. These were scary freak-outs that had ripple effects across his life and relationships. 35:40 - Career decisions become much easier/clearer when you know your “why”. 38:45 - “Stop caring what people think about you, and be your authentic self” 39:20 - Moved away from the 'small town' in your brain to the larger universe of people, ideas, and possibilities that Internet gives us. 40:25 - Chris’ advice to people that lost their job, or are stuck in their job: Double down on your time outside of your day job and increase your social capital. Utilize your extra time to build on your skillset, interests, learn and grow your network. 42:50 - This is the best time to volunteer your time - offer to help someone (that you want to connect with or learn from or work for) for FREE. 45:00 - Very few follow up, but the ones that do, thrive. Be the person that follows up. 46:00 - Chris’s advice to startups in today’s economy: Take care of your team, conserve cash, re-evaluate your business and look for long term business opportunities that address the new struggles of today's/tomorrow's world. What can you capitalize on in the short term that will become an asset in the long-term. 48:30 - Some companies only have 6 months of money in the bank - focus, pick one or very few things to accomplish that will serve both your short and long term. 49:05 - Double down on your relationships with people - who do you want to work with in the long-term. And if you have investors and advisors, over-communicate with them, you may need them again later. 50:50 - Set specific tangible milestones right now. We use six week sprints. 52:05 - Chris wraps up by discussing how WhereBy.Us helps businesses and brands distribute content and add value to their customers. Sign up for the waiting list and you'll talk directly to Chris! https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamochris/ https://www.whereby.us/waitlist

The mother-daughter founders of Dallas-based specialty home decor retail shop 'Coco & Dash' share their story of starting and building their business together, how they nearly broke apart with contrasting personalities and contrasting work styles, and how they made one major move to save their relationship and the business. From there it has been climbing revenues and multiple awards for design and business. Coco and Dash, a mother-daughter business and life success story. www.cocoanddash.com | Instagram @cocoanddash SPONSORED BY: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder... 1:30 - Introduction and welcome to the show 3:12 - Teddie & Courtney describe Coco & Dash, the store and what it’s all about 6:50 - SPONSOR: Executive Launch (www.execlaunch.com) - From corporate executive to startup founder... 9:30 - Courtney talks about her career background and how one simple conversation with her mother on a mother-daughter trip led to the creation of the Coco & Dash. 15:00 - Teddie talks about her background and how sitting by the pool retired (she tried it) wasn’t going to work for her. 22:10 - The importance of a plan and why you can’t launch a business based simply on your passion and interest. 23:30 - How we spent a full year planning and preparing before we opened the doors. 25:40 - How we stayed true to ourselves and our vision - and how we were scratching our own itch. 30:00 - When and why did things start going wrong? And how did ‘trying to have a life’ start to become a problem? 37:20 - How different work habits and different work styles between partners became a big problem - and what’s important can be situational and very different between partners. 39:10 - Who is doing what? Stepping on each other, dropping balls. And how it became uncomfortable and confrontational just being in the shop at the same time. 41:50 - Hitting the lowest point in the relationship. 44:20 - Teddie’s career was in conflict resolution, crisis management, and negotiation skills - but couldn’t resolve this for herself. Courtney was a professional counselor in her career, and also couldn’t resolve this. 46:20 - Teddie says ‘I was ok losing a business, I was not ok losing a daughter’. 52:30 - The breaking point, some harsh words - and then off to couples counseling. 55:00 - With counseling, things improved immediately. And we realized we needed to have clear roles and responsibilities in the business. 59:20 - We also needed to understand how the other person communicates and thinks and views situations - often not what it seems. 1:03:25 - We all have ‘tapes in our head’ that affect how we hear and interpret what other people say to us - often driven by our own insecurities or assumptions. 1:06:35 - Now we don’t let our relationship slide, we ‘check in’ and Teddie’s favorite quote from counseling is “clear is kind, kind is clear.” 1:08:20 - Final advice for going into business with a close friend/family member - follow your passion but it will be harder than you expect. And starting a business is the easy part, keeping it going and growing is the hard part. And step back once a year, meet, reassess, set new goals and measure old ones. 1:11:30 - What’s Courtney’s biggest pet peeve with her mom? What’s Teddie’s biggest pet peeve with Courtney? 1:13:40 - We are more committed than ever and energized having gone through almost losing the business, or worse, each other. 1:14:40 - Looking back, how important that difficult period was and how it came just as better and bigger things were possible - it’s always darkest just before dawn. 1:17:15 - Don’t make Allen cry on his own show 1:17:55 - Wrap up and how to contact Courtney or Teddie - and finally, Courtney leaves us with the favorite quote from her mom, still taped to her vanity at home, “Failure isn’t falling down, it’s staying down”.