CEO Sit Downs

On today’s show, I interview the CEO and Co-Founder of Hallow, Alex Jones. Hallow is a Catholic startup focused on prayer, meditation, music, sacred scripture, and sleep. The app launched just over three and a half years ago, but has grown rapidly and just crossed one billion minutes prayed, 3 million downloads, 100 million prayers prayed, 100,000 five-star reviews, and is the #1 Catholic app in the world.HERE’s the RUNDOWN… 1:40 – How Hallow got started 8:45 – Prayer + technology 13:45 – The growth of Hallow’s content library 23:15 – Hallow’s most popular offering 29:50 – The importance of co-founders in Hallow’s creation 33:00 – Is the app only for Catholics? 35:30 – How Alex manages his time 40:35 – Alex’s thoughts on the success of faith-based projects in the last several years 45:30 – How does Alex stay grounded in his own faith 48:00 – How Hallow cultivates partnerships 50:50 – Alex’s view of entrepreneurship as a CatholicLINKS… Alex’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexathallow Alex’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-jones-59489a49/ Hallow: https://hallow.com

HERE’s the RUNDOWN… 6:35 – Why Adam was drawn to food at a young age 12:00 – What compelled Adam to innovate around coffee, chocolate, and peanut butter 18:30 – How Adam is allocating Voyage’s proceeds from their latest funding round 21:40 – Where the name ‘Voyage Foods’ came from 30:45 – What famous inventor has inspired Adam the most 34:20 – Adam’s experience of fundraising money 47:50 – Innovations that stand to change food as we know it today 52:20 – The most misunderstood aspect of the food universeLINKS & BOOKS: Adam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-maxwell-98966585/ Voyage Foods’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/voyage-foods/ Voyage Foods: https://www.voyagefoods.com The Physiology of Taste: Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy: https://a.co/d/iL2kTTB Hey: https://www.hey.com

HERE’s the RUNDOWN… 2:00 – Trey’s start in the music industry 6:40 – How Trey got connected with Lady A 8:50 – How Trey got interested in investing 13:00 – Trey’s start in brewing Kombucha 14:00 – Trey’s chance encounter with Warren Buffett 18:00 – How Trey stumbled upon TIP 31:00 – When Trey realized Better Booch could be something 34:00 – Trey’s thoughts on capital allocation 43:00 – How Trey makes decisions 48:30 – Trey’s favorite guest on We Study BillionairesLINKS & BOOKS: Trey’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/TreyLockerbie Trey’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-lockerbie-18353ab7/ Better Booch: https://betterbooch.com The Investor’s Podcast: https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com The Intelligent Investor: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-intelligent-investor-by-benjamin-graham/248388/#isbn=0060555661

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 2:30 – Why E.J. got into health care 9:30 – How E.J. balances the medical vs. managerial aspects of the job 11:40 – Current healthcare trends across the United States 17:30 – CHI’s relationships with insurance companies 21:00 – How E.J. assembles his team in a new organization 29:50 – E.J.'s favorite leadership books 41:00 –E.J.'s Top 5 Clifton Strengths 44:30 – What positive results were brought on by COVID 47:10 – How CHI’s addressing their staffing issues 49:40 – How CHI is different from other health care providersBOOKS & LINKS… CHI Health: https://www.chihealth.com First, Break All the Rules: https://www.amazon.com/First-Break-All-Rules-Differently/dp/1531865208 Now, Discover Your Strengths: https://www.amazon.com/Discover-Your-Strengths-Marcus-Buckingham/dp/0743201140Many thanks to my friend, Dr. Dan DeFreece, for connecting E.J. and me. Without Dan this conversation wouldn’t have happened. Dan - you're the man! Thank you.

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 4:15 – What exactly is bitcoin mining? 13:00 – Why Titan focuses on pools for bitcoin miners rather than mining itself? 14:45 – What is a mining pool? 30:30 – Ryan’s favorite product with the best user experience 33:20 – Ryan’s thought on the fall of FTX 49:10 – Ryan’s view of the bitcoin bear market 54:00 – The danger of centralization within bitcoin mining poolsLINKS… Ryan’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryankcondron Titan: https://titan.io Fidelity’s Report on Bitcoin: www.fidelitydigitalassets.com/sites/default/files/documents/bitcoin-first.pdf Bobby Lee’s Ballet Wallet: https://www.ballet.com

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 1:30 – Tony’s extensive background 6:40 – What are the characteristics of a good tax commissioner? 9:40 – Tony’s experience with his early internet start-ups 18:00 – Tony’s entry into politics 34:30 – The genesis of Guardian Angels Homecare 45:15 – Tony’s thoughts on Nebraska’s property taxes 51:00 – Nebraska’s refundable income tax creditLINKS… Tony’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonyfulton Guardian Angels: https://www.guardianangelsnebraska.com Recent article discussing Tony’s resignation as Nebraska’s Tax Commissioner: https://journalstar.com/news/tonyfulton Exodus: www.exodus90.comMany thanks to Tony’s son – and my friend – Bede Fulton for his help in making this interview come to fruition!

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 6:25 – How has BCom Solutions grown in the past 10 years? 14:45 – The challenges of being both the owner and the CEO 24:00 – Brent’s take on economic booms and busts 33:30 – How political campaigns are like startups 35:40 – Brent’s love of political strategy 42:30 – Brent’s takeaways from meeting Pres. Obama & Pres. Biden 47:00 – Brent’s passion for rural America + Rural Impact HubLINKS… BCom Solutions: https://bcom.solutions Rural Impact Hub: https://ruralimpacthub.com Brent’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/brentcomstock BCom’s Recognition from Inc. Magazine: https://bcom.solutions/inc-5000-midwest/ Brent’s Recognition from Forbes: https://bcom.solutions/next-1000/ Exodus 90: www.exodus90.com

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 2:20 – How Ben got into making wine 13:40 – How Ben prices his wine 23:30 – Why farmers’ markets are Ben’s key to success 33:30 - How Ben furthers Bitcoin adoption through his business 43:00 – How Ben incorporates Bitcoin into his payment processing 46:45 – What set the natural wine making process apart?LINKS Peony Lane Wine: peonylanewine.com PLW’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/peonylanewine/ Ben’s Twitter: www.twitter.com/BJusty1 IBexPay: https://www.ibexpay.io Oshi: https://www.oshi.tech

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 4:10 – Where did the name of ‘37signals’ come from? 6:30 – Jason’s philosophy of work 16:10 – Jason’s love of architecture 29:20 – What Jason has learned from his relationship with Jeff Bezos 32:10 – Jason’s thoughts on Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger 39:45 – Jason’s thoughts on Big Tech 44:50 – What Jason thinks about Elon’s takeover of TwitterLINKS & BOOKS Jason’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jasonfried Jason’s Blog: https://world.hey.com/jason 37signals: https://37signals.com Basecamp: https://basecamp.com Hey: https://www.hey.com Rework: https://a.co/d/eEiGET6 It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work: https://a.co/d/5OCbtNb Several Short Sentences About Writing: https://a.co/d/2EWyHN0 Frank Llyod Wright’s Taliesin: https://www.taliesinpreservation.org

Hey all! Hope you had a great thanksgiving weekend!On today's show, I sit down with Nathan Murray, CEO of Murray Marketing Services, LLC. During our hour together, Nathan teaches me everything I ever wanted to know about Google and Facebook ads, the cost of clicks, digital marketing, and much more! You won't want to miss it!HERE's the RUNDOWN... 4:35 – Nathan’s first exposure to Google ads 10:30 – Initial steps of working with a new client 15:15 – The difference between Facebook ads and Google ads 32:50 – How much does a click cost? 40:15 – What is SEO? 46:20 – Current marketing trends 50:10 – Is TikTok an effective tool to promote long-form podcasts?LINKS Murray Marketing Services Website: https://www.murraymarketingservices.com/ Google's Fundamentals of Marketing Course: https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/course/digital-marketing MailBrew: www.mailbrew.com

Hey everyone! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! I hope you all find an  opportunity to spend time with your families this holiday weekend. And what better way to spend time with your family than with a cup of Scooter's coffee in hand?On today's show, I sit down with the CEO of Scooter's Cofee, Todd Graeve.  In this episode, we discuss Scooter's business model, their franchises, and much more. If you're a lover of all things coffee-related, you won't want to miss this conversation.HERE's the RUNDOWN... 1:30 – Todd’s career path and his start with Scooter’s 5:05 – Just how big is Scooter’s? 10:15 – Scooter’s business model and competitive advantage 16:30 – Scooter’s franchises 23:30 – Scooter’s loyal customers 27:30 – Todd’s greatest moment of uncertainty during COVID-19 30:35 – Todd’s proudest accomplishment as CEO 34:10 – Scooter’s founders: Don & Linda EcklesLINKS Scooter’s: www.scooterscoffee.com TED Talk on Grit: https://youtu.be/H14bBuluwB8 MailBrew: www.mailbrew.com

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 8:50 – JP’s reaction to the recent bankruptcy of FTX 13:00 – JP’s thoughts on the future regulations of digital assets 21:10 – The founding of Exodus 31:10 – JP’s thoughts on the future on the crypto industry 37:00 – Exodus’s tokenized stock offering 45:05 – JP’s return to the Catholic faithLINKS JP’s Exodus: www.exodus.com JP’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jprichardson John’s Exodus: www.exodus90.com

HERE'S THE RUNDOWN... 12:00 – Selling their first rosaries 17:40 – Mari’s initial impression of Nebraskans 22:50 – When they realized their passion was a business 25:10 – The grind of starting a business 29:10 – Trey and Mari’s husband-and-wife dynamic 44:50 – Favorite Catholic PersonalitiesLINKS WCC’s website: www.westcoastcatholic.co WCC’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/westcoastcatholic WCC’s Shop Instagram: www.instagram.com/shop.wcc

HERE'S THE RUNDOWN... 9:00 - Grain Weevil's prototypes and early success 17:35 - Grain Weevil's pricing strategy 36:30 - Chad and Ben's father/son dynamic 45:00 - Grain Weevil's organic publicity 51:15 - Grain Weevil's international interestLINKS Grain Weevil's Website - www.grainweevil.com Chad's Twitter - www.twitter.com/1benanna Grain Weevil's Twitter - www.twitter.com/Grain_Weevil Grain Weevil's Fan TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@grainweevil?lang=en Grain Weevil's LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/company/11758769

HERE's the RUNDOWN... 1:30 - Caleb’s entrepreneurial beginnings 9:30 - The Genesis of AllPokéTCG 19:00 - What comprises a Pokémon card’s value? 32:50 - What is the most valuable Pokémon card? 40:00 - How Caleb leverages social media 56:00 - Caleb’s greatest weakness & strength as a CEOLINKS AllPokéTCG’s Live Shop AllPokéTCG’s Sealed Shop AllPokéTCG’s TikTok AllPokéTCG’s Discord AllPokéTCG’s YouTube AllPokéTCG’s Twitch AllPokéTCG’s Linktree

HERE'S THE RUNDOWN... 8:15 - The Genesis of Summer Athletes 12:20 - Marcus's experience with venture capital 19:35 - Summer Athlete's beta test 28:30 - Marcus's favorite startup books 45:45 - What Marcus finds to be the most challenging and the most rewarding aspects of being a CEOBOOKS AND LINKS... Masters of Scale - Reid Hoffman The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company - Bob Dorf and Steve Blank Learn How to Take a Punch - Brett J. Fox https://summerathletes.com/ Marcus's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-beneschBig thanks to Brock Wordekemper - a mutual friend of Marcus and me - for helping make this interview come to fruition!