In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we are joined by Abir Syed, CPA and co-founder of UpCounting. Abir shares his unique journey from being a VP of Finance at a well-funded startup to unexpectedly taking over an e-commerce brand, where he fell in love with the industry. This experience revealed a significant gap in the market: e-commerce brands require sophisticated, rapid financial data, but most accountants lack the specific e-commerce savvy to provide it. This discover...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we are joined by Dr. Lisa Hale, Ph.D., MCC, the founder and CEO of Focused Leadership Consulting. Dr. Hale shares her profound journey from an academic and policy role at Los Alamos National Lab to becoming a global leadership coach. She reveals the pivotal moment she realized that the very skills she was passionate about—emotional intelligence, authenticity, and turning vision into reality—were the exact traits that defined the world's...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the transformative journey of Joey Ragona, founder of Strategic Business Academy. Joey shares his powerful shift from a money-driven, high-pressure sales model to a mission-driven approach centered on authenticity and service. He reveals how aligning his business with his core values—by curating a tribe of like-minded individuals, serving without an immediate expectation of selling, and respecting each person's unique timel...
In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Ivanna Price, founder and CEO of The Social Bar LCC, a dynamic media agency helping businesses craft authentic digital stories. Ivanna shares her inspiring journey from being an immigrant and aspiring teacher to pioneering a thriving creative agency in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She delves into the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of authenticity, and how she built her agency from the ground up—starting with a $600 client t...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Faith Dani Nawara, the visionary founder behind Bella's Booths. What began as a casual poolside conversation fueled by frustration with a lackluster photo booth rental has blossomed into a premier event experience company. Faith shares the inspiring story of how a simple "we could do this better" moment with her business partner evolved into a multi-service business known for its high-quality, immersive 360 booths ...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Kristin Bryce, the innovative founder and CEO of Managed Chaos Innovations. Kristin shares her unique journey from a traditional operations and lean Six Sigma consultant to pioneering a consultancy that blends these analytical disciplines with emotional intelligence, trauma-informed techniques, and creative gamification. She delves into her powerful personal mission, explaining how her advocacy work for survivors of tra...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Michael J. Fox, the founder and CEO of Corberry Digital Marketing. Michael shares his journey from a 17-year career in e-commerce and enterprise-level plumbing distribution to identifying a critical gap in the market: home service companies, particularly in HVAC and plumbing, were severely underserved in the digital landscape. He discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for digital transformation, leadin...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Bimal Shah, the founder of Biz Action Coach and creator of the One Year Breakthrough. Bimal shares his incredible journey from arriving in the US with empty pockets to building a successful business coaching program. He delves into his unique "Four-Leap System," a structured methodology designed to help entrepreneurs condense their three-year goals into a single, actionable year. This system focuses on building foundati...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Anna Mongiello, the founder of A+ Socials. Anna shares her incredible journey from being a full-time teacher and jewelry entrepreneur to becoming a leading UGC expert and mentor. She delves into the accidental discovery of User-Generated Content (UGC) while on maternity leave, her decision to leave her stable teaching career to pursue UGC full-time, and how she built a dual-faceted business that balances brand collabora...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Catherine Glynn, the founder and CEO of Voce Veritas. Catherine takes us back to the challenging climate of the 2008 recession, where she bravely transitioned from freelance work to founding her own company. She shares the inspiration behind the name Voce Veritas (meaning "True Voice" in Latin) and how her background as a classically trained actor provided the unique methodology—focusing on breath, posture, gesture...
In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Zac Armstrong, founder and CEO of Empowerment Fitness. Zac shares his incredible journey from a 26-year military career to building a highly personalized fitness coaching business that helps high-achieving executives and entrepreneurs reclaim their health. He delves into the origins of his business, which started organically when a neighbor persistently asked for training, forcing him to develop a streamlined, tech-enabled appr...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Drew Harden, the visionary founder and CEO of Blue Compass. Drew takes us back to the genesis of his premier digital marketing agency, recounting how a combination of a shifting workplace culture and a passion for the dynamic potential of the web led him and a colleague to take a leap of faith in 2007. He shares the foundational lessons learned from his early career in graphic design and animation, and how the desire to...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the journey of Michael Cirillo, the visionary CEO behind FlexDealer. Michael shares his profound insights on the power of mindset, detailing his early struggles with failure and depression and how they forged the resilient, authentic leadership style he embodies today. He passionately argues against the "get-rich-quick" influencer formulas, advocating instead for a foundation built on genuine human connection and providing ...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Thomas Morales, the founder of Thomas Morales Online. Thomas shares his incredible journey from launching a local air testing company to mastering the art of automation and operations, eventually leading him to help other B2B founders and agencies scale. He delves into the critical challenges of scaling a service-based business, breaking down the three core bottlenecks every founder faces: leads, sales, and operations. ...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Dr. Praveena Reddy K., founder of Think Tales Academy, an innovative tutoring center focused on making learning joyful for K-12 students. Dr. Praveena shares her inspiring journey from being a physics professor to launching her own academy after witnessing her son’s struggles with traditional learning methods. She discusses her unique approach to education, blending math and English with life skills, and her vision...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the inspiring journey of Alison McLean, founder of Ignite Ur Wellness. Alison shares how she transitioned from a burnt-out healthcare practitioner to a thriving business coach, helping wellness professionals build profitable, sustainable businesses without sacrificing their well-being. She discusses her scrappy beginnings, the power of organic marketing, and her signature coaching programs—including her 6-month one-on-one m...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Luke Gough, career coach and founder of Luke Gough Coaching. Luke shares his journey from a 14-year recruitment career across London, Sydney, and Australia to launching his coaching business, dedicated to helping professionals gain clarity and accelerate their career transitions. He breaks down his three-tiered service model—consulting, coaching, and cybersecurity specialization—and discusses the challenges of scaling, ...
n this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Kristie K. Jones, founder of Sales Acceleration Group. Kristie shares the unexpected, universe-led journey that took her from seeking a traditional sales leadership role to becoming a sought-after consultant for early-stage B2B SaaS startups. She delves into the critical transition founders face when moving from founder-led selling to building their first formal sales team, emphasizing the importance of documenting ...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Jimmy Newson, founder of Moving Forward Small Business, to explore his journey from music industry professional to global business strategist. Jimmy shares how the pandemic sparked his initiative to help small businesses pivot digitally, evolving into a thriving advisory community focused on strategy, innovation, and long-term growth. He dives into his unique approach to scaling through inbound marketing, strategic...
In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the inspiring journey of Sereniti Simpson, the founder and CEO of BAMDE LLC, a Gen Z-led digital marketing agency built for modern small businesses. Sereniti shares how her passion for social media management evolved from a college side hustle into a full-fledged agency, specializing in content strategy, social media management, and community-driven growth. She discusses her vision for scaling BAMDE beyond its local roots w...