Adam Tank is a sustainability-driven entrepreneur, author of “Luck by Design,” and public speaker whose career has spanned leadership roles in Fortune 100 companies, international small businesses, and venture capital-backed technology startups. He currently serves as the Co-Founder & Chief Communications Officer of Transcend, a generative design startup that enables capital planners, project developers, and engineering professionals to rapidly generate preliminary engineering designs for critical infrastructure, including a variety of water and power assets.

Adam is an engaging speaker who has been on stage at over 60 events, entertaining over 20,000 people. He is a sought-after presenter and coach on topics including: how to find product-market fit for early stage companies, how to give presentations that don’t suck, whether graduate school is worth it, and how to speak a foreign language fluently in three months or less. In addition to his in-person engagements, he has millions of views across various social media platforms, and his “Water We Talking About” podcast and “At Water’s Edge” newsletters reach over 50,000 people. He has lived in seven states, three different countries, and enjoys the thrill of being outside his comfort zone.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction, ProMode.ai Sponsored Message, and Setting the Stage

03:59 The Impact of Luck and Serendipity in Life

07:03 Writing and Publishing 'Luck by Design'

09:46 Lessons Learned from Writing a Book

12:41 The Importance of Seeking Help in Entrepreneurship

15:13 Finding the Right People to Collaborate With

17:54 The Role of Water in Our Lives and Infrastructure

20:46 Transcend: Innovating Water Treatment Solutions and Silverstone Bookkeeping Sponsored Message

24:20 Building a Team and Company Culture at Transcend

31:24 Strategic Growth and Hiring Milestones

32:27 Impacting Communities Through Technology

37:26 The Power of Mentorship

39:24 Learning Through Mistakes

44:50 Giving Back: Fostering and Mentorship

47:04 Finding Balance and Recharge

49:37 Catalysts for Change and Connection

51:25 Subscribe!

Connect with Adam and learn more:

• Transcend LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcend-infra/

• Transcend YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@transcendwater4142

• Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamtank/

• Personal Website: https://www.adamtank.com/

• Luck by Design book: https://amzn.to/4hdVf1g

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Music: “Hackers” by Karl Casey / White Bat Audio @whitebataudio on YouTube and Instagram.

The information and opinions presented by our guests do not reflect the opinions of Kansas City Business Cast (KCBC), Kansas City Business Cast Network (KCBCtv), or its affiliates & sponsors. Sometimes we talk about finance, health, wellness, philosophy, history, the economy, religion, and other topics. This episode, as with all of our episodes, is intended for educational purposes.