Entrepreneurship 101

A growing business can still depend too heavily on its founder. Rebecca Sunnen Kallaus, founder of Business Done Better and an operations and systems expert for founders, joins Entrepreneurship 101 to talk about building the structure that helps a company grow without making the owner responsible for every decision. Rebecca shares her journey of starting Business Done Better with $250 while experiencing homelessness, then building a team and working with larger organizations. The conversation explores the founder bottleneck, why businesses can feel exhausting even when they are succeeding, and how clear systems, decision-making processes, and effective delegation can help teams operate with...

Can treating people with dignity improve a company’s bottom line? On Entrepreneurship 101, Daniel Lucas welcomes Todd Krause, TEDx speaker, CPA, and founder of Silversun Consulting, to discuss the connection between workplace culture, operational performance, and sustainable business growth. Todd shares his experience buying a struggling cleaning company just before the COVID-19 shutdowns and growing it from $1.6 million to $4 million. The conversation explores how respect and accountability can affect turnover, rework, employee engagement, customer service, and profitability—especially in home-service businesses where hard work is often undervalued. Todd also discusses the owner bottleneck: the point when a business depends so heav...

On Entrepreneurship 101, Daniel Richter, Founder and Principal of Richter Tax & Advisory, discusses building a firm that brings tax planning and financial advice together. He shares what inspired him to leave a secure job and start the business, how he works to deliver clear, practical guidance, and the challenges of growing a client focused firm while raising a family. The conversation explores the gap between tax preparation and financial planning, making difficult decisions for clients, setting boundaries, avoiding founder bottlenecks, and deciding what technology should and should not automate. Daniel also reflects on how to measure whether an integrated advisory model...

What does it take to keep building when the vision is clear but the path forward is uncertain? On Entrepreneurship 101, Jay Kulkarni, Founder and CEO of Theorem, joins the conversation to explore the mindset behind entrepreneurship and the decisions founders face as they grow a business. Jay discusses the difference between calculated risk and reckless risk, making high stakes decisions with incomplete information, and learning from setbacks and criticism. The conversation also explores how entrepreneurs can stay curious without chasing every new opportunity, adapt when markets change, build a strong team culture, and shift from doing everything themselves to empowering...

Micah Logan Operations Consultant | Author of The Brown Box | I find the one constraint capping owner-led companies Most small and mid-sized businesses are not failing. They are capped. Revenue is there. The owner is still the system. Decisions bounce. Cash looks fine until it isn’t. I am an operations consultant, Forbes contributor, and author of The Brown Box. I grew up in one of the poorest towns in Boston, built and exited a multi-location, award-winning fitness brand, and now install the TURNAROUND Method in owner-led companies. The work is specific: find the one constraint, restore financial clarity, put decision ri...

Can you think like an entrepreneur while building a career inside a large company? On Entrepreneurship 101, software engineering leader and researcher Srinivas Chippagiri shares how experience across cloud computing, distributed systems, virtualization, and AI and machine learning has shaped his approach to innovation, risk, and ownership. The conversation explores how to develop ideas, build scalable solutions, work through complex systems, and create meaningful impact as a technology leader. Find more episodes at Universal Podcast Network. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How did a former vice principal become the founder of an AI field sales platform? On Entrepreneurship 101, Will Hamblin shares how twelve years in education led to an unexpected career change: selling payment terminals door to door. Seeing field sales agents work without reliable territory maps or useful competitor information inspired him to build FieldSpot. Hear about his “vibe coder” journey, the challenges behind creating an AI platform designed to work without a signal, and his ambition to grow the business toward unicorn potential. Learn more at FieldSpot.ai. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for...

Entrepreneurship 101 | Matthew Pohl: From Business Struggles to 10X Growth — The ReWild Group, Scaling Companies & Building Enterprise Value Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Entreprenuership 101| Norbert Heuser: Every Coffee Drinker Is a Drug Addict — Understanding Caffeine, Wellness & the Mind-Body Connection What if some of the habits we consider completely normal are influencing our energy, mood, concentration, and overall well-being more than we realize? Could your daily coffee, dietary choices, and lifestyle routines be affecting your health without you fully understanding their impact? Coaching 101, presented by Universal Podcast Network, welcomes Norbert Heuser, German-born inventor, entrepreneur, author, public speaker, management consultant, and life and health coach, for a thought-provoking conversation about caffeine dependence, personal wellness, holistic health philosophies, and the relationship between physical and mental well-being. Wi...

Entrepreneurship 101 | Ben Stein: From Corporate Burnout to Building a Purpose-Driven Business What happens when you reach the top of your career, achieve financial success, and earn a prestigious leadership title, yet discover that something essential is missing? What if losing your job becomes the greatest opportunity to reinvent your life, launch a business, and discover your true purpose? Entrepreneurship 101, hosted by Daniel Lucas and presented by Universal Podcast Network, welcomes Ben Stein, entrepreneur, career strategy coach, author, former technology executive, and founder of Purpose Up, for a compelling conversation about entrepreneurship, career reinvention, leadership, resilience, and building a business around...

Entrepreneurship 101 | Leah Coss: Become the Person You Admire — Building Confidence, Identity & the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs What if the greatest business you could ever build wasn't a company, but the person you choose to become? Entrepreneurship 101, hosted by Daniel Lucas and presented by Universal Podcast Network, welcomes Leah Coss, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder and CEO of Build a Biz Kids, a charitable organization dedicated to helping young people develop confidence, creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial thinking. With a powerful philosophy centered on personal identity and self-discovery, Leah challenges traditional ideas about success, education, parenting, and the future of work. Her me...

Entrepreneurship 101 | Jeff Meade: Building Entrepreneurs, Not Just Businesses What if the future of education wasn't about preparing students to find jobs, but empowering them to create opportunities? Entrepreneurship 101, presented by Universal Podcast Network, welcomes Jeff Meade, Founding Director, entrepreneurship educator, education innovator, and advocate for venture-based learning, for a compelling conversation about transforming entrepreneurship education, developing future business leaders, and preparing students for an AI-driven economy. With more than two decades of experience growing companies, advising businesses, and developing marketing strategies, Jeff brings a combination of entrepreneurial experience and educational innovation to his work. His professional journey includes scaling agencies...

What does it take to leave a secure 25 year career, enter a male dominated industry, and build a multimillion dollar business from the ground up? In this episode of Entrepreneurship 101 from Universal Podcast Network, Daniel Lucas welcomes Lisa Cruz, a former registered nurse who transformed her life by becoming an auto repair shop owner, author, and advocate for women in the skilled trades. Lisa shares how helping her husband for what was supposed to be only a few hours became the beginning of an extraordinary entrepreneurial journey. Together, they grew their business from approximately $150,000 to nearly $3 million in combined sales...

Entrepreneurship requires more than a promising idea. It demands vision, discipline, adaptability, courage, and the determination to keep moving forward when challenges arise. In this episode of Entrepreneurship 101 from Universal Podcast Network, Daniel Lucas welcomes Simone Dantonio, an Italian chef, restaurateur, and entrepreneur born in Salerno, Italy. Simone shares how his culinary heritage, professional experiences, and passion for Italian food shaped his entrepreneurial journey. The conversation explores what it takes to transform culinary talent into a sustainable business, lead successfully in the demanding restaurant industry, overcome setbacks, and create memorable experiences for customers. What separates a talented chef from a...

What does it take to turn an idea inspired by dreams into an app? In this episode of Entrepreneurship 101, we welcome Ms. Amy, founder and CEO of myDream, an app that draws on insights from certified therapists to help users explore and reflect on their dreams. The conversation explores the entrepreneurial journey behind myDream, from its founding idea to the challenges of building a business around a personal and thought-provoking experience. Discover how Amy approaches her vision, the app’s purpose, and the work of bringing it to users. Join us for a conversation about entrepreneurship, innovation, and turning a me...

Yoli Chisholm Editor-in-chief - Borderlessself.com The #1 place for real immigration and emigration stories, news and resources for mid-career professionals who want to move to another country. Yoli Chisholm is an award winning professional with 20+ years executive level experience in the corporate world working for companies like Microsoft, eBay, Sprinklr, Lavalife, Deriv and others globally in Canada, United States, UAE, South Africa and Mexico. The editor-in-chief of Borderlessself.com where she curates conversations about relocating to other countries to advance your career and achieve financial independence. She is the author of Crushing Corporate a book about Intrapreneurship and navigating the...

Chris Majer TRANSFORMATIONAL SPEAKER &BEST SELLING AUTHOR, CEO OFTHE HUMAN POTENTIALPROJECT AND THE MAJERFACTOR. Chris Majer is not just a speaker; he is a catalyst for transformation, a disruptorof conventional thinking, and a guide to unlocking the extraordinary potentialwithin individuals and organizations. As an Amazon best-selling author andfounder of the Human Potential Project (HP2), Chris brings a wealth ofexperience and a proven track record of success. Chris is a guest who can speak to AI in business strategy, leadership innovation, cultural transformation, and the future of consulting. Chris Majer is the founder and CEO of the Human Potential Project (HP2...

Sandra Coker Empowering Leaders to Unlock Human Potential: Innovative Strategies for Thriving Teams and Cultures Today, we're thrilled to welcome Sandra Coker, the visionary founder and CEO of Human Power Solutions, a leading talent acquisition and employee development consulting firm that inspires organizations to build vibrant cultures where every individual unlocks their full potential. With over a decade of experience partnering with mid-sized companies—from professional services and banks to manufacturers and non-profits—Sandy helps CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and HR leaders create people-first environments that boost productivity, reduce drama, and drive bottom-line results through innovative strategies like her proprietary Level Five...

Prophet Afolabi The most important conversation you'll have this lifetime. Today’s guest brings a perspective I can guarantee you have not ever encountered. Prophet Afolabi Aduroja is a spiritual teacher whose work centers on understanding and explaining patterns in people’s lives that do not change, even when they have applied discipline, strategy, and faith consistently. His focus is not on surface-level behavior or generalized advice, but on identifying the underlying causes that keep certain conditions in place across areas such as health, relationships, finances, and purpose. Today’s guest brings a perspective that most people have never encountered. Prophe...

Michael Podolny From Wall Street to West Africa, I build market-driven, scalable businesses that lift women out of exploitation, link global markets, and transform injustice into opportunity. MICHAEL PODOLNY 2020 to Present – Founder/CEO, Theodora Africa Project, Accra, Ghana, Albuquerque, New Mexico Michael Podolny has been a social impact innovator developing the Theodora Africa model. Theodora Africa is an innovative social impact enterprise incubator that uses a market-based, demand driven approach to resolve the long-standing African problems of insufficient economic opportunity and exploitation of Women. Theodora’s unique model helps African women while solving businesses needs in developed markets. Theodora lifts Afri...

Ross Thorpe CEO of Rooverse - The Social Media Platform that blocks all AI generated content Social media is awash with AI generated content. 71% of of images being uploaded everyday are made by AI. Some platforms have over 45% of the users as bots. You are not interacting with people any more. The 'social' has gone from social media. Ross is the CEO of Rooverse. A social media platform that blocks users from uploading any AI generated content. Just people interacting with people. Also the only social media platform backed up in space. Ross is also a founding member of the...

Entrepreneurship 101 features Rachel Minion, an entrepreneur and marketing innovator whose journey demonstrates how uncertainty, resilience, and preparation can transform an unexpected career disruption into an entirely new chapter. In this episode, Rachel shares her experience working in the entertainment and marketing industry, including her time connected with Ticketmaster and Live Nation, before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the business landscape. Despite early optimism that live entertainment would quickly recover, the industry came to a sudden halt, and Rachel found herself among the many employees affected by furloughs. But Rachel had something working in her favor: a side hustle she had...

Ron Cooper Personality insights and principled leadership for organizational growth. Ron Cooper is the Founder of The Cooper Culture business dedicated to helping organizations increase their personnel productivity and efficiency through personality strengths and principled leadership. The Cooper Culture assesses organizational strengths employing DISC human behavior attributes then customizes training to help organizations achieve or maintain high performance. Ron is a human behavior consultant certified through Personality Insights, Inc. and PeopleKeys. He is partnered with Dr. John C. Maxwell and certified through the John C. Maxwell Company as a leadership trainer, mentor, personal performance coach, and keynote speaker. Ron helps...

Teaira Abston Brand Strategist Helping Experts Become Authorities Through Strategy, Design & Systems Teaira Abston is a Brand Strategist, Speaker, and Founder of Dreamcatcher Creative Studio. She helps service-based businesses, such as health & wellness professionals, turn their brand into a strategic asset that attracts premium clients and supports scalable growth. Through her work, she equips founders with the clarity and frameworks needed to move from being just another option to becoming a trusted authority. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gordon Firemark The Podcast Lawyer™ Gordon Firemark has practiced media, entertainment and business law in solo practice since 1992. In podcasting circles, he is known as The Podcast Lawyer™, and is producer and host of the Entertainment Law Update podcast (since 2009), and author of the Podcast, Blog & New Media Producer’’s Legal Survival Guide. His undergraduate degree in radio, television and film and experience in live theatre production informs his thinking about all things legal. In addition to a busy law practice, He teaches Entertainment Law at Columbia College Hollywood, Intellectual Property and Media Law at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchand...

Micah Logan Operations Consultant | Author of The Brown Box | I find the one constraint capping owner-led companies Micah Logan is an operations consultant, Forbes contributor, and author of The Brown Box. After building and exiting a multi-location fitness brand, he now installs the TURNAROUND Method in owner-led companies that look successful from the outside and stall on the inside. His point is simple: the business usually isn’t broken; one thing is, and until you name that bottleneck, more hustle just makes the leak worse. Today he is here to show you how to find it and fix the operating sy...

Benas Leonavicius I Built a $150k Solo SEO Business. Then I Founded an Agency That Serves the World's Class Experts. Benas is the founder of Avium, a personal brand agency that builds online visibility infrastructure for keynote speakers, book authors, and founders. His clients include Hall of Fame speakers, Harvard psychologists, and Columbia professors. He started from pocket money SEO work, scaled solo to $120k+ a year, and built the agency without sacrificing the margins that made the solo model worth it. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...

Lara Bezerra Global CEO, Conscious Leadership Pioneer, and the World's First Chief Purpose Officer Lara Bezerra is a global business executive, leadership thinker, author, and founder of Work Coherence®, whose work sits at the intersection of leadership, organizational culture, neuroscience, and human potential. Born in Brazil and shaped by life and leadership experiences across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, Lara's understanding of work as a calling rather than simply a profession began early in life. Raised by two physicians whose careers were grounded in service, responsibility, and purpose, she developed a deep appreciation for the impact meaningful work can have o...

Kelly Schuknecht Empowering Thought Leaders to Elevate Their Brand and Share Their Voice. I’ve spent over 20 years in marketing helping entrepreneurs and professionals move from being the "best-kept secret" to the trusted authority in their field. I am the author of Unlocking Your Authority X-Factor, where I share my 3-Pillar Framework for personal branding: Visibility, Credibility, and Consistency. I wrote this book for the professionals—especially women—who have spent years building expertise but still feel like the spotlight was meant for someone else. Today, I run Two Mile High Marketing, where I specialize in thought leadership development. I also h...

Lauren Harris Most Marketing Problems Aren't Marketing Problems. I Helping Founders Fix the Strategy Underneath. - MS, Strategic Marketing - 150+ Strategies Across 12+ Industries I'm Lauren Harris, a marketing strategist and co-founder of Reliable PR & Marketing. I help founders stop chasing tactics and start running real strategy. My core take: most marketing problems aren't marketing problems. They're strategy problems wearing a marketing costume. "Our posts aren't converting" usually means we never decided who we were posting to. "Our ads aren't working" usually means we never decided what we were actually selling. I've spent seven years and 150+ brand strategies proving this out...

Victoria Pelletier C-Suite Executive | Speaker | Author | Passionate Diversity & Inclusion Leader | Personal Brand & Networking Expert | Board Director Victoria is a 20+ year Corporate Executive, Board Director, #1 selling author and Professional Public Speaker. Nicknamed the “Turn Around Queen” and the “CEO Whisperer” by former colleagues and employers, Victoria inspires and empowers her team and clients to change mindsets and drive growth in business, leadership and culture. As someone who does not subscribe to the status quo, she is always ready for new challenges becoming one of the youngest Chief Operating Officers at the age of 24, president by 35 and a CEO at age 41. Victoria was reco...

Evgenii Tilipman Founder of Khod. Scaled a solo dev shop into the agency behind 40+ funded B2B startup launches — Chili Piper, Bland AI, Synthflow, and more. Evgenii Tilipman is the founder of Khod, a web and growth agency for funded B2B startups in AI, Web3, and enterprise SaaS. His team has shipped the websites behind Bland AI's $40 million Series B, Synthflow's $20 million Series A, Chili Piper, and Avarra — which generated 10 qualified inbound leads per day within six weeks of launch. Khod has launched 20-plus funded startups and retained 75% of them for ongoing work. He's spent years in a niche most...

Nate Yoder Helping ambitious leaders build businesses that create freedom. Nate Yoder is an entrepreneur, business strategist, speaker, and founder dedicated to helping ambitious leaders and business owners build businesses that create freedom instead of dependence. After building, scaling, and exiting multiple companies, Nate discovered that the biggest obstacle to growth isn’t usually marketing, sales, or even revenue. It’s the business owner becoming the bottleneck. Today, he helps leaders identify those constraints, build systems that scale, and leverage technology to make real change. Whether he’s speaking about leadership, business growth, intentional living, or growing as a person, Nate b...

Bob Bekian Author , Speaker and Hollywood Producer. Bob Bekian is the Author of the book “10 Ways to Feel Better” and has committed his life to helping others Feel better by making small daily habits turn into big results. His experience comes from 20 years as a Hollywood producer and entrepreneur working with some of the most famous people in the world of Movies and entertainment. But what he found was some of the most successful people were often unhappy and self- destructive. After going through a life changing identity shift himself, Bob decided to re-invent himself into the version of himself he k...

John Pezoulas Executive Search Co-Founder, Entrepreneur, Recruitment expert in sales, marketing, hr and operations, Father of 3. I’m John Pezoulas, Co-founder of Ready Set Exec an executive search firm recruiting talent in the USA and Canada and I’d love to be a guest on your podcast to discuss talent acquisition, HR, sales, marketing, operations, entrepreneurship, fatherhood, and startup life. I bring a blend of executive search expertise and hands-on experience in sales, marketing, and operations. I help leaders build high-performing teams, align business functions, and create thriving company cultures. As an entrepreneur and father of three, I can also share au...

Silvia Rizzo High-Performance Leadership & Decision-Making. Silvia Rizzo works in high-performance environments across sport and business, focusing on leadership and decision-making under pressure. Her background is in elite sport, where she has spent years working with performance, error management, and mental resilience in real-world, high-stakes situations. On podcasts, she explores how leaders handle pressure, make decisions when things don’t go as planned, and maintain credibility over time. My work sits at the intersection of high-performance sport and business, where pressure, decision-making, and responsibility are part of everyday reality. I’ve spent years operating in environments where mistakes are visible, outcomes matt...

Steve Caton B2B Sales Growth Expert | Super Connector | Whiskey Aficionado | Classic Car Nut | CEO & Founder. Steve Caton is the Founder of Altezza which helps small to medium sized businesses solve sales challenges by installing fractional sales professionals that sell like insiders without the high risk and complexity. Steve has been in sales his entire career. He’s been a top producer, a sales leader and a Chief Revenue Officer for many emerging growth companies over a career spanning more than 30 years. He can talk strategy but he cares more about connecting the dots from strategy to execution. Most of al...

Andrew Quillen Founder of AndMaverick | Built, led, and advised across OpenAI, Spotify, Coinbase, and Stripe | AI advisor to executives, investors, and governments. Today's guest is Andrew Quillen, founder of AndMaverick. Andrew has worked across Stripe, OpenAI, Spotify, and Coinbase before founding AndMaverick, where he now advises executives, investors, governments, and major institutions on AI strategy. He's here to discuss where AI is actually headed, what separates lasting strategy from hype, and how leaders can make better decisions before everyone else catches up. Andrew Quillen is the founder of AndMaverick, where he advises executives, investors, and governments on artificial intelligence strategy...

Tanya Brody Email Marketing Expert and Direct Response Copywriter Tanya Brody is an Email Marketing Strategist and Consultant with more than 15 years of experience working in marketing. Her philosophy of serving first, selling second is about building life-long relationships with potential customers. She works with conscious businesses, or businesses with a mission, of all sizes to increase their engagement and revenue through email marketing. Tanya’s main focus is helping business owners share their message, mission, and beliefs with their audience by sending weekly nurture emails or newsletters. This helps grow their “know, like, and trust” factor with their subscribers and cr...

Gary Pageau Marketing communications that work for business. After 25 years of working at an international non-profit, Gary Pageau started his own marketing communications business. Since then, he has built a leading niche community - the Dead Pixels Society - and done business development for international companies in the imaging space. If you're looking for a story of career reinvention with a solid dose of real-world responses, Gary is the guest for you. ry Pageau is a marketing, communications, and media expert with diversified experience in market research, in media relations, in publishing, in social media, and in editorial strategy. He...