Building Fires

Carl is one of the brightest engineers there is and he's been building a game-changer of a product that's going to reflect just how talented he is. Carl & his team are representing the good 'ol US of A in the launch of the new Formula One Electric Air Race! It's going to be the world's first electric air race and Carl's team is the only team competing for the USA. The electric motor he built will be powering the USA plane and in the podcast, we have the breaking news on who the pilot will be. Make sure you tune in to hear the announcement, hear more about this amazing new racing league, and to learn about how Carl got to where he is today. Farhaj and I hope you enjoy the episode! Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Angel investor, startup mentor, and now founder himself - Paul Yacoubian has done basically everything in the startup world at this point. After gaining access to a powerful AI (artificial intelligence) software, GPT-3, Paul and his Co-founder Chris decided they wanted to do something powerful with it. They set out to make the world's greatest copy-generator and they have done just that. Personally, Farhaj and I use Copy.ai at least once a week for our own companies. It's a mind-blowing software and you should definitely check it out after listening to the episode.  Farhaj and I hope you enjoy the episode! Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Yash Santani & Puneet Chadha are the founders of aevus.ai and they are absolutely changing the world. They are both Johns Hopkins grads who are actively trying to improve the lives of diabetics around the world. "We are building an AI-powered prescription guidance platform for treating Type-2 diabetes - Precision Rx. All it does is give a doctor a second pair of clinical eyes" They discovered that health systems have been accumulating health data for 30+ years and it basically just sits there. Now, they are taking that data to help doctors more accurately prescribe drugs and they are well on their way to having a live product. They already have access to millions of data points and their team is chalk-full of some of the world's smartest people. Farhaj and I hope you enjoy the episode! Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Martin Lien has one of the coolest startup stories out there. His story begins in Norway, where he was born and raised...and then he ends up attending the University of Oklahoma (just a bit of a culture shock, no?). After college he found himself working at a company and noticed a problem. The solution to this problem would end up becoming Respond Flow. He was trying to help grow the company through texting and he just couldn't find a single solution that would help him send mass texts to customers. Going with the, "I can't be the only one having this problem" approach, he set off to build the company that he has today. Throughout the episode, we break down specific concepts like the change in day-to-day tasks (from when he was the only employee to now managing 20+), how to split equity with co-founders early on, fundraising during Covid-19, and so much more! Farhaj and I hope you enjoy the episode! Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Greg Hallman is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and he's also an extremely successful entrepreneur. A few years ago, he wanted to get into the OKC Thunder Startup accelerator, Stitch Crew, (the same accelerator Farhaj & I have done) but he didn't have a company. He went through his list of company ideas and Ocupath was born. After a lot of hard work, his company was able to win multiple grants, one of them being a $1 million contract with the US Navy...so awesome! Ocupath is a VR product for Corporate Training. They are, "REDEFINING THE WAY WE TRAIN, RECRUIT AND RETAIN THE NEXT-GEN WORKFORCE.". Throughout the podcast, Greg breaks down what an SBIR loan is, we go into his side business Crudoolandia, and we cover everything you need to know about the VR world. I personally learned about 20 things this episode so I hope you enjoy it! Be sure to check out Ocupath.com Greg and his wife also own a restaurant chain in OKC called Crudoolandia Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Jordan Walker has been successful in the startup world for a while now. Yac started with an idea and a very successful ProductHunt campaign. After getting thousands of companies on their waitlist, Jordan and his team knew they were onto something big. Yac is voice messaging for teams and, personally, I’m a huge fan. You can only text so much to your team members and phone calls are mostly unnecessary. Being able to send a quick voice message whenever you want to speak your mind is exactly what the world needs. Their team has already raised millions of dollars and landed some top-level partnerships with companies the likes of Slack. I hope you enjoy the episode and leave 5-stars if you can 💪 Check them out here: yac.com Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Vincent Dorrian never expected to be the co-founder of a company that exited for $350 Million. When his business partner approached him with the idea for EcoAtm in the early 2000's, the future success was something he could have only dreamed of. EcoAtm is a company that provides a kiosk that allows you to exchange your old cell phones for cash. Over the past 10+ years they've collected/recycled over 25 million phones and they exited to the parent company of RedBox several years ago. Throughout the episode, Vincent emphasizes the importance of IP, setting a roadmap, and what it takes to have a $350M exit.  Check them out here: ecoatm.com Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Garrett Scott and his co-founder gave his company the name Pipedream because what they're trying to accomplish sounds just like that...like a dream. Their goal within the next several years is to take advantage of the tunnel systems in cities to deliver goods, supplies, etc. to homes through underground tubes. I'll let Garrett's website blurb explain: "Pipedream is a network of underground tubes that offers near-instantaneous delivery of objects to and from homes and businesses." BOOM! They are going to shape the future of delivery and we couldn't be happier to have him on our show. Enjoy! "Someday we'll be able to ship things with teleportation. Until then we'll use Pipedream." - Garrett Scott Follow his journey here: pipedreamlabs.co Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

I first heard about Adelle while watching Shark Tank years ago. Despite the bright spotlight of being on national television (and having millionaires yell at you), she remained composed and very well-spoken. They even landed a deal with Mark Cuban! Now, years later, their company is growing even faster than they were before and they also just raised a massive funding round! At Eterneva, they help with your grieving process by turning the ashes of your lost loved ones into diamonds. Adelle and her team do an incredible job of helping individuals through such a terrible event in one's life. Throughout the episode we go through what it took for her to get to where she is today, how the idea started, her experience on Shark Tank, and so much more. Receive a free Welcome Kit with the code BUILDINGFIRES at checkout at eterneva.com Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Russ Wilde and his business partner started working on a simple sports blog years ago...they never could have imagined what it would become. Most people write a few posts and then quit. Only a few can stick around creating quality content for years and years until they finally find their big break. After multiple funding rounds, countless staff hires, and 1000's of articles, Front Office Sports is now one of the most successful sports news platforms on the planet. Their articles reach massive news networks on a daily basis and are read by millions. Join us as we dive into Russell's story on how he & his business partner grew Front Office Sports to what it is today. Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Nathan Butorac is a true entrepreneur down to his core. He started his entrepreneurship journey at just three years old and he hasn't stopped since. After working in several startups, he decided to get one going himself. He's run Better Than a Letter (Parent company) for a few years now and underneath that is his flourishing company, Piñatagrams. If we skip past all the struggles of a typical early-stage entrepreneur, we'll end up with Piñatagrams absolutely blowing up in sales this past March. As soon as the pandemic began, Nathan took a shot with some incredible creatives & Facebook ads...and wow did it pay off. Throughout the podcast, we'll touch on Nathan's business life, how he grew his company, and where he sees his company getting to over the next year. https://www.pinatagrams.com/ https://www.betterthanaletter.com/

This is the 2nd time that Nathan has been interviewed on our Podcast (Episode #31).  Nathan started off his entrepreneurship journey by selling things online. It started with re-selling college textbooks and led to selling millions of dollars on Ebay. After that, he ran one of the best Freelancer businesses on the planet, Freeeup.com. The best part? He ran his freelancer business...with freelancers. Since Episode 31 was recorded, Nathan has actually sold Freeeup and now runs Outsource school (congrats Nathan). Nathan Hirsch also founded Ecombalance.com a monthly bookkeeping service for Ecommerce Sellers and Agencies  Throughout the podcast, he takes us through how he got to where he is today, how he ran such a massive freelancer company, and what his life looks like now as he seeks to expand Outsource School. Outsource School Links; Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/outsourceschool1 LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/company/outsourceschool  Twitter:   https://www.twitter.com/SchoolOutsource  OutsourceSchool:  https://www.outsourceschool.com Email:    support@outsourceschool.com Personal Links: Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/nathan.hirsch Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/FreeeUpNathanHirsch Twitter:   https://www.twitter.com/realnatehirsch LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanhirsch/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/realnatehirsch/ First Episode: https://anchor.fm/buildingfires/episodes/31-CEO-FreeeUp-com--Nathan-Hirsch-e4nc2s

This week we had the privilege of interviewing Ara Ghougassian with usefluent.co. His website is beautiful and the product itself is even better. Every language platform on the planet focuses on teaching you a new language by using the same, worn-out methods. With Fluent, you're constantly learning words that you actually care about and want to use for your daily life. They are currently available in French as a Chrome Extension and plan on expanding to other languages in the near future. Ara did an incredible job of seeing a problem and then solving it. Throughout the podcast, we discuss his experience in the startup world, what it's like growing a language platform, and so much more. Enjoy!

Brian Leonard was the first employee and Co-founder of a company you’ve definitely heard of…Task Rabbit. He and his Co-founder basically pioneered the ‘task’ or ‘local freelance’ market. By definition, “TaskRabbit is an American online and mobile marketplace that matches freelance labor with local demand, allowing consumers to find immediate help with everyday tasks, including cleaning, moving, delivery and handyman work”. After years of success and growth, their team had a successful exit and Brian has since moved on to build his own company, Grouparoo. Grouparoo is an open source data infrastructure to keep customer data in-sync between your data warehouse and 3rd party tools. Essentially, it’s an amazing tool that helps teams work & communicate much better together. Farhaj & I are so excited to have Brian on the show and we hope you enjoy the episode.

Dr. Eric Cole is one of the "OG's" in Cyber Security. After raising his hand in a CIA meeting 25+ years ago asking the simple question, "How do we know if these systems are defensible", his life was changed forever. Eric was one of the first hackers at the CIA and spent his life figuring out how to make our country's online defenses more defensive. He's worked as a 'cyber bodyguard' for the likes of Bill Gates, The Obama Administration, and so many more. Listen in to hear about how the face of Cyber Security has changed over the years and to learn just what it takes to become a cyber security expert. Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Shrevan started off his career as a Sound Engineer in the UK. After going through a tough situation where his years of working as a Sound Engineer were considered 'invalid', he decided to do something about it. That's when he created Work Simplr. "Work Simplr is a virtual co-working platform for students, businesses, and professionals to network and collaborate with each other. We aim to create a centralized and professional gig working economy that is fuelled by local communities." Throughout the episode, we do a deep dive into the growing pains of a startup and what it's like working in the startup world while dealing with immigration. Be sure to Subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Yoann Bohbot is the founder of dots SPACE, a higher-end co-working space that operates in Beverly Hills and  Culver City, California (Los Angeles area). Early in his career, he was a critical piece of an IT company whose biggest clients included Honda, Adobe, Nestle, as well as several high profile real estate companies, doctors, lawyers, celebrities such as Seal, the Fugees, Lindsay Lohan, and more. He later managed the e-commerce department for Christian Audigier, a French fashion designer known for the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch clothing lines. There, he directed 40 people including purchasing, marketing, and logistics. The company had 100M in wholesale revenues, and only had 1M in online sales. In his first 3 months after joining Christian Audigier, he tripled its online sales to $3M. Throughout the episode we talk about what it takes to start a co-working space, what sets his apart, and so much more. Be sure to subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Hirbod is the CEO and founder of Surfboard, a geo-location app platform that allows you to explore your community. In this episode, we talk about his experience immigrating to America as a young adult who barely knew how to speak English, what got him into the startup scene in college, and the state of diversity in venture capital today. Be sure to subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Dillon Breslin is the CEO of Round2, an AI-powered sporting goods platform connecting youth athletes to affordable gear and equipment. Previously, he spent 6 years doing B2B sales at prominent startups in the NY tech scene. He was inspired to launch Round2 after being snubbed on OfferUp during a trade of Jordan 11's. Be sure to subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

Farhaj and I want to welcome you to the brand new Building Fires Podcast (originally called WeStrive). For our first episode, we have the incredible Steve Young.  Steve is the CEO of AppMasters.com and he is just that...an App MASTER. Steve knows everything there is to know about the app store, ASO, getting featured, and tons of hidden tips/tricks. Throughout the episode, we cover his early life in startups, what it was like dealing with the App store back in the early days of smart-phones, and Steve MAYBE gives our audience a few hidden gems for App Store Optimization (ASO). Be sure to subscribe and tune in every Monday to hear more amazing interviews #FireTeam

John Tabis has been at the top of the floral industry for quite some time now...but it wasn't always that way. After moving on from his first startup, John started working at Disney (not the worst career move lol) and after several years he decided he wanted to get back into the startup world. John felt like he could take the floral industry by storm and he did just that. After years of steady growth and hard work, he appeared on Shark Tank (where I first saw him). He didn't get a deal on the show but he's actually one of the first people ever to get a deal years AFTER the show aired (I don't want to spoil the story so you'll just have to listen). I hope you enjoy the story of how a brand new CEO created one of the most successful floral/shark-tank companies in history!

First off, I want to congratulate Chase on having his first kid 👶Chase started off by being a key part of a business that scaled to 300,000 students. After this accomplishment, he created one of the most successful 'email travel series' lists in existence and he did it all from scratch. This is when he realized that he had become a master email marketer. Fast forward to today and he runs an email marketing agency, focusing on e-commerce brands, called boundlesslabs and they are working with some of the top brands from around the world. If you're looking to partner up with an amazing email marketing specialist, you can get ahold of Chase below. The best way for people to connect with Chase: Twitter (here's his profile) and LinkedIn (here's his profile). Chase's email if anyone wants to email him is chase@boundlesslabs.io WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS/Android for 100's of amazing workouts from certified trainers. If you're a personal trainer, check us out at WeStriveApp.com in order to save time managing your business, to make more money selling fitness plans on our marketplace, and to provide a 5-star mobile experience for your clientele.

Erika Lucas is the Co-Founder of the StitchCrew Accelerator program based out of Oklahoma City, OK.  Growing up in Mexico with 'bootstrapping' entrepreneurial parents, Erika learned early on what it takes to be successful. After moving to Oklahoma, she realized there were so amazing startups in her area that were leaving for big cities like LA, San Fran, and NY. She and her partner created StitchCrew to help fight this problem. They have already made a huge impact on their state through their investment/effort/time and their partnership with the Oklahoma City Thunder,  They have seen nearly 100 startups flourish under their guidance throughout the five cohorts in their program thus far and they are just getting started 💪Click the link below to be a part of the live Demo for Cohort-5 at StitchCrew! Enjoy the episode. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/demo-day-spring-batch-2020-tickets-104666739034

This week I had the privilege of interviewing Laurent Grill with Luma Launch and I'm excited to tell his story. Laurent has been involved with the startup world for years. When the opportunity to become the Lead Investor at Luma Launch presented itself, he took full advantage. He now runs one of the best early-stage VC's in California out of their office in Santa Monica. Keep in mind, the beginning of this interview was included in last week's episode involving Pitch Decks. We dive into pitch decks, what it's like to be a VC, his early life, and all of his future plans. Enjoy! Lead Investor: Lumalaunch.com @laurentgrill on twitter @lumalaunch on Instagram WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Pitch Decks, Pitch Decks, Pitch Decks...that's pretty much all I've heard since I entered the entrepreneurial world years ago. How they look, what pages go where, what investors like what...it goes on and on. That's why I wanted to have an episode to pull three unique perspectives from three incredible entrepreneurs/investors. Farhaj Mayan is the founder of Kanna and has won several pitch competitions with his amazing presentation skills and pitch decks. Laurent Grill is the lead investor at Luma Lunch, has been involved in several startups of his own, and has years of pitch deck experience under his belt. Finally, Vik Sasi is one of the main partners at Dreamers VC (Founded by Will Smith and Keisuke Honda) and he brings a very unique perspective to the pitch deck conversation. Farhaj Mayan: 2:38 - 19:43  Farhaj's Current Deck: docsend.com/view/75xpx4q CEO - hirekanna.com Laurent Grill: 19:48 - 37:17 Lead Investor: Lumalaunch.com @laurentgrill on twitter @lumalaunch on Instagram Vik Sasi: 37:18 - End Partner: dreamers.vc LinkedIn Profile Email: vik@dreamers.vc Pitch Decks references in episode: Guy Kowasaki 10-Slide: https://guykawasaki.com/the-only-10-slides-you-need-in-your-pitch/ Front - Series A Deck: https://www.slideshare.net/MathildeCollin/front-series-a-deck-64596550 Front - Series B Deck: https://www.slideshare.net/MathildeCollin/front-series-b-deck-91172575

Shortly after graduating from Clemson, Harold realized he wanted to rewrite the ticketing space. He was upset that so many home fan tickets were sold to opposing teams, so many fake tickets were being sold, and he was just frustrated with the ticketing industry as a whole. After years of work, bandwagonfanclub.com is now flourishing and Harold himself has embraced the startup world. His company now has two offices in the US and he has personally invested in multiple startups (one of those startups being Farhaj Mayan - WeStrive episode #52). I hope you enjoy hearing about his journey and all his tips on how to build/grow a startup. WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Daron Roberts has an incredible story. He went from being the Student Body President at the University of Texas (which at the time had over 50,000 students and was the biggest school in the country), to applying to Harvard Law 4 times before finally getting in, to finally getting his law degree...only to go coach at the NFL. Sounds crazy right? But as we discuss on the podcast, life isn't a straight line and when he realized coaching was his true passion, there was nothing going to stop him from pursuing his dream...plus, having a Law degree from Harvard in your pocket isn't exactly a bad thing. Listen in to hear how he went from being a rookie coach in the NFL to now doing 55 professional speaking engagements per year. WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Martin Rowinski is the CEO of boardsi.com (Pronounced Board-Z) which is a platform that connects top-level executives with startups looking to fill out their advisory board. Martin has spent years in the tech industry advising countless companies and founding a few of his own. Over the course of the podcast, we cover his early life, his experience with running a real estate company during the stock market crash, having an exit, and so much more. How to get ahold of Martin & Boardsi: schedule@boardsi.com (916) 542-9379 WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Vadi Efe was the co-founder and COO of Dekatlon Buzz which was based out of Istanbul, Turkey. After years of working in the media and tech industry, he decided to create his own media empire. After close to 7 years of working with some of the biggest companies in the world, they finally had an offer they couldn't refuse. Over the course of this podcast, we'll cover the companies Vadi worked for, the way they approached their multi-million dollar exit, his nomination into Fortune 40 under 40, and so much more. WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

This week we have Charlotte Hodgson and basically everything she touches turns to Gold. She grew up with loving parents who she later found out were addicted to hard drugs. At an early age, she was responsible for taking care of her siblings, eventually joined the army, got her Masters in Education, and eventually joined a Charter School. When she joined, the school had 250 students and by the time she left the school had over 35,000. After seeing an opportunity with her friend's company, Holistapet (holistapet.com), she decided to invest and become a Co-Founder. The company was doing $6,000/month and after 6 months of Charlotte, they were doing around $500K/month. This past year they did $5 Million and are on track to do $10 Million in 2020. Once Charlotte was brought on the team, they also expanded into the human version of their CBD company, Cheef Botanicals (cheefbotanicals.com). I hope you enjoy the episode and can learn something from Charlotte's experience and lessons! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Stephen George has been an entrepreneur his entire life. In his early 20's, he was one of the Co-Founders of the company Groupon and managed hundreds of employees at the age of 21. After Groupon's multi-billion dollar IPO, he decided to leave the company and traveled around the world for several years. After 3+ years of traveling, he returned to the US and became the founder of Surkus - https://surkus.com/ Surkus offers members exclusive access to paid events and offers from brands in exchange for engagement. It's an amazing app that's transforming the fan-to-brand relationship. I hope you enjoy the episode and can learn something from his amazing journey. WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Kevon Cheung grew up in Hong Kong and at just 15 years old he flew by himself to Boston so he could attend school. He ended up staying in the US for 8 years before heading back to China to pursue entrepreneurship. Kevon has been involved with countless companies over the years. He helped launch/grow First Code Academy (a coding academy that has helped over 15,000 students learn how to code) and now he is the CEO/Founder of his networking software company, Toasty (toasty.ai).  When I was first approached by someone on Kevon's team, I was excited and eager to hear more. As a networking event host myself, it's always hard to find ways to break the ice among attendees...and Kevon's new company does just that! Listen to the episode to find out more! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Cory Levy (@Cory on Instagram)  is the founder of First Text, Internapalooza, After School, and is involved in countless additional projects. In his younger days, Cory was smart enough to start his career out by interning at incredible companies like Techstars. This is one of the best ways to enter into the tech/startup world and learn as much as you can before creating your own startup. Throughout the episode, we talk about doing things that don't scale when your company is just starting out, different types of growth marketing techniques, what it's like to run a platform with millions of users, and so much more.  I hope you enjoy the podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and be sure to check out Cory's company firsttext.com WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Forrest has been an entrepreneur his entire life. He started working on his own business when he was just a kid and now he's only 23 and has run multiple companies. He' has a great understanding of what it takes to grow a business and his current business, Marketli, is growing rapidly in the eCommerce world. He sold his first company just after his 21st birthday and he's on his way to becoming one of the world's top CEO's. Enjoy the interview! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Maeve Garigan is an extremely successful entrepreneur who holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Her company, Roper, is Leading the development and commercialization of high-value technology for smart and sustainable beef production. In other words, they've created a high-tech ear-chip for cattle that allows ranchers to track their whereabouts and vitals. This leads to a much higher quality of beef and makes the rancher's job much easier. Over the years she has held many incredible roles including a role with the NAVY in which she was working on exoskeletons...AKA the coolest job of all time. Enjoy the interview! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Smriti & Jacques Zaneveld are two of the most brilliant minds that I've ever had the privilege of speaking to, let alone interviewing. Combined, they have about 40 awards, degrees, masters, PhD's, etc. and they have brought their powers together for the greater good. They currently run Lazarus 3D which is a 3D printing company that creates body parts (blood vessels, tissue, and all) to enable surgeons to master their surgical abilities. Right now, your surgeon more than likely practiced their surgeries in school on fruits and vegetables...it's 2020 and your surgeon practiced on FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. That's just crazy to me. What Smriti & Jacques are doing will definitely save countless lives and I couldn't be more excited for them. Head to laz3d.com to learn more! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

For the past 10+ years Heather Pink has worked in the world Sports and now she's moved on to create her own company. Heather spent years as a reporter and editor for Fox Sports & Time Warner until she was hired by the NFL. Heather quickly rose the ranks and became a producer for NFL Fantasy Live and was put in charge of social media for the NFL Fantasy Football accounts. She realized she wanted to work for herself so she and a colleague left and started pinkdearllc.com Listen in and follow her journey as she goes from sideline reporter to NFL Media Producer to CEO. WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Brian Hoang is a master of VR and AR technology....so much so that in college he founded the Society for VR and the Society for AR. During his college career he also got started on his first VR company and the rest is history. Since then, Brian has worked at multiple VC firms (soaking up all the information he needed for fundraising), created a new company VR company, and then pivoted to create what is now Survivr. Survivr is the ultimate VR experience for law enforcement and first responders to train virtually in life-like scenarios to help improve their effectiveness and save lives. Listen in as we break down Brian's journey to get where he is today. Enjoy! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

Neil Thanedar graduated from college and immediately got to work. His company, Labdoor, is arguably the best company on the planet when it comes to independent research of the supplement industry. I actually purchased a pre-workout off of their website before recording this interview (and if you can get a broke startup-founder like me to spend $40+ on something online, then you know you have a quality product). They have made millions of dollars, raised $7M in funding from notable investors like Mark Cuban, and have transformed the supplement industry. Some great lessons for founders that he speaks on: Every time customers give you feedback, write it down and analyze it Create a company you're passionate about Send monthly email updates to investors As a founder, you have to understand every aspect of your business, even if it's just a little bit. Everything from marketing, coding languages, business law, etc. Enjoy the episode! WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately with your clients through WeStrive.

The storyline for the company that was created by Chris Meade and his friends almost sounds made up. They wrote out a list of company ideas and the final thing they didn't erase was '4-way Volleyball'. They quit their jobs, moved away from home, and years later they have millions in sales. Sounds like a fantasy company, right? Well, Chris and his team have endured so much over the years and sacrificed everything to get to this point. Throughout the podcast, we cover their years of dedication, a few viral videos, and creative marketing strategies that have brought them to the top. Be sure to buy your CrossNet today! crossnetgame.com WeStrive: Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

This week I interviewed Farhaj Mayan, CEO & Founder at Kanna (hirekanna.com), and their company helps people find gigs/jobs in the Cannabis industry. Farhaj is one of those stop-at-nothing-to-succeed entrepreneurs and he actually fell on this new company by accident. He previously was running a mobile app for barbers called Fade, already was thinking of transitioning in a different direction, and then he stumbled upon a huge gap in such a growing industry. Throughout the podcast, Farhaj discusses his life growing up in Dubai, moving to the US, winning robotics competitions, his journey with RedBull, building two amazing companies, and more. Enjoy! Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Andrew Blume & Trevor Hudson are two amazing entrepreneurs that are transforming the ag-tech industry. Trevor is a software engineer who grew up in Asia and speaks fluent Mandarin. Andrew has amassed 10,000 ag-tech hours and has worked in the ag-tech industry with companies like Microsoft, Philips, Ikea, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Southern Company, Agritecture, Square Roots, the Mayor's Office of Atlanta, LACI, Plenty, Aerofarms, and more. What is their product? Using a combination of logistics, servicing, and smart hardware, they set up customers (restaurants) with a hydroponic edible wall that grows and preserves produce until the moment the food is ready to be eaten. Basically, they have a beautiful display of growing leafy greens in restaurants that can be immediately taken from being grown and placed right on the plate. Their vision is to make growing food as easy as eating it. They want to improve food systems and create a new paradigm for the farm-to-table experience. Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

For our 50th episode, I'm flipping things around and actually posting an interview of myself getting interviewed by Axel York (episode 49). Throughout the episode, I speak about my journey to get WeStrive to where it is today, all the hurdles I've had to go through, the different lessons I've learned along the way, and so much more. Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Axel has been ambitious and adventurous all his life so it makes that when his boss brought up expanding into Asia, he was the first one to raise his hand to volunteer. Moving a business, getting office space, hiring employees, and growing a company may be one of the most difficult things a human being can do...now imagine doing that all in the Philippines. After years of doing this in the Phillippines for another company, (and a successful ongoing career at V3 Electric) he decided it was time to start his own company out of the Philippines. Introducing, Qloud Sherpas, a company that outsources Executive Assistants to the PH AND pays them well. I actually just hired one of these assistants myself so I'm excited to see how things play out.  In addition to all of this, he's currently a board member at multiple charities (one being campaignoaat.org Episode #35). Enjoy the episode! Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Nick Ordoñez was introduced to me by a previous interviewee, Brodi Nicholas (episode #35), since Nick's company does a lot of work with Brodi's Cancer charity, campaignoaat.org. Nick runs an amazing travel/lifestyle backpacking company called Jetcet that he started several years ago. His passion for travel and hard work are what forged his company and those ambitions all started as a little kid. Nick's best friend/brother has down-syndrome and that had a big impact on how Nick lived his life. After heading off to college, Nick wanted to make his brother proud and that's when he started working on Jetcet. Seeing a need for a sleeker/more compact backpack, Nick and his cousin decided to launch Jetcet and the rest is history. Throughout the podcast we touch on early life, scaling a company (with a baby at home), his relationship with the Philippines, and so much more. If you want one of his company's backpacks, here's a 20% discount. Enjoy! https://www.jetcetlife.com/  Promo Code: WeStrive for 20% off Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's led the technology teams for brands like Paris Hilton and Kanye West's Yeezy. This podcast was so long that we broke it into two different weeks. The first week, we'll touch on Adam's early life, the businesses he started, and the companies he was the technical-lead at. In week two, we'll get into his CTO role at Yeezy, growing his company Number 5, and ask him a series of questions to get to know him better. Enjoy the episode! Also, he brought two bottles of very nice wine from my birth year. He spent hours picking the right bottles...so cheers to you Adam. He also brought some delicious cheese and crackers that I happily scarfed down after the interview. Part 1 Summary: Early life, Entrepreneurs@ASU, CTO @ dozens of companies Part 2 Summary: CTO @ Yeezy, Growing Number 5 as CEO, 20 Questions Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Adam Ayers is a legend in the tech world. He's lead tech teams all over the world and this week he sat down with WeStrive to tell his story. From an early age, Adam was obsessed with technology and that obsession led him into the entrepreneurship world. He went from building websites in his early teens, to starting Entrepreneurs@ASU while attending Arizona State University. Later in his career, Adam was the head developer or CTO for companies like Five Four Club and Crowdfunder.com and he's led the technology teams for brands like Paris Hilton and Kanye West's Yeezy. This podcast was so long that we broke it into two different weeks. The first week, we'll touch on Adam's early life, the businesses he started, and the companies he was the technical-lead at. In week two, we'll get into his CTO role at Yeezy, growing his company Number 5, and ask him a series of questions to get to know him better. Enjoy the episode! Also, he brought two bottles of very nice wine from my birth year. He spent hours picking the right bottles...so cheers to you Adam. He also brought some delicious cheese and crackers that I happily scarfed down after the interview. Part 1 Summary: Early life, Entrepreneurs@ASU, CTO @ dozens of companies Part 2 Summary: CTO @ Yeezy, Growing Number 5 as CEO, 20 Questions Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

Alex is actually the former Co-Founder of David Levich's (Episode #1) earlier company before SunStaches. David introduced me to Alex and told me that Alex is not only one of the best guys he knows, but he's also a wizard with SEO...so, of course, I wanted to get him on the podcast. After years of helping grow the company (now called Sunstaches), Alex decided he wanted to go off on his own. He launched GoPureBrands back in 2006 and he hasn't looked back since. As the CEO/Founder, Alex takes us through his day-to-day operations, the ups and downs of running a company, and what it's like to be a big-time solo founder. Check them out at gopurebeauty.com Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.

After founding/selling multiple companies, Christopher Grey decided to get into Angel investing. Now, he has one of the best angel rates there is with only 3 out of 40 of his investments failing. Typically, around 50-90% of Angel investments end up failing so his rate of only 7.5% is insane. Throughout the episode, we cover his company CapLinked, what it's like to be an angel investor, how to properly vet companies, and what it takes to succeed in the entrepreneurial world. For more information in his company, check out https://www.caplinked.com/ Be sure to check out the WeStrive App on IOS, Android, and if you're a personal trainer check us out at WeStriveApp.com to see if you want to sell your fitness plans or train privately on WeStrive.