The Founder's Forge Podcast

Reach out to Taylor: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorjacobs3/

Find out more about Dabble: https://www.dabblewithme.com/

Find out more about VoiceStar: https://starbar.ai/

Reach out to Owen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

An Axon Collective Podcast: https://axoncollective.com/

#foundersforge

This week we talk to Lisa Calder of Craving Space live on Twitter Spaces! Craving Space was born from Lisa's experience in high-end interior design and took shape into a product that is easy, modular, and obtainable to the masses. Lisa talks about how to build a trusted team, learning the engineering process, and some tips on getting started as a solo founder. Take a listen!

Reach out to Lisa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-calder/

Find Craving Space online: https://craving-space.com/

Reach out to Owen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

An Axon Collective Podcast: https://axoncollective.com/

#foundersforge

This week we talk to Max Thalheimer of Fynd live on twitter spaces! Fynd is a state-of-the-art aggregation app for fun. Connecting restaurants and bars to people, adding value for both sides. It's a great listen about pivoting and finding product market fit. Take a listen.

Reach out to Max: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-thalheimer/

Find Fynd: getfynd.app

Reach out to Phill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-reed-a7743096/

Reach out to Owen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

An Axon Collective Podcast: https://axoncollective.com/

Reach out to Jason: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncenteno/

Jason on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedadnextdoor_/

Learn more about Trashmitter: https://trashmitter.com/

Reach out to Phill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-reed-a7743096/

Reach out to Owen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

An Axon Collective Podcast: https://axoncollective.com/

Every week we'll talk to a founder or thought leader live on Twitter Spaces! Join us Thursday's 5:00pm EST @founders_forge

In this episode, we introduce RAW and Phil Reed who will be hosting alongside Owen Goode and Marcus Smith.

This Podcast is a production of Axon Collective, LLC: axoncollective.com

Hosted by:

Marcus Smith: linkedin.com/in/marcusthesmith/
Owen Goode: linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Phil Reed: linkedin.com/in/philip-reed-a7743096/

Interested in coming on the show? Reach out to us by email, or on Twitter!

#foundersforge

Check out Leanr at https://www.tryleanr.com/

Find Hunter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunterwbaker/

Hunter's recommended resource: https://www.mfmpod.com/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter and Instagram!

#foundersforge

Check out Open Bookkeeping, and download their free budget tool.

Find Mari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maricpa/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter and Instagram!

#foundersforge

Get in touch with Weston:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/westonwoodward/

Find out more about Iron Light Labs:
https://ironlightlabs.org/

Reach Out to Us:

Marcus Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusthesmith/
Axon Collective: https://axoncollective.com
#foundersforge

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter and Instagram!

#foundersforge

Get in touch with Brian:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmcc/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianmcc

Find out more about what Brian has going on:
The Techmeme Ride Home Podcast
How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone
The Ride Home Fund

Brian's Book Recommendation:
The Prize by Daniel Yergin

Reach Out to Us:

Marcus Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusthesmith/
Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Axon Collective: https://axoncollective.com

#foundersforge

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter and Instagram!

Get in touch with Jonny:
Jonny Price: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyprice/

Find out more about Wefunder:
https://wefunder.com
https://communityround.com

Learn more about angel investing:
https://wefunder.com/school

Learn more about raising on the platform:
https://wefunder.com/raise

Reach Out to Us:

Marcus Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusthesmith/
Axon Collective: https://axoncollective.com
#foundersforge

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter and Instagram!

Get in Touch with Kristin and Mercedes:
Kristin Bonds: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-bonds-b2956120/
Mercedes Ballard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-ballard-6a854456/

Find Out More About Heristic.co:
https://heristic.co/

Reach Out to Us:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Axon Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axon-collective/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, Owen sits down with Kristin Bonds and Mercedes Ballard of Heristic. We touch on what makes women uniquely qualified, prepared, and empowered to thrive in the start-up world.... the advantages of leaning into your perspective when it comes to growing your business.... and finally how to find and get involved in like-minded communities and the critical role they play in founder success. Next week, in part 2, we’ll dive a little more into Kristin’s story and learn how and why education, activism, and encouragement is so vital for women and other minority founders. You won’t want to miss that episode or this one.

Get in Touch with Kristin and Mercedes:
Kristin Bonds: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-bonds-b2956120/
Mercedes Ballard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercedes-ballard-6a854456/

Find Out More About Heristic.co:
https://heristic.co/

Reach Out to Us:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Axon Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axon-collective/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen join's guest host Phill Reed in talking with Blake and Brandon Shirk, founders of SOVA Micro Room and Social Hotel. The Shirk twins are hoping to bring the hospitality and efficiency they experienced from their travels abroad to the US market. From tips on pitching and getting funded to finding design inspiration, you wont want to miss this special episode.

Get in Touch with Blake and Brandon:
Blake Shirk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-shirk-96425378/
Brandon Shirk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-shirk-73a77359/

Find Out More About SOVA Hospitality:
https://sovahotels.com/

Reach Out to Us:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Phill Reed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-reed-a7743096/
Axon Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axon-collective/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Emerald Labs: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emeraldlabspk/
Chris Gillan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisgillan/
Capital Factory: https://www.capitalfactory.com/
Bigger Pockets Podcast: https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast
The Female Founder Collective: https://www.femalefoundercollective.com/

Reach Out to Taylor and Dabble:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorjacobs3/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_taylorjacobs/
On the Web: https://www.dabblewithme.com/
Download the App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dabble-dallas/id1586353151

Reach Out to Us:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/
Marcus Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusthesmith/
Axon Collective: https://www.linkedin.com/company/axon-collective/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Intellectual Property with Steve Pearson
Cila Labs
The Lean Startup
The Startup J Curve
How I Built This
Philly Startup Leaders
1 Million Cups

Connect with Alison:

https://trufaves.com
info@getmyfaves.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aligorman/
https://www.instagram.com/aligorman/

Want to come on the show?
Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with FlexDesk CEO and Co-Founder Clark Jacobs. FlexDesk provides companies with a central tool to distribute access to on-demand workspaces, set spend and space access policies, uncover valuable engagement data, and reduce the burden of admins managing it all. This is the second time we've talked to Clark, and is a great example on the importance and learnings of pivots and market research.

Check out the last time we talked to Clark here: Episode 6

Get in touch with Clark: Clark on LinkedIn
Find FlexDesk online: FlexDesk.com

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with self-labled ‘dadtrepreneur’ Carl Starkey, co-founder of AWSM Sauce Co. Carl and his co-founder have sky-rocketed to startup success over the course of just a few months with their zero-waste sauce concept. This is a great episode full of advice and fascinating stories of how they went from coaches to founders in a matter of months.

Find Carl on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carlstarkey
Find AWSM Sauce online: awsmsauce.co
Shortcut Your Startup: goodreads.com

Come on the Show!
Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus talk to Alicia Hawley, founder of Donally and subsequently Any Help Appreciated. She's a life long entrepreneur and deeply committed to helping her community. It's a great listen!

Find Alicia on linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-murray-hawley-b240284/
Learn more about AHA: https://www.anyhelpappreciated.com/

Come on the Show!
Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus have Peter Yeargin of Sage back on the show almost a year later to talk about his company's pivot and to have a deep dive conversation on the world of SEO. This episode is chock-full of useful information surrounding search engine optimization, pivots, funding, and more, you won't want to miss it!

Where to find Sage: thesageboard.com
Where to find Sage SEO: sageseo.co

Venture capital firms mentioned on the show:
NFX
Greylock

Come on the Show!
Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Where to find Steve:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevenlpearson
The Pearson Strategy Group, LLC: pearsonstrategy.com

Come on the Show!
Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Today Owen talks to Priyanka Juneja, founder of Hera. Hera is an online platform empowering female travelers find safe ways to visit awesome places all over the world. Owen and Priyanka dive into competition analysis, user-base growth, and MVP development, plus Priyanka shares some terrific tips and lessons on self-care and solo entrepreneurship. Take a listen!

Links to Find Out More About Hera:
Check out Hera: https://hera.travel
Hera on Instagram: www.instagram.com/heratravel

Priyanka's Recommendations:
How to Win Friends and Influence People
The Compound Effect
The Gig Economy

Come on the Show!
Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen interviews Brian Fife of Local Links (formerly EasyAlfred). Brian is a lifelong entrepreneur and founder, and his latest endeavor is a B2B2C business in the travel industry. It's a great episode about the challenges of pivoting and growing a business in the height of the pandemic.

Check out Local Links: locallinks.online

Brian's Recommendations:
Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
Passion Economy by Adam Davidson
Traction by Gino Wickman
The High Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard
Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen interviews Zave Smith, co-founder and CEO of xBound.

xBound is creating an easy-to-use platform that connects late-career and semi-retirees to companies and non-profits that can benefit from the wisdom of an experienced workforce.

Find Zave on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/zavesmith/
Check out xBound at: xbound.us
Zave's Photography: zavesmith.com
Xhilarate: xhilarate.com

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus kick of season 3 of the Founder's Forge by interviewing Chris Wink, co-founder of Technical.ly.

Technical.ly is a Philadelphia-based, independent, tech-news organization focusing on reporting on work, economies in change, and how local companies fit into those changes. In addition to running a newsroom, Technical.ly also provides a job board for entrepreneurs, company builders, professionals, and more. It's a fascinating conversation about the intersection of entrepreneurship, technology and journalism in the modern era. 

Find a Technical.ly newsletter that fits your interests at: technical.ly/subscribe.
Join the Technical.ly community on Slack: technically.herokuapp.com.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen interviews Robert and Choi, founders of Bob's Containers - the traditional-sounding shipping container ecommerce and homebuilding company that's anything but traditional.

Learn how Bob faked his way into a successful bid on a shipping container contract before delivering successfully, which turned into disrupting the entire industry. It's a classic case of building a B2B2C business by inserting an ecommerce marketplace between consumers and an existing old-school industry full of cowboys. It's one of the best stories we have ever heard, full of entertaining and educational moments alike.

Interested in buying a shipping container or building a container home? Bob has got you covered - check out their website.

Follow Bob's on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube!

How I Built This with Guy Raz.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interview Eric Meyers-Tayne about his online pro fighter fitness platform. Learn about Eric's journey from dissatisfied corporate lackey to motivated entrepreneur, combining his love for MMA and UFC and his insights about the future of digital fitness to create FighterFitnessClub - a platform that lets real MMA fighters create and share their workouts with a mass audience. Did you know that most MMA fighters are just regular folks like us? Only a few are rich and famous, meaning that there is as much of an opportunity on their site of the market as there is on the consumer side. From humble beginnings recording workout sessions over Google Meet, Eric hopes to build a dominant platform in a competitive - but extremely lucrative - space.

Check out FighterFitnessClub for free on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and on the web.

Go find Eric's own podcast The Mavens Havens, a sort of sister show to our own where Eric interviews early-stage entrepreneurs about their journeys. Check out Eric's Interview with Marcus on The Mavens Havens on Apple Podcasts.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Marcus and Adam interview Rachel Cox about Airapy, a concierge marketplace service for matching clients with experienced therapists. It is actually quite difficult to find a therapist who fits your needs - especially if you're a business owner - a need that Airapy meets with a convergence of smart technology and industry expertise.

Learn how Rachel and her team learned about the industry and it's problems, built an minimum viable product, launched into the jaws of the Covid-19 pandemic, and then pivoted through the crisis into success. Lots of good startup learnings in here, check it out.

Check out Airapy at https://airapy.io/, and email Rachel directly at rachel@airapy.io.

Also check out our episode on burnout with Deena Shelton.

Shoutout to technical.ly in Philly!

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Adam interview Michael Costantini, founder of This is Opportunity. TIO is dedicated to breaking through barriers in the job market and providing a way for underprivileged, homeless, or otherwise limited-opportunity individuals to create a resume (often using video and other unorthodox approaches) and then matching them to jobs. Michael is an interesting guest with an inspiring product in a market that very much needs entrepreneurs like him.

Check out Philly Startup Leaders and Seed Spot.

The Mom Test.

Crossing the Chasm.

Extreme Ownership.

Find This Is Opportunity on their website, on Twitter, and on LinkedIn. You can also email Michael directly at mcostantini@ti-o.com.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Programming note: Audio quality is a little bit lower and there's some background noise on this one. Owen was on the road and we had less recordings to work with than normal. We'll be back to normal quality next week.

We're back after a short break to round out the season, and this week Marcus interviewed Chris Kaspar, serial entrepreneur and founder of Techless. Techless is building top-tier phones for people that want or need a modern smartphone that only does the basics by design - an enormous underserved market segment. Learn how Chris steered his company down the rocky path of perfecting a hardware product with a tiny but flexible team, and how he plans to use his learnings to reach far more people than he ever thought possible. The nuggets of wisdom come fast and furious in this excellent interview with an excellent guest.

Techless's website.

Follow Techless on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Owen interviews Sam LeFebre, an advertising expert and hobbyist cyclist who has created a gear bag that surpasses all other options on the market. Sam is a great example of how to successfully plan, test, and build a product business while never quitting your day job. Sam's advertising experience allowed him to build a large following online, which he successfully leveraged into a Kickstarter, which is live right now.

Go check out the Kickstarter, and the RIDE.PARC website.

Follow Parc on Instagram, and reach out to Sam directly at sam@rideparc.com.

Also go check out Astronomic and see what they can do to help you achieve your next steps in your business!

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Adam interview Tucker Cowie about the important of design in software, from user experience to product validation to strategic management. Tucker has both design and software experience across a variety of industries, and bridges the gap between technical and non-technical experts. We cover a huge range of subjects, and this episode serves as an awesome introduction to design and it's applications in your company. No matter what your role or experience, there is something to be gleaned here and from the resources that Tucker and Adam quoted from and summarized (all below).

We're not promising anything, but if we were going to do a spin-off podcast...

The Design of Everyday Things

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products

Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams

Universal Principles of Design

LawsofUX.com

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus interview Colby Harvey about his company Rizse - an autonomous drone inspection platform that's in the process of revolutionizing aircraft inspections in the airline industry. Join us as we nerd out about planes and drones alike, and stay for the solid discussion about why there is always opportunity in the hardest spaces. When the low-hanging fruit is gone, where do you go?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things on Amazon.

Extreme Ownership.

Inspired.

Nonviolent Communication.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Go check out the Founders Live website, and find their podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen interviews Itamar Gil, one of the founders (Arjun Vairavan is the other) of Kama, a dating website that sets up actual in-person dates for matches at partnering restaurants. Itamar shares his entrepreneurial beginnings as a middle-school loan shark, and explains how his background in software came from his service in the Israeli military. How do you get a busy restaurant owner's attention and keep it long enough to get a partnership? Learn how Kama created a new niche in a crowded field before the 2020 pandemic threw a wrench in their plans. They've adapted well, and are getting ready for a full launch - check them out at kama.club and on Instagram.

Thinking Fast and Slow

Zero to One

Give and Take

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus interview Ben Wolff, an entrepreneur innovating in the fashion space. Learn how Ben leveraged his education as an actor and his experience as the top salesperson at Hugo Boss to start not one, not two, but three successive companies. We talk about how do you know it's time to strike out on your own, how is sales more about improving the customer's life instead of tricking them into buying things, and how an unplanned hospital stay turned into a inroad into the wholesale oncological accessories industry. Despite being in a completely different industries, we prove that the fundamentals of business are the same no matter what you do, and that lessons learned in one sector have applications everywhere.

Check out the Beaniesleeper for yourself, or email Ben directly at beaniesleeper@gmail.com.

Beaniesleeper on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkTree.

Sleeping with Ben episode.

Ed Sylvia's website.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus and Owen interview Deena Shelton, PhD and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-S). Deena is a lifelong counselor, educator, and self-labeled nerd who has worked at a very high level across a variety of industries, including director positions at multiple non-profits (and a current seat on Axon Collective's Board of Directors). Together the three of us explore applications of psychology and therapy in an industry that largely shuns professional counseling. Learn why an understanding of how our brains work is not optional if you want to work in entrepreneurship, and how to learn mindsight, empathy, and integration form a foundation for mental health.

We also talk about how the intentionality of taking breaks is as important (if not more so) than the break itself, how meaning-making can either help or hinder our entrepreneurial self-image, and how therapy ends up as a net gain for you and your business in both time and money.

Don't miss what we consider to be one of the most important and useful episodes we've produced yet. We also want to invite anyone who thinks they may be struggling with burnout to reach out to us - you don't have to be in this alone.

Dan Siegel's website.

Listen to the Remodel Parenting Podcast on Apple Podcasts and check out The Remodel Project on Facebook.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus and Owen interview Michael Testa, a serial entrepreneur who just had his first exit with EatCheap, a food deal aggregation website that has done very, very well. Michael takes us through his background and how he stumbled into becoming an entrepreneur. We discuss the perils and joys of deciding when it's right to sell a company and how to go about doing it correctly. Also, we celebrate the fact that for the vast majority of founders their first exit is only large enough to set up their second venture, and how that's ultimately a good thing. Michael is a dynamic and entertaining guest and you won't want to miss our conversation.

Almanack of Naval Ravikant on Amazon.

Follow Michael on Twitter.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interviews Mari Ramirez, one of Austin's most prolific CPAs and founder of multiple small businesses in Central Texas. Learn how she got her start in accounting, why most CPAs only do taxes and neglect bookkeeping, and how being an accountant actually just means you're a therapist. Also, is Dave Ramsey actually terrible at giving business advice? And just how important is math anyways?

Don't miss our exciting return to the microphone as our second season gets underway!

Check out Open Bookkeeping, and download their free budget tool.

Also check out Mari's video on PPP loans that she mentions in the show.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus guest stars on Brad Flaugher's Remote Software Genius Podcast.

Listen to Brad's show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts!

Brad's Website: http://bradflaugher.com/

https://inoxoft.com/

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon, and we'll be back soon with more episodes.

In our final episode of the season, Adam interviews Michael C. Bertoni, a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple companies, including PhillyTech and UPROSPECT. UPROSPECT is redefining the way that lead generation works for businesses and jobseekers alike by creating digital business cards - listen as Mike energetically lays out his plan to become the largest startup in Philadelphia. Mike lays out why sales is the most fundamental area new businesses can focus on, and how he has honed his sales technique over the years. Also, the guys talk about their favorite superheroes - how does the Hulk relate to startups? Find out in this episode, and we'll be back soon with more content.

Enjoy your holidays and welcome to 2021!

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus and Adam interview Marvin Barron, a fascinating entrepreneur who co-founded a database of American political investments. All of publicly-elected officials in the United States are required to disclose their investments, and most have a pretty good handle on the markets - FinePrintData aggregates that public data to allow anyone to construct their own duplicate hedge funds, while simultaneously providing necessary transparency to constituents. The insights are interesting - what exactly do politicians invest in, and what do the reports that are required look like and how are they useful? Also, how can machine learning serve as a real-time whistleblower for financial conflicts-of-interest?

Technical data science and (apolitically-presented) political theory combine in this can't-miss episode.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interviews Mike Krupit, a seasoned veteran of the startup thunderdome who has worn hats from engineer to CEO (and everything in between). Mike is the founder of Trajectify, a business coaching and executive mentoring service helping give startup leaders the momentum needed to overcome the obstacles in front of them. Topics covered include how to validate a service-based business, how to make sure your business isn’t just a lifestyle and a not a business, and an overview of how to break into the coaching space. Marcus and Mike also discuss various company naming strategies, and Marcus inadvertently names Mike’s next venture.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interviews Matt and Chris Villanueva, a dynamic pair of brothers who operate a startup with one of the greatest names we've ever encountered - Let's Eat, Grandma! The bros talk about how they got into their industry (resume and business writing), how they learned to work together as siblings, and how to bootstrap a company without any outside investment and the unique challenges - and advantages - that afforded their business. Matt and Chris also share their favorite resources, books, and podcasts for entrepreneurs.

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh on Amazon.

Tim Ferriss Podcast.

Tony Robbins Podcast.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective People on Amazon.

Let's Eat Grandma Blog.

Need more Villanueva content? Check out The Career Warrior podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher!

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Join us for our inaugural Specialist Special with Landon Jordan talking about how Social Media fits into every business strategy. We talk about creative content creation, finding your audience, and how spending some cash to move your visibility forward may just be like your 401k - everyone knows the investment is good for them but no one wants to do it.

Some of Landon's suggested resources you will find useful:

Facebook Blueprint Course.

Google Skillshop.

Google My Business.

TikTok Business Resources.

Shaw Academy.


Connect With Landon:
lcjadvertising.com
LinkedIn
Facebook
Twitter

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interviews Clark Jacobs, an entrepreneur building "AirBnb for workspaces" in the form of FlexDesk, which allows businesses and homeowners alike to rent their space to workers seeking a new environment to be productive. They've seen a lot of growth during the pandemic, as work-from-home drives former office workers into new spaces other than their homes. Also, how do founders cope with a lack of expertise in a critical area, and what does the cofounder search actually look like? How are entrepreneurial relationships similar to romantic relationships? Finally, what is Clark's spirit animal?

Get in touch with Clark at: clark@flexdesk.io

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus and Adam interview Zack Pennington, an event-space entrepreneur attempting to break into brick-and-mortar entertainment in several cities in the Central US. The most important thing to consider when opening a new bar, karaoke spot, or casino? Uniqueness - what does your venue offer that no one else does? This applies as much to software as it does to karaoke. Also, how can you pivot to stay in business when your normal revenue source is literally illegal due to lockdowns?

Zack's website.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Adam and Marcus interview Justin Slusarski and Derek Sheehan at Quarbon, which aims to assign businesses an easily-understood "Quarbon Score" that measures sustainability and responsibility across five key metrics. Also in the episode - how is starting a business a mix between surfing and starting a band, what the heck is "Greenwashing", and what happens when a startup founder actually does start a band?

Find Weekender (the aforementioned band) on Spotify and Apple Music.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Marcus interviews Peter Yeargin, founder of Sage, a question-answering and advice marketplace aiming to find a superior (and monetizable) competitor to the like of Quora, providing users with a personal board of advisors. How did an immigrant from the Middle East go from the CIA to entrepreneur? How do you retrain your customers' brains when you disrupt an industry? How is being a family man an asset as a founder instead of a liability? Tune in for all that, and more.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

GrabCAD's website.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

Check out Axon Pages at xnpg.io, as well as Marcus's profile.

The mentioned report about the creator economy from SignalFire.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!