Entrepreneurship 101

Episodes

• 
  The Human-Only Social Network: Ross Thorpe on Rooverse, Blocking AI Content & Bringing People Back to Social Media 05.10.2026 25m

  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 AI Trust Council.
• 
  From Furlough to Founder: Rachel Minion on Turning a Side Hustle Into a Thriving Business | Entrepreneurship 101 04.10.2026 19m

  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 quietly built years earlier. What had once been a secondary business suddenly became her primary opportunity. With no guarantee that entrepreneurship would work, Rachel began reconnecting with clients, rebuilding relationships, and putting her full energy into growing the business she had once considered shutting down. Rachel speaks candidly about the uncertainty and self-doubt that accompanied the transition. Rather than waiting for certainty, she learned to trust herself, rely on her experience, and use her determination to move forward when there was no obvious alternative. Today, Rachel continues her entrepreneurial journey through Rockstar Moon, her work with Rockstar AI, and her nonprofit organization Beyond Basic Needs. Join Entrepreneurship 101 for a powerful conversation about turning a side hustle into a full-time business, navigating unexpected career disruption, overcoming self-doubt, embracing innovation, and discovering what can happen when circumstances force an entrepreneur to finally bet on themselves.
• 
  Building High-Performance Teams: Ron Cooper on Personality, Principled Leadership & Transforming Workplace Culture 03.10.2026 25m

  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 organizations increase their worker retention and gain new employees by establishing a reputation that people like working in the organization. Ron inspires organizational leaders to meaningfully engage their workforce which eliminates cynical, passive, and toxic work cultures. Ron is leveraging over 30 years active duty Air Force fighter pilot and command experience, and industry executive experience to help people and organizations achieve the full potential. Ron has led organizations of 200+ people and is currently mentoring and coaching others to help them achieve their full potential. He has published numerous leadership and organizational articles for trade magazines. He is a co-author of the best-selling book, “DISCover Your Team’s Potential.”
• 
  Build a Brand That Commands Authority: Teaira Abston on Strategy, Premium Clients & Scalable Growth 02.10.2026 26m

  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.
• 
  The Podcast Lawyer™: Gordon Firemark on Podcasting, Copyright, Contracts & Entertainment Law | Law 101 01.10.2026 36m

  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 Merchandising, and Contract law at Pepperdine Law School.
• 
  Find the Bottleneck Holding Your Business Back with Micah Logan | Entrepreneurship 101 29.09.2026 37m

  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 system around it.
• 
  Benas Leonavicius: From Solo SEO Business to Building Personal Brands for Leading Experts | Entrepreneurship 101 28.09.2026 24m

  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.
• 
  Lara Bezerra on Conscious Leadership, Purpose, and Building Organizations Where People Thrive 27.09.2026 27m

  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 on both individuals and society. Her Japanese mother also nurtured her lifelong fascination with the relationship between science, philosophy, and human development—an influence that would later become central to her leadership philosophy. Over a thirty-year executive career, Lara led multinational organizations including Bayer and Roche across seven countries. She became the first female Executive President for Bayer Latin America before later serving as CEO of Roche India, where she was recognized as the world's first Chief Purpose Officer. In that role, she helped formalize the integration of purpose, culture, and performance at the highest levels of organizational leadership. Throughout her career, Lara observed a growing disconnect inside many organizations: increasing pressure for results alongside rising burnout, disengagement, and cultural fragmentation. These experiences led her to develop the concept of Coherent Leadership®—a framework that explores how leadership behavior, organizational culture, emotional awareness, and purpose must align to create sustainable performance and human flourishing. Today, Lara advises CEOs, boards, and organizational leaders on building coherent lives, organizations, and systems capable of thriving in an increasingly complex world. Through her work, writing, and speaking, she challenges conventional assumptions about leadership by integrating executive experience with insights from neuroscience, consciousness studies, and systems thinking.
• 
  How to Build Your Personal Brand and Become a Trusted Authority with Kelly Schuknecht 26.09.2026 27m

  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 host two podcasts: Beyond the Bestseller, where I feature female authors of nonfiction books and empower them to share their stories, and The Authority X-Factor, where I interview thought leaders in a variety of industries. I love sharing actionable insights on how to bridge the gap between being an expert and being a recognized leader. Whether we are discussing how to overcome imposter syndrome, building a sustainable content engine, or the nuances of remote work, my goal is always to provide strategies your listeners can implement right away. If your audience includes professionals, entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to elevate their voice and influence, I’d be thrilled to join you and share how they can finally claim their own Authority X-Factor.
• 
  Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working: Fix the Strategy First | Lauren Harris 25.09.2026 24m

  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 across 12+ industries. My clients have grown revenue over 200% in 90 days, generated tens of millions of organic impressions, and grown website traffic nearly 700% through disciplined strategy alone. No virality, no paid blitz. Just real positioning and patience. What makes me a good podcast guest: I have strong opinions and I back them with real numbers and specific stories. I can talk about strategy vs. tactics, why most rebrands fail, what founders get wrong about content, why "differentiate" is the most misused word in marketing, and how to know if your marketing is actually working. I hold an MS in Strategic Marketing from Northeastern University. If your audience is made up of founders, marketing leads, or operators who feel like their marketing isn't compounding, I'll give them a real, useful conversation. No fluff. No generic "post more on LinkedIn" energy. Just sharp, specific takes they can act on.
• 
  Whole Human Leadership: Victoria Pelletier on Resilience, Personal Branding, and Leading with Empathy 24.09.2026 26m

  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 recognized as one of the 100 Global Outstanding LGBTQ Executive Role Models by Involve (sponsored by YouTube), a 2023 Women of Influence by South Florida Business Journal, a semi-finalist in the 2023 50/50 Women on Boards Women to Watch, 2022 Top 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech by CIOLook, 2022 Most Influential Entrepreneur of the Year by World Magazine, 2021’s Top 50 Business Leader in Technology by Insight Magazine and a Mentor of the Year by Women in Communications & Technology in 2020. HSBC bank awarded her the Diversity & Inclusion in Innovation award in 2019 and she was IBM’s #1 Global Social Seller ranked by LinkedIn in 2019 and 2020. As a prolific motivational and inspirational speaker, Victoria has delivered keynotes discussing the significance of Whole Human Leadership - being an empathetic and authentic leader, as well as the importance of personal branding and its impact on professional growth; the power of DEI on corporate cultures and building a life of resilience.
• 
  How Evgenii Tilipman Builds B2B Websites That Convert and Scales an Agency Beyond the Founder 23.09.2026 25m

  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 founders only think about under deadline pressure: the version of a B2B website that has to keep up with the round you just closed, the VP of sales you just hired, and the enterprise deals you're about to chase. Almost every conversation he has comes back to one idea — most B2B deals are won or lost before the sales team gets involved, and the website is the silent witness to that. Evgenii's perspective is shaped by an unusual path. Khod started as him alone, building Webflow sites freelance. It's now a full team across design, dev, SEO, and CRO. The transition forced him to learn — sometimes the hard way — how to systematize creative work, build a process that survives the founder not being in every meeting, and price and pitch for clients who are about to raise $20–40 million. He's strongest in three conversations: What separates a B2B website that converts from one that just looks good — frameworks and examples from real Series A and B launches. Pre-funding-announcement website strategy — when to redesign, how fast you can actually move (Khod ships in one to eight weeks), and what investors and enterprise buyers expect to see. Scaling a creative agency past the founder — the operational, pricing, and positioning shifts required to stop being a freelancer with a logo. Best fit for shows targeting founders, B2B marketers, growth leaders, agency operators, and the Webflow community. Evgenii shows up with specifics — case numbers, frameworks, and uncomfortable truths not generic advice.
• 
  Build a Business That Creates Freedom: Nate Yoder on Leadership, Systems, and Growth 22.09.2026 24m

  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 brings practical, real-world experience with a mission to help entrepreneurs build successful businesses while staying present for the people and purpose that matter most.
• 
  10 Ways to Feel Better: Bob Bekian on Happiness, Healthy Habits and Reinventing Your Life 21.09.2026 25m

  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 knew he could be. He studied health, emotional wellness, mindset strategies and faith coming out the other side with an entirely new outlook and purpose. Bob’s journey back to himself was so transformative that he decided to shift his life into a direction of encouragement for others. His book “10 ways to feel better “ includes simple ways to shift your daily habits and the way you think into a life filled with satisfaction and gratitude.
• 
  Building High-Performing Teams: John Pezoulas on Talent, Leadership & Entrepreneurship 20.09.2026 24m

  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 authentic insights on balancing business growth with life outside work. I focus on translating complex strategies into practical, actionable advice for listeners. Potential topics could include building a talent engine that drives growth, aligning sales, marketing, and HR, lessons from entrepreneurship, and navigating leadership as a parent. I’d love the opportunity to bring value to your audience and share these insights.
• 
  Silvia Rizzo: Leadership Under Pressure, High Performance & Better Decision-Making 19.09.2026 24m

  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 matter, and leadership isn’t theoretical — it’s tested in real time. That experience shaped how I think about performance, credibility, and how people respond when things don’t go as planned. On podcasts, I don’t deliver rehearsed frameworks or motivational soundbites. I prefer honest conversations, practical examples, and thoughtful dialogue around leadership under pressure, managing error, and making decisions in complex situations. Hosts usually appreciate that conversations with me are natural, reflective, and easy to navigate — focused on creating value for the audience rather than promoting a personal agenda.
• 
  Steve Caton: Escape the Founder Sales Trap & Build a Repeatable Revenue Engine 18.09.2026 27m

  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 all, he is inspired every day by the opportunity to help a Founder escape the sales trap and become the strategic leader they dream of being. I’m Steve Caton, and I’m a champion for small business owners. After more than three decades in sales, I built Altezza to help founders escape the sales trap, but not before their business is ready. My world-view isn’t about flashy pitches or magic bullets; it’s rooted in the power of a repeatable, revenue-generating engine that’s fast, clear, and human. Over the years, I’ve watched a simple—and painful—truth repeat itself: most founders think a "superstar" sales hire is the magic pill for their growth problems. They want to offload the stress of revenue so they can go back to building their product or leading their team. But here’s the reality I share with every audience: hiring a salesperson before you’ve built a sales foundation is a recipe for expensive failure.
• 
  Andrew Quillen on the Future of AI: Beyond the Hype to Winning AI Strategy 17.09.2026 28m

  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. Before founding AndMaverick, he held leadership and advisory roles across Stripe, OpenAI, Spotify, and Coinbase during some of the defining moments in AI and financial technology. Today, his client list includes Microsoft, Blackstone, Mayo Clinic, JPMorgan Chase, and the governments of Australia and New Zealand. He helps leaders understand where AI is heading, identify durable opportunities, and make better strategic decisions before the rest of the market catches up.
• 
  Email Marketing That Builds Trust and Drives Revenue with Tanya Brody 16.09.2026 24m

  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 creates the community that will support their businesses for years to come. She is also a professional musician and used to tour around the U.S. with her Celtic Band, The Muses. That’s how she got her start in email marketing.
• 
  Career Reinvention and Marketing That Works with Gary Pageau 15.09.2026 25m

  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 is adept at communicating complex ideas and concepts across a variety of platforms, including digital and social. He also teaches entrepreneurship as adjunct faculty in a local community college.