From Spark to New Venture

In this episode, we explore the story of Estée Lauder and how she built one of the most recognizable beauty companies in the world. Starting with a small collection of skincare products, Lauder used her passion for beauty, creativity, and understanding of customers to turn her idea into a successful business. We discuss her early beginnings, innovative marketing strategies, and the risks she took...

In this episode, Erick Wells and Nicolas Snellings interviewed Warren Sharp, founder of Sharp Football Analysis. Warren shared how he began his entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his interest in football at a young age. As Warren worked his job in civil engineering he created his business, staying up long into the night developing on his entrepreneurial venture. Warren explains how he built c...

This episode follows Kerri Quigley, an entrepreneur and the founder of The Fashion Class. She went into the job market straight out of Parsons School of Design with a degree in business and a minor in fashion, only to find that there were no available full-time jobs due to the Great Recession in 2008. Instead, Kerri decided to create her own job by building a business that teaches others how to se...

How did Sara Blakely turn a simple idea into a successful business? In this episode of From Spark to Venture, I discuss how she founded Spanx, overcame rejection, and built a well-known brand from scratch. Her story shows how creativity, persistence, and taking risks can turn an everyday problem into a business opportunity.

What does it take to walk away from one of the hottest labs in tech and start over from scratch? In this episode, we follow Dario Amodei from a curious San Francisco kid obsessed with physics to the CEO of Anthropic. We explore why he left OpenAI, how he teamed up with his sister Daniela and five other co-founders, and why he once held back a finished product in the name of safety. We also dig int...

This week I sat down with Jack from Lacada Brewery for a proper chat about what makes the place tick. Lacada isn’t your typical craft brewery. It’s a co-operative, owned by the people who back it rather than one person at the top, and that changes everything from how decisions get made to who the beer is really for. We talked about how the brewery got off the ground on the North Coast, what runnin...

In this podcast, Alaina Gibson sits down with Carmen Mercado, a franchise business co-owner of a local Allstate. Throughout the episode, they talk about Carmen's early interest in becoming a business owner, the setbacks that came along the way, and advice that she has for others interested in pursuing entrepreneurship. Carmen and her partner have been in this industry for over 6 years now and...

In this podcast episode, I speak with Lisa Snape Avery, Director of Avery Ballet. We discuss what Avery Ballet is and who Lisa Snape Avery is. Together, we talk about the support she received when starting her business and any obstacles she’s faced along the way. She explains how her company has affected the greater Fredericksburg and its surrounding areas, also how her former students have gone o...

In this podcast episode, we spoke to Abbas Haider, the founder and CEO of Aspetto. Abbas has made Forbes 30 Under 30, Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies Private Company (5x),  a TedX speaker, and was the 2018 commencement speaker.  Starting his business during his freshman year at UMW, he made the first bullet resistant suit, and received his first government contract his junior year. Since start...

This podcast, hosted by students Kes, Emily, and Nayeli, features an interview with a university alumnus, Morgan Wellman, who is co-owner of the small business, Sugar and Spruce, originating in Fredericksburg. During the podcast, Morgan discusses her journey into entrepreneurship, including how she got started, the experiences that shaped her career, and the challenges she faced along the way. The...

In this episode of Spark to New Venture, I will be interviewing Doug Kaspar on his entry into the world of entrepreneurship. Doug has recently opened up a franchise of a small business that operates in the Pet Store industry. Doug does not have any experience with entrepreneurship. He discusses his beginnings, his struggles, his support, and his ideas on entrepreneurship. Doug is not the average e...

This podcast explores the life and entrepreneurial journey of Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful” from the TV show Shark Tank. It explains how he started his business, SoftKey, in a basement and grew it into a major software company. The podcast discusses what motivated him to become an entrepreneur, how he found money and resources to start his business, and the challenges he faced along...

In this episode of Spark to New Venture, I interview Sanjeev Duggal, co-founder and president of Dev Technology, about his entrepreneurial journey and the principles behind building a successful business. Duggal explains how his company grew organically from consulting projects and established client relationships into a larger organization built on customer satisfaction, ethical leadership, and e...

In this episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Mark Link, The Assistant General Manager of Overhead Door. A garage door company in Virginia. First, we talk a bit about Mark's background, such as education and previous experience. Then we move to talk about different factors that go into his overall approach with no background in this topic to what he looks for when hiring a new pe...

During this podcast I will be interviewing both Matthew Connolly and Lisa Ownby about starting a business. Matthew and Lisa will go into depth as to how they started their company Landtech Resources Inc. Landtech is a surveying and engineering firm based in Williamsburg Virgina. In the latter half of the podcast both entrepreneurs give advice about starting a business. The overarching bit of advic...

Join Fish and Chuck as they share the story of Johnny Morris, the founder of Bass Pro Shops. Before the huge stores and aquariums, Morris was a young fisherman selling fishing gear in the back of his dad’s liquor store. This episode explores how his love of fishing and a problem finding equipment led him to start a business. We discuss how he gathered money and support, grew the company, and faced...

James Sinegal is one of the co-founders of Costco, and since 1983, has built it into the largest wholesale retailer in the world. In this episode of From Spark to Venture, we will be diving into how James Sinegal started Costco, his motivation behind it, and how his perspective on business and entrepreneurship allowed for Costco’s stock price to grow 19,000% since they went public. With how Costco...

This episode explores Mariah Corkhill’s journey as an entrepreneur and the experiences that shaped her approach to building a business. Throughout the conversation, Mariah discusses what motivated her to pursue entrepreneurship, the challenges she encountered, and the lessons she learned from navigating those experiences. This episode highlights the importance of persistence, adaptability, and lea...

In this podcast episode I speak with Charlotte Fandey, co-owner of Feeling Better Together (FBT). First, we discuss what her company does, and how it stands out in the healthcare market, both in terms of their range of offerings and in their trauma informed mindset. We talked about how personal finances can be enough to start a small business but time can be a more limiting factor. Then, we move o...

Before Henry Ford changed how the world builds things, he failed twice. This episode follows Ford from a Michigan farm boy who took watches apart to see how they worked to the engineer whose first two car companies fell apart. On his third try in 1903 he founded Ford Motor Company. After founding Ford he then beat the Selden patent monopoly in court and became a public hero. We look at the Model T...

In this raw episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Elon Musk and how he became one of the most influential figures in technology and business. We discuss his early success with companies like Zip2 and PayPal, which helped fund his future ventures, and examine how he went on to build Tesla and SpaceX. Throughout the episode, we look at the risks Musk took, the challenges he faced, and t...

In this episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Max Sieplinga, the founder and CEO of Howies Hockey Tape. During his time playing collegiate hockey at Calvin University, Max grew constantly frustrated by low-quality tape that peeled off his stick mid-shift. Rather than accepting the status quo, he turned his dorm room into the headquarters for a new side hustle, dedicating himself to en...

Our podcast explores the entrepreneurial journey of Tim Keough, a multi-business owner with a strong focus on the technology industry. In this episode, Tim discusses his background, the businesses he has built, and what it takes to turn an idea into a successful venture. We explore the resources that helped him get started, including money, knowledge, and connections, as well as the people who pla...