The First Customer

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Natalie Doyle Oldfield, CEO and founder of Success Through Trust Inc. Natalie grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and shares that she was inspired by her parents' strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit. Her father’s experience as an author and business owner profoundly influenced her career path. Natalie discusses how her upbringing an...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Marc Portney, CEO and Founder of Globalsource Infrastructure Partners. Marc spent his early days in Queens, New York, where he displayed an entrepreneurial spirit by shining shoes for pocket money. He emphasizes the importance of relationships in business, recounting how his hands-on approach and authenticity have been pivotal in building and mainta...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Monik Pamecha, CEO and Co-founder of Toma. Monik grew up in Bombay and was influenced by his hardworking father. This environment fostered an early interest in technology, leading him to create websites and tech blogs as a teenager. His first notable venture involved writing a humorous blog about a school friend's body hair, which gained signif...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview a very, very special guest, Rick Nucci, CEO and co-founder of Guru. Rick, highly regarded in the Philadelphia tech scene, reflected on a memorable moment at the Founder Factory event, where he humorously referenced a sports figure to highlight the significance of operations roles in companies. He emphasized the vital role of operations professionals...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bobby Varma, CEO and founder of Princeton Identity. Bobby shared her journey from her early life in India to her entrepreneurial ventures in the U.S. She highlighted how her father's love for travel and entrepreneurship influenced her adaptability and problem-solving skills, which are crucial traits for an entrepreneur. Bobby detailed her acade...

In this episode, I was  lucky enough to interview Joelle Flynn and Sonia Hounsell, co-founders and co-CEOs of FunkkOFF, a company that creates innovative oral care products. Joelle, a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in finance, and Sonia, an experienced brand manager with a passion for strategy and analytics, share their journey from childhood friends to business partners. They discuss the...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Mark Lin, Founder and CEO of Sliimeyhoney. Mark shares the journey of how he founded his gourmet slime company. He explains that Sliimeyhoney creates slimes that not only look and feel like favorite foods but also smell delightful, making them sensory toys. Mark started his business during the COVID-19 pandemic from his home's storage room whil...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jared Waters, CEO of Mini Materials. Jared shares his unique journey from a small-town upbringing to becoming an entrepreneur. Jared explains how moving frequently in his childhood helped him become more outgoing, a trait that benefits his entrepreneurial ventures. He reveals that he bought Mini Materials, a company known for producing miniature con...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Veon Brewster, the founder of Veba Baby. Veon shares her journey from Jamaica to the U.S., where her upbringing in a household focused on education inspired her entrepreneurial spirit. She details her academic and professional background, highlighting her work in tech at Google and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Veon's motivation to create Veba Baby,...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tim Swindle, co-founder of PaddleSmash. Tim shares his journey from growing up in Chicago and being inspired by his entrepreneur father to his early ventures, including a golf teaching business at age 12 and a successful software company called PointDrive, which was later acquired by LinkedIn. He also discusses his passion project, a board game call...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Assaf Pashut, the Founder of Chefee Robotics. Assaf shared his entrepreneurial journey, which began in Israel and Silicon Valley, where he developed a love for food and business. His initial foray into entrepreneurship was as a swim instructor, which later led him to start a catering business called The Flying Falafel during his college years. Despi...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Ryan Bouton, co-founder of Gatsby Chocolate.  Ryan grew up in rural Virginia, and initially worked at Halo Top as the first employee and later leveraged that experience to co-found Gatsby Chocolate, the first-ever low-calorie chocolate on the market. Ryan emphasized the challenges and lessons learned from the Halo Top journey, which included extensi...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Charisse Pasche, co-founder and COO of Dapper Boi, an all-gender, body-inclusive clothing line based in San Diego. Charisse shares her journey from growing up as a first-generation Filipino immigrant in a family of entrepreneurs to co-founding Dapper Boi with her wife. She recounts their early business ventures, including an LGBT social networking s...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Rasmus Barfred, co-founder of THEMAGIC5. Rasmus recounted his early days in Denmark, where his entrepreneurial spirit was subtly influenced by his mother's approach to life. He didn't initially set out to start a business, but his involvement in a software venture during university with his future co-founder Bo laid the foundation. The pro...

In our first episode of our Shark Tank series, I was lucky enough to interview Sam Chason, the Founder and CEO of Storage Scholars. Sam shared his entrepreneurial journey from humble beginnings to success on Shark Tank. Growing up in Westchester County, he always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He started with a lemonade stand and progressed to flipping items to fund his education at Wake Forest. T...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Eric McHugh, the President and Chief Growth Officer of SHOPX. Eric grew up in Southern California, which exposed him to a wealth of entrepreneurial resources. He recounted his experiences at a VC incubator where he interacted with numerous startup founders, gaining invaluable knowledge that shaped his career. Eric emphasized the importance of aligni...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Scott Martinis, the CEO and Founder of B2B Catalyst. Scott shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his unexpected entry into the business world after initially planning a different career path. He discusses his early experiences in marketing agencies, the challenges of nailing down product-market fit, and how his first attempts at running...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Ted Mann, the CEO and co-founder of CollX, a platform designed to help collectors determine the value of their trading cards. Ted shares how the idea for CollX was inspired by his son’s interest in Pokémon cards and the difficulty in assessing their value. He explains that the platform utilizes advanced technology, such as visual search, to allow us...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Brian Pickell, the CEO and co-founder of KPInterface.  Brian shares how his upbringing in the Valley Forge area and the influence of his ambitious older brother, along with his faith, shaped his entrepreneurial spirit. He reflects on his transition from working at other startup firms to co-founding KP Interface with his partner, Matt Kirby. The part...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Casandra Mann, the VP for Operations at Precision Systems Inc. (PSI). We delved into the history and resilience of PSI's founder, Walt, who overcame throat cancer and significant business challenges, including the impact of 9/11. Despite losing $7 million in contracts overnight, Walt rebuilt the company from scratch, emphasizing a culture of in...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bill Evans, CEO of Liberty Fox Technologies. Bill recounts his journey from growing up in Northeast Philadelphia to establishing his own company after being laid off from a previous job. Inspired by his family's entrepreneurial background, Bill took the plunge into entrepreneurship, initially starting Liberty Fox Technologies in 2010. He explai...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview  Zach Rattner, CTO and Co-Founder of Yembo. Zach discusses his upbringing, including his formative years spent tinkering with computers in rural Vermont, which laid the groundwork for his future in technology. He elaborates on how Yembo, a company specializing in computer vision for property inspections, emerged from his intersection of experiences...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jon Kinney, the Founder and CTO at Headway.   Jon delves into his entrepreneurial roots, tracing his upbringing in Southwest Wisconsin. Growing up in a household where his mother was a graphic designer and his father was a musician, Jon was surrounded by creativity and technology. His first foray into business was selling items on eBay, where he lea...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Alyson Caffrey, the dynamic COO of Operations Agency. Alyson recounts her East Coast upbringing and how the "Northeast hustle" instilled a unique drive in her. Despite not coming from an entrepreneurial background, she became an "accidental entrepreneur" after leaving her 9-to-5 job. Within 30 days of her departure, she was fully...

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jeremy Gordon, CPO and CTO of Startup Science. Jeremy shared his background, revealing how his experience with the Air Force laid the groundwork for his disciplined and focused approach to entrepreneurship. He spoke about his transition from military life to civilian pursuits, including his ventures into fitness with his wife, starting a gym, and de...