The First Million Is Always The Hardest

Video Version: https://youtu.be/1LwfZiTTRQ4 As part of the ACHIEVE Summit Series , host Bo Kemp sits down with Peter Haback , who leads the Commercial & Retail Practice at Samara Real Property , for a conversation about the opportunities and challenges shaping today's commercial real estate market , commercial development , and retail real estate . Peter has spent his career advising deve...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/CTQKs3huEaE A legendary business exit does not begin when a buyer makes an offer—it begins with how you build the business today. In this ACHIEVE Summit conversation, Bo Kemp sits down with Nicole Emerick to reveal what makes a company truly sellable and how founders can maximize its business valuation long before a transaction begins. Together, we unpack the system...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/_NkhkkMMzxs In this solo episode, Bo Kemp shares his keynote address live from the ACHIEVE Summit — a talk that stopped the room cold. It starts with a simple idea borrowed from Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture": your childhood dreams weren't fantasies. They were signals, pointing to a desire that's still alive in you, buried under years of...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/ruVp1IiQlpc Guest: Egypt Sherrod — TV Personality, Real Estate Expert & Media Entrepreneur Series: The First Million is Always the Hardest — ACHIEVE Summit Series In this ACHIEVE Summit fireside chat, host Bo Kemp sits down with Egypt Sherrod for one of the most moving and personal conversations of the series. Recorded live with an audience of aspiring entrepren...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/cBoUuWVzGdc Panelists: Mayor Roudez, University Park | Architect Edward Peck  Series: The First Million is Always the Hardest — ACHIEVE Summit Series Bo Kemp moderates a sharp, forward-looking conversation with University Park Mayor Roudez and architect Edward Peck on what it will take to unlock the Southland's full potential. The panel covers the I-57 growth c...

Video version: https://youtu.be/gORLRNZitgE Series: The First Million is Always the Hardest — ACHIEVE Series Sponsored by the Women's Business Development Center In this ACHIEVE Series installment, host Bo Kemp moderates a candid, high-impact conversation with three women who didn't just dream about business ownership — they closed. Linda Peddle, July Franco, and Megan Wenstrup break dow...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/UC2UfHim0Qc In this episode of The First Million is Always the Hardest , host Bo Kemp sits down with Ramez Farkhoury of the IRA Club for a practical conversation about how investors can use self-directed IRAs to build wealth beyond traditional stocks and mutual funds. Ramez breaks down how self-directed retirement accounts can give investors more control over where...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/R6c5SWkrT-k In this episode of The First Million is Always the Hardest, host Bo Kemp sits down with Catherine Okoroh of Advance Lending for a practical conversation about helping everyday people move from curiosity to action in real estate investing. Catherine brings both lending expertise and real-world storytelling to the conversation, breaking down the common bar...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/kbzOgWwTHac Guest: Elijah Brown — Delaware State University Track & Field Athlete, Entrepreneur & Brand Builder In this episode of The First Million is Always the Hardest , host Bo Kemp sits down with Elijah Brown, a Delaware State University track and field athlete, entrepreneur, and brand builder, for a conversation about discipline, ambition, ownership, a...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/CfNHDGgTXq4 Guest: Brian Page — Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker Series: The First Million is Always the Hardest — ACHIEVE Summit Series As part of the ACHIEVE Summit Series , host Bo Kemp sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, and HarperCollins bestselling author Brian Page for a conversation about building income, influence, and a business model that creates real free...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/iAI3oDmRjm8 Guest: Manny Flores — President & CEO, SomerCor Series: The First Million is Always the Hardest — ACHIEVE Summit Series As part of the ACHIEVE Summit Series , host Bo Kemp sits down with Manny Flores , President and CEO of SomerCor , for a conversation about one of the most important tools in small business growth: the SBA 504 loan . As a nonprofit l...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/CC-Ay3DR2-Y Marcus Lemonis joins the 2026 ACHIEVE Summit as a keynote speaker, bringing a rare combination of operator discipline, acquisition expertise, and national business influence. Marcus Lemonis brings one of the clearest real-world cases for ownership through acquisition in America. Best known to many from The Profit and The Fixer , Marcus built his career b...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/2J7DJnbHrTc Guest: Edward Peck — Architect, Edward Peck Design In this episode, Bo Kemp sits down with architect Edward Peck to unpack one of Chicago’s biggest questions: why do the Bears need a new stadium at all? Following Peck’s proposal for a redesigned Soldier Field, the conversation explores whether the Bears should renovate the lakefront stadium, build somewh...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/PRwIpQkV2BM Guest : Nathalie Molina Niño — Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Built, Fund as a Service, and Author of LEAPFROG.  As part of the ACHIEVE Summit Series and in recognition of Women’s History Month , host Bo Kemp sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and global advocate for women’s economic power, Nathalie Molina Niño , for a candid and deeply strategic firesi...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/UDCGs52FzaI In this special live fireside chat recorded at ACHIEVE Summit 2025, host Bo Kemp sits down with powerhouse investor and real estate developer Seth Ferguson, the founder of Canada’s #1 Business Conference and one of North America's leading voices in real estate and high-performance investing. Seth shares the story of his evolution — from his first re...

Video Version:  In this special solo episode, Bo Kemp introduces Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) — the strategy of buying existing businesses instead of starting from scratch. Drawing from his own experience acquiring the Impact Music Conference for under $2 million , which became the foundation for building Vanguarde Media and raising more than $60 million in capital, Bo explains how a...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/3ikH0TMq98s In this episode, host Bo Kemp sits down with Ricky O’Neal and Mirion Green, the mother-son leadership team behind GWO, Inc., a family-owned business that has undergone a powerful strategic transformation.  Founded in 2013 as a trucking and hauling company serving Chicago and Northwest Indiana GWO has evolved far beyond its original scope. As a certified...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/YSUEcvFF96E This episode continues our Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) series , moving from the buyer’s search into the broader ecosystem of operators, investors, and sector specialists who are quietly acquiring and building the infrastructure that modern economies depend on. Bo Kemp sits down with Michael Smith , founder of First Mile Refrigerated Ventur...

video version: https://youtu.be/P0FzyLwwZF8 This episode marks the official beginning of our Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) series — a four-month deep dive into one of the most practical, misunderstood, and powerful paths to ownership and wealth creation today, leading up to the ACHIEVE Summit . Our first ETA conversation is with Warren (last name withheld) — a deliberate choice. Warre...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/wmHs0LL8tGY Season Two of The First Million Is Always the Hardest wasn’t about shortcuts, hacks, or overnight success. It was about something far more fundamental — and far more difficult: who you have to become before wealth, ownership, and legacy are even possible. In this special Best of Season Two episode, host Bo Kemp weaves together the most powerful conversat...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/De4Kpj2I-z0 Season One of The First Million Is Always the Hardest was never about chasing a number — it was about redesigning how we think about wealth, success, and control in a rapidly changing world. This Best of Season One episode weaves together the most defining moments, insights, and breakthroughs from builders, operators, investors, and leaders who are activ...

Video version : https://youtu.be/Rlc-mWmKLtA In this episode, host Bo Kemp sits down with Nate Sutton , a multi-sector entrepreneur and the driving force behind Sutton Auto , one of the most respected automotive dealerships in the Southland. Nate’s story bridges the worlds of real estate investment and automotive franchising , creating a powerful blueprint for building multi-generational wealth th...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/kROn6MD5P78 In this episode, host Bo Kemp sits down with Tim Swanson , a visionary at the crossroads of design, construction, and community transformation . As the Founder and CEO of Inherent Homes , Tim is leading a movement to reimagine affordable housing through modular construction — creating a model that’s scalable, cost-effective, and deeply rooted in equity....

Video Version: https://youtu.be/avwW87UDQoY In this reflective and forward-looking episode, host Bo Kemp closes out the year by addressing the real reasons most people fail to achieve the goals they set — not because of lack of ambition, but because of five predictable and universal objections. Drawing from the LifeDesyn System , Bo breaks down the five barriers that quietly derail progress: time,...

Video Version: https://youtu.be/GgH9oDkyRmI In this episode, host Bo Kemp sits down with Divya Behl, a rising star in the world of entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA), who’s breaking the mold — and building a 100-year business, not a quick exit. As the leader of PFA Friction Products, Divya is taking a long-term, values-driven approach to business ownership. Instead of consolidating compani...