Hello Chaos

Chris Merritt, founder extraordinaire, talks through his journey of founding Atlas Local, a community that works together. He and JJ talk about having a "real job" vs being an entrepreneur, the myth and the legend of being a founder, and the struggles of waking at 3am to remember to pay your taxes. Listen in for great laughs and honest conversations to help encourage you on your founder journey. T...

Nathan is a strategist and entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in data science, corporate strategy, international business, technology, and entrepreneurship. Passionate about inclusive growth and economic empowerment. Nathan is currently the Founder and President of Kiona Technologies. He also sits as the Co-Founder and President of the Upstate SC LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. In this episode, N...

In this episode, JJ interviews Latoya Dixon Smith. Latoya is an accomplished photographer who has started multiple businesses. She is now in the middle of a pivot in her founder journey. Listen in to learn how Latoya is sunsetting one business, Greenville Boudoir, and is on ramping into her new company, BLAZE Group. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podc...

This week we interview Skip Wilson, Founder and CEO of D.R.A.F.T. Ad Technologies. Skip breaks down how to pivot in startup to maximize your team and your bottom line. https://draftadtech.com Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect...

Dr. Angel Liang, is the co-founder of Tiny Sprouts, an educational company focused on developing emotional health in kids. Dr. Liang is an educational psychologist by trade and a creative educator by passion. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community...

This week, JJ Interviews Kevin Weir. Kevin currently serves as the Director of New Business at Stand Yourself Up LLC and as the Technology Commercialization Specialist for the SC SBDC. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us...

Links to her works: Practical Strengths: Parenting Practical Strengths: Communication Styles Practical Strengths: Career Success  Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great...

This week JJ talks with guest Will Lin. Will is an accomplished author and a founder of various firms and currently operates a cyber security start-up called, Stealth Security Startup, and is a founding partner of Forgepoint Capital. The book that Will authored is called "The VC Field Guide." In the book, Will condenses over 20,000 hours worth of working within the VC ecosystem into a digestible a...

Love Handle founder, Mike Watts, joins us to talk about his journey of building a family business that has completed 10s of millions of dollars in sales. From an idea to a manufacturing facility, Mike is constantly pushing the limits of innovation and change. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with yo...

Greg joins us to talk about his founder journey and experience in network and web app penetration testing, red teaming, Python, and reverse engineering. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest...

Rolan Reichel is the co-founder and CEO of Arrow AI. He will join the podcast to talk about how Arrow was born and the growth of the company. Arrow manages social media posting and boosting using AI technology. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our communit...

Cofounders of Reforged Gaming Lounge, a community focused, modern day arcade. We believe that the best way to game is together. Make some friends, have an adventure, and build lasting memories. We love video games from all platforms. PC, Console, VR, AR, Mobile, and Arcade. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and s...

Ebony Sullivan is the Chief Operating Officer and soon to be CEO of Cassy Electric, LLC - a licensed woman minority owned electrical company located in Greenville, SC. Ebony joined co-hosts J.J. and Jenno to discuss her journey scaling the business her mom started over two decades ago.  Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast p...

Talk about chaos. Staci Renee Wright, Founder and CEO of IP2 Market and CEO Essentials, took the mic to share her story of building a $5M company, losing it all (and more) in a legal battle. Then, learning to let go put her on the path to rebuilding new businesses in a new way — with two companies and multiple products, patents, and services to show for it so far.  Thank you for tuning in! If you...

When comedian Akintunde Warnock felt like his R-rated career wouldn’t work, the seed of a new business began. Luckily, figuring out how to forge a new career path and feed a family led him and his wife, Eunissa, to create The Assignment Agency, a niche entertainment company that aligns their fortunes with their values. They talk with J.J. and Jenno about building a business out of nothing but a ne...

Ready to get into the subscription economy? This isn't just for online companies, by the way. We know, you're already dealing with sooo many subscriptions in your life. Who needs another one? Well, maybe your customers do. That's why we talked with Robbie Baxter about exactly how to figure out if you have an opportunity to create real value for your community — and your company—through subscriptio...

Death comes with an intrinsic amount of… certainty, you might say. But even the owner of a cemetery business has numerous options for the future. That’s what Heather Lee, owner of Greenhaven Memorial Gardens, tells OrangeWIP. She discusses customer service, market trends, and all she had yet to learn even after years in the industry. Find out what happens to little girls who hang out in cemeteries...

Justin Williams banks on the idea that if he helps his customers grow with the limited resources they have today, his own entertainment production company will eventually reap the rewards. He believes that valuing the relationship more than the money will pay off in the end. Okay, yeah, sometimes all that giving gets in the way. Justin talks about how a good team, solid checks and balances, and a...

What should you do if another company rips off your logo or business name? What if it's your signature sound or smell (yes, that's a thing, and not just for candlemakers)? IP attorney Doug Lineberry returns to the pod to answer those questions about how and when to take action. But, what if YOU'RE the one who's being accused of crossing the line? He'll talk about that, too. Step one: pause, and dr...

There’s no start like an early start, and student founders at the University of South Carolina’s McNair Institute for Entrepreneurism and Free Enterprise are in the right spot. Community Manager Breanna Spaulding dropped in to talk about helping young people kickstart their entrepreneurial journey. She might sometimes have to correct a few, uh, misguided ideas, but she’s also learned some valuable...

Women, especially women founders, face a lot of gender bias from the business to the boardroom. Even worse, a lot of our barriers are self-imposed. That's part of why Christine Gautreaux co-founded Women Connected in Wisdom, to highlight women whose knowledge and accomplishments are showing us all how to body slam those barriers. She also talks with J.J. about taking the business and message to th...

Sam English keeps talking about how lucky he is. After 15 years as a serial entrepreneur, he joined the University of South Carolina’s Office of Innovation, Partnerships & Economic Engagement. He loves being able to look at the bigger picture of tech transfer, industry engagement, and boosting entrepreneurship. He’s got a more expert, birds-eye view of how entrepreneurial ecosystems work a.k.a. ho...

“What is the best possible life people could live?” Leave it to a founder to try and answer a question as big as this one. That would be Steve Whigham, founder of the Whigham School for Advanced Multicultural Engagement. The two-year college will turn study abroad into the main event as each student cohort travels to six continents and learns just as many languages. Steve talks with J.J. and Jenno...

J.J. and Jenno take on another often-used term: entrepreneurial ecosystem. Is that even a thing? Okay, yes, it's a real thing, but how does it work? What makes it work best? And do founders even really think about it? Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our c...

December 2022 marks one year of OrangeWip, the founder-focused media company that produces Hello Chaos. So, this week, J.J. and Jenno take a look back at the first-year journey (it went so freakin fast!) and where "a-ha" met "oh, sh!t" along the way. Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your networ...