Anything But Typical

“It’s me just wanting freedom… freedom to make my own choices & live life on my terms.” - Ron Weatherly Ron didn’t start his waterproofing company, Dry Pro Foundation and Crawlspace Specialists , with a business plan, angel investors, or even a clue how to fix a foundation. He started with a crawlspace, raw knees, whatever tools he could scrounge, & a spark of rebellion. Because he knew wh...

"I’m not in charge… & it’s a really nice feeling.” – David Amigo Most entrepreneurs chase control. David finds peace in letting go. Because when you’ve been a factory scab at 11, a product manager slinging cookies in your 20s, & a minority owner pushed out of your own family’s business — you learn fast: control is an illusion. What isn’t? Character. Integrity. Showing up. Doing the next ri...

"Business… is the best way for me to reach my full potential & see who I can become." – Behdad Jamshidi (Bee) Growing up doing math drills at the kitchen table, Bee didn’t dream. Structure, discipline, grit—that was his operating system. When he became an engineer, it wasn’t out of passion. It was logic. A clear, safe path. But underneath it all? A relentless curiosity & yearning for conne...

"Vanilla is a great flavor." – Austin Palmer Austin may have raised some eyebrows as a kid at 31 Flavors, but he’s always known one thing: flashy doesn’t equal better. So, whether he’s picking ice cream or building financial portfolios, his approach is the same: Simple. Steady. No sprinkles required. His path started predictably—son of a CPA, became a CPA, climbed the ladder at Morgan Stanley &amp...

“I take people as a story… I can see their higher self before they can.” – Carlos Salum Carlos grew up under Argentina’s military dictatorship—surrounded by uncertainty, but also by entrepreneurs, poets, and principled people who knew how to thrive despite it. That tension didn’t crush him. It sharpened his vision—so much so that, by adulthood, traditional paths like law & medicine felt like c...

“I want to know what I'm capable of… but I'm not an adrenaline junkie. I just want to know how far I can take it—because I want to know what my greatest potential is.” – Perry Gladstone At 8, Perry was selling comic books at flea markets. At 15, he opened a skateboard shop that pulled in $100K that summer. By 24, he launched a snowboard company in his kitchen that became Canada’s biggest—& sol...

"If I can be good about business, & I can do my business well—but then also care about my people & have that noticed in the marketplace—that’s way more important to me." – Greg Lafferty At 27, Greg seemingly had it all: the pedigree, the projects, the prestige of a big job at NASA. But what he really wanted was a life of impact. So, he retired (yes, at 27!) from the confines of government...

“So, it's not just about your business growth. It's also about … creating value & meaningful relationships.” – John Hall In third grade, John launched a lunch brokerage business. By college, he was building a student housing empire. And today? He’s a keynote speaker, investor, & co-founder of multiple companies — wildly different ventures but all rooted in one thing: adding value to others...

“I believe that the more my clients know I care about them, the more I can nudge them toward success.” – Natalia Worthington Natalia wasn’t supposed to be here—literally. As her parents rode a bus to make a life-altering decision, her father had a change of heart. That choice sparked a life defined by curiosity, compassion, & quiet rebellion. Born in Soviet Russia, she came of age in a system...

“One sip of alcohol literally leads to prison...there’s nothing in between anymore.” – Robbie Shaw For years, Robbie tried to outmaneuver the consequences of addiction—until the day the truth hit him like a bus. No more negotiating, no more "just one more time." His choices were death, jail, or life. We’re so grateful he chose life. That choice set him on an unexpected path. From addiction to reco...

“If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not doing the job correct.” – Dan Flaherty With a career that has ventured from the disciplined halls of corporate American to unconventional sales & management consulting, Dan’s story comes with a powerful lesson: Growth comes from embracing calculated risk, stepping out of our comfort zones, & learning not to do more but to do it differently. But it’s...

“People don’t manage people. People lead people.” – Jamey Boiter Growing up, Jamey was blessed by a father that didn’t just raise him. He led him. In doing so, he gave Jamey a blueprint for servant leadership that would shape his entire career. From an early passion for architecture to pivoting into graphic design, Jamey learned that the true essence of creativity isn’t just making things, it’s so...

"I’m not a greedy guy. I don’t chase money—it follows me." – Donald Baker What does success look like to the average entrepreneur? For most, it’s all about wealth. For Don, it’s about impact. From the beginning, he’s sought to empower his employees & do the right thing, no matter the cost. Whether transforming air quality standards in pools to protect swimmers or creating ESOPs to give his emp...

"Everyone you meet is somebody's hero—even though you don't think they are." – Gerard "Jay" Woelkers Born into a family of 15 children, Jay learned at a young age what it means to serve. At 18, he joined the Navy, starting as an E1—the lowest rank—and rose to O6 over 39 years, commanding thousands of sailors. But his decades-long journey wasn't about climbing the ranks or pinning awards on his own...

“So, this is a story I like to tell. We're in the office. The phone's not ringing. It's just a regular workday. We're just sitting there, & I said, ‘Well, I'm going to go out and find some work.’” – Billy Austin What happens when an engineer from Charlotte, NC buys an engineering firm in 2007, only to face the Great Recession a year later? For Billy Austin, it wasn’t spreadsheets or strategy t...

"The essence of an entrepreneur is you can build whatever you want — come up with an idea for goodness' sake & get started!” – Lloyd Reeb At 16, Lloyd did just that – he got started. When he overheard his dad say, "Our kids will never be able to afford a house at the beach," he didn’t accept it. Instead, he asked his dad to co-sign a loan so he could buy land near Atlantic City. That moment sp...

"We just try to do good work & have that lead to the next introduction." – Justin Cunningham What happens when a former investment banker & food allergy app creator joins forces with a corporate operations expert who left Berlin, Germany, for Disney (yes, Disney!) to bring big ideas & investment strategies to business owners? Magic…eventually! Like all good entrepreneurial journeys, th...

"I want to build a platform, and my team wants to build a platform that blesses people—not a business empire, but a platform to bless people." – Charlie Workmon When you picture logistics companies, what do you see? Gruff individuals scrambling around hectic warehouses, driven only by tight deadlines? That's definitely the norm. But not in Charlie's logistics company, Riverstone Logistics . White...

“I’m not sure I ever really wanted to be an entrepreneur.” – Fabi Preslar Ever turned your biggest fear into your proudest achievement? That’s Fabi’s story. Inspired by her father’s ambitious (but unsuccessful) business ventures—from running a French restaurant in rural South Carolina to raising chinchillas—Fabi saw firsthand the risks of entrepreneurship. As her father’s ventures failed, her fami...

"My life is being a navigator and helping navigate people just get started." – Brian Ondrako Listening to Brian now, it's hard to imagine him as a young child in small-town NY, struggling with feelings of inadequacy & lack of self-belief, but those are his roots. A persistent negative mindset & placing blame on others were his defense mechanisms of choice, & they left him stuck in a cy...

“We just really love living life with other people.” – Monica Hickman Rural Tennessee might not seem like the obvious place to birth a business, but that’s just where David & Monica Hickman’s radical love for community – & their eventual business --was born. Neighbors helping neighbors & new faces at the dinner table were the norm & solidified the idea that connecting with other pe...

"I really do want to be known for getting the most out of the people around me and helping them grow."— Danny Mizrahi From New York's breakneck pace to building powerhouse companies, Danny Mizrahi is the ultimate growth champion. Whether launching tech startups or scaling businesses to the Inc. 5000, his approach is all about helping others reach new heights—personally and professionally. It's how...

“The thing that most excites my soul is creating, establishing, developing, & then making sure it doesn’t die.” – Titus Bartolotta Locals in the Lake Norman area of Charlotte, NC know the name Bartolotta. That’s because Titus & his wife, Christina Bartolotta (also a podcast guest!), do more than run businesses there. They’re community builders, investing in projects that richly improve liv...

"You have to make decisions to really do the hard things… that's what leadership is." – Will Jones When Will was chosen to lead a well-known Charlotte, NC, philanthropy, he was thrilled. Service to others is woven into the fabric of his life. But he inherited a problem that too often plagues nonprofits: an unwavering passion for service hamstrung by little to no business acumen. Big dreams, not en...

“It’s all about the opportunity to inspire people.” – Johan Koornhof On the surface, Johan has much in common with the executives, business owners, and leaders he serves. He’s smart, successful, & entirely self-made. He owns his own company and serves as an ambassador to several organizations. But what sets him apart is that none of those things capture the most interesting parts of his journe...