Founders Future

In this episode of Founders, Future, with host Mishal Saeed, we dive deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Tom Briggs, founder and chief brand strategist of epigraph. Tom shares how his background in humanities and classical philosophy inspired him to create a branding agency that taps into timeless human wisdom rather than chasing fleeting trends. He explains how epigraph operates on a collect...

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the entrepreneurial journey of Michael Rager, founder of Teach Your Business to FISH and Whiteboards N Whiskey. Michael shares his transition from a 20-year career in oil and gas to coaching entrepreneurs, driven by a pivotal exit experience that left him determined to help business owners scale profitably and build sellable com...

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Lauren Martin, the fiercely authentic founder of Words of Women , a platform empowering women through raw storytelling and emotional wisdom. Lauren shares her unconventional journey from Penn State marketing grad to Vogue writer, and ultimately to building a global community of over 1M followers—all while navigating the c...

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Eric Elkins, founder and CEO of WideFoc.us, a Denver-based social media agency that’s thrived for 18 years by blending organic and paid strategies. Eric shares his accidental entrepreneurial journey—from VP of a mobile payment startup to building a boutique agency that helps B2B and B2C brands drive real revenue through soci...

In this episode of Founders, Future , with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Sarena Diamond, founder and CEO of Diamond Solutions Group, LLC. With over 20 years of experience at Fortune 100 companies like IBM and Pepsi, Sarena shares how she pivoted from corporate life to entrepreneurship, driven by her passion for the human side of organizational change. She reveals her unique approach to helpi...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Kimberly Anzarut, founder and CEO of Allay Consulting, a pioneering cannabis and hemp compliance firm. Recognized as a "Pioneer of Pot" by Marijuana Venture Magazine and a TEDx speaker, Kimberly shares her journey from being the first cannabis regulator in Denver to launching her consultancy. She dives into the...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Mark Dronen, President and Founder of Elevator 321, a leadership development firm specializing in scaling tech-driven businesses. With over 40 years of entrepreneurial experience, Mark shares his journey from founding product and service companies to launching Elevator 321’s unique "Leadership Development as a Servi...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Ryan Fidell, Founder of Fidell Consulting Group (FCG), a boutique advisory firm helping mission-driven nonprofits and startups break through resource constraints. Ryan shares his journey from public sector consulting at Booz Allen to launching FCG as a "lean, no-BS" alternative to corporate consulting—driven by hi...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Ammar Elm, Heather Doyle, VP of Marketing and Sales at Leap Academy, shares how the company helps high-performing professionals break through career stagnation. Leap Academy provides strategic guidance, executive-level support, and a highly engineered process to help individuals accelerate their careers—whether they're climbing within an organiza...

In this episode of Founders, Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Len Bland, CPA and CEO of Nanogas Environmental, a company revolutionizing wastewater treatment and oil production through patented nanobubble technology. Len shares how witnessing an 80% reduction in wastewater sludge sparked his mission to replace chemical-dependent processes with sustainable solutions using only o...

In this episode of Founders, Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Holly Hoffman, founder of Sales Tax Advisory Network and "The Sales Tax Lady." With over 20 years of experience—including 8 years as an auditor and technical tax specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Revenue—Holly shares how she’s revolutionizing sales tax compliance for small businesses and contractors...

In this episode of Founders, Future, with host Jae Encarnacion, we meet Joshua Stratton, founder of Against The Current, who transformed his 15-year battle with addiction and 25 years in outdoor industries into a revolutionary branding agency. What began as a passion project to restore authenticity in hunting/fishing brands has evolved into a fractional marketing powerhouse, helping $3-5M companie...

In this episode of Founders, Future, with host Jae Encarnacion, we meet Ron Macklin, founder of Macklin Connection, who transformed decades of leadership experience—from setting world records in nuclear plant operations to building award-winning workplace cultures—into a revolutionary 7-step method for team transformation. Ron shares how his journey began with a losing football team and evolved in...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we meet Sydney Campos, a visionary leader and spiritual teacher who bridges intuitive wisdom with razor-sharp business strategy. Sydney shares her decade-long journey of creating a holistic framework for modern leaders—born from her own struggles as a founder—that blends emotional intelligence, energy mastery, and operational leadersh...

In this episode of Founders, Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Anthony Calleo, Founder and Chief Employment Experience Officer of Calleo EX. Anthony shares his 20+ years of HR expertise, including his time at Disney, and how he’s now helping startups and small businesses build thriving workplace cultures. He dives into the importance of aligning company values with employee expe...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we meet John Trainor, President and CEO of Kreativa-Inc., whose Emmy-winning career in media led to a groundbreaking nearshore outsourcing model. Inspired by late-night collaboration challenges with Indian teams at the Chicago Tribune, John founded Kreativa-Inc. in 2015 to leverage Latin American talent in the same time zone—a strateg...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Karyn Vadnais, Kelly Price, SHRM-SCP and founding partner of ThriveHR, LLC, shares her journey from Marriott International to launching an HR consulting firm focused on small and medium-sized businesses. Kelly discusses how ThriveHR, LLC helps companies align people strategies with business goals through audits, strategic planning, and tailored soluti...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we dive into the revolutionary world of startup equity with Mike Moyer, founder of Slicing Pie . Mike shares his hard-won journey from losing equity in multiple failed ventures to developing a dynamic equity model that eliminates founder disputes by tracking contributions in real-time. His "fair market value" approach—where...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Franco Caporale, founder and CEO of SaaSMQL , who reveals how he’s revolutionizing demand generation for B2B SaaS companies through an unconventional yet wildly effective strategy: direct mail. Drawing from his Silicon Valley experience scaling startups like Openprise and InsideView, Franco shares how his agency combi...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Ammar Elm, we dive into conversation with Ryan Edwards, Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at CAMINO5 Agency, a consultancy bridging Fortune 500s and startups through data-informed, human-centric growth strategies. With over 25 years of experience—including pioneering AI in dynamic creative optimization—Ryan unpacks how CAMINO5 diagnoses growth plateaus...

In this episode of Founders Future , with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Scott Willingham, Founder and CEO of WakeEffect, a people-centered business advisory firm specializing in leadership development and organizational growth. With 25 years of experience spanning EdTech, sales leadership, and culture transformation, Scott shares how he blends frameworks like Predictive Index and Aslan Training...

In this episode of Founders, Future , with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Dr. Ernesto Custodio, CEO of Agile Genesis, to explore his 30-year journey in IT and agile transformation. Dr. Custodio shares how his passion for optimizing business processes led him to create Agile Genesis, a consultancy that bridges agile methodologies and AI-driven solutions to help organizations enhance product...

In this episode of Founders Future, host Mishal Saeed sits down with Pam Dwyer, CEO and founder of TPKK Concepts and Marketing, to explore her remarkable journey from corporate marketing to becoming an author and speaker. Pam shares how her boutique agency evolved from helping her son's businesses to focusing on authentic storytelling, and how a pivotal moment led her to write "From the...

In this episode of Founders, Future , we sit down with Dr. Nina Nejmeh, founder of Nio Consulting Group Corp U, a firm dedicated to helping struggling medical clinics regain stability and profitability. Through a rigorous and personalized audit process, her team — comprised of legal advisors, financial consultants, retired physicians, and clinical experts — identifies deep-rooted operational issue...

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we explore the inspiring journey of Stephen Ingalls, CEO of Catalyzer, Inc., as he shares how he built a thriving leadership development firm from humble beginnings. Starting with just $883.50 from each of three co-founders, Steve discusses Catalyzer’s bootstrapped growth, achieving a consistent 15% year-over-year increase, and their unique...