Keep Going

Couch.com might sound straightforward — a digital marketplace for couches, yet it addresses a nuanced and complex issue: the overwhelming process of buying a couch. Most buyers, unsure of where to begin, face a barrage of choices from materials to retailers without a clear path forward. The platform simplifies this by gathering user preferences and guiding them to the perfect couch through a refin...

Adam Paulisick is the founder of SkillBuilder.io. He’s no stranger to publishing and and writing but when he trusted a company to help him build his next book, he wasn’t very careful. The result? A $20,000 loss and a lot of headaches caused by a business that turned out to be a fly-by-night operation. Our theme music is by Policy AKA Mark Buchwald . (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/policy/) Thi...

I’m doing a new show with my friends at Grit Daily . The podcast, which runs about 15 minutes, features an entrepreneur talking about what they’re building and why. You can read more about the companies here but for now I’ll be sharing the video with this list. Want to be featured? Ping me at john@biggs.cc. I’m happy to bring on folks who are making cool stuff. Now, for the first episode. Manali Y...

Jess Moore has had a wild career spanning from Broadway to the Beltway. In this episode, she discusses her career journey and the importance of resilience in the face of failure. For folks thinking about the influencer world, Jess also provides insights into that environment, emphasizing the need for business acumen and finding a unique niche. She advises aspiring influencers to focus on their pas...

In this episode, I interview Dr. Arash Javanbakht, a psychiatrist and author of the book ' Afraid .' We discuss the intersection of fear, anxiety, and entrepreneurship. Arash shared his experiences working with anxiety and trauma in his clinic, as well as his own journey as an entrepreneur. We also explored why some people enjoyed fear and the role fear plays in motivating entrepreneurs. Arash als...

Brian Sloan sells s*x toys. For a long time he sold a lot of them and most of them sold through Amazon. Then, overnight, his competitors started to destroy his business. By breaking his advertising systems, undercutting his prices, and reviewing his products unfairly, they essentially turned millions of dollars in sales into bupkus. In this podcast Sloan describes how he lost $500,000 in one day,...

Patricia Campos Mello is a journalist who has reported from war-torn countries all over the world. A few years ago, she hired a bodygaurd - something she never did - in her own country. Why? Because Brazil's President Bolsorano had singled her out as a threat to his reelection. In this episode, we talk to Campos Mello about her experience, what she did to cope, and what it took to remain a journal...

Jade Kearney founded SheMatters.health to help women of color survive childbirth. Because the health outcomes for POC were so poor, Kearney and her partner build a business dedicated to educating doctors and patients on the ways the health system had historically failed and how to solve the problems associated with pregnancy. In this podcast, Kearney talks about how she mishandled feedback from se...

In this episode PR professional Adam Sohmer talks about how to manage a small business while surviving flaky customers, bad deals, and difficult gigs. Our theme music is by Policy AKA Mark Buchwald. (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/policy/) Want more? Visit startupstrategies.cc This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

In this episode, professional marketer Alexandra Matthiesen talks about her regrets when facing discrimination in the workplace and what we can do to fix it. In this episode Matthiesen talks about finding the strength to speak up, the value of facing discrimination head on, and the value of mental focus. Our theme music is by Policy AKA Mark Buchwald . (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/policy/)...

Denise Vitola is a fitness influencer who wants to help other influencers succeed. The former head of social media marketing for Bayer - and the owner of her own agency - Vitola has seen her share of challenges but refuses to admit she has ever failed. That's good enough for us. In this interview we talk about what she thinks about failing fast, how to become an influencer, and the future of busin...

In this episode of Keep Going I speak with Danny Penman, co-author of Deeper Mindfulness . He describes the source of his mindfulness practice and how it can help people survive in a frantic world. Fifteen years ago penman crashed his paraglider into a hillside. He ruined his leg and as he lay in pain he began to meditate, trying to drive away the fear and anxiety. The results were astounding and...

Don DeRosa is the cofounder of Eonix, a new battery company working on cutting edge materials. But a few years ago he and his team began a journey that led to absolute failure - and the loss of over half a million dollars. Here's how Don and his team pulled out of the tailspin and built a successful business. Our theme music is by  ⁠ Policy AKA Mark Buchwald ⁠ . (https://freemusicarchive.org/music...

Adam Marx was a perfectionist. His startup, Glipple, was supposed to help indie musicians get noticed in a difficult music market. The result? A slow startup death via the traditional culprits - cash, traction, and audience. In this podcast we talk about what it takes to be an entrepreneur, how to survive failure, and why mental health is vital. Building a startup comes with its own set of challen...

Jeanette Cajide and her friends invented an app for sharing memes before memes were a thing. The result? A delightful failure full of amazing happenings and great successes that taught her how to be a better entrepreneur. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.keepgoingpod.com/subscribe

Cuyler Nathaniel Engram⁠ is a hairdresser and makeup artist. After failing to find work in his hometown, he realized he needed to go to a place where his work would be appreciated. After working four jobs and nearly ending up homeless, he found his groove and created his own unique style. In this podcast, we'll talk about his trials and his success. Our theme music is by  ⁠Policy AKA Mark Buchwald...

Dominik Andrzejczuk is a physicist and founder who lives in Warsaw, Poland. Over the past few months he found himself in a doldrums caused by a bad funding environment and some dark weather. In this episode, Dominik talks about the importance of mental health in entrepreneurship and how he's re-invigorating himself in this dark season. Our theme music is by  ⁠ Policy AKA Mark Buchwald ⁠ . (https:/...

Savannah Peterson is a speaker and personal branding expert but when lockdown hit she felt like none of those things. After months - even years - of struggle she came out the other end stronger and better. In this episode, Savannah shares her experience and how she thinks she survived and thrived. You can check out Savannah's work ⁠here⁠ .  Our theme music is by ⁠ Policy AKA Mark Buchwald ⁠ . (htt...

Anatoliy Labinskiy⁠ was playing fast and loose in the world of e-commerce and dropshipping. After he trusted the wrong supplier, his entire business almost imploded as bills went unpaid, cash was seized, and customers grew angry. In this podcast, Anatoliy talks about how he dug out from under his problem and learned how to run a real business. Our theme music is by  ⁠ Policy AKA Mark Buchwald ⁠ ....

What do you do when the CEO you met in a bar takes a million bucks from you and your investors? Josh Karp, entrepreneur and creator, decided to keep going. Listen to our first issue to hear the lessons learned by folks who have been through hell. Our theme music is by Policy AKA Mark Buchwald. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epi...

Jonathan Taplin is a writer, producer, and Director Emeritus of the ⁠Annenberg Innovation Lab⁠  at the University of Southern California. He's had an amazing career as outlined in his book ⁠The Magic Years⁠ and recently published a book, ⁠The End of Reality⁠ , about the failure of our "great thinkers" to prepare us for a humane future. In this podcast we talk about the failure of the 1960s that di...

In this episode, I talk to Alejandro Barrera , a writer, journalist, and martial arts expert. Barrera does me the favor of turning my questions around and asking me about the definition of failure and why generalists - people who are good at a lot of things but seem to lack focus - are in demand. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Anne Ahola Ward thought she was doing the right thing. The company she was working with was in trouble and she stepped in to help fix it. The resulting stress nearly led to her own blindness and she soon realized that some firest aren't worth fighting. In this heartfelt discussion, Ward tells us how and when we should throw in the towel - and why. Our theme music is by  Policy AKA Mark Buchwald ....

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.keepgoingpod.com/subscribe

Bryan Eisenberg was working at a job he didn't like and ballooned up to 270 pounds. He realized something needed to change so he changed everything: his job, his lifestyle, and his habits. In this episode, we talk to Bryan about how to make important decisions and how to escape the ruts we end up in when we keep grinding away at the same things. Our theme music is by  Policy AKA Mark Buchwald . (h...