The Conference Room with Simon Lader

In this episode, Simon sits down with Matt Friedman, an entrepreneur, franchise executive, co-founder of WingZone, and CEO of Epic Wings. After building WingZone from a fraternity house kitchen at the University of Florida in 1992 with just $500, Matt helped grow the brand into a global franchise with more than 140 restaurants across the US and six countries. After selling a majority interest in W...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Sabrina Runbeck, an entrepreneur, venture partner, strategic advisor, and former physician assistant in cardiothoracic surgery. After leaving the operating room for the world of startups and venture capital, Sabrina co-founded Scriptura Health and PlusPoint Path. She now works with healthcare entrepreneurs, investors, and leadership teams to help promising inn...

In this episode, Simon sits down once again with Cleve Adams , a veteran technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor who has spent more than two decades building, scaling, turning around, and exiting high-growth technology companies, with a particular focus on cybersecurity, SaaS, and AI. Cleve was part of the early leadership team that built WebSense from a pre-revenue cybersecurity startup...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Matt Friedman, entrepreneur, franchise executive, and co-founder of Wings Zone, to explore how a simple idea launched in a fraternity house kitchen grew into a successful restaurant franchise. Starting with just $500 in 1992, Matt and his business partner, Adam Scott, built their business around a gap in the college food delivery market: authentic Buffalo wing...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Liz Wharton, a cybersecurity executive, attorney, and founder of Silver Key Strategies , whose career spans technology, public policy, law, and business leadership. Liz shares how she moved from business, finance, and real estate law into cybersecurity and technology, eventually building a career helping founders and leadership teams navigate complex business...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Sara Carty, Founder and CEO of Unboring, and Kelly Allen, Co-Founder and CMO of Unboring, a cybersecurity marketing agency focused on making sophisticated technology more distinctive, human, and memorable. Sara and Kelly share how they found their way into cybersecurity marketing and why they believe the industry has fallen into a “sea of sameness”—from blue b...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Cleve Adams , a veteran technology executive, entrepreneur, investor, and six-time CEO with decades of experience building, scaling, turning around, and exiting high-growth technology companies. Cleve shares the remarkable story of helping build Websense from an early-stage cybersecurity startup into a billion-dollar public company, including how landing Compa...

In this episode, Simon sits down with David Etue, CEO of Cyberbit , a cybersecurity executive with more than 20 years of experience building, scaling, and leading organizations across startups, high-growth businesses, and global enterprises. David shares lessons from his journey across different leadership roles, including how working across multiple business functions gave him greater context and...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Kim van Lavieren, Co-Founder & CTO of Dawn Guard, and Martijn Hoffmans, Head of Go-to-Market at Dawn Guard, to explore what it really takes to build a cybersecurity startup from the ground up. Kim shares his journey from serving in the Dutch Marines and working in cybersecurity to becoming a security engineering lead at Amazon, where he saw firsthand how d...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Dr. Sherry Zhang, an entrepreneur, molecular geneticist, bestselling author, and pioneer in personalized nutrition. After arriving in the United States from China with just three bags and $3,000, Sherry went on to earn her PhD in molecular biology and build a career at the intersection of science, entrepreneurship, genomics, and longevity. She shares how her s...

In this episode of The Conference Room , Simon Lader sits down with Aly Samaha , Founder of Samaha Consulting and the “King of Follow-Up.” Aly explains why most salespeople give up on opportunities far too early and how a structured, human approach to follow-up can turn missed opportunities into revenue. He shares practical strategies for staying top of mind, overcoming objections, building trust,...

In this episode of The Conference Room , Simon sits down with Chandra De Keyser , co-Founder of Voicera , an AI company focused on helping organizations understand not only what people say, but what they mean by combining large language models with emotional intelligence. With a career spanning Europe, Silicon Valley, Brazil, and beyond, Chandra shares his journey as an entrepreneur and innovator,...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Val Coin, the Digital Transformation Fairy Godmother and a systems and technology strategist helping business leaders navigate growth and change. Val shares her journey from hospitality to technology and explains why true digital transformation starts with people and processes—not software. She also discusses optimizing tech stacks, avoiding unnecessary subscr...

In this episode, Simon sits down once again with Shane Barker , tech entrepreneur, SaaS founder, digital marketing strategist, and CEO of TraceFuse, to explore what it really takes to transform a consulting business into a scalable software company. Building on their previous conversation, Shane shares the behind-the-scenes story of launching TraceFuse—the first platform dedicated to removing Amaz...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Tom Pucciarella, Chief Business Officer at Devo and Chief Revenue Officer at Strike48 , an AI-powered cybersecurity platform designed to help organizations unlock value from their existing technology investments through intelligent automation and vendor-agnostic integration. Drawing on his unique career spanning U.S. intelligence, management consulting, enterp...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Molly Rose Speed, Founder of the Virtual Assistant Academy and an online operations expert who has spent more than 13 years helping entrepreneurs build efficient businesses through systems, delegation, and high-performing remote teams. Molly shares how leaving corporate life led her to become one of the early pioneers in the virtual assistant industry. She exp...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Kelly Resendez , President of Minerva , Strategic Advisor at GoodLeap , Founder of GoBundance Women , bestselling author, speaker, and host of the Power Up Your Life Podcast . Kelly shares her remarkable journey from becoming one of the top performers in the mortgage industry to leading high-growth technology companies before answering a deeper calling to tran...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Karla Reffold , Chief Insights Officer at Surefire Cyber , where she transforms real-world cyber incident data into actionable business intelligence that helps organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture. Drawing on her unique journey from founding one of the UK's first cybersecurity recruitment firms to leading cyber insights at Surefire Cyber, K...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Jeff Majka, Founder & CEO of Security Bulldog , an AI-driven cybersecurity intelligence platform designed to help organizations make faster, smarter security decisions. With more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity marketing, enterprise technology, and go-to-market strategy, Jeff shares why traditional cybersecurity approaches are no longer enough...

In this episode, Simon sits down with Etinosa Agbonlahor, behavioral economist, CEO of Decision Alpha, and author of How to Talk to Your Parents About Money . Together, they explore why so many business owners struggle with pricing confidence, how behavioral economics influences customer decisions, and why the right pricing strategy can dramatically increase profitability without simply charging m...

In this episode of The Conference Room , Simon welcomes Joshua Jones , Founder and CEO of Crush Security , for an eye-opening conversation about the hidden flaws within today's cybersecurity partner ecosystem. Drawing on more than 20 years of industry experience, Joshua explains why many CISOs struggle to receive unbiased guidance when purchasing security technologies and how traditional resel...

In this episode of The Conference Room , Simon welcomes Calvin Corelli, founder and CEO of Simpler, entrepreneur, software engineer, and creator of the Mind Bug framework. Calvin shares how his journey from programming and entrepreneurship evolved into a deeper exploration of mindset, identity, and personal transformation. The conversation explores the challenges business owners face with fragment...

In this episode, Simon Lader sits down with Lori Asbury , a seasoned executive with over 25 years in brand strategy, operations, and consumer marketing. From shaping billion-dollar brands like HGTV, Fox, and CBS to leading her own agency through challenges like COVID, Lori shares actionable advice on strategic planning, authentic storytelling, balancing vision with execution, and scaling small bus...

In this inspiring episode, Anya Cheng shares her remarkable journey from a non-technical immigrant background to leading product and growth at giants like Facebook, eBay, Target, and McDonald's, and ultimately founding Taylor—an AI-driven menswear rental and styling service for busy professionals. Drawing from her experiences during the 2008 recession, Anya discusses overcoming job-hunting hur...

In this episode of The Conference Room, host Simon is joined by serial entrepreneur  Kasim Aslam.  Kasim shares his inspiring journey from humble beginnings in Albuquerque to building multiple seven and eight-figure businesses, including the top-ranked Google ad agency Solutions 8, which he sold in 2022. He discusses his entrepreneurial origin story, the challenges he faced, and how he cracked the...