The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project

Change is a constant force in both personal and professional growth. Join us for another episode of The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project as we sit down with Richard Boyatzis , a renowned psychologist and leading expert in emotional intelligence—an essential aspect of the entrepreneurial mindset. Drawing from his latest book, The Science of Change , and over 50 years of research, Boyatzis explores t...

In this episode, we speak with  Adam Pearson , co-founder of  Fortunato No.4 , a family-owned business producing some of the world’s finest chocolate. Their journey—from the streets of San Diego to the jungles of Peru—is an adventure you won’t want to miss. After losing their family business, Adam, along with his father and brother, had to start over. Selling parts for mining equipment l...

In this episode, we talk with Jaime Casap , former Chief Education Evangelist at Google. We discuss the evolving nature of learning and work, and why all students need to develop entrepreneurial attitudes and skills.   Jaime challenges us to rethink how we prepare students for today's world, shifting the question from "What do you want to be when you grow up?" to "What problem do you want to...

In this episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project, we dive into the extraordinary journey of Bob Kramer, a master bladesmith and founder of Kramer Knives, known for crafting some of the world’s finest cutlery. Bob’s path is anything but conventional—ranging from clown college to oceanography and the culinary arts.   Through undiagnosed dyslexia and a relentless spirit of adventure, Bob’s...

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project. Today, I’m speaking with Dan Thorenson , a former Navy mechanic who became an unlikely entrepreneur. Growing up in a small town in North Dakota, Dan floundered in school, that is until he discovered an auto shop program that took him from the very bottom of his class to the top. After high school, he joined the Navy where...

Welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project.   Today, I’m speaking with Doug Katz , who is an award-winning chef and an amazing entrepreneur.   People open restaurants every day, and, as you probably know, the failure rate is extremely high. Yet Doug seems to have mastered the craft not only as a chef but as an entrepreneur.   While he wasn’t a great student, f...

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project  Today, I’m speaking with Camillo Archuleta , an aspiring entrepreneur who stumbled into an opportunity to teach his eight-year-old daughter how to think like an entrepreneur.  It all started when he challenged his daughter to raise the money she needed for a school fundraiser. Drawing on the lean startup princip...

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project. Today I’m speaking with Rodney Walker.   This is truly an amazing story you won’t want to miss.   Raised on the south side of Chicago, Rodney was born to parents who both struggled with addiction. At the age of five, he was cast into the foster care system, where he was separated from his parents and siblings. A...

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the entrepreneurial mindset project. Today, I’m speaking with Jim Correll, an everyday entrepreneur who started an entrepreneurial mindset revolution that transformed his community. At the age of 50, Jim was hired as an outside staff instructor to teach the Successful Entrepreneur Program at a small community college in Independence, Kansas. At first, his e...

Most city government workers, even though they have a keen eye on business, simply stay where they are and do not venture outside their comfort zone. What would it take for them to unlock their hidden entrepreneurial leadership skills? In this episode, host Gary Schoeniger sits down with Rob Vigil, a retired government worker in the City of Albuquerque. He looks back on his unlikely journey of bec...

In this episode, Gary sits down with Joe Jaros , a remarkable entrepreneur who turned a pizza delivery job into a thriving career. Joe's journey is a testament to the transformative power of an entrepreneurial mindset, even in franchise ownership. Hailing from a working-class background in Cleveland, Ohio, Joe's story mirrors the essence of entrepreneurship: solving problems to empower oneself. Th...

Today, we're speaking with Susana Cabrera, who is one of the original entrepreneurs featured in the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program.   I originally interviewed Susana in 2010, when she was in the first few years of her entrepreneurial journey.   Today, I had the chance to catch up with her to revisit her journey and the life lessons she learned along the way.   One thing you can...

Welcome to another episode of The Entrepreneurial Mindset Project.   Today, we're joined by Chad Porter , a young, inventive entrepreneur who is well on his way.   While studying biomedical engineering at Ohio State, he noticed that students were hauling fewer books around campus, which required a new type of backpack. All he needed was a prototype that would enable him to test his idea...

Welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project! Today, we have an inspiring story to share with you. Meet Ashley and Abby Garfield, identical twins and young entrepreneurs. Starting with just a vacuum cleaner, a broom, a bucket, and a mop, they launched a cleaning business in high school. As they pursued business courses at a local community college, their determination grew, an...

Welcome to the latest episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project! In this special edition, we're taking a different approach as we delve into the fascinating realm of the entrepreneurial mindset through the lens of psychology.   Our guest today is Dr. Jennifer Hall , co-author of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile —a groundbreaking psychometric tool that assesses the entrepreneurial stre...

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project.   Today, I’m speaking with a special guest, Steve Orlando , who is not only an incredible entrepreneur, but was one of my very first students when I was experimenting with teaching entrepreneurship at a local high school back in 2006-2007.   Trust me when I tell you Steve has an incredible story to tell.  ...

Today, we sit down with Stephanie Riel , founder of RielDeal & Co. , a brand strategy consulting firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. In this episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project, we explore the origins of an entrepreneur's passion and drive.   Stephanie was inspired by her father's journey as an immigrant entrepreneur and always knew she wanted to start something on her own. Howe...

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneurial Mindset Project. Today I’m speaking with my friend, collaborator, and co-author, Clifton Taulbert . Clifton has an amazing story to tell–from his childhood in the Mississippi Delta during the height of legal segregation to becoming a Pulitzer-nominated author and successful entrepreneur. I first met Clifton in 2008 while doing a research...

Today I’m speaking with Dave Yeany, the founder of Yeany’s Maple , a small but thriving maple syrup business located in Marienville, PA.   This is really an amazing underdog story that you won’t want to miss.   I met Dave a few months back when giving a talk in Marienville, which is a small town of approximately 3,500 people located smack dab in the poorest county in Pennsylvania. Little...

A full mindset shift is needed to get through the most challenging moments of your life. Without this life-changing process, you cannot unlock a more positive version of yourself. Our guest today is Trent Wallace , an up-and-coming entrepreneur from the streets of North Omaha, Nebraska. In this episode, we discuss his struggle to overcome the challenges of his past, the lessons he learned at Boys...

What is the value of learning, and do we ever stop? In this episode, guest Tremain Davis of Davis and Davis Investments and Management joins us to talk about shifting his mindset through constant learning. He joins Gary Schoeniger to share how he did not have an easy start in life. Raised by a single mom in an underserved community, the only entrepreneurs he knew were illegal ones. Yet, from an ea...

What makes a goal compelling? What do we gain from comparing ourselves to others? In this conversation with entrepreneur Cameron Tolbert, Founder of Native Ingredients , we dissect topics around honing a strong entrepreneurial mindset. We explore how circumstances and beliefs push people down the path of entrepreneurship, the dangers of comparing oneself to others, and human's innate tendency towa...

Who are you when no one is watching? That’s what Bernardo Martinez will help you uncover with host Gary Schoeniger in this episode. Bernardo is the founder of Grow-Farms , a Mexico City-based startup designed to enable small and medium-sized farmers throughout Latin America to access global markets. Throughout the conversation, Bernardo makes it clear that mindset is essential to having your ventu...

Starting up a business is hard. Doing it while in an active warzone is even harder. Ukrainian Entrepreneur Bogdan Romaniuk joins Gary Schoeniger for this podcast episode to share insights into his mindset as a co-founder of xTiles —a tool for visual thinking that helps people organize projects and ideas. Bogdan also lets us in on his thinking about solving problems and how being open to new experi...

When you talk about business, dog-walking isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. It's a profession that people don't know too much about. Can you make actually make a living, walking dogs? The answer is yes, but you need to know how to market yourself. You need to know how to build relationships so that you can ask for referrals from your clients. And, you need to live within your m...