The Founderz Lounge

The Founderz Lounge Episode #86 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Why do franchisees and business owners fail even when they have access to better tools, stronger systems, and more information than ever before? In this episode of Business & Bullsh*t, Don and Steve break down the real reasons franchisees and business owners fail in 2026. What starts with travel pet peeves, streaming frustration, a...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #85 with Scott Balaban. What actually keeps people playing mobile games, watching ads, coming back the next day, and spending money inside an app? In this episode of The Founderz Lounge, Don and Steve sit down with Scott Balaban, co-founder of Gameblend Studios, to break down the business of game development, user retention, gamification, and mobile monetization. Scott...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #84 with Jamie Mottram. How do you turn a viral sports moment into a product fans will actually buy before the hype disappears? In this episode of The Founderz Lounge, Don and Steve sit down with Jamie Mottram, president of BreakingT, to break down the business of real-time sports merch. Jamie shares how BreakingT built a brand around speed, licensing, and cultural timi...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #83 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Everyone’s an expert now. Everyone’s a guru. Everyone has advice. And somehow, half of it sounds like it came from the same recycled LinkedIn post. In this episode of Business & Bullsh*t, Don and Steve dig into the fake guru era, unsolicited business advice, personal brand echo chambers, and why so many people are trying to positio...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #82 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. AI is everywhere, fake experts are multiplying, and somehow modern business keeps rewarding noise over real execution. In this episode of Business & Bullsh*t , Don and Steve break down what happens when AI hype, white-labeled apps, surface-level business advice, and instant-expert culture start replacing actual experience, judgment...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #81 with Matt Davis. What actually makes video work now that everyone has a camera, content is everywhere, and AI can fake almost anything? In this episode of The Founderz Lounge, Don and Steve sit down with Matt Davis, founder of LifeStage Films and Harvest Filmworks, to talk about why authentic video is becoming even more valuable in a world full of polished, overprod...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #80 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down what founders actually face versus what business culture pretends is true. This episode challenges the modern obsession with “CEO mode” and the polished playbook that makes leadership look clean, strategic, and hands-off. In realit...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #79 with Mike Manzo. What does it take to grow a franchise brand without drifting away from the things that made it work in the first place? In this episode of The Founderz Lounge, Don and Steve sit down with Mike Manzo, former COO of Jersey Mike’s, to talk about the discipline it takes to build a brand that lasts. From franchisee profitability and operational standards...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #78 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down what founders are dealing with right now, what’s changing in business culture, and what most people get wrong about leadership and growth. This episode kicks off with Founderz RoundUp stories from the field, including lessons from...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #77 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down what brands are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and what is changing in culture. This episode kicks off with the business behind GORUCK and how a founder built a massive brand around something most companies try to avoid: p...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #76 with Chris Wunder. In this episode, Don Varady and Steve Bon sit down with Chris Wunder, Founder and CEO of Leap Brands, to talk about executive recruiting, private equity growth, and the realities of building a high-performance company from scratch. Chris shares how he left corporate roles at NBC Sports and Samsung to start his own recruiting firm in 2016, eventual...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #75 with Nikki Boxler. In this episode, Don Varady and Steve Bon sit down with Nikki Boxler, founder of The Maple Farmer, to talk about the truth behind maple syrup, farm entrepreneurship, and what most people don’t realize about how real maple products are made. Nikki shares her journey growing up on a dairy and maple farm in Western New York, leaving for corporate wor...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #74 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down what brands are doing right, what they are doing wrong, and what is changing in culture. This episode kicks off with Taco Bell opening a real wedding chapel in Las Vegas and what it says about owning your brand instead of playing i...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #73 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down what’s happening in business, what’s changing in culture, and what owners need to stop whining about and start fixing. This one starts light, then gets real fast. They rip through the top menu trends shaping 2025, from boba and Dub...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #72 with Scott Volquartsen. In this episode, Don Varady and Steve Bon sit down with Scott Volquartsen of Volquartsen Firearms to unpack what it really takes to scale a legacy business without compromising quality, culture, or craftsmanship. Scott shares the story of growing up in a family-owned company, taking over the business with his brother, and navigating the chall...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #71 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down wins, screwups, and what actually moves the needle, without the corporate fluff. At one point, Quiznos had more than 5,000 locations and was one of the fastest-growing franchise brands in the world. A few years later, it was in ban...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #70 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down wins, screwups, and what actually moves the needle, without the corporate fluff. It starts with a simple observation. Protein is suddenly in everything. From Sweetgreen’s 106-gram protein bowl to protein water showing up on shelves...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #69 with Codie Aljets. In this episode, Don Varady and Steve Bon sit down with Codie Aljets of Sage Country Customs to unpack a story shaped by adversity, creativity, and grit. After a battle with stage 4 colorectal cancer, Codie was forced to slow down, reassess his priorities, and ultimately rebuild his life around purpose and craftsmanship. Codie shares how his journ...

Don and Steve are back with another round of Business & Bullsh*t, where real entrepreneurs break down wins, screwups, and what actually moves the needle, without the corporate fluff. It starts with a simple question. What is the most you would ever pay for a cup of coffee? That question gets real when a café in Dubai offers a $980 cup made from rare Nido 7 Geisha beans, with only 400 cups avai...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #67 with Evonne Varady. In this episode, hosts Don Varady and Steve Bon sit down with Evonne Varady, co-founder and partner at Clean Eatz, for a real look at how the brand was actually built. Evonne shares her journey from small-town farm life to helping create a purpose-driven company powered by grit, instinct, and relentless problem-solving. Don and Evonne reflect on...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #66 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another round of “Business & Bullsh*t,” where real entrepreneurs talk wins, screwups, and what actually moves the needle in business without the corporate fluff. They kick things off with camping like “homeless men” and wild childhood clubhouse stories, then pivot into why U.S. franchise chains are growi...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #65 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. This week, Don and Steve tackle a big question with real bite. Is the middle class dead, or just being redefined? They break down what that shift means for marketers, brands, and everyday buying behavior. Then they go fully Business & Bullsh*t with the fun stuff. A Golden Corral escape room idea that somehow makes too much sense, p...

The Founderz Lounge Episode #64 with Don Varady and Steve Bon. Don and Steve are back with another edition of “Business & Bullsh*t.” These are no-fluff, straight-shooting conversations where real entrepreneurs break down the wins, the losses, the headlines, and the hard truths behind building something from nothing. In this episode, they dive into everything from innovative marketing trends in...

Business & Bullshit Episodes are your no-fluff, straight-shooting podcast where real entrepreneurs talk real business—with a side of BS. Hosted by Don Varady and Steve, these episodes dive into the wins, losses, headlines, and hot takes that matter to founders, franchisees, and anyone bold enough to build something from scratch.https://instagram.com/donvarady https://instagram.com/stevebon8htt...

Ruben Arriaga, originally from Houston, Texas, is the owner of Clean Eatz College Station in College Station, Texas. After graduating high school in 1996, Ruben enlisted in the U.S. Army and began his career in the infantry. He later attended Special Forces Assessment and Selection, earning his Green Beret after two years of rigorous training. Ruben spent 20 years with the 5th Special Forces Group...