The Midnight Founders Podcast

Tim Cooley, the Director of Entrepreneurship for the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, shares how he’s helping to elevate Utah’s entrepreneurial ecosystem through the Startup State initiative. If you’re curious about the resources available for entrepreneurs in Utah—or how to get your startup off the ground, stick around. We'll cover: The four key initiatives driving the Startup State pro...

Scaling a company is hard enough, but scaling your way up the ladder at the same company for 40 years while preventing injuries and saving lives? That’s a different ladder to climb. In this episode, we sit down with Ryan Moss, CEO of Little Giant Ladder System, to uncover the milestones, challenges, and innovation strategies that helped the company grow from a small Utah business to a global brand...

Running a legal tech startup takes more than just knowing the law—it requires a deep understanding of technology, sales, and a persistent drive to solve industry pain points. In this episode, Nathan Walter, Founder and CEO of BriefPoint, shares his journey from practicing law to learning coding and building an innovative platform that automates discovery responses for litigation attorneys using ad...

This week’s guest is Dan Clark, a world-renowned public speaker who has delivered over 6,000 speeches in 76 countries, authored 37 books, and even ventured into space. Dan Clark suffered a severe injury during a college football practice, where he had a violent head-on collision with another player. This life-altering event eventually led him to his path as a motivational speaker.   Tune in as Dan...

Kurt Francom is the founder of Leading Saints, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing training resources to ecclesiastical leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ. What once began as a simple blog has evolved into a global podcast and full-time venture. In this episode, Kurt emphasizes the importance of finding a "niche of a niche" to build a dedicated audience and believes that every busin...

Jeff Griffin, once a collegiate football player, experienced a life-altering fall from a 40-foot scaffold that left him paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Now a world-renowned speaker and author, Jeff is known for his incredible resilience and transformative messages. In this episode, Jeff shares his journey of turning that tragic event into a powerful message of hope, focusing on overcoming...

After facing personal frustration with accreditation laws and exclusion, Jesse Randall, founder and CEO of Sweater, started a revolutionary venture capital fund accessible to everyone. For more than two years Jesse engaged with the SEC until he found a compliant way to allow non-accredited investors to participate with just $500, ushering in the Cashmere Fund. Learn about the innovative legal stru...

In this episode, we sit down with Michael Romrell, co-founder of Literal, to explore his journey in the EdTech industry. Michael shares how Literal improves student engagement by making books as addictive as social media, leading to a 70% increase in reading time. He discusses the challenges of selling to risk-averse school districts, and the importance of managing co-founder relationships. Michae...

Case Lawrence is the founder of CircusTrix (now SkyZone), the world's largest owner, operator, and franchisor of trampoline parks with over 300 facilities, 5,000 employees, and 50 million annual guests. In this episode, Case discusses his experience campaigning for the U.S. House of Representatives in Utah's 3rd District, drawing parallels between running for office and starting a business. His wi...

Nate Tew started KeyRenter with the goal of changing lives one property at a time. He joins us for an insightful episode to discuss the journey of building a franchise model business. Nate firmly believes in the power of small businesses and the potential of franchises to empower entrepreneurs through mentorship, access to success tools, and a strong community culture. Today, KeyRenter has 56 fran...

In this follow-up episode, we reconnect with Logan Nicholson of Talsey AI , formerly known as LocalEyes, to explore the exciting transformations his company has undergone over the past year. Join us as Logan shares his experiences: Pivoting from a local food recommendation service to a smart guest engagement system, finding product-market fit despite never being his own customer. Involving custome...

The founders of Awsm stood outside the Delta Center with picketing signs when Utah’s first NHL team was announced. But they weren't opposing Utah's first NHL team—they were advocating for fan ownership. Meet Jordan Volz and Dave Oldham. Together, they are building Awsm, a SaaS platform that enables companies to share ownership on a performance basis. Research shows that when people have an ownersh...

Learn how to turn a sweet tooth into a national sensation with Taz Murray, the co-founder of Trü Frü, as he shares his journey from accountant to confectionery connoisseur. Contrary to what was taught in business school, Taz proved that you don't need a $500M marketing budget to become a national brand. Instead, he leveraged the power of social media and influencer collaborations to place Trü Frü...

Kristi Holt, a natural-born entrepreneur, turned $10,000 into half a million by the age of 26. Now, she's on a mission to revolutionize mental and emotional wellness with Vibeonix , an AI-driven platform that deciphers emotional intelligence and emotions through voice analysis. Kristi joins us to share her insights on building a product before knowing who the customer was and navigating the comple...

In this episode, we dive deep into the unsung heroes of the business world: intrapreneurs. These innovative minds work within companies to enhance processes, making organizations stronger and more resilient. Woody Klemetson, founder of AskElephant, discusses how intrapreneurs protect businesses and their people, and highlights the importance of "minding your wake"—being aware of the impact you hav...

Meet Scott Johnson, the ultimate customer-focused founder and CEO of WOJE Money. When a customer missed a payment, Scott called them on the phone and learned that their wife had lost her job. With six clicks of a mouse, Scott put that customer on a new financing plan that better suited their current financial situation. Scott has revolutionized financing for small businesses and individuals with f...

In this episode, Ryan Keisel discusses launching a business aimed at easing the burdens of homeownership through a service called "homescription," connecting homeowners with contractors for hassle-free repairs. However, a candid conversation with his wife revealed Ryan wasn't fully embodying the company's mission in his personal life—to eliminate homeowner stress and prioritize meaningful moments...

Military veteran Jason Van Camp, discovered a new meaning in entrepreneurship after returning home from service. Recognizing that other veterans also felt lost after retiring from the line of duty, he founded Warrior Rising, a "business bootcamp" to empower fellow veterans to build viable businesses. In this episode, Jason discusses how military decision-making translates into business strategies...

For Chari, success as an entrepreneur means achieving financial freedom and being beholden to no one. After dedicating 15 years to being a stay-at-home mom, Chari sought a better way to print scrapbook photos for her kids and decided to take matters into her own hands. Through this journey, she quickly learned the importance of thoughtful partnerships, a lesson she gained after rushing into collab...

Dragons are real! Samson Madsen from Dragon Federation joins us to discuss his journey of bringing dragons to life through AR and VR experiences. We explore how market validation played a vital role in product development, ensuring each iteration aligned with his audience's desires. Samson shares insights on how they navigated through self-funding and early investments from friends and family, and...

Wearing too many hats can lead to burnout and hinder the growth of your business. Jen Martin, the entrepreneur behind Reset Your Nest , shares her experience growing a team and delegating operational tasks so that she could focus her time on being a strong leader. Along the way, Jen found a better balance between running a successful company and caring for her employees while also establishing cle...

Chad Ingram walked out of the room 30 minutes into his LSAT practice exam, knowing that this calling in life was entrepreneurship—not litigation.   Now with three exits under his belt, Chad councils founders to focus on solving a problem and building a good product, rather than building a business with the sole intention to sell it.   He shares his experiences with the emotional toll that can come...

Explore the world of consumer brands with Eric Child from Spark Innovations. In this episode, Eric discusses the distinction between inventors and entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of finding the right people to execute ideas. Learn the ins and outs of working with retailers, including realistic timeframes for doing so. Eric encourages entrepreneurs to validate their products before spendi...

If you are interested in real estate entrepreneurship, this is the episode for you! Special guest Jimmy Rex talks about how he went from selling 3 houses in 6 months to 60 houses every month! Over the course of his career, he's learned how to implement systems and hire top talent to sell over 5,000 homes and build a portfolio of 60 properties himself. He also talks about the phenomenal networking...

Trust is the foundation of any strong relationship, whether it's in business or in our personal lives. In this episode, we dive into the importance of trust in business and how to build it with guest James Clarke from Clarke Capital Partners. As an experienced entrepreneur and investor, James shares his insights on the challenges of building trust, the value of work ethic, and the importance of be...