The Startup Junkies Podcast

Karen Ahuja, a local freelance artist, joins this episode of The Startup Junkies Podcasts to discuss her upbringing as a graphic designer turned painter in the Northwest Arkansas region. Karen shares her story, explaining how she went from a hobbyist to a business woman who now has prints of her paintings sold in stores such as; HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, and many more! As an artist, she describes the cu...

Tom Chapman, Founder of Chapman and Company, joins this episode of The Startup Junkies Podcast recorded in Denver in the middle of the Startup Champions Network Fall Summit. Startup Champions Network is a group of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builders similar to the Startup Junkies that meets twice a year to share best practices and stories. Tom, one of the original members of the network, gives us h...

Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Founder and CEO of LIVSN Designs, joins the The Startup Junkies Podcast to discuss his entrepreneurial journey. Andrew got his start in apparel working for Fayettechill as a warehouse employee, but the success of the company would lead him to play the role of CEO in 2 short years. His passion for outdoor recreational activities and apparel led him to create his own clothing li...

Beau & Kourtney Barrett, Founders of JUNK Brands, join the Startup Junkies Podcast for episode 140. Beau and Kourtney detail the start of JUNK Brands, and how it grew to become the nationally recognized headband company that it is today. They discuss the importance of listening to the market and providing customers with authentic products that leave them coming back for more. Beau and Kourtney...

Blake Puryear, Head of Product at Engine, is an e-commerce expert who has his eyes set on the future of the marketplace. Engine is a Fayetteville based e-commerce platform built for the digitally native, vertically integrated brands that are building and selling their own products directly to the consumer. In this episode, Blake and the team discuss their perspective on the Northwest Arkansas star...

How does a startup, small firm, or entrepreneur with an innovative technology idea get the required facetime with a tech giant/mega retail corporation to pitch their next big idea and impact the world? Bryce Paden, co-founder of i2i Labs, has the solution in the unique form of a tech broker of sorts. Hardly a full year into business, he has proved, with an uncommon business model no less, that the...

“The key is not to prioritize your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” Stephen Covey JB Hunt executives Shelley Simpson, EVP & Chief Commercial Officer and Todd Jenkins, JB Hunt’s Senior Diversity Lead & Chair of NWA YP Summit, join the Startup Junkie podcast for episode #136. They discuss both the importance of finding mentors as well as share insight on the differences between me...

Neil Greenhaw, founder of Haxton Road Studios, combines cutting edge technology and his passion for all things vintage to create a world class recording studio in Bentonville, AR. In this podcast episode, Neil shares his story of growing up in rural Arkansas where he fell in love with music, traveling internationally with a band up to 240 days a year, and then returning to Arkansas and opening a r...

Trey Holt and Leo Orpin, co-founders of Black Apple Crossing, Arkansas’ first hard cidery, join us for their second podcast episode. Their cidery has experienced exponential growth over the last three years and they plan to distribute in retail stores later this year. In this episode, Leo and Trey share parts of the brewing process as well as “flopped” flavors that didn’t make it to market. In add...

Ben Clark, CEO of B-Unlimited, bought the company in 2006 with big dreams but the economic crisis of 2009 forced him to scale back and focus on one customer, a sorority at the University of Arkansas. Fast forward nearly a decade and this apparel company has taken over the college market providing screen printed shirts to over 500 sororities all across the United States. Listen to how the power of...

World-renowned art. Extraordinary landscapes. Delicious food. What more could Northwest Arkansas need to become the #1 destination in the United States? How about one of the greatest business executives in the recording industry investing in its success? Listen to the incredible story of Al Bell, a legend in the music industry, and his mission to take Bentonville’s music scene to the highest level...

Dr. Jeff Standridge, Chief Catalyst at Conductor and best-selling author, shares advice with us on topics such as time management and the importance of discovering your “Why.”  Despite Jeff’s concurrent roles as author, consultant, mentor, husband and father, he makes time for opportunities that support his “Why.” Listen to Jeff’s perspective on why his busy schedule still allows him time to take...

Startup Junkie team members chat with Founder, Jeff Amerine, about the journey that led him to where he is today. Jeff candidly discusses a variety of topics, focusing on the experiences that have shaped his current definition of success. On everything from his military background, which taught him to “focus first on the things that will kill you”, to family, where he artfully likens children and...

Have you ever thought of taking a treasured family recipe and creating a company to share the treat with others? Co-owners and brothers Austin and Quinn Simkins share their story of growing their family pastime of making Chocolate Poppers into the business Simkins Brothers’ Sweets that won the IdeaFame Pitch Contest and placed second at the Collegiate Venture Competition. They also discuss the cha...

Meet the incredibly talented, Canon Reeves! CEO and co-founder of MORE Technologies, Canon is currently a sophomore at the University of Arkansas working toward providing every child in Arkansas access to robotics. From winning a competition with RFID smart cabinets to pitching at and winning the most recent Startup Weekend, Canon has been busy developing prototypes and add-ons for his robots. In...

The Enactus team at the University of Arkansas is on the rise, and is headed to the Enactus National Competition to present three major projects in Kansas City for the first time in eight years. Director of Enactus at the University, Rachel Sullivant, explains the students’ projects. From a hybrid coffee & retail space that employs adults with developmental disabilities to a workshop allowing...

We flip the script on Matt Waller, Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and place him in the hot seat. A purveyor of entrepreneurship, Dean Waller is known for his interviews with entrepreneurs, and we couldn’t be more excited to get the latest on business, entrepreneurship and the future of experiential learning at the University. The future of the Walton College of Business will integr...

Meet Chad Williamson, a man who’s worn many hats (or should we say bowties ). From an early age, his perception on social constructs was shifted by his military brat upbringing. From his first business, to his current educational non-profit, it’s amazing to see how relationships and character development inspired Chad’s journey. Current co-founder of Noble Impact, an educational non-profit providi...

Meet Steve Perry, president of Denovo Brands. Dedicated to innovative outdoor retail products, Steve, along with several other Denovo owners, stems from a career in mass market retail at Walmart. Denovo Brands includes Equip , which focuses on hammocks, and Kijaro , which produces premium sporting & outdoor chairs. Join us as we sit down with Steve and learn about the challenges of building a...

Introducing our very own, Ellen Brune! Holding a Ph. D. in chemical engineering, Ellen is our Senior Entrepreneur in Residence. Ellen serves as a liaison between Startup Junkie and the University of Arkansas. Her focus is helping scientists at the University commercialize their research. Ellen’s experience with her own company, Boston Mountain Biotech , is invaluable and tailored to science-based...

Ashton McCombs and Jeff are both Naval Academy graduates who took a successful plunge into entrepreneurship. In this episode, Ashton shares stories about the path that led he and two colleagues to leave corporate careers and start Phigenics, a smart water management company in 2004. It has been over a decade, and Ashton shares stories, lessons learned and advice to future entrepreneurs. In additio...

Rogelio Garcia Contreras is the Director of Social Innovation at the Sam Walton College of Business, and he’s planting the seeds of social entrepreneurship in NWA. Through bringing the Social Innovation Challenge to the University of Arkansas, Rogelio has created a collaborative environment for anyone who’s interested in solving pressing community problems with, you guessed it, innovation . By enc...

Being an entrepreneur comes with its fair share of hang-ups and frustrations, but it’s not often that you’re ejected from the driver’s seat of your own business venture. Omar Kasim, previous founder and owner of Con Quesos, experienced just that. From an operational upswing, to having a partner leverage financials to remove him from the company, Omar is on the come up with his latest venture, Juic...

From bubbles, to market crashes, to wise investment decisions – join us for a special episode where we bring back someone near and dear to our hearts, Jon Cadieux, the original co-host of the Startup Junkies Podcast! Jon is the CEO and founder of 455 Media Group, a company committed to helping small businesses get the most for their marketing budget.  Check out 455 Media Group at 455mediagroup.com...

Did you know that there are 54 countries on the African continent? That’s 54 opportunities to trade and foster communications with nations that are up-and-coming in the sphere of innovation! Toyin Umesiri, CEO and founder of Nazaru, talks with us about commercial interests in Africa, the Trade with Africa Business Summit, and how one person can have a major impact on such a global scale. She also...