Untrapped Entrepreneur

Travis Hollman, CEO of Hollman Inc. and founder of MeSpace, joins the podcast to share the entrepreneurial lessons he learned through childhood adversity, dyslexia, business success, painful mistakes, and the trap of ego. In this episode, Travis opens up about being forced out of his family business, chasing ventures outside of his expertise, losing $600K in the music business, and eventually lear...

A great product is not enough if the business model does not work. In this episode, Nik Hall shares the hard lessons he learned from building, scaling, and selling a consumer brand, then launching an Amazon growth agency with a much simpler business model. We get into one of the biggest traps entrepreneurs face: confusing passion for a product with a business that actually makes money. Nik also op...

Most founders do not fail because they lack ambition. They fail because they fall in love with the technology instead of the actual problem. In this episode, Dennis R. Mortensen breaks down one of the most dangerous traps in entrepreneurship: building around something exciting, innovative, or technically impressive before proving that the pain is real, urgent, and worth solving. He shares how he s...

Most founders think the first step to growth is raising money and spending on marketing. According to serial entrepreneur and pioneering marketer David T. Scott, that mindset can quietly destroy your startup before it ever finds product-market fit. In this episode of The Untrapped Entrepreneur , David shares the three traps he sees founders fall into again and again: spending capital too fast, cha...

What happens when your company is flying high, then loses 80% of revenue in a single week? In this episode, Vincent Yang shares the full arc of building and scaling Cheetah past $150M in annualized sales, the brutal COVID collapse that melted demand overnight, and the operational decisions required to survive when everything turns into a wartime scenario. We get into the real founder traps: hyperg...

Most founders and leaders think they have a communication problem, but it’s usually a clarity problem. In this episode, Eric Harris, founder of GatherRound and creator of the Campfire Method, breaks down why slide decks quietly sabotage leadership, culture, and buy-in, especially in high-stakes moments like strategy rollouts, investor conversations, and company change. We unpack the real traps tha...

In this episode, Miriam Altman Reyes shares with Ben Davis how her time as a public high school teacher led her to tackle chronic absenteeism, build an EdTech company, and eventually sell it, then turn that experience into Brass Ring Ventures, where she now backs founders building the future of learning and work. You will hear the traps she sees all the time: chasing hot trends without lived exper...

In this episode of the Untrapped Entrepreneur Show, host Ben Davis speaks with serial tech entrepreneur Geoff McQueen about his journey through multiple startups and the challenges of managing remote teams. They discuss the importance of maintaining visibility and engagement in a remote work environment, the pitfalls of over-monitoring employees, and the impact of side hustles on performance. Geof...

In this Untrapped Minisode, I share a remedy I’ve used to great success over the years: not focusing on the outputs, but the inputs, the how of my goals. By looking at that, you’ll often find the missing ingredients to help get you and your team where you need to go.

In this episode Ben chats with Andy Cavanaugh (andy@kcapex.com) of Apex Business Advisors , based out of Kansas City. Andy discusses: - his own journey out of corporate America, which featured him repeatedly getting fired despite consistently performing at the top of his game - how he and his wife's plans of running a franchise together had to get re-imagined when she faced a challenging pregnancy...

In this episode Ben speaks with serial entrepreneur Mike Powell, about what he's learned in his journey of being married while being an entrepreneur for many years. Mike speaks about: - the importance of listening to your spouse, and how his wife encouraged him to take a job after a long stint of runs with startups...then encouraged him to take a startup position again - the dangers of taking a bu...

In this episode Ben chats with David van Noy , aka DVN, of Van Noy Real Estate , a residential real estate business based out of Kansas City. David discusses: - the idea of his role as a "dragon slayer" with the need to protect his family from the ups and downs of said slaying - how problems are often caused by people thinking they are "owed" something by anyone else - why he believes he always ha...

In this episode Ben chats with Nick Kennedy of Nick Kennedy Coaching .  Nick talks about: - the power of walking, whether for meetings or for chats with your spouse: walking unlocks ideas that just don't come out when you're stationary - not letting your job title become your identity: you only have 30,000 days in life and of them 10 will be the most important...how do you want those days to be de...

In this episode Ben chats with Sean Heatley of ICON EV, a manufacturer of low speed and neighborhood vehicles based in Tampa.  Sean shares: - what it meant to lose the safety net of a second household income and to go all in on his business - what changes when you don't just live with your spouse but work with him/her too (and the systems that need to get put in place) - some smart financial strat...

In this episode Ben chats with Dan Labroad of Ovation Health and Life Services , providing better benefits at lower costs (and yes, we use him, so we can vouch for that). Dan discusses: - the importance of finding a role model to help you understand how a marriage works (Dan didn't witness that growing up himself) - how you need to learn the importance of "You're right, I'm sorry" and how this par...

In this episode Ben chats with Moe Bousaid, who works with his wife Andrea as business brokers licensed in NV, CA, AZ, and FL. Moe shares: - how the current economic situation has led to more openness to seller financing - why the husband/wife dynamic he and his wife bring to the table makes them so relatable to couples selling businesses (or looking to buy) - the importance of being aware about e...

In this episode Ben chats with Neel Parekh of MaidThis Franchise, a fully remote local cleaning business for homes and Airbnbs Ben and Neel talk about: - how the business dealt with the pandemic: lost 50% of revenue but came out leaner and meaner and ready to grow - the world of online dating (Neel met his wife through a dating app) and how "oversupply" can influence a willingness to settle down -...

In this episode Ben chats with Jeremy and Lila Stewart of Hari Mari , a premium lifestyle sandal company based out of Dallas. Jeremy and Lila share: - the origin of the brand, which grew out of three years living in Jakarta, Indonesia - how their families were totally opposed to the idea in the beginning - why they make sure to stay in their respective lanes to help their business thrive You’ll fi...

[0:00-0:57] The 1% club [0:58-2:40] About Solo Sherpa [2:40-5:35] Challenges when taking leaps as an entrepreneur [5:36-7:09] The side hustle method [7:10-7:55] How did you meet your wife? [7:56-8:22] Kids [8:23-10:52]  Advice to enterpreneurs starting just starting out [10:53-12:58] Knowing thyself and learning to know each other [12:59-14:02] Understanding differences [14:03-16:40] The importanc...

[0:00-2:00] Intro [2:00-3:56] Workplace romance and starting a business together [3:57-7:06] Identifying as an entrepreneur [7:07-9:07] Types of couples in business [9:08-10:26] Secret weapons [10:27-11:55] The cold hard truth [11:56-12:55] Giving and getting feedback [12:56-13:24] Building something bigger than you [13:25-15:12] A moment of truth: Creators vs optimizers [15:13-18:06] Delegation o...

In this Untrapped Entrepreneur Podcast episode, Ben and Lauren Davis recount their dynamic journey through marriage and entrepreneurship. Ben and Lauren reflect on their entrepreneurship journey  together and the inevitable joys and struggles that appear when founding a business with the love of your life. Tune in to hear their stories and lessons learned! [00:03:00] Transitioning to entrepreneurs...