Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

Ever wondered if your professional expertise could become a thriving business? In this episode, we sit down with Wendy Votroubek and Julie Davenport, the powerhouse duo behind Integrity Legal Nurse Consulting PDX. Wendy, a nurse with over 30 years of experience, transformed her deep medical knowledge into a nationwide consulting firm that bridges the gap between medicine and law. This episode is a...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kevin Damoa, a true force of entrepreneurial energy and innovation. Drawing from over two decades in high-stakes logistics—from combat tours in Iraq to managing flight modules at SpaceX—Kevin is now tackling one of the biggest challenges in modern freight. He founded Glīd Technologies to solve the century-old, broken handoff between road and rail, buildin...

In a world buzzing with AI hype, most enterprise-level projects are quietly failing. Robert Toshiyuki Morrell, founder of ThreddSync and an AI expert since 2009, joins the show to pull back the curtain on why this is happening and what entrepreneurs can learn from it. He breaks down the critical "execution gap" between AI strategy and real-world results, revealing why simply giving your...

Tired of hearing about AI as a vague, futuristic concept? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on what it really looks like to build and run a business on a fleet of AI agents. Drew Mehta, founder of ThinkFraction, joins us to share how he went from managing products for Major League Baseball and a $750B asset management firm to launching his own AI-native company. He doesn't just talk t...

In an era where AI can feel like a tool reserved for giant corporations, Margo and Nate Shulman are leveling the playing field. In this episode, the dynamic mother-son co-founding team behind NATEX AI pulls back the curtain on how they’re building truly bespoke AI solutions that deliver enterprise-level power to small and mid-sized businesses. They reveal why a "vertical" approach to sol...

Happy 4th of July! On this historic 250th anniversary of the United States, Brian Lofrumento shares a powerful and timely lesson for every entrepreneur and wantrepreneur. What if the most important part of the 4th of July story isn't the victory, but the declaration that came before it? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian reveals a profound parallel between the Declaration of Independence and...

In this episode, Brian sits down with Maxim Kheyfets, a brilliant founder with a rare blend of deep engineering expertise and a profound understanding of the human element in business. Maxim shares his journey from scaling major startups like Clear and Bread Finance to launching his own venture, AnyIntelli. He breaks down why process, not just technology, is the key to scalable growth in today&apo...

Ever dreamed of buying a business but felt completely out of your depth? This episode is your masterclass in demystifying the world of business acquisition. Carter Micklem, a former private equity VP, pulls back the curtain on the due diligence process, sharing the exact strategies institutional investors use to vet a company—and how you can apply them to your first (or next) purchase. He breaks d...

Ever felt like the thankless tasks you do for others go completely unnoticed? Lisa Virginia Anderson, a former senior director at Planned Parenthood and reality TV producer, turned that exact feeling into a disruptive tech company. In this episode, she shares the origin story of InvisiBILL, a subversive wellness app that uses AI to assign a real dollar value to the invisible and relational labor t...

Nikita Bridan, co-founder and CEO of Oilstainlab, joins the show to share how he and his twin brother went from designing concept cars for major OEMs to building their own—the ones the big corporations were too scared to make. They call it building "the bad ideas," and it led them to create the Half-11: a stunningly raw, retro-futuristic supercar with a swappable EV or gas powertrain. Th...

Feeling overwhelmed, directionless, or just plain stuck? In this episode, corporate-leader-turned-founder Sheri Roder of Get Unstuck HQ breaks down the exact reasons why so many entrepreneurs hit a wall. Drawing on decades of experience in high-stakes corporate environments, Sheri reveals her powerful framework for identifying the type of "stuck" you're in—whether you're spinni...

Ever find yourself chasing the next big number — the first $10K month, 1,000 followers, or a major anniversary — only to feel like the goalpost just keeps moving? In this special Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on a massive milestone: the 1500th episode of the show. But this isn't a typical celebration. Instead, Brian gets vulnerable about why milestones are completely artif...

After a full week exploring the four entrepreneurial seasons — Planting, Growth, Pruning, and Harvest — Brian is pulling back the curtain on the most challenging, misunderstood, and crucial phase of them all: the transition. It's the messy, uncertain space between the seasons where the old rules no longer work, but the new ones haven't revealed themselves yet. In this reflective solo epi...

Everyone dreams of harvest season—the wins, the validation, the feeling that all your hard work has finally paid off. But what if this celebrated season is actually the most dangerous one for an entrepreneur? In this final episode of the Entrepreneurial Seasons miniseries, Brian Lofrumento pulls back the curtain on the harvest. He reveals why success always looks obvious in hindsight, why the publ...

We've been taught that success in business is about addition—more clients, more products, more opportunities. But what if the biggest breakthroughs come from what you remove? In this powerful solo episode, Brian dives into "pruning season," the most overlooked and misunderstood phase of entrepreneurship. He reveals why letting go of good ideas, firing "PITA" clients, and s...

Ever dream of the day your business finally takes off, only to find yourself more overwhelmed than ever? You're not alone. In this solo episode, Brian dives deep into "Growth Season," the most misunderstood phase of the entrepreneurial journey. He breaks down the myth that growth feels like success, revealing why it often feels like pure chaos instead. Brian explains that growth doe...

Ever feel like you’re pouring all your energy into your business but getting zero feedback, validation, or results? It’s one of the most dangerous and discouraging moments in entrepreneurship. In this nostalgic solo episode, leading up to the monumental 1500th episode, Brian Lofrumento introduces the powerful concept of "entrepreneurial seasons." He dives deep into the first and arguably...

Do you ever find yourself looking at other successful entrepreneurs and thinking, "I would kill to have their problems"? Whether it’s struggling to hire fast enough or having too many clients, it’s easy to believe that their challenges are better than yours. In this reflective Solo Sunday episode, Brian gets real about the dangerous game of comparing problems and shares a powerful though...

Are you afraid of giving too much away in your marketing? Do you worry that if you share your best insights for free, no one will ever pay you? In this powerful solo episode, Brian tackles one of the most pervasive entrepreneurial traps: the scarcity mindset that convinces us to withhold information. Drawing on nearly a decade of lessons learned, from selling his first online course to building a...

Ever feel a sense of guilt for charging a high price for something that feels “easy” to you? Do you find yourself justifying your prices by explaining how many hours you’ll put in? If so, you’ve likely fallen into one of the most common and costly entrepreneurial traps: the time for money trap. In this solo episode, Brian breaks down how this "employee hangover" from our 9-to-5 days leak...

Ever find yourself thinking, "This one thing... this is what will change everything"? Whether it's a new product launch, a big press mention, or a dream client, we’ve all fallen for the allure of the "silver bullet." In this solo episode, Brian gets personal, sharing a story from his first business when a shout-out on BBC radio sent 30,000 visitors to his site in an hour....

Ever come back from a networking event with a stack of business cards, feeling like you’ve crushed it, only to hear crickets for weeks? Or maybe you’ve shared your big idea and gotten tons of praise like, “That’s amazing, I’d totally buy that!” but no one ever pulls out their wallet. This is one of the most common and deceptive traps in entrepreneurship. In this solo episode, Brian Lofrumento shar...

Kicking off Entrepreneurial Trap Week, Brian dives straight into the most common and dangerous myth that holds founders back: the belief that "if you build it, they will come." He argues this single idea is responsible for the biggest graveyard of failed businesses. In this episode, Brian challenges you to stop hiding behind product development and start focusing on what truly matters—di...

Ever feel like you’re doing all the "right" things—launching a podcast, sending follow-up emails, running ads—but getting zero results? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on a subtle but destructive mindset that sabotages countless entrepreneurs: the "Checkbox Mentality." He reveals why simply "doing the thing" is never enough and how this trap...

In this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur , eight founders answer one deeply personal question: What would you say in a voicemail to your younger self? You’ll hear from Lisa Larson, Jane Alexander, Nate Hebbert, Nicholas Cook, Mike Gross, Leslie Hemedes, Shawn Sundsvold, and Stephen Custer as they look back on the earlier versions of themselves — the ambitious ones, the...