You Don't Need This Podcast

This Season 2 Finale features an extended conversation (2+ hours) between Brad Feld and Ben McDougal , recorded in the wild, LIVE from the mountains of Boulder, Colorado! We begin with a rewind on Brad's own journey, then shift into entrepreneurship, leadership within startup communities, and venture capital in the first hour. Ben teleports to narrate a break with two writings inspired by Brad, th...

Trevor Carlson visited 50+ countries in 5 years! He's also a friend, founder, content creator, and below-average salsa dancer. Pack your bag and ride along as we wind through an extended episode with wild stories from around the globe, a narrated break, writing fiction, thoughts on the future of  You Don't Need This Podcast , experiential wisdom brewed to keep us building together, and bonus foota...

Abena Sankofa is an unrelenting author, founder, and fellow podcaster who hosts Black & Privileged in America . This leader celebrates Africana, challenges historical narratives, and advocates for a just world. Together, we share time on a Tuesday by chatting about reading, writing, podcasting, and building a healthy bookshelf. After another narrated break, we update the "minority" business owner...

Dan Knoup and Brandon Patterson lead the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines . We break ground by hearing how these two leaders got into residential construction. We then hit on the hands-on nature of entrepreneurs who start (or acquire) a skilled trade or home building business. After the break, we explore the tech-flavored frontiers of the home building industry, like AI in construct...

Jack Chimbetete learned to make others feel charismatic as a young leader in Zimbabwe. After this film maker experienced the Mandela Washington Fellowship , he forged a new path by moving to Iowa. We chat about growing up in Africa, producing content for TV, the  African Live Network , tips for migration, and how to sequence storytelling to enhance any adventure. After a euphoric break, Jack and B...

Ben was back at UW Stevens Point , speaking and collaborating inside the UW Stevens Point Center for Entrepreneurship . During his time on campus, Alex Suscha and Haley Densow joined him for another "In The Wild" jam session. Hear how these two college student founders are building beyond the classroom by embracing the tension of going beyond the status quo. We speak about building a company while...

Eric Engelmann builds stuff. Let's cheers to this leader's early entrepreneurial experiences and the origins of so many projects (see bonus materials) that have paved different paths for fellow founders. We also discuss when teams need to raise financial capital and how to manage a board of advisors, then explore leveraging large clients, finding co-founders in a startup community, and being hones...

Just in time for the NBA Finals! Sit courtside with  Drew Van Meeteren , the President of Business Operations for the Iowa Wolves . The G League connects professional basketball players and leaders to each team in the NBA. EP93 is packed with fast-paced collisions that will leave you wanting OT. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a remarkable season and Ben occasionally sits courtside at the Iowa Wolv...

Bill Adamowski is a technologist, founder, and educator who strengthens the web for understanding customers, solving the right problems, and sequencing human-centered design to grow revenue. We explore this catalyst's journey from early interest in AI at Syracuse University , building/exiting his own business, helping large companies scale, shifting into higher education, establishing the ISU Star...

Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Devon Seacrest is a tech founder who helps entrepreneurs surf through early moves that test the desirability, feasibly, and profitability of new ideas. He visiting Des Moines to lead the discussion at a web3dsm gathering, leveled up with an unplanned pinball lesson, and presenting at 1MC Des Moines the next morning. We then hit the studio to talk about ways a minimum vi...

Nathan T. Wright is an artist. He has origins in the early days of social media, made impact inside corporate marketing, and now illustates remarkable art with drawings, cartoons, murals, and more. Ben and Nathan jam on The Adventures of Fatberg , the early (fun) days of social media, the speeds in-house at a large company, leading a creative process with clients, real skills for studying the arts...

Derreck Stratton is a military veteran and startup founder who connects doers to odd jobs. Instead of asking "who do you know" for a task around the house, the HUDU team built an easier way to find handy folks looking for side hustles nearby. Like ride sharing, this episode highlights more examples of how the  gig economy is evolving. We chat about trust within a two-sided marketplaces, building a...

Rachel Abel and Melissa Carlson are leaders who show up to build brands that are brewed through storytelling that rhymes. Together, we toast to experiential design, friends within the food & beverage industry, product labeling, and staying in-tune with industry regulations to provide effeciency for customers. After the break, we discuss how to stay creative by activating the senses and adding digi...

Alongside a career in finance,  Steve Walsh is an investor and wrote Make the 10X Leap to help founders scale. We talk about choosing to push through the storm, raising strategic financial capital, collaborating with investors, signals for when it might be time to scale, and all that goes into writing your first book. BONUS MATERIALS https://BisonEquityGroup.com https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ameri...

Taufeek Shah brings the heat! We pour on the sauce and dip into salsa as we hear how Lola's Fine Sauces delivers spicy goodness in 22,000+ locations worldwide. Taufeek and Ben discuss the science of edible product development, freshness in a distributed supply chain, and physical experiences with digital depth. BONUS MATERIALS Capsaicin 🌶️ TRPV1 https://LolasFineHotSauce.com http://Red-Jalapeno. Y...

Jacob Kruse invests corporate innovation funds. Corporate venture capital is a growing trend, so let's chat through how founders can interact with corporate partners and how internal innovation teams can leverage their position within an entrepreneurial ecosystem. As an  intrapreneur within the insurance industry, listen how to co-create with founders and stay in-tune with a startup community. Lar...

Join us at base camp as Jon Kallen builds a mountain for us to climb. We lean into the pain and carry our own gear with stories from Aconcagua ,  Denali , Kilimanjaro , and more high altitudes worldwide. When he's not craving gummy worms on snow capped peaks above the clouds, this impactful leader mentors founders commercializing business strategies. We reflect on this leadership alongside our clo...

Ehrich Pakala is a mathematician, software engineer, and founder who uses machine learning to unlock data-driven understandings. His team at  Emigrait leverages insight to find future home buyers and sellers for real estate professionals. While they play chess in-studio, hear Ben and Ehrich chat about avoiding the measurement trap , Ehrich's favorite math equation, machine learning, and predictive...

Rachelle Keck is the 14th president of Grand View University . Students join us in-studio as we discuss the energy of leadership. We also talk about writing a book and how to leverage an adapttitude, which is an attitude that fosters an aptitude for adaptation. After an extended break that celebrates Playforce Principles and Seth Godin's Real Skills , we navigate the ROI of higher education, cosmi...

Put your laser eyes on as Carl Lippert swings through the studio to brew some technology soup. Together, we compile Carl's global hackathon tour to hear how such curiosity paired with initiative helped this small town technologist explore the world. From farming to AI, to blockchain networks, to prototyping, to nomading, to  atoms , cryptography, and truth, EP81 is loaded with tactics and innovati...

scottrepreneur is a nerd you need to know. How does blockchain layering work? What can composability provide? What's the value of money being mechanized? Can you translate the difference between centralized, protocol, and blockchain networks? Maybe you're exploring ways to add digital depth to existing products? So many questions, here are some answers! After the 10 Commandments of UX are echoed i...

Max Schaeffer is an  Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame Inductee jamming on a new kind of mic. EP79 features a friend and professional conversationalist sharing insight from 40+ years in radio! This influencer is also an award-winning theatrical director, actor, and producer. Ben and Maxwell discuss timely vs. evergreen content, regulations of radio, metrics that matter vs. opinions of estimates, and...

Sarah Oyibo is a friendly founder and creative content creator. This influencer explores the realities of an entrepreneurial lifestyle by teaching others how to efficiently create lead magnets built on pillars of content. In EP78, we hear how Sarah introduced herself to digital design as a student, then escaped a cubicle by leveraging paying clients to start her business. Ben and Sarah keep buildi...

Gerald Beranek is an executionist and a professional problem solver who helps others bring product ideas to life. We talk product design, manufacturing, business, and his new quest. We get reps in on financial modeling,  pain relievers vs. vitamins , leadership, and enjoying the process as well. Thanks to Gerald for making the trip to join us in-studio! The results is EP77, which brews timeless va...

Manufacturing and business geek, Mike O'Donnell is inside Iowa State University. He leads the Center for Industrial Research and Service ( CIRAS ), which helps small- to medium-sized industry compete and win in the modern world. EP76 is light and fun, but rich in now value. Manufacturing is the largest industry in Iowa. We talk manufacturing types, environmental complexities, manufacturing 4.0, ex...