From Founder To CEO

Alex experienced a spiritual awakening that led him and his co-founders to build the the most downloaded and used Catholic app in the world. As the business was transforming, so was Alex. Alex learned how important it is to "surrender" as you transition From Founder To CEO.

Joe is as real as it gets. He is a Founder and CEO who tells it like it is and pushes himself to get better and be better...every day. What I truly appreciate about Joe is his embrace of the idea that, "The obstacle is the way." As Founders, we know this, practice this, and embrace this...everyday. So, I was super excited to have Joe on the podcast to share his experiences as Founder of Spartan Races and his biggest obstacles shifting From Founder To CEO. Spartan came from Joe's mind as a former equities and derivatives trader on Wall Street. He turned his passion for extreme sports into a lifestyle for his family — and then into a business.

Enlisted Marine. Marine Officer. Husband. Father. Pharmaceutical Salesman. Firefighter. Founder & CEO. City Councilman. COVID-19 survivor. International Bestselling Author. These are just some of the roles that Zachary has excelled in during his short life. He certainly has had a big and growing impact on the firefighting profession, building safety, and now with his new book, "Warrior Entrepreneur," a big impact on thousands of Founders around the world. In this very candid interview, Zachary details why and how he relinquished day to day operations to a CEO, why his business is better for it, and advice to Founders, like you, who are considering such a decision.

When you meet Chideha for the first time, you immediately know. You know he is a special person. You know he cares about every person he comes into contact with. You know that he strives for excellence in everything his does. You know he actually is learning from YOU and incorporating YOUR life's lessons into HIS life. And, these are also the many reasons why I like his book. In this interview, Chideha talks about: ---> How his grandfather's assault from KKK members impacted him as a man and entrepreneur ---> The valuable lesson he learned about the power of referrals ---> What he did to recover from a painful "non-compete" lawsuit that nearly destroyed him and his business It's an incredible interview because Chideha is so transparent and willing to share HIS life's lessons.

Blinds.com is an incredible business story and Jay is an incredible Founder CEO. In his new book, he talks about the 4 Es...the foundational principles on which his success was built. After he and his team successfully built Blinds.com, he sold the company to Home Depot and continued leading for quite some time after. In this interview, Jay talks about: ---> What generosity looks like to him as a Founder & CEO. ---> A significant story about a time he felt short of his own expectations of a focus on humanity. It's an incredible interview because Jay is so candid and transparent about his own journey From Founder To CEO.

Donnie is as transparent as you might expect, being a Marine. His amazing company is helping thousands of business owners connect with the right people. So, I found it really interesting that he made a decision as a Founder & CEO that initially did not connect with his people. Sometimes, as Founders, and as we grow, we need to augment our decision-making with a bit more data and insight. The gut instincts that got us to launch and reach traction becomes insufficient over time. Listen to what happened to Donnie, how he fixed the situation, and what you can learn from his mistake.

WOW! We could not have asked for a better 400th Podcast Episode Guest! And, Jason Fried delivered. He was super candid about a great many topics that I think you will really enjoy listening about and learning from. In this interview, Jason discusses: What he considers to be the harder part of the transition From Founder To CEO. Why he made this controversial decision: "No more societal and political discussions on our company Basecamp account." How the "fallout" from this decision impacted the company. How the "fallout" personally impacted him. What he did to get through the stressful and "sad" elements of this decision. Why this decision is a turning point for the company. What the future of Basecamp looks like. How a new COO and Product Leaders will factor into a relatively new structure for Basecamp's future. How he envisions being the CEO in the future. And so much more. Like many of you, I have been reading Jason's books and his vulnerable online posts for many years. You can tell he is a hard-working, kind-hearted man who strives to do the best he can. I hope you enjoy listening to this very special 400th Founder interview as much as I did.

Tutoring is big business. And, Myles and the team figured out how to provide this valuable service for FREE to thousands of students. It wasn't easy. And, it became even harder when he and his co-founder, Victor, realized that two other co-founders may not be in it for the long haul. What do you do when it becomes clear that a co-founder, or two, need to exit the business and there is not a pre-planned process for this? Well, as Myles explains in this interview, it was stressful and there was lots of drama. But, in the end, Myles learned a lot about influence, motivations, and how to speak into the hopes and fears of others.

You may remember Ashley from her appearance on ABC TV's "Shark Tank." At the end of the show, Ashley received and accepted an offer from Daymond John. What you don't know is the rest of the story. Unfortunately, like many other deals on the show, this one did not make it through post show due diligence. Ashley describes what happened and how taking a year off from her business helped her decide the answer to this question: "Do I want to be the leader that pilots the company to forward growth?"

My draw dropped open when Norman told me how much money in energy costs he saved a Brazilian company. He and his team take a decidedly business approach to their environmental efforts. And, Norman is quite articulate about the power of using your "breakdown" as your "breakthrough." He details the time his hand went numb as well as when a friend called him for help. Both stories remind us that Founders are not super human. We need people and habits that support our wellbeing.

What started as a side hustle, caught him by surprise when Google reached out with an intriguing offer. As a self-described, "not a people person," Abhinav realized that he had to recruit more experienced leaders and bring on team members who can do one thing well and really define their ares of scope much better. Recruit and define...easier said thAn done. But, with over 400 team members and market value of $2 billion, Abhinav and his team figured it out.

Surprising and delighting customers as they interact with their digital wallet is the expertise of Elias Guerra and his team at Popwallet. Many parts of the world have embraced the digital wallet faster than the United States. Elias has been patient as the technology is adopted more here. In fact, patience has been key to his leadership success. Yet, he learned that even his patient demeanor wasn't enough for the patience needed for a Founder CEO. Listen and see why.

Have you ever heard a Founder say he enjoys buying business insurance. I thought so. It takes a special kind of Founder to tackle the business insurance industry and David and his team are doing just that. I appreciated David's candid and thought-provoking story about Founder courage versus Managerial Courage. In this interview he explains how he would have handled a delicate situation differently.

Krister and I last spoke in 2017 in episode 185. It was an intense conversation. Why? Because Krister's journey has been so intense. When I saw that his new book was a #1 WSJ Bestselling book, I was not surprised. Because his journey has been so rich with insights, he has taken these life lessons and shared them with all of us in a very practical way that I am most certain will change YOUR life. Read his book and let me know what you think.

The pandemic wreaked havoc on many businesses. But, how many of you know a Founder who launched DURING the pandemic? Allow me to introduce you to Tara. Tara knows the locs business inside and out. She and her team created a product that revolutionizes the way those with locs, take care of their locs. And, along the way, she has learned some pretty incredible lessons. Among them is something unique to her personality as the needs of a startup from a Founder. She is a self-described empath who, for a time period, began doing the work of her team. There were various reason for this. But, what she realized is quite compelling.

Who doesn't like a good walk in the forest? It turns out that walking in the forest is even more important than we realize. Jared and his team have been able to quantify the importance of nature, and many are taking notice. When you are a mission driven Founder like Jared, it can be hard to stay focused on the core economics of the business. Listen how Jared overcomes the urge to investigate other "curious" areas of inquiry and stay focused.

A larger number of people in the United States are "gig workers." And, that number has increased steadily. Craig and his team know this and are on a mission to help serve this group of hard working people connect easily with the organizations that hire them. He is also quite articulate about the intersection of bold vulnerability and personal accountability. Listen to the strength of his voice and the wisdom in his words.

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Tim has been a friend for quite some time. I admire him for so many reasons...not the least of which is his prowess at sales. In fact, it was this skill that also prevented him from scaling. What? Yes, his skills at sales limited the company's ability to grow. Why? Listen to him yourself and see the connection that we all need to pay attention to.

Know How To Connect With Investors: www.CrucialConnections.com GoLoot: https://www.igoloot.com/ Lucas On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-b%C3%A9land-4ab1b5174/

Zac Mason helps many Founders get fit. Zac on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachzac/ Zac on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coachzacmason  

I sincerely appreciated Lucas' candor. He and his team are quite innovative with their approach to creating experiences for brands and their customers. And, he is quite articulate about his personal struggle From Founder To CEO at the ripe age of 19. It has to do with the difference between setting expectations versus setting objectives...it's a lesson we all need to remember at any age of entrepreneurship.

Wool. An old friend with a new twist from a team that is on fire. Dan chronicles the rise of Unbound Merino and also the merits of being "The Lazy Co-Founder." What exactly does that mean? Listen and hear for yourself.

Fix Your Fundraising Flubs: Join www.crucialconnections.com Matt's tech is terrific. Matt is too. :) He not only talks about why personalized video emails have such high conversion rates, but he also talks about why some co-founder relationships have such high failure rates. He shares a particularly painful time period when he and his CTO were having some clashes. And, he shares his advice if this happens to you as well.

Need Help Raising Capital: www.crucialconnections.com Live events seem like a distant memory. But, not to Evan. He is a leading expert on the thing that keep live events going...ticket sales. Listen as he describes his journey and the decision points he used to sell his company...before COVID-19 hit.

JOIN THE WAIT LIST FOR CRUCIAL CONNECTIONS: www.crucialconnections.com Krista has beat cancer...twice. And, she worked her way through some shady characters undermining her business. These very challenging situations led her to greater discoveries about herself AND a new path for her business. She is an inspiration to us all. Listen and you'll see why.

Sign Up for Crucial Connections (www.crucialconnections.com) Have you ever wondered why some investors invest in your company and some don't? Have you ever wondered why some people buy into your ideas and some don't? Well, this successfully excited Founder and Former CEO might be able to help you. Suneel Gupta wrote an amazing book entitled, "Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You." Listen as he describes what YOU can do to become Backable.

Shift From Fundraising Failure To A Fundraising Phenom: www.CrucialConnections.com Todd walks through Myth #3 of Founder Fundraising

Shift From Fundraising Failure To A Fundraising Phenom: www.CrucialConnections.com Todd walks through Myth #2 of Founder Fundraising

Shift From Fundraising Failure To A Fundraising Phenom: www.CrucialConnections.com Todd walks through Myth #1 of Founder Fundraising

Become A Fundraising Phenom: www.CrucialConnections.com This was such a FUN interview, with two people who quickly captured my heart. Nicole and Mario are the Emmy Award Winning Co-founders you will want to listen to twice. They share so much wisdom in this episode that I thought about breaking it up into two episodes. First, they talk about how they built this very unique company. Secondly, they shared their secrets about being co-founders AND a married couple. Thirdly, they talk about the importance of co-founder communication. Fourthly, they share inside information about how YOU can use sponsorships as another source of capital, just like they did and do. It's a fun filled and information packed episode.

Become A Fundraising Phenom: www.CrucialConnections.com Tyler is incredible. What he has been able to accomplish as a Founder while being a college student and college athlete is incredible. You can probably hear in his voice that Tyler is very humble. And, he admits that does not like asking for help...or money. So, raising capital was challenging or him. So, what worked? Just telling stories. Listen has he describes how he raised money and what he does to overcome his propensity to NOT ask for help.

Financial projections for a Founder CEO are quite precarious. On the one hand you want to be careful not to over promise because others are relying on your predictions. On the other hand, you want to also send that message that you are optimistic about the future potential of the company...now, in the short-term, and of course in the long-term. Listening to William describe his personal experience with a very "humbling" episode of this situation. He adroitly explains the Founder role and the CEO role when it comes to forecasting startup financial results. We can all learn from William's story. But, I also invite you to listen to something that William doesn't say. He doesn't describe himself as smart, humble, and hungry. But, I can. He is all of that and more...listen and you'll hear why.

It takes a special person to be a wife, mother, physician, AND Founder. That special person is Dr. Allison Hull. Listen as Allison explains her passion for health and well-being. And, I also encourage you to listen as she explains her personal challenge in keeping engaged with her team, using meetings effectively, and keeping her team motivated and inspired. It all comes back to being a great Founder/Team Leader when YOU are a high achieving Founder. How does she handle this? What does she recommend for you? Listen and learn.

Wow. Shae! She will inspire you and move your heart. She shares her divinely inspired story as well as a few other really interesting topics: How and why she hired a CEO. Moving away from being a "doer" What allows her to get into a "listening space" And more... She is a wealth of wisdom that I know you'll enjoy.

Justin's enthusiasm for success is infectious. However, beneath that enthusiasm is a lifetime of struggles, challenges, and unique experiences that few have had quite like he has. Justin makes a great case why it's so important to take care of yourself as a Founder, so that you have the capacity to take care of your team and customers. Listen to what happened to him and what advice he has for you. www.JustOwnIt.co  

Who you let in and out of your life is VERY important. Who you let in and out of your networks is VERY important. Who you let into and out of your company is VERY important. Liz has seemed to master these expertly. With backing from Sequoia, she and her co-founders have carved out servicing an important piece of tech...controlling access to any infrastructure at the ID-level. And, in this interview, Liz is super transparent about the challenges in building a hiring process that scales...especially considering cybersecurity has never been more important. NOTE: She and her team are also hiring right now. Check out the opportunities HERE.

I am a reluctant Cincinnati Bengals fan. (see their record for my reluctance justification). But, then again, I am not really a big football super fan anyway. But, I live in Ohio and I have seen (and heard) football superfans...especially from the school that starts with "THE." :) Despite this lack of interest, I was VERY interested to learn from my latest podcast guest about what he is doing to democratize the sports commentary world. I see no reason that a few talking heads can rake in a lot of money...especially when many fans like you have more informed opinions. Enter Frankie, his Co-founder, and team. They are helping YOU monetize your sports content. And, I LOVE this. Frankie's passion about the subject, and in general, and palpable. And, it's this passion that something detracts from his ability to lead effectively. Listen as he explains his person challenge on the road from Founder to CEO and what he does to channel that energy when it may cause a bit of a problem with his team members.

My wife was a military spouse for a short time period. It's a very challenging role to be in, for sure. Michelle and her co-founder have harnessed the incredible skills and experiences of this force amazing group of people to help another amazing group of people...Founders like you. Michelle details how the company started and a surprising admission from someone who leads a virtual assistant firm.

CB Insights lists the company that Mike Praeger founded as a FinTech unicorn. Take a look here. Mike has some incredible insights about the history, the industry and of course one of the big lessons he learned on the journey From Founder To CEO.

I must admit...I could eat burgers from Sonic for every meal. So, when the former CEO of Sonic agreed to come on the show to help YOU learn from his experiences, I certainly could not say no. Cliff talks about his new book (Master of None: How a Jack-of-All-Trades Can Still Reach the Top) and its relevance to Founders. In fact, we specifically talk about his struggles "letting go" as the company grew and his feelings when when the company was sold...the ultimate "letting go." I know you will learn a lot from Cliff. I sure did.

Being an entrepreneur is challenging. Being an entrepreneur AND a parent is even more challenging. For some, being a black entrepreneurial parent can be even tougher. James knows this. As a Founder himself, he understands the struggle and partnered with people like Brad Feld and many others to build this amazing startup Foundation. He's also quite candid about his personal struggles. In this interview, listen how James battled through depression and came out on top. As you look toward 2021, I hope James' story brings you hope for a great year ahead.

Mario and his team are the real deal. His passion for people and culture is quite inspiring. He and his company's work is legendary. That's why his story about hiring the wrong person seemed so interesting to me. It's not something he takes lightly. And, his lesson is profound.

Dr. Choi shares some incredible insights and actions you can take to leverage neuroscience in order to improve YOUR performance. His LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenekchoi/ His Website: https://destinyhacks.co/ His Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-neurohacking-podcast/id1545882602      

If you are looking to be inspired by a Founder's startup story, look no farther than this interview with Gwen. She sure does have grit and a lot of other positive qualities. And, like the rest of us, she also has more to learn about herself on the journey From Founder To CEO. In this interview she discusses how she has handled the difference between being friendly and friends with team members.

We all lose loved ones. This year seemed particularly difficult. You might say I was quite touched by Joe's mission. He and his team are really trying hard to make it easier to stay connected to our loved ones. As Joe has scaled the company, he has had to deal with his own challenges reaching out to "significant people." I'm sure you can relate Listen as he describes he advice on how to get over the intimidation of speaking with key people that will make your business grow.

COVID-19 has made it even more difficult for artists to launch and sustain a living. That's why I LOVE what Nicholas and his team are doing for artists. They have created a platform that helps take the middle man out and add the profits in for artists who have traditionally not gotten a fair shake. Nicholas is tackling a big issue, at a relatively young age. Listen as he describes his 2 biggest challenges shifting from Founder to CEO. The first is his own health and well-being, The second is his relationship with his developer as they hashed it out over development strategy.

Some of you dream about building a great company and achieving a great exit by having your company bought by a company like Berkshire Hathaway. That exactly what Vic did...more than one company. In this candid interview, Vic speaks about the journey to those sales and how a piece of feedback about "loosening his grip" led to great success.  

Dan Soviero, Founder of Signature, discusses how he and his team focused on simplicity for his customers AND his business and how that generated a lot more success.

Dan is one of those guys that you immediately like. He is a former lacrosse players who just wants to help other lacrosse players. He explains why his company has been so successful and why he and his Co-Founder parted ways Co-Founder relationships are tricky. Dan speaks to this issue with a high degree of emotional intelligence.

Check out Zac's website: https://topmencoach.com/ Top Men Method Zac shares the 4 Limiting Beliefs/Myths that hold Founders back from achieving fitness while they scale.