Honest to Goodness

Dave Molenda, Founder of Positive Polarity, Host of the Positive Polarity Podcast, and Author of #1 Amazon Best Selling Book - Growing On Purpose shares his story of how he became an entrepreneur and author, even though he dealt with some limiting beliefs and imposter syndrome; something I think we all deal with on some level. Dave successfully started his first business with $0.00 and grew it to $10M before selling it and starting another venture. We hope there's something in this week's episode you needed to hear!

As you read this, you're actively changing in some way, shape, or form. Our guest, Charles Johnson gave a Ted Talk on seeing change within ourselves in real-time. "Why are some people changing for the better, while others are changing for the worst?" Charlie shares how he discovered the power of self-accountability and how to push forward no matter the obstacles. Moreover, how can we challenge ourselves to be still, present, and soak in a moment, and self-reflect? If you're struggling to find time to focus or think clearly and think about you "why" this is an episode that can help you consider what's going on below the surface in the undercurrent of your mind.

This is a story about the true spirit of an entrepreneur. Brad Luttrell, Cofounder, and CEO of GoWild shares the story of his early days as an entrepreneur trying his hand at several different business endeavors. Some were successful, others not so much. When you have a dream, a vision, or just the hardwiring to become an entrepreneur - you keep going and figure things out. This story embodies the spirit of a true entrepreneur, and touches on the startup ecosystem, pitching investors, and how to build a true culture within a company that cultivates growth both personally and professionally.

If you don't like the hand you were dealt, there's an unlimited number of cards in the deck of life and you can always reshuffle it and write your own destiny. Oleg Lougheed, Executive Director of Overcoming Odds shares his story of how he overcame his odds. He grew up in an orphanage in Russia, and was eventually adopted and came to the US. He's reshaped his entire life and has learned to transform doubts and poor circumstances into challenges that he willingly accepts and overcomes.

You've heard of the long game, but what about the long goal? Joe Quatrone, SVP at The Sasha Group, a VaynerX co. shares his story about how he completely transformed his life. He set one really long goal, and it's allowed him to have a north star in his life as he traverses his path to becoming a CMO. Currently, Joe works with Gary Vaynerchuk at the Sasha Group, which is a Vayner X company. Previously, he's worked with brands like Audi, Ford, and Anheuser-Busch to build, develop, and run their social media advertising. If you're a marketer or someone just looking to start down a career path, this episode is for you!

I've always heard of people starting a business by combining something they're good at and something they like or enjoy doing, usually something they're passionate about. In this week's story, Jon Thomas, CEO, and Founder of Tap Cancer Out shares that he took something he hates (cancer) and something he loves, Brazilian jiu-jitsu to create a national event-based non-profit organization that helps fund cancer research.

Jonathan Ronzio is an accidental SaaS CMO and he has a wild story of how he ended up where he's at. There was a lot of trial and error along the way. More importantly, it was a wild adventure that involved traveling around the world, climbing mountains, skydiving, cliff jumping, and more. Learn how Jonathan won an internship competition with Old Spice where they sent him to Zermatt, Switzerland with a Flip camera, 50 sticks of deodorant, and some lederhosen to make social content for the launch of the Matterhorn scent in the Fresh Collection line. That was the springboard that helped him film his documentary, Between the Peaks. Hang on tight, this story is a wild one jam-packed with entrepreneurial lessons!

Faith McKinney started out as a Post Office clerk in 1989. She was a single mom then, and her daughter has special needs, so she wanted to work days for childcare reasons. Even now, her daughter is 33, and she's at the functional level of a six-month-old. Constant care. Faith still has to change diapers. Working for the Post Office it takes almost 20 years as a clerk to get the seniority to work days instead of nights. So she became a janitor at the Post Office instead. That's not where the story ends. It's where it begins. Check your excuses at the door for this one and throw away your victim card because Faith never used them every step of the way, for over 20 years! She has since written a book, Schmingling: The Art of Being Well-Connected Through Blatant Self-Promotion and started a Media and PR agency.

Scott Mason tells his story of being adopted, growing up in a bi-racial family, and also being part of the LGBTQ community. Through his adversities, Scott was well equipped to enter the business world as a Lawyer but eventually was pulled towards entrepreneurship as he became connected to his purpose. 

Peter Kolat, AKA Polish Peter has been featured in a Fast Company magazine as one of the "Top 100 most influential people on the internet" and is in the top 10% of the most connected LinkedIn profiles in the world.  Polish Peter runs a successful online podcast & is a founder of 1st EVER Immigrant entrepreneur centered Mastermind called Immigrants United.  Peter has 3 kids, loves the Detroit Red Wings, loves to travel around the country, is a people connector, embraces his Polish roots as part of his character and after 27 years, still calls Michigan his home. On this episode of the Honest to Goodness show, Peter shares his journey of coming to the USA, becoming an Architect, and eventually a successful entrepreneur. He speaks to some of the adversity he overcame along the way he now teaches and helps others to avoid on their path to success as an entrepreneur. 

Welcome to the Honest to Goodness podcast, a side-hustlers journey to becoming an entrepreneur. Our first episode starts with our why. This is a personal story from Eric Clark about a piece of his childhood he believes informs his why. Future episodes will be a narrative interview of other entrepreneurs, business leaders, and startups that have had success along the way or fell on their faces. It will be one part inspiration and one part practicality. We hope we can inspire and teach to help others realize their dreams or help you in your business. Have a great day :)