Paparelli Podcast

In the closeness is the bonding for baby, mom, and dad. Simple philosophy. Simple products. Successful outcome. Brian Fosse founded Lalabu with his wife, Kerrie. At the time, she was his only encouragement in starting this specialty clothing business. And as they neared bankruptcy a few years later, even Kerrie began having doubts. But Brian pressed on. While sitting on a plane headed to an investor meeting, he knew he needed to continue to trust God and keep going. He read Isiah 40:28-31. It was his all-in moment.Brian escaped $1mm in debt with a $20k per week debt-service payment. Three years later, the business turned wildly profitable and sold for eight figures. A real success story. A real relationship story. A real family story. A real God story. This is entrepreneurship at its best—a gifted young man with loads of ideas, a supportive wife, and the perseverance to succeed. There is something here for everyone.Here is Brian's Bible verse: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. But those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:28-29, 31‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

I've met hundreds of entrepreneurs during my forty-year career in startups. Many of them were wildly successful. The successful knew their industry, solved a real problem, and timed the market just right. And they also knew how to make money. But after cashing out, they didn't move on to the next stage in life…philanthropy. I was connected to Greg Thompson, the founder of ThomCo. ThomCo was a specialty commercial insurance brokerage. Greg grew this company over thirty years into a valuable company. But he discovered someone embezzled ten years into the company's growth. This should have put him out of business and declared personal bankruptcy. But that's when the miracles began. When he cashed out, he knew God's hand was all over him and his company. At the exit, two things happened. He got more money than he would ever need in multiple lifetimes. And he realized he needed to give it away on a mission of changing lives. Greg told me, “Philanthropy is the most fulfilling occupation he has ever experienced.” Come and listen to his story and be inspired to become a philanthropist. And he tells you how to do it!

Twelve years after Greg Thompson started his company, it took off. Fifteen years after that, his insurance brokerage grew fivefold in premiums. His profits exploded. “Did you ever think of shutting down your business and doing something else during those twelve years?” I asked Greg. “Yes.” But Greg persevered.It is so important to learn from Greg about being a successful entrepreneur. The perseverance, loyalty, support of his wife, and continuous learning that he exhibited led to a precious enterprise. And when the time came, he knew it was time to sell.If you are thinking about or currently operating a service business.If you are had a big dream for your life, and you are coming up short.If you are staying loyal to your commitment to your cofounders and investors but are not sure where it is all leading.This interview is filled with answers, insights, and encouragement. There is so much wisdom shared in this conversation. Listen and be rewarded for the time you invest

Greg Thompson is an entrepreneur who built a specialty commercial insurance brokerage. In this interview, Greg shares his experiences moving from an insurance agent to entrepreneur to general manager to CEO.For topics:How to set yourself up for board positions while building your company.How to develop your company even faster through acquisitions.How to become a better business owner by joining a CEO small group, like Vistage.How to be a leader who practices people are your greatest asset.Greg shares what worked and what didn't as he built his company. How one day, he looked in the mirror and asked, “How am I screwing up this company I started?”Join us.

When I asked Authur Washington, the Principal of KIPP collegiate, how many students in his school, he said, “Eight hundred and forty scholars. Eight hundred and forty beautiful souls!”His answer set the tone for our conversation. This conversation describes the building of a great leader—a man who is sacrificing to accomplish the mission God gave him. His objectives:- To change the lives of the next generation. - Educate, encourage and show them discipline and responsibility. - Instill a spirit of hope. - Mold them into next-generation leaders. I learned about leadership. More importantly, I am reminded to change lives, the leader must love the people he leads.

Alan Taetle is one of the most respected VCs in the Southeast and Noro-Moseley Partners' co-managing partner. They are the oldest VC firm in Atlanta., now investing in their eighth fund.I asked Alan to join me for a short conversation about this contraction in values. Both in the public markets and in the private markets. During his twenty-three-year career as a VC, Alan has been through at least three boom and bust cycles.I know you'll find his insights spot on. And, as an entrepreneur, you'll be rewarded with some good ideas for increasing your company's value amid an impending economic contraction. Lastly, Alan shares the advice he gave to his portfolio companies.

Brian Livingston was the state wrestling champion. He hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. Then took the well-marked path of law school and a career as a litigator. And then he realized, “This is not me.” He knew from fourth grade he was destined to be a writer. It took twenty-two years to face this truth, but he did. On the evening of January 20, 2018, he began to write his first novel. He committed to 1,500 words per day, seven days per week. Three years later, The Habits of Squirrels was completed. In this interview, you'll learn how to discover who God made you to be, your purpose, and your fulfillment. Brian shows us the way. His superpower is working on time-intensive, long-term projects that take all of him. It kind of sounds like an entrepreneur starting a new company to me. Lots of life lessons, and you have a great book to read when it's over!WebsiteTwitterFacebook

At age 21, Cheryl Bachelder's father took her on business appointments in China, Japan, and Korea after threatening to quit college. Her college education no longer served her interests, and she saw no purpose. Her father's investment changed her life.As CEO, Bachelder led a historic turnaround of AFC Enterprises, the parent of Popeye's Louisiana Restaurants. In ten years, Bachelder increased the stock price sixfold by changing the brand, the culture, and franchisee profits. Then she wrote a book on how she did it, “Dare to Serve: How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others.”Bachelder never saw the glass ceiling. She never worried about it. She focused on achieving results her entire career. And for that, she was consistently recognized and rewarded.A lifetime student of leadership, she developed an effective leadership recipe. It included: Be daring - Have high aspirationsServant-leadership - Help others be on their purposeAchieve results - Measure the first two on financial resultsThis interview speaks directly to how she made it to the top as a woman executive: her leadership interest and relentless pursuit of bringing everyone along with her to the winner's circle.Lots to learn here for women in business. Even more to learn for all entrepreneurs about growing your business by being a dare to serve leader.

He achieved the sales club at New Relic in his first year as an Account Executive. That's my son I'm talking about, Nick.My questions are:How did he do it?What did he learn after being a Business Development Rep for three years?Did his sales manager help him, and if so, how?As an entrepreneur trying to get your salespeople motivated and on plan, this interview will help. New Relic is a public company selling application performance management to F1000 companies. Nick's plan is heavily weighted to consumption. This was a new term to me. But once I understood it, I knew I'd continue to use it when talking to SaaS startups. It just makes sense.Give a listen, and I think you'll pick up a few tips on managing sales reps or, if you are a rep, then how to make club level at your company.

He sold $60mm in software in one year. Russ is clearly the most successful major account seller I know.Russ West is a Senior Account Executive with a red-hot Silicon Valley startup named Yugabyte. In their last funding round, they were valued at $1.2b. I am sure Russ contributed to their valuation by helping grow their SaaS sales in the F50 right here in Atlanta. In this conversation, Russ tells us about his networking approach to prospecting, his service approach to relationship retention, and his methods for managing major accounts with over one hundred stakeholders. And it doesn't end there. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales execs should listen to this podcast. I guarantee you'll walk away with some great ideas on how to increase your sales success and how to move toward higher average deals.

Dennis Xu is a Stanford graduate, entrepreneur in Silicon Valley, and the co-founder of Mem. They recently raised a $5.6mm seed round on zero revenue. Since Mem's founding in 2019, they went from writing the first line of code to attracting over 100k users. Mem.ai is a new entry in notetaking software's hectic market space. Dennis is competing with a host of well-financed competitors, but he is confident of his positioning. Mem mines and organizes your black box of ideas on all of your interests. I am an early user of Mem and a rabid notetaker. Mem is the first product I've used that eliminates all friction in capturing an idea and making it easy to find. Its AI engine finds the idea I am looking for and makes the connections to other thoughts and meeting notes that may contribute to my thinking. Mem promises to be the most straightforward Zettlekasten digital system on the market.In this conversation, Dennis and I discuss the genesis of the Mem idea, how they got it funded with only a PowerPoint presentation, and how they attracted Andreeson Horowitz as an early-stage investor. Dennis also shares his BIG vision for where MEM is headed. And that is how Andreeson will make a significant return.

This is the promise of a morning routine.In this conversation with social entrepreneur Karim Abouelnaga, we talk about the importance of a morning routine. He is thoughtful, diligent, and disciplined about his morning routine. He believes these early morning activities are the foundation for his success. He told me it is the reason for his health, peace of mind, and productivity. I asked Karim to share his morning routine because I had never met anyone so dedicated to it. His morning routine, which is always preceded by eight hours of sleep, is non-negotiable. Nothing interrupts it. Take the time to listen to Karim as he shares what he learned over the last decade about his morning routine. It will get you thinking about your day too. And who knows where that may take you.

He is a former federal judge who insisted I call him Bill and not Judge. In that first meeting, he made a powerful impression on me. Here is a man who is humble, intelligent, and a servant-leader. Digging just a little deeper revealed the values he lives by.Bill Duffey remembers what it was like to practice law before the legal profession changed. The change was from a values-centric profession to a financial-centric profession. He knows the most recent two generations of lawyers practicing today never experience pride in their work. In many cases, they adopt values that counter who they want to be. They lost their idealism. They lost fulfillment. Bill wrote a book focused on values to help them. He called it The Significant Lawyer. This book is the best book on values and the impact on work fulfillment that I have ever read. It is written for lawyers, but it is also noted for entrepreneurs. There is much to learn and reflect on from Bill sharing his observations and experience.This interview will get you thinking about who you are and what is important to you. Bill will help you make the right career decisions, build great companies, and choose the right relationships. In short, it will make you a better man and woman for your community, your business, and your family.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-s-duffey-jr-a45002126/Book: https://www.williamduffeybooks.com

Mike Gomez told me, “I solve the ‘I didn't know” problem.“What's that?” I asked.We think companies buy from us because of the product we sell. We later find out, our product or service was simply a qualifier to get us in the deal. The real buying criteria have to be discovered in the sales process. We are not selling to companies. We are selling to people.Mike Gomez and I discuss this problem that needs to be solved in your salesforce. You don't want to continue to hear, “I didn't know” after you lost a deal.You gotta solve this problem!LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/growthguy/Company: https://www.allegroconsultant.com/

I am sharing this conversation with one of our community's best angel investors. There is a lot to be learned here by first-time entrepreneurs seeking angel funding. Specifically, who can help you succeed faster, and how can they help?Bill Midgette is an active angel. He is the former CEO of a public company. He leads the selection committee for the Atlanta Technology Angels. And he aims to add value to his early-stage company investments.I've been an angel investor for thirty years. I always believed angel investing is a contact sport. You must be involved with the companies you invest in. Help the entrepreneur any way you can. Add your wisdom, network, and expertise to the new enterprise. Do all you can to help the entrepreneur and his leadership team succeed.This describes Bill Midgette. He came to angel investing later in his life, but he adopted these principles. Today he enjoys the upside of a carefully selected portfolio of great new companies.Bill and I had this conversation at an Angel Lounge. Angel Lounge is a monthly gathering of Angel investors whose purpose is to learn from each other and become better early-stage investors.In this conversation, we are talking about increasing returns by contributing your expertise.

Sid Mookerji built Software Paradigms International Group, LLC, a worldwide information technology company. He started it in 1994 and sold it in 2018. He grew it organically through cash flow. His biggest competitor was IBM Global Services, but they also just happened to be his partner.And it is this last bit that speaks to why Sid is such a wild success in business and life. Sid started SPI, having no idea what market it should focus on or what problem he would solve. He started his company because he recognized he was surrounded by knowledgeable, underutilized people here and in India. He broke all the rules of startups and was a great success.I learned a lot from Sid in this interview. From the beginning of their marriage, he and his wife wanted to impact their fellow man. Their focus is entrepreneurship and disadvantaged women and children. They worked hard and always seemed to have a talent for finding diverse talent worldwide. They are still doing this today, even after the big exit. They see too many opportunities to help others.Please join Sid and me to discuss his VC firm, family office, and entrepreneurial and angel interests and experiences. Lots to be learned.

Chris Klaus is the founder of Internet Security Systems. Sitting in his dorm room, he put down the sci-fi book that gave him a big idea and started coding. This was the genesis of becoming the first genuinely successful cyber security company of the 1990s. I loved Chris' surprise when government labs contacted him looking for his product. They heard about this kid at Georgia Tech who figured out a way to find the security-weak point in any government or business' computer network.The most challenging question he had to answer at 19-years old was, “How much does it cost?”There is so much said these days about finding authentic demand. How to ask potential customers the right questions. Strategies around denying the product to people who seem interested. Sometimes even canceling an existing paying customer's contract. All this to prove you have authentic demand. Chris never had to deal with any of this. He built it, and they came. His biggest problem: How do you build a real company?Step 1: Own the intellectual propertyStep 2: Get the right co-founder Tom Noonan had just the right personality, contacts, and experience. Together, they blew it up.The rest is history. Investors and customers beat a path to their door. And so did IBM, who bought ISS for $1.3b. And to think it started in a dorm room.Join our conversation. It isn't just about ISS. Chris also spent over two decades and personal millions on what we now know as the Metaverse. Long, long before Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook to Meta. In our conversation, I even told Chris, “Zuck should consult with you.”Come, join us.

Horst Schulze created the Ritz-Carlton Hotel brand single-handedly. After twenty years as an international hotelier, this was his chance to put his mark on his industry by injecting his core values and beliefs. He took one failing and decrepit hotel in Boston called the Ritz-Carlton and grew it into fifty hotels rated #1 or #2 in their respective markets worldwide.He dedicated his life to excellence in all he did. Horst is a respected leader by all leaders in all industries. But in the hotel business, Horst is a legend.But where did his principles and beliefs originate? I wanted to know, and that's why I asked him to join me in a conversation on his life and career.He started in a small village in Germany. There was no hotel in the town. Yet, he told his mother and father he wanted to be a hotelier at eleven years old. It was crazy. He didn't even know what that meant. Was this a God calling?The story of Horst meeting his mentor, Herr Zeitler, is worth your time to listen to this conversation. All successful people I know have a Herr Zeitler in their lives, and the stories of their influence are inspiring. At eighteen years old, Horst wrote an essay on what he learned in Hotel school from sixteen to eighteen. He thought of what made his mentor successful and wrote this sentence…Damen und Herren im dienst zu damen und herren. (Ladies and gentlemen in service to ladies and gentlemen.)How he implemented this simple sentence. The principles he developed. The methods that followed. The people impacted worldwide. This is the incredible story of a man called by God to transform an industry. Come join us in this conversation.

This is the question I pursued in a conversation with Jacob Southerland.Jacob is my son's best friend. Over dinner with the two of them, Jacob talked about his friendship with my son and his other friends. His views on friendship were so unique I recounted some of them in a blog. This blog hit a nerve with you, my readers, and my followers. This gave me the idea to invite Jacob to join me in a conversation on friendship. I am forty years his senior, and Jacob helped me understand what makes for true friends. How to nurture and develop genuine friendships.It's a short conversation, but it will be worth your time. It will get you thinking of your friends and who you are as a friend.Jacob Southerland is Director of Sales for BG Podcast Network. They sell podcast services to local newspapers and technical colleges. They promise greater exposure in their markets and a new revenue stream. It is a unique product that's exploding.Enjoy!

Wendy Salle built the single highest-grossing optical store in the United States of America.I am a client of Salle Opticians. I found it over twenty years ago in Phipps Plaza shopping mall in Atlanta. Salle sells high-end optical to a well-heeled clientele. They have the best eyeglass frames that money can buy. And they fit them with the most carefully crafted lenses. In the end, they provide a personalized customer experience and a high-quality product.Wendy Salle is the founder. Wendy is a certified optician, gifted merchandiser, and small business operator. She knows and loves her products. She knows and loves her clients.Wendy came to Atlanta in 1985 with her suitcase and a dream for a new life in America. Within two years, she discovered her new occupation as an optometrist and eyeglass retailer. At that time, the industry trend was all about low prices and the speed of delivery provided by big-box retailers. She bucked this trend and discovered a high-end niche just as eyeglass frames became fashionable. The rest is history.After thirty-four years in business, Wendy sold her store last year and is now the Chief Merchandiser for Luxury Optical Holdings. New entrepreneurs. Come. Listen and learn. 

Entrepreneurs often ask me, “Where can I meet angel investors?”This video answers that question.In this interview, we talk about how angel investors source deals. One of the overlooked success factors for Venture Capitalists and angel investors is early looks at new deals. Getting the first look at a deal that just hits the market gives the angel a huge advantage in achieving extraordinary financial returns.Paul Gianneschi is the founder and CEO of Hatch Medical. Hatch is an incubator for medical device startups. He has been in medical devices for his whole career. His value-add in this space is enormous. Paul tells me in this conversation where he hangs out and how you can find him. His story is no different from any other active angel. Listen, and you'll learn at least five new ways to get in front of angel investors. Why? Because you'll be right where they are.

Greg Smith is one of those secret successful entrepreneurs. This under-the-radar success usually occurs in vertical market B2B businesses. Unless you were in the vertical served by the entrepreneur, you would never know they existed. But Greg built Advectis to speed mortgage approvals through the efficient collection, storage, and transmission of the documents required for loans. His business was growing so fast he was approached by Xerox as a potential acquisition. Between the signed term sheet and the final purchase agreement, Greg lost his biggest customer. This customer contributed $1mm of annual recurring revenue. In spite of this, he lost little to nothing in valuation. Amazing story. Greg is now a successful angel investor. He currently is invested in over fifteen early-stage tech deals. He is also a very successful crypto investor. He studied it. Went deep. His timing could not be better. He is a believer in crypto for the long term. And to top it all off, Greg is a guest professor at Clemson University, his alma mater. He teaches on, what else, how to start companies and grow them into valuable assets. Great conversation. Lots of lessons learned. 

Christian Ries pivoted Zeto eight times before he achieved product-market fit. He said, “The key to finally getting there is to avoid falling in love with your business model or solution.”Christian is the co-founder and CEO of Zeto, a home management service. It shifts the burden of home maintenance from the owner to Zeto and their team of vetted suppliers. This is a high-value solution in our busy, two-income households of major metro markets.This is not Christian's first time as an entrepreneur. The lessons he learned in his first and second company are a great education for the first-time entrepreneur. Lessons in funding, business partnerships, product-market fit, cash flow needed for growth, customer churn, and pricing for sustainability. He hits on all of these and more in our conversation.Christian impressed David Cummings and his team with his first startup. They asked him to join them as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Atlanta Ventures Studios. It was here he would search for the next big idea. An idea that was right for him and his experience. An idea big enough to start and build a $100mm company. A company that would serve a big market while making their lives better and make money doing it.From professional golfer to a corporate employee, to entrepreneur, and finally, serial entrepreneur. Listen to Christian share the challenges he faced with his idea, his family, his market, and his investors. It is a full 360 experience.

Scott Lopano is the first contact at Tech Square Ventures. TSV is a Southeast-focused venture fund investing in early-stage technology companies. They are looking for opportunities to achieve the returns their limited partners expect. Finding those right investment opportunities takes an experienced VC, and that's Scott.Scott sees over one thousand business plans a year for TSV. He told me in this interview that close to sixty percent of the applicants are not VC fundable deals. They are easily eliminated, as they don't meet the first-cut of criteria for the fund. And if they get through the first filter, there are the next three criteria in the second filter.In my conversation with Scott you'll learn what VC's are looking for in an early-stage investment. And if you get past the initial screen, you'll then experience the ten-step process of getting to a close of the funding you seek.Lots to be learned here from Scott whose been doing this for over six years.

Yvonne Bryant Johnson, the founder of Bryant and Associates, is a close friend and a leader. A leader in her home, her community, and in business. She is also a self-proclaimed militant. She is a seeker of justice. If it is right, it needs to be right for everyone. I was always impressed with Yvonne. She seeks social change by trusting God and getting involved in organizations with community impact. She volunteers. She works hard. She builds relationships. She tells it like it is and, more importantly, how it should be.Her intelligence, purpose-driven life, and relational skills have resulted in a successful business. A business that changes lives by inspiring men and women to be themselves.This conversation is centered on integrating your faith and your work as an entrepreneur. It shows the power of this integration. It shows just what trusting God looks like and the fulfillment that flows from this trust.I know this is a little different than conversations I've published in the past. But I just had to share this with you. I love and respect Yvonne. She is now and has always been, a leader at every stage of her life.

This is an interview with Mike Dickerson, CEO of ClickDimensions.Mike Dickerson is an entrepreneur turned corporate executive. In every company he led, he demonstrated the heart of a general manager—a talented operator with the gift of superb execution and people skills. These leadership skills were developed by interacting with the most outstanding leaders in the world. He grew up in Washington, DC, to a mom who was the first female Whitehouse correspondent. A dad who was a serial entrepreneur. A stepdad was a partner at Goldman Sachs and later Assistant Secretary of State in the Reagan Administration. The stories Mike tells are worth every bit of your time. The lessons learned as an entrepreneur are practical and priceless. This is one of my two-hour interviews that is as entertaining as informative. There is so much more that needs to be asked and answered. We just ran out of time. I'll have Mike back for the rest of the story. I promise.

This is Frank Bell's formula for success as an entrepreneur.In this interview, it became clear that people consistently brought Frank the idea for his next company. They saw the problem in the marketplace. Frank's gift was that he was standing in front of them when they told him about it, and he listened.Then Frank would take the time to research the idea. And he would do it by talking to the people who would benefit from the concept and see what they thought about it. Then he would look for a company model that was already working and improve upon it.In very short order, Frank started another new company. Some of these companies grew into profitable small companies. A couple grew to become substantial successes. There is a lot to be learned from Frank on how to start from scratch. He makes it look easy!

Joel Neeb told me he was coasting on his success and reputation. Then Stage IV cancer hit. He was told he had eighteen months to live. He was thirty-three, a fighter pilot, husband, and father of two boys, three and one. And that's when he began to move his life from success to significance.Joel is an Air Force Academy graduate where he was one of thirty people in his class of seven hundred who became fighter pilots. He enjoyed a fourteen-year career only to one day realize he was coasting. And after facing death, he knew that's not why God made him. There was so much more to do. So much more he could be. Not because he had to do it, but because he got to do it.Joel is also the co-author of the book, Survivor's Obligation - Navigating an Intentional Life. In this book, these fighter pilots talk about the wall they hit in their lives. One crashed and survived, and Joel survived cancer. Both survivor experiences radically changed their outlook on life. It's a great read, filled with life lessons.Now Joel is the CEO of Afterburner, an international consulting firm. He leads an elite team of former fighter pilots, Navy Seals, and special forces veterans. They share with corporate execs their experience and methodology on how to achieve flawless execution. There is much to learn here on starting, building, and leading your company. The lessons on leadership and organization execution will help you build a great company, but more importantly, a great life.Come. Listen. Learn.

The two big questions that must be answered by an entrepreneur1. What is the purpose of your business?2. What is God's purpose for your business?These are the questions a prayer partner asked Bob Lewis the day he founded LewisLeadership. Bob is a coach and consultant to the most famous current generation of entrepreneurs in the Southeast. These are people who have built technology companies from scratch with current valuations from $1-3 billion. Mind you, he has no website. He does no marketing. He does no selling. Bob started his business in 2007. His impact as a coach is measurable. And the numbers are good. What is not measurable is the quality of the leaders he has developed over these fourteen years. His life's work made a difference and his legacy will be felt for generations.I was interested in knowing how he became this incredibly successful entrepreneur coach. What life did he live that prepared him to be an effective leadership coach to entrepreneurs building big tech businesses?We talk about his methodology upfront, but the really interesting bit is how God prepared him. Bob speaks to his broken family, meteoric corporate success, losing it all, and being rebuilt by God. And it took all of this experience to answer the question: What is God's purpose for your business?Come. Listen. Learn.

Bird Blitch built a healthcare and payments company from scratch. Thirteen years later he sold PatientCo for over $450mm to Waystar Health. His first company sold too, but for the equivalent of one year's living expenses, and that's what he used to create PatientCo.In this conversation, Bird shares his secret of building big companies. And it isn't about the idea, it is all about the problem. He gives entrepreneurs tips like, “Carry a notebook with your wherever you go. Write down the problems you see and experience. It could be something simple, like your brakes squeak. You never know where this will lead you.”This is Bird. He is fundamentally an entrepreneur. He is also a leader, business creator, and most importantly, a problem solver. Using these God-given skills, he has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. And he's not done solving problems. He is now the Chief Innovation Officer at Waystar. In his new role, he told me how excited he is to be working with the best and brightest in healthcare.  Listen in as Bird shares his three secrets to a successful startup, and three steps to getting closer to God. It is all part of the richness in life through entrepreneuring.

Jim was an entrepreneur from birth. He just didn't know it. But when he joined our startup as a twenty-two-year-old and saw it modeled. Bang!He was a co-founder of his first company. Then he founded four others. His life is the entrepreneur's life. Jim has been in search of the big problem in the market that deserved a big company to solve it. He found it while at the Flashpoint accelerator under the direction of Merrick Furst and Georgia Tech.HelloPackage is solving the last one hundred yards of the last mile problem in logistics. We are all e-commerce mavens. Put three hundred of us together in an apartment complex and package receipt, distribution, and returns are a nightmare. But a nightmare for consumers is a huge opportunity for an entrepreneur.In this conversation, Jim and discuss how entrepreneurs make decisions. Early in every startup, there are big decisions needing to be made. The wrong decision results in little to no market traction and running out of cash. The right one moves you closer to market leadership. Jim shares with us how he makes these decisions. This conversation is a playbook for entrepreneuring.

It took twenty years for Rob Kischuk to reconcile his interests and talents with a business model that works. At forty-three he arrived. Rob is the founder and CEO of Dellwood Labs. His mission is to build the code that captures your vision. His talent is to attract, assemble and motivate the technical teams to build and deliver the desired product. And he is doing it every day with bigger and bigger projects coming his way. I met Rob fifteen years ago. He was just stepping into the role of entrepreneur. And this is a tough place to be for a person who graduated with honors from Georgia Tech with a Computer Science degree. He was surrounded by advisors who were telling him The product to build The company to create The method to be used to fund it The skills he needed to succeed And he followed their advice. But over time, he learned something very important. He learned how to answer those questions for himself. He learned why people were attracted to him. How he could help them. Then he realized it was precisely what he enjoyed doing and was good at. And that is a supernatural moment. This is an interview of high value for aspiring entrepreneurs and those on the journey but not yet arrived.

"Selling. No Problem. If you dropped in the middle of downtown with nothing but my phone, I would sell my way to prosperity," said Clint Emerson.Early in Clint's career, he was a sales executive for Lanier/Harris Corp. He used his success as a springboard into the executive ranks. He became the turnaround country manager for the Caribbean, then Australia, and finally South America. But the time came to come home and find a business he could call his own. He bought CableQuest in Ball Ground, Georgia. It had $2mm in sales and was losing $500k per year. It is now growing 40% per year and is profitable. In fact, Clint just made his first acquisition. Clint's faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation for his company's culture. He has a unique formula for hiring, developing, and giving back to his community. His use of company chaplains and a pastor are something I've not seen in any business. Fascinating!

"It is all about the people," said Charlie Paparelli. That's right. In this 20 minute video, I'm being interviewed. Brendan Tolleson asks me the questions. Brendan is the CEO and co-founder of RevPartners. I've watched Brendan over the years building his career. (https://revpartners.io/)He started as a leader on the soccer field and, over time, became a successful sales leader. As part of his quest to build successful revenue processes for his clients, he wanted my thoughts. In this interview, I share my experience on the three stages of startup growth. This includes: 1. Finding your tech co-founder.2. Cracking the code on sales and delivery processes.3. Establishing a real management team. Brendan did a great job of getting the best I had. And, yes, building a successful company is all about the people. Starting with you, the founder.

Ashish Mistry and BLM Ventures started with a $500k investment in a startup and never looked back.He and his co-investor met at Emory's MBA program. Neither one of them was in a tech career, but both decided that's where the action will be.Ashish Mistry may not have a technology industry background, but he does have one amazing skill. He understands the value of volunteering to build a meaningful network. He also learned earlier in his career how to drive leads through digital marketing.Using his network and lead-gen skills, he built one of Southeast's most successful angel investment portfolios.Ashish is a friend, angel investor, family man, and community builder. His humility bleeds through in this interview as he shares his story on how he became successful.

“If I should be given credit for one thing, it is this. I remained true to my calling for over forty years," said Bill Bolling. I've never had anyone who accomplished so much in their life tell me this. Forty-two years ago, Bill founded the Atlanta Community Food Bank. But even more impressive, he is the creator of the community food bank concept. The idea is simple: eliminate hunger in the community they serve. Communities throughout the United States and the world adopted his way. Incredible! Bill has received dozens of accolades and community awards for his work. When we talked about them, he was uncomfortable. He said quite plainly, “It is never one person who accomplishes so much. It is always a team effort.” Bill is a true servant-leader, an entrepreneur, a community builder, and a life-long servant. His social network is rich and still active. And his network continues to fund his new ideas and startups aiming to eliminate hunger. He is all about using food as a platform to transform lives. Bill loves the people he serves! And he continues to serve them even today, six years after he retired from the Food Bank.

As an entrepreneur, you will be well served to listen to David Friedman of Tech Coast Angels. David is the chapter director of TCA of Orange County. In this discussion, David shares:The angel groups process for investingDeals they've done and are interested in doingTerms and Exits Partnerships with other angels and angel groupsThe heart of a true angelLots to be learned from this west coast angel investor. He is the real deal.

Blake started life in Jamestown, North Carolina. He is the son of a career army non-com and the first in his family to go to college.From there it was all upside.D1 Swimming ScholarshipPresident's Advisory Council at Georgia TechWallstreetStartup entrepreneurSuccessful exitLed international expansion for a public company at 28And this story ends with Blake becoming a successful VC. He is just about to close Tech Square Venture's Fund II.What blew me away was how his life-long relationships carried him from one opportunity to the next. But there was a break in his career where he chose family first.Give this conversation a listen and learn the secrets of a successful life, even in technology.

David is my son. He is also the 2021 London School of Economics Entrepreneur of the year.I wanted to know, “How did you do that?”In this interview, I learned: Why as a newly married man, he chose to quit his job, sell everything and move to London to pursue his Executive MBA.Why he felt called to be a social entrepreneur right out of undergrad.Why it took ten years to start his first business.How he came to the business idea that won the LSE startup competition.How he was awarded LSE's Entrepreneur of the Year.Along the way, you'll learn the importance of relationship building. It is his secret sauce!

Merrick Furst is a distinguished professor of the College of Computing at Georgia Tech. Impressive, but wait. He started nine companies. But wait. He started an accelerator that launched dozens of startups with values exceeding $1b. But wait. He shares the secret to making your startup a long-term success. This is my friend, Merrick. He is a friend of mine, but more importantly, a friend to entrepreneurs. His amazing reputation and network were developed at Carnegie Mellon University, UC Berkely, and now Georgia Tech. He is so focused on startup opportunities that he walked away from tenure at the first two prestigious universities. Merrick is all about making sure entrepreneurs and their ideas succeed. He will accept nothing less than success and sustainability. Merrick is in relentless pursuit of authentic demand. Join our conversation. I recommend you take notes!

Karen Houghton set the culture at Atlanta Tech Village. She was there right after David Cummings bought the building and had the vision for a startup community. Karen, working with David Lightburn, set a culture of innovation and community service. Karen is a great leader!She supported hundreds of entrepreneurs who started and built big businesses at the Village. She recruited them, found them just the right space, promoted them, and connected them. Now it is her turn.Karen is now an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Infinite Giving. They help nonprofits invest, endow, and liquidate stocks easily with software that automates their investment strategy and grows their giving.She's attracted great investors and an amazing co-founder. And now the fun begins.In this conversation, Karen shares how she moved from a career in industrial psychology to being at the crossroads of Atlanta tech startups. And now, she is an entrepreneur. 

I never heard such a clear calling to serve Jesus as I did in this interview. Doug Ammar is the Director of the Georgia Justice Project in downtown Atlanta. He has served in this capacity for over twenty-five years. Doug is a recognized expert in criminal justice. He not only changes the lives of the poor accused of crimes, but also changes the laws. Doug became the director after the founder of GJP unexpectedly quit. No money. No donor prospects. No network. Doug leaned into God and said, “If you want me here, you'll have to make this ministry viable.” Six months later, GJP was more financially stable than in its entire existence. This man's story shows the power of God and the grace of God. Doug came from less than nothing as a child to becoming a leader of the criminal justice movement nationwide. One of the best (and longest) interviews I ever did. I'll be listening to this one again, myself.

“People support what they help create,” said Michael Arrietta, Founder, and CEO of Garden City. Michael lives this every day. He started a holding company with the goal to be the next Berkshire Hathaway. His model is focused on acquiring service companies with between $2-4mm in free cash flow. These businesses are all over America and most of them are owned by baby boomers. Every 57 seconds a baby boomer owner reaches retirement age. To achieve his goal, Michael has a war chest of $50mm in committed capital from a who's who in technology and business internationally. These leaders invested in a fund that promises NO exit. They are buying into what they hope will be a continuous cash income stream. In addition, these leaders pledge to help the portfolio companies with a caring culture, tech enablement, and a modern sales approach. In this interview, Michael tells his story. At 16 years old he was selling Cutco and making over $100k/year. He almost doubled this while attending the University of Alabama. Then, as he told me, “I took two steps back to then take five steps forward.” He headed to Silicon Valley. There are amazing lessons to be learned here in selling, serving, and leading. 

Bobby John believes he and his Band of Coders can take your dreams, desires, and vision and convert them into reality using software. He is a coder at heart with the soul of a serial entrepreneur. In this interview, Bobby shares how he started a company while in college and became a millionaire at twenty six years old. He saw the first version of Netscape, the window to the internet, and said, “This is the future.” He started a company with three friends that grew so quickly they had to hire the past President of Apple Canada to run it. And then came the trading platform startup in NYC while his wife was in completing her residency. Five years later he and his partner created a company that was trading millions in loans. He sold again. Bobby is still starting new software companies that solve real problems. He has a nose for problems and the talent to solve them. And his companies always, and seemingly every time, create cash-flow quickly.He is an entrepreneur with a hot hand. Listen to how he does it.

I developed these five criteria based on my 25+ years of angel investing. During that time, I spoke with hundreds of entrepreneurs and synthesized these success criteria. Every startup has to have these criteria present. Every new corporate idea must have these criteria present. Then there is the secret sauce that makes it all work.Give it a listen. It will make a difference in your startup and your current venture.Presentation slides (PDF): https://bit.ly/3whBWMS

David Nour is an expert in relationship economics. In fact, that's the name of his first book. He just released his eleventh book, Curve Benders. It is an even deeper dive into the fulfillment and personal advancement that comes from curve benders in your life.David is an immigrant from Iran. His parents sent him to America to live with his aunt and uncle. All opportunity was evaporating with the fall of the Shah of Iran in the early 1980's. David was fourteen years old and spoke no English. Today David is the founder and President of the Nour Group. He serves CEOs of the F100 as a personal advisor and coach. In addition, he is an international speaker, consultant, advisor, coach, author, husband, and father. In this in-depth interview, he tells his story of how he decided to make the best of his situation. Imagine being fourteen years old, and your mother tells you, “You can never come home. America is now your home.” They even gave him up for adoption to his aunt and uncle. In this interview, David speaks to his accomplishments and the lives he changed. His story is filled with life and business lessons. It is an amazing entrepreneurial journey. Really amazing!

In this show, Chris Dardaman and I discuss the book, Die with Zero by Bill Perkins.This book caught me while I am in a transition phase of my life. I asked Chris Dardaman, a friend and private investor, to give it a read and then discuss it with me. I chose Chris because he was the founder of Brightworth, a wealth management firm with $4.5B under management. Five years ago, he decided to leave the firm after his wife, Laura, told him, “Your creativity and energy is no longer in the company you founded.”This put Chris on a transition path much like mine. Chris is ten years my junior, but he dealt with many people like me in his wealth management practice. This segment is an opportunity for you to sit in on a revealing conversation. In this conversation, Chris and I share our struggles with transition, using the book's ideas on how to live rich versus die rich.I hope you enjoy this transparent conversation.

Karim Abouelnaga, founder and CEO of Practice Makes Perfect in NYC. He is a successful social entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He grew up poor in the inner city of New York to immigrant parents with little education. After his dad died when he was fifteen years old, a mentor came into his life that raised his expectations. Then he attended Cornell on a full scholarship and decided to pay it forward. Practice Makes Perfect's mission is to narrow the achievement gap in education for the inner city poor. Karim went right back to his roots and is making a difference in kids' lives and for our nation. Take the time to listen and see how his is impacting the poor, but also you and me. His book, The Purpose-Driven Social Entrepreneur, is a must read for anyone being called by God to make a difference in this world. He helps his readers prepare for this journey by understanding their purpose and equips them with the right mindset. He then takes the entrepreneur on each step necessary to create a high-impact organization.

Terry Brown is the Country Director of Leader Impact for Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). He is born and raised in Arkansas, and has been serving in the Czech Republic for the last 25 years.He is a true missionary. He is a true entrepreneur. The parallels between these two vocations are striking. Committing your life to serve othersMotivated by the positive impact on people's livesCreating new products and servicesCracking a new market in the US and overseasNetworking and fundraisingGaining support and sell-thruAnd the list goes on. There are so many valuable lessons to learn from Terry, his experiences and his stories. You will be an even better entrepreneur by listening to this interview and taking good notes you can share with your team.

Robin Gregg was an experienced FinTech executive when she was asked to be CEO of MyLumper. Today she is an experienced FinTec entrepreneur and CEO of RoadSync. She told me, “This was the hardest challenge I ever had in my life.” This is a great story of a woman with no family business background becoming a business person. She was her high school's valedictorian, who received a full scholarship to Washington and Lee University. Her search for the right career led her into an economic consultancy, Harvard Business School, a huge credit card company, a financial processing startup founded by Steve Case, a transportation based financial processor, to her current destination as CEO of RoadSync. So many lessons learned in each of her challenges as a wife, mother, business leader, and entrepreneur. It is a life well lived that resulted in wisdom.