Shots & Bytes

Michelle Carazas comes on to talk about starting Host, a mobile app that connects local vetted bartenders with event hosts. Hear her journey from growing up traveling the world, to starting Host and getting into the incubator that accelerated the business. You can find their app in the app store by searching "Host" or by clicking here. Find out more about Host by going to the following links: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Special Guest: Michelle Carazas.

A Chicago coding bootcamp teaching veterans to code. Rod Levy comes on to talk about his journey starting up this non-profit, how they get funding and placing these veterans in jobs after they graduate. Learn how Rod went from engineering, to working in finance as a trader to going to a coding bootcamp himself to learn about software engineering. This ultimately led him to start Code Platoon, the non-profit coding bootcamp exclusivley for veterans and their spouses. If you are a verteran or a veteran's spouse, you can start your application by visiting the website. The next round of applications end September 30. Website Linkedin Facebook Twitter Special Guest: Rod Levy.

Central Illinois IT Solutions Firm Infotech has been in an explosive growth mode over the last several years and We've been lucky enough to talk to Jimmy Huber, the founder and CEO many times on the show. Today we learn whats been happening over the last year and a half - what they are looking into and providing clients - and as always a bunch of wisdom about starting and running a business. You can find more about Infotech by visiting the links below Website Youtube Facebook Twitter Special Guest: Jimmy Huber.

Luke Shepard, CTO & Blake Thomas, Director of Engineering of eSpark Learning We open show by talking to Luke and Blake why they are passionate about the edtech industry and what has them excited to come to work everyday. We also get into what their sales team is like, which they call partnerships, and what they do to get feedback from their students and teachers. eSpark provides two separate products to address a wide range of students k-8, and they are always interested in talking to talented people who are looking for a job in education technology. Special Guests: Blake Thomas and Luke Shepard.

Derek Nelson, CoFounder / Partner of Clique Studios Derek runs Clique Studios with partner, Ted Novak. Together with their team has strived to become the best team of designers, developers and marketers in Chicago. They have, and were awarded one of the Best and Brightest Companies to work for in Chicago. Derek is also a talented musician and writer producing some music with his band, Martin Van Ruin as well as putting out a weekly newsletter called re:act, focusing on action items you can do to help your community and country during this presidency. In this episode we dive into how he and Ted started Clique, the challenges they faced and how they have never had a single month in the red. We also spend some time on how they hire, and what they look for in candidates. Which, they are looking to add several more people to their team, so check out their openings. Special Guest: Derek Nelson.

Ava St. Claire, Founder / Principal Strategist of The MoonRose Agency, Inc. Ava is an ultra talented founder working on a somewhat unconventional digital agency called The Moonrose Agency, complete with a psychic on staff. Situated in Chicago's south side, she is also super involved with getting kids involved with community projects and teaching valuable lessons. In this episode we talk about the challenges she has faced being a minority tech leader and how she overcomes by making it a part of the company culture. We also talk about the programs she is working on, like a logo project to collect every logo of businesses in Chicago, and what she is offering for that project. Special Guest: Ava St. Claire.

Vincent Esposito, COO of Endeavor Plus Vincent's career before endeavor was workingon wall street, in investment banking and pretty far removed from running a health insurance company. But after talking to the CEO, he got a fire and passion for what Endeavor Plus was working on, and with good reason. Endeavor Plus believes healthcare should be simple. This is why we set out to change the way healthcare coverage should be delivered altogether – user-friendly consumer-driven health plans that are affordable and easy to manage. In this episode learn about what Endeavor is doing to take some market from some of the big players in the industry, like Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna, etc. We also discus what they think a typical consumer looks like and how in the United States, we use our health insurance completely opposite of how we use our auto insurance. Special Guest: Vincent Esposito.

Corey Haines, CoFounder & CTO of Hearken Corey was on a year-long sabbatical after helping his last company during an acquisition. A friend of his reached out about a founder looking to build a new product that would help make the media transparent, and Corey got hooked. After meeting with Jennifer Brandel in January, they flew out to San Fransisco for a media incubator called Matter. They made an agreement: 6 weeks, no questions, if it doesnt work then they will part ways. Find out how Corey leads his engineering team, the fundraising and why he got involved in this industry when he was previously working in such a different sector before cofounding with Jennifer. Special Guest: Corey Haines.

Brent Williams, Trainer / Career Coach in Chicago Illinois Brent joins me this week to talk about what people are seeing when switching careers and what seems to be missing. He is currently working on a set of programs that will empower people looking to get a new job and give them the tools they need to be confident that they are getting into a job they will love. A big part of that is vocabulary. Thinking back to when I started as an engineer, I didnt understand the terms used in the industry, which made it more difficult when leaving college to get a job that I really wanted. We also talk about good ways to get a meeting with an influencer, or someone who is working at a company that you are interested in joining. This can be a good way to understand the culture, the work-life balance and the type of work that is produced by different departments. Big tip here, don't waste someone's time. Always be prepared and always be mindful of their time. Influencers don't have to meet with you, but if they do, thank them. You can find more about what Brent is doing by visiting his website or his twitter. As always, if you like the show give us a good rating on iTunes and Stitcher. Special Guest: Brent Williams.

Mike Moceri, Founder & CEO of Manulith / MakerOS Mike was a student when he watched a timelapse video of a printer making a bust of Beethoven and he was floored. Since that moment he knew he wanted to be in that industry and today we talk about the waves he has been making with his company Manulith and their product MakerOS. Early on, mike realized when building out a software system to help run manulith that it would benefit other 3d printing companies as well as companies that focus on design, fabrication or companies doing other kinds of custom work for their clients. Before MakerOS, makers would have to manage a host of different tools, some very expensive and still not get the same result as what they are achieving today. Special Guest: Mike Moceri.

Shara Miller, Web Engineer This week I am joined with Shara Miller to discuss the merits of a good code review as well as the pitfalls of awful reviews. Coming from a software background, Shara and I talk about our experiences both giving and receiving reviews of our peers code. Does conducting a public, formal code review shape a good company culture? Will it help the engineer become better at their job, or just better at hiding bad code? How does constructive feedback help a junior engineer learn? What happens when a senior engineer begins to peacock their worth in a review? Special Guest: Shara Miller.

Jimmy Huber, CEO of Infotech This week we welcome back Jimmy Huber of Infotech. We last talked to Jimmy just about 12 months ago and so much has changed. From moving to a newer and bigger office, to letting go of his VP. Jimmy and I talk about the cycle of partners in a startup as well as what his life looks like today. New employees, new clients, new challenges and he is also expecting another child this year. Not to mention his new side venture, SSL Wireless, LLC Special Guest: Jimmy Huber.

Donovan Morrison, CEO & Co-Founder of Luna Lights, Inc Donovan Morrison is the founder of Luna Lights, a senior care tech company. They are taking a new approach to fall prevention by giving older adults a safer way to walk through their house without any interruption of their daily lives. I'm super excited about this technology for so many reasons! A seamless solution for safety and peace of mind. In this episode find out what Luna Lights is doing for senior care, seamless technology and implementing cloud technologies to keep family members up to date in event of a fall. Special Guest: Donovan Morrison.

Dominic Liddell, Founder & Executive Director of Tech While Black Dominic Lidell joins us this week to talk about his foundation Tech While Black and what they are doing to remove barriers for blacks in technology by creating and sourcing their own opportunities. Their vision is to create a thriving, sustainable, and highly visible black tech ecosystem where all can benefit by leveraging the power of community, enterprise, and professional excellence. Special Guest: Dominic Liddell.

Christian Ramirez, Founder of Two Gents Digital Two Gents Digital is a branded video content company that creates beautiful content for all kinds of brands acorss the country. One of my favorite videos is this one for a custom suit company, Daniel George. How A Suit Should Fit | By Daniel George from Two Gents Digital on Vimeo. Special Guest: Christian Ramerez.

Jennifer & Landon Shoop, Founders of Fizz Fizz is a new service that started up in January of 2015. Jennifer and Landon saw a huge problem plaguing businesses that held routine performance reviews and thought there needs to be a better way of handling it. With tweet-length accomplishments and continuous feedback, managers have a better idea of how employees are engaging with the company and leadership. They emphasize on the fairness and transparency of their ratings, particularly because women and minority groups who have been subject to fewer promotions and more aggressive annual reviews. Learn about the tools they use, advice to new entrepreneurs and what keeps them up at night in this jam packed episode. Special Guests: Jennifer Shoop and Landon Shoop.

Sean Baker, Founder & Creative Mercenary at SuperBoss SuperBoss is a design collective, with its employees working remotely across America. Find out how Sean started SuperBoss, how they work remotely and what has been the biggest regret when starting up. SuperBoss focuses on web design and development while staying nimble so they can create kick-ass work while remaining lean. Special Guest: Sean Baker.

Jimmy Huber, Founder & President of Infotech Infotech, an IT Consultant firm, began in 2012 when Jimmy merged his side IT consulting business with his VP, Weston Berchtold's, business. Helping small to mid-sized business with their technology, really tying in to their clients to be almost like an internal IT company. Through integrity and hard work, Jimmy shares his experience and hurdles he faced while keeping an eye on profits and making sure his clients all had the best experience possible. Special Guest: Jimmy Huber.

Clay Deal Clay and I go way back working at a marketing agency together in Peoria, Illinois. Where his focus was on sales and marketing I was on development and project management. Clay always showed strengths in producing quality work and not wanting to sell something that isnt worth this investment. This quality shows today with Prairie Vista Investments. Their first property went up on Realtor.com and is beautiful. Prairie Vista Investments Prairie Vista Investments Property in Canton, Illinois Started in early 2015, Prairie Vista Investments has the first property on the market and a second getting started in the rehab phase and is developing processes for House Flipping in Central Illinois. Clay mentioned a community of realtors at BiggerPockets with great tips, resources and a great podcast. One of these tips was when looking at your first property, take all the costs, labor, materials, etc and DOUBLE it! You can find Prairie Vista Investments on their website and facebook. Special Guest: Clay Deal.

Julie Hubbard I've known Julie for several years and have worked with her on different projects and now she is starting up two new businesses while closing down her retail store that she opened up over nine years ago! Julie is in the highest caliber of fun, energy and intelligence, and it shows with every interaction she makes with customers, employees or even strangers. Putting that personality to work, she started to focus on a new journey of being a life coach. You can find out more about her endeavors at julieannhubbard.com. Essential Oils Julie is also selling essential oils and running a team of people who are also selling essential oils. She is very enthusiastic about the healing natures of these oils and we get into a little bit of my headaches when I was young and how smelling a lavender candle would seem to sooth my migraines. She posts about these and other inspirational quotes on her facebook page Your Focus Factor with Julie Ann Hubbard. Special Guest: Julie Hubbard.