The Launching Point with Mike O'Toole

Kim Kaupe, the co-founder of ZinePak, was a naturally curious, outgoing, and gregarious child that had no intentions of becoming an entrepreneur.  She met her co-founder right as she was becoming disillusioned with corporate life and they began to innovate in the physical products space as CD sales were declining rapidly.  Today, she is more confident than ever as her company is experiencing strong and consistent growth.

Brian Clark, the founder of Copyblogger and Rainmaker Digital, was in law school when he already started thinking of an exit strategy.  After spending a few years as a lawyer, the emergence of the Internet sparked his curiosity and he began spotting opportunities for making money.  He quit being a lawyer and pursued entrepreneurship full-time.  Today, he has started nine businesses with eight of them being successful while learning to become well rounded in all aspects of his life.

Lindsay White, the owner and designer of Lot801, got a 9-to-5 job right out of college and worked her way up in the company.  After her boss told her that he was going to retire soon and would like to pass the business down to a few employees including her, she ultimately came to terms with the fact that she hated what she was doing.  When she was looking for non-gender specific items for her daughter and couldn't find any, the light bulb went on.  A year and a half later and she has been able to quit her job and pursue what she loves full-time.

Swami Tirtha, owner of The Hip Guru's Guide, started as a regular guy from the suburbs, but when he was a freshman in college, both of his parents were killed in a car accident.  He discovered meditation as a way to help move forward and it ended up being the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.  Today is is a speaker, educator, monk, shaman, and energy healer.

Jason Treu, an author and business and executive coach, was in law school when he observed that most lawyers were not happy with their career choice.  He decided to pivot and pursue the life that he loved, but was faced with the death of his father and a girlfriend that tried to commit suicide.  In the midst of these obstacles, he persevered and grew a business that today allows him to be authentic and generous and help VPs get unstuck and find their purpose.

Peter Merit, the owner of Custom Business Planning and Solutions, worked in the corporate world for decades, traveling all over the world and constantly on the road.  After an unreasonable travel request was made right around Thanksgiving, his wife told him to quit.  So he did and he's never looked back.

Lea Pica, an analytics, data visualizations, and presentations consultant, always found herself as an unconventional round peg trying to fit herself in a square corporate hole.  After having her first child and returning to the corporate world, she couldn't ignore the feeling that time spent away from her family should be towards something meaningful.  She started presenting on data visualizations and it was an instant hit even if a bit controversial.  Things began to progress from there and today she continues to present and train companies and individuals.  Listen to Lea's podcast, The Present Beyond Measure Podcast, at LeaPica.com/Podcast.

Joshua Dorkin, creator of BiggerPockets.com, started his entrepreneurial journey in college when he built an online directory for colleges and universities around the world.  Later, he became a real estate investor and, when he couldn't find information online to help solve his problems, he started his own website to share what he was learning and benefit others.  Today, BiggerPockets.com has grown to be an authority in the real estate investing space.

Agie Sundaram, the co-founder of Span Enterprises, spent 11 years as a cruise ship photographer before starting his own photography business.  After having an epiphany at a photography conference and seeing his future should he stay on this path, he put everything on the line to grow a software business.  Today, his company offers a variety of tax related web-based software.

Yoram Baltinester is the founder of Decisive Action Workshops.  Born and raised in Israel, he chose to go down the corporate IT path before he was laid off in 2001.  Seizing an opportunity to start an IT consulting business with a coworker that had also been laid off, Yoram build it into a profitable business and sold it several years later to focus on his passion.  Today he is a personal development coach and is living his dream.

In honor of ADHD awareness month, Eric Tivers, the owner of Tivers Clinical Specialties, shares his journey of launching into entrepreneurship despite being diagnosed with ADD in college.  He was able to overcome that as an obstacle and launch a successful business helping those with ADHD and with high-functioning Autism.

Jacob Cramer, the founder of Love for the Elderly, was only 13 years old when he came up with an idea to send letters to the residents of nursing homes after volunteering in a nursing home.  Today, he has grown it into a global organization that has delivered over 10,000 letters to nursing homes all over the country and he's only 15.

Sahara Wright, CEO of The CEO Effect, graduated from law school and went to work in family law.  After she discovered she hated it, she tried to look for a job in business law.  But after not being able to land a job in that area, she decided to make her own way and started her own law firm.  Today, she helps small business owners think more strategically about their businesses.

Rueben Wood is a celebrity journalist, media icon, and chef.  He graduated from high school and got a taste of the music industry, but through a series of events brought on by bad management, he found himself homeless on the streets of Atlanta.  He had a vision to start a media magazine for independent artists and launched the idea with no money in his pocket.  Today, only four years later, he is fully supporting himself through his business ventures.

Jan Spence, a professional speaker, sales trainer, one-on-one coach for small businesses, and business consultant, got her first taste of entrepreneurship when she was just 15, but it was after her husband had been laid off for the second time in two years from his "secure" job that they decided it was time to take the risk and make the move fully into owning their own business.

Dre Baldwin, an athlete, entrepreneur, author, publisher, speaker, and marketing and branding expert, played basketball for a division III school, but had a goal of playing professionally.  He became an accidental entrepreneur after posting a tryout video on YouTube and people started commenting and asking him questions.  Today, he has over 4000 videos posted and a strong fanbase that he has been successful monetizing.

Maura Sweeny, an author, podcaster, international speaker, and Huffington Post contributor, was brought up to be an attorney in New Jersey, but realized that she was on a trajectory for a career path that she had no passion for.  It wasn't until she was 50 that she had the courage and confidence to step out on her own and be who she was always meant to be.

In this bonus episode, I talk about how well the podcast is doing in terms of listens, how things will change now that New & Noteworthy has ended, how I am and how I plan to monetize, and my reasons for shifting from three episodes per week to one.

Dean Roberts, author of I'll Fix My Head Before I'm Dead and a serial entrepreneur, was kicked out of school at 16 and went into the Navy.  After a short corporate career, he went into the family business, began to find his way, and turned it into the largest doll house manufacturer in the world.

Kelly Mccauley, the owner of Solo Smarts, was a broke, single mother doing desktop publishing for her church office.  Her need to make extra money and pay her bills was the beginning of what turned into a successful business around meeting the needs of solopreneurs.

Chris Burns, owner of Burn It Up business coaching, graduated from college with a degree in electrical engineering, but it wasn't his passion.  He got caught up in the party scene and eventually ended up getting arrested and spending the night in a jail cell.  It was at that low moment that he realized he needed to be using his gifts and talents to help better the world and change the path he was on.  Today he is the owner of a successful and growing coaching business and is filled with gratitude and possibility.

Janelle and Rob Alex, Relationship and Intimacy Experts, both started at a young age down the entrepreneurial path.  After getting married, they bought a business that all they owned was tied to. The recession hit and they lost everything including their home.  They clawed their way back and took all they learned in their marriage and today have found success in the relationship and intimacy arena.

Allen Vaysberg, owner of Amiveris Entreprises, Inc, started his career in IT to go after the money, but quickly realized his passion was in marketing and working with people.  He founded an IT company that collapsed after 9/11 and left him in $300K in personal debt.  He picked himself up and started a second business that was very successful, but he still hadn't found his calling.  Today he has launched a business that is very much in line with who he is as a person.

Nicole K. Lundy is a money making brand strategist and lifestyle entrepreneur who worked on Wall Street before being put on disability for anxiety and depression.  She decided to make a change and launch into business for herself instead of keep going down that path.

Vance Morris, the founder and CEO of Deliver Service Now Institute, started a franchise after getting laid off for a second time.  But just two weeks after signing the paperwork, his wife nearly died.  They decided to go forward and today, his business is very successful and he has taken all that he has learned and spawned a second business.

Linda Leon, a media specialist, went from a successful career in commercial television to becoming an elementary school teacher to her husband and her both being laid off.  She rediscovered her love for video production, started her own business, and never looked back.

Gene Robinson is an author and the owner of Positive Concepts Publishing Company.  After growing up being told he would never amount to anything and struggling with obesity for the better part of his life, he took control. changed his thoughts, and wrote a book to help others do the same.

Brian Hills is the owner of a tech support company for computers and mobile devices and started his business on the side while he had a full-time job working in the wireless industry.  He eventually took the leap and quit his job.  Today, he is looking to expand his offerings and find ways to monetize online.

Emily Filloramo worked in pharmaceutical sales for 27 years, sleep walking through her corporate job, before she was laid off.  A financial advisor planted the idea that she should be an entrepreneur and she has never turned back.

Adam Dicker is a Domain Name Expert and former VP of GoDaddy.  He has been voted one of the top ten most influential people on the internet and got his start in entrepreneurship by running two side businesses while he had a full-time job.

In this bonus episode, I peel back the curtain some more and share some wins, what I've learned about calls to action, provide an Instagram update, and talk about controlling what you can control and embracing imperfection.

Rachna Jain is the owner of PopularPopulariy.com considers herself an accidental entrepreneur after helping build a psychology practice, asking for and receiving a raise, and four weeks later having that raise retroactively rescinded.  That happened on a Thursday and by Monday she had her own practice.

Naresh is a young entrepreneur and author that started in the corporate world after getting a solid education.  He ran into some serious struggles early on, including a nasty lawsuit, and persevered after re-thinking being an entrepreneur.

Victor Clarke, owner of Clarke Incorporated, went from the cutthroat sales industry in the hustle and bustle of Washington DC to buying a printing business in a small town in central Virginia after having a boss that made his life miserable.

After meeting each other while working for a Fortune 100 company, Lorena Monde and Diana Karpowicz of Truly You realized they were soul sisters and weren't satisfied with the corporate lifestyle.  They leaned on each other and launched into entrepreneurship together.

When Lisa Kroese's husband took a dream job in Mojave, California, they moved across the country where they didn't know anyone.  She leveraged her previous experience to start an estate sales company and has turned it into one of the premier businesses of its kind nationwide.

Rick Goodfriend is an author and public speaker that has endured a lifelong battle with ADHD and recently had a stroke that has changed the trajectory of his life.  Even through his personal struggles, Rick has become a successful entrepreneur even if he is unable to stay focused on one idea for too long.

After receiving advice after a recent interview with Allen Vaysberg, he got me thinking about what it means to establish authority.  Also, how I'm using an unlikely social media strategy to grow my audience.

Erna Kay is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author.  She realized quickly after working at a banking job that all of her efforts were for the benefit of the company.  After that realization, she never looked back.

Joe Nicassio is a marketing expert and mentor for startup business owners.  He was building a promising career in technology, but it never sit well with him that the company could get rid of him at any time. He found a mentor and pursued his passion in marketing.

Brad Raney, the CEO of Personal Performance Partnership discusses the struggles he had prior to nailing down his personal brand and how he took the seven habitual characteristics he developed as a way to encourage his coworkers and turned it into a book and business.

Michael McManus talks about turning his passion into a successful photography business after nearly hitting rock bottom financially. Through the kindness of his in-laws during this time, it inspired and motivated him to start Gethrr whose mission is to improve, inspire, and impact positive change in the world.

Dr. Thomas E. Boyce talks about breaking free from his traditional upbringing after becoming a PHD holding professor at a university.  He went against his parents advice and his life has improved tremendously.

Stephen Owens left his promising career at a CPA firm right after obtaining his masters degree to start, and change the perception of, a bail bonds business.

Mayer Dahan, owner of Dahan Properties and Prime Five Homes talks discusses seizing an opportunity to build eco-friendly homes before other builders and why it's important to make a big impact more than big profits.

Jim Sweeney talks about going from a safe and successful corporate sales job to owning his first computer sales rep business and then completely changing directions with his MIKE sports cartoon character.

Guthrie Chamberlain grew up on an apple orchard in Ohio, but today is the owner of the Venture Consulting Group and has started his own podcast dispensing wisdom.

Taylor Trusty is the Owner of Blackstone Media and talks about the challenges of being a young and young-looking entrepreneur.

Dr. Taylor Clark developed a severe skin rash that kept him from being a full time dentist and able to support his business and family. He siezed the opportunity and opened a weekend dental school.

Seth Carlson of SRC Amplifiers talks about getting laid off from a well paid position after the auto warranty company he worked for went out of business and how that forced him to go after what he's always wanted.

Jed Reese - Owner of STRIVE Wealth and Protection Planning talks about how he left his 9 to 5 job with a large corporation by turning a hobby into a successful financial planning business.