We Live to Build

Stewart Cohen is the founder of SuperStock, a large media licensing platform.We explore licensing and ownership in the digital age. We break down the difference between copyright and licensing, reveal the traps hidden in social media T&Cs, and tackle the legal gray zones around AI-generated content. With lawsuits brewing and platforms shifting power away from creators, this episode is a must-watch for artists, photographers, filmmakers, and content creators navigating the modern landscape.

Ryan Davis is the Co-Founder of People First, which connects brands to creators.We discuss the evolving landscape of creator collaborations with brands, emphasizing the importance of niche positioning, the role of AI, and the need for authenticity in sponsored content. We explore strategies for monetization, the significance of creative control, and the metrics that influence sponsorship decisions. The dialogue also touches on innovative content creation methods and the potential for leveraging data to enhance future opportunities in the creator economy.takeaways

Is AI really objective, or just reflecting our human flaws?Daniel Nikic, the President and Founder of Cohres, explores the urgent need for auditing AI systems. We dive into how human bias, bad data, and lack of oversight are already shaping the way AI behaves and the very real ethical challenges that follow.From the dangers of unchecked algorithms to the importance of proper AI governance, this conversation will change how you think about artificial intelligence and what we must do to keep it in check.

Your website is bleeding money. Matthew Stafford, Managing Partner at Build Scale Grow, breaks down the brutal truths behind conversion rate optimization (CRO) and how AI, simplicity, and better communication can save your business from digital death.We talk about:⚙️ The CRO mistakes killing your conversions

Derrick Girard is the Owner of DGirard Consulting and the Author of Put to the Test.He shares his experiences of running a tech company while navigating the complexities of people management and the challenges posed by multiple lawsuits. He emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in leadership and discusses how external pressures can impact business growth. Derrick also reflects on the role of AI in management and the significance of bootstrapping in entrepreneurship. The conversation culminates in a powerful message about accountability and problem-solving without excuses.

Adam Schell is the of Brain Supreme, a 7 figure supplement business that produces a proprietary Psilocybin mushroom blend customers can use to microdose.

Arpan Nanavati is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cimphony, a Silicon Valley backed startup that recently raised over $5M USD, and the company has an AI that helps startups get access to smarter legal advice for less money.

Sze Wong is the Co-founder and General Partner of Zenith Venture Studio, which focuses on building AI startups.

Matthew Yahes is the CEO of Extend Your Team, a 7 figure, fully remote staffing agency that gets mid to high level remote employees to fill out your team.

David Miller is the Founder and CEO of Alchemy of Scale, a coaching practice that helps entrepreneurs systematize their operations and unlock true business growth.

Ryaan Ibtisam is the Co-Founder & Head of Legal of Cimphony, a Silicon Valley backed startup that recently raised over $5M USD, and the company has an AI that helps startups get access to smarter legal advice for less money.

Vol Goloshuk is the Founder and CEO of AI Champ.

Joshua Hale is the owner of JH Media and Consulting, which leverages cutting-edge AI technology and strategic business insights to help entrepreneurs realize their full potential.

Brook Shepard is the CEO and Managing Partner of Mason Interactive, a performance marketing agency that helps Higher Education and D2C brands with their Media buying strategy and execution, SEO, Creative, and Email Marketing.

Salim Rennewi is the Founder and CEO of SellAbroad, which helps brands expand into the MENA market (Middle East).

Russell Brand is the Founder & Managing Director of Resonsible, which consults companies on their IT and general strategy.

Matt Strippelhoff is the Partner and CEO/CRO of Red Hawk Technologies, which develops game-changing custom software and platform integration solutions for private equity and mid-market clients.

Ken Lundin is the Founder & CEO of RevHeat, which has taught businesses how to sell over $1B USD to date.In this episode we talk all about sales, the AI takeover, building a sales team, and more.

Cameron Bishop is the Managing Director of Raincatcher, which helps entrepreneurs build, buy, and sell amazing companies.In this episode we talk all about how to build a company someone wants to buy.

Ed Kang is the Chief Strategy Officer of Startups.com, which has helped thousands of startups grow faster and wiser.In this episode we talk about many ways in which e-commerce brands succeed and fail.

Saahil Mehta is the Co-Founder of Resnet World, which helps businesses increase profitability. In this episode we talk about how we think as angel investors so you are more likely to attract us to invest in you.

Jeff Sauer is the Co-Founder of MeasureU.com, which helps brands better understand the data which runs their business.

Anthony Nitsos is the Founder of SaaS Gurus, a fractional CFO firm which serves growing SaaS brands.

Rabi Guha is the Co-Founder of thesys, a Generative UI application for businesses, and they recently raised a $4.2M seed round.

John Golden is the Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer for Pipeliner CRM.

Almaz Edilbaev is the Founder of chAngels, a Chicago based Angel Syndicate.

Breen Sullivan is the Founder of The Fourth Effect, a funded startup that helps educate founders on developing a board of advisors, and then connects them with the best advisors to fill their needs so investors feel more confident to invest in them.

If you want to work with me, follow up here: https://calendly.com/wltb/strategy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeffrey Klubeck is an executive coach, keynote speaker, and the author of The Integrity Game. We spoke about integrity, accountability, and how we show up for our family even when it's not easy.

Skip Wilson is the Founder of Draft Media Partners, which helps professional marketers productize and scale their businesses. We talked about time management and other things.

Bryan Debois is the Director of Industrial AI at RoviSys, a $300M ARR firm focused on industrial manufacturing in the USA, and we discussed the current state of manufacturing in the USA.

Hope Timberlake is the founder of Forte Consulting, which helps executives hone their team alignment, branding, presentation, and other various leadership skills.00:00:00 - From Climate Change to Consulting00:04:24 - Adapting Business in Challenging Times00:08:37 - Work-Life Balance00:12:39 - Health and Productivity00:17:00 - Business Evolution00:21:00 - Delegating Work00:24:56 - Power of Subscriptions00:29:25 - Learning from Costly Mistakes00:33:35 - Balancing Growth with Personal Goals00:37:39 - Hiring and Mentoring Strategies00:41:55 - Leveraging Collective Knowledge00:45:57 - To Sell or Not to Sell the Business

Rom Lakritz is the founder of Anchor, a platform that helps companies focus on being a business while they take care of your billing. He has founded multiple companies in different industries, raised tens of millions of dollars, and had very nice exits from several of the businesses.00:00 - Investor Communication02:35 - From Selling Flowers to Starting Companies05:49 - Integrity08:30 - Raising Funds vs. Bootstrapping11:45 - Honesty14:50 - Managing Investor Expectations17:44 - When to Pivot20:47 - Emotional Impact of Selling24:11 - Costly Lessons27:36 - Adapting to Market Changes30:41 - Sustainable vs Speedy Growth33:42 - Maturity

Jason Todd is the Founder and Managing Director of Thinker Ventures, which connects aspiring entrepreneurs, small businesses and mid-marketing executives with education, opportunity, and implementation services across a variety of disciplines.00:00:00 - Skydiving00:05:32 - Fear and Opportunity00:11:04 - Handling Stress and Anxiety00:16:52 - Mistakes and Failures00:22:21 - Building Resilience00:27:49 - Expanding Comfort Zones00:33:24 - Trust00:38:28 - Cultural Adaptation00:44:09 - Balancing Structure with Flexibility00:49:39 - Dreams vs Reality00:54:59 - Intuition00:59:55 - Vulnerability

Ray Blakney is the Founder/CEO of Podcast Hawk, a SaaS platform that helps businesses and influencers find and pitch podcasts on auto-pilot. He's also the Founder/CEO of Live Lingua, an award-winning online language school.

Loretta Markevics is the Founder and Chief Strategist at Sēd Communications, which focuses on helping startups quickly achieve hypergrowth through sharp public relations communications methods.00:00 - From Hosting to Promotion04:11 - Trials and Community Support08:39 - Crossing a Million in Revenue12:51 - Financial Security16:59 - Investing in Growth21:00 - Overcoming Bottlenecks25:11 - Flexibility and Client Relationships29:23 - Lead Generation Strategies33:47 - Cold Outreach38:03 - Executive Assistants42:18 - Internships and Gen Z Insights46:35 - Customer Service Challenges

Kaitlyn Merola is the founder and CEO of Möve Marketing, which helps startups find their voice so customers can find their product.00:00 - Introduction04:10 - Challenges of Working with Startups08:23 - Importance of Transparency in Marketing12:45 - SEO Strategies and Blogging Tips16:44 - Inbound Marketing Strategies for Startups20:55 - Using Data and PR for Business Growth25:20 - Building a Community and Engaging Clients29:32 - Dealing with Burnout and Delegation33:43 - Hiring and Managing a Growing Team37:57 - Setting Goals and Measuring Success42:04 - Acquiring Companies and Scaling Up45:48 - Staying True to Your Vision

Jarrod Lopiccolo is the Founder and CEO of Noble Studios, a web design consulting firm that uses his experience as an architect to build solid foundations for their clients.We talked about how his background informs him on managing his business and his clients, as well as much more.

Donald Booth is the Founder & CEO of American Institute of Nondestructive Testing, a leading provider of online, blended, and traditional classroom NDT training. 00:00 - Starting a Business in Non-Destructive Testing04:26 - Challenges of Living and Working in Alaska09:03 - Building Curriculum and Google Ads Success13:25 - Importance of Quality Control in Manufacturing17:54 - Financing Education and Student Loans22:05 - Trades vs. Traditional College Degrees26:25 - Marketing Strategies for Trade Schools30:40 - Exploring TikTok for Marketing and Engagement35:25 - Innovations in Training Delivery Systems39:56 - Hybrid Learning and Competitor Challenges44:20 - Future of Augmented Reality in Training48:44 - Adapting to New Generations in the Workforce

Lyle Myers is the Chief Development Officer of iFlex Stretch Studios, Frank & Furters, and Sparkle.He develops companies that turn into franchises and manages the franchising process.00:00 - Introduction to franchising03:08 - Why is franchising good?06:22 - Franchise systems 09:22 - Franchise support12:21 - Franchise disclosure document 15:16 - Fees, Royalties, & Equity 18:18 - Franchise Portfolio 21:24 - Assisted stretching 24:36 - Marketing for franchise licenses 27:45 - Human touch 30:42 - Conversions 33:43 - Global franchising

Tom Verboven is the Senior Director of The Talent Enterprise, which provides high level strategic consulting for Fortune 500 companies. 00:00 - Introduction03:31 - Leadership success profiles07:11 - Assessing creativity and innovation10:41 - The roles of execs is changing14:44 - Sourcing and assessing executives18:30 - Mitigating bias and noise22:16 - AI and diversity/inclusion25:57 - AI in the hiring process29:49 - The bias of AI33:33 - The future of work37:16 - Embracing technology40:53 - Leadership dynamics

Bryan Farris is the President of Goldfish Code, which employs a feedback loop focused on the positive Psychological aspect of motivation to deploy the best products possible for clients so that end users are excited to engage.00:00 - Empathy03:33 - Parenting07:20 - Ideation11:02 - Behavioral Psychology14:56 - Creating Engagement18:50 - Morning Routines22:40 - Cultural Immersion26:31 - Economic Independence30:01 - Global Perspectives33:10 - Strategy36:55 - Adventure40:48 - Positive Motivation

Sean Weisbrot is the Founder & CEO of We Live to Build, a consulting firm focused on supply chain, marketing, and finance. It also hosts this podcast!00:00 - Introduction to the Podcast and Host01:47 - Challenges Faced by the Host03:38 - Finding Purpose and Direction05:26 - Professionalizing the Podcast07:01 - Upgrading Equipment and Skills08:38 - Connecting with Guests and Audience10:22 - Monetizing the Podcast12:08 - Living in Portugal13:50 - Quality of Life in Portugal15:34 - Social Activities and Community17:14 - Dating and Relationships in Europe18:57 - Personal Growth and Future Plans

Dr. Karwanna Irving is the CEO of She's Got Goals, a company which helps women win government contracts and get their businesses in order.00:00:00 - Unlocking Six Figures: Building a Team for Financial Growth00:04:46 - From Fashion to Fortune: Leveraging Government Contracts00:09:41 - The Entrepreneurial Mindset: Overcoming Fear and Embracing Change00:14:41 - Strategic Business Moves: Hiring and Scaling Your Company00:20:01 - Maximizing Profit: The Power of Government Contracting00:25:23 - Building a Million Dollar Business by Duplicating Success00:30:45 - Investing in Teams: How Hiring Multiplies Your Bottom Line00:35:38 - Learning from Losses: The Cost of Not Pursuing Opportunities00:40:45 - Sales Psychology: Leading Customers from Pain to Pleasure00:45:59 - Evolving Businesses: When to Pivot or Shut Down00:51:21 - Aligning Spirituality with Entrepreneurship for Success00:56:33 - Limitless Living: Breaking Norms and Achieving Dreams

Vladimir Gendelman is the Founder and CEO of Company Folders, which focuses on high quality printing of marketing materials for Fortune 500 companies as well as SMBs.00:00 - Overcoming Language Barriers03:44 - Abundance of Choices08:14 - Navigating SEO Challenges13:04 - Adapting Business Strategies17:35 - Delegating Effectively22:07 - Handling Crisis27:00 - Leveraging Podcasts31:03 - Power of Listening35:20 - Morning Routines39:27 - Long-Term Vision44:05 - Learning from Mistakes48:39 - Choosing Opportunities Wisely

Cecil Robles is the Co-Founder of RaiseCapital.io and RaiseCapital Genie, two companies which help founders raise money usually through crowdfunding.In this interview, we discuss the Psychology behind what enables him to start and grow brands to 8 figures in annual revenue, and how he sees himself changing throughout this journey.00:00 - Sleep Cycles04:34 - Building a Consulting Firm09:02 - Partnerships13:28 - Challenges of Being a Serial Entrepreneur18:14 - Structuring Deals23:07 - Productivity27:42 - Leveraging Automation32:04 - Navigating Parenthood36:48 - Research41:49 - Resolving Bottlenecksons46:45 - Financial Goalsrds51:45 - Personal Growth

KC Rossi is a Certified Business & Mindset Coach on a mission to help female entrepreneurs overcome mindset blocks and create thriving online businesses.In this interview, we discuss the Psychology behind KC's business decisions over the length of her career, and what she learned from burning out.00:00 - The Transformative Power of CBT05:01 - From Burnout to Breakthrough10:01 - Empowering Female Entrepreneurs14:52 - Overcoming Limiting Beliefs19:35 - Achieving Transformational Change24:24 - Therapy vs. Coaching29:33 - Effective Time Management and Productivity34:37 - The Shift from Consultant to Coach39:18 - Celebrating Successes and Handling Losses44:00 - Setting Boundaries48:58 - The Importance of Reflection54:01 - Continuous Learning

Glen Bhimani is the Owner and CEO of BPS Security, which provides elite security officers, as well as alarm systems and monitoring services.In this interview, we talk about the Psychology behind what drives him to be an entrepreneur and what helped him build a $4M ARR brand.00:00:00 - From No Salary to Growing a Multi-Million Dollar Security Company00:03:58 - Valuable Lessons from a Business Coach and Client Acquisition Strategies00:07:53 - Navigating Financial Challenges and the Impact of COVID-19 on Business00:11:56 - Anticipating Market Changes and Strategic Business Preparations00:15:49 - Streamlining Operations with Custom Software and Handling Personnel Issues00:19:42 - The Importance of Quality in Security Services and Employee Management00:23:35 - Personal Growth and Operational Changes for Better Business Management00:27:47 - Reinvesting Profits and the Joy of Overcoming Business Challenges00:32:08 - Revamping Brand Image and Leveraging Social Media for Business Growth00:36:04 - Adapting to Industry Standards and the Power of Effective Marketing00:40:11 - Balancing Work and Personal Life While Scaling a Security Business00:44:18 - Continuous Learning and Legal Considerations for Expanding into New Markets

Cody Bramlett is the CEO of Science Natural Supplements, an ecommerce brand that earns 8 figures per year in revenue using 100% affiliate marketing.In this interview we talk about his Psychology, how he thinks about making money, why he does the business he does, how he has changed as a result of doing this business, and much more!00:00:00 - Entrepreneur and Owner of Science Natural Supplements00:05:09 - From Kettleball Gym to Supplement Empire: Cody's Business Journey00:10:05 - Navigating Supply Chain Challenges During the Pandemic00:15:28 - The Highs and Lows of Direct Marketing and E-commerce00:20:43 - Learning from an $850,000 Mistake in Credit Card Processing00:25:49 - Transitioning from Entrepreneur to CEO: A Leadership Evolution00:31:16 - Coaching in the Direct Marketing Space: Sharing Success Strategies00:36:28 - The Realities of Creating Passive Income Streams00:41:41 - Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Growing Entrepreneur00:47:08 - Building Effective Teams and Setting Clear Company Visions00:52:12 - The Importance of Empowering Your Team for Business Growth00:57:12 - Mastering Business Finances and Learning to Delegate

Julian Torres Gomez is the Founder and CEO of Ontop, a global payroll service provider focused on removing friction between having a globalized team and being able to pay them on time.In this interview, we talk about creativity, meditation, travel, and how all these things combine to make us better leaders.00:00:00 - The Intersection of Creativity, Spirituality, and Business00:04:32 - Exploring Buddhism and Meditation for Entrepreneurs00:09:08 - Harnessing the Power of Meditation in Creative Processes00:13:23 - Cultivating a Non-Judgmental Mindset for Business Growth00:17:34 - Embracing Failure and Cultivating a Growth Mindset00:21:32 - Balancing Discipline with Freedom in Entrepreneurship00:25:38 - Managing Stress and Anxiety Through Mindfulness Practices00:29:59 - Finding Meaning and Purpose Beyond Business Success00:34:20 - Creative Expression as a Remedy for Anxiety and Stress00:38:37 - Unlocking Creativity by Embracing Imperfection and Experimentation00:43:05 - Channeling Trapped Energy into Productive Creative Outlets00:46:54 - The Art of Wu Wei: Acting Without Interference