Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1231: Using Verifiable Data to Build a Business That Matters w/ Jeff Lumpkin
Ever feel like you're drowning in data but starving for wisdom? In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Lumpkin, a 15-year Microsoft veteran who left the corporate world to build Veritas Maps, a data visualization company on a mission to combat misinformation with truth. Jeff breaks down how he’s making complex data accessible and actionable, transforming overwhelming spreadsheets into insightful, easy-to-read maps. For any entrepreneur or wantrepreneur, this episode is a masterclass in finding a powerful mission, identifying niche market opportunities through data, and strategically using technology like AI to build a scalable and impactful business from the ground up.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🗺️ How to leverage data visualization to uncover surprising market trends and identify your ideal customers with geographic precision.
- 🤖 Why AI is a game-changer for entrepreneurs, dramatically increasing task efficiency and unlocking deeper insights from your data.
- 🎯 How to find and vet trusted data sources to build a business foundation based on truth and credibility.
- 🚀 How a powerful mission (like combating misinformation) can become your North Star for making easier, more impactful business decisions.
- 📈 A framework for identifying diverse revenue streams and use cases for your product, from healthcare and real estate to retail marketing.
- 🧠 How to translate a passion for storytelling into a tangible, high-value business that solves real-world problems.
📝 About Jeff Lumpkin
Jeff Lumpkin is the founder of Veritas Maps, a data visualization company dedicated to making trusted information clear and actionable. After a 15-year career at Microsoft, where he was a key member of the Power BI customer advisory team, Jeff became passionate about using data to tell compelling stories. He later served as the VP of Analytics at a healthcare AI startup before founding Veritas Maps. Driven by a desire to combat misinformation and drive positive change, Jeff and his team are creating powerful tools that help businesses, organizations, and individuals make better decisions with real-world facts.
🎯 Jeff’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Be flexibly deliberate... live within your means and make changes that you can afford if you fail completely. And be prepared to take a lot of small risks and see some succeed and some fail, but avoid taking such big risks that you kill your company before it has a chance to really grow."
📢 Memorable Quotes
- "When I'm building something, I want to build it in such a way that it can be used to drive positive change and that that plays a big role in my decisions."
- "I'm relishing my ability to handle the discomfort in a way that wasn't the case two years ago. And I think finding that flexibility and maybe the bravery to live with that discomfort and find it to be fun and exhilarating to me has been a big shift."
💡 Actionable Takeaways
- ✅ Identify a core mission or "North Star" for your business. Use it as a filter for every major decision, from product development to marketing.
- ✅ Think about one business question you have (e.g., "Where are my ideal customers located?") and seek out a public data source (from government or academic sites) to start finding an answer.
🔗 Links & Resources