Silicon Slopes | The Entrepreneur Capital of the World

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast, Clint has the opportunity to meet with Brandon Craig, the founder of Ontocore and the author of the Create Powerful Course. He's on a mission to help people understand exactly what makes them human and how they can become the most effective, empathetic, powerful leaders possible using their unique traits. The best leaders are authentic people; they're authentic to themselves, their employees, and authentic to their purpose. Brandon dives into the nature of integrity and how understanding the true meaning of this word can help a leader become remarkable, enforcing a positive culture of accountability and higher performance. A major part of a leader's job is to be forward-focused, always looking to create and build toward the future they want. "Being a powerful leader changes the way those you're leading get out of bed every morning."

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast, Clint meets with Jay Davis who is the Founder of Cold Case Ice Cream and Creatably, and is an investor in Utah business. He walks Clint through his entrepreneurial journey, starting with ice cream and uniquely-shaped pillows. They discuss Jay's approach to growing companies, especially in raising money, and how this approach has helped him to follow his passion. Jay mentions the infamous "pillow politics" and how companies would be wise to stay out of politics, especially when you are trying to sell a product and keep the masses in love with your company. The best business happens when leaders prioritize their employees and stay looking toward the future with a growth mindset. "Here in Utah, I think we should leverage and lean on what we're the best at, rather than trying to become Silicon Valley."

Sara Jones joins Clint on this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast for an eye-opening conversation about diversity in the workplace and how her company, InclusionPro, is working to change the stigma surrounding these ideas. She speaks on approaching this subject with a learning mindset and she challenges leaders to look at the company culture they've created, and discover how they can further integrate diverse ideas into their routines, creating opportunities for creativity and inclusion. DEI has recently become a hot topic in politics and Sara shares that DEI was never meant to be a political talking point because it was initially created to help companies discover new pathways to success. Sara teaches leaders that equity isn't about giving good opportunities to employees who don't deserve them, but it's really about giving employees the opportunities to advance and succeed in the job they were hired to do, like training for a promotion or role. DEI is deeply personal and it affects everyone differently and Sara is on a mission to help leaders understand the value in diverse thinking and creative learning. "It's complex, it's nuanced, and I think it's really testing us as a society on whether or not we can really work towards the interest of everyone."

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Show, Clint has the opportunity to speak with Ben Hart who is the Executive Director of Utah Inland Port Authority. Ben is no stranger to dealing with and overcoming opposition, especially in his line of work in supply chain solutions and economic initiatives driving Utah's inland port. They talk about how the unique landscape of Utah presents unique challenges, which requires creative solutions for transportation and rail, while keeping conservation at the forefront. We're currently seeing a widespread recalibration in global industry and Ben discusses how we're adapting to these changes in modern business. Maintaining the beautiful traits of Utah is Ben's mission and as this great state grows in population, he's finding sustainable ways to keep Utah amazing. Tune in to learn more!

Clint meets with Bubba Page on this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast to talk about the entrepreneurial journey and what it takes to make it in today's business-scape. Bubba's investing portfolio is extensive and it includes everything from tech, to real estate, to modern advertising. He talks about discovering his life's purpose and how he arrived at that conclusion and how his family has been his greatest support along the way. They discuss mental health and how therapy helps him balance his marriage and family with work, and how important it is to seek help when you need it. If you've ever wondered about Utah investing culture, or what it's like to be a VC, tune in to this episode to learn more! "I'm biased, I love Utah. I've been here a long time and I just think the startup ecosystem is phenomenal. I think also culturally...I think most entrepreneurs feel the way that I do, that we've received help so therefore we help and that is really healthy."

Join Clint Betts for a thrilling conversation about ice cream, branding, entrepreneurship, and leadership with Garrett Blood. From founding Arctic Zero, the third most popular ice cream company behind Häagen-Daz and Ben & Jerry's, to becoming the 57th most popular food product ever sold on Amazon, Garrett's background is deliciously diverse. With a focus on talent and ambition, his ideas are changing lives around the world. Garrett most recently had a shift in his career where he's now helping genius people move out of poverty and into a space where they can achieve their wildest dreams and launch their businesses. His story is a good reminder that no matter your background, if you have passion, you can achieve amazing things. "The moment you're an entrepreneur and you go out on your own, it's like you've opened the jar and you can't close the jar back again because it's like you love running the show. You love being able to be a pioneer of the industry, a disruptor."

Clint meets with Sid Krommenhoek who is a co-founder of Album, a venture capital team in Utah that's investing in early-stage tech startups. They discuss investing cycles and how to avoid getting too involved in a single technology because the landscape is always changing. Sid brings up an interesting idea, that the more we work with machines (like AI or simply working from home instead of the office) and use social media, the worse our mental health becomes and we need to prioritize personal connection as much as possible. Ultimately, investing in people is what will drive the industry forward and we should dedicate everything we can to making our relationships more meaningful and collaborative. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or how you were raised, if you are appropriately ruthless about following your dreams, you can make it in this industry. "I think the cryptonite in our industry is FOMO. All of us, we'll all tell you our stories of the deal that we got FOMOed into and we maybe let passion and emotion and something irrational drive a decision."

On this episode of the Silicon Slopes Podcast, Clint meets with Utah legend, Paul Ahlstrom, who is an investor and entrepreneur, as well as the co-author of Nail It Then Scale It. Utah owes its dramatic rise in the tech and investment world to Paul because he co-founded the state's leading venture capital fund, which gave Utah the springboard it needed to become a part of every renowned investor's portfolio. They discuss his extensive background in investing and how Paul has made investing history by helping so many companies become the giants they are today. They dive into Paul's entrepreneurial journey and how he's an integral part of Utah's tech ecosystem, even creating the first venture fund in Mexico! Always on the hunt for the next problem to be solved, Paul's on a mission for three things: to cure cancer, end poverty, and disrupt Hollywood, by giving back and working to build things better. "I'm not really an investor. I'm an entrepreneur that's kind of disguised as an investor but if you look at the lens of everything I do, one of the things you can look at is just creating things out of scratch that are hard, that haven't been done before."

Join Clint for a fun conversation with Eric and Ethan Parker, the founding dream team behind Utah crypto giant, Giddy. In an effort to make crypto accessible to everyone, Eric and Ethan set out on a mission to help people self-manage their own crypto wallet, keeping user privacy at the forefront of their work. They talk about building Giddy and how they keep fraud out of the mix by fully incorporating their users. As block chain is constantly evolving, these local heroes are making this industry easy to understand for the typical newbie. Tune in to hear more about their entrepreneurial journey and how they quickly rose the ranks in the crypto world. "With all the absolute chaos, what we're built on is a foundation of really good technical innovation."

In this episode of the Silicon Slopes Show, Clint Betts sits down with current congressman, John Curtis, and discusses the most relevant issues affecting citizens of the United States today. Throughout his time in Congress, John Curtis has shown a commitment to conservative principles, working across party lines when necessary to achieve meaningful results. He has been a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility, economic growth, and responsible public lands management, all with the goal of improving the lives of his constituents in Utah's 3rd congressional district.During his service, he’s had the opportunity to witness both compelling and repelling changes and choices made inside the United States government. Enjoy this episode as Clint and John dive deeper into the view of congress, dramatic changes of political parties, the impact of personal responsibility, and much more.