The Unconventional Path: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas.

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Brian Epstein. He is the founder of Deep Blue Communications, which was recently acquired by Comcast. Brian shares his story starting with the founding of Deep Blue through the acquisition by Comcast and his current role running Deep Blue within Comcast. Brian shares many words of wisdom we can all benefit from. This session was recorded at the monthly NY BizLab-Clarkson Entrepreneurship event where Rick Derrico and I interviewed Brian. Please forgive the background noise. You can find more information about Brian here: Brian Epstein You can find a Comcast press release on the acquisition of Deep Blue here: Comcast We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guests are Emily Soccorsy (So-KOR-SEE) and Justin Foster. They founded Root and River. Justin did some consulting for Emily at a Fortune 500 company. They then joined forces and started Root and River, where they work with companies to scale their brand around their mission. We had a great discussion about connecting mission to the brand and moving the brand from something constructed for external audiences to something that comes from the inside out. We also discussed the challenges of running a company when the founders are in two different locations. You can find more information about Root and River here: https://rootandriver.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Catherine Hover. We had a great conversation at Palette Cafe, which she founded. Our conversation was actually in a phone booth room. Yep, they have a working pay phone there. Catherine hails from New Orleans and after moving to Saratoga she missed some of the social/networking groups that she was part of. So, as all great entrepreneurs do, she started several social/networking opportunities in her new location. Her first was "Paint and Sip", a place to gather, do some painting with the guidance of an instructor, and drink some wine. She currently has two Paint and Sip locations. Most recently she started the Palette Cafe. A place for women to gather, socialize and network. I really enjoyed our conversation and found Catherine to be inspiring! You can find more information about Paint & Sip Studio here: https://www.paintandsipstudios.com/ You can find more information about Palette Cafe here: https://thepalettecafe.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Becky Daniels the Executive Director of Discover Schenectady. Major industrial cities, like Schenectady, saw explosive growth in jobs, and economic activity in the 1950s through the late 1960s. When those jobs went to lower-cost labor markets or got automated in some form - these regions went through a tough patch, but now, thanks to the efforts of individuals like Becky, many of these regions are back and growing. We discuss some of the entrepreneurial efforts Becky has employed to help Schenectady grow and prosper again. You can find more information about Becky's efforts here: Discover Schenectady We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jeff Schwartz. Jeff is one of the lead entrepreneurship practice attorneys at Phillips Lytle. I have known Jeff for over 20 years and during this interview, he shares a wealth of information regarding why it's important to have experienced legal advice when you are starting a business, raising capital, or transiting a business to others. Jeff also works with startups and technology and emerging growth companies through all stages of their growth, from formation through dealings with venture financing and other capital raising initiatives. He also works with and represents various capital providers, from angel investors to venture capital funds. In other words, he is a very knowledgeable and experienced attorney. You can find his profile at Jeff Schwartz We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partners Rich Honen or Jeff Schwartz at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jim Williams. Jim founded Upper Hudson Coffee, located in North Creek, NY where he roasts coffee that captures the history and richness of the upper Hudson River gorge. Jim is one of the most interesting people I know. His life experience spans being a Dean of Students at a private prep school, a river rafting guide, a male stripper, a professional ski patroller, and starting his coffee roasting business back in his beloved Adirondacks. Jim's insightful approach to branding his coffee is a good lesson in product positioning. Enjoy this podcast and try some of his coffee. You can find his coffee at Upper Hudson Coffee We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jon C. Warner. John is the author of 40 books, his most recent SLAM is a wonderful guide book for anyone starting a business. Jon and I had a great conversation covering finding your market opportunity first and then developing your product/service. In other words, Jon flips the Product-Market fit to Market-Product fit. Link to Jon's most recent book, SLAM SLAM: Build your startup idea or early stage business with the Startup Launch Assistance Map We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, This is part 2 of my conversation with Mike Wacholder. Mike was my boss for a number of years when I worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, (RPI). When 2 old friends get together, the conversation can go long. So we broke my conversation with Mike into two parts. This is pat 2. I suggest you listen to Part 1 first. Mike was one of the early innovators in University-based Technology Parks and Technology Business Incubators. And remained at the forefront of these two important entrepreneurial resources until his retirement several years ago. Mike was also the best boss I ever worked for. A number of years ago Mike had a stroke that changed his life. Mike knows how to take lemons and turn them into lemonade. Listen to how he takes his mentorship skills to a whole new level by writing 2 inspirational books. Links to Mike's two books Thoughts Along the Way Where's There? The Shared Insights of a Stroke Survivor. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Mike Wacholder. Mike was my boss for a number of years when I worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, (RPI). When 2 old friends get together, the conversation can go long. This one did so we broke my conversation with Mike into two parts. This week is part 1. Part 2 will be released next week. Mike was one of the early innovators in University-based Technology Parks and Technology Business Incubators. And remained at the forefront of these two important entrepreneurial resources until his retirement several years ago. Mike was also the best boss I ever worked for. Make sure you also tune in next week to hear how a life-changing event turned Mike into an inspirational writer. Links to Mike's two books Thoughts Along the Way Where's There? The Shared Insights of a Stroke Survivor. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This is a mini-episode where we discuss sustainability, global warming and how entrepreneurs can discover opportunities, build a business, and make a difference in the world. So, give it a listen and let us know what you think. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike