The Unconventional Path: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas.

Tyler Wrightson started his first company while still in high school. He quickly learned it's easy to start, but much more challenging to have a sustainable business. After a few positions in larger companies, he soon discovered he prefers having his own business. Leet Cyber Security is a super high tech business that helps companies discover their IT vulnerabilities. He then took what he learned and started Stacks Espresso Bar. Tyler's latest enterprise is CoLab, a membership co-working space. Yep, from cybersecurity to coffee to co-working space, Tyler has found a common thread that binds these businesses together. Listen to his story and learn what this common thread is Tyler has also authored two books on cybersecurity. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Link to Leet Cyber Security https://leetcybersecurity.com/ Link to Stacks Espresso Bar https://www.stacksespresso.com/ Link to CoLab CoLab Link to Tyler's books Advanced Persistent Threat Hacking: The Art and Science of Hacking Any Organization Wireless Network Security A Beginner's Guide by Tyler Wrightson Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

Yearn to Learn. Today's topic for our Mini Episode is "The Yearn to Learn". A common characteristic among successful entrepreneurs is the yearn to learn. In other words, a constant curiosity to discover and learn. Mike and I discuss the importance of constantly learning, discovering, and using curiosity as a driver to improve your product across numerous dimensions. These can include discovering customer needs, improving product quality/reliability, and proactively responding to your competition. With a bit of work, this is a characteristic you can develop and hone and it will greatly improve your entrepreneurial skill set. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

Mark Dzwonczyk journey is remarkable, make sure you listen at the end where he reveals what makes it so remarkable. An engineer with a great knack for recognizing opportunities and building a business that delights customers. Mark was a pioneer in the VoIP telephone business and eventually ran a rural telephone company trying to bring internet connectivity to all. He is also a Trustee at Clarkson University and Paul Smith's College. Listen to Mark recount this remarkable journey and share some of his wisdom in this episode. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Link to Seth Godin TED Talk "How to get your ideas to spread" https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread?language=en Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

Raising Capital This is the second of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is from a listener question, Andy from Providence Rhode Island asks about raising capital. We could do a whole series on episodes on raising capital as it is a very complex topic. We cover the basics here and introduce some important concepts. Debt, equity, VC, Banks, Friends and Family, Kickstarter, these are all important topics. As always, there is lots more to learn. Thanks for the great question Andy! This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

John Cococcia graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and got a job working at a Ford Motor Company plant. His first assignment was supervising a manufacturing department. As John said, "It was a great learning experience!" He then got a job as a Partner at FA Technology Ventures, a $100 million early stage venture capital fund, where he made investments and help companies succeed. His most recent corporate assignment was as the business development executive for Plug Power, a public company. John is also a Venture Partner at Armory Square Ventures. With such a diverse background, John had lots of wisdom to share in this interview. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out John at Armory Square Ventures: http://www.armorysv.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.

This is the first of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is change and trying something new. All entrepreneurs have a willingness to try new things/ideas/ concepts. After all, everything we have in this world is a result of someone willing to try something new with the full knowledge that it may or may not work. Let us know how you like these mini episodes. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

Simon Balint graduated from high school and deferred entering Brown University for a year to backpack around the world. He then spent a few years teaching English in Japan and helping to expand the company he worked for. After returning to the United States, he joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's business incubator where he met some students who were starting a business. He joined them and they build a business that was acquired by Lion Products. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Lion at https://www.lionprotects.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.

Gustav Joensson is an exchange student at Clarkson University. I sat down with him to discuss entrepreneurship in Sweden and how it compares to the United States. Gustav discuss the strong entrepreneurship education available to all students starting in high school and continuing through college. We discuss the impact this has had on Sweden. Gustav also relates his experience at Clarkson and exploring various parts of the United States. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike 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.

Mitch Hara started as an investment banker helping Beekman 1802 grow and ended up becoming CEO. Every growing business needs experienced talent, finding the "right" talent is multi-faceted. Starting as a consultant enables the founders and Mitch to get to know each other before making a major commitment. This interview was recorded live at the NY Biz Lab - Clarkson Entrepreneurship Lunchtime Series. It's a fascinating story of a New York City banker, joining a "Living Brand" business in rural up-state NY. Mitch also discusses the challenges of maintaining the founders culture in a growing business. We also cover how Beekman 1802 built a strong customer following. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Beekman 1802 here: Beekman 1802 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.

EP-11: Passion, Culture, and Supply Chain. Nichole Snow - Darn Good Yarns Nichole's entrepreneurial adventures started with selling Betta fish to her dorm-mates in college. Then she transformed her childhood hobby into a thriving business. She's a master at recognizing opportunities. Darn Good Yarns provides uniquely made materials to the craft market while helping there suppliers from impoverished regions of the world make a sustainable living. Nicole's mission is to infuse good into all parts of her business, from satisfying a market need to doing good around the world. Nichole also describes how her experience in the United States Army helped prepare her for working with a worldwide supply chain and all the complex regulations and challenges that are part of the package. We also discuss the importance of corporate culture and building a strong customer following. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Nichole Snow and Darn Good Yarns here: Darn Good Yarns 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.