

The Unconventional Path: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas.
Bela Musits
Explore how to build and grow your business in today’s global marketplace. In each episode, we try to capture and share the essence of how interesting people often take unconventional paths to build their business, some of whom succeed, some who do not.
The hosts for this podcast series are Bela Musits, former business school professor, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur based in upstate New York, and Mike Wasserman, professor of international management at the University of Applied Sciences in Münster, Germany.
The hosts for this podcast series are Bela Musits, former business school professor, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur based in upstate New York, and Mike Wasserman, professor of international management at the University of Applied Sciences in Münster, Germany.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 2, 2023 • 48min
EP-160 Paul Barron - The Wall Printer
In this episode of the podcast, Bela Musits interviews Paul Baron, he is the founder and chief executive officer of The Wall Printer USA. Paul is responsible for all executive functions, assuring the growth of the corporation and of the businesses that purchase a Wall Printer. His decades of business experience span B2B, B2C, retail, manufacturing, distribution, international business, and franchising. Paul has personally developed and launched business concepts and supported successful revenue growth, which lead to exits for several start-ups and established businesses.
We had a great conversation so please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about The Wall Printer and Paul here:
https://thewallprinter.com/en/
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

May 17, 2023 • 35min
EP-159 Is Artificial Intelligence Really As Good As People Say It Is? - Devon Watson
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by repeat guest Devon Watson. Devon was previously featured on episodes 24 and 142. We engage in a three-way conversation with Devon, Mike, and Bela on the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Devon has written several posts about AI and is quite knowledgeable on the subject. We discuss the potential impact of AI and some of the positive aspects it can contribute to society. We also conducted a small experiment using AI, and the response we received was 90% incorrect.
You can find more info about Devon Watson here:
www.Twitter.com/watsondevon
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-divide-how-ai-automation-creating-bifurcated-labor-devon-watson
Please give the episode a listen!
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

May 5, 2023 • 40min
EP-158 Rick Elmore - NFL Football Player Turned Entrepreneur
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Rick Elmore. He is an entrepreneur, sales, and marketing expert, and former college and professional football athlete. As the Founder and CEO of Simply Noted, Rick developed a proprietary technology that puts real pen and ink to paper to scale handwritten communication, helping businesses of all industries scale this unique marketing platform to stand out from their competition and build meaningful relationships with clients, customers, and employees.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Rick and Simply Noted here:
https://simplynoted.com/
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Apr 20, 2023 • 40min
EP-157 - David Dussault - P-1 Industries Part-2
Today’s guest on the podcast is David Dussault, the founder of P1 Industries in Schenectady, NY. This is part 2 of my conversation with David. David started P1 after leaving GE and has built a solid business in machining and fabricating precision metal components for the energy and defense industry. Listen to how David has grown this company by keeping a keen eye on building a customer service-focused culture. P1 is a great example of applying entrepreneurship to traditional manufacturing businesses. This was a long conversation, so I broke it into 2 parts. This a part 2.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about David and P1 here: http://www.p1ind.com
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Apr 7, 2023 • 35min
EP-156 David Dussault - P1 Industries Part-1
Today’s guest on the podcast is David Dussault, the founder of P1 Industries in Schenectady, NY. He was a guest on the podcast black in EP-2. David started P1 after leaving GE and has built a solid business in machining and fabricating precision metal components for the energy and defense industry. Listen to how David has grown this company by keeping a keen eye on building a customer service-focused culture. P1 is a great example of applying entrepreneurship to traditional manufacturing businesses. This was a long conversation, so I broke it into 2 parts. This a part one.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about David and P1 here:
http://www.p1ind.com
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Mar 24, 2023 • 51min
EP-155 Anish Majumdar - The Hidden Job Market
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Anish Majumdar. He is a career coach and an expert in the hidden job market. We have a wonderful conversation about the most effective way to make new opportunities for yourself.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Anish here:
https://www.helloanish.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishmajumdar/
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Mar 9, 2023 • 39min
EP-154 Jeremy Ryan Slate - Podcast and Media Expert and Author
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jeremy Ryan Slate. He is an entrepreneur, media expert, author and CEO and founder of Command Your Brand. He studied literature at Oxford University and is a former champion powerlifter that helps visionary founders to impact the world and better mankind through podcasting and new media to create trust and opinion leader status. Podcast Magazine just included Jeremy on their 2022 40 under 40 in Podcasting list. He is also the author of “Unremarkable to Extraordinary”
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Jeremy here:
https://commandyourbrand.com/
You can find his book here:
https://www.amazon.com/Unremarkable-Extraordinary-Passion-Passive-Observer/dp/1953153682
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Feb 24, 2023 • 54min
EP-153 Jonathan Jay - Entrepreneur and Author, Founder - DealMakers.uk.co
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jonathan Jay. Over the past 30 years, Jonathan has built and exited businesses in publishing, digital marketing, adult education, and preschool education. This experience has given him special insights into what mistakes business owners and investors should avoid in order to succeed. His new book, “Business Buying Strategies” is a must read for anyone looking to grow their existing business or acquire a business.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Jonathan Jay here:
https://dealmakers.co.uk/
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Feb 10, 2023 • 47min
EP-152 Steven Blue - CEO Miller Ingenuity, and Best Selling Author
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Steven Blue. He is the CEO of Miller Ingenuity, a Keynote Speaker, and a Best-Selling Author. We had a great conversation about leadership, building organizations, and focusing on your customer.
If you are watching the video version of this podcast, Steven’s video was not working, so the video is just me.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Steven Blue here:
https://www.stevenlblue.com/
Our podcast is now available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app. For YouTube, just search for The Unconventional Path or use this link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcihgLJ_eTFCgFXADE7_reg
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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

Jan 27, 2023 • 49min
EP-151 Robin Singhvi - Founder SmartCue
In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Robin Singhvi. He is a first-time entrepreneur. He is the founder of SmartCue, a software as a service company (SAS) focused on helping customers sell software products and services in the B2B sector. We had a great conversation about the challenges of starting a software company, selling software, and all of the other things founders need to do.
Please give the episode a listen!
You can find more info about Robin and SmartCue here:
https://www.getsmartcue.com/
Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app. Just search for The Unconventional Path.
If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest. We also 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