Danny Maher was a Marine Lieutenant and is currently the founder of Veteran TV and Irreverent Warriors.  After fighting in the Afghanistan War, Danny decided he was going to live out his dream of starting a production company.  In this episode, we talk about chasing your passion, choosing role models, and beating up your high school bullies! ----- Quick note: THIS IS THE LAST EPISODE!! Thanks to everyone who listened and enjoyed the show. I hope at least one of youse out there learned something about habits, hobbies, and the hardships of starting a business. I know I did! ----- Show Notes: (05:11) - Returning CEO, life in the Marines, and chasing your dreams (20:46) - Starting a non-profit for vet suicide prevention (31:56) - Military story of being stranded by a helicopter on a night raid (54:46) - Beating up his highschool bully and confronting his fears changed him ----- Links: * veterantv.com * irreverantwarriors.com * Youtube and Insta @dannydanceparty * His pseudonym: Donny O’Mally * https://www.amazon.com/Embarrassing-Confessions-Marine-Lieutenant-Operation-ebook/dp/B010MYG7QE ----Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Lauren Petrullo, founder of Mongoose Media, talks about marketing and Facebook ads, as well as traveling, tea, and unique experiences. Topics include how to know if your product is ready for the market, recommendations for world travelers, and the 'Dollar-to-Fun' ratio for having a good time.

Ron Douglas has the soul of an adventurer, the heart of a Texan, and enough stories to leave you inspired and left wondering, “How the hell did he do all that.” At 18, Ron broke his back and had to learn how to walk again.  That’s where he discovered grit. Then, he worked as a prison guard on death row, where he discovered irony.  After that, he worked in a junkyard where he discovered his purpose: entrepreneurship. Ron was a business coach on Discover Channel’s “Blue Collar Backers” and has exited an incredible 40 businesses.  Not to mention how he’s traveled the world on a motorcycle.  This episode is great for people with adventurous spirits and entrepreneurial minds.  ----- Show Notes: (02:47) - Napoleon Hill mastermind group, Discovery Channel TV star, and breaking his back at 18 (15:09) - How to gain clarity when setting goals (25:54) - Death row prison guard (1:00:09) - Future journaling ----- Links: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-douglas/ * https://www.mentoringgiants.com/ * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDgTivLS3k8&t=1819s

At 21, Steven opened up his first rage room. You know, those places where you go in and break shit. Now, at 26, Steven is the owner of the largest rage room company in the US. They’re opening 1-2 franchises a month. In this episode, we talk about personal development, and how health is involved in EVERYTHING you do. This episode is excellent for people who feel like they get treated differently because of their age. Also, for those interested in dopamine regulation, transforming themselves by starting a business, and those who need room for their RAGE. ----- Show Notes: (06:30) - Opening a rage room and fighting the pandemic  (20:30) - Looking to end 2023 with 15-20 franchises (27:53) - Health impacts everything you do  (55:00) - Dopamine regulation and ADHD ----- Links: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-shortino-41183818b/ * https://ismashusa.com/ * https://www.reddit.com/r/Entrepreneur/comments/aw1a09/running_a_very_successful_rage_room/ * https://open.spotify.com/episode/708LCwBsClaNFKkOsBikFP?si=dc5788761b204b41 ---- Quotes I Enjoyed “I truthfully don't think that there is a single person on this planet that has worked more hours in this industry.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!  Reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com 

Today’s guest is an incredibly smart & talented founder — who did this interview 2 weeks after having a baby! Andrea Ippolito is the founder of SimpliFed, a telehealth company offering support for baby feeding. This company comes from real problems Andrea has faced while being a mom to (now) 3 little kiddos. She previously started a company in 2012, it got acquired in 2016, and she has a Master of Engineering from both Cornell and MIT. We talk about how to sort through research (and avoid targeted/predatory marketing), starting multiple companies, and her career in the healthcare space. There’s so much to learn in this one! Give it a listen.  ----- Show Notes: (04:03) - SimpliFed, founded on lived experience (11:30) - Predatory marketing, validating research, and working through the noise  (25:45) - Andrea’s relationship with her health, having worked in healthcare for a while (34:45) - Hobbies around networking ----- Links: * simplifed.com * Insta/Twitter: @simplifedbaby * https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreakippolito/ ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!  Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

At age 7, Ryan Love was given a cane to walk with.  At age 16, he was 300 lbs. 2 different autoimmune conditions impacted his health and life. Writing is what got him through it.  At 28, Ryan is a healthy dude with a great copywriting business called Love Language Media. In this episode, we talk about Ryan's relationship with his health, writing (and how it vastly improves your thinking), our relationship with faith and religion, and following your talents. This was a super fun episode, give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (05:35) - Don’t follow your passion, follow your talent (16:00) - Formula for copywriting  (29:20) - Spirituality as a part of health (36:36) - Living with 2 autoimmune diseases  ----- Links: * https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanalove/ * www.lovelanguagemedia.com * How to Become a Copywriter on Accident  https://www.lovelanguagemedia.com/blog/how-to-become-a-copywriter-on-accident ---- Quotes I Enjoyed “The people that end up in the Jedi master zone, they just don’t stop. Even if they fail a thousand times, it only takes one to succeed.” “If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.” “Writing is Thinking. It’s the physical manifestation of thought.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!  Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com 

Chad spent 20 years as a rockstar and his whole life as an entrepreneur. We talk about the similarities between being in a band and running a business. Oh, did you know I'm in a band? I totally don't mention it in every episode ;) As a kid, he did countless odd jobs around the house for money. Until, one day, his parents ran out of money to give him! That’s when he decided to get money from others. No shit, one of his jobs was selling candy from a van. We go deep into the minimalist mindset and his decision to sell most of his possessions and live on the road with his wife for 4 years. This is a fun one, give it a listen! ----- Show Notes: (03:45) - Running a band vs running a company (16:20) - What is your “enough” (24:00) - Realizing you want to sell everything and live minimally (35:25) - Testing your ideas  ----- Links: * FB: Chad Passa, Chad Passa - Real Estate Investing * IG: Chad_Passa, @bookkeepersofamerica, @Lisa.marie.hart * https://fireyourbossfridays.buzzsprout.com/ ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more! Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

What do Starbucks, Viagra, and Netflix have in common?  And no, the answer is not “a late night.”  All 3 used their brand and storytelling abilities to create a category that didn’t exist before. Pretty neat! Today’s guest is an expert in storytelling, branding, and guessing my favorite books. We talk about AI as a tool for self-exploration, using stories to communicate your strategy, and how to approach life with a sense of play.  Check it out! ----- Show Notes: (09:35) - How you express your brand story is the difference between breakthrough and mediocre results (30:30) - ChatGPT lies… a lot (prompt engineering and hallucinating AI) (49:40) - Creative/Artistic thinking vs Scientific thinking – how do you know when to use what (52:15) - Approach life with a state of play ----- Links: * https://www.petesena.com * https://twitter.com/petesena * https://www.linkedin.com/in/petersena/ * Pete’s Pod - Forward Obsessed: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05&nd=1 * Had to do it to ‘em — check out my brother’s song “pensando en ti”: https://open.spotify.com/track/7KKkueqCLOYJMt09lLQx3s?si=bd76ed4ea5354bc5 ---- Quotes I Enjoyed “When a company is too big to fail, and they’ve got that dominant market share, innovation is so much more complex because the risk of failure is that much higher.” “As a creative professional and a creative entrepreneur, sometimes I’m a little bit of an idea masochist – i like to go through pain and that pain I think is what brings about the journey.”  “Speak your truth. Do it. Do it with empathy, do it with your core values, but do it.” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!  Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com

Successful entrepreneurs carry with them an intense, often delusional, level of self-belief. It’s essential to the recipe. In any case, there will come the point where that self-belief is put to the test. Be it through a bold claim, a big moment, or whatever.  There is a time when what you say now must be backed up with your actions.  Alex Rossman talks about such a moment when landing his first huge client: the San Diego Chargers. Since then he’s landed customers like Nike, Bose, Airbnb, and more. We talk about how to land massive clients, how to find your target audience, and more! ----- Show Notes: (02:22) - Persistence and finding reasons to persevere (19:36) - How to create customer profiles, customer segmentation, and top 3 channels to do social media ads  (29:11) - What you can do to pull customers like Nike, Airbnb, and Orange Theory  (49:46) - Writing music and owning a lil piggy  ----- Links: * rossmanmedia.com * @rossylive ---- Quotes I Enjoyed “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” “Say what you’re gonna do, do it, and provide great results.” “The best thing you can do is travel, experience new things, try new foods, meet new people” ---- If you liked the episode, subscribe for more!  Let’s chat: reach me at armand@playhardpodcast.com 

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