Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Will Dzombak is a Pittsburgh native and one of the entertainment industry’s top music managers. He’s helped guide the career of Grammy-nominated rapper Wiz Khalifa and cofounded Taylor Gang Entertainment.   As a student at Penn State, Will co-founded an events company, where he booked Wiz Khalifa will he was still just a rising Pittsburgh rapper. After the first show’s turnout exceeded expectations, Khalifa sought out Dzombak’s help with booking more shows for him.    Within a few years, Dzombak has helped Khalifa create one of the most successful and consistent summer tours for the last 7 years. He’s also been one of the executive producers on Khalifa’s last three full-length releases.   Together, Wiz and Will have built Taylor Gang Entertainment, invested in the e-sports team Pittsburgh Knights, and much more.   In this conversation, Aaron and Will discuss the early days of Wiz’s career, their new restaurant Hotbox by Wiz, and the marketing strategies that they’ve been early to embrace. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Will Dzombak’s Challenge; Start a second hustle.   Connect with Will Dzombak Instagram Twitter WillDzombak.com Taylor Gang Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 358 with Jamilka Borges where we discuss the restaurant business, and episode 450 with Brian Scott where we discuss better planting soil.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher

Planting soil hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years. Brian Scott wants to change that.   Brian is the CEO of PittMoss, a Pittsburgh startup that creates a recycled/upcycled substitute for peat moss.    Pittmoss has been proven in greenhouse trials to outgrow all current peat-based potting soil products when mixed with these products or when plants are grown in nutrient-enriched Pittmoss alone.    He is currently leading a company pivot to the retail market. Brian originally invested in the company as an angel investor, and took over the company when the founder moved on for family reasons.   In this episode, Brian and Aaron discuss leading a company through growth, the negative environmental impact of peat moss, and the company’s fundraising history, including money from Mark Cuban.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Brian Scott’s Challenge; Let’s make Pittsburgh the first peat-free city.   Connect with Brian Scott Linkedin Instagram Twitter YouTube PittMoss Website Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Michael is the CEO and co-founder of Edge Case Research, a company focused on making autonomy safer. Edge Case Research’s ECR’s products and services are geared for customers who build autonomous systems.    The company’s offerings include software that tests for gaps in computer vision systems and consulting focused on prioritizing safety into an engineering department’s culture.   Michael’s experience with autonomous vehicles started twenty years ago at Carnegie Mellon University where he built lunar rovers for Red Whittaker, autonomous scientific robots that explored Antarctica, and self-driving technology for tackling harsh off-road terrain.   In this episode, Michael and Aaron discuss the origins of the company, how to translate ideas across organizations, and the multitude of industries that will be impacted by autonomous vehicles.    Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Michael Wagner’s Challenge; Go see the lunar rover seminar.   Connect with Michael Wagner Linkedin Edge Case Research Website   If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Argo Ai founder Bryan Salesky about autonomous cars and the episode with Locomation CEO Çetin Meriçli where we discuss self-driving semi-trucks. Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Amanda Dixon is the cofounder of Barney, a mid-market M&A firm that helps entrepreneurs buy and sell digital businesses. They boast a database of more than 15,000 buyers and a dynamic portfolio of past mergers and acquisitions.    Before starting Barney, Amanda had previously started and sold two businesses. After successfully selling both businesses, Amanda became painfully aware of the challenges associated with selling a business worth less than $20 million.   Now, Amanda leverages her learnings to helping others exit their business in a way that is simple, focused, and financially advantageous. You can see the companies that are currently for sale through Barney on their website.   When she's not working, you can find Amanda with her husband and daughter at the beach or watching Frozen for the 1,000th time.   In this episode, Amanda and Aaron discuss how digital businesses get valued, why you shouldn’t share your customer list during due diligence, and what she learned selling her own businesses. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Amanda Dixon’s Challenge; Make a stranger smile this weekend.   Connect with Amanda Dixon Linkedin Barney Website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 269 with Brent Beshore where we discuss selling family businesses and the unique models of private equity.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher |

Dawn Dickson is a serial entrepreneur that has launched four successful cash flow positive companies since 2002. Most recently, she splits her time between Flat Out of Heels (rollable flats for women to get relief from painful heels) and PopCom (a software solution to make vending machines more intelligent).   Dawn has an expertise in raising traditional and non-traditional business capital. In 2019, Dawn became the first female CEO globally to raise over $1 million using equity crowdfunding. This style of fundraising was made available by the JOBS Act, which was signed into law in 2012.   In this conversation, Dawn and Aaron get into a deep discussion of the stairstep approach to entrepreneurship. By starting as a consultant, graduating to a product business, and then moving on to software, Dawn has been able to build upon the knowledge, reputation, and capital she earned in each business. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Dawn Dickson’s Challenge; Hop on an equity crowdfunding platform and    Connect with Dawn Dickson Twitter Instagram Medium Linkedin   Follow PopCom Instagram If you liked this interview, check out episode 445 with Pierre Laguerre where we discuss how he is using technology to improve the lives of truck drivers.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher |

In 2017, Amira Valliani created Backyard Cambridge, a podcast about the City Council election in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She interviewed the candidates, produced the episodes, and built a small audience.   When she attempted to turn the show into a viable business, she found that there was no easy solution for collecting subscription revenue from listeners willing to pay for content.   So, she founded Glow. Glow makes building podcast memberships easy and has raised more than $2 million in seed funding.   In this episode, Amira and Aaron discuss why podcasters can make more money from subscriptions, Amira’s experience selling ads, and how startup life compares to the Hillary State Department. Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Amira Valliani’s Challenge; Reconnect with someone you haven’t talked to in a while.   Connect with Amira Valliani Linkedin Twitter Glow.fm Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Pierre Laguerre is the founder & CEO of Fleeting, a startup building a digital platform to increase flexibility, dynamism, and efficiency for trucking companies and commercial truck drivers.    Pierre previously built two successful trucking companies operating trucks and staffing for other trucking companies. He’s been involved in trucking for nearly two decades and has learned the industry inside and out.   Since launching Fleeting in June 2019, Pierre and the team have generated over $1.5 million in revenue and raised more than $1.8 million. Additionally, Pierre became the first black man to ever max out a crowdfunding campaign by raising the $1.07 million SEC max, via Republic.   In this conversation, Pierre and Aaron discuss how he got into trucking to escape poverty, the forces changing the trucking industry, and the harsh conditions that drivers deal with on a regular basis.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Pierre Laguerre’s Challenge; Look at the world like you only have 24 hours left.   Connect with Pierre Laguerre Linkedin Twitter Fleeting Website Instagram   Book Referenced What the CEO Wants You To Know by Ram Charan   If you liked this interview, check out our past interviews covering trucking and logistics. Cetin Mericli talks about building self-driving semi-trucks. Kristy Knichel talks about building a 3rd party logistics company to over $80 million in revenue. Hayden Cardiff talks about saving lives with software.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube

25 years ago, Gene Leyzarovich came to Pittsburgh as a refugee from Russia. Within two years, he founded Advanced Computer & Network Corporation to build data storage systems for clients.   Decades later, AC&NC has installed their JetStor RAID (redundant array of independent disks) systems for over 4,000 clients around the world. Those clients include NASA, the US State Department, and a majority of the United Kingdom’s police force.   Now, ACNC does over $10 million in annual revenue and assembles its devices in Pittsburgh, PA.   In this conversation, Gene and Aaron discuss how he’s gone from selling 4-gigabyte units to multiple petabyte units for clients and how the business of hardware has evolved.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Gene Leyzarovich’s Challenge; Set a weekly goal and commit to achieving it.   Connect with Gene Leyzarovich Linkedin Twitter ACNC Website sales@acnc.com   If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss building multiple software companies in the gift card space.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify

Check out the Expand Your Mind newsletter https://www.goingdeepsummit.com/expand-your-mind   Watch the Piper Rundown & Vlog on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-TQPfKOAH5f9vmVnGT9GPQ

Blake Dube is the founder and CEO of Aeronics and the inventor of Pawprint Oxygen. Pawprint Oxygen is the world's first rescue oxygen supply for pets.   Blake studied oxygen as a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh and expected to develop products for human medical applications. However, a chance encounter with his landlord revealed an exciting market opportunity to bring an oxygen tank product to market for animals.   Now, his tanks are manufactured in the US and sold in veterinary clinics around the country.   In this conversation, Blake and Aaron discuss the origins of the company, how Blake found the right manufacturing partner, and the ongoing improvements that are made to their product.   Sign up for a Weekly Email that will Expand Your Mind.   Blake Dube’s Challenge; Treat customer service representatives with kindness and respect.   Connect with Blake Dube Linkedin Facebook Aeronics Website Pawprint Oxygen website   If you liked this interview, check out episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss spinning a company out of a university, selling a company for $300 million, and finding purpose in your work.   Text Me What You Think of This Episode 412-278-7680 Underwritten by Piper Creative Piper Creative makes creating podcasts, vlogs, and videos easy.    How? Click here and Learn more.   We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.   Follow Piper as we grow YouTube Instagram Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | Spotify