Builders & Doers

From cultivating tobacco in rural Greece to becoming an award-winning data & AI executive and global keynote speaker, Dora Boussias has spent 30 years proving that you can be the captain of your own ship. In this conversation, she shares how she navigated immigration at 17, built a business-minded tech career at companies like GE and Stryker, and now helps data & AI leaders (especially women in tech) design careers with clarity, confidence, and purpose. We explore human-centered leadership, why digital transformation is really about people and culture, and how to future-proof your career in the era of AI.Connect with Dora:🟢 https://doraboussias.com/🟢 https://www.linkedin.com/in/doraboussias/🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 – Immigrant roots & early grit03:40 – Finding her path into IT & data07:30 – Burnout, reset & creating CLEAR MAP11:55 – Bringing generative AI into career programs16:40 – Skill gaps, mindset gaps & mid-career traps21:30 – Data storytelling and influencing executives26:10 – Human-centered leadership in a changing tech landscape31:20 – How mid-career pros can regain agency34:40 – What AI is good at (and terrible at)40:40 – AI as a magnifying mirror of culture & values44:45 – Advice for people worried about being replaced & where to find Dora

They had the perfect resumes. The elite MBAs from Columbia Business School. The foolproof plan to skip the startup grind and buy an existing, successful company.They thought it would be easier. They were wrong.This is the untold story of what happens after you launch a search fund. It’s a journey through brutal ups and downs, deals that can die in a thousand different ways, and the realization that you’re jumping on a train moving 200 miles per hour without being the original operator.In this episode, former Goldman Sachs investment banker Zach Krumholz and ex-Bain engineer Rafa Caldas get honest about their acquisition journey.Discover:🟣 The single biggest misconception that lures people into buying a business🟣 An ex-Goldman banker's three levers to dramatically increase your company's valuation🟣 The seller red flag that makes them walk away from a deal instantly🟣 How to take over an existing team in the first 100 days without destroying company cultureConnect with Rafa and Zach:https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaell-caldas/https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-krumholz-20421959/https://www.premierworlddiscovery.com/https://www.afcvacations.com/[rcaldas@longhpartners.comzkrumholz@longhpartners.comConnect with your PERFECT coach at coachfinder.ai🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 – Intro01:22 – The Brutal Reality We Never Expected02:10 – The #1 Thing Most Buyers Miss03:12 – The Myth: Why Buying a Business is Harder Than Building One07:39 – Forging an Unbreakable CEO Partnership10:54 – Ex-Goldman Banker’s Tip to Instantly Increase Your Company’s Value13:46 – The Seller Motivation That Makes Us Walk Away Instantly15:23 – The Corporate Habit Most Startups Hate (But Secretly Need)16:42 – How to Take Over a Company Without Destroying It20:03 – The Framework for Making Tough Calls in an Uncertain Economy21:44 – We Changed Role, Industry & City All at Once (How We Survived)23:54 – Rapid Fire: Deal Breakers, Bad Advice & Big Predictions25:31 – This Trend Will Dominate M&A (And How to Prepare NOW)28:48 – Our Real Legacy Beyond Financial Returns30:05 – The “Magical Experience” of Running Our Dream Company32:44 – From Columbia MBA to Co-CEOs: Did We See This Coming?35:31 – A Warning to MBA Students: Don’t Waste This Opportunity

Kal Amin, a seasoned operator from Google and Spotify, now leads 1848 Ventures, focusing on AI solutions for small businesses. He shares insights on Spotify’s shift to mobile-first strategies and the differences in culture between Google and Spotify. Kal emphasizes the importance of fast decision-making and prioritizing progress over perfection. He discusses the necessity of considering monetization early in startups and highlights how resilience and a clear vision are key to long-term success in entrepreneurship.

What if the financial system judged your future by your past—even if you had none? Millions of smart, capable people are denied credit not because they’re irresponsible, but because they’re “invisible” to traditional banks.Andrew Endicott co-founded Petal, a fintech that reimagined credit access for people with limited histories. From raising hundreds of millions in equity and debt, to creating cashflow underwriting now powering other banks, Andrew shares the inside story of building—and backing—the next wave of financial inclusion.Discover:🟣 Why millions of responsible people get locked out of the credit system🟣 How “cashflow underwriting” works (and why banks said it was impossible)🟣 The painful reality of raising from 100+ investors before hearing “yes”🟣 How to know when to push through rejection vs. when to pivot🟣 The overlooked risks—and the biggest opportunities—in fintech today🟣 Why intensity of conviction is more valuable than pitch-deck polishConnect with Andrew:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewendicott/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman/🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday: https://thesearchlight.com/subscribe/Timestamps:0:00 – Intro0:20 – Why I Started Petal: Seeing the Gap in Credit Access2:42 – Credit Histories Shape Your Entire Life4:54 – Managing Risk While Raising $700M+ in Equity & Debt8:53 – Cashflow Underwriting: A Different Way to Assess Risk12:55 – Fundraising Reality: 100 Investor Pitches for a $3.3M Seed17:03 – Facing Failure and the Founder’s Burden20:15 – Why Coaching, Mentors & Peer Support Are Critical24:05 – Mindset Shifts: From Lawyer to Banker to Entrepreneur to Investor33:28 – Resilience vs. Pivot: Knowing When to Hold ’Em and When to Fold ’Em39:53 – Why We Named Our Fund “Gilgamesh”43:35 – Overlooked Risks in Fintech: Regulation, Partnerships, Capital Intensity45:46 – The New Wave of Fintech: AI, Stablecoins & Beyond50:15 – What Investors Really Look For in Founders

When was the last corporate event that truly changed how you think or work?Most are forgettable — bland keynotes, lukewarm coffee, awkward networking. But Daniel Curtis, former chef turned global events leader for brands like Google and LinkedIn, knows how to make them unforgettable.His secret starts with one question: Why are we here?In this episode, Daniel shares his framework for creating events that resonate, inspire action, and turn attendees into advocates. He proves that purpose beats budget and famous speakers every time.Discover:🟢 What separates a great event from a transformative one🟢 How to craft a roadmap that equips your audience to excel🟢 A framework to align content, experience, and purpose🟢 Using Stoic principles to build crisis-proof eventsConnect with Daniel:https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielemc3/https://emc3.com/https://www.instagram.com/emc3london/?hl=enConnect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:04 - From Kitchen to Corporate: A Journey of Transition03:38 - Evolving from Concierge to Corporate Events06:54 - The Shift from Logistics to Content Strategy09:45 - Transformative Events: Purpose and Engagement12:11 - Navigating Executive Friction in Event Planning14:49 - Adapting to Virtual Events During COVID-1918:16 - Taking Risks: Moving to America for Growth21:33 - The Challenges of Event Management24:19 - Philosophy's Role in Business28:51 - Balancing Authenticity and Audience Needs31:06 - Insights from the YPO Community34:30 - Memorable Events and Their Impact35:57 - Sustainability in the Events Industry38:20 - The Importance of Purpose in Event Planning#EventMarketing #CorporateEvents #ExperientialMarketing #BrandStrategy #Leadership #B2BMarketing #EventProfs #MarketingStrategy #Sustainability #Entrepreneurship #BusinessPodcast #CrisisManagement #EventPlanning #MarketingTips #AudienceEngagement #TheBDPodcast

They say leadership costs. Your health, your relationships, your peace of mind. You’re told the hustle is the only way to the top, even if it leaves you burned out, empty, and wondering, "Is this it?".You've been lied to.Steve Baue was a high-flying VP who paid that price. He had the first-class tickets, the international meetings, and the title most people dream of. He also had a breakdown at 30,000 feet that made him realize his success was hollow and his soul was crying out for help.Discover:🟣 The 4 Pillars of Burnout-Proof Health🟣 Why a Vacation Won't Fix You🟣 Escaping the "Mimic" Trap Leaders Fall Into🟣 The Hustle Culture LieConnect with Steve:https://stevebaue.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebaue/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:0:00 - Intro1:04 - My First Leadership Role Was a Disaster3:48 - The Lesson I Learned From a Hypocrite Boss 5:28 - Why Most Leaders Are Just Mimicking Others 6:21 - The Great Lie: "Leaders Are Born, Not Made" 9:29 - Why Do We Underinvest in Our Most Crucial People? 11:42 - Coaching vs. Training: What Actually Works? 13:19 - The Fine Line Between Authenticity and Influence 15:36 - From Global VP to Burnout Victim: My Story 18:11 - The 4 Pillars of Mental Health You're Ignoring 22:07 - Burnout Isn't a Workplace Problem, It's a "Yes" Problem 22:27 - Your Brain on Burnout is a Phone in Low-Power Mode 24:31 - The Hustle Culture is a Trap 26:06 - The Italy Trip: Crying in First Class 29:58 - The Mid-Life Crisis Conversation with My Wife 35:22 - 6 Days After Quitting, I Got Cancer 40:36 - The Critical Difference Between a Coach and a Counselor 45:31 - Rapid Fire: Best Leadership Book?46:37 - The #1 Mental Health Hack48:19 - The "Step-Down Meeting" Every CEO Needs to Have 50:31 - The Underrated Power of a Safe Space#LeadershipDevelopment #Burnout #MentalHealth #CEO #ExecutiveCoaching #CareerChange #AuthenticLeadership #HustleCulture #Entrepreneurship #Mindfulness #CorporateLife #Success #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipTips #Motivation #TheBDPodcast

They’re coming for your idea.Before you’ve even built a prototype, before you’ve written a single line of code, corporate giants and patent trolls are laying landmines designed to seize your life’s work. That NDA you think is protecting you? It could be worthless.In this episode, we interview Austin Bonderer — a patent attorney listed on nearly 700 patents who has never lost an appeal to the patent board. He’s a former patent examiner and worked with tech giant Foxconn in China, seeing firsthand how the global innovation war is fought.Discover:🟢 Why NDAs often fail and what to do instead🟢 How patent trolls destroy startups and how to avoid them🟢 When to patent, where to patent, and how fast you need to move🟢 What happens when someone steals your idea and wins🟢 How big tech uses patents as weapons, and what founders can learn from itConnect with Austin:https://bondererpatents.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-bonderer-a0b08b3/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:06 - The Real Reason Patents Exist02:01 - Why China Was Forced to Embrace Intellectual Property03:00 - Inside Foxconn: Lessons from Apple's iPhone Supplier06:03 - The #1 Mistake That KILLS Inventions Instantly06:41 - WARNING: Your NDA is a Legally Worthless Trap07:43 - Why Methods Are Easier to Patent Than Products08:33 - How Aspirin & Botox Hacked the Patent System10:40 - Execution vs. Idea: What a Top Lawyer REALLY Believes13:44 - My Secret to an Undefeated Patent Appeal Record15:31 - The Shocking Truth of How Long a Patent ACTUALLY Takes18:22 - "TOAST": How the Supreme Court Annihilated Software Patents25:10 - Why VCs and Big Tech REFUSE to Sign Your NDA29:23 - How "Patent Trolls" Brought BlackBerry to Its Knees33:38 - Apple vs. Samsung: Inside the "Mutually Assured Destruction" Patent Wars36:56 - The Global Patent Trap: Your US Patent is Worthless Overseas41:28 - The Billion-Dollar Idea I Invented But Never Patented43:52 - Are Patents Hurting or Helping Innovation? The Final Verdict46:51 - Rapid Fire: Underrated Advice, Weirdest Patent & More#PatentLaw #IntellectualProperty #Startups #Entrepreneurship #Founder #Innovation #Tech #BusinessStrategy #Invention #NDA #LegalAdvice #ProtectYourIdea #TechLaw #Startuplife #TheBDPodcast

Is your website stuck at a 1-2% conversion rate? You’ve changed the button colors, tweaked the headlines, and followed all the standard advice, but nothing moves the needle.The fix might not be where you think it is.Matthew Stafford discovered that most business websites aren't broken; they're just asking the wrong questions and ignoring the simple psychological triggers that make people buy. After his own $15 million business collapsed, he was forced to learn what truly works, not from gurus, but from raw data.Discover:🟣 A 2-word change for your checkout page that can lift revenue up to 17%🟣 The post-sale question that reveals your website's biggest problems🟣 Why making your website "easier" to use can actually hurt sales🟣 The "Thermostat" mindset that caps your income—and the habit that raises it.Connect with Matthew:buildgrowscale.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewstafforddotcomConnect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:45 - How My $15,000,000 Business Vanished03:23 - Surviving the 3-Year Struggle After Failure05:10 - Your Mental "Thermostat" is Capping Your Income06:50 - #1 Habit to Raise Your Financial Thermostat08:36 - Motivation vs. Unbreakable Discipline09:03 - Why High-Performers Really Hire Coaches11:44 - Stop Making This #1 Coaching Mistake17:25 - One Word You Must Eliminate Now18:41 - Your Website's "Restaurant Menu" Flaw20:02 - A Million-Dollar Thank-You Page Question22:50 - Two-Word Change Boosted Revenue 17%25:28 - Are Your Brand Colors Killing Sales?27:29 - When My Gut Instinct Was Always Wrong32:14 - Using AI for Your 90-Day Growth Plan34:16 - Leading "Supercharged" Teams in the AI Age38:14 - The Future of eCommerce Isn't Traffic39:02 - Daily Habits for 7-Figure Growth40:00 - Where to Find Matthew Online#eCommerce #ConversionOptimization #Shopify #BusinessMindset #DigitalMarketing #CRO #OnlineBusiness #Entrepreneurship #SalesFunnel #MarketingStrategy #AIforBusiness #eCommerceTips #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusiness #TheBDPodcast

A war, a wildfire, a new tariff. Any one of these can happen overnight and wipe your business off the map. Your single supplier just went dark, your inventory is gone, and your customers are looking elsewhere. Game over.But it didn't have to be this way. You could actually build a business so resilient it was nearly invincible. Supply chain veteran and CEO Kerim Kfuri has spent over 20 years developing the exact playbook to make your operations "disruption-proof". Discover:🟢 How to build alternative supply chains so one point of failure can't sink your business🟢 The "Just in Case" inventory strategy to ensure you're never out of stock when competitors are🟢 A framework for risk mapping to identify and neutralize threats before they strike🟢 Why transparent communication is the ultimate tool for navigating any business crisisConnect with Kerim:https://kerimkfuri.com/https://theatlasnetwork.com/https://supplychainupsanddowns.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerimkfuri/Connect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro02:14 - From Wall Street to a Pandora's Box of Fraud03:26 - The Tariff Lie: How YOU Are Paying for the Trade War08:03 - Acts of God: When Wildfires & War Break the World12:06 - The "Disruption-Proof" Playbook for Any Business15:36 - Are Tariffs a Negotiation Tactic or Economic Suicide?17:54 - The Unbeatable Industries with an Unbreakable Moat21:26 - The Next China: Why Africa & South America Are the Future26:44 - Rise of the Robots: AI, Automation & The End of Human Labor29:10 - Why We're All Just Berry Pickers in a Digital World31:15 - The Single Most Important Skill for Leading Through Chaos36:29 - A Real-Life Example of Dodging a $1M Supply Chain Bullet40:38 - This AI Tool Will Build Your Entire Business Plan in Seconds45:32 - The 500 People It Takes to Make Your Morning Coffee49:57 - How Taylor Swift's Consistency Makes Her a Logistics Superhero52:21 - Final Thoughts & Where to Find Kerim#SupplyChain #GlobalTrade #Economics #Tariffs #Manufacturing #AI #Automation #BusinessStrategy #Geopolitics #Inflation #KerimKfoury #Logistics #RiskManagement #FutureOfWork #TheBDPodcast

You're about to make a catastrophic hiring mistake. And you won't even see it coming.The system is broken. The "perfect" resume is a lie, the charming candidate is a master of deception, and the very process you trust to build your team is secretly filtering out your best potential hires.We brought in talent expert Megan Juliano, a recruiter who has seen every trick, every lie, and every red flag from both sides of the table. She’s not here to give you recycled HR tips. She's here to share the dark psychology of hiring and reveal why your best hire might be the person with zero experience, and why the most impressive backgrounds can be a trap.Discover:🟣 How to tell if a candidate is being honest or just telling you what you want to hear🟣 The counter-intuitive reason you should hire inexperienced talent over seasoned veterans🟣 The secret selling points your company has that you’re ignoring🟣 The one non-negotiable perk top talent demands that costs you nothing🟣 How your own slow hiring process is screaming, "This is a bad place to work!"Connect with Megan:https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-juliano/https://www.instagram.com/megafied2.0/https://linktr.ee/MeganLustigConnect with Becky on CoachFinder:https://coachfinder.ai/coaches/becky-hayman🔗 Save hours with top business hacks every Friday:https://thesearchlight.com/subscribeTimestamps:00:00 - Intro01:58 - The "Charming Blagger" vs. The Brilliant Mind: Who Are You Actually Hiring?03:11 - The Resume Writer's "Half-Truth" That Destroys Candidate Trust05:25 - Why Startups Should NEVER Hire From Big Companies07:55 - The Untapped Goldmine: Hiring The "Inexperienced"09:03 - Your Company's Secret Selling Points You're Ignoring11:30 - Is Your Hiring Process The Ultimate Red Flag? (Candidates Think So)15:38 - From Corporate Chains to Entrepreneur: A Recruiter's Leap of Faith21:05 - The 5-Person vs. 20-Person Startup: A Hiring Minefield23:01 - Confession of a Recruiter: "I've Gotten It Wrong So Many Times"27:14 - The Perk That Top Talent Demands (It's Non-Negotiable)32:47 - The Great Deception of In-Office Work35:33 - The One Book Every Leader MUST Read38:15 - The "Friday Rule": A Simple Trick to Keep Your Best Candidates From Ghosting You#Hiring #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #StartupLife #Founder #Entrepreneurship #CompanyCulture #InterviewTips #BadHires #Recruitment #HumanResources #Leadership #BusinessPodcast #HiringManager #ResumeTips #TheBDPodcast