21st Century Entrepreneurship

In today's episode, we're joined by Stuart Leo, the founder and CEO of Waymaker.io - intelligent business strategy software that helps users manage business growth and goals dynamically. Stuart talks about the Waymakers leadership curve, a methodology that helps businesses shift people into a place where they want to be. The software platform diagnoses a business, surfaces gaps in the business, and then helps those leaders and teams by answering the seven questions, planning their highest-valued course of action, and then tracking their progress towards it. Stuart shares the practical advice, strategic tips, and business expertise that have already helped to build remarkable results in many organizations around the world. His personable approach combined with powerful lessons from his business and personal life will inspire and appeal to all listeners who are business owners, whether they have a team of one or one thousand.

On this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Brian Weaver, Chairman and CEO of Torch.AI. Brian is leading a company creating the world’s most trusted and sophisticated platform for massively scaled, ultra-high performance data processing. Today, business processes are increasingly digital and data is growing in volume and complexity. Torch.AI gives teams a better way: software that instantly understands the very nature of data so that everything that follows is improved. The company has supported stopping fraud at H&R Block, forging better customer relationships for Microsoft, helping GE improve patient outcomes, and creating a more trusted federal workforce. Brian talks about his entrepreneurial path, the city of Kansas City as a great place to live and operate a business, as well as Brian's involvement on the city's development council, personal changes throughout the journey, roles he plays in his organization, and many more interesting topics.

The co-founder of Dermadry, a firm based in Montreal, Canada that provides treatment for people who have excessive sweating, is Mathieu Mireault. The company's name comes from their anti-sweat medical device, Dermadry, which treats Hyperhidrosis — otherwise known as excessive sweating — for feet, hands, and underarms. Mireault and his team are dedicated to helping those who sweat excessively to find relief and improve their quality of life. During the Mathieu interview, I was interested in more than just their products; I wanted to learn about the Canadian startup climate - and how it differs from that of the United States - as well as some other similarities and distinctions, such as company life cycles differences and engagement rates.

For almost 20 years, Heidi Luerra has been on a mission to help creative entrepreneurs sustain themselves independently. She knows this because she's done it herself, bootstrapping RAW Artists Inc. from her kitchen table at age 24.Today, RAW: natural born artists showcases over 200k artists in over 75 cities across the world, and Heidi is pivoting the company to a lean operation with a tech focus. She also works with creative entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses through portability and sustainability, and she invests in some small businesses as well.Heidi's journey has taken her from struggling to market her clothing line at 19 to become the largest independent arts organization in the world, and she isn't done yet. Hear more about her story and her advice for creative entrepreneurs in this episode.

Ashwinn Krishnaswamy is the co-founder of Oklahoma Smokes, which produces a nicotine-free, tobacco-free cigarette substitute for smokers looking to quit. With no full-time employees and no paid media investment in its first year, he created Oklahoma Smokes to >$500k. He has extensive knowledge of starting and growing startups and consumer brands, and also runs an NYC based agency Forge, which works with viral consumer brands that have been rated as Oprah's #1 gift of the year and a snack food brand that has become a viral sensation. In this episode, we discuss the road to entrepreneurship, some of the blunders and traps you may fall into, and some of Ashwinn's lessons on how he applies them to businesses moving forward, including direct-to-consumer companies with certain business models. At the conclusion of the interview, Ashwinn has provided you some of the essential details to consider as you plan for starting a business and expanding it.

Sabrina Horn is an award-winning CEO, communications expert, advisor, and author. She is currently the CEO of HORN Strategy, LLC, a consultancy focused on helping entrepreneurs and CEOs navigate the early stages of their businesses. Sabrina is also a frequent speaker at industry forums and leadership conferences. Her new book, "Make It, Don't Fake It: Leading with Authenticity for Real Business Success" is published by Berrett-Koehler and aims to help executives make the right decisions as they start and grow their businesses for long term success. Sabrina founded Horn Group, a public relations firm, with only $500 and five years’ job experience. Over the course of a quarter-century, her firm has advised thousands of executives and their companies—from the hottest startups to the Fortune 500—and has done so with a special focus on authenticity. Tune in to hear Sabrina Horn talk about her new book!

Carson Tate is all about conversations, stories, and keynotes that will inspire you to look at your job in a new way. She is a prolific writer on the topics of productivity, engagement and leadership. Carson has also been interviewed by leading publications such as the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company. In this episode, Carson and Martin talk about productivity strategies for companies and their employees. They also cover how to instil responsibility and get people involved.

Robert Clinkenbeard figured out how to scale his business and work on autopilot while training for Ironman triathlons. His business became more profitable and he was able to sell it in 2016 for a successful exit. Robert is now a business coach, teaching business owners the power of an Ironman Mindset and how to achieve their ultimate vision. He recently launched Ten Percent, a program designed to support organizations and non-profits working towards a more sustainable future.

In order to make the entertainment industry more environmentally friendly, Emellie O'Brien founded her own business, Earth Angel Sustainable Production Services LLC. Her sustainability leadership on The Amazing Spider-Man 2 earned it high praise from critics as "the most eco-friendly blockbuster in Sony Pictures history." Emellie is also a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Alum, and 2018 Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 Rising Star. She frequently leads workshops and speaks at film festivals around the world on sustainable production.

Denis O'Shea launched Mobile Mentor in New Zealand in 2004. Since then, the company has assisted over 1 million individuals in being more secure and productive with their laptops, tablets, smartphones, and apps. As a worldwide leader in the endpoint environment, the company was named Microsoft’s 2021 Global Partner of the year for Modern Endpoint Management. When it comes to consumers, business development, execution, quality assurance and recommendations for businesses, I also spoke with company CEO Daniel McCarthy, sales manager for New Zealand Jared Pedersen, Craing Guice (President, Managed Services) and VP of products and innovation Shane Sloan.