

The Kickstart Podcast
Kickstart
Origin stories of legendary founders and companies in the Mountain West.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 9, 2021 • 31min
Roadblock Recovery Insights with Jeremy Hanks, DSCO Founder
If you haven't hit a roadblock on your startup journey then you haven't actually started. Roadblocks are a predictably unpredictable part of starting a new venture and this episode dives into the minds of Jeremy Hanks, founder of DSCO and investor Dalton Wright, to explore how our approach to those early challenges to our businesses can bring us even closer to a perfect pitch. This episode explores: How founders can navigate early roadblocks Jeremy's uphill battle with Dsco's near close An investor's viewpoint on when a founder is backed into a corner How flashes of brilliance can sometimes do more for your company than months of work

Dec 17, 2020 • 25min
Leadership Insights with Mike Peregrina, Homie Co-Founder
Being an entrepreneur is all about playing the long game and the best founders and their investors understand that the ups and downs of solving big problems require more than just big vision. It's a combination of traits and practices that will carry you through the lean times. If you want to know what cockroaches and good entrepreneurs have in common, tune in to hear Founder Mike Peregrina of Homie and investor Curt Roberts to bring you both sides of a perfect pitch. This episode will cover: The 13 C's of Entrepreneurship Why entrepreneurs should strive to be like cockroaches How to keep the investor/entrepreneur relationship healthy through difficult times The importance of looking "beyond the business" and nourishing your connections

Dec 17, 2020 • 24min
Resilience Insights with Rob Nelson, Grow Founder and CEO
If there's ever a setting where resilience is imperative, it's a startup. But the combination of uncertainty, lack of control, and the intense pace of a startup can also often have a direct correlation to increased stress, which can in turn negatively impact resilience. It's tempting to think the solution is to just to work harder. But is that really the best way to develop resilience? Today, we'll talk with Founder Rob Nelson and investor Gavin Christensen to bring you both sides of a perfect pitch. This episode will explore: Signs that an investor looks for to recognize a scrappy founder Questions to ask yourself when making difficult decisions as a leader The importance of resilience and vulnerability, and why you need both to run a company The steps you can take to live intentionally, within your business and personal life

Nov 25, 2020 • 15min
Ep. 01: Fundraising Insights with Morgan Davis, MarketDial Founder and Former VC
If you could peek behind the curtain of the funding world, do you think that would make it easier or harder to follow your passion and take that leap of entrepreneurial faith? We'll find out when we talk to MarketDial CEO and founder Morgan Davis, and investor Curt Roberts about what happens when a venture capitalist becomes a founder as we bring you both sides of a perfect pitch.


