The Unconventional Path: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Anish Majumdar.  He is a career coach and an expert in the hidden job market.  We have a wonderful conversation about the most effective way to make new opportunities for yourself. Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Anish here: https://www.helloanish.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anishmajumdar/ Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app.  Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jeremy Ryan Slate.  He is an entrepreneur, media expert, author and CEO and founder of Command Your Brand. He studied literature at Oxford University and is a former champion powerlifter that helps visionary founders to impact the world and better mankind through podcasting and new media to create trust and opinion leader status. Podcast Magazine just included Jeremy on their 2022 40 under 40 in Podcasting list.  He is also the author of “Unremarkable to Extraordinary” Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Jeremy here: https://commandyourbrand.com/ You can find his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Unremarkable-Extraordinary-Passion-Passive-Observer/dp/1953153682 Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app.  Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jonathan Jay.  Over the past 30 years, Jonathan has built and exited businesses in publishing, digital marketing, adult education, and preschool education. This experience has given him special insights into what mistakes business owners and investors should avoid in order to succeed.  His new book, “Business Buying Strategies” is a must read for anyone looking to grow their existing business or acquire a business. Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Jonathan Jay here: https://dealmakers.co.uk/ Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app.  Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Steven Blue.  He is the CEO of Miller Ingenuity, a Keynote Speaker, and a Best-Selling Author.  We had a great conversation about leadership, building organizations, and focusing on your customer. If you are watching the video version of this podcast, Steven’s video was not working, so the video is just me. Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Steven Blue here: https://www.stevenlblue.com/ Our podcast is now available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app.  For YouTube, just search for The Unconventional Path or use this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcihgLJ_eTFCgFXADE7_reg If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Robin Singhvi.  He is a first-time entrepreneur.  He is the founder of SmartCue, a software as a service company (SAS) focused on helping customers sell software products and services in the B2B sector.  We had a great conversation about the challenges of starting a software company, selling software, and all of the other things founders need to do. Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Robin and SmartCue here: https://www.getsmartcue.com/ Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app.  Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by  Reiner Lomb.  He is the author of “ASPIRE: Seven Essential Emotions for Leading Positive Change, No Matter Where You Are”. Reiner has been an executive at several major international corporations and turned his experience and philosophies into active coaching and leadership facilitation business. Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Reiner here: https://reinerlomb.com/ Our podcast is now available on YouTube and your favorite podcasting app.  For YouTube, just search for The Unconventional Path or use this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcihgLJ_eTFCgFXADE7_reg If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Brant Cooper.  He is a New York Times bestselling author of “The Lean Entrepreneur and CEO” and founder of Moves the Needle. Brant works as a trusted adviser to startups and large enterprises around the world. With  more than 25 years of expertise in changing industrial age mindset into digital age opportunities, Please give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Brant here: Brantcooper.com Our podcast is now also available on YouTube as well as your favorite podcasting app.  Just search for The Unconventional Path. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Gary Frey.  Gary has served as president of four successful companies, including Bizjournals.com, a business news portal that he helped transform from a three-person organization to a $100 million company. He has done two turnarounds and held executive positions in two Fortune 100 companies. Gary leads business growth coaching and business development efforts for a regional CPA firm that serves privately held businesses and their owners. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Gary Frey here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garydfrey/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by retired Major General Robert W. Mixon, Jr. has achieved over three decades of extraordinary leadership success in diverse organizations, including the United States Army where he commanded the 7th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, Colorado prior to his retirement in 2007. Subsequently, he served in executive leadership positions in for-profit and not-for-profit companies before starting his own leadership company, Level Five Associates, in 2014. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Robert Mixon here: https://www.levelfiveassociates.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Ben Knegendorf.  He founded Paramount Pet Health.  An e-comm store for cats and dogs.  He started a business with $500 and after 2 years has achieved $11M in revenue.  It is quite a contrast to the VC-backed businesses that raise $20-$30M and still do not make it to $11M in revenue after 2 years. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Ben Knegendorf here: https://www.benknegendorf.com/ DropshipBreakthru.com DropshipPodcast.com

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Steven Adjei.  He is a fascinating, multi-faced individual who is an author, poet, healthcare consultant, and entrepreneur. He is the founding partner of BlueCloud Health (www.bluecloudhealth.com), a UK-based, African-focused healthcare firm that exists to provide solutions to health businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Steven Adjei here: https://www.stevenadjei.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, Mike and I chat about what is going on in our lives and some current events.  This is another one of those pre-podcast recordings that we decided to upload for those of you who are interested.  We talk about sailing, family, life in general, the economy, politics, the Jan 6th hearings, and energy prices in both the USA and Germany. If you like this episode, let us know, as it is a bit different. If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Michelle Seiler Tucker.  She is a 20-year veteran of the mergers and acquisitions industry where she is a leading authority on buying, selling, financing, and growing businesses. We had a fascinating conversation about how founders and company leaders often do not think about positioning the company for a successful acquisition. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Michelle Seiler Tucker here: https://seilertucker.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by  Devon Watson, Devon is the Executive Vice President of Global Banking & Chief Marketing Officer at Diebold-Nixdorf. Within his organization, he is also responsible for business development and acquisitions. The most common exit for entrepreneurs is being acquired or merged with another company. In my conversation with Devon, we discussed, what qualities Diebold-Nixdorf looks for in a potential acquisition,  how Diebold-Nixdorf evaluates acquisitions, and why a good strategic fit is critical. You can find more info about Diebold-Nixdorf here: https://www.dieboldnixdorf.com/en-us/about-us/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Brad Svrluga.  Brad is co-founder of primary Ventures based in New York City.  Primary is one of the premier early-stage VC firms in the United States.  He has over 20 years of experience in early-stage investing and Primary is the second VC firm Brad has co-founded.  We discuss how differentiating Primary from the crowded VC space has played a critical role in the firm's success.  Brad also shares his investing hot buttons and how elusive success can be in the entrepreneurial community. You can find more info about Primary Ventures here: https://www.primary.vc/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Jim Senall.  Jim runs the Rochester Angel Network, (RAN) in Rochester NY.  We discussed how angel investing plays a critical role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Jim also described how RAN has evolved during the last 20 years, both in terms of its structure and the characteristics of the investments it makes. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about RAN here: http://www.rochesterangels.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Mark Drager.  He is a branding expert and helps entrepreneurs and companies refine their brand strategy and ensure their brand is consistent across everything they do. Your brand is how the world views you.  We had a great conversation about how to make sure your brand is not an afterthought.  It is exceptionally important and once established, not easy to change.  Mark emphasized how important it is to give branding some critical thought on day one of starting your business. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Mark Sheperd here: https://www.phanta.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Billie Shepard.  She founded Billie Shepard Associates, where she leverages her acting experience and training methods in the business sector.  Her one-on-one coaching and group workshops help transform corporate speakers into influential leaders. We had a fascinating conversation on how many leadership speaking skills can be learned.  Unless you are a communications major, it is something most of us have no training in.  She has also written a wonderful book, “The Billie Shepard Presentation Method”. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Billie Shepard here: http://www.billieshepard.com/intro/ Check out Billie’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Billie-Shepard-Presentation-Method-Relationships-ebook/dp/B084WZZMNM/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to The Unconventional Path:  Entrepreneurship and Innovation Stories and Ideas podcast.  Today we have a very different podcast topic for you. If you have been listening to this podcast you know that Mike and I like to try new things, well this one is way out there. It is about how the experience of losing my 95-year-old mother completely changed my view of death and dying.  I went from fearing it and trying to ignore it to embracing the journey and experience. This is an episode where I talk about things I have never talked about before.  I debated with myself for many hours regarding if I should express my thoughts in public.  With Mike’s encouragement, we hit the record button and had a wonderful conversation. I hope it will help you think through and process these types of events.  And for me, the most important thing was not running away from it, but accepting it and embracing the experience.  One of the key things that helped in the process was over the previous 5 years, my mom made it very clear what she wanted when the end was near.  This removed that facet of “what should we do” as the events unfolded.  I encourage you to have those conversations. Thanks for listening, I would love to hear your thoughts about this episode.   Drop us a line at bela.and.mike@gmail.com. Our next episode will be back on topic. Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Andy Binns.  Andy is a corporate innovation guru, co-founder of Change Logic, and the co-author of “Corporate Explorer:  How Corporations Beat Startup at the Innovation Game”.  We had a fascinating conversation about innovation and entrepreneurship, both in large corporations and start-ups. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Change Logic here: https://changelogic.com/team/andy-binns/ Check out Andy’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Explorer-Corporations-Entrepreneurs-Innovation/dp/1119838320 If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This is another pre-podcast discussion episode.  As mentioned before, these episodes were inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started and we included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. After receiving some positive comments from listeners, we decided to make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion”. In this episode, Mike and I talk about his trip back to the USA during the Christmas holiday in the midst of a large COVID - Omicron surge in the US.  We also talk about COVID regulations and political donations and how Germany and the US each deal with these issues very differently.  Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This is our second, pre podcast discussion episode.  As mentioned before, these episodes were inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started. We included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. After receiving some positive comments from listeners, we decided to make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion” Also, we are not sure how often we will release these episodes, as sometimes our conversations are not podcast-worthy. Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Matt Kopko, the VP of Public Policy at Daily Pay.  We have a great conversation about on-demand pay and how it can positively impact the ability of employees to receive their pay daily and not have to wait 2 or 3 weeks for a paycheck. It’s an industry I did not know existed.  Also, for the first time ever, you can hear Mike rant a bit about how the less fortunate often get the short end of the stick in life.  And it is something that can easily be remedied if we have the will. So give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Daily Pay here: https://www.dailypay.com/ If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today’s episode was inspired by a listener.  When Mike and I get together, to record a podcast, before we hit the RECORD button, we typically have a conversation about what's going on in our lives and the world.  It’s basically, two good friends catching up. Back in EP 128, Mike and I did an experiment and we hit the record button as soon as our conversation started. We included this part of the conversation in the regular podcast. We received some nice comments from listeners who said they enjoyed the episode. In addition, John sent us a very nice email, he suggested we make our pre-podcast conversation part of the podcast.  Thank you John for the thoughtful email and suggestion. Mike and I discussed John’s suggestion and we decided we will make separate episodes out of our pre-podcast conversations.  That way, those listeners who are only interested in Sailing and Cruising can easily skip over them. Not sure what we are going to label these episodes, but for now, we will call them, “Pre-podcast discussion” Also, we are not sure how often we will release these episodes, as sometimes our conversations are not podcast-worthy. Hope you enjoy the episode! If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined excited to be joined by James Quinn.  He is a managing director at JLL, a Fortune 500 company that assists organizations in developing and implementing their real estate strategies in the ever-changing world.  He also recently wrote a book titled “Tech Trends 24/7”.  We have a great conversation about technology and how COVID has impacted the pace of technology development and implementation. Give the episode a listen! You can find more info about James here: https://www.us.jll.com/en/people/james-quinn You can find his book, Tech Trends 24/7 here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781736648100&i=stripbooks&linkCode=qs If you know of someone who would be a good guest for the show, let us know and we will try to get them as a guest.  We also love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined excited to be joined by Misha Rubin. He is a mix of a psychologist, career coach, and job coach.  It's one of those topics I never thought much about during my career.  Maybe I should have.  He started his career working at one of the major accounting firms for 20 years and one day came to the realization he was not happy and decided to blaze out on his own.  He gives some excellent tips on finding your path to job satisfaction and happiness. Give the episode a listen! You can find more info about Misha here: https://misharubin.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by serial entrepreneur Andy Mowat, founder of Gated.  At Gated, they are changing the way email gets delivered and read.  We are all burdened by receiving way too many emails.  With Gated you can apply some economic theory to sending and receiving emails with some very interesting results.  Give the episode a listen! You can find Gated here: https://www.gated.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, Bela and Mike trying a new format for the podcast.  It’s been a while since we posted a new episode, that’s because, with over 120 interviews under our belt, we were not sure anything new was popping up.  When we record a podcast, we usually spend 15 to 30 minutes talking about what’s going on in each other’s lives.  This is with the recorder off, so you never hear it.  Well, this time we decided to record our conversation. We talk about fishing, the German elections and how the process is different from the one in the USA, a COVID update, life in general, and a few thoughts on some new podcast ideas. Please let us know what you think! We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Chris Bursey. He is the founder of Direct Communications Solutions. Direct Communication Solutions is a provider of Internet of Things (IoT) products and services. The Internet of Things is a term that generally means the coordination of sensors that sit on devices or vehicles or structures (that tell you things like temperature, location, amount of vibrations, etc.), the ability for those sensors to share data using wireless transmission methods (often cellular technology), with both other devices and with bigger software programs, so that simple devices become smarter - they can help managers, suppliers, and customers understand what’s going on with their equipment or products, and make better decisions. You can find Direct Communication Solutions here: https://www.dcsbusiness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Kizzy Parks.  She is the founder and president of K Parks Consulting, a firm that provides corporate training, executive coaching, analytics, diversity and inclusion guidance, leadership development, and team building services mainly to US federal government clients but also they partner with large companies and other non-profits.  She has a wealth of experience contracting with government agencies.  She shares with us what she had learned and how any business can successfully bid on government contracts. You can find K Parks Consulting here: https://www.kpcinc.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Sean Folkson. He founded Nightfood, a company that produces sleep-friendly and nutritional evening snacks.  After a few rough starts, Nighfood is running full speed with a line of sleep-friendly ice cream.  The ice cream is formulated by leading sleep and nutrition experts to satisfy our nighttime cravings in a better, healthier, and sleep-focused way. You can find Nightfood here: https://nightfood.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In today's podcast, we are excited to be joined by Tarin Calmeyer.  Tarin is the founder of Remote Team Wellness...a startup that provides live digital wellness coaching, retreats, and workshops for corporate clients. We discussed the large pivot Tarin had to make with the onset of the COVID epidemic, the valuable lessons she learned, and how it has shaped her company. You can find Remote Team Wellness here: https://remoteteamwellness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

In today's podcast, we are excited to be joined by David Jay, founder, and CEO of Warm Welcome, a company that uses video to customize an initial customer experience to go beyond generic emails.  David is a serial entrepreneur, also having founded Agree.com.  We had a great conversation about the importance of building solid customer relationships and the video tools David has developed at Warm Welcome help address these challenges. You can find Warm Welcome here: https://www.warmwelcome.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by author Nathan Perez.  Nathan co-wrote The 20-Minute Networking Meeting. He is an executive career and job-search coach at Career Innovation, LLC. Nathan is a formally trained actor with a BFA in Theatre. Nathan’s 20-year career in the arts and entertainment world prepared him well for connecting with people. He also worked in the corporate world in places like Goldman Sachs in NYC. You can find Nathan’s books  here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+20-minute+networking+meeting&crid=AHXU4WE3RQ0T&sprefix=the+20-minute%2Caps%2C158&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_13 You can find Nathan’s website here: https://innovationsoftheworld.com/nathan-a-perez-career-innovations-llc/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by joined Dan Burcaw.  He is a serial tech entrepreneur founding several software technology companies  He is currently the Co-Founder & CEO of Nami ML.  Nami ML develops machine learning software to enhance mobile application subscriptions for a wide spectrum of businesses.  We discussed the challenges in starting technology businesses that are at the forefront of technology. You can check out Nami ML here: https://www.namiml.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by joined Anthony Minessale.  Anthony is a pioneer of internet-based communications, having started 3 companies in the internet space.  He is currently the CEO and co-founder of SignalWire. SignalWire is a three-year-old company that provides internet-based telecommunication (voice and video) to companies.  Anthony has a great story about being a technology person who has founded several companies. You can check out Signal Wire here: https://signalwire.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Ed Vincent, founder of FestivalPass, which is a global subscription marketplace for the live events industry. Ed is a serial entrepreneur and has a background in data analytics and the media industry.  We discussed how he funded the business and the impact COVID has had on his plans.  It’s a crowded space and Ed’s approach is novel. You can check out Festival Pass here: https://www.festivalpass.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Sam Holmes.  Sam is a sailor and has a YouTube channel to help fund his passion for sailing.  While working for Disney during the week, on the weekends Sam discovered sailing.  He sailed from California to Hawaii solo.  During the trip, he recorded some videos, which he uploaded to YouTube,  to share with his friends and as a memory of the experience.  He soon discovered others were watching his videos and he was making a little money.  Being a good entrepreneur, Sam saw this as an opportunity to fund his passion for sailing.  He had saved up some money so he quit his job and started sailing full-time.  He kept making videos for YouTube and now has a successful YouTube channel that generates sufficient income enabling him to chase his sailing dreams. You can check out Sam’s YouTube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SamoPajamo We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Yael Joffe.  Yael is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of her current business, 3X4 Genetics, a nutrigenetics company that launched in 2018. 3X4 Genetics does genetic testing and focuses on genetic aspects of diet, exercise, lifestyle, and health. Yael has co-authored two books on genetics and is also an adjunct professor at Rutgers University. Yael joined me from her home in South Africa via Skype. You can check out 3X4 here: https://www.3x4genetics.com/ You can find her book at Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Just-Your-Genes/dp/0977636305/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1613496688&refinements=p_27%3AYael+Joffe&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Yael+Joffe We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Jason Forrest.  Jason is the CEO of the Forrest Performance Group.  Jason works with companies to maximize their sales effectiveness, through a combination of training, hiring, and culture building. We also discuss compensation strategies and building a high-performance sales team. You can check out Forrest Performance Group here: https://www.fpg.com/ Check out Jason’s free book offer here: https://www.warriormindsetbook.com/free We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Trevor Crotts. Trevor is the founder and President of BuddyBrands, it started as a high-end pet mattress company and has expanded to include several other pet-related brands.  We discuss the challenges of entering a crowded market with a premium brand, the importance of brands, and how having multiple, related brands is a great way to strengthen your business. You can check out Buddy Brands here: https://www.buddybrands.pet/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Mike Begg. Mike is the Co-founder of AMZ Advisors. AMZ Advisors focuses on helping entrepreneurs maximize their e-commerce effectiveness. He also helps entrepreneurs with setting up nearshoring operations in Mexico, and he is actively involved in a variety of consumer goods startups. Mike shared some great tips on establishing your brand while taking advantage of e-merchants such as Amazon and Walmart. You can check out AMZ Advisers here: https://amzadvisers.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Carl Allen. Carl is the co-founder of Dealmaker Wealth Society and PROX Capital. He helps entrepreneurs acquire an existing business as an alternative to starting a business from the ground up. He is also a coach who helps entrepreneurs acquire other companies as a tool for growth. We had a great conversation and Carl's approach to acquiring a business as an alternative to starting your own was very intriguing. You can check out Deal Maker Wealth Society here: https://dealmakerwealthsociety.com/ Check out PROX Capital here: https://proxcapitalgroup.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Ryan Green. Ryan is the co-founder and CEO of Gridwise, which helps ridesharing drivers optimize their income and monitor and manage their performance using an app. Ryan is a graduate of the US Naval Academy and has had banking industry experience. He has created a unified data platform that brings key information across multiple ride-sharing platforms to drivers so that they have some knowledge, power, and control over their work context. You can check out Gridwise here: https://gridwise.io/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Joe Hagen. After retiring from the corporate world, Joe started Offshore Adventure Sailing. It's a business that takes people out on ocean sailing trips. This is a wonderful example of a lifestyle or hobby business that we all cal learn something from. It's not Joe's primary stream of income. It's a way of doing what you love and building a little bit of income around it. It is a great example of taking your passion and turning it into a bit of income. You can check out Offshore Adventure Sailing here: https://www.offshoreadventuresailing.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Andrew Hutton He is the founder and CEO of Day One, which helps new entrepreneurs launch businesses. This business incubates entrepreneurs that are outside the tech world. He combines his experience in the tech world, venture capital, design, and innovation into providing valuable support for entrepreneurs that do not fit into typical VC funding or traditional incubator programs. We had a great conversation about helping small businesses grow and thrive. You can check out Day One here: Day One www.joindayone.com We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week we have a special episode of our podcast. To start off the 2021 New Year, Mike and I have looked over our 100+ episodes and pick the ones we think are the most interesting or thought-provoking. We also want to thank all of our super guests and you, our listeners. In the 2 plus years, we have been doing this podcast, we have had over 17,000 listens all around the world. From the United States to Sweden to Saudi Arabia to India to Uganda. It has been a load of fun and we have certainly garnered many insights from our guests. Bela: One of the episodes that stands out to me is EP-95 with Mike Saccocio. He is the executive director of the city mission in Schenectady, New York. The creativity, energy, and compassion that Mike has helped so many people. I was fascinated to learn how Mike took a negative, ie. having a homeless shelter in your neighborhood, and turned it into a positive with the downtown ambassador program. Just pure genius. A complete win-win. So check out EP-95 with Mike Saccocio Mike: My favorite topic has been organizational culture and two episodes that really helped me better understand entrepreneurial culture were David Dussault and Darrin Jahnel. David was our guest in EP-2 and is the CEO of P1 Industries, which is a precision mechanical component manufacturing company. And Darrin Jahnel was featured in both EP-5 and EP-84. Darrin is the Co-Founder of Jahnel Group, a software development company. Darrin was on the show twice so, that in itself says something. I was really impressed with how both David and Darrin focused on their company culture, It is reflected in everything they do, their management style, company functions, and meetings, hiring practices, and opportunities for employee growth. Many founders talk about culture, but very few do anything about it. We can all learn something from these two founders. Give them a listen on EP-2, 5, and 84. Bela: The next one I have is EP-27 with Euwyn Poon the founder of Spin. Spin partners with cities, college and corporate campuses, and businesses to provide dockless scooter-share services to get you where you need to go. I had several key take-a-ways from this episode. Euwyn spoke about how he looks at the VC's who invest in his company. He is hiring them! He looks at what the VC's bring to the table in addition to money. What connections do they have? What skills and experience do they have? How can they help him grow his business? Euwyn also discusses how he wanted to be at the epicenter of the start-up universe. He wanted to be where all the action is, the talent is, because he fletch this was the best environment for success. Mike: One thing I am really focusing on right now in my teaching is trying to influence issues of gender inequality in the startup world. The data are really concerning, so I have been actively trying to explore my own teaching, coaching, and mentoring to try and make sure opportunities are not being unintentionally blocked for women entrepreneurs. So, I really like EP-10 with Charlotte Hayden and EP-11 with Nicole Snow. You know Charlotte and I think there is a good story about inspiration, taking actionable steps, seeking mentors and advisors. For Nicole, I think it's all about building a customer community. Both are great stories that are worth listening to. This has been a fun episode to put together. What a great way to kick off what we hope is a better 2021 for all of us after all the challenges we faced in 2020! We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Jeroen Corthout. He co-founded Salesflare, a CRM company that competes with the likes of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. We have a great conversation about how a small company that makes mission-critical products can compete against much larger players. Jeroen discussed how they started small, understood the customer's critical needs, tested their concepts, and then got into sales mode. You can check out Sales Flare here: Salesflare We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Drew Cappabianca. Drew is the founder of The Hub, in Brant Lake NY, which is a combination bike shop and restaurant. It's located in a small town in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY, with lots of access to bike trails, some of which were developed by Drew as part of his vision to create a bike-centered ecosystem in his part of the Adirondacks. Live music is also a big part of his business model and we will talk about how he founded the Hub, but also how he responded to the challenges of the COVID pandemic. You can check out The Hub here: The Hub We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Maddie Brown. Maddie is a CPA and CEO of Smashing Numbers, which is an Accounting, Payroll, Tax, and Consulting firm in Bronson, Iowa. Maddie focuses on providing strategic financial guidance to small firms all across the United States. We had a great conversation about her early career working at a public sector job and how left the public sector and purchased an existing business that she expanded from a local firm to one with clients all across the United States. You can check out Smashing Numbers here: Smashing Numbers We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Eric Reed. Eric is founder and CEO of Reed5Group. His company works with client organizations to improve performance through a better understanding of organizational dynamics, leadership, and culture. We have a wonderful conversation on corporate culture and Key Performance Indicators. (KPIs) You can check out Reed5Group here: Reed5Group We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Tyler Ornstein. Tyler founded Tylers Coffee - the first acid-free coffee. Why acid-free coffee, well for certain individuals, it's the only type of coffee they can drink without causing serious gastrointestinal issues. And he did this as a 15-year-old! It's a really fascinating story and as you will hear, Tyler's story is very unique. You can check out Tyler here: https://tylerscoffees.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Tony Guarnaccia. Tony has vast experience in working with companies is helping them best utilize their marketing dollars. We all know how complex this has gotten for companies. From search engine optimization to social medial to email campaigns. Tony helps us understand how do you break through all of the clutter. You can check out Tony here: https://tonyguarnaccia.com/ https://smallstepsgrowprofits.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Lance Graulich. Lance founded and runs Ion Franchising. He helps individuals sort through the vast number of franchising options. We had a great conversation where Lance shared some great tips and ideas on franchising. This is a must-listen for those who have an interest in buying a franchise or franchising their current business. You can check out Ion Franchising here: https://www.ionfranchising.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Dan Demsky. Dan, along with his two best friends, founded Unbound Merino. The company offers the highest quality merino wool clothing. Pack light, save money & enjoy the comfort of our merino wool t-shirts, socks & underwear. It's a great story on how to start a business, use crowdfunding to get launched and constantly build your brand and the connection with your customers. Dan's concept of manufacturing your own momentum is a wonderful take-a-way for all entrepreneurs. You can check out Unbound Merino here: https://unboundmerino.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

We did it, we hit 100 podcasts! It took a bit over two years to get here and it's been a blast. Getting to 100 is a significant milestone in the podcasting world. In this episode, we reflect a bit on things we have learned and make a few observations. We then discuss taking the podcast through a pivot and changing things up for the future. As always, we love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are going to do something different. Mike and I are going to interview each other. We thought it would be a bit of fun for each of us to share some of our background and history with you, our listeners. Hope you enjoy it! We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

What happens when best friends start a business, with little preparation, scarce resources, but a lot of big ideas and energy? It is not always smooth sailing, but according to our guest this week, that's all part of the fun of entrepreneurship. This week's guest is Doug Weisz. Doug is Owner/General Manager of Evergreen Subaru, in Auburn Maine, and, not coincidentally, Mike's best friend for 40 years. We discuss several keys to making a career pivot, and managing through the stress and uncertainty of a startup. Doug talks about the pros and cons of getting into business with friends, and talks about the need to develop healthy habits for stress reduction. He also gives us some great insights into the challenges of managing a retail business amid the coronavirus pandemic. You can take a look at Doug's business at www.evergreensubaru.com We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This week's guest is Dean Iacovetti. Dean is the founder of Vanta Partners. His company finds talent for other small to medium size companies. He started his career as a recruiter in larger companies and then took the big step of starting his own business. We discuss how finding talent is a skill. If you are the CEO of a business, focus on your business, let a recruiter find talent for you. The recruiter can sort through the big pile of resumes and present to you the top-5, then you can interview and select which one fits the best We discuss how talent is one of the most important resources you have in your business and how good recruiters can help you figure out what you need and when. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Stephen Halasnik. Stephen is Managing Partner of Financing Solutions, which provides financing to small businesses. He is also a serial entrepreneur, podcast host, and author of the book CRASH and LEARN: Lessons in Business. You can find Financing Solutions here: https://financingsolutionsnow.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Mike Saccocio. Mike is Executive Director at the City Mission of Schenectady, New York. This was maybe our favorite interview that we have ever done. It was fascinating how Mike turned a negative into a positive with the downtown ambassador program. Just pure genius. A complete win-win. When we look at the social unrest in the US, and the wide range of causes of the social problems that we see throughout the US, this kind of innovation needs to be multiplied in every city and town across the country. Put down your phone and help be part of the solutions. Not just in terms of the homeless, but so many issues related to prejudice, addiction, health and nutrition, education, and domestic violence. There are so many complex problems. The world needs more people to think and act like Mike. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Janis Milham. Janis is the Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader at Marriott. She is responsible for several of Marriott's major brands including Courtyard, Fairfield, Four Points, Residence Inn, and several others. We had a great conversation about the importance of building your brand and how successful brands maintain customer loyalty. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Franz Amussen. Franz is an entrepreneur, a financial advisor, an avid podcaster, and a sailor. Franz is a co-founder of Amussen Hunsaker & Associates, Inc., now called Iron Gate Global Advisors, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is also an active angel investor and produces several podcasts including one of my favorite sailing podcasts titled Sailing the Mediterranean and Beyond Here is a link to his Sailing Podcast: https://www.medsailor.com/ This is a list of Franz's Podcasts: Sailing in the Mediterranean and Beyond Podcast Series 7 Podcast SIE Podcast (Securities Industry Essentials Podcast) REexamPodcast.com Insurance Exam podcast FilmFestPodcast We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Henry Daas. Henry is a serial entrepreneur, author, and coach for entrepreneurs. His approach to coaching is one that is customized to each client. His book is called FQ: Financial Intelligence. Check out Henry's web page and his book here: http://henrydaas.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela & Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Magda (Khelifa) Khalifa. Magda is the founder of a line of fragrances called Triangle Fragrance. But, her path to becoming an entrepreneur was definitely unconventional. Magda founded her business after serving in the US military, and authored the book American DREAM: Discipline, Resilience, Endurance, Adaptability, and Mentorship to Succeed and Win in Life. Check out Triangle Fragrance's web page here: https://trianglefragrance.com/ Check out Magda's book here: https://www.amazon.com/American-DREAM-Discipline-Resilience-Adaptability-ebook/dp/B07YVPV24P We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Jimmy Hickey. Jimmy is the founder of Findlay Hats, a company that makes and sells creative and really useful hats. This is a great story, about an innovative guy who added a cool twist to a commodity product and built an avidly loyal community around it. Check out Findlay Hats web page here: https://www.findlayhats.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Bryan Clayton. Bryan is the CEO and co-founder of GreenPal, which is an online marketplace that connects homeowners with local lawn care professionals. GreenPal has been called the "Uber for lawn care" by Entrepreneur magazine and has over 100,000 active users completing thousands of transactions per day. Before starting GreenPal Bryan Clayton founded Peachtree Inc. one of the largest landscaping companies in the state of Tennessee growing it to over $10 million a year in annual revenue. Check out GreenPal's web page here: https://www.yourgreenpal.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Mike DelPrete. Mike is a global real estate tech strategist, and a scholar-in-residence at the University of Colorado Boulder. He's a former tech entrepreneur and CEO. He founded and sold his 40-person tech startup firm, Agora Games, working on games such as Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. After Agora, Mike moved to New Zealand to work as a corporate strategist identifying investment opportunities at Trade Me -- New Zealand's largest marketplace and classifieds website. He is the author of a book, Adventures in Real Estate Tech, and several research papers. Check out Mike's web page here: https://www.mikedp.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Van Carlson. Van is the CEO of Strategic Risk Alternatives and helps entrepreneurs manage risk more effectively through self-insurance. He focuses on intangible assets, which traditional insurance companies often are not set up to effectively insure assets such as intellectual property, brand, etc. Check out Van's company here: https://strategicriskalternatives.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Larry Ludwig. Larry is founder and CEO of Ludwig Media Inc. and founder of Investor Junkie which he sold for $6MM several years ago. In this podcast, Larry shares his wisdom on digital marketing, SEO, and affiliate marketing. Check out Larry here: https://larryludwig.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Justin Goodbread. He started his first business, a landscaping business, at the age of 15 and operated it while he earned a degree in horticulture from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. After several years, Justin sold his business for profit and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. Justin then earned a business degree and worked in a large wealth management firm for many years, but in 2009, Justin and a business partner ventured out on their own, opening Heritage Investors, a boutique-style wealth management and financial planning company. In 2016, Justin launched the Financially Simple enterprise - a financial blog, podcast. and video education portal - to make finances simple for small business owners. Through Financially Simple, Justin uses his skills to guide business owners through business sales, mergers, or buy-outs, ultimately preparing them for the next chapters in their Iives. Check out Financially Simple here: https://financiallysimple.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Darrin Jahnel, CEO of Jahnel Group. Darrin co-founded the company with his brother, Jason. Their company does software development for a wide range of clients. This fast-growing company is known for its unique culture and Darrin is known as a strong and engaging leader. This interview was recorded as part of the BizLab-Clarkson University Lunch Series. This is Darrin's 2nd time on the podcast. He was a guest back on EP-5 Check out Jahnel Group here: https://www.jahnelgroup.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Jake Jorgovan the founder and CEO of LeadCookie and Content Allies. Jake is another example of an entrepreneur who is seeking a balance between life and work. At Lead Cookie, helps B2B sales teams generate more leads through done-for-you Linkedin Prospecting. Jake build Lead Cookie from Zero to $33k MRR as a productized service in 6 months. At Content Allies, Jake helps turn consultants into thought leaders through content marketing. Prior to starting Lead Cookie, he ran business development for a video production agency and won the business of multiple Fortune 500 clients and A-List touring artists. Jake then launched Outbound Creative which was an outbound marketing company. Jake has a very uniques approach, as he does not have an office and he does not meet clients in person. Instead he works 100% remotely and travels all over the world. Learn more about Jake here: https://jake-jorgovan.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This is the edited audio of an online small business owners/leaders panel discussion that I participated in. We discussed how the COVID outbreak has impacted their businesses and the steps they have taken during these challenging times. We discussed a broad range of topics including communications, changing work patterns, leadership and increasing their outreach with their employees and into the community. The conversation was inspiring, comforting, informative, and contains many take-a-ways that other business leaders can draw upon. The individuals on the call are: * Jeff Buell of Redburn Development, which builds affordable housing in the NorthEast of the united states * Antonio Civitella of Transfinder, which makes school bus routing software for school districts, and owns the New York BizLab * David Dussault of P1 Industries, manufacturing power generation equipment * Heidi Knoblauch of Plumb Oyster Bar and works for Pioneer Bank. Payroll protection program -this is a financial relief program for small businesses introduced by the US Federal Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is designed to help small businesses continue to meet their payroll and other expenses as a way to limit economic damage to this important sector of the economy. Rich Honen a Partner at Phillips Lytle LLP. A regional law firm and the sponsor of this podcast. The discussion was moderated by Bela Musits and Rick D'Errico. Rick is the BizLab's managing director and Transfinder's director of public relations. We did this panel discussion online so the sound quality is variable. I also had to do some significant editing as we had several dropped calls and echos. You can watch the complete, unedited video of the panel on this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QMo8D4AW7I&list=PLOe3ywn73zkKL7Ft2jiYcknM1sttbWAua&index=7 Mike and I hope you enjoy this special episode. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Tracey Bissett the founder and CEO of Bissett Financial Fitness. Tracey is on a mission to help entrepreneurs understand the financial health of their companies. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services business, she has developed great insight and understanding into the critical financial aspects of small to medium-size businesses. She provides a wide spectrum of education and consulting services to help entrepreneurs improve their financial fitness. She also has her own podcast, titled "Young Money with Tracy Bissett. Check out Bissett Financial Fitness here: https://www.bissettfinancialfitness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are joined by Rytis Lauris - Co-founder and CEO of Omnisend. Omnisend provides e-commerce support for small and medium size companies. In this episode, Rytis and I discuss the importance of "owning" your customer and how in this digital era that is not as easy as it sounds. Rytis tells the story of his journey from starting a marketing consulting business, then launching a product that no one purchased, to learning how to listen to the market and developing a successful product that manages communication between e-commerce companies and their customers. Check out Omnisend here: www.omnisend.com We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today we are excited to be joined by Rich Honen. He is a partner at Phillips Lytle LLP, our show sponsor. In this episode, Rich and I discuss how Phillips Lytle, a medium-size company, has responded to the Coronavirus and how it has changed the way they do business. Rich and I also discuss how this pandemic has very rapidly transformed the way most of us interact. We covered a lot of ground and identified several timely and insightful issues including readiness, innovative and the lasting impacts of this pandemic. We also discussed the critical ways we can all move forward in a proactive and positive manner. Rich is a repeat guest on this show - he also appeared in episode 8 and episode 45. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing havoc all over the globe. Today we are joined by Catherine Hover. This was an impromptu recording of a conversation I had with Catherine. She called me and wanted to discuss how the COVID-19 epidemic is impacting her business and how she is pivoting. Our conversation contains many key points regarding unexpected change. Catherine's focused approach and positive energy are a few of the important aspects we can all learn from. Over the years Catherine and I have had several conversations about her businesses as I have been a very minor mentor to her. I did have to edit out a few things as we discussed a few confidential matters. She is a repeat guest on this podcast as she was on the show in EP-58. Catherine is a serial entrepreneur and has founded Palette, which is a combination cafe, social gathering place, and co-working space. She also founded several Paint and Sip locations. Mike and I decided to release this episode earlier than our typical Sunday evening schedule because of the current COVID-19 crises. You can find more information about Palette Cafe here: https://thepalettecafe.com/ You can find more information about Paint & Sip Studio here: https://www.paintandsipstudios.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Michael Zipursky. Michael is a serial entrepreneur, who started his first business while still a student. On several occasions, Michael partnered with his cousin and they have founded multiple businesses. Their current focus is Consulting Success, a company designed to help consultants build and grow their businesses. Michael and I had a great conversation about the differences between being a consultant and building a consulting business. You can learn more about Michael and his business at the link below. Consulting Success: https://www.consultingsuccess.com/ Michael's book: https://www.amazon.com/Consulting-Success-Proven-Successful-Business-ebook/dp/B07H52N1TX Twitter: @michaelzipursky We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Geoffry Merrett. Geoff and I are both on the Ski Patrol at Gore Mt in upstate NY. We have known each other in that capacity for over 20 years. Jeff is a full-time paid patroller and I am a volunteer. In the summer season, Jeff runs a white water rafting company that takes guests on trips down the upper Hudson River. Jeff and I discussed how he got started in the rafting business and its joys and challenges. Check out his rafting company on the link below. Better yet, sign up for one of his rafting trips. It's great fun for young and old! Adirondack Adventures: http://www.adkadventures.com We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Brad Svrluga. Brad, Russ Howard and I co-founded High Peaks Venture Partners, a seed and early-stage VC fund in upstate New York. After 7 years of investing, we migrated the Fund to New York City. The Fund was re-branded as Primary Venture Partners and Brad was joined by Ben Sun. They have built the firm into one of the premiere Seed and Early-Stage VC Funds in NYC. In my conversation with Brad, we discuss the challenges of building a venture fund and positioning it in a very competitive market. You can find additional information about Primary Venture Partners on its website. Primary Venture Partners: Primary Venture Partners We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Andy Schell, founder of 59º North - a company that offers guided trips for people who want to sail long-distance ocean passages. He has taken his passion for bluewater sailing and has carefully crafted a career and business around it. It is a fascinating story of entrepreneurial focus, navigating the less-traveled path, taking one step at a time, (although a few of the steps were more like leaps), and combining life and work. Andy also has written many articles and has a great podcast about sailing. You can find all of this on his excellent website. Andy Schell's 59 Degrees North: https://www.59-north.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytele.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Greg Rex. He has started several businesses and recently wrote a book titled, STOKED: A Spiritual Journey from Employee to Lifestyle Entrepreneur. The title of the book says it all! We had a great conversation about finding balance in one's life and how the choices you make can greatly influence this balance. Learn more about Greg's book and get a free copy in the link below. You can get Greg's book for free here: https://stokedthebook.com/free-copy We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Matt Scarchilli. Matt started his career as a pharmacist, then a pharmaceutical rep. As a "soccer dad" he saw an opportunity and that led him to Sports Signup, a company he co-founded with John Haller who was one of the founders of MapInfo. Sports Signup was acquired by Time Inc. in 2015. Matt, being too young to just retire and sit on the beach bought the regional Sandler Training franchise and has been growing it ever since. You can find more information about Sandler here: https://www.winningprocess.sandler.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or rhonen@phillipslytle.com or check out their website at PhillipsLytle.com. The recording of Matt's talk is provided by Channel Albany Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Ron Coury. A former U.S. Marine, Coury has seen and done a lot in his 45 years in Las Vegas. He is an observational entrepreneur, a "niche finder," in his words. With nearly every venture Ron has undertaken, he identified operational nuances that led to enhanced levels of success. This mindset was fascinating to execute in a young, growing town like Las Vegas since his arrival in 1973. Coury has worked as a casino dealer, real estate agent, founder of a limousine service and a partner in bars, restaurants, major graphics and glass companies, along with several automobile dealerships in Nevada and California. He has also written a book titled "Tenacity", which is certainly a fitting title for a book about Ron's life. You can find Tenacity here: https://www.amazon.com/Tenacity-Businessman-Survives-Brooklyn-Corruption-ebook/dp/B07KDLDB66 We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Adam Robinson, founder of GetEmails. Adam is a serial entrepreneur who started his career working on Wall Street and then the 2008 crash happened. This is when Adam decided to start his entrepreneurial adventure. He has launched several companies including Robly Email Marketing, which was rated number 1 in customer satisfaction across the entire email marketing space. His current company, GetEmails, is pioneering the next generation of email marketing organizations. You can find more information about GetEmails here: https://getemails.com/ Check out Adam's blog here: https://blog.getemails.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Tom Rosecrans. A high school teacher during the day and an entrepreneur rock climber on nights and weekends, Tom and a partner started RockSport, an indoor climbing facility back when most of the world did not know what that was. Over the last 30 years, he has successfully grown the business organically. Ten years ago Tom retired from teaching and recently open a purpose-built facility for his thriving business. We had a wonderful conversation about organic growth, building a community, and several very important things Tom learned about hiring staff. You can find more information about RockSport here: https://rocksportny.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, today's guest is Abe Kamarck, the founder of True Made Foods. We had a wonderful discussion about how his concern for his children's sugar intake spawned True Make Foods and their product line of low sugar/no sugar condiments that are naturally sweetened with vegetables. Abe shared the many challenges of starting a food product business and competing with the "big" boys. You can find more information about True Made Foods here: https://www.truemadefoods.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jackie Ducci. She is the founder of Ducci and Associates, a recruiting firm that connects companies with prospective employees. We have a great conversation about the important factors in hiring and in looking for a position. Jackie shared some great tips that are important to both companies looking to hire and individuals looking for opportunities. Jacki is also an author of the book, "Almost Hired: What's Really Standing between You and the Job You Want" The title says it all. You can find more information about Ducci and Associates here: https://ducciassociates.com/ Jackie's book can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=jackie+Ducci&ref=nb_sb_noss We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Janet Tanguay. She had founded several companies and written two childrens books, She is also an accomplished artist. Janet tells a great story about how a failed art class project was a pivotal moment in her life. She shared some great tips about networking and finding happiness in life. You can find more information about The Hammock Way of Life here: https://www.hammockwayoflife.com/ You can find more information about The Biz Idea Shower here: https://bizideashower.com/ Janet's books can be found here: Be Bee, By Janet Tanguay We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Geroge McGehrin. George is the founder and President of McGehrin Group. We had a wonderful conversation about recruiting and executive coaching. In addition to helping corporations find and recruit talent, he works with individuals to help them identify and communicate their talents beyond the typical resume. He shared some great tips during our conversation. You can find more information about The McGehrin Group here: https://www.mcgehringroup.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guests are Mike & Shelley Spain. After attending the Culinary Institute of America, (CIA) and gaining some important work experience, they decided to blaze out on their own and started Seneca - a fine-food restaurant were they are passionate about local ingredients and respecting tradition. We did the interview at Seneca and I was impressed with the welcoming atmosphere built from exposed brick and natural barn wood. You can also glimpse into the open kitchen and custom wood-fired grill and see Chefs Mike or Shelley creating their masterpieces. You can find more information about Seneca here: https://seneca-saratoga.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Tami Cole. Five years ago she acquired a long-standing company from its founder. That makes for an interesting journey for sure. Tami shares the ups and downs of transitioning a company from its founder to new leadership and the lessons she has learned along the way. Tami's background includes nearly twenty years in designing and implementing business applications, working for two of the well-known consulting companies; CGI (previously Deloitte Consulting/DRT Systems), and with PwC. You can find more information about Docstrats here: http://www.docstrats.com/index.html We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Ian Measeck. Ian along with his father run the family business, a house painting and wallpaper company. The business was started by Ian's father and Ian joined the business several years ago. We had a great conversation about the advantages and challenges of being part of a family business. Ian and I discussed the challenge of finding, hiring, and retaining skilled trades employees. We also discussed building a reputation and brand based on quality and not price. You can find more information about Adirondack Paint and Paper here: https://www.adkpaint.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Chris Martell. Chris and his brother co-founded Druthers, a very successful micro brew-pub and restaurant. It's a fascinating story of how life takes many twists and turns but having drive and leadership skills will present many opportunities to you. Chris' journey started at Enterprise Rent-a-Car, then law school, followed by working at top law firm doing high-end finance transactions, to finding his passion in starting a micro brew-pub. Druthers is one of the most successful restaurants in the region and has grown to three locations. You can find more information about Druthers here: http://www.druthersbrewing.com/about We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Brian Epstein. He is the founder of Deep Blue Communications, which was recently acquired by Comcast. Brian shares his story starting with the founding of Deep Blue through the acquisition by Comcast and his current role running Deep Blue within Comcast. Brian shares many words of wisdom we can all benefit from. This session was recorded at the monthly NY BizLab-Clarkson Entrepreneurship event where Rick Derrico and I interviewed Brian. Please forgive the background noise. You can find more information about Brian here: Brian Epstein You can find a Comcast press release on the acquisition of Deep Blue here: Comcast We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guests are Emily Soccorsy (So-KOR-SEE) and Justin Foster. They founded Root and River. Justin did some consulting for Emily at a Fortune 500 company. They then joined forces and started Root and River, where they work with companies to scale their brand around their mission. We had a great discussion about connecting mission to the brand and moving the brand from something constructed for external audiences to something that comes from the inside out. We also discussed the challenges of running a company when the founders are in two different locations. You can find more information about Root and River here: https://rootandriver.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Catherine Hover. We had a great conversation at Palette Cafe, which she founded. Our conversation was actually in a phone booth room. Yep, they have a working pay phone there. Catherine hails from New Orleans and after moving to Saratoga she missed some of the social/networking groups that she was part of. So, as all great entrepreneurs do, she started several social/networking opportunities in her new location. Her first was "Paint and Sip", a place to gather, do some painting with the guidance of an instructor, and drink some wine. She currently has two Paint and Sip locations. Most recently she started the Palette Cafe. A place for women to gather, socialize and network. I really enjoyed our conversation and found Catherine to be inspiring! You can find more information about Paint & Sip Studio here: https://www.paintandsipstudios.com/ You can find more information about Palette Cafe here: https://thepalettecafe.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Becky Daniels the Executive Director of Discover Schenectady. Major industrial cities, like Schenectady, saw explosive growth in jobs, and economic activity in the 1950s through the late 1960s. When those jobs went to lower-cost labor markets or got automated in some form - these regions went through a tough patch, but now, thanks to the efforts of individuals like Becky, many of these regions are back and growing. We discuss some of the entrepreneurial efforts Becky has employed to help Schenectady grow and prosper again. You can find more information about Becky's efforts here: Discover Schenectady We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jeff Schwartz. Jeff is one of the lead entrepreneurship practice attorneys at Phillips Lytle. I have known Jeff for over 20 years and during this interview, he shares a wealth of information regarding why it's important to have experienced legal advice when you are starting a business, raising capital, or transiting a business to others. Jeff also works with startups and technology and emerging growth companies through all stages of their growth, from formation through dealings with venture financing and other capital raising initiatives. He also works with and represents various capital providers, from angel investors to venture capital funds. In other words, he is a very knowledgeable and experienced attorney. You can find his profile at Jeff Schwartz We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partners Rich Honen or Jeff Schwartz at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jim Williams. Jim founded Upper Hudson Coffee, located in North Creek, NY where he roasts coffee that captures the history and richness of the upper Hudson River gorge. Jim is one of the most interesting people I know. His life experience spans being a Dean of Students at a private prep school, a river rafting guide, a male stripper, a professional ski patroller, and starting his coffee roasting business back in his beloved Adirondacks. Jim's insightful approach to branding his coffee is a good lesson in product positioning. Enjoy this podcast and try some of his coffee. You can find his coffee at Upper Hudson Coffee We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Jon C. Warner. John is the author of 40 books, his most recent SLAM is a wonderful guide book for anyone starting a business. Jon and I had a great conversation covering finding your market opportunity first and then developing your product/service. In other words, Jon flips the Product-Market fit to Market-Product fit. Link to Jon's most recent book, SLAM SLAM: Build your startup idea or early stage business with the Startup Launch Assistance Map We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, This is part 2 of my conversation with Mike Wacholder. Mike was my boss for a number of years when I worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, (RPI). When 2 old friends get together, the conversation can go long. So we broke my conversation with Mike into two parts. This is pat 2. I suggest you listen to Part 1 first. Mike was one of the early innovators in University-based Technology Parks and Technology Business Incubators. And remained at the forefront of these two important entrepreneurial resources until his retirement several years ago. Mike was also the best boss I ever worked for. A number of years ago Mike had a stroke that changed his life. Mike knows how to take lemons and turn them into lemonade. Listen to how he takes his mentorship skills to a whole new level by writing 2 inspirational books. Links to Mike's two books Thoughts Along the Way Where's There? The Shared Insights of a Stroke Survivor. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Mike and I would like to thank the law firm of Phillips Lytle, LLP for sponsoring this podcast episode. We are proud to partner with Phillips Lytle because of the entrepreneurial approach they take to legal matters and their long history of success with startup businesses. Please reach out to Phillips Lytle Partner Rich Honen at 518-618-1225 or visit PhillipsLytle.com. This podcast produced by our friends at Bizi Media Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Mike Wacholder. Mike was my boss for a number of years when I worked at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, (RPI). When 2 old friends get together, the conversation can go long. This one did so we broke my conversation with Mike into two parts. This week is part 1. Part 2 will be released next week. Mike was one of the early innovators in University-based Technology Parks and Technology Business Incubators. And remained at the forefront of these two important entrepreneurial resources until his retirement several years ago. Mike was also the best boss I ever worked for. Make sure you also tune in next week to hear how a life-changing event turned Mike into an inspirational writer. Links to Mike's two books Thoughts Along the Way Where's There? The Shared Insights of a Stroke Survivor. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

This is a mini-episode where we discuss sustainability, global warming and how entrepreneurs can discover opportunities, build a business, and make a difference in the world. So, give it a listen and let us know what you think. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners: This week, we have a wide-ranging conversation with Jeremy Redman about, among other topics, leadership and organizational culture. We cover a lot of ground - starting with his non-traditional background, moving to how he and his organizations have evolved over the course of founding multiple start-ups, and discussing some different models of entrepreneurial growth and success. Jeremy is the founder and CEO of V/One, a platform designed to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses through app development and related support. He writes for Entrepreneur Magazine, is the founder and CEO of AirFive Inc., and has built a successful podcast and a related brand called Not Boring Business. You'll want to give this episode a listen - Jeremy has a background in accounting and film (not exactly a common combination!) and has followed a non-traditional path to building multiple successful businesses. He has interesting ideas and is thought-provoking in his approach to growing successful new ventures. If you like what you hear, and want more, Jeremy can be found on the web at the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-redman-1981aa1a/ https://jeremyredman.com/ https://notboringbusiness.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hi listeners: We talk with this week's guest, Ravish Majithia about commercializing his ideas that make small but very important steps in improving the recyclability of packaging...through magnetic ink! Ravish is the CEO of Magnomer, a company that makes magnetic labels that can easily be recycled.. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ravish earned an MBA from Babson College. He did that after working as an Engineer at Intel for three years, where he started after completing his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Texas A&M. Tune in as we discuss both the cool technology Ravish's start-up has developed and commercialize, along with the interesting and non-traditional path that Ravish has taken in his career so far - Ph.D. first, then a big company engineering job...pretty typical up to this point...and then the start-up bug bit and he went back for an MBA at Babson, and then launched his company. It's a great story! If you like what you hear, and want more, Ravish can be found on the web at the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishmajithia/ https://www.magnomer.com/founders https://venturecafecambridge.org/meet-ravish-majithia-founder-ceo-magnomer/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners! This week, we have a mini-podcast for you about pricing strategies. Some might think this is a boring topic. But no! Setting the optimal price for your product or service is a really critical component of launching a successful new product or service. And the internet both helps and hurts. We provide a brief overview of several approaches to pricing and discuss the pros and cons of the different approaches. And you know how we work - there isn't one right answer! But thinking and discussing the options helps lead the a structured and aware approach of pricing. And hey - even if you aren't an entrepreneur and have no intentions of being an entrepreneur, you might enjoy learning about the basic logic of why the products and services you buy are priced the way they are. We hope you enjoy this mini podcast! As always, we love to hear from you - honestly, we do! Please send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hi listeners: How do entrepreneurs get new products to market when working with a limited team and limited resources? One way is to work with a person like this week's guest, Manuj Aggarwal. Manuj is the principal consultant, architect, and CEO of a software consulting company TetraNoodle Technologies based in Vancouver, Canada. Tune in as we discuss the ways that entrepreneurs can help other entrepreneurs be successful, and how people from all walks of life can become successful entrepreneurs by being scrappy and resourceful. We talk about validation, prototyping, and the most effective ways to collaborate with gig workers. This is a feel-good story, just when you really need it! Give it a listen. If you like what you hear, and want more, Manuj can be found on the web at the following places: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manujaggarwal/ https://www.udemy.com/user/manujaggarwal/ https://twitter.com/manujagg?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiIK20nDamhq70NMnLG8wA We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Hanson Grant. He is an example of a person who was born with the entrepreneurship gene turned on at birth. Hanson's grandfather and father were both successful entrepreneurs who built thriving businesses and Hanson learned early on how to start and grow a successful venture. There are many wonderful take-aways in the episode, our favorite is the four envelope tool Hanson's parents taught him. For more information on Hanson's company: https://www.think-board.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Rich Honen. For a side-hustle he owns several race horses. In this episode, Rich describes how the horse racing business works, buying and selling horses, building a team, managing risks, and how entrepreneurial thinking is a valuable skill. Rich's primary passion is helping young companies grow and thrive. He is the Venture Capital & Technology Practice Team Leader and Partner in Charge of the Albany office of Phyllips Lytle. This episode was recorded live at a monthly NYBizLab-Clarkson event I co-host with Rick Derrico in Schenectady, NY. This is Rich's second appearance on the podcast. Back in episode 8, I interviewed Rich and we discussed his career journey. For more information on Rich: https://phillipslytle.com/people/richard-e-honen/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Hello listeners, Today's guest is Victoria Yampolsky, She is a Cornell Comp Sci grad, a Columbia MBA, has worked on Wall Street, is a film producer, and founder of The Startup Station. Her company helps entrepreneurs refine their business plans, financial models and get prepared for raising capital. She is also producing a TV show for Amazon called "The Social Movement", a reality TV series about entrepreneurs, which will be released in early 2020. Check out Victoria's company here: https://thestartupstation.com/ Check out one of her many YouTube videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p83jGfAzu8 We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today's guest is Rich Stokes. He is the founder and CEO of Winston Privacy. This is his second company, his first was AdGooroo an internet ad data aggregator and collector that was acquired. After six years in the industry he realized the initial project he set out to make of collecting data had gone too far. He left to then do the opposite, to stop the ad industry and others from spying on you. Putting you, the individual in charge of if and how you share your data. We have a fascinating conversation about the internet and how everyone is collecting data and they own it. Check out Rich's company here: https://winstonprivacy.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Welcome to one of our "mini" sessions where we discuss a topic of general interest. In today's topic we discuss the recent introduction of the "Impossible Burger" and use it as an example of the challenges in obtaining market acceptance for revolutionary products. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today's guest is Tobi Saulnier, She is the founder of First Playable Productions, where they develop interactive computer games to educate, transform, and change minds. THis was a wonderful interview where Tobi shared her leadership philosophy, including the highs and lows of such a journey. This was recorded live at the monthly BizLab-Clarkson Entrepreneurial Speaker event I co-host with Rick Derrico in Schenectady, NY. Rick Dreeco and I interviewed Tobi in a large room with 100 attendees, so please forgive us for the sound quality. Check out Tobi's company here: http://www.1stplayable.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Today's guest is Chris Hutchins, Co-founder and CEO of Grove. Chris is the founder and CEO of Grove, a company on a mission to make financial planning honest and accessible for everyone. Previously, he was a partner Google Ventures and a co-founder of Milk, a mobile app company acquired by Google. Chris began his career as an investment banker at Allen & Company and later as a management consultant at Monitor Group. For more info on Grove click this link https://hellogrove.com/ Check out Chris' LinkedIn page here https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishutchins/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Welcome to one of our "mini" sessions where we discuss a topic of general interest. In today's topic we discuss funding growth in your business. Now that your business is started, how will you fund growth? We discuss several ways of funding and the challenges and benefits of each. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Rob Salafia started out his career as a street performer. Entertaining people as they walked by. He learned how to get people's attention and maintain their attention by keeping them entertained. Stage presence, storytelling and being able to deal with the unexpected are the transferable skills he developed. He now works with business leaders in helping them engage and deal with the unexpected. To learn more about Rob check out the below: Protagonist Consulting Group https://protagonistconsulting.com/ His book, "Leading from your best self" Amazon link: Leading from Your Best Self https://www.amazon.com/Leading-Your-Best-Self-Executive/dp/126013217X/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=mikewasserman-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=c567cb24ffde0842d692d02d2767de8f&creativeASIN=126013217X We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Jack Bosch came to the United States as a college student on a semester abroad program to improve his English speaking skills. He ended up finishing his degree here and got job offer from a large company. And as many entrepreneurs discover, working for a large company is not for them. While still working for the large company he started a side hustle dabbling in real estate. Well, as they say, the rest is history, as Jack and his wife, Michelle, have built a thriving real estate business with an interesting twist. To learn more about Jack and his technique check out the below: https://www.jackbosch.com/ https://landprofitgenerator.com/ https://www.jackbosch.com/the-land-profit-generator-program/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Helping startups grow their customer base - Nick Petros When Nick was in elementary school, a Legos Robotics project ignited his curiosity and gave him the confidence to try new things. Sailing competitively in school taught him how to adapt to the environment and deal with the unexpected. After a few startup experiences, Nick learn the importance of customer validation. Now Nick is working with early-stage companies to help them grow their customer base via his company PinchForth. Mike and Bela also discuss a email they received from long time listener Shawn. Shawn had some nice comments about the podcast and several excellent suggestions. Learn more about Nick and PinchForth at: https://pinchforth.com/ Nicks Linkedin page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetros/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

What is 'data science' and should entrepreneurs be focusing on it? Listener Matt B. recently posed this question to us. In response to Matt's question, we invited Garett Howardson, Ph.D. to join us on this week's episode of The Unconventional Path. We follow Garett's interesting career path, from a tiny town in South Dakota to Washington DC, through fellowships, an academic job, a startup, and now as a Research Psychologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences in Alexandria VA. Garett has carved out an interesting niche combining psychology and data science. Based on his entrepreneurial experiences, Garett shares his first hand observations about if entrepreneurs should be adopting 'big data' methods to help grow their business. His answers may surprise you and spur some interesting questions! Please join us and listen to Garett and his story. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Learn more about Garett at https://www.linkedin.com/in/garett-howardson-39895b16/ Check out his research here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Garett_Howardson In this episode, we discuss the benefits of CEO peer groups. Here is a blog post about the concept: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/10/01/heres-why-professional-peer-groups-are-worth-the-investment/#5bb1b7a2a8bb Some general examples of these are (note: these aren't endorsements - we are fans of the concept, but not of any one organization - please do your own homework and explore if such a group might be a good fit for you): https://www.10xfactory.com/ceo-peer-groups https://ceoglobalnetwork.com/ https://incceoproject.com/ And many are industry specific, including: IT industry: http://www.msp-ignite.com/peer/IT%20Company/ Building/Construction: http://www.abcwestwa.org/Resources/Peer-Groups Auto retail: https://www.nada.org/20Group/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode.

EP-34 Mini: Minimum Viable Product (MVP) One of the BIG mistakes I made in my first start-up was we did not test the market early. We got the product 80% "right" and were out of money and the customers were not buying. Lesson learned for sure! What are the key points of MVP? •Test your product concept EARLY using a prototype! Could be a bare-bones version, a mock-up, •Listen and learn...get out of your co-working space, garage, etc. and go to where your customers are. •Validate...you are not your customer...show that real customers find your product/service valuable by using your product. •Be agile...iterate quickly...use the feedback you get to improve your product. •Be nimble, be willing to experiment at high speed.What do you get by doing this... Lower your customer acquisition costs for early customers (you've already reached them!) You reduce the chances of making big mistakes with your product You generally actually reduce the time to market. You accelerate learning. You become better at adapting to future change...this is a mindset as well as a set of skills! We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co

As the economy becomes more and more digital, the percentage of the workforce working remotely keeps increasing. In this mini-episode we discuss the advantages and challenges in having remote Employees. This is a great way for entrepreneurs to hire the best talent, regardless of their location. It is also a way to reduce start-up costs and remain very flexible. Managing remote employees also have some additional challenges and will require some planning. So join us in this informative discussion. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co

Can entrepreneurship be considered a career path for college students in the US? Will Miles tells his story, shares his lessons learned, and discusses his goals to become an entrepreneur in the world of financial services. Join us and listen to Will tell us about the ups and downs of balancing life as a young entrepreneur with being a full-time college student. It's a fascinating story that mixes snowstorms, venture capital, a change of scenery, and fishing, all in under 40 minutes! Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy this week's episode, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode.

What happens when you find yourself in a situation where the stable, traditional business you are running is being disrupted? One such industry undergoing significant disruption is higher education. On paper, a small school in a small town in northern New York, should be in trouble. Dr. Anthony Collins, President of Clarkson University talks about being entrepreneurial within a university. Join us to hear Tony's story about immigrating from Australia and working through the professorial ranks at Clarkson to become one of its longest serving presidents. How is Tony transforming Clarkson to stay relevant, unique, and valuable in a changing market and how is he setting up Clarkson for the future? Please join us and listen to his story. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Learn more about what Tony has built at http://www.clarkson.edu We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com - we will answer your questions in a future episode.

Keri O'brian is one of the first employees company founder and CEO, Nichole Snow hired. All companies need entrepreneurial thinking and action. Keri discusses how by teaching piano lessons, she learned how to be organized and keep track of finances. Her stint at Americorp taught her how to lead teams and get stuff done. Keri loves the culture at Darn Good Yarns because she has the opportunity to make a difference every day and does not need to ask permission to get stuff done. Keri also reflected on the value to putting yourself into challenging situations where you feel uncomfortable, as this is where learning and skill growth happens. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Keri and the rest of the Darn Good Yarns team here: Darn Good Yarns We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Kat Koppett - Actor, entrepreneur, and business leader. Kat is a 25-year improv veteran, including stints with Theatresports companies in New York City (Freestyle Repertory Theatre) and San Francisco (BATS Improv). In 1995, TheaterWeek Magazine named Kat one of the year's "Unsung Heroes" for her creation of the improvisational theater format, Spontaneous Broadway, which is now performed regularly all over the world. She has taken her acting and improve skills and turned them into a leadership training organization. Kat's improve company' Mopco https://www.mopco.org/kat-koppett Kat's leadership training company https://www.koppett.com/ Kat's book, "Training to Imagine" https://www.amazon.com/Training-Imagine-Improvisational-Techniques-Creativity/dp/1579225926 We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Tony Civitella started as an intern at Transfinder and is now CEO. Listen to his great life story starting at arriving in the United States with his parents from Italy, to serving as the translator to help his father buy a car, and growing and running an international business. Tony continues to grow Transfinder and recently started the NYBizLab, a business incubator in downtown Schenectady. He is a great story teller and offers several pearls of wisdom. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Transfinder Web Site https://www.transfinder.com/ NY BizLab Web Site http://www.nybizlab.net/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Euwyn Poon was born in Singapore and moved to Canada as a young lad. His entrepreneurial tendencies and drive were evident at a young age. He entered Cornell University at the age of 15. After graduating with a degree in computer science, he went to Cornell Law School. It was during a sabbatical from Simpson Thacher, a top NYC law firm, he got the entrepreneurial bug and joined Y-Combinator. Euwyn is a great observer of the inefficiencies that surround us and turning them into business opportunities. He started Spin after a trip to China. Less than two years later, he sold it to Ford Motor Company. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Euwyn's Blogg https://blog.spin.pm/moving-forward-with-ford-49aa4ff056e Spin's LinkIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/ridespin/ Y Combinator https://www.ycombinator.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Kate Cartini started her working life as a TV News producer and now is one of the three key executives at Chloe Capital, a seed-stage VC firm investing in women founded companies and COO at Upstate Venture Connect.. Throughout her career, Kate has witnessed the birth of the Charlotte, NC start-up ecosystem. From there it was onto Boston and now upstate NY as one of the key leaders in the entrepreneurial environment. Kate Cartini web site https://kathryncartini.com/ Upstate Venture Connect: https://uvc.org/ UNY 50 https://uvc.org/uny50/ Chloe Capital - investing in women entrepreneurs - pre-seed capital https://chloecapital.com/ Carvel Ice Cream https://www.carvel.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Ever wonder how business founders with a great idea and very little operational and finance experience make a start-up work? They hire people like Drew Sheppard to help. Drew was trained as an engineer and quickly developed a broad range of managerial skills, including finance, operations, and HR. Drew's career has followed an incredibly interesting arc spanning from the industrial midwest to Silicon Valley and finally back to the midwest to be a part of Columbus, Ohio's vibrant start-up scene. Drew's vast range of experience has helped several companies over the past 30 years. His current role is VP of Operations and Finance at Dynamit, a web and mobile application company in Columbus. We think you will enjoy listening to Drew share his story and advice on how to move start-ups past the initial burst of energy into sustainable, value creating businesses. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Drew's LinkedIn Account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-sheppard-2a84293/ Drew's company, Dynamit: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamit/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Devon Watson spent summers as a professional wakeboarder. Enjoying the sun and jumping wakes while getting a great tan. After Devon graduated from Clarkson University, he joined forces with his brother, and they started a business. He then got the "bug" to join the venture capital industry. His story on how he approached getting the attention of VC firms is a great lesson in getting yourself in the door. Now as Chief Marketing Officer of Diebold Nixdorf, a $4.5 Billion global financial technology business. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike

Coworking spaces have become the big buzz in the business world. From new startups to remote workers needing a meeting place. Some of these coworking spaces are formal and structured, others are less formal and may be your local corner coffee shop. This is a great way for entrepreneurs to reduce start-up cost and remain very flexible. It's also a great way to build your network and learn from others. We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co

The business professor starts a restaurant. Really? Marc Compeau clearly has the entrepreneurial gene. Marc's entrepreneurial activities started in primary school, continued into college and he is currently the owner/founder of Jake's, a very successful restaurant. And no, he is not a chef. Like most successful entrepreneurs, he did not let a few major setbacks derail his drive and instead turned them into new adventures. Marc's consistent focus; Providing something valuable for the customer, he craves customer satisfaction. Marc is on the Faculty at Clarkson University where the teaches Entrepreneurship and Marketing. Mark and his wife Christine opened Jake's on the Water, five years ago. Jake's is a fine dining restaurant located in Hannawa Falls, New York, serving innovative American, locally sourced cuisine in a modern, beautiful waterside environment. Jake's on the water Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co

This week we respond to a listener email. Bob K. writes; Bela and Mike, Just wanted to say I enjoy the podcasts but the latest one with Mark Dzwonczyk was really special. I love the micro observer term and opportunity recognition Thank you for doing these. Mark mentioned a book Seth Godin's Purple Cow, do the two of you have books that you would suggest for your audience. Thanks again. Bob K. We put together a reading list and a list of podcasts that we think are relevant. We will also have podcast/book of the month club, where we will share our current favorite book or podcast. Thank you Bob K. for your suggestion. Mike's Favorite Books: Lean Startup by Eric Ries, 2014 https://amzn.to/2EjPb7j Business Model Canvas by Osterwalder & Pigneur, 2011 https://amzn.to/2EjENN0 The Startup Owners Manual, by Blank & Dorf, 2014 https://amzn.to/2E2oP8K The above links are to our Amazon affiliates link. If you purchase a book via the above links, Mike and I get a few dollars to help pay for the cost of making this podcast. Mike's General Reading List (magazines, newspapers, and blogs) Fast Company http:/www.fastcompany.com MIT Technology Review http://www.technologyreview.com The Economist http://www.economist.com Strategy+Business http://strategy-business.com Harvard Business Review http://www.hbr.org MIT Sloan Management Review http://sloanreview.mit.edu Core77 http://www/core77.com Wired http://www.wired.com New York Times Business Section http://www.nytimes.com/business Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com TechCrunch http://www.techcrunch.com Futurism http://www.futurism.com VentureBeat http://www/venturebeat.com Bela's Favorite Podcasts Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444600/marketplace Revisionist History - by Malcolm Gladwell http://revisionisthistory.com/ How I built this - by Guy Raz https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built...

Tyler Wrightson started his first company while still in high school. He quickly learned it's easy to start, but much more challenging to have a sustainable business. After a few positions in larger companies, he soon discovered he prefers having his own business. Leet Cyber Security is a super high tech business that helps companies discover their IT vulnerabilities. He then took what he learned and started Stacks Espresso Bar. Tyler's latest enterprise is CoLab, a membership co-working space. Yep, from cybersecurity to coffee to co-working space, Tyler has found a common thread that binds these businesses together. Listen to his story and learn what this common thread is Tyler has also authored two books on cybersecurity. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Link to Leet Cyber Security https://leetcybersecurity.com/ Link to Stacks Espresso Bar https://www.stacksespresso.com/ Link to CoLab CoLab Link to Tyler's books Advanced Persistent Threat Hacking: The Art and Science of Hacking Any Organization Wireless Network Security A Beginner's Guide by Tyler Wrightson Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Yearn to Learn. Today's topic for our Mini Episode is "The Yearn to Learn". A common characteristic among successful entrepreneurs is the yearn to learn. In other words, a constant curiosity to discover and learn. Mike and I discuss the importance of constantly learning, discovering, and using curiosity as a driver to improve your product across numerous dimensions. These can include discovering customer needs, improving product quality/reliability, and proactively responding to your competition. With a bit of work, this is a characteristic you can develop and hone and it will greatly improve your entrepreneurial skill set. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Mark Dzwonczyk journey is remarkable, make sure you listen at the end where he reveals what makes it so remarkable. An engineer with a great knack for recognizing opportunities and building a business that delights customers. Mark was a pioneer in the VoIP telephone business and eventually ran a rural telephone company trying to bring internet connectivity to all. He is also a Trustee at Clarkson University and Paul Smith's College. Listen to Mark recount this remarkable journey and share some of his wisdom in this episode. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Link to Seth Godin TED Talk "How to get your ideas to spread" https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread?language=en Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Raising Capital This is the second of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is from a listener question, Andy from Providence Rhode Island asks about raising capital. We could do a whole series on episodes on raising capital as it is a very complex topic. We cover the basics here and introduce some important concepts. Debt, equity, VC, Banks, Friends and Family, Kickstarter, these are all important topics. As always, there is lots more to learn. Thanks for the great question Andy! This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

John Cococcia graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and got a job working at a Ford Motor Company plant. His first assignment was supervising a manufacturing department. As John said, "It was a great learning experience!" He then got a job as a Partner at FA Technology Ventures, a $100 million early stage venture capital fund, where he made investments and help companies succeed. His most recent corporate assignment was as the business development executive for Plug Power, a public company. John is also a Venture Partner at Armory Square Ventures. With such a diverse background, John had lots of wisdom to share in this interview. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out John at Armory Square Ventures: http://www.armorysv.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

This is the first of our bi-monthly mini episodes. In these 5-10 mini episodes Mike and I will be discussing one topic of general interest. Our longer, interview episodes will remain the same and will also be bi-monthly on alternative weeks from the minis. This episode's topic is change and trying something new. All entrepreneurs have a willingness to try new things/ideas/ concepts. After all, everything we have in this world is a result of someone willing to try something new with the full knowledge that it may or may not work. Let us know how you like these mini episodes. This podcast is produced by Bizi Media, they can be found at www.bizimedia.co Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Simon Balint graduated from high school and deferred entering Brown University for a year to backpack around the world. He then spent a few years teaching English in Japan and helping to expand the company he worked for. After returning to the United States, he joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's business incubator where he met some students who were starting a business. He joined them and they build a business that was acquired by Lion Products. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Lion at https://www.lionprotects.com/ We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Gustav Joensson is an exchange student at Clarkson University. I sat down with him to discuss entrepreneurship in Sweden and how it compares to the United States. Gustav discuss the strong entrepreneurship education available to all students starting in high school and continuing through college. We discuss the impact this has had on Sweden. Gustav also relates his experience at Clarkson and exploring various parts of the United States. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Mitch Hara started as an investment banker helping Beekman 1802 grow and ended up becoming CEO. Every growing business needs experienced talent, finding the "right" talent is multi-faceted. Starting as a consultant enables the founders and Mitch to get to know each other before making a major commitment. This interview was recorded live at the NY Biz Lab - Clarkson Entrepreneurship Lunchtime Series. It's a fascinating story of a New York City banker, joining a "Living Brand" business in rural up-state NY. Mitch also discusses the challenges of maintaining the founders culture in a growing business. We also cover how Beekman 1802 built a strong customer following. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Beekman 1802 here: Beekman 1802 We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

EP-11: Passion, Culture, and Supply Chain. Nichole Snow - Darn Good Yarns Nichole's entrepreneurial adventures started with selling Betta fish to her dorm-mates in college. Then she transformed her childhood hobby into a thriving business. She's a master at recognizing opportunities. Darn Good Yarns provides uniquely made materials to the craft market while helping there suppliers from impoverished regions of the world make a sustainable living. Nicole's mission is to infuse good into all parts of her business, from satisfying a market need to doing good around the world. Nichole also describes how her experience in the United States Army helped prepare her for working with a worldwide supply chain and all the complex regulations and challenges that are part of the package. We also discuss the importance of corporate culture and building a strong customer following. Hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Nichole Snow and Darn Good Yarns here: Darn Good Yarns We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

EP-10: Kickstarter plus passion equals start-up. Charlotte Hayden - Craft Coffee Flavors What do you do when you cannot find your favorite coffee flavor? Charlotte Hayden starts a business to develop and sell coffee flavorings. Listen to her describe the challenges of leaving her full-time job and jumping head first into her passion to start her business. Charlotte also discusses the robust entrepreneurial community in Austin, Texas and the adventure of starting a Kickstarter campaign. She is still early in her adventure and we will check in with her periodically to follow her progress. Thanks for listening, Bela and Mike Check out Craft Coffee Flavors here: Craft Coffee Flavors Kickstarter Page We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

EP-9: Holiday Bonus. Releasing 2 podcasts this week. To kick off the Holiday season we are releasing 2 episodes this week. The period between Thanksgiving and New Years is a special time of the year. It's exciting for everyone from young to old. We would like to thank our listeners for helping to make "The Unconventional Path: Secrets to igniting your business with Bela and Mike" a success. So this week, we have 2 episodes: EP-10, with Charlotte Hayden - Craft Coffee Flavors, explores the challenges of leaving your full-time job to pursue your entrepreneurial dream and using Kickstarter to help fund that dream. EP-11, with Nichole Snow - Darn Good Yarns, explores the challenges of growing your business and responding to customers. Charlotte and Nichole share stories with a common theme - both turn a life passion into an entrepreneurial journey and feel fulfilled, and have fun along the way. Hope you enjoy these episodes. We wish all of you a happy, safe and peaceful holiday season. Best, Bela and Mike Check out Charlotte's Kickstarter page here: Craft Coffee Flavors Kickstarter Page Check out Nichole Snow and Darn Good Yarns here: Darn Good Yarns Send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

Lawyers can be great sources of advice to entrepreneurs and can also be entrepreneurs themselves. Rich Honen - Venture Capital & Technology Practice Team Leader at Phillips-Lytle and the leader of the Albany NY office. Rich tackles the age-old question, "Start a business right out of school or join an existing company." Hear Rich describe how he ended up in law school, joined a start-up law firm right out of law school, then bought out his partner and acquired the frim and then the decision to sell his firm to a much larger law firm. Rich also elaborates on why getting solid advice is so critical for start-ups. Check out Rich's current activities here: Rich Honen Web Page Send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com We will answer your questions in a future episode.

It's not about risk, it's about being prepared for the challenge. Craig Skevington - Serial Entrepreneur Disruption, challenge, planning, and entrepreneurship. How do they fit together? Craig Skevington, a serial entrepreneur, shares his provocative views on entrepreneurship. Craig differentiates between challenges (what drives entrepreneurs) and risk (which is driven by the challenge). He discusses the role of planning, disruption, managing, building a team, and managing rapid growth. Check out Craig's current activities here: STEADfast Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

How does vision develop? Dave Kruczlnicki the former CEO of Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls NY tells his story of how he took on assignments that challenged him and gave him a solid foundation to develop a vision and lead a community hospital. Dave discusses balancing the needs of the community with the financial demands of running a hospital. Finally, Dave shares advice on how to manage entrepreneurially and take smart risks in a complex, regulated environment. Check out Dave's current activities here: http://www.highpeaksadvisor.com/index.html Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

How do you build a successful culture? Darrin Jahnel, co-founder of software developer Jahnel Group, explains the role of people and culture in his company. Darrin offers some great tips on hiring and keeping great people, on investing in your culture, and on genuinely caring about your employees. He also discusses his journey from quitting his job, going through all his savings and getting into $70K in debt, before figuring out to "go where the money is". Check out Darrin's company here: https://www.jahnelgroup.com/ A few links on Servant Leadership Zimmerman on Servant leadership Center for Servant Leadership Forbes Article Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

Hugh Johnson, the founder of Hugh Johnson Advisors, Albany NY. Listen how Hugh built his career, from humble beginnings, into being a world renowned financial advisor. Chances are you have seen him on CNBC or heard him on NPR. You will hear how he left a large firm and blazed out on his own and how one small thing he did early in his career had a lasting impact on him. Check out Hugh Johnson Advisors here: https://www.hjadvisors.com/ Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

Ed Mitzen, the founder of Fingerpaint in Saratoga Springs, NY. Fingerpaint is a marketing company with a list of clients any firm would be envious of. This is Ed's second company, but the first one he has done as a solo founder. He discusses the challenges of heading out on your own. Fingerpaint recently made an acquisition, you will hear the challenges in finding and integrating another business into Fingerpaint. Ed also discusses work-life balance and how he focuses on developing the culture at Fingerpaint to help bring that balance to employees. Check out Fingerpaint here: https://fingerpaintmarketing.com/ Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

A great interview with David Dussault, the founder of P1 Industries in Schenectady, NY. David started P1 after leaving GE and has built a solid business in machining and fabricating precision metal components for the energy industry. Listen to how David has grown this company by keeping a keen eye on building a customer service focused culture. P1 is a great example of applying entrepreneurship to traditional manufacturing businesses. Check out P1 here: http://www.p1ind.com/ Send us your comments and suggestions at bela.and.mike@gmail.com

Welcome to The Unconventional Path: Secrets to Igniting Your Business With Bela and Mike Your host for this podcast series are Bela Musits, the David D. Reh professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at Clarkson University in upstate New York, and Mike Wasserman, professor of international management at the University of Applied Sciences in Münster, Germany. Join us on a journey to explore how to build and grow your business in today's global marketplace. In each episode, we try to capture and share the essence of how interesting people often take unconventional paths to build their business, some of whom succeed, some who do not. We will delve into how they get their inspiration, drive, and persistence to start and grow their enterprise. You will hear the ups and downs, the challenges, and the struggles first hand. Business schools don't train entrepreneurs to find and explore unconventional paths. These paths, sometimes overgrown and rocky, can quickly become the roads to new products, processes, suppliers, customers, or employees. These roads can lead to competitive advantage, growth, and even happiness. Since there are no textbooks on how to do this, we are interviewing a wide range of business people, some successful and some less-so, that have found and taken unconventional paths in their business careers. We hope to capture some lessons, advice, and inspiration along the way that will help you attain your entrepreneurial goals. So, join us for interesting conversations and discussions with inspiring guests on how you can ignite your business by exploring some of the many less traveled, unconventional paths that lie ahead. If you like the podcast, please tell your friends and give us a review on iTunes. If you have suggestions or comments, please send us an email at bela.and.mike@gmail.com Thanks for listening.