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Ever dream of building a portfolio of successful businesses while traveling the world? In this episode, Alex Ostrov of Nomad CPA reveals how he did just that. Alex pulls back the curtain on the financial strategies used by elite entrepreneurs to scale multiple companies simultaneously through a holding company structure. He breaks down why your financial numbers are more than just a tax-time headache—they're a roadmap to unlocking hidden growth, making smarter decisions, and achieving your ultimate goals. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by their financials or wants to build a business that truly supports their ideal lifestyle. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business Why a holding company structure is a game-changer for centralizing functions, gaining efficiencies, and scaling a portfolio of businesses.How to transform your financial statements from a compliance burden into a strategic tool for growth, acquisitions, and securing funding.The critical importance of proper expense allocation and how it reveals the true profitability of each venture in your portfolio.How a fractional CFO can help you find the hidden answers in your numbers to make smarter decisions about everything from hiring to expansion.The mindset and practical systems required to build a successful "lifestyle business" that allows for freedom and travel without sacrificing client value.A low-risk strategy to transition from a W-2 employee to a full-time entrepreneur by becoming a contractor first.Why you must master your manual processes before ever investing in expensive software or tools.📝 About Alex Ostrov  Alex Ostrov is the founder of Nomad CPA, a fractional CFO and full-service finance firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs scale their portfolios. After starting his career at a Big Four accounting firm in Bermuda, Alex embraced the remote work lifestyle and traveled to over 35 countries, which inspired him to launch his own business. He specializes in working with hands-on operators who run multiple businesses, providing the strategic financial partnership they need to centralize processes, optimize performance, and grow their revenue to $25 million and beyond. 🎯 Alex’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "You don't have to fully dive in the deep end. If you want to get into the entrepreneurship journey, you don't need to fully quit your W2 job... you can talk to your company, see if you can scale back, go on as a contractor, and then from there, it gives you more flexibility to work with other businesses or start another business." 📢 Memorable Quotes “If you really want to dissect your business and look at opportunities, then the numbers tell the story. The numbers tell the story, and they can help kind of show you where you're going to be in the future.” – Alex Ostrov“Just as you're an entrepreneur in a business, you're an entrepreneur for your own life as well. You get to create the life you want.” – Alex Ostrov"Before you bring on any tool, make sure that your processes are refined manually. If you can't do it with a simple spreadsheet... then you're probably not going to be able to do it with one of these fancy tools." – Alex Ostrov🔗 Links & Resources Visit Nomad CPA’s websiteConnect with Alex on LinkedInFollow Nomad CPA on LinkedInFollow Nomad CPA on Instagram

In this episode, we sit down with Charlie Klarskov, the founder of WorkshopsForRetirement.com, who shares his incredible journey from a pig farm in Denmark to building a 29-person remote company that operates in 45 states. Charlie pulls back the curtain on how he scaled a business centered around in-person events by mastering digital marketing, automation, and a "Lego-building" mindset. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur who wants to understand the power of systems, the truth about marketing (spoiler: it's all experimentation), and how to leverage technology like AI not to replace people, but to reduce stress and scale your impact. Tune in to learn how Charlie turned a simple, descriptive idea into a well-oiled machine that serves communities across the nation. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business The "McDonald's Process": Learn how to systematize even the most customized services in your business to ensure consistency, save time, and scale efficiently.Marketing is Just Experimentation: Why even high-end ad agencies don’t have a "golden nugget" and how your best strategy is relentless trial and error driven by data, not personal opinion.Scale Without Burnout: Discover Charlie's philosophy on using AI and automation to reduce the workload and stress on your team, allowing you to grow volume with the same number of happy employees.The Power of Simplicity: Understand why sometimes the best business name is the one that simply and clearly describes what you do (like WorkshopsForRetirement.com!).Bootstrapping from Zero: Get inspired by Charlie's story of starting his business with no money while living in his friend's sister's old room, proving that resourcefulness beats resources.Listen to the Market: Hear why trying to force your own beliefs on your business is a path to failure, and why the most successful entrepreneurs adapt to what the market is telling them.📝 About Charlie Klarskov  Charlie Klarskov is the founder of WorkshopsForRetirement.com, a company that promotes educational events to help local communities with retirement planning. Originally from a pig farm in Denmark, Charlie moved to the US at 19 with a dream of working in finance in Beverly Hills—a dream he quickly achieved. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to branch out on his own, building a business that brilliantly merges the power of digital marketing and automation with the high-touch, human connection of in-person events. Charlie offers a unique perspective on building a fully remote team, scaling a service-based business, and embracing technology to create a more efficient and less stressful work environment. 🎯 Charlie’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Go with your gut feeling... Don't worry about what other people are thinking, let them worry about that. Go with your own flow." 📢 Memorable Quotes "It's a little bit like it's fun playing with Legos, taking different things, putting them together and you can build whatever you want pretty much. I feel the same way with my business." – Charlie Klarskov"What I found is that the only way to find out is just trial and error. Test it out... Don't go with what you personally think is aesthetically good or what you think is good because you don't know. Let data speak for itself." – Charlie Klarskov🔗 Links & Resources Visit Workshops for Retirement’s websiteConnect with Charlie on LinkedInFollow Workshops for Retirement on LinkedIn

Have you been taught that business is a zero-sum game? That you need to crush your competition, steal market share, and constantly differentiate yourself to survive? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian dismantles one of the biggest lies we’ve all been told: that competition is the key to success. Inspired by a simple but powerful quote, “Competition happens at the bottom, the people at the top are collaborating,” Brian shares why an abundance mindset is the true secret to scaling your business and impact. He dives into his own early entrepreneurial journey, revealing how partnering with his so-called “competitors” was the very thing that accelerated his success. Get ready to rethink everything you know about your industry and discover the six types of collaboration that will change your business forever. ✨ Why This Matters for You Adopting a collaborative mindset is the fastest way to get out of the entrepreneurial trenches: It frees you from the scarcity mindset that keeps you small and stressed.It unlocks partnerships and opportunities that you could never create on your own.It builds a powerful network of peers, mentors, and partners who genuinely want to see you win.It accelerates your learning curve and helps you avoid costly mistakes.It shifts your focus from fighting for scraps at the bottom to creating new value at the top.📝 Key Takeaways Competition is a Myth. The idea that you must beat others to win is a flawed concept taught in business school. True long-term success comes from partnership and the belief that a rising tide lifts all boats.Collaborate with Competitors. Instead of viewing direct competitors as threats, see them as partners for market expansion, shared education, cross-promotions, or even referring overflow work.Leverage Shoulder Industries. This is a business cheat code. Partnering with businesses that serve your ideal clients (but don't directly compete with you) is one of the most effective marketing strategies.Value is More Than Money. When collaborating, you can offer more than just cash or referrals. Offer time, access, credibility, distribution, labor, or community to create win-win partnerships, especially with those ahead of you.Build Your Peer Group. The entrepreneurial journey is lonely. Collaborating with peers provides essential emotional support, sanity checks, shared experiments, and a trusted circle of people who are in the arena with you.Co-Create With Your Market. Stop guessing what your customers want. Collaborate with them directly. Use community-led growth and user-generated content to build products and services they are guaranteed to love.🚀 Put It Into Action This week, conduct a “Collaboration Audit” on your business: Identify one person or business in a “shoulder industry” that you could partner with. How can you help them first?Think of one “competitor.” What’s one small way you could collaborate instead of compete? (e.g., share their content, propose a joint webinar on the state of your industry).Reach out to one peer who is at a similar stage in their journey and schedule a virtual coffee. The goal isn't to sell, but simply to connect and learn.🔗 Stay Connected Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrian.This is a lonely journey if you let it be! Brian reads and replies to every single email personally. Reach out and say hello at [email protected] this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance.

Tired of thinking HR is just expensive bureaucracy for big corporations? This episode will completely change your mind. We sit down with Jeffrey McNeal, founder of Adapt HR, who has cracked the code on making human resources simple, affordable, and practical for lean startups and small businesses. Jeffrey shares his journey from government service to the HR tech world, revealing why most HR tools are overbuilt for entrepreneurs and how he built a solution to bridge the gap. This episode is a masterclass in building a foundational system that supports your business growth, ensuring you’re prepared for success before the growing pains hit. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 Why building an HR foundation is crucial, even if you only have a few employees, and how it prevents future chaos during growth spurts.💰 How to get a professional HR system in place for free (yes, actually free for teams of 1-5 people).🤖 The real future of AI in HR: How a "human and machine" partnership will streamline hiring and operations, moving beyond marketing hype.📈 A founder's perspective on product roadmaps and deciding what features to build next based on customer pain points, not just shiny objects.🤝 How to build a culture of ownership and trust within your team by flipping the traditional corporate pyramid upside down.⚙️ What a lean, software-backed HR function looks like and how it removes administrative headaches from the founder's plate.📝 About Jeffrey McNeal  Jeffrey McNeal is the founder of Adapt HR and a product-driven entrepreneur with a uniquely diverse career. He’s navigated the worlds of government administration, software startups, investment banking, and HR tech, giving him a front-row seat to how organizations of all sizes operate—and where they break down. Frustrated by overly complex and expensive enterprise software, Jeffrey decided to build what most small business owners actually need: a simple, practical HR platform that works without the bloat, buzzwords, or overwhelming workflows. 🎯 Jeffrey’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "When you make that shift from employee to entrepreneur, guess what? You have to know all of it." 📢 Memorable Quotes "Most small businesses are... an owner trying to run a business which includes the admin side... and they're using spreadsheets and color coded calendars and post-it notes." – Jeffrey McNeal"Ultimately where HR software needs to go as it relates to AI is a smooth relationship between human and machine... letting the machine do the heavy lifting to allow the user, the human to make the higher level decisions." – Jeffrey McNeal"So frequently, I see product managers who are focused on building products, they don't learn how to be a salesperson. You ask me how I know." – Jeffrey McNeal🔗 Links & Resources Visit AdaptHR’s websiteConnect with Jeffrey on LinkedInFollow AdaptHR on LinkedIn

Tired of hearing the same generic advice about AI? In this episode, Sara Reece, co-founder and CEO of Workmind, cuts through the noise to reveal what truly matters in the world of business automation. She breaks down the difference between overhyped AI trends and powerful “operational agents” that solve real-world problems. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur looking to innovate responsibly. Sara explains how to introduce game-changing technology without disrupting your existing operations, how to get honest feedback from your ideal customers, and why your non-linear career path might just be your greatest competitive advantage. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🧠 The Real Difference Between Agentic AI and "Wrapped LLMs": Learn to spot genuine, value-adding AI solutions from the pretenders and understand what makes an operational agent truly powerful for your business.🚀 How to Innovate Without Disruption: Discover Sara's "inch at a time" philosophy for introducing new technology, ensuring your team and customers adopt changes smoothly without the pain of a total overhaul.🐒 The “Trained Monkey” Question: Steal Sara’s brilliant discovery question to instantly identify the most tedious, repetitive tasks in any business that are ripe for automation.🤝 Why Developing in a Vacuum is a Recipe for Failure: Understand the critical importance of co-creating solutions with your target market before you invest heavily in development.📈 How Your Random Past Experiences Fuel Future Success: Learn how to connect the dots from a diverse, non-linear background to bring unique and powerful insights to your entrepreneurial journey.💬 The Power of Augmentation Over Replacement: Shift your mindset from seeing AI as a threat that replaces humans to a tool that augments your team's capacity, making them more effective and focused on high-value work.📝 About Sara Reece Sara Reece is the co-founder and CEO of Workmind, a company that builds operational agents to automate repetitive work for franchisors and service teams. With a fascinatingly non-linear background that includes journalism, radio, flight school, and even research in national parks, Sara brings a uniquely human and multi-faceted perspective to the world of AI. Her expertise lies in creating practical, non-disruptive AI solutions that integrate seamlessly into the tools businesses already use, helping them grow smarter and more efficiently. 🎯 Sara’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs Find something you're passionate about, validate that other people care about it too, and develop the ability to take critical feedback as a business tool, not a personal attack. 📢 Memorable Quotes “What do you do on a daily basis that makes you feel like a trained monkey? As soon as I ask that question, I get overwhelming responses.” – Sara Reece“If you are so disruptive that you are destroying work paths… people aren't ready for you. You need to make sure that operationally you have to give them an inch at a time.” – Sara Reece“You need to be able to take that feedback and you need to take a step back and realize I am presenting this as a company… and if they give me some harsh reality checks, I need to be able to not take a personal offense to it.” – Sara Reece🔗 Links & Resources Visit Workmind’s websiteConnect with Sara on LinkedInFollow Workmind on LinkedIn

Tired of wrestling with complicated, clunky website builders that never quite capture your vision? In this episode, we sit down with Yason Khaburzaniya, a seasoned software engineer turned entrepreneur who is on a mission to make website creation radically simple. Yason shares his journey founding Breba, an agent-native platform that lets you build a website just by describing your business in plain English. This episode is a must-listen for any founder who feels held back by technology. You'll learn how the power of simplicity and focused AI can eliminate one of the biggest hurdles in starting a business, allowing you to launch faster and focus on what you do best. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 How to leverage AI to build a professional website without learning a complex new platform or writing a single line of code.🎯 Why focusing on a "simple" problem that others overlook can be your biggest competitive advantage as an entrepreneur.💰 A simple, powerful framework for integrating back-end functions like lead capture without needing any technical expertise.🤖 How advanced prompt engineering can turn your simple business description into a fully-realized, custom website design.📈 The founder's mindset for navigating the overwhelming pace of AI innovation by focusing on simplicity and actionable goals.🤔 Why your communication skills, not your coding skills, are becoming the most important asset in building with AI tools.💡 The "Jamstack" architecture explained for non-techies and how it can make your business more secure and scalable.📝 About Yason Khaburzaniya  Yason Khaburzaniya is a seasoned software engineer and the founder of Breba, an AI-powered platform designed to empower entrepreneurs. With a background that includes writing code for third-generation GPS satellites and working on advanced AI projects at Intuit, Yason brings a deep understanding of technology to the world of startups. His unique perspective is shaped by his journey from running a local IT business in college to now building tools that make powerful technology accessible to everyone, embodying the principle of making complex things simple to help people succeed. 🎯 Yason’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Take action, but be also deliberate about taking action... Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler." 📢 Memorable Quotes “I narrowed and narrowed it down until I got a problem that looks like a middle schooler could solve it... and I'm like well because this is the thing that I can really excel at.” – Yason Khaburzaniya“Building is a skill and selling is an art to me at least... Try to go maybe one or two competence levels below where you think you are and then you can excel.” – Yason Khaburzaniya“If you make these specialized agents that solve very directed specific tasks, they can supersede humans in their competence.” – Yason Khaburzaniya🔗 Links & Resources Visit Breba’s websiteConnect with Yason on LinkedInFollow Breba on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you have a story to tell but don't know where to start or why it even matters for your business? In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with novelist and co-founder of the Experience Writing Conference, Janice Buswell, to uncover why your unique story is your single greatest asset as an entrepreneur. Janice demystifies the writing process, revealing how embracing your personal journey can build an unshakeable brand, connect deeply with customers, and give you the confidence to lead. This episode isn't just for aspiring authors; it’s a masterclass for any entrepreneur who wants to build a business with purpose, passion, and a powerful message that resonates with the world. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 Why storytelling is the primary way humans learn and how you can leverage it to communicate your business values and vision effectively.🎯 How to overcome the imposter syndrome that stops you from sharing your message and step into your identity as a leader in your niche.🤝 The art of using relationships to build your business, from finding your first supporters to meeting the perfect mentors and partners.💡 A powerful exercise to map out your own "life story" to uncover the unique themes and wisdom you can weave into your brand.🗣️ How to find your unique voice not by waiting for inspiration, but through the process of taking action and sharing your ideas.🤖 The right way to use AI as a tool for efficiency without letting it short-circuit the discovery of your authentic message and voice.📝 About Janice Buswell Janice Buswell is a multi-talented communicator, speaker, novelist, and blogger who is passionate about helping people tell the stories on their hearts. As the co-founder of the Experience Writing Conference, she has created a community designed to help writers discover their God-given voice and navigate the publishing process without losing their uniqueness. With a diverse background that includes working for a tech startup and as a communications director, Janice brings a powerful perspective on how the art of storytelling intersects with the practical journey of building something from the ground up. 🎯 Janice’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "It's really all about relationships... Don't let [other tasks] squeeze out the need to develop relationships, especially key relationships... taking the time to really connect with people wherever you go, I think is really important to the growth of any organization or any entrepreneur." 📢 Memorable Quotes “The world actually needs that they need what's in you. That's why you're here on the earth is because there's something in you that the world needs.” – Janice Buswell“The way you discover your voice is actually through writing... the process is what teaches you.” – Janice Buswell“There may be a million kinds of versions of this kind of story, but no one will say it the way you said it. And the way you said it is the way that someone else needs to hear it.” – Janice Buswell🔗 Links & Resources Visit Experience Writing’s websiteConnect with Janice on LinkedInFollow Experience Writing on LinkedIn

In a world buzzing with AI fear and confusion, how can you, as an entrepreneur, actually use it as a force for good? Elliott Godwin, founder of EG Integrations, joins the show to demystify AI and automation, showing us how technology can amplify human potential instead of replacing it. He shares his unique journey from a life of service to leading a fast-growing tech company that serves both enterprise clients and nonprofits. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur looking to integrate technology not just for efficiency, but to deepen their impact, serve their community, and build a more meaningful, scalable business. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🤖 AI as an Amplifier, Not a Replacement: Discover the mindset shift needed to see AI as a tool that frees up humans to do what they do best: be creative, build relationships, and lead with passion.🚀 The "Systems Architect" Approach: Learn how to look at your own business, identify the core problems and inefficiencies, and devise tech-driven solutions—which aren't always AI.📈 Why Tech Integration Leads to Team Growth: Hear a counterintuitive take on how automating processes can actually create more opportunities for human capital and lead to hiring more people.🤝 Balancing Profit and Purpose: Uncover a powerful business model that uses profits from corporate work to fund heavily discounted or pro-bono services for nonprofits, allowing you to scale your impact alongside your revenue.🧠 Overcoming "You Don't Know What You Don't Know": Get practical tips on using free tools like ChatGPT’s voice feature to brainstorm solutions to business challenges you can't even articulate yet.🌐 The Power of Being a Generalist: Learn why, in the age of AI, having broad knowledge across different industries can be a massive competitive advantage over niching down.📝 About Elliott Godwin  Elliott Godwin is the founder and CEO of EG Integrations, a company dedicated to building intelligent automation and software solutions that make organizations more efficient and effective. Inspired by his parents' life of service, Elliott blends business excellence with a genuine passion for impact. His unique perspective is shaped by a desire to bring transformative, enterprise-level technology to organizations of all sizes, especially nonprofits that are often left behind. 🎯 Elliott’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "When you see something new come out, don't just watch it idly and be like, 'hey, that's awesome.' Dive into it, figure out how it works, figure out how to use it, figure out what other people are doing with it… and just stay learning, stay curious." 📢 Memorable Quotes “Let's free up the human side of things to do what humans are best at, and that's being creative and having passion, having a soul, having fervor for whatever it is they're focused on.” – Elliott Godwin"All these people are creating these tools, but no one's showing people how to use them... Let us show you how to get them to work for you." – Elliott Godwin“I can't automate a friendship. I can't automate, 'Hey, explain to me your passion for your company and let's figure out how to make it better.'” – Elliott Godwin🔗 Links & Resources Visit EG Integrations’ websiteConnect with Elliott on LinkedInFollow EG Integrations on LinkedIn

Ever had a customer service experience so bad it made you rethink your own business from the ground up? That’s exactly what happened to Brian this week. In this Solo Sunday episode, he shares the story of a frustrating plumbing fiasco that led to a massive “aha” moment about the difference between customer service and the entire customer experience. Brian reveals how he used a simple call recording and ChatGPT to uncover the hidden friction points most businesses miss—from misaligned website promises to frustrating hold music. This isn’t just a rant; it’s a masterclass in using AI as an objective third party to audit your whole client journey and find your biggest opportunities for growth. ✨ Why This Matters for You Understanding your true customer experience is a competitive advantage: It’s about seeing your business through your customer’s eyes, not just your own.It uncovers the hidden frustrations that customers feel but never tell you about.It allows you to turn every touchpoint—website copy, emails, calls—into a cohesive, trust-building experience.It’s a way to leverage AI to get unbiased, actionable feedback that is more honest than asking a client directly.It’s how small businesses can create a superior experience that even large companies with more resources fail to deliver.📝 Key Takeaways Customer Experience > Customer Service. Service is just one interaction; experience is the sum of every single touchpoint, from the first time they see your website to the final follow-up.AI is Your Unbiased Auditor. Tools like ChatGPT can analyze your communications and processes from a customer’s perspective, revealing blind spots you’re too close to see.Your Promises Set Expectations. The copy on your website, your guarantees, and your sales pitches are constantly shaping your client's expectations. You have to ensure the delivery matches the promise.Proactive Communication Wins. Don't wait for a client to ask for an update. Be the one to reach out first, even if it’s just to say there are no new updates. It builds immense trust.Capture the Full Context. To get a true analysis, you need to provide AI with the full picture: call transcripts, email chains, website screenshots, text messages, and project timelines.🚀 Put It Into Action This week, conduct your own AI Customer Experience Audit: Pick one recent client or customer project.Gather all the data: Screenshot the website pages they saw, compile all email correspondence, grab any call transcripts or notes, and include any text messages.Feed it all into an AI tool like ChatGPT with a prompt like: "You are an unbiased customer. Based on all this information, analyze my entire customer experience. Point out areas of friction, misaligned expectations, and opportunities where I could have created a better experience."Review the feedback and identify one or two simple changes you can implement immediately to improve your process for the next client.🔗 Stay Connected Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who wants to build an unforgettable customer experience

In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with Kat Rogers, a former film producer and financial advisor who transformed her most painful life experience into a thriving business. Kat shares her raw and honest journey of being penalized in the corporate world for becoming a mother, and how that rejection fueled her to create Mariposa Mastermind, a supportive community for ambitious working moms. This episode is a masterclass in turning personal struggle into a purpose-driven venture, embracing the "and" mindset to build a life on your own terms, and the incredible power of trusting your own capabilities. Kat’s story is a must-listen for any entrepreneur who has ever felt "unsortable" and is ready to pave their own path. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 How to identify your biggest personal pain point and transform it into a scalable business idea that serves a real need.🦋 Why embracing an "and" mindset (e.g., being a mom AND a CEO) is crucial for building a sustainable business that aligns with your whole identity.📈 The power of taking small, consistent "baby steps" instead of one giant leap to build momentum and skills on your entrepreneurial journey.🗣️ How to craft authentic messaging that connects with an audience in pain, even when it’s a marketing challenge.💪 A framework for rebuilding your identity and confidence after a major professional setback to come back stronger than ever.🧠 Why scratching your own itch is one of the most effective ways to find a gap in the market and create a solution people desperately need.📝 About Kat Rogers Kat Rogers is a business coach, founder of Mariposa Mastermind, and a fierce advocate for working mothers. With a diverse background as a film producer and financial advisor, she brings a unique blend of storytelling, strategy, and empathy to her work. After experiencing firsthand how the corporate world penalizes motherhood, Kat dedicated herself to creating the supportive space she wished she had. She now helps ambitious women navigate the "messy middle" of motherhood and leadership, empowering them to reclaim their identity, joy, and strength without shame. 🎯 Kat’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Trust yourself. You are fully capable... you understand so much more than you give yourself credit for... screw everybody else's expectation... You're amazing. Trust in yourself and trust in you." 📢 Memorable Quotes "I refused to live my life according to someone else's expectations because they will always be less than what I can deliver and they will always be more limited than what I'm capable of." – Kat Rogers"Doing the most feminine thing possible was punishable. So a part of my identity what I was now embracing was no longer good enough to be seen in the business world." – Kat Rogers"You don't have to run a department to be a leader. You are guiding your family, your children, to learn how to make decisions for themselves." – Kat Rogers🔗 Links & Resources Visit Mariposa Mastermind’s websiteConnect with Kat on LinkedInFollow Mariposa Mastermind on LinkedInFollow Kat on Instagram

Ever feel like you’re being priced out of the market by enterprise-level giants with bottomless ad budgets? This episode is your playbook for leveling the playing field. Constantin Cornita, an engineer who found his calling in marketing, reveals how small businesses can use Google Ads to not just compete, but win in their local markets. He dismantles the myth that Google Ads is only for big spenders, showing how a technical, data-driven approach focused on revenue—not vanity metrics—can generate massive returns. This episode is packed with tactical advice on leveraging localization, understanding user intent, and optimizing the entire customer journey from click to cash, proving that the smartest, not the richest, wins the advertising game. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business How to make Google Ads profitable, not expensive, by focusing on revenue generation instead of vanity metrics like clicks and impressions.The secret to outranking giant competitors by leveraging hyper-local keywords, ad copy, and landing pages to achieve a higher Quality Score.Why understanding cultural differences in user behavior (e.g., online booking vs. phone calls) is critical for converting leads across different markets.A breakdown of keyword strategies, including broad, phrase, exact, and negative keywords, to ensure you’re only attracting customers with high buying intent.How to use AI not just for ad creation, but to analyze sales calls and provide actionable feedback to your team, plugging revenue leaks in your sales process.The critical importance of conversion tracking and why running ads without it is like flying blind and wasting your marketing budget.📝 About Constantin Cornita Constantin Cornita is a marketing expert with the mind of an engineer. Hailing from Moldova, an under-the-radar IT hub, he merged his technical background with his passion for marketing by mastering the data-driven world of Google Ads. He honed his skills helping a pioneer in the equipment rental industry expand across Europe, learning firsthand how user behavior and marketing strategies must adapt to different cultures. Now, with his agency Activesales, Constantin brings his technical, revenue-first approach to the US market, building systems that bridge the gap between ad data and real business results. 🎯 Constantin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Call your front desk. Call your company, pick up the phone, call them, pretend you are a customer and see how they respond to you." 📢 Memorable Quotes “If you spend a thousand dollars on Google Ads and it generates you double, triple, or five times that amount of money, it’s not expensive anymore. If you spend even a hundred dollars and it generates you nothing, then it’s expensive.” – Constantin Cornita“We see a lot of agencies focusing on traffic. When you see those reports that say, ‘last month we generated you 2,000 clicks’... what? Your rental company, you don't sell clicks. Google sells clicks. You sell your rental equipment.” – Constantin Cornita“The ones that are rejecting AI, they are losing it.” – Constantin Cornita🔗 Links & Resources Visit Activesales’ websiteConnect with Constantin on LinkedInFollow Activesales on LinkedIn

Tired of feeling disconnected from your remote team? In this episode, we sit down with Phillip Wyness, founder of Remote Flo, who flips the script on conventional remote work wisdom. Phillip reveals why focusing on your tech stack is a critical mistake and why the real key to scaling lies in the often-overlooked human elements: wellness, communication rituals, and genuine team happiness. For entrepreneurs struggling with high turnover, low morale, or the challenges of building a cohesive culture across time zones, this episode is a goldmine. Phillip draws on his 6+ years of personal remote work experience to provide a playbook for building resilient, productive, and loyal teams that not only perform but thrive. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 How to shift from managing tasks to leading a truly cohesive and connected remote team.🧠 Why prioritizing employee happiness and wellness isn't a "soft skill" but a direct driver of productivity and retention.💰 Creative, low-cost strategies for building team rituals that foster genuine connection, even across continents.🛡️ The often-overlooked cybersecurity essentials (like VPNs) that every remote founder needs to implement to protect their business.🗺️ How to navigate cultural differences and build an inclusive environment for a global team.burnout-proof your business by setting clear boundaries for both yourself and your team.🗣️ Simple feedback loops you can create to monitor team morale and address issues before they lead to turnover.📝 About Phillip Wyness Phillip Wyness is the founder of Remote Flo, a consultancy dedicated to helping product-focused founders build high-performing and resilient remote teams. With over six years of experience working remotely himself while living in Prague, Phillip combines his marketing and sales background with a deep understanding of the human dynamics that make or break a remote company. He specializes in creating custom playbooks that improve communication, wellness, and retention, enabling startups to scale profitably without sacrificing their team's strength and morale. 🎯 Phillip’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Consider yourself, because you're your best asset." 📢 Memorable Quotes “A lot of [founders] are missing the knowledge with how to manage the team properly... they're focused on the tech stack, they're focused just on maximizing results, but also maximizing results also includes keeping the team well and happy.” – Phillip Wyness“It's all these small investments, doesn't have to be much, but it can keep all your employees happy and you're just going to be having a great team.” – Phillip Wyness"I was really violating a lot of those boundaries for myself… I realized this can't continue and I was burning out." – Phillip Wyness🔗 Links & Resources Visit Remote Flo’s websiteConnect with Phillip on LinkedInFollow Remote Flo on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you’re on a zig-zag path with no clear destination? This episode with Jim Tarpo will make you realize that’s your greatest strength. Jim shares his incredible journey from a high-stakes electrical engineering job at GE to becoming a freelance programmer, a backlit art gallery owner, and the inventor of a consumer product, Grippy Bands. This episode is a masterclass in heeding the "entrepreneurial nudges" that pull you toward your true calling, even when it makes no logical sense. For any wantrepreneur feeling stuck or believing their path has to be linear, Jim’s story is the permission you need to embrace curiosity, work through confusion, and build businesses that truly light you up. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business How to recognize and act on the "goosebump moments" that signal a major career shift is needed.The essential mindset required to work through doubt and confusion for extended periods while building your vision.Why your unique perspective is your biggest competitive advantage (and why only YOU can see certain opportunities).How to transform an everyday observation—like a light fixture or a rubber band—into a viable business concept.The power of saying "yes" to an uncertain opportunity and having the courage to figure out the details later.Actionable advice for pivoting from a technical, service-based career into a creative, product-based business.How to reframe getting laid off from a job as the ultimate launchpad for your entrepreneurial freedom.📝 About Jim Tarpo  Jim Tarpo is a lifelong engineer, inventor, and creative entrepreneur who has spent four decades turning curiosity into successful businesses. After starting his career as an electrical engineer at General Electric, he forged his own path as a freelance test engineer. In a classic entrepreneurial pivot, he took a hard left turn into the art world, founding Fluorescent Gallery to create stunning backlit architectural art. His creative journey continued into fine art photography and most recently, the invention of a clever consumer product called Grippy Bands. Jim’s story is a powerful testament to the magic that happens when you follow your intuition and aren't afraid to build the plane as you fly it. 🎯 Jim’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "There are things that only you see and only you are good at... If you're looking at something and you think it should be a certain way, trust yourself." 📢 Memorable Quotes “When I hung up the phone, I really could not come up with a reason to say no... it went from a maybe, it went from a no to a maybe to a hell yes, I am out of here.” – Jim Tarpo“I was willing to work in a state of doubt and confusion for a long period of time, because I knew, I knew that it was going to pay off.” – Jim Tarpo“I look up at the moon and I'm like, this is freedom. I said, I need this all the time... This is the meaning of being self-employed, being an entrepreneur.” – Jim Tarpo🔗 Links & Resources Visit Fluorescent Gallery’s websiteVisit Jim Tarpo Photography’s websiteVisit Grippy-Bands’ websiteConnect with Jim on LinkedIn

Are you drowning in admin work and repetitive tasks that keep you from focusing on what truly matters? In this episode, we sit down with Mark Inge, a former mechanical engineer turned founder of SmartWork Automation, who reveals how to reclaim dozens of hours a week by leveraging the power of AI and automation. Mark breaks down the critical difference between AI and automation and explains why finding the real problem in your business is the key to unlocking massive growth. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur feeling overwhelmed, showing you how to streamline your operations, enhance your client experience, and get back to the high-value work that actually moves the needle. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business How to diagnose the "hidden bottlenecks" in your business that create downstream chaos and stunt your growth.The "manufacturing assembly line" framework for mapping your business processes to instantly identify areas ripe for automation.Why starting with a problem-first approach, not a solution-first one, is crucial for getting real value from AI and automation.How to use AI to enhance the human touch in your client onboarding, creating a magical experience that sets you apart.The key difference between AI and automation, and how to strategically combine them to build a powerful, efficient operational system.Why the businesses that experiment with and implement AI in the next year will gain a massive competitive advantage.📝 About Mark Inge  Mark Inge is the founder of SmartWork Automation, a company dedicated to helping small business owners eliminate repetitive tasks and reclaim their time. With a background as a mechanical engineer and process optimization consultant, Mark brings a unique, systematic approach to solving business inefficiencies. He moved from optimizing physical manufacturing lines to optimizing digital business workflows, driven by his own experience with overwhelm in the corporate world. His expertise lies in identifying the "upstream problems" that most entrepreneurs miss, allowing him to build custom systems that create real, tangible results. 🎯 Mark’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "In the next year, we will see so much value added in my opinion to the businesses that leverage this technology correctly. And I think those businesses are going to be pulling ahead of the pack." 📢 Memorable Quotes  “Automation doesn't have to remove the humanity from the things that you do. It can really allow you to work on that even more by taking away the areas of the tasks that you do that don't add a lot of value.” – Mark Inge“If we can solve a problem that either saves you money or boosts your energy, you're going to be so much better off.” – Mark Inge“A lot of the entrepreneurs that I know, they have a little bit of a challenge with authority. I want to do it the way that I want to do it.” – Mark Inge🔗 Links & Resources Visit SmartWork Automation’s websiteConnect with Mark on LinkedInFollow SmartWork Automation on LinkedIn

Do you find yourself constantly asking for advice, watching YouTube videos, or reading books, hoping to find the “right” answer before you take action? This Solo Sunday episode is a wake-up call for every entrepreneur stuck in analysis paralysis. Brian unpacks the critical difference between being an advice collector and a true experimenter. He shares personal stories—from achieving a 15% email reply rate to building a top-ranked podcast—by breaking all the conventional "rules." This isn't just another motivational talk; it's a practical guide to shifting your mindset from seeking permission to creating your own data-driven path to success. ✨ Why This Matters for You Adopting an experimenter’s mindset is the key to unlocking real, sustainable growth: It frees you from the fear of being wrong and the pressure to find the "perfect" strategy before you start.It empowers you to take action and create momentum, because clarity comes from doing, not just thinking.It helps you build a business that is uniquely yours, based on what actually works for your industry, your audience, and you.It turns every "failure" into a valuable lesson that gets you one step closer to your next breakthrough.It puts you in the driver’s seat, allowing you to innovate and build evidence for what truly moves the needle in your business.📝 Key Takeaways Experiment > Advise. Stop waiting for the right answer from others. The most valuable insights will come from your own tests and experiments.Answers Expire. The strategies and tactics that worked for someone else yesterday—or even for you last year—are not guaranteed to work today. The game is always changing.Embrace Being Wrong. True experimenters expect to be wrong. Like Thomas Edison, they see every failed attempt not as a failure, but as discovering another way that doesn't work.Create Your Own Clarity. As Jeff Bezos said, you only need about 70% of the information you wish you had to make a decision. The other 30% comes from taking action and seeing what happens.Your Path Is Unique. No one has been on your exact journey. Stop trying to follow someone else's map and start charting your own course.Your Only Benchmark Is You. Instead of asking "What's a good reply rate?" ask "How can I improve my current reply rate?" The goal is constant improvement, not hitting an arbitrary external metric.🚀 Put It Into Action This week, commit to being an experimenter: Identify one area in your business where you’ve been stuck collecting advice or waiting for the "perfect" plan (e.g., marketing copy, sales outreach, content strategy).Ask yourself: What is one small, low-risk experiment I can run this week to get real data?Launch the experiment without attachment to the outcome. The goal isn’t to be right; the goal is to learn.🔗 Stay Connected Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop planning and start doing.