Entrepreneur Weekly Entrepreneur Podcasts

Alan is speaking with Cydni Tetro, President and Co-Founder of from the Women Tech Council, at a She Tech event in Salt Lake City. The Women Tech Council is a nonprofit organization that aims to increase the number of women in tech by providing mentoring, visibility, opportunities, and networking. She Tech program provides role models and mentors to high school girls, exposing them to technology and entrepreneurship. The event includes a tech challenge, hands-on experiences with technology, and meeting mentors and role models. The goal is to change girls' lives by exposing them to people and industries they might not otherwise be able to access.
Becky Wright is the founder and CEO of Proximity, a platform designed to help political candidates connect with voters more effectively. Proximity aims to address the inefficiencies of traditional campaigns by consolidating all of the resources needed for a campaign into one platform. It is a nonpartisan platform that helps good leaders become great candidates and levels the playing field. Becky is a natural-born leader who believes in civic engagement and encourages people to become more involved in politics to make a meaningful difference in their communities. Proximity is specifically built for down-ballot elections so that it can be more representative of those who are in your area. If you plan to run for office or know someone who is, Proximity provides the tools to help you be successful.
Up next is Rob Gehring, CEO of Swire Coca-Cola USA. Swire Coca-Cola is a powerhouse bottling company that operates in 13 western US states and several Asian countries. They have partnered with Coca-Cola Company to manufacture, produce, and distribute their products. They are confident that technology is the key enabler in delivering their products to consumers efficiently and safely. They have set a bold goal of having 50% female leaders by 2030 and are committed to creating a diverse, high-performing team. Their latest innovation, Coca-Cola Spice, a new flavor with a hint of raspberry and spicy flavor, demonstrates their unwavering commitment to staying ahead of the curve. They are convinced that AI is the future of data processing and decision-making and are determined to harness its power to achieve their business goals. They know that AI is a valuable tool that can be used positively, and they will continue leveraging it to drive their business forward confidently.
Joining us now is Jeff Moss, Associate Commissioner of the Innovation Utah Innovation Fund and something to do with the System of Higher Education. Jeff explains that Utah's goal is to make higher education more impactful from an economic development and innovation perspective. The aim is not just to benefit students but also to impact society and the economy. Jeff has been supporting the Women Tech Council event for quite some time and thinks that more needs to be done to promote the participation of females in technology. He has been in the tech sector for over 20 years and helped to secure funding for the event through the legislature last session. Jeff is impressed with the size of the event, as there are thousands of young girls attending. He believes that the Women Tech Council event will help to promote interest in the STEM space and will ultimately lead to more diverse and better employees, something that is important for the economy.
Closing this episode with Alan is Vance Checketts, the CEO of Auticon US, a technology talent partner with a twist. Autocon US has an incredible 81% of their team comprising individuals with autism, particularly in technology roles like data analytics, quality assurance, and development, which leverage new technologies like artificial intelligence. When asked about building diverse teams, Vance shares that the whole company was built on embracing diversity and different ideas. He is also on the board of the Women Tech Council, which aims to encourage more women to pursue careers in tec

 Alan welcomes Jonathan Beskin, a serial entrepreneur and bestselling author of "The Least Likely Millionaire." The book tells the story of how Jonathan overcame crippling anxiety, toxic parenting, and a total lack of support to start and build a wildly successful company, despite everyone telling him his ideas would never work and that he would be a failure. The book is a triumphant memoir highlighting Jonathan's journey, including the ups and downs, and providing actionable advice to help other entrepreneurs.
 Jonathan also owns Singlesswag.com, worth 80 million dollars in subscription boxes. Aspiring entrepreneurs overcoming challenging obstacles can hopefully find inspiration in his story and become "least likely millionaires." During the interview, Alan asks Jonathan about three points of success. The first point is the concept of healthy obsession and how one can channel negative experiences into positive energy.
Alan welcomes Raj Jana, the CEO of Liber8. Liber8 is a company that develops programs to help people overcome emotional and childhood trauma, as well as any limiting beliefs that prevent them from living a meaningful and authentic life. The company's mission is to remove any barriers that may be stopping people from achieving the things they desire.
Raj shares his personal experience of burnout while building his first company in 2019, at the age of 27. He worked tirelessly, hustling day and night, until he reached his breaking point. He realized that his need to prove himself, his obsession with making money, and his constant busyness were all rooted in trauma. He understood that if he was living his purpose, he wouldn't have been burned out. Instead, he would have felt more alive.
After selling his company, Raj faced even more challenges. He felt purposeless and lost, and his relationships were in shambles. He realized that he needed to work on himself and his relationships. He had to address his trauma with being vulnerable and intimate in partnerships. He had to learn how to connect and be seen.
Raj's experience was both liberating and a trap. He had the resources to address his issues, but he also felt lost and directionless. Raj's story is a reminder that success doesn't always bring happiness and that it's essential to work on oneself, both personally and professionally.
Raj Jana emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision for your company, which includes how much money you're making, how your customers feel, what your products are, and what your brand is. By inspiring people with a vision, you can get talent to show up in ways that no paycheck will. 
Another important tip from Raj is to empower your team by delegating tasks. Remember that a 90 is still an A, so relax your standards and delegate to open up your capacity for more support. This is the ultimate entrepreneurial journey – letting go of control.
[00:00:00] The Least Likely Millionaire [00:07:32] Triumphant Memoire [00:12:30] Actionable Advice [00:19:50] Liber8 with Raj Jana [00:28:37] Tools and Resources [00:36:24] Let Go!

T.J. Colaiezzi is the Founder and CEO of Life Brand, a company that helps people build a strong personal brand using social media. The idea of people sharing their lives online is here to stay, but Life Brand provides educational resources on how to strategically use social media to brand yourself, as well as what not to do. Social media is the first thing that employers and potential business partners look at to get a sense of who you are as a person, so it's important to have a positive and strong online presence. Life Brand has developed an AI-powered tool that can dig up and remove any harmful content that may affect your personal brand. 
T.J. talks about their company's progress and AI technology. They work with various clients, from small businesses to individuals. They are excited to be the presenting sponsor of an upcoming summit and give attendees free access to their technology for a year. Their service is affordable and offers a free social media check. The cost to clean up social media is $59.95 or $119 annually. They stress the importance of maintaining a positive online brand and how their service can help people achieve that. Visit llifebrand.life to invest in “your” brand. 
Amelia Wilcox is the Founder and CEO of Nivati, an employee mental health and well-being platform for everyone. Her business, which previously offered corporate massages to promote employee well-being, was facing closure due to the pandemic in 2020. However, instead of allowing her business to disappear, Amelia took a different approach. She discovered that employees had real problems that required real solutions, which she needed to be equipped to handle alone. This realization led her to transform her corporate massage platform into an all-around mental health and well-being platform for everyone. During this period, Amelia also noticed her oldest daughter struggling with her mental health. As she embarked on a journey to find her daughter the help she needed, Amelia gathered the resources for a holistic approach to mental health. This approach supports people at every stage of their mental health journey, from corporate massages to various forms of therapy. Amelia encapsulated her success into three main points for entrepreneurial listeners. Firstly, she advises improving leadership skills and delegation to scale the company. Secondly, she emphasizes the importance of mentors and networking, believing that having mentors who are experts in their field is crucial for success. Lastly, Amelia talks about the significance of focus. Although it can be difficult to say no to good opportunities, the real power and ability to grow come from the painful focus and the ability to say no.
[00:00:00] Social Media Is Here To Stay [00:06:02] You Are Your Brand [00:12:29] Corporate Massages [00:19:19] Just One More Business [00:28:03] Everyone's Platform [00:36:07] Encapsulating Her Success

Matt Swider is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheShortcut.com. He served as Tech Radar's editor-in-chief for nine years and has over a million Twitter followers. Utilizing his skill set and followers, he created his own business, TheShortcut.com, which provides consumers with information on how, where, and when to find the technology they seek. The Shortcut is currently the #1 consumer tech publication on Substack.
With the Consumer Electronics Show just around the corner, Matt and Alan are preparing to attend. During their discussions, they ponder about the advancements in Artificial Intelligence and the concerns that come with it. AI has rapidly improved and has become both exciting and frightening at the same time. Matt believes that we, as people, are contributing to its growth by funding its development. AI has eliminated the need for experts in some fields, as your phone or device can perform tasks for you. The Metaverse, the next evolution in social connection, is the successor to the mobile internet. However, the Deepfake, synthetic media that can convincingly replace one person's likeness with another, is already knocking at our doorsteps.
What's currently trending on TheShortcut.com? Gaming is a hot topic these days. Soon, you might not require a PS5 or XBOX to enjoy your favorite games. With just a chip, you can buy accessories for your iPhone and play games on the go. 
 Matt, an entrepreneur in his industry, suggests that building a portfolio and writing your own substack could be a great way to showcase your talents. He even goes as far as to say that he would be envious if you had content he could feature on his website. It's a good idea to start with freelancing if you're new to the industry.
Technology is constantly evolving, and its end product is unknown. Should we fear or embrace this?
[00:00:00] The Shortcut.com [00:05:46] One Million Twitter Followers [00:12:29] UPgrade [00:19:19] Artificial Intelligence [00:28:03] Gaming On The Go [00:36:07] Evolving Tech

Derral Eves, the Executive Producer and Co-Founder of "The Chosen" TV series, was recently welcomed by Entrepreneur. During the interview, he shared his passion for entrepreneurship and his goal of creating an audience that would appreciate like-minded films. He emphasized the importance of engaging the audience and creating shareable, intentional content that defines the brand. Derral's vision was to translate his mission and purpose into the TV show, with the audience being the top priority. He believed that the viewers' engagement could become a social army that would promote the show and become an engine for its success.  Derral started his journey in the agency in 1999, where he helped businesses be found online. He had a passion for creating commercials from a young age, but his path led him to YouTube, where he learned about embedding videos onto websites. He then began creating commercial content for over 800 clients, utilizing YouTube for web design. He eventually shifted his focus to creating content on YouTube that people would talk about, resulting in over 91 billion views of content he made. Derral's mission is to help other entrepreneurs leverage the creator economy before losing the opportunity. He is hosting the Vid Summit in October, which is the business side of the creator economy for content creators who post anywhere online. It is a platform to help budding entrepreneurs with content as a part of their strategy and to help them leverage the opportunity. 
Next Entrepreneur recently featured Seth Taylor, Chief Experience Officer at Angel Studios. Angel Studios was founded by the Harmond brothers, who created a content filtering service that allows users to remove inappropriate content from existing movies. However, they realized that producing new content and telling stories could be a more effective way to engage audiences. To raise funds, Angel Studios employs a "pay it forward" approach, wherein people can purchase tickets for others to watch their programs and movies. The Chosen was originally behind a paywall, but its popularity made it available to a larger audience through monetary donations that allowed others to stream it. Angel Studios collaborates with its audience through its crowd-sourced program, The Gild, which asks two questions: Does the story amplify light, and how disappointed would you be if this film was not made? Feedback and comments from the audience are used to create new content. Angel Studios is a platform that promotes stories of light and also offers collectibles to those who have crowd-funded. These collectibles provide digital ownership of a particular frame from a favorite scene, allowing users to share why they chose that scene and what it means. As Chief Experience Officer, Seth Taylor helps the product team to market their app and reach a wider audience.
[00:00:00] Crowd Funded [00:05:37] YouTube [00:12:29] The Chosen [00:19:18] Pay It Forward [00:28:03] The Gild [00:36:07] Digital Collectible

Alan continues his journey by interviewing entrepreneurs at the 2023 Consumer Summit.  First up is Chip Hopper, creator of Bookjedi.com.  A self-made editor.  He left his corporate job to do what he loves, read. From inception to writing, editing, and promoting the book.   Next is Troy Beckstead, Founder of AI13, a product line that caters to the automotive and offroad industries.  Troy did a total pivot during the pandemic and started his new company with just 13 products, hence the name.  Long-time friend Randy Garn is up next as he gives us three rules he lives by.  The Golden Rule is to treat others how you want to be treated. The Platinum Rule treats others the way they want, and the Gospel Rule treats others the way God would treat them.  These are great rules to live by.  Onto something sweet and yummy. Crumbl. CEO and Co-Founder James McGowan started by mastering the ultimate chocolate chip cookie.  And now, 800 stores later across the country, his franchise has done anything but crumble.  So, let's get ready to Crumbl!  All for one and one Fore All! Jen Clyde is here to introduce women's golf apparel.  Fore All was created to cater to modern-day women and to get them interested in the sport of Golf.  With 30 stores across the country, they have created a high-end line, with a jacket called the "Green," which allows you access to a chat forum that links everyday women to talk about life and golf.  Closing today's segment with Alan is Khaazra Maaranu, with ecopayments.io, saying he is here to help entrepreneurs to build and protect their cash flow.   An electronic commerce that handles payment processing, banking, and people development.  
 
[00:00:00] Bookjedi.com [00:05:37] AI13 [00:12:29] Randygarn.com [00:19:18] Crumbl [00:28:03] Fore All [00:36:07] ecompayments.io