My First Overnight Success

TCVN
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship

My First Overnight Success reveals what really happens behind success. Each episode features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders about the setbacks, pivots, grit, and breakthroughs that shaped their journey. Hosted by Lillian Victoria Ng, TEDx Speaker and author of Own Your Path, with Tony Crisp, President of TCVN and Founder & CEO of CrispX, and Michael Sawitz, startup sherpa.

Episodes

  1. 6 days ago

    Sold to Google, $1.2B Exit: Scott Bogdan Now Leads the AI Workforce Revolution at CloneForce AI

    In this episode of My First Overnight Success Podcast, Scott Bogdan, Co-Founder and COO of CloneForce AI, takes us through nearly three decades of entrepreneurship: from his first venture at age 10, to building DMARC Broadcasting with a deliberate "sell to Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft" strategy, to closing a $1.2 billion acquisition with Google, to now building the future of AI-powered work. In this episode we cover: • How DMARC was purpose-built with a Google exit in mind, down to the color schemes • The inside story of the $1.2 billion Google negotiation (including a memorable dinner and a bottle of wine he'll never forget) • How CloneForce builds AI teammates with identity, memory, and real execution power • What investors want to hear from AI founders right now Chapters: 11:21 Building DMARC Broadcasting with a Google Exit Strategy 13:43 The $1.2 Billion Google Acquisition Story 16:01 Inside Google During Hypergrowth 30:14 Culture in a Hybrid Human-AI Workforce 32:40 Regulation, Governance and Autonomous AI Guardrails 35:01 Advice for Founders Building with Agentic AI 46:11 Final Advice for Early-Stage Founders 51:00 Guest Recommendations for Future Episodes 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: Scott Bogdan, Co-Founder & COO of CloneForce LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbogdan/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clone-force/ Website: https://www.cloneforce.com/ 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 TCVN Website: https://www.tcvn.org/ Instagram: https://lnkd.in/dw2jm-5j LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone Community Fund: https://lnkd.in/gUxKzCVV Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

    51 min

  2. 6 Jun

    He Had a 7-Figure Shark Tank Deal… Then Lost It All. How Victor Macias Built It Back

    In this episode of My First Overnight Success Podcast, Victor Macias gets raw about building the world's first keto cookie from scratch, scaling it to 7 figures, landing a deal on ABC's Shark Tank, and then watching it all fall apart. Victor breaks down the financial collapse that followed the show, the 9 months he and his co-founder didn't pay themselves, and the dark period that made him question everything. But this isn't just a failure story. It's a comeback story. Today, Victor is the founder of Santana Snacks, a clean, Latin-inspired snack brand now in 500+ retail stores and growing nationally. He breaks down exactly what went wrong, what he'd do differently, and why losing it all was the best business education money can't buy. Key Topics: · Entrepreneurial impact and purpose · Importance of MVP and iterative testing · Financial metrics: margin and contribution margin · The emotional rollercoaster of startups · Strategic use of Shark Tank for growth Chapters: 00:00 The Journey Begins: Early Struggles and Aspirations 02:29 Entrepreneurial Roots: From Childhood to First Ventures 07:48 Education vs. Street Smarts: Finding Balance 12:43 The Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship: Success and Setbacks 20:46 Lessons Learned: Metrics that Matter in Business 29:56 The Shark Tank Experience: Preparation and Strategy 39:35 Building a New Brand: Santana Snacks 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: Victor Macias LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victormacias/ 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 TCVN Website: https://www.tcvn.org/ Instagram: https://lnkd.in/dw2jm-5j LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone Community Fund: https://lnkd.in/gUxKzCVV Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/ #Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

    45 min

  3. 29 May

    From Gaming Addiction to AI Revolution: Idean Moslehi Built Forge Cascade After ChatGPT Lied to Him

    In this episode, Idean Moslehi, the founder of Frowg Systems, Inc., creator of Forge Cascade, a decentralized knowledge operating system designed to make AI safer and reduce hallucinations, shares his unconventional journey from competitive gaming and a viral Solana meme coin to building infrastructure for the emerging AI agent economy. He explains how concepts like ISNAD lineage tracking, trust flames, knowledge capsules, and the "Ghost Council" work together to verify information and economize knowledge, while reflecting on altruism, education, and empowering underserved communities through technology. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Forge Cascade 02:50 Understanding Knowledge Capsules and Trust Scoring 06:06 The Journey to Creating Forge 09:00 The Ghost Council and AI Integrity 11:52 Tokenization and the AI Agent Economy 15:11 The Impact of Forge on Education 18:01 Empowering Individuals through Technology 21:09 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗮: https://www.instagram.com/its.shoda?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝟯𝟯𝘄𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄: https://www.instagram.com/fr33wrld.show?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: Idean Moslehi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frowg/ 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀: 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 TCVN Website: https://www.tcvn.org/ Instagram: https://lnkd.in/dw2jm-5j LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone Community Fund: https://lnkd.in/gUxKzCVV Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/ #Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

    25 min

  4. 21 May

    George Carpenter's Startup Journey: From Turnaround to 4 billion-dollar exits.

    In this 4th episode of My First Overnight Success Podcast, George Carpenter, Founder/CEO of multiple biomed startups with an aggregate exit value over $1 billion. Current President of TCA Venture Group OC, shares his journey from entrepreneur to investor, highlighting key lessons on startup turnaround, the impact of AI, and building resilient teams. Discover how experience, curiosity, and strategic thinking can lead to success in the fast-evolving tech landscape. Key topics Startup turnarounds and lessons learnedThe role of AI in industry transformationBuilding resilient teams and leadership challenges Chapters 00:00 Journey of an Entrepreneur 05:47 Lessons from Failure and Resilience 12:00 The Importance of Team and Leadership 24:01 The Future of AI and Human Intelligence 28:30 The Role of AI in the Workplace 32:14 Investing in Founders: The Human Element 33:11 AI as a Core Business Component 37:53 The Investment Process: From Pitch to Partnership 40:44 Characteristics of Successful Founders 46:49 Building a Supportive Entrepreneurial Community 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: George Carpenter LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcarpenter4/ Website: https://tcaventuregroup.com/orange-county-chapter/ 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽:  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗖𝗩𝗡 Website: https://www.tcvn.org/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/ Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

    57 min

  5. 14 May

    Lillian Victoria Ng: From Startup to Leadership Coach

    In this episode, Lillian Victoria Ng, TEDx speaker, author of Own Your Path, founder of Awesomeness Lifestyle, and a leadership coach, shares her journey from startup founder to leadership coach, emphasizing the importance of public speaking, embracing failure, and building high-performing teams. She discusses her upcoming podcast, her insights on leadership, and how to turn setbacks into comebacks. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Background 00:24 Lillian's Journey from Startup to Leadership Coach 01:22 Influence of Mentorship and Personal Transformation 02:19 Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking 03:13 Lessons Learned from Public Speaking Experiences 04:13 The Importance of Preparation and Authenticity 05:35 Launching the 'My First Overnight Success' Podcast 07:05 What It Means to Be Human and Share Your Story 08:02 Turning Setbacks into Comebacks 09:00 Closing Remarks and Community Support 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗮: https://www.instagram.com/its.shoda?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝟯𝟯𝘄𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄: https://www.instagram.com/fr33wrld.show?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==   𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 & 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽:  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗖𝗩𝗡 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/ 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/ Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/ #Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

    9 min

  6. 7 May

    Steve Kost on The Speed of AI: Insights from CloneForce’s CRO with Tony Crisp

    This episode is a fireside chat recorded live at Survivor 13, featuring Steve Kost, CRO of CloneForce AI, interviewed by fireside host, Tony Crisp, TCVN President, where we unpack the fast-moving world of AI, exploring the rapid evolution of agentic AI, strategies for market differentiation, and the future of AI workforce transformation. We dive into: The rapid rise of agentic AIHow companies can actually differentiate in a crowded AI marketWhat the AI workforce transformation really looks like (beyond the hype) Chapters 00:00 The Acceleration of AI in Business 03:09 Attracting Top Talent in AI Companies 06:05 Navigating the AI Market Noise 09:12 Identifying Ideal Customers for Agentic AI 12:00 Overcoming Objections in AI Adoption 14:49 The Future of AI and Workforce Dynamics 18:11 Advice for Founders in the AI Space Special thanks for or guest: CloneForce: https://www.cloneforce.com/ Steve Kost: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenkostsalesmarketingleader/ Special thanks to our sponsors: Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/ Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/ Presented by Tech Coast Venture Network Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn Hosts: Lillian Victoria Ng: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ Tony Crisp: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/ Michael Sawitz: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/

    20 min

  7. 30 Apr

    Wing Lam: Building Wahoo’s Fish Taco at the Intersection of Surf, Food, and Culture

    In this episode of My First Overnight Success, we sit down with Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, to uncover the real story behind one of Southern California’s most iconic lifestyle brands. From immigrant family grit and restaurant roots to surf culture, rapid expansion, franchise lessons, pandemic survival, and community-driven reinvention, Wing shares what it truly takes to build something that lasts. This conversation is a powerful masterclass in resilience, leadership, brand-building, and the mindset required to keep going when everything you’ve built is on the line. Show note: 0:00 – From Surf Culture to Wahoo’s Fish Taco 8:30 – Building a Brand Before Social Media 19:45 – The Real Cost of Scaling 34:00 – Surviving the Pandemic Through Service 49:30 – Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Being a Connector Special thanks to our sponsors: CloneForce Sunstone Reed Smith Presented by Tech Coast Venture Network Instagram & LinkedIn: @tcvn Hosts: Lillian Victoria Ng — @lillianvictoriaspeaks Instagram & LinkedIn: @LillianVictoriaSpeaks Tony Crisp — Instagram & LinkedIn: @TonyCrisp Michael Sawitz — LinkedIn: @MichaelSawitz

    1 hr
  8. Welcome to My First Overnight Success

    21 Apr

    Welcome to My First Overnight Success

    Welcome to My First Overnight Success, presented by TCVN. In this introduction episode, Lillian Victoria Ng shares what this show is all about: uncovering the truth behind success. Not the highlight reel — the hard lessons, pivots, failures, grit, and breakthroughs that shape every real journey. You’ll also meet co-hosts Tony Crisp and Michael Sawitz as we kick off a series designed for founders, builders, and anyone ready to turn vision into reality.

    3 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

My First Overnight Success reveals what really happens behind success. Each episode features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders about the setbacks, pivots, grit, and breakthroughs that shaped their journey. Hosted by Lillian Victoria Ng, TEDx Speaker and author of Own Your Path, with Tony Crisp, President of TCVN and Founder & CEO of CrispX, and Michael Sawitz, startup sherpa.

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