The Necessary Entrepreneur

Mark Perkins
  • 5.0 (18)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Biweekly

Experience Earned. Execution Required. The Necessary Entrepreneur brings together people who are actively creating, not constantly consuming. Hosted by entrepreneur and operator Mark Perkins, the show assembles founders, operators, and investors doing the work. They share direct conversations about execution, leadership, and the realities of creating something that endures. The show rejects theory as a standalone and focuses on the discipline, decisions, and resilience required to stay in the game every day.

  1. 1d ago

    #225 - Speed Is a Weapon: Brian FitzGerald on Loyalty, Crisis, and a 65-Year-Old Startup

    Brian FitzGerald, CEO of Grand Circle Corporation, joins Mark Perkins on The Necessary Entrepreneur to talk about leading a 65-year-old travel company through leadership change, COVID-19, and ongoing transformation. Grand Circle's brands, including Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Travel, serve Americans 50 and older, and FitzGerald explains the loyalty behind the numbers: more than 70 percent of travelers return each year, and repeat travelers plus referrals top 90 percent. FitzGerald shares his three stages of career growth, from early curiosity to a bias for action to servant leadership, plus the ugly straw dog rule of sharing rough ideas early instead of polishing them alone. He also lays out his crisis playbook of gathering facts, making a plan, acting, and pivoting, explains why nearly half of Grand Circle's travelers go solo with no single supplement on land tours, and defines balance as priorities and presence rather than hours. Key Takeaways: • The Grand Circle Foundation has given back more than $216 million to the communities its travelers visit since the early 1990s. • FitzGerald's career grew in three stages: early curiosity, a mid-career bias for action, then servant leadership focused on removing blockers. • The ugly straw dog rule: share rough ideas early, get help fast, and choose clarity over perfection. • Mistakes made while innovating without a playbook are welcome; sloppy errors on established procedures are the avoidable kind. • FitzGerald still joins trips at least twice a year to ask travelers and vendors one question: where did we let you down? • Nearly half of Grand Circle's travelers are solo travelers, and its land tours charge no single supplement. • His crisis playbook is gather facts, make a plan, act, and pivot; during COVID, 85 percent of travelers kept their deposits instead of taking refunds. • Balance is priorities, not hours: protect the top three, be fully present, and get comfortable saying no to good things. Listen to The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins for practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, mindset, and the decisions that shape successful careers. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Brian FitzGerald, Grand Circle Corporation, & Overseas Adventure Travel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianhfitzgerald/ https://www.oattravel.com/ https://www.instagram.com/oattravel/ https://www.facebook.com/overseasadventuretravel https://www.gct.com/ https://www.facebook.com/grandcircletravel https://www.linkedin.com/company/grand-circle-corporation/

  2. Oct 26

    #224 - He Sold His Startup to Accenture. Now He's Building AI to Disrupt Consulting | Tim Lidman, Clyde AI

    Tim Lidman, co-founder and CEO of Clyde AI, joins Mark Perkins on The Necessary Entrepreneur to explain why this is the most disruptive moment entrepreneurs will ever live through, and what to do about it. Tim opens with a confession: he caught himself delegating original thought to AI, and it scared him. "The second I delegate creative critical thought to AI, I truly have delegated my value to technology." From there, he and Mark dig into what AI actually changes for founders, consultants, and small business owners, and what it should never touch. Tim has spent 20 years inside high-stakes decisions. He co-founded ThinkTank, the collaboration platform Accenture acquired in 2021, and now leads Clyde AI, an AI-native platform that helps consultants and business owners frame problems, pressure-test decisions, and turn AI from a shiny toy into an actionable plan. He breaks down why consultants are the profession most ripe for disruption, why AI adoption is about to overcorrect, whether the 9-to-5 job survives the decade, and how the efficiency gains from AI should be reinvested in people instead of just extracted as profit. If you run a business and your head is spinning from ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and a new AI tool launching every week, this episode gives you a starting point: stop evaluating tools and ask a better question. Tim closes with exactly how a business owner can use Clyde to figure out what to use AI for in the first place. Key Takeaways: • Never delegate original thought to AI. That is delegating your value. AI structures problems; you do the thinking. • The most disruptive moment of our lifetimes, bigger than the internet, and it will play out over decades, not years. • AI adoption will overcorrect, then swing back to human judgment. • AI wins when it pairs with humans: machines synthesize, people decide. Adoption means meeting users where they are. • ThinkTank's edge: product people are trained to say no, consultants are trained to always say yes. His team built in the overlap. • Consultants build for everyone but themselves. That gap is why Clyde exists. • The 9-to-5 may not survive. The question is whether AI's efficiency gains get reinvested in people or just extracted as profit. • Stop comparing AI tools. Ask Clyde what to use AI for and get a plan you can actually implement. Listen to The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins for practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, mindset, and the decisions that shape successful careers. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Tim Lidman & Clyde AI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timlidman/ https://meetclyde.com/

  3. Oct 19

    #223 - EQ Is Beating IQ: Ilan Man (Paradox Machines) on Leading in the AI Era

    Most companies don't have an AI problem. They have a data problem. Ilan Man, founder and CEO of Paradox Machines, joins Mark Perkins for a hype-free conversation about what AI actually means for mid-market businesses. A former actuary turned data science leader at Squarespace, Paperless Post, Formation Bio, and the Brooklyn Data Company, Ilan now builds AI-native data systems for companies that could never before afford them. They cover why EQ is becoming more important than IQ, the new economics of AI services, why you're renting your data from your SaaS vendors, and his contrarian advice: buy something cheap off the shelf and live in the world of pain before you build anything custom. Practical, direct, and built for business owners. Key takeaways: p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Most companies don't have an AI problem; they have a data problem. Fix the data foundation before buying AI tools. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Separate AI as a tool from the business of AI. The trillion-dollar narratives from AI CEOs have little to do with your day-to-day operations. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item">EQ is becoming more important than IQ. As AI commoditizes raw intelligence, interpersonal skill is the differentiator. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item">A new category, AI-native services, is emerging between low-margin consulting and high-margin SaaS, targeting 50 to 60 percent margins and above. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> You don't own your data; you're renting it. If you can't freely export and use it, your SaaS vendor's moat is built on your data. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Most AI decisions are two-way doors. Buy something cheap off the shelf, live in the world of pain for six months, and you'll know exactly what to fix. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Just because you can vibe-code a CRM doesn't mean you should. Building is cheaper than ever, but change management is the real cost. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Design for no lock-in: open data formats, portable code, and systems that stay in your environment. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> The winning org structure is compressing to sellers and builders on the edges with AI in the middle, squeezing middle management. p]:inline" data-streamdown="list-item"> Token and energy costs are rising but secondary; human capital is still the main cost, and model economics shift every six months. Listen to The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins for practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, mindset, and the decisions that shape successful careers. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Ilan Man & Paradox Machines: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanman/ https://www.paradoxmachines.com/

  4. Oct 12

    #222 - David Drebin: "I Sell Feelings for a Living" (The Business Behind $100K Art)

    What does it take to believe in yourself, build a recognizable brand, and create a life that reflects who you really are? On this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins, photographer and artist David Drebin shares the mindset, philosophy, and relentless work behind his journey from commercial success to fine art entrepreneurship. David discusses how self-belief, authenticity, and creativity influence both business and life. He explains why making people feel something is at the heart of great art, how to develop a distinctive brand, and why staying true to yourself matters more than chasing external approval. He also shares lessons from pivotal career moments, the value of patience and persistence, and how gratitude and perspective can change the way you define success. This conversation goes beyond art to explore the principles entrepreneurs can apply to building a business, developing a personal brand, and reaching their potential. David challenges listeners to rethink how they see themselves, keep working when results take time, and focus on the person they become along the way. Key Takeaways: Why self-belief is essential to pursuing ambitious goals and building a successful career How to transition from commercial work to a more authentic creative vision Why emotion and making people feel something are central to great art and branding How to build a recognizable brand without losing your individuality Why relentless work, patience, and persistence matter more than quick wins How your personal philosophy shapes your decisions, reputation, and results Why gratitude and perspective help you define success on your own terms How underestimating yourself can create an unexpected advantage Why authenticity matters when building a business and a meaningful life How to approach creativity, entrepreneurship, and personal growth with greater purpose If you're an entrepreneur, creative professional, artist, or business owner looking to strengthen your mindset, build a distinctive brand, and pursue success without losing yourself, this episode offers a fresh perspective on what it means to create meaningful work and live with intention. Listen to The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins for practical conversations about entrepreneurship, business growth, leadership, mindset, and the decisions that shape successful careers. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About David Drebin: https://linktr.ee/daviddrebin

  5. Oct 5

    #221 - If You Have to Be There, You Haven't Built the Business Yet | Bill Gallagher

    What if being busy is actually holding your business back? On this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Bill Gallagher, a four-time CEO, entrepreneur, author, and founder of Scaling Coach, who has spent more than 40 years building and scaling businesses. Bill has helped grow two companies from startup to more than $500 million and has worked with roughly 800 companies across 18 countries. Bill is the author of Busy Is Broken: Do Less, Scale More, built around a simple but challenging idea: the person working the hardest in the business can sometimes be the biggest obstacle to its growth. Bill and Mark dig into why long hours don't necessarily produce better results, how busyness can lead to bad decisions, and why curiosity and self-awareness are essential leadership skills. Bill shares the story of taking a month away from his business and discovering that it could operate without him, along with the leadership lessons he learned during a dramatic business downturn. They also discuss delegation, building teams that don't depend on the founder, why CEOs often resist honest feedback, self-coaching, mentorship, aging and leadership, AI and productivity, setting clearer priorities, and what it takes to build a business that can thrive long after the founder steps away. Topics covered: Why being busy can prevent a business from scaling The difference between activity and meaningful progress Curiosity as a critical leadership skill Self-awareness and understanding how others experience you Delegation and building a team that can operate without the founder What Bill learned from taking extended time away from his business Common leadership mistakes that keep companies dependent on their CEOs Why successful leaders can be especially resistant to feedback Self-coaching, reflection, mentorship, and continuous learning Using AI as a tool rather than treating it as a solution Setting priorities and reducing unnecessary complexity Leadership, aging, legacy, and continuous personal growth Building a company that can outlive its founder Creating the right environment for leadership development The habits and commitments that drive lasting change About Bill Gallagher: Bill Gallagher is an entrepreneur, four-time CEO, author, and leadership advisor with more than 40 years of experience building and scaling businesses. He has helped grow two companies from startup to more than $500 million and has worked with roughly 800 companies across 18 countries. He is the author of Busy Is Broken: Do Less, Scale More, which explores how leaders can escape the trap of busyness and build businesses that can thrive without them. The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, founders and business leaders about what it actually takes to build, operate and scale a company. 👍 Subscribe to The Necessary Entrepreneur for weekly conversations with founders and operators who have actually built something. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Bill Gallagher: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billgall/ https://billgallagher.com/ https://busyisbroken.com/ https://coaches.scalingup.com/coaches/bill-gallagher 📕 Order a Copy of Busy is Broken HERE

  6. Sep 28

    #220 - Relationships Are the Business: 8 Lessons from "If Jesus Smoked Cigars"

    In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Joshua Evarts, entrepreneur, business owner, and author of the new book If Jesus Smoked Cigars: The Eight Lessons in Relational Leadership. Joshua has spent 25 years in business, most recently as the owner of the Vault Cigar Lounge in Meridian, Idaho, where he built a thriving community around one simple belief: relationships are not just a nice part of doing business, they are the business. His model of relational leadership comes down to three truths. People do business with people they like. People stay loyal to people they trust. And people evangelize for people who make them feel loved. In this conversation, Joshua and Mark dig into: Why you should build culture, not your business, and how a healthy culture attracts healthy employees, customers, and vendors The cheeky story behind the title If Jesus Smoked Cigars, and what a 2,000 year old model of relational leadership can teach modern entrepreneurs How cigar culture, from Idaho's Snake River to two deployments in Iraq, shaped his philosophy of connection and refuge The $1.4 million embezzlement that shut down his second location, and the two things founders overlook when starting companies: legal structure and an org chart Why likability is a competitive advantage, and the Steve Jobs and Elon Musk exception to the rule John Wooden's pyramid of success, and why industriousness and enthusiasm bookend every winning culture His 2020 battle with primary pancreatic lymphoma during COVID, and how facing mortality rewrote the book he was writing Whether you run a startup, a small business, or a team inside a larger company, this episode is a practical guide to building a business people actually want to be part of. About Joshua Evarts: Joshua Evarts is an entrepreneur with 25 years in business across software, real estate development, and hospitality. For the last decade he has owned the Vault Cigar Lounge in Meridian, Idaho, a premium cigar experience built on the idea that relationship is the primary currency. He is the author of If Jesus Smoked Cigars: The Eight Lessons in Relational Leadership. The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, founders and business leaders about what it actually takes to build, operate and scale a company. 👍 Subscribe to The Necessary Entrepreneur for weekly conversations with founders and operators who have actually built something. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Joshua Evarts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaevarts/ https://ifjesus.com/ https://thevault.live/ https://www.instagram.com/vaultcigarlounge/

  7. Sep 21

    #219 - The 3 Questions That Can Change How You Think, Lead and Connect | Eric Saperston

    Eric Saperston took an unconventional path into entrepreneurship. After college, he hit the road in a Volkswagen bus, asking successful and influential people if they would sit down with him for a conversation. Those interviews eventually became The Journey, an award-winning documentary that took a decade to complete and featured conversations with people including Jimmy Carter, Henry Winkler and Maya Angelou. After interviewing hundreds of extraordinary people, Eric began identifying the principles and lessons they had in common. That work eventually became Three Things, a game and methodology designed to capture and share wisdom through meaningful conversations. In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins, Eric shares what he learned about curiosity, persistence, leadership, relationships and asking better questions, along with how to turn an unconventional journey into something that creates lasting impact. Topics Discussed Eric's journey from a VW bus to interviewing extraordinary people Why curiosity is critical to personal growth and entrepreneurship What successful people have in common How to turn rejection and "no" into forward momentum The role of principles and values in decision-making How Eric created the Three Things game Why asking better questions leads to better conversations Building trust, community and meaningful connections How to capture and transfer wisdom from one person to another Finding purpose when you don't have a clear roadmap The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, founders and business leaders about what it actually takes to build, operate and scale a company. 👍 Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and innovators who share the real stories behind building successful businesses. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Eric Saperston & Three Things: https://www.ericsaperston.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericsaperston/ https://www.instagram.com/ericsaperston/ https://www.facebook.com/eric.saperston/ https://www.youtube.com/ericsaperston https://www.ericsaperston.com/three-things https://www.amazon.com/Three-Things-Strangers-Friends-Family/dp/1582709645

  8. Sep 14

    #218 - AI Won't Replace Great Lawyers. But It Will Change How Law Firms Win | Seth Bader

    How do you take a law firm from a one-bedroom apartment to a 150+ employee organization without losing the standards that made it successful in the first place? On this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Seth Bader, founder and CEO of Bader Law, one of Georgia's leading personal injury and workers' compensation firms. Seth started the firm in 2008 out of a one-bedroom apartment and grew it into a business serving tens of thousands of clients. Seth shares what he learned about entrepreneurship, leadership, hiring, company culture, accountability and scaling a professional services business. He explains why having a clear vision and high standards becomes increasingly difficult as a company grows, and why alignment across leadership and teams is critical to maintaining quality. The conversation also dives into the growing role of artificial intelligence in the legal industry. Seth explains how Bader Law is using AI to automate administrative work, accelerate processes and help lawyers handle more information while keeping humans in the loop for judgment, advocacy and empathy. Seth and Mark also discuss the value of relationships and referral networks, why being a great lawyer isn't enough to build a great law firm, and how Seth's experience working on both sides of the legal system gave him a unique perspective on serving clients. Whether you're building a law firm, real estate business, agency or any other professional services company, Seth's lessons on scaling, leadership, standards, hiring and adapting to change apply far beyond the legal industry. In this episode, you'll learn: How Seth grew Bader Law from a one-bedroom apartment into a 150+ employee organization Why high standards become harder to maintain as a business scales How vision, leadership and accountability keep a growing team aligned Why hiring for alignment can matter as much as hiring for talent How AI is changing legal work and improving business efficiency Why AI can support employees without replacing human judgment and empathy How relationships and referral networks can drive sustainable business growth What working on both sides of the legal industry taught Seth about business and negotiation Why being a great professional doesn't automatically mean you know how to build a great business How entrepreneurs can adapt their playbook as markets, technology and customers change The Necessary Entrepreneur with Mark Perkins features candid conversations with entrepreneurs, founders and business leaders about what it actually takes to build, operate and scale a company. 👍 Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and innovators who share the real stories behind building successful businesses. 📌 Connect With Us:  Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167 📌 Find Out More About Seth Bader & Bader Law: https://baderlaw.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethbaderesq/ https://www.instagram.com/sethbaderesq

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5
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18 Ratings

About

Experience Earned. Execution Required. The Necessary Entrepreneur brings together people who are actively creating, not constantly consuming. Hosted by entrepreneur and operator Mark Perkins, the show assembles founders, operators, and investors doing the work. They share direct conversations about execution, leadership, and the realities of creating something that endures. The show rejects theory as a standalone and focuses on the discipline, decisions, and resilience required to stay in the game every day.

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