Hello Chaos

Jennifer Sutton
  • 4.4 (7)
  • Entrepreneurship

Every day, entrepreneurs all over the world roll out of bed and say: Hello, Chaos. And more often than not, we’re having that conversation in our own heads. It’s time to crack the dialogue wide open. Hello Chaos is a weekly podcast dedicated to entrepreneurs and founders, published every Sunday. It is another platform brought to you by OrangeWIP. It is a megaphone and round table created specifically to welcome bright, stubborn, visionary minds to a conversation founders have been craving. Here, founders have permission to vent—or be vulnerable. To bring the wildest ideas. Their greatest obstacles. And find a national sounding board for solutions. Here, we want founders show off—or allow them to speak their truth. To meet challenges head-on. To make hyper-local community connections. And share “aha!” and “oh shit” moments. Welcome to Hello Chaos. Founders, it's time to unmute yourself.

  1. 3d ago

    Ep. 207 Ken Miller - He Lost 20 Years to Addiction and Prison. Here's What He Built Next

    Ken Miller shouldn't be where he is. Twenty years on the streets. Three stints in prison. A crack addiction that nearly took everything. And yet here he is running multiple businesses, generating $700K a year, mentoring founders all over the country, and talking about kindness like it's the most practical business skill he's ever developed. His story isn't an exception to the founder journey. It's an extreme version of what every founder faces: fear, finance, and family pulling against the version of yourself you're trying to become. What Ken built on the other side of that rock bottom isn't just success. It's a system. Most founders aren't struggling with control, they're struggling with fear dressed up as control. A solopreneur caps out around $250K not because of the market but because of what they won't let go of. And the most courageous thing you can do in business and in life is stop acting the way you feel. This one's for every founder who knows they need to scale but keeps finding reasons not to. Here's what Ken unpacks in this conversation. 1️⃣ What You Call Control Is Actually Fear Most founders think they have a delegation problem. Ken reframes it completely. The reason you won't hand off tasks isn't because you're a perfectionist or a control freak. It's because you're scared. Scared the business will slip, the quality will drop, or you'll lose your grip on something you've bled to build. Until you name it as fear you can't actually move past it. 2️⃣ Busy Isn't the Same Thing as Forward Ken calls it vertical action versus horizontal action. Treading water is still movement but it isn't progress. If you're spending four hours a day on social media, answering emails, and doing tasks that don't require you specifically, you're not building. You're surviving. The audit is simple: look at your calendar and ask honestly whether what's on it is actually moving you toward the goal or just keeping you feeling productive. 3️⃣ You Don't Have to Act the Way You Feel This one came from Ken's mom and it took him 20 years to fully understand it. Founders feel fear every single day. Fear of the wrong hire, the slow month, the pitch that didn't land. But feeling it doesn't mean you have to lead with it. The most courageous thing you can do is make the next right move even when everything in you wants to freeze. That's not toxic positivity. That's the actual work. Timestamps 00:00 From Homeless to $700K: Ken Miller's Origin Story 07:24 What Founders Get Wrong About Virtual Assistants 10:25 The $250K Ceiling Every Solopreneur Hits 13:00 Delegation Is Not the Problem. Fear Is. 17:00 Learn Do Delegate Automate: The Framework That Scales You 23:00 Treading Water vs. Moving Forward: Know the Difference 31:49 Two Things Ken Would Change to Grow Faster 34:38 Four Businesses, One Mission 37:41 What 20 Years Homeless Taught Him About Business 44:24 How to Shrink Your Fear and Expand Your Capacity 47:08 Courage, Kindness, and the Legacy Worth Building 49:41 Why Ken Chose Good Over Great 52:22 The Financial Advice Every Founder Needs to Hear If Ken's story or framework resonated with you, here's where you can follow his work and reach out directly. WebsiteLinkedInInstagram Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    52 min

  2. Jun 21

    Ep. 206 Adam Povlitz - The Recovering Micromanager Who Finally Learned to Let Go

    Most founders think the goal is to be the best person in the room. Adam Povlitz spent a decade proving that was true, then spent the next decade paying for it. As second generation CEO of Anago Cleaning Systems, he walked into his father's franchise and quietly became the thing holding it back. When you are controlling everything, you are not leading. You are the ceiling. It took YPO, a hiring book, a COVID breakdown, and a lot of hard lessons about delegation versus abdication before he figured out that letting go was not a weakness. It was the whole job. If you have ever been the hardest working person in your business and still felt stuck, this one is for you. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ The skills that got you here will cap you here  Every founder gets promoted by being the best at doing. But the moment you step into a CEO role, doing becomes the enemy of growing. The founders who scale are not the ones who do it best. They are the ones who let go first. 2️⃣ Delegation without structure is just abdication with better intentions  Handing something off without a system is not delegation. It is hope with a deadline. The fix is not better people. It is building the box they need to operate in, clear ownership, milestones, and a reason why attached to every task. 3️⃣ Where you spend your time is the real business strategy  Most founders live in the urgent and ignore the important. Adam protects the time that actually moves the business forward before someone else fills it. The work that builds the future will never scream as loud as the work that is due today. Timestamps:  0:00 He scrubbed toilets and cold-called under a fake name. This is how he got his start. 3:12 What nobody tells you about taking over a family business 5:14 Why he left IBM and chose the messy middle instead 9:15 The biggest shock of franchising. You cannot tell anyone what to do. 12:08 How becoming CEO meant unlearning everything that made him good 15:39 The book that changed how he hires every senior leader 20:17 YPO and why he needed a room full of people smarter than him 21:03 The Eisenhower Matrix. The quadrant where all the money actually gets made. 27:02 Work life integration. There is no balance at the CEO level. 29:19 The Trello system that finally let him stop being the bottleneck 35:06 COVID hit and nothing was the same. Here is what changed first. 39:45 The perception problem in commercial cleaning nobody talks about 41:52 One word to describe the whole journey. His answer will surprise you. 50:59 The best advice he never got. Delegation is not the same as abdication. 55:31 EOS or OKR. Why he built his own hybrid and never looked back. 58:33 How his team tests two AI tools every single month 1:01:27 What they are celebrating a year from now and why it has taken this long If Adam's story hit close to home, here is where you can follow along with what he is building. WebsiteLinkedInInstagram Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    1 hr

  3. Jun 14

    Ep. 205 Hart Fandrich - She Built 5 Businesses Because Nobody Would Hire Her. Now She Calls It Peace.

    Nobody would hire Hart Fandrich. Not because she was unqualified but because she moved every three years as a military spouse and no employer wanted to bet on someone who'd be gone before she got good at the job. So she stopped asking for permission and started building five businesses over 15 years. Hart's also severely dyslexic with a verbal IQ of 137 and a written IQ of 69, which means the thing most founders lean on hardest to grow, written content and social media, has always been her biggest obstacle. She built anyway. What came out of that journey is a conversation about what it actually takes to build something sustainable without losing yourself in it. Hart gets into why trying to be the operator and the owner at the same time is the trap most founders don't see until it's too late, how she learned to build around her wiring instead of fighting it, and why peace isn't something she's chasing at the end of the road. It's the foundation she's been building on the whole time. For any founder who's wondered if it's supposed to feel this hard, Hart's answer is worth sitting with. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ You Are Not Supposed to Do All of This Hart spent years trying to be the operator and the owner at the same time and it nearly buried her. The moment she separated those two roles and started asking which tasks only she could do versus which ones someone else could handle, everything changed. Founders who ignore this distinction don't just burn out. They become the bottleneck in their own business. 2️⃣ Your Wiring Is Not Your Weakness Hart's severely dyslexic with a verbal IQ of 137 and a written IQ of 69. Social media, the growth tool every founder is told they can't ignore, has always been her hardest thing. She built five businesses anyway by leaning into how she actually thinks and communicating with clients and team members in the style that matches how they process the world, not how she was told it should be done. The founders who figure out how to build around who they are instead of who they think they should be last longer and lead better. 3️⃣ Peace Is a Strategy, Not a Reward Most founders treat rest, clarity, and peace as something they'll earn after the next milestone. Hart treats it as the foundation everything else is built on. She takes two weeks completely offline every year, defines her growth on her own terms, and measures success by whether the work still feels like hers. If you're waiting to feel good about your business later, you're building toward a finish line that keeps moving. Timestamps: 00:00 She Built Five Businesses Because Nobody Would Hire Her 01:05 From Babysitting to Five Businesses: The Origin Story Most Founders Relate To 03:27 Why the Spa Industry Was the First Thing That Felt Like a Round Peg Round Hole 05:19 The Regulations Nobody Warns You About When You Open a Spa 07:22 The Aha Moment That Changed How She Thinks About Work 08:06 The Biggest Ongoing Challenge: Why Social Media Still Wins 10:03 Are You the Operator or the Owner? The Question That Changed Everything 11:36 How She Finally Learned to Delegate (It Started With Laundry) 13:32 What Entrepreneurship Taught Her About Herself 14:46 Why She Takes Two Weeks Off Alone Every Year and What It Does for Her Business 17:19 The Real Reason Most Founders Struggle to Stay in It 19:02 What Running a Spa Taught Her About the Human Body and Her Own Health 22:59 The Thing Nobody Knows About Her That Reframes Everything 25:34 If You Had a Magic Wand: Two Things She Would Change 27:08 The Two Interview Questions That Tell Her Everything About a Hire 30:38 How She Reads People Using Auditory Visual and Kinesthetic Cues 33:21 One Word to Describe the Founder Journey: Her Answer Will Surprise You 34:08 The Word Driving Her Next Chapter and What She Is Building Toward 35:11 The Win She Is Chasing in the Next 12 Months 36:19 The Best Advice She Has Ever Given or Received as a Founder 39:37 Final Thoughts and Where to Connect With Hart If you want to connect with Hart and see what she's building, here's where to find her: WebsiteLinkedIn Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    38 min

  4. Jun 7

    Ep. 204 Andrew Stallings - Laid Off on Monday and Bought the Company by Summer

    Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Your Network Is Not a Safety Net. It Is the Business. Andrew did not build Athelo Group on a pitch deck or a business plan. He built it on a decade of relationships that were already in place before he ever wrote a check. When founders underinvest in genuine connection and only reach out when they need something, they are not just being bad at networking. They are quietly dismantling the only infrastructure that actually holds when everything else breaks. Community over currency is not a mindset. It is a survival strategy. 2️⃣ Small Failures Are a Feature. Ignoring Them Is the Real Risk. Andrew did not avoid failure. He learned to engineer smaller ones so the catastrophic ones never had a chance to land. Founders who only see the tidal wave when it is already on top of them are not unlucky. They are avoiding the discomfort of early signals. The ability to pivot before you have to is the skill that separates founders who scale from founders who stall. You cannot course correct what you refuse to look at. 3️⃣ Stability Is Not Weakness. It Is the Thing You Were Always Chasing. Eight years in, tens of millions built, and what Andrew wants most is to stop freaking out about payroll. That is not a failure of ambition. That is clarity. Founders who treat stability like a consolation prize often run past the finish line without realizing they already won. If you cannot define what enough looks like, the chaos never becomes organized. It just stays chaos. Timestamps 00:00 The Origin Story Nobody Romanticizes But Every Founder Needs to Hear 01:10 Beer League Hockey a Bad Idea and the Birth of Othello Group 05:30 Why He Paid Out His Partners and Never Looked Back 07:44 What Happens to Friendships When One Person Outgrows the Vision 10:43 The Trait Every Successful Founder Has That They Will Never Admit Out Loud 13:47 Stress Is My Love Language and Why That Is a Gift and a Problem 20:49 The Person Behind the Scenes Who Makes the Whole Thing Work 21:30 The Biggest Misconception About What It Takes to Run Your Own Business 25:09 Why Your Network Is the Only Strategy That Actually Compounds 27:44 How to Build a Personal Brand When You Have Nothing to Offer Yet 33:57 What Andrew Does When the Chaos Gets Too Loud 36:13 The Injury That Forced Him to Stop and What He Found in the Stillness 39:53 The Two Things He Would Change About His Business Right Now 42:17 What He Wishes People Understood About Him Beyond the Hustle 44:38 One Word That Sums Up Eight Years of Building in the Messy Middle 49:24 The Win He Is Chasing Next and Why It Has Nothing to Do With Revenue If Andrew's story of building Athelo Group from a post-honeymoon layoff into a powerhouse sports agency resonates with you, here is where to find him and keep up with what he is building. Website: https://athelogroup.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/astallings88/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athelogroup/ Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    50 min

  5. May 31

    Ep. 203 Carl Stecker - The $407 Pharmacy Bill That Wouldn't Let Go

    What founders will take away from this episode: 1️⃣ The problems that won't let go are the ones worth building for Carl couldn't shake the $407 pharmacy bill. It stuck to him like a tick, and that obsession became FreeRx. When something frustrates you so deeply that you can't stop thinking about it, that's not a distraction. That's signal. The best founder problems aren't the ones you choose because they're trendy or fundable. They're the ones that choose you and won't let you walk away. If you're constantly trying to convince yourself to care, you're building the wrong thing. 2️⃣ Your business partner can collapse overnight and you still have to keep building Carl's Ohio pharmacy partner went from "we're gonna make it" to bankrupt in what felt like a weekend. His whole fulfillment operation disappeared while customers were waiting on prescriptions. Instead of shutting down, he started buying into pharmacies across four states to control the experience. Partners fail. Vendors go dark. Systems break. The founders who survive aren't the ones who avoid chaos. They're the ones who build contingency into their operations before they need it and pivot fast when everything falls apart. 3️⃣ Mission over money isn't just a tagline when you've almost died three times Carl said if FreeRx doesn't make a dime but changes the pricing model for healthcare, he's happy. That's easy to say in a podcast. It's harder to mean it when you've been on life support for 11 days and you're still choosing to disrupt the industry that saved you. Founders talk about purpose all the time, but real mission clarity shows up in how you make decisions when growth is slow, partners bail, and the path forward isn't clear. If your why can't survive your worst week, it's not strong enough to build a company on. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome to the chaos of building while broken 01:20 The $407 moment that started everything 02:40 Three open heart surgeries and 11 days in a coma 05:30 Why CVS and Walgreens markup prescriptions up to 3000% 08:10 Building a formulary when you know nothing about pharmaceuticals 12:15 The membership model that makes healthcare actually affordable 18:45 Adding virtual urgent care when people don't have doctors 24:30 Why the staffing industry became the perfect first market 31:20 The EpiPen scandal and medication access deserts 38:15 When your Ohio pharmacy partner goes broke overnight 43:50 Buying into pharmacies to control the customer experience 48:25 Marketing that drives you crazy but you keep going anyway 52:40 The mission over money philosophy that keeps you moving 56:30 Gary's no filter moment that exposed everything 59:00 Where to find FreeRx and how the model actually works If you're curious how Carl's actually disrupting a 3000% markup with a $50 subscription model or you just want to see if FreeRx covers what you're paying too much for, start here. Website: https://freerx.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-stecker-3580118/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carl.stecker/ Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    57 min

  6. May 24

    Ep. 202 Greg Arnold - You’re Not Lacking Confidence You’re Lacking Reps

    Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Confidence Comes After The Reps Waiting to feel ready is one of the fastest ways to stay stuck. Greg realized confidence was never the starting point. It came from showing up consistently, taking uncomfortable action, and proving to himself he could handle the next step. If you wait for certainty before you move, momentum dies fast. 2️⃣ Perfection Quietly Kills Momentum Founders lose years trying to perfect things nobody has seen yet. Greg talked about how chasing perfection kept him hesitating instead of building. The people who grow fastest are usually willing to look unpolished long enough to gain experience, feedback, and traction. 3️⃣ Your Inner Dialogue Impacts Everything The way you talk to yourself eventually impacts how you lead, build, and take risks. Greg shared how years of negative self talk affected his confidence and momentum. If your mindset constantly works against you, eventually your business feels it too. Timestamps: 00:00 Why Most People Wait Too Long To Start 02:03 The Moment Greg Realized Confidence Wasn’t The Answer 05:15 The Hidden Cost Of Low Self Esteem In Entrepreneurship 06:52 Why Confidence Always Comes After Action 10:12 Momentum Beats Perfection Every Time 13:22 What Arm Wrestling Taught Him About Business 20:00 The Discipline Most Founders Avoid 23:12 How To Stop Letting Negative Thoughts Control You 27:19 Why Your Circle Shapes Your Momentum 30:14 Entrepreneurship Feels More Like A Roller Coaster Than A Plan 33:06 The Dangerous Trap Of Comparing Yourself To Other Founders 35:32 The Small Wins Most Entrepreneurs Ignore 36:31 The Real Difference Between Confidence And Commitment 40:51 Chaos Isn’t Failure It’s Proof You’re Growing If Greg’s perspective on confidence, momentum, and taking the leap resonated with you, connect with him and follow his journey below. Website: https://www.gregarnoldspeaks.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregarnoldvo/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garnoldvo YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@garnoldvo9229/videos Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    40 min

  7. May 17

    Ep. 201 Rob Ekno - He Followed the Calling Before the Business Existed

    Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Clarity Usually Comes After the First Step Rob didn’t have a five year roadmap when he started building the film festival. He had conviction and a willingness to move before everything made sense. A lot of founders stay stuck because they think certainty comes first. It usually doesn’t. Momentum creates clarity far more often than overthinking does. 2️⃣ You Don’t Need Funding to Start Building Before there were sponsors, investors, or infrastructure, Rob focused on creating value and proving there was real interest. He built relationships, platforms, and opportunities first. Too many founders wait for resources before taking action. The reality is that belief, consistency, and execution are often what attract the right support in the first place. 3️⃣ Your Business Can’t Outgrow Your Discipline The routines that keep you grounded matter more than most founders want to admit. For Rob, prayer, meditation, sobriety, and reflection became the foundation for everything else he built. If your mind is constantly reactive, distracted, or chaotic, eventually your business will reflect it. The way you lead yourself always shows up in the way you lead everything else. Timestamps: 00:00 Why Some Businesses Start With a Calling 01:32 From High School Radio to National Broadcasting 02:43 Losing Everything to Alcoholism 04:10 Starting Over With 11 Months of Sobriety 06:14 The Reality of Building a Career in Hollywood 08:38 Why Alaska Changed the Direction of His Life 10:18 Becoming an Award Winning Author by Accident 13:28 The Stranger Who Told Him to Start a Film Festival 17:15 Building Momentum With No Money or Connections 20:24 The Founder Lesson Most Creatives Miss 25:20 Creating Platforms That Give People Hope 31:47 How He Built a Global Audience Without Funding 35:04 The Vision Bigger Than the Film Festival 41:32 When Founders Stop Waiting for Perfect Timing 46:18 The Daily Discipline That Keeps Him Focused 49:26 The Pause That Can Change Your Entire Life 55:26 Small Habits That Create Massive Transformation 59:18 Why the First Step Matters More Than the Full Plan 01:01:04 Building Something Bigger Than Yourself If you’ve been waiting for the perfect plan before making your next move, connect with Rob below and see what can happen when you build from conviction instead. Website: https://robekno.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robekno/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robekno/ Website: https://knoxvillechristianfilms.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/knoxville-international-christian-film-festival/ Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    59 min

  8. May 10

    Ep. 200 Mitchell Levy - What Got You Here is Quietly Killing Your Next Level

    Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ What got you here will keep you stuck Mitchell watched successful businesses collapse not because they failed, but because the environment changed. The real mistake is holding on too long to what used to work. If you keep optimizing an outdated model, growth will feel harder and slower every time. The longer you wait to let go, the more momentum you lose. 2️⃣ You do not have a strategy problem you have a clarity problem Most founders are not lacking effort. They are lacking clarity on who they serve and what actually matters. Mitchell found that nearly everyone thinks they have clarity, but very few actually do. Without it, every tactic becomes guesswork and every decision slows you down. Clarity is what turns activity into real progress. 3️⃣ Sell what they want then deliver what they need One of Mitchell’s biggest shifts came from realizing he was focused on what people needed instead of what they were actually asking for. Founders do this all the time and it kills traction. If your message does not match what your audience wants, they will not engage, no matter how valuable it is. Growth starts when you meet people where they are, then guide them to where they need to go. Timestamps: 00:00 Why what worked before is now holding you back 01:45 From success to zero overnight and what it teaches you 05:00 The moment you realize your identity is the problem 09:00 Why most founders chase the wrong thing 12:30 The clarity gap that keeps 98 percent stuck 16:00 The hidden reason your strategy is not working anymore 20:00 Sell what they want not what they need 24:30 Why most marketing advice actually hurts your growth 29:00 The difference between founders who grow and those who stall 33:00 Why your team reflects your lack of clarity 38:00 Experience vs AI and why judgment still wins 42:00 The shift from success to real impact 46:00 What founders get wrong about growth and scaling 50:00 How to find what actually brings you momentum 55:00 The routines that keep you grounded in chaos 59:00 The one mindset shift that changes everything If you are still holding on to what used to work, Mitchell is the person who will help you see what needs to change next. Website: https://mitchelllevy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchelllevy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchell.levy X: https://x.com/happyabout YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CredibilityNation Thank you for tuning in! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast on your favorite podcast platform and share it with your network. We encourage you to join our community HERE and connect with us on social media for the latest updates and more great content. Connect With Us: LinkedIn Instagram YouTube

    1 hr
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Every day, entrepreneurs all over the world roll out of bed and say: Hello, Chaos. And more often than not, we’re having that conversation in our own heads. It’s time to crack the dialogue wide open. Hello Chaos is a weekly podcast dedicated to entrepreneurs and founders, published every Sunday. It is another platform brought to you by OrangeWIP. It is a megaphone and round table created specifically to welcome bright, stubborn, visionary minds to a conversation founders have been craving. Here, founders have permission to vent—or be vulnerable. To bring the wildest ideas. Their greatest obstacles. And find a national sounding board for solutions. Here, we want founders show off—or allow them to speak their truth. To meet challenges head-on. To make hyper-local community connections. And share “aha!” and “oh shit” moments. Welcome to Hello Chaos. Founders, it's time to unmute yourself.

Information

  • Creator
    Jennifer Sutton
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    213
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022 Orange Wip
  • Show Website
    Hello Chaos