Founder's Story

IBH Media
  • 4.3 (217)
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Founder’s Story” by IBH Media isn’t just a show—it’s a mission. We spotlight extraordinary, iconic, and undiscovered entrepreneurs who’ve built, scaled, and led with purpose. From tech titans to tenacious underdogs, every episode dives deep into the resilience, creativity, and grit that define true leadership.You’ll hear from household names like Gary V, Codie Sanchez, Rob Dyrdek, and Tom Bilyeu—but just as often, you’ll meet the unheard founders doing remarkable things the world needs to know.This is where raw conversations meet real impact. This is Founder’s Story—where the heart of entrepreneurship beats. Get more leads and grow your business. Go to https://www.pipedrive.com/founders and get started with a 30 day free trial.

  1. 22H AGO

    She Built a Luxury Brand With No Money, No Investors, and Instagram | Ep. 332 with Geeorgie Crossley Founder of GeeGee Collection

    Daniel Robbins sits down with Georgie Crossley to unpack what it really takes to build a fashion brand in an oversaturated world. Georgie shares how GeeGee Collection started in 2020 with zero budget, how Instagram became her storefront, and how her mission evolved from “beautiful fabric” to “confidence and identity.” They also discuss why she prefers in store retail for premium products, how she expanded into the US, and why she believes the future belongs to timeless pieces that feel personal, not disposable trends. Key Discussion Points Georgie explains that COVID gave her the time to build, using friends as models, posting consistently, and running Instagram promotions that got her noticed by independent department stores. She shares her brand’s USP: hand designed or hand woven fabrics that create individuality, moving away from overconsumption and bringing back traditional craftsmanship. Georgie says she prefers physical retail because customers can see the quality, feel the product, and experience the story behind the pieces in a more personal way than online. She argues that the market is always oversaturated, so the real differentiator is obsession, clarity of mission, and consistency until your people find you. On growth, Georgie explains she has taken no outside investment, choosing a slower burn so she can keep control of creative direction and preserve the brand’s standards. Takeaways If you have no money, you can still start by testing demand with content, friends, and real world proof, because Instagram can be your first storefront. Fast fashion creates noise, but it also creates an opening for brands that offer identity, confidence, and craftsmanship that cannot be copied at scale. Influencers can increase exposure and credibility, but Georgie found paid ads and behind the scenes “studio life” content drove stronger momentum than influencer posts alone. For premium products, in person trunk shows and pop ups can outperform live social selling because customers want trust, fit, and a human experience. If you ever raise money, wait until you have proof and systems, because early funding forces you to give away too much control before the value is established. Closing Thoughts This episode is a blueprint for founders building in crowded markets: mission, craft, and consistency beat hype. Georgie Crossley shows that you can bootstrap a premium brand from a small town background, scale globally through the internet, and still choose slow growth if it protects the quality and joy of what you are building. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    23 min

  2. 3D AGO

    The Real Reason You Can’t Focus and What to Do About It | Ep. 331 with Nir Eyal NYT Best Selling Author

    Daniel Robbins interviews Nir Eyal about how beliefs filter reality and why changing a single limiting belief can be the highest leverage move a founder can make. Nir explains why positive thinking and manifesting can backfire, how mental contrasting prepares you for the pain of the process, and why pain is data while suffering is optional. The episode also explores the dangers of over labeling, the placebo effect as proof that beliefs can influence biology, and a simple relationship tool Nir uses with his wife to avoid conflict and clarify what matters. Key Discussion Points Nir explains that beliefs are tools, not facts and not faith, and that our attention is a tiny pinhole compared to the flood of information the brain processes, which is why beliefs shape what we call reality. He challenges the self help idea of manifesting by citing research that focusing only on end goals can reduce follow through, and introduces mental contrasting as a way to prepare for the discomfort required to achieve outcomes. The conversation dives into labels and identity, including ADHD and neurodivergence, and why diagnoses can help as a map but become harmful when they turn into a fixed identity. Nir walks Daniel through a real time spiral about a deal falling through, showing how inquiry can expose the limiting belief underneath and replace it with a more useful response before the fear escalates. He shares a practical marriage tool, the one to ten importance rating, to reveal hidden priority gaps and prevent fights by letting the person who cares more lead the decision. Takeaways If you only chase the outcome, you lose momentum, but if you prepare for the discomfort of the journey, you build resilience and execution. Pain is unavoidable when you do hard things, but suffering comes from judging reality and demanding it be different, so the lever is changing interpretation not eliminating difficulty. Be careful with identity labels, because the brain will defend them and you will start living down to them, so treat labels as temporary maps, not permanent definitions. When fear shows up, catch it early with a prepared belief tool, such as “this is happening for me,” so your mind does not default to catastrophe and self limitation. A simple way to reduce relationship conflict is to quantify importance, because most disagreements are not equal priority once you ask. Closing Thoughts This episode is a practical reset for founders who feel trapped in their own thinking patterns. Nir Eyal makes the case that the fastest way to change outcomes is to change the belief tools shaping attention, interpretation, and behavior. If you can spot the limiting belief early, you can stop the spiral and reclaim your agency in a world that feels increasingly uncontrollable. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    31 min

  3. 4D AGO

    He Left Goldman. Then He Built a $40 Million Real Estate Platform | Ep. 330 with Alex Blackwood Co-founder of mogul

    Daniel Robbins interviews Alex Blackwood about the future of real estate investing, why trust and access are the real moats, and how mogul(https://www.mogul.club/) is building a more democratized path to generational wealth. Alex breaks down how mogul sources and underwrites single family rentals, how the platform uses blockchain quietly in the background, and why the biggest opportunity is giving people exposure to housing when buying a full home has become unrealistic for many younger investors. Key Discussion Points: Alex explains AI’s real impact in real estate is operational, using agentic workflows to streamline the chaotic vendor heavy process between purchase agreement and close. He argues real estate “deal finding” with AI is limited today because core listing data sits behind paywalls and MLS gatekeeping, making training and access difficult. They discuss why fractional real estate matters as home prices rise, positioning mogul as a way to buy “shares of a home” and earn dividends, appreciation, and tax benefits. Alex connects macro trends to micro markets, explaining mogul’s focus on supply demand dynamics, rent to price dislocation, and building a disciplined buy box that matches yield and appreciation targets. He shares mogul’s founder journey, from a garden leave thesis and a diner pitch to a rocky fundraising environment, early traction, and compounding growth driven by product performance, retention, and transparency. Takeaways: Real estate investing is becoming a flight to hard assets in an AI driven volatility cycle, because housing remains a core necessity with durable demand. Fractional investing can give younger investors access to real estate returns even when buying a one to two million dollar home is out of reach, especially in markets like California. Mogul’s growth inflection came from three levers: high performing assets, strong customer retention where repeat investors increase allocation, and radical transparency through memos, underwriting, and onboarding. The operational edge is systems, partnerships, and negotiated scale, including discounted property management and favorable lending terms that improve risk adjusted outcomes. Closing Thoughts: This Founder’s Story episode makes the case that the next era of wealth building may not come from picking the next hot stock, but from getting aligned with the assets people cannot live without. Alex Blackwood shows how mogul is turning institutional real estate access into a consumer experience, pairing disciplined underwriting with transparency so everyday investors can participate in the upside. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    27 min

  4. 5D AGO

    The B2B Creator Economy Is Wide Open and Nobody Knows Pricing Yet | Ep 329 with David Walsh Founder & CEO of Limelight

    Daniel Robbins interviews David Walsh about how Limelight connects B2B brands with trusted creators across LinkedIn, newsletters, podcasts, and YouTube to drive revenue through authentic content. David explains why personality led marketing is becoming the future of B2B, how creator partnerships can outperform paid ads when measured correctly, and why both brands and creators need more transparency in pricing and performance. Key Discussion Points David shares his founder journey across three businesses, including a prior HR software company where he raised too much capital and hired too fast, and how that experience shaped a leaner approach with Limelight. He explains the marketplace cold start problem and how Limelight lowered friction by making the product free for creators early, manually scoring tens of thousands of LinkedIn profiles, and proving demand by selling subscriptions to brands. David breaks down the building in public strategy, saying most of Limelight’s revenue comes from his LinkedIn content, even though it can feel awkward to share the highs and lows. He outlines the content system that works, top of funnel posts to grow audience, middle of funnel industry authority, and bottom of funnel selling that often gets the least engagement but still matters. David shares what brands are buying, creators with roughly 10k to 40k followers who have trust and have not over monetized, plus a go wide approach where brands test many creators and then double down on the winners. Takeaways If you want LinkedIn growth, do not outsource your voice to AI, learn the craft, tell real stories from your own experience, and commit for at least three to six months. LinkedIn creator pricing is still chaotic, with deals ranging from a couple hundred dollars to thousands per post, and the smartest play is often starting with an attractive multi post package to build a long term relationship with the brand. For brands, creator partnerships become truly valuable when you measure beyond clicks, track who engages, identify ICP interactions, and connect that engagement to revenue over a longer window like three to six months. David’s core bet is that every B2B company will eventually run a creator program the way every company runs a CRM, and Limelight wants to be the software layer that powers it. Closing Thoughts This episode is a blueprint for the next phase of B2B marketing, where trust and distribution matter more than perfect ads and saturated keywords. David Walsh makes the case that creators are becoming the new performance channel, and founders who build publicly can turn attention into real revenue faster than they think. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    25 min

  5. 6D AGO

    The Hidden Compliance Wall That Blocks Small Businesses From Big Contracts | Ep. 328 with Kandace Swaisland Founder of KAKSCORP

    Daniel Robbins interviews Kandace Swaisland, founder of KAKSCORP, about what “scaling” should actually mean, why many founders scale into collapse, and how compliance, licensing, and operational design determine whether a business can move into bigger work. Kandace explains her framework for credible growth, then breaks down why digital transformation fails when leaders install tools before they understand strategy, workflows, bottlenecks, and team behavior change. Key Discussion Points Kandace reframes scaling as doing more with less, not growing at all costs, and explains how “scale fast” is often driven by the wrong motivations and a lack of understanding of real barriers to entry. She shares why many small businesses get trapped by compliance and certification costs, and how stacked SaaS tools and consulting fees can quietly block companies from moving into larger contracts. Kandace explains why digital transformation fails when companies skip the groundwork, because you cannot digitize chaos and software does not create clarity, it exposes the absence of it. She outlines the human side of transformation, arguing the hardest part is emotional, including fear of transparency, fear of replacement, and middle management fear of exposure. Takeaways Sustainable growth is credible growth, and the businesses that last build capability and trust before they chase speed. Before any automation or new tools, founders need to map how work moves through the business from decision to action to results, then identify bottlenecks and shadow systems like spreadsheets and notes apps. Technology scales whatever is already there, so if the process is unclear, the company just runs the same problems faster and calls it transformation. Enterprise readiness is not only systems and compliance, it is leadership discipline and behavior change, because adoption fails when people feel threatened or stripped of influence. Closing Thoughts This episode is a reality check for founders who want bigger contracts and enterprise clients but are still running on improvised workflows and stacked subscriptions. Kandace Swaisland leaves listeners with a clear message: build the foundation first, then digitize with intention, because real scaling is about durability, not speed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    27 min

  6. 6D AGO

    Why Great Hires Fail and How to Fix Talent Market Fit | Ep. 327 with Deepali Vyas of Founder & CEO, Vyas Media & 'The Elite Recruiter'

    Daniel Robbins interviews Deepali Vyas about the real reasons people get put on performance improvement plans, how founders can diagnose misalignment before it becomes a firing decision, and how CEO and C-suite profiles must evolve as companies scale. Deepali shares behind-the-scenes insight into executive hiring dynamics, including the power networks that shape boards and why women founders can face different patterns of removal. The episode closes with a clear view of what’s next: portfolio careers, fractional expertise, and a workforce increasingly driven by leverage, skill, and distribution. Key Discussion Points Deepali reframes PIPs as a symptom of misalignment: wrong role, wrong stage, wrong manager, or wrong pressure profile, and argues the real leadership question is “where would this person win.” She defines “talent market fit” as the match between a person’s wiring and the company’s current stage and constraints, and warns founders to ask, “did the person make the logo or did the logo make the person.” Deepali explains how CEO needs evolve at inflection points, using the Uber search as an example of needing institutional process and maturity once a company outgrows founder-led chaos. On AI, she lays out level one, level two, level three adoption and says most companies are missing level two, the workflow layer where the real ROI lives, which is why layoffs get justified as “AI” while productivity gains lag. She predicts the rise of the portfolio career: high-skill talent stacking experience, then shifting into fractional advisory, consulting collectives, and multi-income expertise that disrupts traditional firms. Takeaways Performance is contextual, and “fire fast” is often the wrong move; diagnose capability, energy fit, autonomy fit, and stage fit before assuming someone is the problem. Hiring the “best” résumé is risky if the environment that created their success is not the environment you have, so founders must interview for pressure profile, ambiguity tolerance, and stage readiness. The VC and board power dynamic still shapes outcomes, especially for women founders, and structural change requires more women check writers and support beyond seed into Series A and later stages. The future of work is shifting from survival and status to optionality and identity, and the winning model becomes leverage plus skill plus distribution, not tenure. Closing Thoughts This Founder’s Story conversation turns hiring and “future of work” from buzzwords into a practical operating system for founders. Deepali Vyas leaves listeners with a clear message: build teams for fit, not prestige, and design organizations for the reality of how talent wants to work now, not how it worked ten years ago. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    27 min

  7. MAR 23

    Neuro-Optometrist: Your Eyes Are Sabotaging Your Performance and You Have No Idea | Dr. Bryce AppelbaumYour Eyes Are Sabotaging Your Performance and You Have No Idea | Ep. 326 with Dr. Bryce Apbaum

    Daniel Robbins interviews Dr. Bryce Appelbaum about why training the eye brain connection can be one of the biggest performance upgrades available and why vision decline with age does not have to be inevitable. They discuss functional vision problems that often go undetected, how screen habits are creating widespread strain and fatigue, and what people can do right now to improve clarity, stamina, and focus. Key Discussion Points Dr. Bryce explains the difference between reactive eye care and proactive vision performance training, emphasizing that the brain is attached to the eyes and must be trained as a system. He challenges the belief that reading glasses are unavoidable in your forties and shares a simple “eye pushups” near far focusing drill to strengthen the focusing system over time. The conversation explores how symptoms labeled as ADHD or dyslexia can overlap with treatable functional vision issues, especially when tracking, focusing, and processing are inefficient. Dr. Bryce breaks down screen time habits, the 20 20 20 rule, and why blue light is not the enemy but artificial blue light late at night can disrupt sleep and recovery. Takeaways Vision performance is trainable, and improving focus, tracking, and convergence can improve reading stamina, productivity, sports performance, and day to day clarity. If your prescription is changing every year as an adult, that can be a signal of adaptation to stress and over reliance on lenses rather than building a stronger focusing system. Small habits stack: breaks from screens, distance viewing, night shift mode, and the right blue light protection before bed can meaningfully improve sleep quality and reduce strain. ScreenFit and targeted vision training can create measurable symptom reduction and help people become less dependent on readers, even later in life, when done consistently and correctly. Closing Thoughts This episode is a wake up call that many performance and “focus” issues are not purely mindset or motivation problems, they can be visual system problems hiding in plain sight. Dr. Bryce Appelbaum leaves listeners with a practical path: train the system, build healthier screen habits, and treat vision like every other part of the body you want to keep strong for decades. Limited Time Offer – Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code FOUNDER at huel.com/founder. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    25 min

  8. MAR 18

    They Found a Problem Nobody Had Solved, Built It, and Scaled to 10,000 Users in Two Years | Ep. 325 with Martin Jensen and John Ramos CEO and CTO of Prop Firm Match

    Daniel Robbins interviews Martin and John about Prop Firm Match, a platform that compares prop firms across categories like forex, futures, crypto, and stocks. The episode covers why most traders use prop firms to access larger capital pools, the dangers of unreliable firms, and how Prop Firm Match vets providers and uses verified trader reviews to create transparency in a fast-growing part of the trading world. Key Discussion Points: Martin explains that prop firms let skilled traders trade with more capital than they personally have, making it possible to earn meaningful income without massive starting funds. Both founders emphasize that payout reliability is the number one risk, because a trader can pass a challenge and still get stiffed by an untrustworthy firm. John shares the practical appeal: paying a relatively small fee or subscription to attempt a challenge is far less destructive than blowing up a large personal account while still learning. They explain how Prop Firm Match stays credible by using objective metrics, strict vetting, and manual verification of reviews so only real traders who used the firm can rate it. Takeaways: Prop firms can be a smart tool for traders who have skill but not enough capital, but only if the firm is reputable and pays reliably. A good prop firm is not just about pricing or rules, it is about trust, transparency, and a clear path from challenge to payout. Prop Firm Match grew by building credibility first, including a creative Twitter championship campaign before launch and scaling to an eight-person team while adding processes that reduce dependence on the founders. The long-term edge in prop trading platforms will come from verified data, community trust, and tools that help traders compare firms based on real outcomes instead of hype. Closing Thoughts: Founder’s Story captures a fast-growing corner of the trading world that most people still don’t understand, and why transparency matters when real money is on the line. Martin Jensen and John Ramos leave listeners with a clear message: prop trading can unlock opportunity, but only if you choose the right firm and protect yourself from the payout risk. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    23 min
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4.3
out of 5
217 Ratings

About

Founder’s Story” by IBH Media isn’t just a show—it’s a mission. We spotlight extraordinary, iconic, and undiscovered entrepreneurs who’ve built, scaled, and led with purpose. From tech titans to tenacious underdogs, every episode dives deep into the resilience, creativity, and grit that define true leadership.You’ll hear from household names like Gary V, Codie Sanchez, Rob Dyrdek, and Tom Bilyeu—but just as often, you’ll meet the unheard founders doing remarkable things the world needs to know.This is where raw conversations meet real impact. This is Founder’s Story—where the heart of entrepreneurship beats. Get more leads and grow your business. Go to https://www.pipedrive.com/founders and get started with a 30 day free trial.

Information

  • Creator
    IBH Media
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    317
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © IBH Media
  • Show Website
    Founder's Story

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