Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

Brian Lofrumento
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Brian Lofrumento reveals everything you need to go from wantrepreneur – or someone who WANTS to own their own business – to a money-making, action-taking entrepreneur. Discover exactly how to start a business and build a raving audience of fans and customers who want to buy your stuff, and learn exactly how to best serve your customers and clients by building a customer-centric line of products and services. Brian has built multiple six-figure businesses, including a six-figure SEO agency at the age of 24, and now helps thousands of entrepreneurs from around the world grow, automate, and scale their businesses by implementing high-converting marketing strategies and systems into their businesses. Visit the show online and get a free copy of the book, Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, at TheWantrepreneurShow.com.Our show is made possible by the financial, time, and knowledge contributions of our amazing guests. Together with the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur host and team, our guests believe in the power of entrepreneurs lifting up other entrepreneurs, and their contributions make it possible for us to reach wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs all over the world.

  1. 1426: The Counterintuitive Media Strategy That Generates Millions w/ Shawn Davis

    15H AGO

    1426: The Counterintuitive Media Strategy That Generates Millions w/ Shawn Davis

    Shawn “Greybeard” Davis, a three-time seven-figure founder, pulls back the curtain on his incredible journey from bankruptcy to building empires in finance, real estate, and energy. He shares his core philosophy of “imperfect action over perfect inaction” and reveals the overlooked marketing channel—radio—that he used to create an instant audience and dominate local markets. This episode is a masterclass in resilience, unconventional growth strategies, and knowing when to accelerate versus when to pivot. For any entrepreneur feeling stuck or afraid to make a move, Shawn’s raw honesty about his failures and successes provides a powerful, actionable roadmap for building a business (and life) on your own terms. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 How "imperfect action" is your greatest competitive advantage for launching and learning faster than anyone else.💰 The overlooked power of local radio for generating high-intent leads and building an instant, geographically-targeted audience.📈 Why you need to "step on the gas" the moment you find traction, instead of celebrating and slowing down your marketing momentum.🧠 How to recognize when a successful business is costing you personally and find the courage to walk away and pivot.💡 The crucial difference between a 60-second ad and an hour-long show for building deep authority and trust with your market.🛠️ How to accelerate your learning curve in a new industry by diving in headfirst and buying five houses instead of one.💪 The power of "dogged persistence" and why most entrepreneurs quit right before their biggest breakthrough.📝 About Shawn Davis  Shawn "Greybeard" Davis is a serial entrepreneur, radio host, and mentor who has built and scaled three separate seven-figure businesses in completely different industries: finance, real estate, and energy. After 22 years in financial services, he fearlessly pivoted, flipping high-end homes and later launching a solar brokerage company, using the power of radio to fuel its massive growth. Known for his "step on the gas" philosophy, Shawn now mentors business owners and CEOs, sharing his hard-won wisdom to help them achieve meaningful success without sacrificing their lives. 🎯 Shawn’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Listen to that inner voice, that prompting in your spirit... when I've listened to that, it's always, always worked out for me for the good." 📢 Memorable Quotes  “Imperfect action is far better than perfect inaction. Let's launch first, figure out what we need to learn in this process, and make some mistakes.” – Shawn Davis“You have to have failure smack you in the face to then reassess on what is the best way to kind of move forward. That's how you gain experience, that's how you gain grit.” – Shawn Davis“You've got to recognize when the season to whatever it is that you're doing is to come to a close, because life will give you a lot of hints.” – Shawn Davis🔗 Links & Resources Visit Greybeard Mentoring’s websiteConnect with Shawn on LinkedInConnect via text code: Text GREYBEARD to 84503

    42 min
  2. 1425: Vision is Useless Without This One Military-Grade Ingredient w/ Dennis Monagle

    1D AGO

    1425: Vision is Useless Without This One Military-Grade Ingredient w/ Dennis Monagle

    Ever feel like your big entrepreneurial vision is stuck in the clouds? This episode is your ground control. We sit down with Dennis Monagle, a retired U.S. Naval Aviator turned founder of Ash Bishop David Consultants, who bridges the gap between ambitious dreams and the disciplined execution required to make them a reality. Dennis shares how his high-stakes military career taught him the critical importance of structure, process, and ownership—skills that are often the missing link for visionary founders. This episode is a masterclass in building a rock-solid operational foundation, helping you scale with clarity and avoid the burnout that plagues so many entrepreneurs. Tune in to learn how to inject military-grade focus into your business and turn complexity into measurable progress. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business How to apply military-grade discipline to your daily business operations without stifling creativity.The critical difference between a "visionary" and an "implementer," and why your business needs both to succeed.Why being a "party pooper" with a dose of realism is one of the most valuable roles on a leadership team.A framework for building actionable plans (from 2-week sprints to year-long strategies) that you can actually execute.The secret to scaling without burnout by mastering the art of self-management and self-awareness.Why the concept of "total ownership" is a sobering but life-changing mindset for any founder.How to transition from a highly structured career into the chaos of entrepreneurship and build your own systems for success.📝 About Dennis Monagle  Dennis Monagle is the founder of Ash Bishop David Consultants and a retired U.S. Naval aviator and government program manager. Inspired by the movie Top Gun, he built a decorated 28-year career in the Navy, leading complex aviation and uncrewed systems programs in high-stakes environments. Today, he channels that experience into his consultancy, where he partners with founders and leadership teams to translate big-picture vision into disciplined, day-to-day execution. Dennis brings a unique and invaluable perspective on building structure, accountability, and clarity, helping growth-stage companies navigate complexity and achieve measurable results. 🎯 Dennis’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "You don't wanna be a wantrepreneur, you wanna be an entrepreneur... there's no perfect time, there's no perfect clarity. You really have to just do it." 📢 Memorable Quotes "Once you understand as a business owner that you own all of the outcomes for your business, I think that's a very sobering thought. But it's a very aligning thought... It's just really life-changing." – Dennis Monagle"Sometimes I'm kind of a party pooper, but I think that's why clients want to bring me on is because I give them a realistic look at the landscape and help them navigate that." – Dennis Monagle"I think there's no big moment of clarity other than, hey, Dennis, get there, get 'er done... I'm learning a lot along the way. And it's been a graduate level of education in the last, less than a year." – Dennis Monagle🔗 Links & Resources Visit Ash Bishop David Consultants’ websiteConnect with Dennis on LinkedInFollow Ash Bishop David Consultants on LinkedIn

    33 min
  3. 1424: Why Giving Your Product Away for Free is Killing Your Business + Product w/ Mike Jones

    2D AGO

    1424: Why Giving Your Product Away for Free is Killing Your Business + Product w/ Mike Jones

    Ever wonder how giants like Salesforce scale products from $5 million to over $100 million? In this episode, we pull back the curtain with Mike Jones, a former Salesforce product manager and the brilliant mind behind ProductGrowth Labs. Mike breaks down the critical difference between building what customers want versus what they truly need—and how getting this right is the key to explosive growth. This isn't just a tech talk; it's a masterclass in turning your product into the central engine for revenue, retention, and market domination. For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur building a SaaS product, this episode provides an actionable playbook for gaining clarity, improving user activation, and scaling with confidence. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business Filter the Noise: Learn how to identify "valuable feedback" from your customers and separate it from requests that will lead you down the wrong path.Monetize from Day One: Discover why offering your product for free is a huge mistake and how getting paying customers early provides the most valuable feedback for growth.Master the Product Lifecycle: Understand the entire journey of a product, from initial market research and development to achieving high adoption and retention.Reduce Churn with a Laser-Focused ICP: Hear how Mike helped a company with a 20% churn rate slash it by getting crystal clear on their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).Embrace Product-Led Growth: See how every part of your business—from sales and marketing to customer success—plays a role in your product's success and overall business growth.Leverage AI Strategically: Uncover how to use AI as a powerful tool to surface signals faster without letting it replace essential human experience and strategic judgment.Build a Competitive Moat: Learn why building "depth" into your product is the ultimate defense against competitors in a crowded market.📝 About Mike Jones Mike Jones is the founder of ProductGrowth Labs and a former Product Manager at Salesforce, where he was instrumental in scaling one of the company's fastest-growing acquisitions. During his time at Salesforce, he grew a product line's annual contract value from $5 million to over $100 million and led initiatives that drove over 200% user growth. With over a decade of experience across both scrappy SaaS startups and enterprise platforms, Mike possesses a unique ability to connect product strategy with real, tangible business results. Today, he acts as a fractional product leader for SaaS teams, helping them build products that customers love and that drive the bottom line. 🎯 Mike’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Don't build what either you want or what the market thinks it wants. You want to build what the market needs and values." 📢 Memorable Quotes "You hear this a lot in the product management world... what is the best skill a product manager can have? And the answer is the ability to say no." – Mike Jones"AI is great at surfacing signals faster... But at the end of the day, it cannot replace strategy and strategic judgment." – Mike Jones"The more depth you have within a product, the much harder it is for competitors to steal your space." – Mike Jones🔗 Links & Resources Visit ProductGrowth Labs’ websiteConnect with Mike on LinkedInFollow ProductGrowth Labs on LinkedIn

    38 min
  4. 1423: From Public Servant to Social Impact CEO w/ Carolyn Berg

    3D AGO

    1423: From Public Servant to Social Impact CEO w/ Carolyn Berg

    In this powerful episode, Brian sits down with Carolyn Berg, a former civil engineer and public servant turned entrepreneur who is tackling society's most complex challenges. Carolyn shares her incredible journey from a stable government career to launching Koble Collaborative, a firm dedicated to helping communities solve massive issues like water scarcity, affordable housing, and climate resilience through facilitation and strategy. This episode is a masterclass in purpose-driven entrepreneurship, showing how you can build a thriving business by bridging gaps, fostering trust, and unifying diverse groups toward a common goal. Carolyn’s story proves that the most impactful entrepreneurs are often the ones who listen more than they talk and build connections before they build solutions. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business How to find your entrepreneurial spirit in unexpected places (even a 16-year public service career).The superpower of deep listening and why you should solicit ideas long before creating solutions.A framework for tackling complex, multi-stakeholder problems that no single organization can solve alone.How to overcome the imposter syndrome that comes with forging a non-traditional entrepreneurial path.Why the hardest problems in business aren't technical—they're about getting people and organizations aligned.How to evolve your business model by listening to your clients' deeper needs and expanding your services.The strategic importance of naming your company to anchor its purpose and mission.📝 About Carolyn Berg  Carolyn Berg is the founder and CEO of Koble Collaborative, a firm that empowers communities to tackle complex challenges. A licensed civil engineer with over 20 years of experience, Carolyn spent 16 years in public service leading multi-agency partnerships on regional initiatives in water, housing, and climate resilience. She built a career bringing diverse stakeholders together to solve problems that no single organization could solve alone, and she now channels that expertise into her own venture, helping leaders move from a shared vision to real-world implementation. 🎯 Carolyn’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Learn to listen to that deeper voice, kind of your deeper heart, and go beyond the fears you might have, beyond your ego, and listen deeply to where your intuition is leading you." 📢 Memorable Quotes "I recognized the hardest problem was never the technical aspects of it…the barrier was alignment. So bringing organizations and people and communities into the safe and trusted space where they could make decisions together.” – Carolyn Berg“I think it's an example of how we can step into hard problems… knowing I don't know all the answers, and certainly I'm going to need the strength of many to be involved in this process.” – Carolyn Berg"Building connection is at the heart of everything we do. And that deals with building connection across our own team, with our clients and the communities they serve, across ideas and sectors." – Carolyn Berg🔗 Links & Resources Visit Koble Collaborative’s websiteConnect with Carolyn on LinkedInFollow Koble Collaborative on LinkedIn

    33 min
  5. 1422: I can't stop thinking about college... (we ALL need to embrace this approach!)

    4D AGO

    1422: I can't stop thinking about college... (we ALL need to embrace this approach!)

    Ever wonder why some networking calls feel electric while others fall flat? Or why some sales pitches land perfectly while others feel desperate and "salesy"? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian Lofrumento is kicking it old school, taking us back to his college philosophy class to uncover a powerful principle from Immanuel Kant that is surprisingly relevant to every entrepreneur. He breaks down the idea of treating people and activities as "ends in and of themselves" rather than just "means to an end." Brian shares how this simple shift in perspective can radically change how you approach sales, partnerships, content creation, and networking, ultimately leading to the very results you were trying so hard to force. If you feel like you're constantly chasing outcomes, this episode is the mindset reset you need to start attracting opportunities effortlessly. ✨ Why This Matters for You  This isn't just a philosophical debate; it's a practical business strategy that changes everything: It’s the secret to building genuine, lasting relationships that lead to referrals and partnerships, not just one-off transactions.It helps you detach from the outcome, reducing the pressure and desperation that kills sales and makes networking feel awkward.It’s the key to creating content (podcasts, posts, emails) that resonates deeply because your audience can feel your authentic passion.It paradoxically leads to better results—like the guest who closed six figures in business from one podcast appearance simply by showing up to share, not to sell.📝 Key Takeaways Ends vs. Means: Are you doing something just to get a result (a sale, a follow, a referral)? Or are you doing it for the value of the action itself? People can feel the difference.Authenticity Attracts: When you show up to a conversation or create a piece of content just because you genuinely want to, you radiate an energy that naturally draws people and opportunities to you.The Downside of Being Transactional: Treating people and opportunities as merely a means to an end is the fastest way to repel them. It makes you less likable and, more importantly, less effective.The Paradox of Success: The more you detach from needing a specific outcome, the more likely you are to achieve it. Your focus shifts from "getting" to "giving," which is what builds trust and drives business.Habits Compound: Showing up authentically in one podcast interview might not change your life. But making it a habit across your sales calls, networking, and content creation will inevitably lead to opportunities you can't even imagine right now.🚀 Put It Into Action  This week, before you start your next business activity, take a moment for a quick mindset check. Ask yourself: Am I about to jump on this sales call just to close a deal, or am I here to genuinely connect and help?Am I writing this social media post just to get likes and leads, or am I sharing something I truly believe in?Am I networking just to see what this person can do for me, or am I interested in learning about them?Before you act, remind yourself: "This is an end in and of itself." See how it changes the way you show up and the results you get. 🔗 Stay Connected Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.Brian loves hearing from listeners! Send him a personal email at hello@imetbrian.com to share your thoughts or even set up a virtual coffee.Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs a reminder to focus on the journey, not just the destination.

    17 min
  6. 1421: Growth Shouldn't Be a Guessing Game... Here's How to Build a Revenue Engine w/ Tristin Smith

    6D AGO

    1421: Growth Shouldn't Be a Guessing Game... Here's How to Build a Revenue Engine w/ Tristin Smith

    Tired of chasing the latest marketing tactic with nothing to show for it? This episode is your antidote to the chaos. Tristin Smith, founder of Boundless Growth Partners, demolishes the idea that growth is a guessing game. He reveals how to stop treating marketing, sales, and customer experience as separate functions and instead integrate them into a single, powerful "revenue engine." This episode is a masterclass for entrepreneurs who are ready to move beyond short-term hacks and build a sustainable, systematic approach to growth. Tristin breaks down the core pillars of a modern growth strategy, explaining how compounding efforts, a solid data foundation, and a deep understanding of customer psychology are the keys to long-term success. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business 🚀 How to stop chasing shiny objects and build a systematic, repeatable revenue engine that actually works.🏗️ The four foundational pillars of modern growth: Trust & Authority, Visibility & Ecosystem, Data & Intelligence, and Experience & Connection.⏳ Why patience is your greatest asset and how to leverage compounding marketing efforts for massive long-term success.🤖 The right way to leverage AI in your marketing—and the critical rule you must follow to avoid damaging your brand.📊 How to blend quick-win tactics like paid ads with long-term strategies like SEO to create a balanced and resilient growth plan.🧠 Why your gut instinct is just as important as data when it comes to making game-changing marketing decisions.📝 About Tristin Smith  Tristin Smith is the founder and CEO of Boundless Growth Partners, where he helps businesses build modern revenue engines. His journey into marketing was a masterclass in adaptation; after plans to open a restaurant were derailed by the 2020 shutdown, he pivoted hard into the digital world. Starting with Google Support, he quickly accelerated his career by mastering advertising, customer experience, and strategy. Tristin’s unique perspective comes from seeing the flaws and silos in traditional agency models, which inspired him to launch a company focused on creating truly integrated growth systems for his clients. 🎯 Tristin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Push forward every single day even when things don't feel like they're moving. It goes back to the patience. Just understanding that things stack over time and so do your efforts... every effort stacks." 📢 Memorable Quotes “You can't bring the sales, marketing and customer service together with siloed systems. You really have to bring them all together through the two core pieces: content and data.” – Tristin Smith“As a business owner, it's just understanding that we don't need more tactics. We need to build a system that brings it all together.” – Tristin Smith“Every single piece of AI output has to have human eyes on it... you have to lean into it otherwise you're gonna get left behind. So you gotta test it and then you continue to push forward and keep eyes on AI.” – Tristin Smith🔗 Links & Resources Visit Boundless Growth Partners’ websiteConnect with Tristin on LinkedInFollow Boundless Growth Partners on LinkedIn

    33 min
  7. 1420: The "Go And See" Method: How to Find Simplicity in Business Chaos w/ Michael McGinty

    MAR 26

    1420: The "Go And See" Method: How to Find Simplicity in Business Chaos w/ Michael McGinty

    In the whirlwind of running a business, it's easy to get lost in the complexity and chaos. Michael McGinty, founder of FP360, joins the show to reveal how the most successful entrepreneurs transform that complexity into crystal-clear clarity. Drawing from his fascinating career path—from fisheries observer to a manufacturing "firefighter"—Michael shares his powerful "go and see" philosophy for getting to the root of any business challenge. This episode is a masterclass in strategic execution, teaching you how to bridge the gap between a great idea and flawless implementation. You'll learn how to get genuine buy-in from your team for new initiatives (like AI) and why consistent follow-through is the ultimate key to building credibility and lasting success. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business The "Go and See" Method: Learn how to physically observe your business processes to uncover hidden inefficiencies and solve problems at their source, instead of guessing from your desk.Bridge the Strategy-Execution Gap: Discover the key to turning boardroom plans into on-the-ground action by securing buy-in from the top-down and the bottom-up.Smart AI Implementation: Understand how to introduce AI and other new technologies not as shiny objects, but as practical tools that your team will actually want to adopt and use.The Power of Follow-Through: Learn why consistent follow-up and reinforcement are more critical than one-off training sessions for building new habits and skills within your organization.Build Unbreakable Credibility: Master the three pillars of client and team relationships—listening, communicating, and following through—to become an indispensable leader.Transform Complexity into Simplicity: Find out how to identify the universal patterns within your business challenges to create simple, repeatable, and effective solutions.📝 About Michael McGinty Michael McGinty is the founder of FP360, a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations transform complexity into clarity. With a unique background that spans from being a NOAA fisheries observer to a hands-on technical problem-solver in the manufacturing industry, Michael has built a career on rolling up his sleeves to solve root challenges. His "go and see" mentality gives him a unique on-the-ground perspective, allowing him to guide teams to make confident decisions and build systems that last. He is an expert in aligning people, process, and purpose to drive measurable impact and elevate performance. 🎯 Michael’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Listen to your customers, your clients, your partners, your friends. You need to listen more... When you listen... they really engage with you. They tell you what you need. They do the job for you." 📢 Memorable Quotes “If you don't have that [buy-in], nothing is going to work. You may implement a tool and put that tool through, but no one will adopt it. No one will follow through with it.” – Michael McGinty“Your people are going to need you to help lead them into this new world, which is instead of oars, they're going to be using engines and that's going to be a new world. You need to lead them into that.” – Michael McGinty"If you don't follow through, that is going to be something that breaks your credibility. And really, it's pointless without that." – Michael McGinty🔗 Links & Resources Visit FP360’s websiteConnect with Michael on LinkedInFollow FP360 on LinkedIn

    34 min
  8. 1419: The P.E.A.C.E. Framework That Unlocks Your Team's Full Potential w/ Nissim Maimon

    MAR 25

    1419: The P.E.A.C.E. Framework That Unlocks Your Team's Full Potential w/ Nissim Maimon

    Are you constantly dealing with "people problems" in your business? According to Nissim Maimon, most organizational challenges trace back to one root cause: misalignment at the top. In this episode, Nissim unpacks his Conscious Architecture Framework, revealing how your inner state as a leader directly impacts your team’s performance, culture, and bottom line. This isn't just theory; it's a practical guide to making the inner and outer shifts required for sustainable growth and a culture where people genuinely want to work. Get ready to learn how treating your employees like volunteers, mastering difficult conversations, and uncovering your own blind spots can transform your business from the inside out. 💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business The "Volunteer" Mindset: Discover why shifting your perspective to see employees as volunteers who choose to be there can double your business with surprising ease.Core Values as Your OS: Learn how to use your core values as the fundamental operating system for every decision, from hiring to creating new roles.Turn Misfits into Superstars: Hear the incredible story of how Nissim helped a client turn a struggling manager into a $100K/month revenue generator by creating a brand-new position just for him.The P.E.A.C.E. Framework: Get an inside look at the powerful P.E.A.C.E. (Patterns, Emotions, Awareness, Clarity, Expression) framework to master your leadership and communication.Unlock Difficult Conversations: Learn the secret to having tough performance conversations that remove emotional charge and lead to positive outcomes for everyone involved.Beyond the Paycheck: Understand the leader's true role: to coach, guide, and inspire your team to grow personally, professionally, and financially.📝 About Nissim Maimon  Nissim Maimon is the founder of Mindotts and the creator of the Conscious Architecture Framework. After building his own successful company, Nissim embarked on a deep journey of personal development that revealed a powerful truth: a leader's inner world shapes their company's outer results. Today, he works with founders and CEOs to uncover the hidden blind spots that affect their decisions, culture, and growth. His work sits at the intersection of conscious leadership and strategic clarity, helping leaders build organizations that are not only profitable but also deeply fulfilling places to work. 🎯 Nissim’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs  "Before your first interaction, stop for a minute, pause for a second, and check your thoughts... and then choose from a place of choice, choose what do you want to bring to your people." 📢 Memorable Quotes “My job as the leader is to find the way to coach, guide, and inspire my people to grow professionally, to grow personally, to grow financially, and make it fun being here. They'll choose our company again and again.” – Nissim Maimon“The work with founders and CEOs is to uncover the blind spot that shapes their decision, their culture, and their results.” – Nissim Maimon“If they don't fit, let them be great somewhere else. That's what you want for them. That's what I want for people. I want them to thrive.” – Nissim Maimon🔗 Links & Resources Visit Mindotts’ websiteConnect with Nissim on LinkedInFollow Mindotts on LinkedIn

    36 min
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4.9
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About

Brian Lofrumento reveals everything you need to go from wantrepreneur – or someone who WANTS to own their own business – to a money-making, action-taking entrepreneur. Discover exactly how to start a business and build a raving audience of fans and customers who want to buy your stuff, and learn exactly how to best serve your customers and clients by building a customer-centric line of products and services. Brian has built multiple six-figure businesses, including a six-figure SEO agency at the age of 24, and now helps thousands of entrepreneurs from around the world grow, automate, and scale their businesses by implementing high-converting marketing strategies and systems into their businesses. Visit the show online and get a free copy of the book, Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, at TheWantrepreneurShow.com.Our show is made possible by the financial, time, and knowledge contributions of our amazing guests. Together with the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur host and team, our guests believe in the power of entrepreneurs lifting up other entrepreneurs, and their contributions make it possible for us to reach wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs all over the world.

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