School for Startups Radio

Jim Beach
  • 4.9 (50)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Daily

On 60 AmFm stations around the US, the show argues that anyone can be a successful entrepreneur when they forget creativity, risk, and passion! Join host Jim Beach, bestselling McGraw-Hill Author for his SBA award winning nationally syndicated radio show. Copy an idea, execute it better, start with less than $5,000 and reserve passion for family & religion.

  1. 2d ago

    November 6, 2026 – AI Playbook Eric Siegel and Treasure Map to Joy Stacie Shifflett and a Quick 10 w Kristen Prinz

    Eric Siegel – Co-Founder & CEO of Gooder AI and Author of The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment (Management on the Cutting Edge) If you’re not, if you’re not measuring the value, you can’t be navigating to it Eric Siegel Eric Siegel, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Gooder AI, a former Columbia University professor, author, educator, and longtime advocate for helping organizations successfully deploy machine learning. His work focuses on one of the most persistent challenges in artificial intelligence: closing the gap between technical capability and real business value. Rather than treating AI as an abstract technology initiative, Eric concentrates on how companies can move machine learning projects from experimentation into practical deployment and measurable impact. Eric is the author of The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment, a book that examines why so many machine learning initiatives struggle to reach production and what leaders can do differently. His work emphasizes that the hardest part of AI is often not building the model itself, but aligning technology with business objectives, operational processes, leadership decisions, and organizational change. Through his writing, teaching, and advisory work, Eric helps executives and technical teams better understand how to make machine learning useful in the real world. He is also the author of the bestselling book Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die, which has been used in courses at hundreds of universities. The book helped bring predictive analytics and machine learning concepts to a broader business audience by explaining how organizations can use data to improve decisions across areas such as marketing, risk, fraud, operations, and customer behavior. In addition to leading Gooder AI, Eric is the founder of the long-running Machine Learning Week conference series, which brings together practitioners and leaders working across predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI deployment. He also serves as executive editor of The Machine Learning Times and teaches the online course Machine Learning Leadership and Practice: End-to-End Mastery, where he focuses on the practical, organizational, and strategic aspects of putting machine learning into operation. Before focusing fully on industry, Eric taught graduate computer science courses in machine learning and artificial intelligence at Columbia University, where he received the Distinguished Faculty Award. He later served as a business school professor at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. His academic background and industry experience have allowed him to work across both technical and executive audiences, translating complex machine learning concepts into frameworks that business leaders can use. Eric is also a frequent keynote speaker and contributor on issues related to analytics, AI, business strategy, and society. His interdisciplinary work consistently examines how machine learning should be managed, communicated, and deployed responsibly so that organizations can move beyond experimentation and create lasting operational value. Through Gooder AI, his books, conferences, teaching, and speaking, Eric continues to focus on making machine learning more actionable for organizations. His central message is that successful AI requires more than powerful models. It requires leadership, clear business objectives, operational discipline, and a practical understanding of how technology and people must work together to produce meaningful results. Stacie Shifflett – Founder & Architect of Modern Consciousness and Author of Treasure Map to Joy: One Woman’s Journey from Disruption to Joy The problem we’re trying to solve is possibly not the problem that we have. Stacie Shifflett Stacie Shifflett is the founder and architect of Modern Consciousness®, an entrepreneur, writer, coach, and author of Treasure Map to Joy: One Woman’s Journey from Disruption to Joy. Her work centers on helping people better understand the patterns, beliefs, emotional habits, and unconscious influences that shape their decisions and experiences. Through Modern Consciousness®, Stacie has developed a philosophy focused on awareness, clarity, discernment, intention, and the idea that meaningful personal change begins when people can clearly see what is driving their lives. Stacie’s professional journey has been anything but conventional. Her career has crossed hospitality, government consulting, technology, software acquisition, construction, entrepreneurship, and even the development of an award winning llama farm. Although the industries and roles changed, the common thread throughout her career was a deep interest in people, decision making, adaptation, and how individuals respond to change and uncertainty. Over time, Stacie began recognizing that many of the challenges people face are not simply the result of external circumstances. They are often connected to internal patterns that influence how people interpret events, make choices, respond emotionally, and define what success or happiness should look like. Those observations eventually became part of the foundation for Modern Consciousness®, an evolving body of work designed to strengthen people’s ability to think and live with greater awareness and intention. Her personal journey has also played an important role in shaping her philosophy. Stacie has experienced significant loss, disruption, reinvention, and periods of profound personal change. Rather than viewing those experiences only as obstacles, she came to see them as opportunities to examine the beliefs and patterns guiding her life. Through that process, she developed a deeper appreciation for resilience, vulnerability, authenticity, and the possibility of creating a different relationship with difficult experiences. In Treasure Map to Joy, Stacie shares lessons from her own journey and explores the idea that joy is not something people must constantly chase or earn. Instead, she believes joy can be uncovered by becoming more aware of the stories, assumptions, and unconscious habits that keep people disconnected from themselves. Her work encourages readers to examine what is actually driving their choices and to distinguish between patterns they have inherited or developed over time and the values they genuinely want to live by. At the heart of Stacie’s approach is the belief that awareness itself can be transformative. When people are able to recognize the patterns influencing their emotions and decisions, she believes they become better equipped to respond intentionally rather than automatically. Her work combines practical reflection with a deeper exploration of meaning, identity, emotional authenticity, and personal responsibility. Through her writing, coaching, and work with Modern Consciousness®, Stacie helps people reconnect with what she describes as the deeper intelligence within their own lives. Her goal is not to offer a rigid formula for happiness, but to provide frameworks that help individuals think more clearly, make more conscious choices, and develop a stronger relationship with themselves. Today, Stacie continues to expand Modern Consciousness® as a philosophy and body of work focused on human development, intentional living, and personal transformation. Through Treasure Map to Joy and her broader work, she encourages people to see disruption not simply as something to survive, but as an opportunity to become more aware of who they are, what matters to them, and how they want to move forward with greater clarity, presence, and joy.

  2. 5d ago

    November 4, 2026 – India SMB Blastoff Rajan Anandan and New Rules of Negotiation Kristen Prinz

    Rajan Anandan – Managing Director of Surge and Co-author of The Lift-Off Nation: Why We Are Entering the Golden Age of Indian Startups 2026 is a year that India entered the AI race. So, you know, watch the space. Rajan Anandan is a Managing Director at Peak XV and leads Surge, the firm’s seed stage program focused on supporting early stage companies and their founders. He is also the co-author of The Lift-Off Nation: Why We Are Entering the Golden Age of Indian Startups, which explores the evolution of India’s startup ecosystem and the forces creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country. With decades of experience spanning technology leadership, venture investing, entrepreneurship, and public policy, Rajan has become a prominent figure in India’s technology and startup community. Before joining Peak XV, Rajan held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s largest technology companies. He previously served as the head of Google India and Southeast Asia, where he was involved in the company’s growth across some of the region’s most dynamic digital markets. Earlier in his career, he also held leadership positions with Microsoft and Dell in India, giving him extensive experience in building and scaling technology businesses across a rapidly changing market. Rajan’s experience as an operator has shaped his approach to working with founders. Having spent years leading major technology organizations, he brings an understanding of the challenges involved in building teams, expanding markets, developing products, and creating businesses that can scale. Today, through Surge, he works closely with early stage entrepreneurs as they develop their companies, refine their strategies, and navigate the transition from promising ideas to sustainable businesses. In addition to his institutional investing work, Rajan has been recognized as one of India’s most active angel investors. His involvement with startups has given him a broad view of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, from the earliest stages of company formation through later periods of growth and expansion. His work has placed him alongside founders across a wide range of technology driven businesses and has allowed him to observe firsthand how India’s startup environment has evolved over time. Rajan has also played an active role in industry organizations and government initiatives focused on startups, technology, venture capital, and the digital economy. He has served as a member of India’s National Startup Advisory Council and has twice served as president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India. He has also served as chairman of the VC Council of the Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association, contributing to conversations about the development of India’s venture and startup ecosystem. Through The Lift-Off Nation, Rajan brings together many of the lessons and observations gained from his years as a technology executive, investor, advisor, and participant in India’s entrepreneurial community. The book examines why India may be entering an especially important period for startup creation and explores the combination of talent, technology adoption, capital, ambition, and market opportunity driving a new generation of companies. Rajan’s perspective is shaped by having worked on multiple sides of the technology ecosystem, including as a corporate leader, angel investor, venture capital professional, industry advocate, and advisor to entrepreneurs. This experience gives him a broad understanding of what founders need to build successful companies and how the wider environment around them can influence innovation and growth. Today, Rajan continues to work with entrepreneurs through Peak XV and Surge while contributing to the broader development of India’s technology and startup ecosystem. Through his investing, writing, industry involvement, and work with founders, he focuses on helping ambitious entrepreneurs build enduring companies and on understanding the opportunities emerging as India enters a new phase of innovation and entrepreneurship. Kristen Prinz – Principal of The Prinz Law Firm and Author of The New Rules of Negotiation: How to Shift Power and Get What Matters If you really want to achieve things in life, you cannot just accept no. You can’t. You have to keep coming back. Kristen Prinz is the founder and principal of The Prinz Law Firm, a nationally recognized negotiation expert, employment attorney, business counselor, and author of The New Rules of Negotiation: How to Shift Power and Get What Matters. For nearly two decades, she has advised executives, professionals, physicians, attorneys, entrepreneurs, and business leaders through complex workplace and business negotiations, including employment agreements, severance negotiations, career transitions, partnership matters, business disputes, and other decisions that can have a lasting impact on a person’s career or company. Kristen built her legal career around the belief that legal advice should be more than technical knowledge. She views law as a strategic service that should help clients accomplish meaningful professional and business goals. Before becoming an attorney, she worked in the service industry and later moved into marketing, including experience with a startup during the early internet era and eventually leading marketing for a law firm. Those experiences gave her an understanding of business from outside the traditional legal environment and helped shape the practical, client focused approach she later brought to her own firm. Through The Prinz Law Firm, Kristen works with both businesses and individuals. She advises companies on employment practices, workplace culture, contracts, policies, recruiting, hiring, employee performance, and separation strategies. She also represents executives and professionals in negotiations involving employment agreements, compensation, severance packages, restrictive covenants, performance issues, and workplace disputes. Her work gives her a perspective from both sides of the employment relationship, allowing her to understand the competing business, legal, and personal concerns that often shape difficult negotiations. Kristen’s approach to negotiation goes beyond traditional tactics and focuses heavily on the emotional and psychological factors that influence decisions. She believes that many people understand how to negotiate on behalf of a company, client, or team but struggle when they have to advocate for themselves. Fear, identity, burnout, uncertainty, loyalty, and self doubt can affect a negotiation before the conversation even begins. Her work helps professionals recognize this internal negotiation so they can make decisions based on what truly matters rather than allowing emotion or pressure to determine the outcome. Her book, The New Rules of Negotiation, draws on years of real world experience helping clients navigate career defining conversations. Rather than focusing on manipulation, intimidation, or hardball techniques, Kristen presents negotiation as a process of understanding priorities, identifying sources of power, setting boundaries, and communicating clearly. Her perspective is especially relevant to professionals considering promotions, career changes, difficult workplace conversations, leadership challenges, or decisions about when it may be time to leave an organization. Kristen is also an experienced litigator who has represented clients in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, and arbitration matters involving employment and business disputes. Her experience includes discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage claims, whistleblower matters, shareholder disputes, contract disputes, noncompete and nonsolicitation matters, and other complex workplace issues. She has served as first chair in litigation matters and has obtained multimillion dollar verdicts for clients, bringing both negotiation experience and courtroom perspective to her legal strategy. In addition to her client work, Kristen trains businesses on workplace compliance and culture and frequently speaks to professional organizations about negotiation, leadership, employment issues, and career strategy. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer, Leading Lawyer, and Best Lawyer and has been named among influential women in Chicago’s legal community by Crain’s Chicago Business. Her professional and community involvement has included organizations such as The Chicago Network, the International Women’s Forum, The Chicago Club, The Economic Club of Chicago, and The Executives Club of Chicago. Through her legal practice, speaking, and writing, Kristen encourages professionals and leaders to think differently about negotiation. Her work emphasizes that successful negotiation is not simply about winning a conversation. It is about understanding what matters, recognizing where power actually exists, communicating with greater clarity, and making choices that support long term professional, personal, and organizational goals.

  3. Nov 2

    November 2, 2026 – Lotus Leadership Kamini Ramani and Wired For Purpose Aaron Strout

    Kamini Ramani – Founding Circle Member of Neythri.org and Author of Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom AI can provide context, but it can’t provide wisdom Kamini Ramani is a Silicon Valley marketing leader, storyteller, author, and Founding Circle Member of Neythri, a global community supporting South Asian women leaders. She brings four decades of experience working with entrepreneurs, technology companies, and venture capital firms, helping founders and investors communicate their ideas, build brands, and tell stories that connect with customers, employees, and markets. Kamini spent nearly 20 years as Chief Marketing Officer of Mayfield, one of Silicon Valley’s established venture capital firms, where she worked closely with investors and portfolio company founders as they launched and scaled businesses. Before joining Mayfield, Kamini built her career in communications and public relations during several major waves of Silicon Valley innovation. Her work included providing public relations counsel to Steve Jobs at NeXT in 1995, as well as advising emerging and established technology companies on positioning, messaging, and corporate communications. During her years at Mayfield, she helped amplify the stories of entrepreneurs behind companies including Lyft, Poshmark, HashiCorp, and many others. Her experience gave her a close view of how founders develop as leaders, how companies build enduring cultures, and how effective leadership often requires balancing qualities that may appear contradictory, such as confidence and humility, decisiveness and collaboration, ambition and empathy. Kamini grew up in Bombay, India, and later came to the United States for graduate study. She earned a master’s degree in English Literature from Yale University and a master’s degree in Communication from Stanford University. Her background in literature and communications helped shape a career centered on storytelling and the ways stories influence leadership, organizations, and culture. She is also active in communities supporting South Asian women in business and technology. As a Neythri Founding Circle Member, she has helped support a network designed to connect and advance South Asian women leaders across industries. Kamini is the author of the forthcoming Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom, scheduled for publication by Harper Business on September 22, 2026. The book draws on conversations with more than 30 accomplished women leaders and presents a leadership framework inspired by Indian philosophy and culture. Kamini organizes the framework around five petals: Fusion, Curiosity, Harmony, Abundance, and Power. Together, they explore how leaders can combine different styles, pursue nonlinear careers, build sustainable partnerships, define success more broadly, and exercise power without losing their sense of identity. Through Lotus Leadership, Kamini challenges the idea that there is one correct way to lead or one predictable path to success. Drawing on four decades in Silicon Valley and the experiences of women who have reached senior positions in business, technology, investing, and other fields, she argues that effective leaders learn to operate comfortably with duality. Her broader message is that people do not have to choose between ambition and fulfillment, strength and compassion, or professional achievement and personal identity. Instead, leaders can draw on the full range of their experiences and values to build careers and lives that are both successful and sustainable. Kamini Ramani is a native of Bombay, India who attended Yale and Stanford Universities, followed by a four-decade career as a technology marketing leader. She has advised legends like Steve Jobs, and as Chief Marketing Officer established Mayfield, a top tier venture capital firm, as a first stop for founders. As a founding member of the South Asian women’s network Neythri, she has worked closely with Silicon Valley leaders. Her passions include forest bathing, storytelling, and swapping book recommendations with her two adult daughters. She and her husband Omar Khan are thirty-five-year residents of San Francisco. Aaron Strout – Host & Executive Producer of Reaching Higher Podcast and Author of WIRED FOR PURPOSE: Why Humanity is the Biggest Differentiator in a Digital World Legacy is really, what do you want to be remembered for? And I would say legacy and purpose are closely tied together. Aaron Strout is the host and executive producer of the Reaching Higher Podcast, an author, marketing leader, speaker, and longtime connector whose career has spanned three decades at the intersection of technology, marketing, leadership, and human relationships. He is the author of Wired for Purpose: Why Humanity is the Biggest Differentiator in a Digital World, a book that explores how authentic connection, generosity, curiosity, and purpose can help people lead and succeed in an increasingly digital and AI driven world. Over the course of his career, Aaron has experienced several major waves of technological change, from the early days of dial up internet and websites to social media, mobile technology, marketing automation, and now artificial intelligence. Rather than viewing technology as a replacement for human connection, he has built his work around the belief that relationships remain one of the most powerful forces in business and leadership. His philosophy is centered on the idea that connection is a service and that the strongest professional relationships are built by helping people feel seen, understood, and supported. That philosophy is reflected in what Aaron calls the Connector’s Code, a framework built around generosity, curiosity, and follow through. Throughout his career, he has used these principles to bring people together, create opportunities, mentor professionals, develop teams, and help leaders build stronger networks. His approach is particularly relevant as younger professionals enter a workplace increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence and automation, where the ability to create genuine relationships can become an important differentiator. Aaron’s book, Wired for Purpose, draws on roughly 30 years of professional and personal experience to offer a practical guide to leadership, relationships, and navigating change. The book includes lessons from his early work building websites in the 1990s, launching business podcasts before smartphones became commonplace, working with organizations undergoing significant growth, and mentoring leaders across different industries. He also shares practical approaches to gratitude, decision making, relationship building, and creating professional connections that grow stronger over time. Before focusing more extensively on writing, podcasting, speaking, and mentoring, Aaron held senior leadership roles including Chief Marketing Officer at Real Chemistry and Director of Digital Marketing at Fidelity Investments. His marketing background spans integrated marketing, account based marketing, marketing automation, paid media, thought leadership, mobile marketing, analytics, digital strategy, social media, and business development. Across these areas, his work has consistently focused on simplifying complex ideas, understanding emerging trends, and helping organizations communicate more effectively with the people they serve. As host and executive producer of the Reaching Higher Podcast, Aaron continues to explore leadership, personal growth, innovation, purpose, and the experiences that shape successful people. His ability to facilitate conversations is rooted in the same curiosity and relationship building principles that have guided his career. Whether interviewing guests, moderating discussions, advising executives, or introducing people who may benefit from knowing one another, Aaron focuses on creating environments where meaningful conversations and new opportunities can emerge. Today, Aaron writes, speaks, mentors, and works with leaders navigating the rapidly changing relationship between technology and humanity. His central message is that as artificial intelligence and digital tools become more powerful, the ability to build trust, show empathy, stay curious, and create genuine human connection becomes even more valuable. Through Wired for Purpose, the Reaching Higher Podcast, and his broader work, Aaron encourages professionals and leaders to use technology effectively while remembering that humanity remains one of the strongest competitive advantages available to them.

  4. Oct 30

    October 30, 2026 – Public Speaking for Females Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic and BioElectric Therapy Dan O. Lopez

    Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic, Executive Communications Coach, Trainer, Keynote Speaker, and Author of From Fear to Fearless Female Speaker: Overcome Fear of Public Speaking and Lead with Impact A Proven Path to Confidence, Clarity and Executive Presence for Women Leaders So we cannot really suppress our nervousness. We have to learn to deal with it. Dr. Aleksandra Plazinic is an Executive Communications Coach, trainer, keynote speaker, university lecturer, and author who helps professionals and leaders communicate with greater confidence, clarity, and influence. With more than 20 years of experience spanning communications, business consulting, international organizations, and academia, she has worked with professionals across Europe, the United States, India, South Africa, and other global markets. Her coaching and training focuses particularly on overcoming fear of public speaking, strengthening executive presence, developing authentic communication, and helping leaders become more effective in high pressure professional environments. Aleksandra’s international career has included work with the United Nations and European Commission, as well as consulting and academic roles in several European countries. She has held senior communications positions and has served as an Adjunct Professor with the European Center for Peace and Development of the University for Peace established by the United Nations. She has also lectured at SAE Institute and Middlesex University in Brussels. Aleksandra holds a doctorate, two master’s degrees, and multiple professional certifications. Her doctoral research examined strategic communication in the context of European Union accession negotiations, while her graduate studies included international relations, international management, and marketing. Her approach to communication development combines practical presentation techniques with research from neuroscience, psychology, mindfulness, and human behavior. Rather than treating public speaking simply as a matter of memorizing a speech or perfecting delivery, Aleksandra works with clients on the internal barriers that can prevent knowledgeable people from speaking with authority. Her work addresses issues including imposter syndrome, anxiety, confidence, audience engagement, executive presence, and the ability to communicate authentically. She has delivered trainings, workshops, and presentations internationally, including programs and events in Europe, the United States, Dubai, and the United Kingdom. Aleksandra is the author of From Fear to Fearless Female Speaker: Overcome Fear of Public Speaking and Lead with Impact, published in September 2026. The book is designed especially for women who have expertise and ambition but find that fear, self doubt, or discomfort with public speaking limits their ability to be heard. Through practical strategies, exercises, and personal development techniques, she addresses managing speaking anxiety, developing an authentic presence, handling different audiences, communicating clearly, and building the confidence needed to lead with greater impact. Her central message is that powerful public speaking is not an ability reserved for naturally gifted performers. It is a skill that can be developed, allowing women to make their expertise visible and use their voices more effectively in leadership, business, and everyday professional life. Dan O. Lopez – Founder and CEO of BioElectric Therapy Center When the body has the energy it needs, it can heal itself. Dan O. Lopez is the founder and CEO of BioElectric Therapy Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he has developed a patent-pending, non-invasive wellness system designed to support quality of life by focusing on the body’s natural electrical function. His work brings together his background in technology, systems thinking, Traditional Chinese Medicine, electrical principles, wellness assessments, and emerging technologies to explore a different way of understanding the body and its overall function. Before entering the wellness field, Dan spent approximately 30 years working in Information Technology. That experience shaped the way he began thinking about the human body. Rather than looking only at individual symptoms, he started viewing the body through the lens of systems engineering, where electrical flow, grounding, circulation, and clear pathways all play interconnected roles. Dan applies that systems perspective to his work at BioElectric Therapy Center, where he believes the body, like any complex electrical system, depends on proper communication and energy flow to function effectively. Dan’s interest in BioElectric Therapy became deeply personal after watching his father decline with Alzheimer’s disease. That experience motivated him to search for additional ways to support the body beyond symptom-focused approaches. His research eventually led him to BioElectric Therapy and to the development of a hands-on, non-invasive method that he describes as “advanced acupuncture without the needles.” His approach is intended to bridge traditional healing concepts with modern bioelectric principles in a way that is accessible to people interested in wellness, recovery, energy, and healthy aging. At BioElectric Therapy Center, Dan combines concepts from Traditional Chinese Medicine with what he describes as Law of Nature, electrical principles, advanced wellness scans, and AI-guided assessments. His goal is to give clients a clearer picture of their wellness patterns and a way to track changes over time. Rather than positioning technology and traditional approaches as competing ideas, Dan is interested in how they can work together to create a more complete understanding of the body. A major part of Dan’s work focuses on the idea that modern wellness conversations often emphasize chemistry, such as medications, supplements, hormones, and lab values, while paying less attention to the body’s electrical signaling and communication. Through his work, he explores how factors such as grounding, voltage, circulation, and pathway function may relate to issues people commonly associate with pain, fatigue, poor sleep, stress, recovery, mobility, and general wellbeing. His perspective is centered on helping people think about wellness at a broader systems level. Dan is also interested in making BioElectric Therapy more scalable and accessible. His longer-term vision includes practitioner education, guided self-care centers, and community access points designed to help more people learn about the approach and take a more active role in their own wellness. He sees education and self-care as important parts of the future of the field and wants to create systems that can be taught, measured, and applied consistently. Today, Dan continues to develop BioElectric Therapy Center around the idea that wellness can benefit from combining ancient principles, modern technology, objective measurement, and systems thinking. Through his work, he shares a perspective shaped by decades in technology and a deeply personal search for better ways to understand the body. His mission is to expand awareness of bioelectric wellness, develop a broader practitioner network, and create new ways for people to engage with approaches focused on energy, balance, self-care, and quality of life.

  5. Oct 28

    October 28, 2026 – Breezy AI James Harris and Funding Funding Funding Michael Praver

    James Harris – Founder & CEO of Breezy I think agents today need to show up so much smarter and more prepared as AI becomes more and more rampant. I think agents need to be more than agents. We need to be advisors, trusted advisors James Harris is the founder and CEO of Breezy, an AI company built specifically to help real estate agents manage the day-to-day complexity of their businesses. He is also a veteran luxury real estate agent, entrepreneur, podcast host, and former cast member of Bravo TV’s Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. With more than 20 years of experience in real estate and billions of dollars in career sales, James has built his reputation by operating at the highest levels of the luxury residential market while developing a deep understanding of the systems, discipline, and client service required to succeed in a highly competitive industry. Originally from the United Kingdom, James moved to Los Angeles without an established network, listings, or a safety net, determined to build a career in real estate from the ground up. Over time, he became a leading luxury agent serving Beverly Hills and the Platinum Triangle and went on to close more than $6 billion in residential real estate over the last decade. His success was built through years of prospecting, negotiation, relationship building, follow-up, market knowledge, and the day-to-day operational work required to manage demanding clients and complex transactions. James gained wider recognition through Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, where audiences saw the high-pressure world of luxury real estate and the level of persistence required to compete at the top of the market. While television brought him greater visibility, James credits much of his business education to the realities of working directly with clients, managing transactions, handling constant communication, and staying organized in an industry where agents are expected to manage numerous responsibilities at once. Those experiences eventually led James to his next chapter as a technology founder. He created Breezy to address many of the operational frustrations he experienced firsthand as an agent. Designed by people with real estate experience, Breezy uses artificial intelligence to help agents bring more structure to their daily work, reduce administrative overload, organize information, and spend more time on the activities that directly contribute to building relationships and closing business. At the center of James’s approach is the belief that successful agents should not have to work longer simply because their businesses are growing. Instead, he focuses on helping real estate professionals build better systems that allow them to operate with greater clarity, consistency, and efficiency. Breezy is intended to function as an operating system for the way agents actually work, helping them manage the volume of tasks, notes, follow-ups, and information that can otherwise become overwhelming. James is also passionate about the broader role technology can play in reducing friction across the real estate industry. Through Breezy and related technology initiatives, he has focused on improving the experience for both agents and consumers by making difficult real estate processes faster and easier to understand. One example is Underbuilt Radar, a tool designed to help buyers and homeowners better understand a property’s build potential and reduce the time and cost associated with pursuing plans that may not ultimately be approved. In addition to his work with Breezy, James hosts Rise Above the Ranks, where he shares lessons from his career in luxury real estate and entrepreneurship. His conversations focus on negotiation, market strategy, discipline, leadership, resilience, and the practical habits that separate high-performing agents from the rest of the market. He draws on decades of direct experience to discuss what it takes to build a successful career without relying on shortcuts. Today, James combines his background in high-end real estate with his experience as a founder to explore how technology, better systems, and smarter business practices can help agents adapt to a rapidly changing industry. Through Breezy, his media work, and his continued involvement in real estate, he shares practical insights on building a brand, scaling a business, navigating economic uncertainty, and using technology to create more efficient and sustainable growth. Michael Praver – Founding Authority of Funding Funding Funding But because we are problem solvers, the worst the economy gets, the more people have to call us. Michael Praver is the Founding Authority of Funding Funding Funding, where he helps U.S. business owners better understand and navigate business credit and credit-based funding options. His work is centered on making complex funding strategies easier to understand, especially for entrepreneurs who want access to capital without taking on financial structures that create unnecessary repayment pressure or confusion. Michael works with business owners, entrepreneurs, consultants, investors, real estate professionals, and growth-minded operators who want a clearer picture of what funding options may be available to them. His process focuses on helping clients understand what they may qualify for, how much business credit could potentially be accessible, what areas of their credit profile may need improvement before applying, how repayment structures may work, and whether a particular funding approach makes sense for their situation. Rather than treating funding as a one-size-fits-all solution, Michael emphasizes education and fit. He believes business owners should understand the structure, obligations, and practical use of capital before moving forward. His approach is designed to remove much of the jargon and pressure that can make business financing difficult to evaluate, giving clients a clearer framework for making informed decisions. Through Funding Funding Funding, Michael helps clients explore a range of financing solutions that may include business loans, startup funding, working capital, SBA funding, business credit solutions, and alternative financing options. His work is particularly relevant for business owners who plan to use capital strategically for growth, acquisitions, investments, real estate, expansion, or working capital needs. Michael also places significant emphasis on preparation. For clients who are not yet positioned for funding, he helps identify the factors that may be limiting their options and what may need to be addressed before they apply. This can include strengthening credit profiles, understanding qualification requirements, and becoming better prepared for conversations with lenders and funding providers. At the core of Michael’s work is the belief that access to capital should begin with clarity. He aims to help business owners understand not only how funding works, but also whether it supports their broader business goals. Through Funding Funding Funding, he continues to help entrepreneurs make more informed decisions about business credit, financing, and the role capital can play in building and growing a company.

  6. Oct 26

    October 26, 2026 – E-2 Visa & Business Credit Christopher Gurski and Wise Wolf Bitcoin ATM Tony Arterburn

    Christopher Gurski – Founder & CEO of The Credit Genius My social security number with 10 years of credit now is probably the most valuable asset I have Christopher Gurski is the founder and CEO of The Credit Genius, a Miami based consulting firm that helps entrepreneurs, international founders, and business owners build the U.S. banking, business credit, and financial infrastructure needed to access capital and scale with confidence. His work focuses on helping clients understand how the U.S. financial system actually works, from establishing the right business structure and banking relationships to building personal and business credit profiles that can support future financing opportunities. Originally from Germany, Chris came to the United States at 18 as a former NCAA swimmer with a degree in business. He arrived with no U.S. credit history, no established financial network, and limited knowledge of how American banking and credit systems worked. What began as a personal effort to understand credit, banking, and financial leverage eventually became a decade of hands-on experience navigating the U.S. system from the perspective of an international entrepreneur. Over the years, Chris has built businesses across Germany, Dubai, and the United States, giving him a firsthand view of how different financial and business systems operate. That international experience shaped his understanding of the advantages and challenges that foreign founders face when entering the U.S. market. He learned that simply forming an LLC is often not enough to create meaningful access to banking, credit, financing, or long-term financial leverage. Instead, entrepreneurs need to build a stronger foundation that includes the right entity structure, banking relationships, tax identification, credit history, and financial credibility. Through The Credit Genius, Chris has helped more than 150 clients establish and strengthen their U.S. financial foundations. His work includes guiding entrepreneurs through business entity setup, U.S. bank accounts, ITINs, personal and business credit building, and strategies that can position them for financing options such as DSCR loans, SBA financing, and other lending relationships. His goal is to help founders avoid common mistakes that can limit their access to capital, especially when they are trying to grow quickly or enter the U.S. market from abroad. Chris is particularly focused on the idea that many business owners are undercapitalized not because their businesses lack potential, but because they have not built the financial infrastructure lenders and banks are actually evaluating. He teaches entrepreneurs to think beyond short-term borrowing and instead develop strong banking relationships, credit profiles, and financial systems before they urgently need funding. His approach is centered on creating optionality, allowing business owners to have more choices when it comes to financing, expansion, mobility, and long-term wealth creation. After securing his own five-year E-2 investor visa and relocating to Miami, Chris continued expanding his work with founders navigating entrepreneurship, residency, and financial leverage across borders. His clients include founders, e-commerce operators, investors, and globally mobile entrepreneurs who are building a legitimate U.S. presence while also managing businesses and opportunities internationally. Through The Credit Genius, Chris shares practical strategies on business credit, banking, financing, entrepreneurship, and international business infrastructure. His perspective combines personal experience as a foreign founder with years of working inside the U.S. financial system, giving entrepreneurs a clearer understanding of how to build the foundations that can improve access to capital, strengthen their businesses, and create more flexibility for future growth. Tony Arterburn – Founder and CEO of Wise Wolf Gold & Silver Exchange and Wolfpack The dollar is just infinite. Like how many dollars are there? More. They’re just always going to be more. Tony Arterburn is the founder and CEO of Wise Wolf Gold & Silver Exchange and Wolfpack, a U.S. Army veteran, entrepreneur, broadcaster, and nationally recognized voice on monetary history, inflation, the global economy, and wealth preservation. Through his businesses, media work, and public speaking, Tony helps entrepreneurs, business owners, and individual investors better understand the forces shaping the financial system and how they can make more informed decisions during periods of economic uncertainty. His approach emphasizes education over speculation, with a focus on separating economic realities from financial noise and helping people understand the historical forces behind money, markets, and wealth preservation. A native of Rockwall, Texas, Tony developed an interest in discipline and competition at an early age. As a teenager, he competed in powerlifting, eventually earning several world titles and representing the United States at the 2001 Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Following high school, he joined the U.S. Army, serving as a paratrooper and military policeman. Tony became a veteran of three foreign wars and was attached to the first Army company on the ground in Kandahar, Afghanistan, following the September 11 attacks. His military experience gave him a firsthand perspective on leadership, resilience, preparation, and risk management, principles that would later influence his approach to entrepreneurship and finance. After his military service, Tony expanded into business, broadcasting, and public speaking. In 2013, he ran for the U.S. Congress in North Texas and began developing his career as a media personality and commentator. He is the host of the nationally syndicated Arterburn Radio Transmission and has also hosted the Paratruther and America Unplugged podcasts. Through his broadcasting work, Tony has developed a reputation for taking complex subjects involving economics, monetary policy, central banking, inflation, and financial history and turning them into practical conversations that audiences can understand and apply. His media work reflects the same educational focus that guides his business activities. As the founder of Wise Wolf Gold & Silver Exchange, Tony works in the precious metals industry and helps people better understand the role that tangible assets can play within a broader financial strategy. He also founded Wolfpack, a monthly precious metals program designed to provide another way for individuals to participate in the gold and silver market. His years of experience in precious metals have given him a close look at investor behavior during periods of inflation, market volatility, and economic uncertainty, as well as the psychology that often influences financial decision making. Tony’s work extends beyond gold and silver to larger discussions about monetary history, central banking, entrepreneurship, inflation, and the evolving roles of assets such as Bitcoin. Rather than presenting these assets simply as competing investments, he encourages audiences to understand the different purposes they can serve within a changing financial environment. His goal is to give entrepreneurs and investors the historical and economic context they need to evaluate opportunities more carefully and avoid making decisions driven primarily by fear or short term market noise. Drawing from his experiences as a soldier, entrepreneur, precious metals professional, and broadcaster, Tony brings an unconventional perspective to conversations about business and the economy. He believes that understanding monetary history can help entrepreneurs become better decision makers because it provides context for inflation, credit, economic cycles, and changes in the financial system. Through Wise Wolf Gold & Silver Exchange, Wolfpack, and his media platforms, Tony continues to educate audiences about financial literacy, economic uncertainty, leadership, resilience, and the importance of making informed decisions about their businesses, finances, and long term wealth.

  7. Oct 22

    October 23, 2026 - AI SEO Andreas Voniatis and 3 Questions Rob Cross

    Andreas Voniatis – Founder & CEO of Artios and Author of Generative Engine Optimization with Python: Data-Driven Methods for LLM Retrieval and Citation If it’s hard for you, it’s hard for your competitors. Andreas Voniatis is the founder and CEO of Artios, a data driven search and Generative Engine Optimization agency that helps B2B companies improve their visibility across AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and other emerging search environments. He is also the author of Data-Driven SEO with Python: Solve SEO Challenges with Data Science Using Python, which explores how marketers and search professionals can use Python, data science, automation, and machine learning to solve complex SEO challenges and make better decisions using data. Andreas has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of search, digital marketing, analytics, and technology. Over the course of his career, he has worked with major advertising agencies including PHD, Havas, Universal McCann, Mindshare, and iProspect, as well as brands such as Amazon EU, ON24, Lyst, Trivago, and GameSys. His experience has given him a broad perspective on how search behavior, algorithms, consumer intent, and technology have evolved, particularly as artificial intelligence begins to reshape how people discover and evaluate companies online. He founded Artios in 2015 with the goal of applying advanced mathematics, data science, cloud technology, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to digital marketing. Rather than relying solely on traditional SEO methods, Andreas built his approach around statistical analysis, automation, and understanding how algorithms interpret information. His work has included reverse engineering elements of Google’s Penguin algorithm to a 98 percent statistical confidence level, research that received recognition from publications including Search Engine Watch and Search Engine Land. Years before generative AI became a mainstream marketing topic, Andreas was already experimenting with large language models. In 2019, he built an early large language model to help a lawyer analyze and process case documents. That experience strengthened his belief that artificial intelligence would eventually transform traditional search and change the way buyers discover businesses, products, and expertise. As platforms such as ChatGPT and other AI assistants became widely adopted, Andreas increasingly focused his work on Generative Engine Optimization, commonly known as GEO. Through Artios, Andreas helps B2B companies understand how AI systems decide which brands, companies, and experts to surface when users ask questions or seek recommendations. His approach combines decades of SEO experience with data science, buyer intent research, and analysis of real customer conversations. Artios uses data to identify the questions potential buyers are actually asking, group those conversations around common themes, and develop thought leadership and content designed to provide useful and distinctive information that AI systems can recognize and reference. Andreas believes that the rise of generative AI is fundamentally changing the rules of search. As traditional organic traffic becomes less predictable, businesses increasingly need to understand how their brands appear inside AI generated answers and recommendations. His work focuses on helping companies move beyond simply ranking in search engines and toward becoming trusted sources that AI platforms are more likely to surface when buyers are researching solutions. In addition to his experience in digital marketing and search, Andreas is a qualified management accountant and holds a degree in Economics from the University of Leeds. He has specialized in data science and artificial intelligence for online marketing for more than a decade, combining his financial, analytical, and technical background to help organizations make more informed marketing decisions. Through his work at Artios, his writing, and his research, Andreas continues to explore how artificial intelligence, data science, and changing buyer behavior are reshaping the future of search. His perspective brings together traditional SEO experience with emerging GEO strategies, giving businesses a practical framework for understanding how to remain visible and competitive as AI increasingly influences which companies and ideas get recommended to potential customers. Rob Cross – Founder of the Purposeful Leader and Author of Ask 3 Questions: How to live well in a distracted world We are the authors of our existence, whether we are picking up the pen or not. Rob Cross is a leadership advisor, executive coach, keynote speaker, and founder of The Purposeful Leader, where he helps leaders and organizations build high performance through greater clarity, purpose, and authentic leadership. For more than two decades, he has worked with senior executives and leadership teams across a wide range of industries, guiding organizations through leadership development, talent strategy, and organizational transformation. His clients have included BT Group, PwC, Deloitte, Sainsbury’s, Prudential, LexisNexis, and SIG, where he has helped leaders unlock their potential while creating stronger organizational cultures. Drawing on a career that spans military service, human resources leadership, executive coaching, and organizational development, Rob combines practical business experience with insights from philosophy and psychology to help leaders navigate today’s increasingly complex world. In 2018, he founded The Purposeful Leader to focus on what he believes is the foundation of exceptional leadership: understanding purpose, identity, and the human experience. His work encourages leaders to move beyond constant busyness and external measures of success to build lives and careers rooted in authenticity, resilience, and meaningful impact. Rob is the author of Ask 3 Questions: How to Live Well in a Distracted World and The Great Man is Dead: A New Philosophy for Leadership. Through his writing, speaking, and coaching, he challenges conventional thinking about leadership and success by encouraging people to explore three timeless questions: Who am I? Why am I here? How will I live? His mission is to help leaders achieve lasting success without losing sight of what matters most in work and in life.

  8. Oct 21

    October 21, 2026 – 6,500 ATMs in UK Mark Mills OBE and 9/11 What Is Life Worth Kenneth R. Feinberg

    Mark Mills OBE – Business Growth Strategist, Former CFO, and Author of Making Your Mark: How I built a fortune from £1.50 and you can too But actually, it’s on the founder to make sure they make themselves as redundant as possible, and or refine their role to be the most effective. Mark Mills OBE DL is a business growth strategist, entrepreneur, former CFO, and author of Making Your Mark: How I Built a Fortune from £1.50 and You Can Too. His entrepreneurial instincts began at a young age when, as an eight-year-old in Lancashire, he turned bags of broken biscuits from his aunt’s factory into something he could sell at school. That early experience shaped the way he would continue to look at business throughout his career, identifying overlooked opportunities and finding ways to turn them into something valuable. Over the years, Mark has built and sold five businesses across different industries. One of his most notable ventures was Cardpoint plc, which he founded in 2000 and grew from a start-up into Europe’s largest independent cash machine company. The business floated on AIM just two years after launch at a valuation of £7 million and later expanded to around 6,500 cash machines, 300 employees, and more than £100 million in annual revenue. By 2007, Cardpoint was valued at £175 million. Earlier in his career, Mark also disrupted the postal industry by developing a network of around 1,200 advertising-fronted post boxes located at petrol stations across the United Kingdom. Since 2007, Mark has focused on helping other business owners build value and successfully prepare their companies for sale. Drawing from his own experiences with acquisitions, exits, negotiations, setbacks, and growth, he developed a detailed 40-step process designed to guide founders through the full business sale journey. His approach focuses on identifying hidden value within a company, improving its positioning, preparing the business for due diligence, finding the right buyer, and managing the sale process from beginning to end. Rather than looking only at what a business may be worth today, Mark focuses on what it could be worth to the right buyer, at the right time, with the right strategy and story behind it. Mark’s book, Making Your Mark, shares the lessons and experiences behind his journey from childhood entrepreneurship to building and exiting multimillion-pound businesses. It explores the successes, complications, acquisitions, challenges, and hard-earned lessons that shaped his approach to business and dealmaking. Today, he works closely with founders who have spent years building their companies and are beginning to think seriously about growth, succession, or an eventual exit. In addition to his business career, Mark was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2022. He was also made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2025 New Year Honours for his services to business and charity. Through his advisory work, writing, and speaking, Mark continues to share practical insights on entrepreneurship, business growth, creating value, and preparing companies for successful exits. Kenneth R. Feinberg – Managing Partner at Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg, PC and Author of What Is Life Worth? New Edition with Reflections 25 Years After 9/11 Human nature, I’ll tell you, don’t try and predict. How people react to tragedy. Kenneth R. Feinberg is the Managing Partner of the Law Offices of Kenneth R. Feinberg, PC, an attorney, author, and one of the nation’s most experienced administrators of complex compensation programs and high-profile dispute resolution matters. He is best known for serving as the Special Master of the federal September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, where he was responsible for evaluating claims, determining compensation, and distributing awards to individuals and families affected by the September 11 attacks. Over the course of three years, Feinberg met personally with survivors and families, listened to their stories, and worked through some of the most difficult questions surrounding grief, fairness, loss, and the limits of assigning a financial value to human life. His experience administering the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund became the basis for his book What Is Life Worth?, first published in 2005. A new edition, What Is Life Worth? New Edition with Reflections 25 Years After 9/11, revisits the lessons he learned from that extraordinary period and reflects on the meaning of compassion, public trust, national unity, and healing in the years since the attacks. His work on the fund also inspired the film Worth, which dramatized the legal, moral, and personal challenges surrounding the compensation process. Throughout his career, Feinberg has played a central role in resolving some of the most difficult and widely known disputes in the United States. His expertise in mediation, compensation, and claims administration has led to appointments involving complex public and private matters, as well as service on two presidential-level commissions. His career has often placed him at the intersection of law, public policy, ethics, and human tragedy, where decisions must balance legal standards, financial realities, and deeply personal circumstances. In addition to his legal and public service work, Feinberg has had a distinguished career in legal education. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Columbia University Law School, New York University Law School, and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is also the author of Who Gets What, which further explores the challenges of determining compensation in cases involving tragedy, injury, and public controversy. Through his writing, teaching, and decades of work on complex compensation programs, Kenneth R. Feinberg has become a leading voice on questions of fairness, responsibility, compassion, and how institutions respond to large-scale loss. His reflections offer a rare perspective on the human side of law and public policy, as well as the difficult decisions that arise when society is forced to confront the question of what a life is worth.

See All (100)

4.9
out of 5
50 Ratings

About

On 60 AmFm stations around the US, the show argues that anyone can be a successful entrepreneur when they forget creativity, risk, and passion! Join host Jim Beach, bestselling McGraw-Hill Author for his SBA award winning nationally syndicated radio show. Copy an idea, execute it better, start with less than $5,000 and reserve passion for family & religion.

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Beach
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    School for Startups Radio