DissedMedia: A Startup Story

DissedMedia
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Daily

DissedMedia: A Startup Story is a podcast that chronicles the start of DissedMedia and takes listeners along for the journey starting from the first week the company was founded. This podcast is about what a founder goes through trying to start a business and is meant to be a learning tool for anyone interested in starting a business of their own. Listen as founder Ben Olmos and his co-founding board work to take DissedMedia from concept to reality.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    #76 Mark Gordon: Go-To-Market Strategy and Product Market Fit for Founders

    What separates a business that scales from one that stays stuck? In episode 76 of Dissed Media: A Startup Story, Ben Olmos sits down with Mark Gordon, founder of Integrated Go-To-Market Solutions, to break down the go-to-market strategy that turns struggling companies into growth machines. Mark grew Princeton Mortgage from $36 million to over $1 billion in annual production while holding a 98 net promoter score, exited a previous company in a seven-figure deal, and now helps founders fix the revenue engine that breaks first. In this conversation, Mark explains why product market fit and clear messaging matter more than any sales tactic, why trying to serve everybody quietly kills growth, and how the four parts of a go-to-market system (messaging, lead generation, sales execution, and revenue technology) have to move in sync like a crew boat. He shares the mom test for explaining your business in 30 seconds, the real reason founders stay stuck, and how the right messaging shift can lift revenue 30 percent in 90 days. If you are scaling a business and want a go-to-market strategy built on product market fit instead of guesswork, this episode is for you. Connect with Mark Gordon: Website and free Go-To-Market Clarity Assessment: https://igtms.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkDGordon-IGTMS Search Mark D. Gordon on LinkedIn and Instagram Grab Ben's book, 10 Topics To Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K Subscribe to Dissed Media on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1

    48 min

  2. 5d ago ·  Video

    #75 Austin Bonderer: How to Patent an Idea and Protect Your Startup

    Wondering how to patent an idea and protect your intellectual property before someone else profits from it? In this episode of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, host Ben Olmos talks with patent attorney Austin Bonderer, who brings 25 years of experience, more than 700 secured US patents, and an insider's view from his years as a USPTO patent examiner. Austin reveals what most entrepreneurs get wrong about protecting an idea. The biggest one: disclosure kills patents. Too many founders post their invention online or pitch it everywhere before protecting it, and that single move can sink a patent before it ever starts. In this conversation you'll learn: Why public disclosure can destroy your patent rights, and how to share an idea safely The real difference between a patentable invention and just a good idea Why getting the patent is the easy part and getting to market is the hard part When to use a patent, a trademark, or a trade secret (and why Coca-Cola never patented its formula) How NDAs actually become binding and the one thing most people leave out What those "we can help you patent your idea" TV companies are really selling How to protect your invention internationally when manufacturing moves overseas If you're a founder, inventor, or small business owner, this episode gives you a clear, practical roadmap for protecting what you build. Connect with Austin Bonderer: Website: https://bondererpatents.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AustinThePatentAttorney TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@austin.the.patent LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-bonderer-a0b08b3/ Get the first chapter of Ben's book free: 10 Topics To Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K Subscribe to DissedMedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1

    1h 4m

  3. 6d ago ·  Video

    #74 Ral West: How to Scale a Business That Runs Without You

    What if you could step away from your business for a month and come back to find it ran perfectly without you? In this episode, Ben Olmos sits down with Ral West, an entrepreneur who spent 25 years building a Hawaii travel company into a charter airline flying 35,000 passengers a year between Alaska and Hawaii, before selling it to Alaska Airlines. But that success nearly cost her everything that mattered. For years she and her husband were buried in the day to day, working around the clock while their young daughter ate dinner at the office. The business owned them, not the other way around. Ral breaks down exactly how she turned it around. She explains how she systemized the company, learned to delegate the right way, and built a culture of open book management that turned her team into true partners. She shares the mindset shift that frees owners from constant firefighting, the real reason most delegation attempts fail, and how she eventually walked away from daily operations while the business kept right on growing. You'll learn: Why so many entrepreneurs end up owned by the business they built to gain freedom The art of delegation, and why "I tried it and it didn't work" is a process problem, not a people problem How open book management and profit sharing aligned her entire team behind one goal The fruit bowl theory of business that gives your people freedom without losing control How to document your systems so no single person becomes a bottleneck Why burnout is a signal that something needs fixing, not a badge of honor Ral now teaches business owners these same principles through her BOSS program, Business Owner Success Strategies, a year round mastermind built on the six core principles that let her run a multimillion dollar operation without being chained to it. Connect with Ral West: Website: https://www.ralwest.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ralwest/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RalWest-wv3ou Take her business diagnostic tool to find out how much of a bottleneck you are in your own business. Get Ben's book, 10 Topics To Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K Subscribe to DissedMedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1

    44 min

  4. Jun 4 ·  Video

    #73 Randy Gage: Rewire Your Entrepreneurial Mindset and Build Wealth Without Apology

    What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn't your strategy, your market, or your competition but the beliefs you inherited before you ever started a business? Randy Gage knows this firsthand. He went from a jail cell as a teenager to becoming a Speaker Hall of Famer, a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur, and the author of 16 bestselling books translated into more than 25 languages. His new book, Wealth Without Apology: A Prosperity Manifesto, just released and it may be the most important thing an entrepreneur reads this year. In this episode, Randy breaks down the concept of "mind viruses," the cultural programming around money, success, and wealth that silently causes entrepreneurs to self-sabotage without even knowing it. He and Ben explore why TV, movies, and media keep recycling the same tired message that rich people are evil, and why that programming is costing you more than you realize. They also get into: Why 70% of Randy's entrepreneurial coaching work happens in the mind, not the business model How questioning premises, the way Elon Musk did with rockets and Tesla's assembly line, is the most underrated entrepreneurial skill Why Randy's best revenue year ever came at age 67, after adopting Simon Sinek's Infinite Game philosophy How AI is adding 20 hours a week of "magic sauce" to his business while freeing him from 12 to 15 hours of routine work The four quadrants of a prosperous life and how to build a prosperity flywheel If you've ever felt guilty about wanting more, capped your own income without realizing it, or wondered why success seems to slip through your fingers, this conversation is for you. Get Randy's new book, Wealth Without Apology: A Prosperity Manifesto: https://amzn.to/43gsvj3 Visit Randy's website: https://randygage.com/ Also check out Risky Is the New Safe and Mad Genius, both essential reads for entrepreneurs on Amazon. Subscribe to DissedMedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1 Get Ben's book, 10 Topics To Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K

    57 min

  5. Jun 2 ·  Video

    # 72 Charlie Sheppard Stop the Drama, Start Leading: What's Really Killing Your Team's Performance

    What if the toxic work environment you keep trying to fix is actually a drama triangle problem? This week on DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben sits down with Charlie Sheppard, behavioral scientist, executive coach, and author of Save Your Drama for Your Mama (available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4u9q1Og). With 40 years of experience working with organizations like AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Genentech, Charlie has built a career helping leaders escape the drama triangle and build cultures where real leadership development can finally take hold. Charlie explains the drama triangle - the victim, rescuer, and adversary roles that come as standard equipment with every human being - and contrasts it with the Leadership Triangle. He shares why leadership coaching must go beyond surface behaviors to the full stack of beliefs, identity, and even physiology, and why stopping workplace drama is the real foundation of effective leadership. The conversation also covers his remarkable 33-year record of zero work stoppages in high-stakes labor negotiations, the role of relationship-building before bargaining, and locus of control as the leadership development pattern that gets leaders in trouble fastest. And in a surprising close, Charlie shares three projects fired up about: a 12-book children's series called The Path of Light (back it on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1317302143/path-of-light-bedtime-stories-that-help-kids-sleep), the inaugural Human Presence Institute weekend, and a biotech molecule targeting advanced cancer in solid tumors. If you lead people, manage teams, or are building something from the ground up, this episode will change how you think about the drama triangle, leadership development, and the patterns keeping you stuck. Subscribe and help us reach 100,000 subscribers by end of 2026: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1

    25 min

  6. Jun 1 ·  Video

    #71 Wes Towers: How AI Threatened His Business And How He Fought Back

    What happens when a professional tells you your life's work is losing value because of AI? That's exactly what happened to Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, an Australian digital agency with over 20 years of experience helping trades, construction, and service-based businesses get found, trusted, and chosen online. In this episode, Wes opens up about the gut-punch business valuation that forced him to rethink everything — and how he rebuilt Uplift 360 around something AI can't easily replicate: human insight, expert strategy, and authentic connection. We dig into why the old sales funnel is dead, how one of his clients landed a $120,000 contract because ChatGPT named him the best in Australia, and what small business owners must do RIGHT NOW to get found on Google and large language models. You'll also hear Wes's fascinating "shadow work" technique for uncovering your brand's authentic marketing message — borrowed from psychology, and more powerful than any AI prompt. What we cover: Why vibe coding is commoditizing website builds — and what that means for your agency or business How to optimize your content to show up in ChatGPT and other LLMs Why building trust online matters more than ever for tradespeople and contractors The niche marketing strategy that beats bigger competitors every time What Wes would do differently if he started Uplift 360 today Connect with Wes Towers: 🌐 Website & Free Strategy Call: https://uplift360.com.au 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/westowers 📖 The Simple Manifesto (Book): https://amzn.to/4x0kkVx From the host: 📚 10 Topics To Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do by Ben Olmos available now on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K 📺 Subscribe to @DissedMedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1

    58 min

  7. May 29 ·  Video

    #70 Aurora Winter: How 7 Words Generated $3 Million in One Week

    What if the words you're using right now are costing you clients, income, and opportunities, and you don't even know it? In this episode, Ben Olmos sits down with Aurora Winter, former Hollywood television executive, award-winning screenwriter, bestselling author, and founder of Same Page Publishing, to talk about one of the most powerful and overlooked levers in business: your message. Aurora shares the story of how a seven-word phrase generated $3 million in a single week and doubled her profit margins from 12% to 24% — all without changing her product, her team, or her pricing. She breaks down her "Million Dollar Message" framework, explains why most experts and leaders are buried in complexity when they should be leading with clarity, and reveals the four human superpowers that AI can never take from you. You'll learn: Why "AI killed mediocrity" and what that means for your career and business How to craft a message that makes people lean in and say "tell me more" The hero's journey storytelling formula that turns your story into sales How to build a seven-figure thought leadership business in the age of AI Why your scars, your setbacks, and your story are your most valuable brand assets How Aurora generated $250,000 in new business in just 90 days from a simple pivot experiment Aurora is the creator of three proprietary frameworks, the Strategic Showrunner, the Movie Trailer Mindset, and the Spoken Author Method. Her latest book, Turn Words Into Wealth: 7 Ways to Make 7 Figures as a Thought Leader, is a #1 Amazon bestseller that won the Reader's Choice Book Award and the Literary Titan Gold Award in 2026. 📘 Get Aurora's book — Turn Words Into Wealth: https://amzn.to/4o2DTsy 📚 Aurora's Fantasy Series — Magic, Mystery & the Multiverse (Anna Zest): https://amzn.to/4fb2b11 🎯 Free Thought Leader Launch Assessment: https://thoughtleaderlaunch.com 🌐 Same Page Publishing: https://samepagepublishing.com 📺 Strategic Basics on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrategicBasics 📺 Subscribe to DissedMedia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DissedMedia?sub_confirmation=1 📖 Get Ben's book — 10 Topics to Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better @ What You Do: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K

    41 min
  8. #69 Debbie Fay: Stop Killing Your Presentation — What Nobody Tells You About Public Speaking

    May 28 ·  Video

    #69 Debbie Fay: Stop Killing Your Presentation — What Nobody Tells You About Public Speaking

    Most people think they know what makes a great presentation. They are wrong. In Episode 69 of DissedMedia: A Startup Story, Ben Olmos sits down with Debbie Fay, founder of Bespeak Presentation Solutions and author of Nail It: Create and Deliver Presentations That Connect, Compel, and Convince. Debbie has been coaching entrepreneurs, executives, and everyday professionals on public speaking since 2006, with clients including BNY Mellon Bank, the US Fund for UNICEF, and Sabra Dipping Products. In this episode, Debbie and Ben dig into the real reasons most presentations fail: slides stuffed with text, presenters focused on themselves instead of their audience, a lack of authentic delivery, and the absence of one habit that separates good presenters from great ones. She shares research from University of California Davis professor Michael Motley on the physiology of public speaking anxiety and explains exactly why nervous speakers stay nervous and what to do about it. She also breaks down the number one secret to becoming a confident, compelling presenter that almost nobody is using, and she is offering DissedMedia listeners a free 45-minute consultation. Whether you are terrified of public speaking, pitching investors, presenting to a board, or leading a team that needs to be motivated, this episode has something for you. Get Debbie's book Nail It on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4veJb6m Free 45-minute consultation: bespeakpresentations.com Connect with Debbie on LinkedIn: search Debbie Fay If this episode added value, please share it and subscribe. We are on a mission to reach 100,000 YouTube subscribers by the end of 2026. Also check out Ben's book, 10 Topics to Help Managers, Leaders, and Entrepreneurs Get Better at What You Do, available at benolmos.com or on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4uDUC7K

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

DissedMedia: A Startup Story is a podcast that chronicles the start of DissedMedia and takes listeners along for the journey starting from the first week the company was founded. This podcast is about what a founder goes through trying to start a business and is meant to be a learning tool for anyone interested in starting a business of their own. Listen as founder Ben Olmos and his co-founding board work to take DissedMedia from concept to reality.

Information

  • Creator
    DissedMedia
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    76
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © DissedMedia Corporation
  • Show Website
    DissedMedia: A Startup Story