The Inspired Stories Podcast

Anthony Codispoti
  • 5.0 (15)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Anthony Codispoti has started, built, and sold a variety of successful businesses, including a 7-figure wholesale business (successful exit), a 7-figure consumer business (exited to private equity), a SaaS business (successful exit), and fiscally advantaged benefits. As an innovator and pioneer, he has been awarded patents, earned best seller badges, and gained scores of battle scars. In this show, we gain inspiration from the successes achieved and challenges overcome by today's business leaders.

  1. 1h ago

    The Deal Gap Nobody Sees: Pat Voltapetti's Strategy Against Overpaying

    Pat Voltapetti is the co-founder and managing partner of Pinnacle One Capital, a private equity and advisory firm focused on multifamily and commercial real estate in high-growth markets across the Southeast and Sun Belt. A third-generation investor who spent nearly four years managing investor relations at Cardone Capital, Pat left to build something built entirely on his own terms, grounded in transparency, operator alignment, and the philosophical foundation his Italian grandfather laid when Pat was still a teenager. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Three generations of real estate: from grandfather Gino's Italian restaurant and flea markets to Pat's private equity firm Grandfather's innovation: using a broker's license to source off-market deals, then holding paper on sales Accounting and public auditing background: understanding how businesses are valued and where numbers are hidden Finding Grant Cardone through YouTube cold-calling content, joining as an early team member Cardone Capital's crowdfunding evolution: from friends-and-family funds to managing thousands of investors Hitting the corporate ceiling and leaving to build Pinnacle One Capital from scratch Targeting distressed commercial deals where debt is coming due and basis has reset Operator alignment: bringing developers in as partners so incentives match across the deal Advisory model: helping operators on bigger deals find valuation errors before signing Stoicism, metaphysics, and teaching children to notice the limits of the five senses 🌟 Pat's Key Mentors: Grandfather Gino: Introduced Pat to accounting, self-improvement books, stoicism, and Eastern and Western philosophy starting at age 14 Grant Cardone: Showed Pat how to build investor infrastructure, crowdfunding systems, and scale a real estate brand at speed His Father: Modeled the brokerage side of real estate and reinforced the value of staying close to the transaction Long-term Operators in His Network: Taught Pat what 15-plus years of successful asset management actually looks like from the inside His Children: Drive his continued exploration of purpose, legacy, and how to pass real knowledge forward across generations 👉 Don't miss Pat's account of leaving a recognized brand to start over, the philosophy his grandfather handed him at 14, and why he still believes in finding partners even after being burned. 🔗 Connect with Pat Voltapetti: Website: PinnacleOneCapital.com LinkedIn: Pat Voltapetti 📋 Transcript Available: The Deal Gap Nobody Sees: Pat Voltapetti's Strategy Against Overpaying 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📋 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 4m

  2. 2h ago

    Lloyd Lewis: How a Son With Down Syndrome Turned a Finance Career Into a Mission

    Lloyd Lewis: Building a Social Enterprise Around the People Most Workplaces Overlook Lloyd Lewis, President and CEO of Arc Thrift Stores, shares how his son Kennedy’s birth with Down syndrome launched a mission that transformed a struggling thrift chain into one of Colorado’s largest social enterprises — with 34 retail locations, nearly 1,900 employees, $120 million in annual revenue, and 600 employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities at its heart. Key Insights You’ll Learn: Leaving finance at Smith Barney and IBM after his son Kennedy was born with Down syndrome Inheriting a turnaround situation with same-store sales falling double digits and cash burning fast The back to basics plan: walking out of the meeting so experienced managers could lead it Rebuilding Arc with weekly reporting, store visits, accountability, and mission emphasis Growing from 10 IDD employees to 600 — and why it’s half the reason for 14 record years Why hiring people with IDD improves morale, productivity, and ultimately revenue The Arc University: post-secondary classes, certificates, and PhD designations for IDD employees Processing 200 to 300 million donated items annually with no barcodes and no SKUs Expanding from Colorado into New Mexico and Texas with IDD employment at the core What Satya Nadella, Jamie Foxx, and Winston Churchill all have in common: life-changing relationships with people who have disabilities Lloyd’s Key Mentors: Kennedy Lewis (Son): Changed his values, his mission, and his understanding of what matters in life IBM Management Training Program: Laid the operational and financial foundation he brought to Arc Dr. Linda Crnic (Neuroscientist): Sparked the Down Syndrome research advocacy that preceded Arc Experienced Store Managers at Arc: The people he trusted with the turnaround by leaving the room Randy Lewis (Walgreens): Demonstrated at scale that IDD hiring works across distribution centers nationally Don’t miss this conversation about what happens when you hire the people most companies overlook, why mission is as powerful as any business strategy, and how one man’s son changed the lives of hundreds. Connect with Lloyd Lewis: Website: arcthrift.com Email: llewis@arcthrift.com Transcript Available: Lloyd Lewis: How a Son With Down Syndrome Turned a Finance Career Into a Mission Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency — Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 5m

  3. 5d ago

    How Nathan Anderson Built Nimbl Tech Inside Someone Else's Company

    Nathan Anderson is the co-founder and head of operations at Nimbl Tech, a fractional IT firm in Lehi, Utah serving small remote accounting and financial services companies with device management, cybersecurity, and compliance. He built it from scratch inside Nimbl, the parent company where he serves as head of tech, after being turned down from a master's program and redirected by a CEO who offered to show him how to build a business instead. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Managing 1,500 employees to remote work overnight during COVID at the Missionary Training Center Joining Nimbl part-time while finishing school, starting with basic IT and early automation Recognizing a market gap when cloud accounting peers kept asking how Nimbl secured its remote team CEO Dave Olson's offer: skip the MBA and build the company instead Signing first client July 2024, reaching six figures by end of year one Three core services: device management, access management, and data security compliance FTC and IRS compliance documentation: written information security plans and incident response Phishing emails as the most common real-world threat, not sophisticated outside attacks AI safety for accounting firms: paid plans, SOC 2 certification, and the right privacy settings 15-minute help desk response time as a non-negotiable standard, not a marketing claim 🌟 Nathan's Key Mentors: Dave Olson (CEO, Nimbl): Redirected Nathan from pursuing an MBA to building NimblTech, then backed him fully Missionary Training Center Leadership: Gave Nathan his first large-scale tech transition experience during COVID Cloud Accounting Community: Provided a collaborative peer network that surfaced the market need NimblTech was built to fill His Parents: Offered faith-grounded perspective during his lowest point after the master's rejection NimblTech Clients: Each new service line has come from a client request, shaping the firm's growth organically 👉 Don't miss Nathan's candid account of being rejected from the graduate program all his friends got into, the professor who confirmed he should have been admitted, and the moment a CEO's belief in him changed everything. 🔗 Connect with Nathan Anderson: Website: trustnimbl.com 📋 Transcript Available: How Nathan Anderson Built Nimbl Tech Inside Someone Else's Company 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📋 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 7m

  4. 5d ago

    From Venezuela's First McDonald's to Miami Bar & Restaurant Group CEO: Luis Ginestra's Hospitality Journey

    From Venezuela's First McDonald's to Miami Nightlife CEO: Luis Ginestra's Hospitality Journey Luis Ginestra, CEO of the Rabbit Group, built one of Miami's most innovative hospitality portfolios through a career spanning Venezuela, San Francisco, and South Florida. From cleaning grills at McDonald's at 16 to managing a 300-seat Thai restaurant at 21 to leading a multi-concept group through COVID and out the other side with double the sales, Luis shares the operational instincts, strategic partnerships, and hard lessons that shaped him. Key Insights You'll Learn: Crew member at Venezuela's first McDonald's in 1986 at age 16 GM of the Western Hemisphere's first Thai restaurant at age 21 with no prior restaurant leadership experience Hospitality degree pursued over computer engineering after realizing he needed to be with people Joining the Dirty Rabbit Group in 2022 to professionalize a fast-growing but financially scattered operation Cutting 15 concepts to 7 while doubling sales and corporate staff from 32 to 14 Promoter costs reduced from 20% to 10-12% through strategic marketing and social investment Entertainment costs cut from 14% to 8% by curating DJ talent rather than chasing headliners Partnership model with Mandala Group bringing Bagatelle and Sala de Espejo to Miami Hurricane growth strategy: expand from the inside out, stay close to home base Shifting from CEO to Chief Partnerships Officer to focus on brand licensing and strategic deals Luis's Key Mentors: Jean-Paul Coupal (Restaurateur): Took a raw 21-year-old under his wing at the first Thai restaurant in the Western Hemisphere; taught operational detail and the art of hospitality Renato Viola (Mr. O'Wan Founder): Showed Luis that great ingredients, fair pricing, and genuine service can outperform any marketing budget Mandala Group Leadership: Global hospitality partner that expanded Luis's exposure to ultra-premium concepts and international brand management McDonald's Training System: First school in consistency, process, and the value of repeatable standards Karen Cohen (Franchisee CEO): Former McDonald's boss who later became a business connection and example of long-term growth through franchising Don't miss this conversation about what it actually takes to survive in one of the most competitive hospitality markets in the country and why cutting the fat was the best decision Luis ever made. Connect with Luis Ginestra: Website: thedirtyrabbitgroup.com Transcript Available: From Venezuela's First McDonald's to Miami Bar & Restaurant Group CEO: Luis Ginestra's Hospitality Journey Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    58 min

  5. 5d ago

    Drew Allen on Why American Manufacturing Needs to Think 10X Bigger, Not Just 10% Better

    Drew Allen is the President and CEO of Grace Technologies, an electrical safety and predictive maintenance manufacturer based in Davenport, Iowa whose products are used in factories and facilities across more than 60 countries. He made his first trip to China at 13, spent years selling car care products across Asia for Meguiar's and 3M after college, and then returned to run strategy and product development at the family business his father founded in 1993 before stepping into the top role. Grace holds a patent for industrial interface design, has been recognized as a top workplace in Iowa and a BBB Torch Award winner for ethics, and Drew also hosts his own podcast, The Factory Futurist. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: First trip to China at 13, studying international business at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and nearly four years running Asian distribution for Meguiar's and 3M Growing China sales 70% year over year by raising prices, creating a certification model for detail shops, and activating distribution partners across provinces Joining Grace Technologies to run international operations, then product development and strategy, before taking over as CEO Grace's four product lines: Graceport industrial interface panels, absence-of-voltage testing, electrical reliability monitoring, and wireless vibration condition monitoring Arc flash explained: a copper-vaporizing electrical explosion triggered by short circuits in high-amperage industrial systems that can reach tens of thousands of degrees The $400,000 product failure that produced the iterative development philosophy Grace now uses across all hardware launches Firing bullets before cannonballs: never cutting tooling, paying for certifications, or ordering inventory without multi-customer validation first 3D-printed molds for pre-production validation: an innovation discovered during a 48-hour engineering hackathon that allows physical testing without traditional tooling costs or lead times Perceive: a separate technology holding company structured to enable equity participation for key engineering talent without diluting the family-owned Grace entity Seven days walking 22-26 miles per day on the Camino de Santiago — in a monsoon, with an injured ankle — while processing his mother's terminal cancer recurrence 🌟 Drew's Key Mentors: His Father (Grace Founder): Invented both the Graceport product and the mass-customization business model in the 1990s, and first took Drew to China at 13 to show him where the world was heading Jim Collins (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0): The fire bullets before cannonballs framework became the foundation for how Grace approaches all hardware product development after Drew's $400,000 failure His CTO (Sivionics Founder): Brought condition monitoring technology into Grace through a creatively structured acquisition that solved both the equity and cash constraints of a family-owned company Asian Distribution Partners: Taught Drew that channel activation and relationship density are as critical to revenue growth as product quality, a lesson he carries into Grace's go-to-market today 👉 Don't miss Drew's account of sinking $400,000 into a product no one wanted, walking 22 miles a day through a Spanish monsoon while his mother was dying, and what meeting the future Uber CTO on a boat to Alcatraz taught him about never dismissing an idea too quickly. 🔗 Connect with Drew Allen: Website: graceport.com Email: drewa@gracetechnologies.com LinkedIn: Drew Allen, Grace Technologies 📋 Transcript Available: Drew Allen on Why American Manufacturing Needs to Think 10X Bigger, Not Just 10% Better 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📋 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 10m

  6. 6d ago

    Shaun McDonald on What Harri's One-Click AI Scheduling Actually Does Behind the Scenes

    Shaun McDonald is the Director of Customer Success at Harri, a New York-based technology company founded in 2012 that helps restaurants, hotels, and hospitality businesses hire, schedule, and engage frontline employees. Harri serves millions of workers across tens of thousands of locations worldwide and counts McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Raising Cane's, and Shake Shack among its clients. Shaun came up through restaurant operations as a general manager at Sweetgreen and Luke's Lobster before moving into hospitality SaaS through Restaurant 365, where he earned a promotion within his first year and discovered that the gap between restaurant operations and tech was far smaller than he expected. ✨ Key Insights You'll Learn: Started as a dishwasher and bus boy in college before transferring to Johnson and Wales University to complete culinary and business degrees General manager at Sweetgreen and Luke's Lobster, where he once ran a new store opening entirely alone after his full staff called out Moved to Restaurant 365 after seven-plus years in restaurants, renting an RV with his then-girlfriend and driving cross-country before either had secured a job Joined Harri after being recruited out of Restaurant 365, drawn to customer success over reactive support work Harri's platform covers the full employee lifecycle from applicant tracking through scheduling, timekeeping, onboarding compliance, and employee engagement Fair Work Week compliance automation: helping operators avoid tens of thousands of dollars per week in penalties as city-level regulations expand California break law as a top client acquisition trigger: operators get sued, lose their vendor, then find Harri Harry Engage: clock-in touchpoint delivering surveys, training, and recognition at the moment employees have to interact with the system, driving response rates into the 70-90 percent range One-click AI scheduling in beta: agentic flows checking forecasts, local events, employee availability, and skill levels simultaneously to produce a complete schedule with a single button press Misdiagnosed with blood cancer at 23, spent over a year getting bone marrow tests before a specialist cleared him — an experience that reoriented his relationship with gratitude 🌟 Shaun's Key Mentors: Restaurant Operations Career (Dishwasher to GM): Eight-plus years of frontline experience that gave Shaun the operational credibility to consult enterprise hospitality clients as a peer, not a vendor Restaurant 365 (Early SaaS Career): Showed him that everyone in tech is figuring it out too, earned a promotion in under a year, and connected him to the tight-knit hospitality SaaS community The Luke's Lobster Employee He Promoted to GM: A young woman from South Boston who never thought she'd amount to anything, whose journey from crew member to store manager is the moment Shaun most wants to be remembered for All In Podcast (Ongoing Learning): Chamath Palihapitiya, David Sacks, and the other hosts provide real-time visibility into what cutting-edge AI companies are doing, helping Shaun stay at the edge rather than chasing from behind 👉 Don't miss Shaun's account of running a restaurant opening entirely alone, the cancer misdiagnosis he kept from almost everyone for years, and why hospitality is the best possible training for a career in customer success. 🔗 Connect with Shaun McDonald: Website: harri.com Email: shaun.mcdonald@harri.com 📋 Transcript Available: Shaun McDonald on What Harri's One-Click AI Scheduling Actually Does Behind the Scenes 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📋 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    59 min

  7. 6d ago

    Matt Coyne: A Catholic Deacon and an M&A Advisor. Helping people get where they want to go

    From GE Finance to M&A Advisor: Matt Coyne's 25 Years on the Front Lines of Business Exits Matt Coyne, founder of Brandywine Mergers and Acquisitions and Formation LLC, spent a decade inside Fortune 100 companies before stepping away to help privately held business owners navigate the most important financial transaction of their lives. A deacon, author, and recovering alcoholic with a disarming honesty about all three, Matt shares what he has learned from hundreds of deals and why most owners leave an enormous amount of money on the table when they finally sell. Key Insights You'll Learn: GE Financial Management Program: high-pressure training that shaped a career-long view of finance Watching a 30-year GE veteran face public humiliation for missing numbers at 25 years old Leaving Precision Castparts after a brutal Sunday review in Yorkshire and never looking back Starting Brandywine M&A in 2001 with a lifelong friend and zero corporate safety net The identity crisis that follows handing over 500 employees and an executive title overnight Why small business M&A and corporate M&A are entirely different animals Most common seller mistakes: weak books, customer concentration, and waiting too long The M&A Mastery Program: eight-week coaching for wealth advisors and business owners Why owners need their wealth advisor articulate in M&A before any deal conversation begins How sobriety, faith, and a seven-year deacon program reshaped Matt's approach to life and work Matt's Key Mentors: Dennis Damerman (GE CFO): Walked into a room of new hires, shook Matt's hand, and asked about his wife by name; demonstrated that personal leadership scales Tom (GE VP): After being publicly dressed down, told a 25-year-old Matt to decide what he wanted his career to be; one of the rawest honest lessons Matt ever received Frank (Business Partner and Lifelong Friend): Pulled Matt out of burnout with a partnership offer and helped him build Brandywine from scratch Lisa (Wife): Held him accountable through recovery, supported the deacon program, and kept the faith when he couldn't Tim Ferriss (Author): The Four-Hour Workweek prompted Matt to write his own book and think differently about information as a tool Don't miss this conversation about what business exits really look like from the inside, and why the owners who get what they deserve are the ones who started the conversation years before they were ready. Connect with Matt Coyne: Website: formation-llc.com Email: mcoyne@bma1.com Transcript Available: Matt Coyne: A Catholic Deacon and an M&A Advisor. Helping people get where they want to go Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 1m

  8. 6d ago

    Lenny Grant on the Culture, Karma, and Persistence Behind RRM Design Group's Growth

    From Family Room Startup to 200-Person Firm: Lenny Grant on Persistence, Karma, and Building a Culture That Lasts Lenny Grant, principal and housing market leader at RRM Design Group, shares his journey from landing his first architecture job through a college job board, to building a thriving firm out of his family room, through the 2008 financial crisis that wiped out his net worth and nearly cost him his home, to merging with RRM, converting to an ESOP, and now leading one of California's most respected architecture firms with 85 to 90 percent repeat client work and a culture that has won best firms to work for three years running. Key Insights You'll Learn: First clients came through a Cal Poly job board; landed five jobs in two days after licensure, hiring his first employee within weeks.Built reputation by being more affordable, responsive, and hungry than established firms, fueling rapid word‑of‑mouth growth.The 2008 crisis hit hard when developer clients stopped paying; borrowed money to make payroll while losing his own home.Developer Rick Lawhead, his first licensed client, gave him a place to live when no one else would rent to him.Merged with RRM Design Group, finding shared values despite early operational clashes.Shifted philosophy from measuring projects to measuring clients, leading to 85–90% repeat work and fewer lawsuits.Converted to ESOP, eliminating taxes on profits, doubling retirement benefits, and creating sustainable ownership transition.Invested in culture through barbecues, ping pong, fantasy football, and open board meetings; later redirected energy toward cost‑saving ideas when margins compressed.Grew from 55 to 200 people in eight years, now moderating growth by being more selective with clients and markets.Persistence defined his career—denied twice by Cal Poly’s architecture program before writing a letter that got him in, applying the same refusal to quit ever since. Lenny's Key Mentors: Rick Lawhead (Developer): First licensed client, provided housing during the crisis, modeled long‑term relationships. Gary Grossman (Client): Partner since 1997, delivered hundreds of projects, forgave rent during crisis months. Eric Justison (Former RRM CEO): Supported merger and helped build cultural foundation. The 2008 Crisis: Forced humility, negotiation skills, and systems thinking that shaped his leadership. The Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu (Book of Joy):** Introduced through therapy, reframed conflict and fear, inspiring daily meditation and gratitude practice. Don't miss this conversation about what it actually takes to survive a financial collapse with your relationships intact, why treating everybody like gold is not just good ethics but good strategy, and what it means to build a firm where 85 to 90 percent of your work comes from people who already trust you. Connect with Lenny Grant: Email: ljgrant@rrmdesign.com Website: rrmdesign.com 📤 Transcript Available: Lenny Grant on the Culture, Karma, and Persistence Behind RRM Design Group's Growth 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📤 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com

    1h 2m
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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Anthony Codispoti has started, built, and sold a variety of successful businesses, including a 7-figure wholesale business (successful exit), a 7-figure consumer business (exited to private equity), a SaaS business (successful exit), and fiscally advantaged benefits. As an innovator and pioneer, he has been awarded patents, earned best seller badges, and gained scores of battle scars. In this show, we gain inspiration from the successes achieved and challenges overcome by today's business leaders.

Information

  • Creator
    Anthony Codispoti
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    484
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Anthony Codispoti
  • Show Website
    The Inspired Stories Podcast

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