Tag: Hiring

What happens when you jump into entrepreneurship without a co-founder and without a safety net? Vijay Rajendran has done just that, and more. In this episode, he shares his journey from launching Hungry Globetrotter to leading digital innovation at global banks and advising hundreds of startups. We dig into the emotional weight of solo founding, the value of structured support, and why your “path to moat” matters more than having one on day one. Vijay also talks about his approach to hiring, staying in your zone of genius, and increasing your surface area for opportunity. Packed with practical wisdom and honest reflections, this one is for anyone building from zero to one. --- Episode Resources “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horowitz (https://a.co/d/5sivXFO)  “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel (https://a.co/d/8q4Dut7)  “Venture Deals” by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson (https://a.co/d/brj0OO0)  “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen (https://a.co/d/8l6kqb7)  “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss (https://a.co/d/ir3M1YX)  “The Funding Framework” by Vijay Rajendran (https://a.co/d/7szE3tu)  “The Illusion of Invincibility or Why Cannons > Moats” article by Vijay Rajendran (https://open.substack.com/pub/startupsystem/p/the-illusion-of-invincibility-or?r=1z3bi1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false) 

Doug Polster was deep into clinical work when a conversation with a former classmate sparked something bigger. What started as a way to keep his private practice afloat during COVID slowly turned into a cross-state mental health network rooted in accessibility and real care. In this episode, Doug unpacks the lessons behind Thriving Center of Psychology’s growth, from sunsetting a failed tech platform to rethinking how founders define their roles. He reflects on the quiet wins, the tough calls, and what it really means to build with intention. --- Episode Resources “The Confidence Gap” by Russ Harris (https://a.co/d/jbAY54D) 

Stavros Michailidis didn’t plan to become a founder. He simply grew up around it. From revitalizing his family’s construction business to landing Fortune 500 clients with an innovation consultancy, his path has been shaped by experimentation, reinvention, and a deep curiosity about what makes businesses actually work. In this episode, he reflects on the difference between an A-plus idea and a B-plus outcome, why most hiring mistakes start with ego, and what it means to build something because it matters, even if it never scales. --- Episode Resources “The Surrender Experiment” by Michael A. Singer (https://a.co/d/0OPRKar)  “The Aspirational Investor” by Ashvin B. Chhabra (https://a.co/d/4zw97dQ)

What if your biggest success came from a total collapse? For Ryan Estes, that moment came when the pandemic wiped out his agency’s entire client list. Instead of folding, he doubled down on a side project—Kitcaster—and turned it into a thriving podcast booking service that would eventually be acquired. In this episode, Ryan opens up about his scrappy start, the mindset shift that fueled his growth, and why building a culture rooted in clarity (not chaos) made all the difference. --- Episode Resources “The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind” by Julian Jaynes (https://a.co/d/8gKcq1r)

After years of side hustles and self-doubt, Steve Young made one decision that changed everything. He began his entrepreneurial journey selling cassette tapes in grade school, but it wasn’t until he launched a niche podcast about apps that things finally clicked. In this episode, Steve shares how fear nearly held him back, how he landed his first client, and how he built a profitable agency without outside funding. It's a story about persistence, clarity, and the freedom that comes from betting on yourself. --- Episode Resources “Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (https://a.co/d/e1Wvgug) “Do Things That Don’t Scale” by Paul Graham (https://www.paulgraham.com/ds.html)  EO Fire by John Lee Dumas - A daily podcast featuring interviews with successful entrepreneurs, focused on their journeys, lessons learned, and tactical advice for aspiring founders. (https://www.eofire.com/podcast/)  Smart Passive Income by Pat Flynn - A podcast that explores how to build online businesses and create multiple streams of passive income, featuring strategies, case studies, and personal experiments from Pat Flynn and his guests. (https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/spi/)

At just 25, Tom Williams launched his first lending business with $5,000, a dream, and a San Francisco office he secretly lived in. In this episode, Tom walks us through his unorthodox journey from boat-washing teenager to fintech founder, revealing the pivotal moments, early sacrifices, and bets that shaped his entrepreneurial path. He opens up about navigating failure, weathering the dot-com bust from inside Silicon Valley, and rebuilding from scratch to ultimately create a sustainable, values-driven business that’s thrived for over two decades. This is a story about resilience, conviction, and what it really takes to build a business from the ground up. --- Episode Resources “The Man in the Glass” by Anonymous (https://allpoetry.com/The-Man-in-the-Glass) “The Man in the Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt (https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Learn-About-TR/TR-Encyclopedia/Culture-and-Society/Man-in-the-Arena.aspx)

Neil Cameron’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start in a boardroom—it started on a beach in Australia after a career in athletics came to an unexpected end. In this episode, Neil reflects on the leap from solo founder to seasoned leader, revealing the struggles of bootstrapping, the power of listening to your customers, and the hard-earned wisdom behind building the right team. With honesty and humility, he shares what it really takes to grow a business—and yourself—along the way. --- Episode Resources The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber (https://a.co/d/2ARcl6J)

When Tiffany Bailey stepped into her family’s sod farming business, she didn’t see herself as an entrepreneur, just someone grinding to get the work done. But nearly two decades later, she’s redefined the company, the culture, and herself as a leader. In this episode, Tiffany shares the raw truth about running and growing a business with family: the trust, the tension, and the tough calls. Hear how she navigated succession, scaled the business, embraced B2C, and built a culture rooted in clarity and care. This is a masterclass in leadership, learning, and legacy. --- Episode Resources Check out what Tiffany is building at Bayside Sod (https://baysidesod.com) Read more about the Full Focus Planner (https://fullfocusstore.com) Learn more about the Culture Index (https://www.cultureindex.com)

What happens when someone who loves being the #2 decides to take the lead? Bryan Barletta, founder of Sounds Profitable, joins the show to talk about his unlikely journey to building one of the most influential organizations in podcasting. From calling out broken systems to creating real solutions, Bryan shares how he’s challenging industry norms, creating momentum without investors, and building a business that lifts the entire space. This is a masterclass in clarity, conviction, and community-driven growth. --- Episode Resources Superhuman Email App (https://superhuman.com)

What if your biggest competition isn’t the market—but yourself? In this candid conversation, Lucia Van Den Brink recounts her journey from coding a webshop at age 11 to leading a thriving CRO agency. She shares what it was like to pause everything during maternity leave, why her first hire failed, and how embracing rejection shaped her entrepreneurial resilience. It’s a powerful exploration of self-doubt, personal values, and redefining success on your own timeline. --- Episode Resources Get more info on Lucia’s company (https://increase-conversion-rate.com)