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The Startup Junkies Podcast

The Startup Junkies podcast is hosted by Jeff Amerine and the team at Startup Junkie. We’ll cover topics ranging from getting started, planning, growing your business, proving your concept, leadership, marketing, exit strategies and so much more. We’ll interview business owners, entrepreneurs, experts and people we think will bring value to our audience. Subscribe, and together we'll take your business to the next level.
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Now displaying: August, 2022

This is the Startup Junkies Podcast. These are the stories of the people that are afflicted with creating the next great products and services that are going to change lives - not just in America, but worldwide. We're going to tell the stories of the next great beer producer, products and apparel makers, and the stories of people that don't accept the status quo and that want to make things better. 

Welcome to the Startup Junkies Podcast.

Aug 29, 2022

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

 

On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley and Davis McEntire sit down with Sandra Hodzic, the director of strategic innovation and design for the Government of New Brunswick. Sandra has over ten years experience in corporate innovation and has a deep understanding of how to identify breakthrough ideas and take solutions to market. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Davis, and Sandra discuss the methodologies used to further social innovation and what that looks like throughout Canada.

 

Shownotes:

(0:59) Introduction to Sandra

(1:48) About Strategic Innovation and Design at the Government of New Brunswick

(9:24) What Innovation Can Look Like

(11:50) Social Innovation throughout Canada

(17:48) Methodologies Used in Social Innovation

(28:10) Organizations Fostering Social Innovation

(30:10) Challenges Moving Forward

(34:39) Advice to Younger Self

(36:17) Closing Thoughts

 

Links:

Caleb Talley

Davis McEntire 

Sandra Hodzic

 

Quotes:

“Innovation isn’t the panacea to all social ills. It’s just one set of mechanisms that can be deployed amongst a variety. Actually, I would argue that it works best when it’s complemented by other methods as well because a lot of them do work very well and in unison.” - Sandra Hodzic, (4:21)

 

“Innovation is doing cool stuff that matters. I think that’s ultimately what we try to create is we try to work on interesting things that make a difference and that matter in the lives of the individuals we collaborate with, the public that we serve, and the people that we’re there to represent.” - Sandra Hodzic, (8:33)

 

“...whenever I embark on a project where that individual’s leader allowed them the space and the time in their workday to focus on being playful, and being disruptive, and being divergent, and employing new methods of overcoming risks or de-risking a model, those are the ones that have led usually to the most success.” - Sandra Hodzic, (25:12)

Aug 22, 2022

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

 

On this episode, hosts Matthew Ward, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Deric Cahill, the founder of Wicked BOLD, a company specializing in producing small-batch, vegan chocolate. Wicked BOLD’s chocolate is handmade in Texas using only three ingredients—one of which is organic and ethically sourced cacao from Belize. Throughout the episode, Matthew, Jeff, Grace, and Deric discuss utilizing TikTok as a marketing strategy, the challenges behind starting a business, and how to navigate growth while staying authentic.

 

Shownotes:

(2:00) Introduction to Deric

(4:50) TikTok Strategy

(13:28) Zero To Side Hustle: The 0–90 Day Playbook for Entrepreneurs

(16:02) Advice to Those Wanting to Start a Business

(22:16) Next Steps for Wicked BOLD

(26:24) The Volatility of Inflation

(33:04) Keeping the Authenticity behind Wicked BOLD

(36:59) Navigating How to Delegate Work

(39:38) Advice to Previous Self

(41:33) Closing Thoughts

 

Links:

Matthew Ward

Jeff Amerine

Grace Gill

Deric Cahill

Wicked BOLD

Zero to Side Hustle: The 0 – 90 Day Playbook for Entrepreneurs 

 

Quotes:

“People love seeing people succeed at the core of who they are. So for small brands that don’t already have their brand strategy or their social media strategy, I would highly recommend showing people what you are like. You always hear the saying ‘friends buy from friends’ or ‘people buy from people they like,’ and that’s the approach I take on TikTok.” - Deric Cahill, (8:46)

 

“I want to be irrational. I want to live life a little bit on the outskirts and I want to be unapologetically me…I want to find my people and I don’t want to care about the people that are not my people.” - Deric Cahill, (12:25)

 

“And while my customers might not notice that my prices stay consistent—maybe they do—but I’m not relying on a $3 difference in the cost of my goods to feed my family. So, I keep my prices consistent.” - Deric Cahill, (27:27)

 

“I feel like everything that I do right now with my time is in perfect alignment with who I want to be…I’m not faking it for anyone, which is really cool…I’m on my track to like my best life.” - Deric Cahill, (34:38)

Aug 15, 2022

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

 

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Davis McEntire sit down with Andrea Harding, the founder of Zipgig, an all-in-one booking platform and online marketplace for independent performance venues to book gigs with musicians and bands instantly. Andrea is a passionate entrepreneur driven to improve the lives of others through technology and software automation. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Matthew, Davis, and Andrea discuss Zipgig’s business model, the challenges Andrea experienced launching Zipgig, and the automation services Zipgig provides. 

 

Shownotes:

(1:10) Introduction to Andrea Harding and Zipgig

(3:26) Andrea’s Career Before Zipgig

(5:24) Business Model of Zipgig

(6:42) Why Northwest Arkansas?

(11:27) Zipgig’s Target Audience

(15:08) Challenges Launching Zipgig

(18:10) Potentially Funding Zipgig

(21:22) The Automation Process Zipgig Provides

(28:03) Advice to Younger Self

(29:56) Closing Thoughts

 

Links:

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Davis McEntire 

Andrea Harding

Zipgig

 

Quotes:

“This is a really green space. There’s lots of ways that venues and bands need help and so there’s an opportunity for various subscription services, which I’m kind of testing a little bit, but definitely opportunities to monetize.” - Andrea Harding, (6:21)

 

“They don’t have any of that information. They’ve never even booked events. And so that’s the ideal customer because they really could benefit from a platform like Zipgig.” - Andrea Harding, (12:12)

 

“We really just wanna grow and we want to bring live music to places and make it easy where you might have a hard time booking.” - Andrea Harding, (25:35)

Aug 8, 2022

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, Davis McEntire, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Orson Weems, the executive director and co-founder of The Music Education Initiative, a diverse-led nonprofit that exists to engage, educate, and elevate the next generation of professionals in the business of music and entertainment. Prior to heading The Music Education Initiative, Orson worked as the chief operating officer with the legendary music and entertainment icon Al Bell and his global music, entertainment, and artist development company, Al Bell Presents. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Matthew, Davis, Victoria, and Orson discuss BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint and the initiative behind preserving the blues genre.

 

Shownotes:

(1:15) Introduction to Orson Weems

(1:49) Introduction to BC’s Blues Shack & Juke Joint

(6:04) The Influence of Tradition and Blues in the South

(9:04) What Fueled the Blues

(17:43) Initiatives Behind Preserving the Blues

(25:29) Orson’s Entrepreneurial Journey

(29:18) Demographics of the Blues

(36:14) Location of The Music Education Initiative

(42:00) Furthering The Music Education Initiative’s Mission

(44:39) Closing Thoughts

 

Links:

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Davis McEntire 

Victoria Dickerson

The Music Education Initiative

 

Quotes:

“These folks, they themselves were bringing enjoyment to people so that people could actually have some good times to try to think about things other than what they were dealing with in their tolls and everyday lives.” - Orson Weems, (8:16)

“... he likes to find rare and unique artists because when you have rare and unique artists that are giving something of themselves back to the audience where they can feel a memorable experience and they can go away talking about it.” - Orson Weems, (18:49)

“This exhibit here is for those that may not have seen what a larger juke joint was, but you can get a feel for it here with the way it’s been built and the way it’s open for the community.” - Orson Weems, (31:17)

Aug 1, 2022

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

 

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Matthew Ward, and Davis McEntire sit down with Joe Payne, co-founder and CEO of Society of the Hourglass, as well as a serial entrepreneur who also founded Moxy Ox. After working for RevUnit for six years, Joe felt like he needed something different. So, after kicking around ideas for a while, he came across web3 and NFTs and founded the Society of the Hourglass to create new job opportunities and push the entertainment industry in Northwest Arkansas forward. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Matthew, Davis, and Joe discuss NFTs and the inspiration, challenges, and opportunities surrounding The Society of the Hourglass.

 

Shownotes:

(1:47) Introduction to Joe Payne

(3:12) Introduction to The Society of the Hourglass

(6:12) The Dynamic of the NFT Space

(13:17) The Society of the Hourglass Narrative

(16:19) How the Society of the Hourglass Started

(18:31) Inspiration behind the Society of the Hourglass

(20:52) Challenges with the NFT Space

(25:06) Opportunities for the Society of the Hourglass

(27:20) End Goal for the Society of the Hourglass

(29:45) Funding for the Society of the Hourglass

(33:53) NFTs as a Financial Related Asset

(39:47) Advice to Younger Self

(41:07) Closing Thoughts

 

Links:

Caleb Talley

Matthew Ward

Davis McEntire 

Joe Payne

The Society of the Hourglass

 

Quotes:

“The spirit and ethos of the space is really leaning into decentralization and greater access and distribution for the everyday person…I think there is a really powerful move to be made and I think it’ll shift online things like e-commerce, entertainment, IP, and things like that.” - Joe Payne, (7:49)

 

“The spirit of what we’re trying to do though is just co-create with all of the people that are supporting early on and that’s where all of the really interesting and fun ideas come from. You’ve got people that get it and are involved because they want to contribute and put their mark on it.” - Joe Payne, (12:07)

 

The possibilities are endless, right? I think really, it just comes down to how the market receives it and what people get excited about and where they want to see the brand brought to life.” - Joe Payne, (26:23)

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