Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Amy Keever, owner of Amy Keever Gallery, a unique Parisian art salon located a block off the Bentonville square. Amy is a primarily self-taught glass mosaic artist of twenty-one years who prides herself in creating one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, and Amy discuss balancing a business that is also your creative outlet and how to reignite your creativity when you’re feeling uninspired.
Show Notes:
(1:02) Introduction to Amy
(1:11) About Amy and Amy Keever Gallery
(2:54) Being a Business Owner and an Artist
(4:56) Future Plans for Amy Keever Gallery
(6:20) The Gallery’s Ideal Customer
(8:38) Balancing a Business as Your Creative Outlet
(10:57) How to Refuel Your Creative Side
(13:04) Mentoring Young Artists
(15:12) What Comes Next
(18:20) Advice to Aspiring Artists
(21:14) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“As a small business owner, you don’t have that boss to tell you, ‘This is how you have to do this.’ So, setting up systems was a big deal for me. I have a vision book that I keep the year’s goals and everything in.” - Amy Keever, (4:06)
“I think when you have a passion like that, it’s really hard, you’ll do anything to keep that. I’ve always said my dream is like a baby and it’s my job to protect that baby…There are some things that are not fun, but I know they get me to my end goals.” - Amy Keever, (8:38)
“I always said I wasn’t necessarily the most academic teacher, but I could motivate a kid. I think so much with life is about validation. If you can say, ‘Hey you’re valid just as you are,’ that’s a huge thing to be able to conquer.” - Amy Keever, (13:05)
“I would be true to myself and not feel like I had to validate myself to the rest of the world to be able to go forward in what I’m doing.” - Amy Keever, (17:31)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sit down with Farzad Rashidi, the lead innovator at Respona, an all-in-one link-building outreach platform built for B2B, SaaS, and agencies to increase organic traffic from Google. As the former director of marketing at Visme, Farzad helped the company gain over fourteen million users, and since then, he’s been helping other companies achieve similar successes via Respona. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, and Farzad discuss how Respona is utilized as a promotion tactic and the concept of backlinking.
Show Notes:
(1:01) Introduction to Farzad
(1:21) About Respona
(6:59) The Resilience of Backlinking
(11:10) The Concept of Hyperlinking
(14:07) Link Building
(18:55) Respona’s Customer Journey
(21:57) Respona’s Focus on SEO
(23:30) Making the Choice Not to Raise Venture
(28:31) What’s Next for Respona
(30:43) Respona’s Company Culture
(34:15) Advice to Younger Self
(35:47) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“Instead of us trying to invest cash to pour into advertising to become a household name, let’s start showing up in places where people who are looking for a product or a solution like ours would naturally come and find us.” - Farzad Rashidi, (4:21)
“So now, not only do you have to create a good website with a good foundation that loads fast, you have to have content that people stay on to read and is relevant contextually. You also have to convince other websites to link back to it and talk about it.” - Farzad Rashidi, (9:05)
“We are not in the sales industry…the reason being is the way we structure our companies is entirely inbound. So, what we do is produce lots of educational pieces that are targeted for our industry. So, it touches all bases when it comes to the customer journey.” - Farzad Rashidi, (18:56)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Davis McEntire sit down with Greg Shepard, founder and CEO of BOSS Capital Partners, a boutique investment firm focused on Series Seed through Series B technology businesses. Greg also founded BOSS Startup Science, a school for entrepreneurs. Greg is a twenty-year startup veteran and serial entrepreneur, a Forbes author, a TEDX speaker, and the host of Meet The BOSS Forbes Radio show. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Davis, and Greg discuss the curriculum of BOSS Startup Science and the methodology behind startup accelerators.
Show Notes:
(1:06) Introduction to Greg
(1:45) Greg’s Background in the Venture Capital Arena
(3:39) About BOSS Capital Partners
(8:32) Insights from Greg’s Five-Year Study
(17:28) Thoughts on Raising Money vs. Selling a Product or Service
(20:55) Success of the BOSS Startup Science Methodology
(24:52) Concept Centric vs. Entrepreneur Centric
(34:42) Curriculum of BOSS Startup Science
(44:04) Advice To Younger Self
(50:32) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“I did this study and was trying to figure out why they were failing, but what I really needed to learn was when they were failing because the why was coordinated with the when. They always collided at the same time.” - Greg Shepard, (4:55)
“I thought that the first thing I should focus on was helping them not fail, but the first thing I needed to focus on was helping them get into an accelerator in the first place.” - Greg Shepard, (6:18)
“It enables the people that are running the venture studio to put together funds and start making money on the loads. I don’t feel that is helping the entrepreneur. I think a lot of these things developed are helping the middle man but not really helping the entrepreneurs.” - Greg Shepard, (25:40)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Davis McEntire sit down with Will Trapp, founder and CEO of Gratavid, a tool for collecting and sending personalized videos. Before Gratavid, Will became a recognized expert in web development and design systems as the director of technology at Saatchi & Saatchi X. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Davis, and Will discuss the variety of ways customers utilize Gratavid, the process of being acquired by a private equity firm, and the benefits of bootstrapping.
Shownotes:
(1:12) Introduction to Will
(2:02) About Gratavid
(3:45) Acquisition by Private Equity Firm
(5:28) Bootstrapping Gratavid
(8:04) Finding Your Niche
(13:07) Pros and Cons of Being Acquired
(15:05) Integration Period While Being Acquired
(21:10) Different Ways Customers Use Gratavid
(22:45) Building the Gratavid Team
(24:26) What’s Next for Will
(25:42) Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
(30:30) Advice to Younger Self
(35:28) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“And I remember my lawyer, he said, ‘Start a business to run a business. Don’t start a business to try and sell a business.’ And I genuinely never intended to sell Gratavid.” - Will Trapp, (4:07)
“Companies that want to stay relevant have to embrace the fact that they’re going to have entrepreneurial people if they want to maintain a competitive advantage. And those entrepreneurial people are going to have side hustles going on.” - Jeff Amerine, (12:09)
“There’s just two different ways to go about it. You can raise money or you can bootstrap. I think your chances of success are so much higher if you can figure out how to bootstrap for as long as you can.” - Will Trapp, (34:27)
Summary:
Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!
On this episode, hosts Davis McEntire, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with brothers Adam and Kfir Alfia, founders of Real Time Feedback, a two-way customer communication platform that allows customers to communicate directly with management in real time through technology. Adam and Kfir’s entrepreneurship experience spans three decades, including their 2004 venture Maestro Personal Assistants, the premier provider of personal assistance/concierge services. Throughout the episode, Davis, Jeff, Victoria, Adam, and Kfir discuss their multiple ventures, the current customer service space, and why addressing feedback is so important.
Shownotes:
(1:03) Introduction to Adam and Kfir
(1:21) About Real Time Feedback
(1:54) Adam and Kfir’s History with Maestro
(4:00) Idea behind Real Time Feedback
(6:18) Real Time Feedback’s Success
(9:05) Addressing the Problem of Disengaged Employees
(14:37) Customer Feedback Trends
(19:15) Ventures Involving Family Members
(23:28) Managing Multiple Ventures
(25:27) Feedback over the Next Five Years
(29:44) Advice to Younger Self
(30:43) Closing Thoughts
Links:
Quotes:
“And so we’re really hypersensitive to customer experience. When a customer calls up our service, we want them to hang up the phone and go, ‘Wow, that was one of the best phone experiences I’ve ever had with anybody.’” - Adam Alfia, (2:54)
“We actually put a lot of emphasis in that response time because you’re getting somebody that’s having a negative experience, and you want to respond quickly and save that relationship and save that experience in real-time and in the moment while that customer is in your business.” - Adam Alfia, (8:31)
“If you’re turning your customer into your eyes and ears, they’re able to let you know about deficiencies in your business that you otherwise wouldn’t have known because you don’t have the staff to properly address issues.” - Adam Alfia, (10:38)
“There’s a whole swatch of guests and customers that are silently having bad experiences and leaving, and then either thinking, ‘Oh let’s never come here,’ or, ‘I’ll tell my friends,’ but those are the people who are the silent majority that really need a voice and that's what this tool was created for.” - Kfir Alfia, (17:06)
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:
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)
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:
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)
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:
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)
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:
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)
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:
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)
Summary:
In this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine talked with Stacy Taniguchi, a retired professor and a current senior consultant and managing partner at Beta Experiences. Beta Experiences is an innovative consulting venture backed by research and psychology, where clients are led to discover what their core values are so they can design a life of thriving. While he was a professor at BYU, Stacy became a tour guide. As Stacy met some other guides, they realized they had expertise in consulting, so they began taking people out into different environments and teaching them through experiences. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, and Stacy discussed how Beta Experiences came to be, what the experiences are like, and tips for creating a life where you can thrive.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(1:03) Introductions
(1:30) Origin Story
(7:10) Client Base
(9:55) Informing the Work at Beta Experiences
(17:24) Backed by Academic Benchmarks and Psychology
(21:58) Enjoying the Journey
(29:33) The Experiences
(34:03) Landing the Plane and Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“...[We are] helping individuals take a look at their life and realize that you can either endure life or endure your business or endure your family, or you can work with us and we'll help you with certain types of tools to develop more of a thriving kind of environment.” Stacy Taniguchi, (8:47)
“So my hope is that this ‘choose to thrive’ that I'm trying to teach people is hopefully an avenue to give them some hope again, because what I teach is not complex. It's not rocket science…They're just creating a list, but there's a pathway to do it…We're not creating a bucket list. In fact, I tell people don't call this a bucket list. This is a list to thrive.” Stacy Taniguchi, (16:02)
“We just want people to get on board to start taking control of their future.” Stacy Taniguchi, (17:14)
“That's one thing that I've found through my research that you really need to do: to be able to create a list that's going to be meaningful, and in many cases, transformational, which in my mind, creates a life to thrive.” Stacy Taniguchi, (20:33)
“...We all come from [an] academic background [and] all of our stuff is evidence based…It's not just anecdotal — it's because we know research backs up what we're talking about.” Stacy Taniguchi, (33:33)
Summary:
In this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill talked with David Baker and Eric Hinson, CEO and COO and co-founders of Parable, a company that preserves family legacies through the creation of documentaries. After starting their careers in different fields, David and Eric both felt that they were not contributing meaningfully to the world. Nearly three years after they had last met in person, the duo got together again and dreamt up Parable and began telling different families’ stories. Now, they enjoy making a difference and fulfilling their passions as they help others preserve their legacies. Throughout the episode, the hosts talked with David and Eric about their pasts that led them to create Parable, what the company does, and what legacy David and Eric hope to leave with Parable.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(0:36) Welcome and Introductions
(1:30) The Story of Parable
(17:22) The Process
(20:18) Product Value
(34:31) Looking at Parable’s Future
(37:51) Eric and David’s Legacies
(44:24) Landing the Plane: Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“This seem[ed] like a really good idea, you know, to sit down and interview people. It gets that human side that I've been missing, working in products and marketing. And I just saw the power of it.” Eric Hinson, (6:39)
“Parable exists to turn stories into legacies.” David Baker, (16:26)
“People always say…look forward to the goal. But nobody ever thinks to look back to where you've come from, and that's the better way to measure success. How far have you come?” Eric Hinson, (22:28)
“...The product that we provide is a lot more than just capturing the stories. It's giving everyone a chance to connect in a way that they haven't ever really connected before.” David Baker, (27:17)
“I think there's something special to realizing that the people that we come from are human also. They become sort of mythical… in negative or positive ways over time. And they're not tangible in a way. This is an opportunity to humanize those individuals and hopefully kind of help someone understand how they're anchored in the world and where they come from.” David Baker, (34:02)
Summary:
In this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill talked with Jordan Franklin, the CEO at Stratice, a human capital management firm. Though she originally planned to attend medical school, Jordan instead spent time working at a staffing agency and worked her way up to the number one salesperson. Eventually, Jordan decided to do her own thing and started Stratice in 2015. Now, the team at Stratice shares success with their clients as they help fill necessary roles and help companies achieve their goals. Throughout the episode, Caleb, Jeff, Grace, and Jordan discussed how Stratice works, the current war on talent, and the future of Stratice and the new company they are starting, Gumption.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(1:10) Introductions
(2:23) All about Stratice
(7:11) Candidate Market
(11:53) Ideal Clients
(16:14) Putting Together Teams Vs. Filling Individual Roles
(19:19) Best and Worst of Owning a Business
(21:04) The Future of Stratice
(22:48) Gumption
(32:13) Landing the Plane and Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“...We go out whenever companies need a new headcount or are adding projects to their itinerary. We go out and help them find that staff. We do it differently than big companies. We do it more in a concierge service situation. We really want to be their partner.” Jordan Franklin, (2:29)
“I always wanted to help people. And, and as a young kid, helping people [meant working] as a doctor… And I didn't really think about, oh, well, there's multiple ways that you can help people. And so through recruiting, it really is another way of helping people. You don't realize how much of a counselor you are.” Jordan Franklin, (6:09)
“...I'm not just selling your position, I'm selling what you actually expect out of this person.” Jordan Franklin, (8:56)
“...[Going to a job board is] just not how things are done now. So it's got to change. It's also not how Gen Z wants to be hired. Like you're not going to go to a job board and go look for a job…You're going to go find someone and you're going to be like, ‘Hey, what you got out there?’” Jordan Franklin, (26:17)
“...Staffing has been around forever, right? Like, it's cool. You can rethink it somewhat. But if you really want to get down to it, we've got to rethink how to get people and how to get them into positions.” Jordan Franklin, (29:36)
Summary:
In this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Davis McEntire, and Grace Gill were joined by Joe Garafalo, the COO and co-founder of Mosaic, a technology company building its first strategic finance platform. Joe has a background in finance with a varied career history, but he has found his true passion in developing Mosaic in order to help companies do their jobs more efficiently. Though Mosaic is just getting started, they have a future of success and growth ahead of them. Throughout the episode, they discussed how Mosaic got started, what it looks like now, and what’s on the horizon.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(1:15) Origin Story
(6:58) What Mosaic Looks Like Now
(7:40) Ease of Implementation
(8:48) Target Company Size
(9:45) Building Mosaic’s Teams
(13:11) Co-founder’s Journey
(14:32) What’s Next for Mosaic
(15:40) Weathering the Current Economic Storm
(22:31) Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“Once [the first version of Mosaic] was built, people would ask us questions and we would get back to them with an answer in a couple minutes. And they were like, ‘Hey, it used to take you guys like three or four weeks to respond to us’…so we showed them what we had built and they were like, ‘Hey, put a front end on top of this tool so that we can interact with it.’” Joe Garafalo, (4:32)
“What we're building at Mosaic is much more generalized so that any company can plug in, regardless of the nuances of their individual businesses.” Joe Garafalo, (6:00)
“As a founder, you should do all of the jobs across the company. So for us, we were three finance guys. We had never sold, we never did marketing, we never did product design. But the cool part about it was as you embark on the journey and you do all of those individual jobs, you learn what the qualities and the traits are, the skill sets that you need to then go out hire for.” Joe Garafalo, (11:03)
“The most important thing is we want to build an important company that helps people do their jobs more efficiently.” Joe Garafalo, (14:43)
Summary:
On this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley talked with Alyona Mysko, the CEO and Founder of Fuel Finance. Alyona has worked in finance for years and is an expert in financial planning and risk management. She started Fuel Finance about three years ago with the goal of making finance cool, efficient, and easy for founders. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, and Alyona discussed what it’s like running a business in Ukraine right now, stories of Fuel’s success, and how Fuel and other businesses are giving back to Ukraine.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(1:00) Introduction to Alyona
(2:00) Origin Story
(3:37) How the War in Ukraine Is Affecting Businesses
(6:36) Fuel Gives Back
(9:20) How Can Others Help?
(11:05) Entrepreneurial Journey with Fuel
(13:26) The Future of Fuel
(15:24) Building the Team: An Experience in Resilience
(20:34) Landing the Plane - Advice to Younger Self
Links:
Quotes:
“I believe we make cool and easy finance for founders with our product, so they can really easily understand what is going on inside their business.” Alyona Mysko, (2:55)
“...We’re not [the] usual startup because we are profitable and...we do financial products, so we understand how to manage finance.” Alyona Mysko, (12:34)
“When you get all dashboards and all information and insights and graphs in several clicks…[that is] the future of finance.” Alyona Mysko, (13:04)
“...You should do it with passion, or not at all. So that's why…we have like all crazy team members. We're passionate, but also…we have this culture of responsibility inside…especially working with clients and for our customers and what we provide.” Alyona Mysko, (17:20)