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.
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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)
Summary:
On this special edition 300th episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, current hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire sat down with past hosts of the podcast.
Though each of them has a unique journey, these Startup Junkie members shared about how the podcast has played an integral role in getting them to where they are today. Throughout the episode, the group discussed an array of topics, including how Startup Junkie got started, what it’s like to be on the show, why Northwest Arkansas is an ideal area for the podcast’s home base, what their hopes are for the next 100 episodes, and much more.
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Show Notes:
(4:26) How Startup Junkie Got Started
(8:57) Startup Junkie Guests
(20:17) Startup Junkie Is a Launching Pad
(24:39) The Beginning from Multiple Perspectives
(33:36) Vanity Statistics
(36:44) Showing Up and Staying with It
(45:51) Epigenetic: The People of Northwest Arkansas
(54:35) Hopes for the Next 100 Episodes
Links:
Quotes:
“Being an entrepreneur is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute and then figuring out how to build it on the way down.” Jon Cadieux, (11:29)
“...The ideas are not really what makes a startup successful or a company successful, it’s the people.” Michael Iseman, (18:01)
“We get to talk to some of the coolest people on the podcast.” Jeff Amerine, (22:52)
“...Free enterprise and the ability to create something from your own wits and to get people to rally around what you're doing is the salvation of the world.” Jeff Amerine, (40:27)
“There's no greater satisfaction than seeing people do well and being a small part of that journey…it's been a lot of fun and super gratifying.” Jeff Amerine, (53:51)
In this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, hosts Jeff Amerine and Davis McEntire sat down with Nathan Beckord, the founder and CEO of Foundersuite. Foundersuite is a company that streamlines the process of fundraising and investor relations for startups. After working in investment banking, Nathan had an idea to build software to simplify the fundraising process for startups, and today, his company is helping thousands of other startups. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Davis, and Nathan discussed how Nathan got the idea for Foundersuite, what it offers, and how the company is supporting others in the startup process.
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Show Notes:
(1:18) Origin Story
(2:48) What Is Foundersuite?
(8:52) Client Benefits with Foundersuite
(14:11) Investor CRM and Database
(16:18) Nathan’s End Game
(21:27) Advice to Younger Self and Closing Remarks
Links:
Quotes:
“It's been…kind of one foot in front of the other, just grinding away adding more features that people need for their fundraising journey.” Nathan Beckord, (4:20)
”I like to tell founders…there's…a couple of right ways and a thousand wrong ways to raise capital. We're trying to build these tools, like the bumpers at the bowling lane that kind of keep you in the right lane.” Nathan Beckord, (9:21)
“I believe there's a strong corollary between the speed at which your fundraising is going and the likelihood you are to actually be successful.” Nathan Beckord, (9:54)
“I built this because I really want to be a founder and…I knew fundraising, I had been doing that forever. That's like the one thing I really know deeply.” Nathan Beckord, (17:07)
Summary:
On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sat down with Adam Zambanini, President of Residential Products at Trex Company. Trex is an alternative decking company that is one of the greenest companies in the world. Trex has been around for 25 years and recently is expanding into Arkansas. Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, and Adam discussed what it’s like to work at Trex, why they’re expanding to Arkansas, and what the future of the company holds.
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Show Notes:
(1:37) Trex to Arkansas
(5:48) Adam's Origin Story
(8:33) The Entrepreneurial Spirit
(10:48) Breaking Ground in Little Rock
(18:51) Experimenting with New Materials
(21:55) Finding Success at Trex
(25:20) Why Arkansas?
(31:27) The Future of Trex
(33:53) Advice to Younger Self and Closing Remarks
Links:
Quotes:
“So what we're doing is we're trying to create an outdoor living experience, right? We don't want to be just the decking and railing manufacturer. We want to be the solution to that threshold, to your back door.” Adam Zambanini, (5:14)
“I always tell people if there's something you can't accomplish at Trex, it’s kind of on you because the way we've built this company is there's been a lot of very, very smart people. There's been a lot of ideas and…there's a lot of collaboration throughout the walls of Trex. And so no idea is a bad idea. It's kind of our culture…there's a lot of support across the organization.” Adam Zambanini, (14:16)
“We love to get consumer feedback and we love to get contractor feedback because we don't exist without that consumer or that contractor.” Adam Zambanini, (17:55)
“We don't just want to just launch new products for new products sake. It's launch the right product…that the consumer wants. So we spend a lot of time and energy on those new products.” Adam Zambanini, (33:37)