As founders, it’s easy to spin your wheels on questions that feel impossible to answer. Scott Case hosted a live Ask Me Anything session to answer all sorts of burning questions. We tackled what was top of mind for our /Founders Focus audience. Want a fresh perspective on an issue that your peers are grappling with? As usual, Scott shared his unfiltered advice and feedback. No questions were off limits. Watch the full session: https://bit.ly/3s32y24 Still have questions? 1️⃣ Connect with Scott o...
Mar 18, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Everyone and every company has a brand - think of it as what people say about you when you are not in the room. Brands evolve - sometimes over time, sometimes forced and sometimes by accident. Rohit Bhargava has been evolving his Non-Obvious brand and will share his strategy along with examples of playbooks you can use to be more intentional about your brand. Rohit helps inspire people to see what others miss and be more open-minded. He is the founder of the Non-Obvious Company and Ideapress Pub...
Mar 16, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 57
To be a successful founder, you need a set of relationships to support you on your journey. Without a supportive community, founders find it almost impossible to overcome the challenges in every business. Serial entrepreneur, investor, professor and researcher Melissa Bradley co-hosts /Founders Focus with Scott. Melissa and her co-founders built Ureeka to be available for all, specifically with underserved entrepreneurs in mind. Ureeka is a single platform where Next Wave entrepreneurs have acce...
Mar 11, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Many first time founders set out to raise capital - whether from friends and family or angel investors and seed stage VCS - unprepared. Allie Burns from Village Capital shares the keys to getting yourself and your business investor ready. As CEO of Village Capital, Allie is responsible for overseeing her team of “rabble rousers” who are dedicated to creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs who have been traditionally overlooked by early stage investors. Prior to joining Village Capital, Alli...
Mar 09, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 55
Objectives and Key Results and CFRs (conversation, feedback, recognition) are part of a goal setting system that John Doerr adapted from Intel that high performing organizations use to exceed expectations and thrive. Lisa Shufro , Chief Storyteller at WhatMatters.com will share insights about how founders at any stage can use these tools to drive their business forward. As Executive Editor at Measure What Matters, and as co-founder of thesupercurious, Lisa has catalyzed change from the world’s m...
Mar 04, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Over the past year our world has changed drastically. As companies and their employees emerge from the pandemic, what changes will be permanent and how will the workforce adapt. TravelBank CEO Duke Chung joins Scott to talk about the trends he sees continuing and how business leaders can prepare for the new normal. Duke founded TravelBank to make expense and travel management easier and more efficient for business professionals worldwide. Watch the full session: https://bit.ly/3865IKu Have feedb...
Mar 03, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 53
What is conscious capitalism and how can founders be a part of the movement to elevate humanity through business? Aimy Steadman is a founder and Chief Get Sh*t Done Officer at Future/Proof and a founding board member and board president of Naturally Austin , a community organization whose mission is to foster sustainable and responsible practices, stimulate conscious growth, entrepreneurship and exceptional leadership in the Central Texas natural and consumer products community. As a college stu...
Mar 02, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 52
If you want to get an outsized win, you’ve got to take a look from a different perspective. How do you get inputs that can help you decide to decide better? Christian Duffus , Founder and CEO of Fonbnk , joins Scott as co-host on this episode of Founders Focus talking about examining your business with diverse thinking and taking advantage of the unexpected. Christian is a successful fintech founder with 3 fintech exits under his belt. Watch the full session: https://bit.ly/3rb9j1i Blog post: ht...
Feb 26, 2021•42 min•Season 2Ep. 51
In this bonus /Founders Focus episode, PPP expert Hannah Smolinski explains how minority business owners can apply and maximize PPP funds by the March 31, 2021 deadline. According to The New York Times, only 12% of Black and Latinx business owners got the PPP assistance they asked for. With the new $284 billion round of PPP funding, we want to offer clarity around the PPP process so there are less barriers to receiving a loan. Hannah Smolinski breaks down: How to apply for PPP and maximize funds...
Feb 25, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 50
Founders are constantly communicating to prospects, employees, customers, and investors. Learn about the common mistakes and how to overcome them with Jon Ellenthal , Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Upside Business Travel . Jon has started and run multiple companies over the past three decades and is described by Scott as a "communications expert." Listen to Jon and Scott talk about how to strengthen your communications with customers, employees and investors. Watch the full session: ht...
Feb 23, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 49
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of a wide range of things. The restaurant industry has had to work quickly to keep up with necessary changes. Justin Rosenberg , CEO and Founder of fast-casual restaurant honeygrow , joined Scott to talk through how he's been leading his team through an avalanche of change. Creating opportunities for his team to grow has been key in how Justin has navigated through this pandemic. Have feedback? Connect with Scott Case on LinkedIn Visit foundersfocus.com ...
Feb 17, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 48
How do CEOs go about making decisions for their companies? On this Founders Focus co-host Banks Benitez , Co-Founder and CEO of special impact accelerator Uncharted, joins Scott to discuss strategies for decision making as a leader. Uncharted is a social impact accelerator that builds coordinated movements of people to tackle problems from all angles—problems like food deserts, urban poverty, and hate and discrimination. They partner with corporations, foundations, and governments to launch init...
Jan 29, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 47
In this /Founders Focus bonus episode, Scott Case is joined by travel industry pro Dave Hilfman to talk about the future of leadership and business travel. As the interim CEO at the Global Business Travel Association , GBTA, he finds himself leading an industry whalloped by the pandemic through an unprecedented period. Listen to hear how today's leadership lessons are helping shape how executives will lead going forward. Read Scott's take in this LinkedIn article: http://bit.ly/3615m70 Have feed...
Jan 21, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 46
All businesses work to engage employees, prospects and clients. What are the best strategies and how do you measure engagement? Learn from Dave’s experience of what works and what doesn’t in this session of Founders Focus. Dave Will is the Co-Founder and CEO of PropFuel , a cloud-based SAAS software platform that is designed to capture the voice of your stakeholders (employees, customers, members, etc) through feedback campaigns. Dave is also the host of the EO 360° Podcast , a podcast by the En...
Jan 19, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Lisa Wise , CEO at Nest DC and Flock DC , is invested in thinking about how we can challenge certain stereotypes that have plagued the real estate industry for decades. Scott and Lisa talk about the difference between not being racist and being an actively anti-racist business. Lisa Wise's work has always been cause-driven, entrepreneurial, and community focused. Her career launched in the non-profit sector. Since 2009, Nest DC has been the ideal professional setting for her and the perfect "sec...
Jan 14, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 44
The journey from being an employee into a leadership role and entrepreneurship can be draining. Founders often lose focus on the importance of oxygen, hydration, sleep and hobbies outside of business. Scott and creative entrepreneur Marcus Whitney talk about well being and performance as well as the next level of maturity of the Internet and businesses we haven't seen before. Marcus Whitney is a creative entrepreneur who dropped out of college and taught himself software development, digital mar...
Jan 12, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 43
YearOne co-founders Sam Ajayi and Stephen Ajayi join Scott on Founders Focus to discuss being accepted into an accelerator and the journey through the experience. Learn how they started with a core problem and solution and how those morphed into the business YearOne is today. YearOne helps individuals coming out of code schools land incredible jobs and support them through their early careers in technology companies. Dive deeper into the episode here: http://bit.ly/359GzNt Have feedback? Connect...
Jan 07, 2021•41 min•Season 1Ep. 42
The emotions of fear and shame often surface for people as they address their finances. Shannon McLay , the founder of the Financial Gym , joins Scott on Founders Focus to discuss her journey and tips she has for founders and would-be founders as they build their businesses. The Financial Gym is a fitness-inspired, personal financial services company. After a 13-year career working for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Shannon’s goal was to open a financial services company that would help clients ...
Jan 05, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 41
OjaExpress is a same day ethnic grocery delivery platform that aims to bring people and culture together through food. Founders Fola Dada and Boyede Sobitan join us on Founders Focus. Representation matters. Culture matters. Fola and Boyede created a company that reflects the values of the communities they aim to serve; a company built by immigrants for immigrants. Boyede paused his career as a board-certified health care administrator and Fola left his role as an engineer at one of the top fint...
Dec 22, 2020•41 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Justin Rosenberg is the founder and CEO of the fast casual restaurant honeygrow . Find out how the recent past prepared Justin and honeygrow for the challenges of the pandemic that have caused many businesses to fail. honeygrow brings people together over quality, wholesome + simple foods. For honeygrow, it’s about eating honestly + spending time doing what matters. They buy as local as possible simply because it tastes better—end of story. They love great food, design + tech because that’s who ...
Dec 17, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Erik Hansen , Co-founder & CEO of Mekanic , discusses the importance of relationships and the three questions every business leader should be able to answer. Erik focuses his talents to springboard brands into the market and leave an unforgettable impression on customers and advocates. His diverse professional background has included leadership roles in nationally recognized creative agencies, associations, higher education and small businesses. Erik brings over 15 years of experience provid...
Dec 15, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Sometimes it's hard for founders to recognize that challenges in their business might have a common cause: themselves. Chase Damiano will discuss what symptoms to watch for and how to make progress fixing them. As Founder & CEO of Chase Damiano LLC , Chase helps founders and CEOs get out of the weeds by clarifying their company's vision, building scalable operational strategies, and executing alongside of their team. Dive deeper into the episode here: https://bit.ly/2JHQZg7 Have feedback? Co...
Dec 10, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Poppy Founder Cameron Hardesty values design and has built her business using technology and placing value on design to give customers a much, much better experience. Scott and Cameron discuss creativity, design and focusing on customer expectations. Poppy is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce startup aimed at making flowers affordable, easy, and fun. Through their farm partnerships and network of florists, Poppy works to empower women throughout the floral supply chain, from seed to ceremony—or li...
Dec 08, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 36
How has the entertainment industry been impacted by the pandemic? We talk with Jammber CEO Marcus Cobb about the challenges and opportunities in the music industry and how he and his team have overcome some of the obstacles of 2020. Marcus Cobb is the CEO of Jammber , the music industry’s only end-to-end ownership and split payments platform. Marcus offers an honest look at what it's like to be a founder and facing challenges. He advises all leaders to take their ego out of the equation. Dive de...
Dec 03, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In this session of Founders Focus, entrepreneurial journalist Jay Campbell discusses the three businesses he’s built. Jay has insight for founders on what the media is looking for when considering publishing a story on a company, what makes an effective pitch, and what mistakes to avoid. Jay Campbell is the co-founder of The Company Dime . The Company Dime sells insight. Their mission is quality journalism for those interested in business travel services, expense management practices and travel ...
Dec 01, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 34
In this special edition of Founders Focus, Susan Kerr talks to members of DC Start Up Week about taking care of themselves and the importance of their mental health. Susan is the CEO of Advancing Inspiration, LLC . Susan Kerr prides herself on designing and delivering customized programs that advance strategy, leadership, and operational excellence through the creation of simple, clear solutions. Have feedback? Connect with Scott Case on LinkedIn . Visit foundersfocus.com to join the live video ...
Nov 18, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 33
In this special DC Startup Week edition of Founders Focus, Joe Mechlinski discusses engaging your team and building a culture in remote, pandemic times. Joe Mechlinski is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. Joe founded SHIFT , a collective of businesses spanning consulting, executive membership, and venture capitalism united by their common mission to revolutionize workforce engagement and transform the world. Have feedback? Connect with Scott Case on LinkedIn ...
Nov 18, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Tobin Moore talks about crisis planning, shutting down, and how his business has shifted dramatically during the pandemic. Tobin is the co-founder and CEO of DC-based Optoro . Under his leadership, Optoro has expanded from a scrappy start-up to a major industry player, helping the nation’s top retailers address the $500B market of returned and excess goods. During this special DC Startup Week edition of Founders Focus, Tobin explains the origins of Optoro and how the company has pivoted and prio...
Nov 18, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Revolution's Rise of the Rest Fund's David Hall talks about the investor mindset in crisis and where the opportunities are right now. David Hall is the Managing Partner at Revolution ’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and is responsible for investment sourcing, execution, and oversight of the Fund’s portfolio companies. During this special DC Startup Week edition of Founders Focus, David talks about the history of Rise of the Rest Fund and start up ecosystems across the United States. He delves into ...
Nov 18, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Tim Hwang , a co-founder and the CEO of FiscalNote , talks about being in service during the pandemic. FiscalNote is DC's largest tech company that globally powers almost 5,000 of the world's largest and most influential law firms, legal departments, and governments. Tim and his co-founders started FiscalNote in Silicon Valley and moved their startup to DC as a young company. During this special DC Startup Week edition of Founders Focus, Tim explains how FiscalNote addresses people, products, cu...
Nov 18, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 29
