The First Customer - podcast cover

The First Customer

Ever wondered how to use your experience to start or grow a business? 

The First Customer intimately dissects successful entrepreneurs journeys to their first customer. Learn from practical real-life examples of regular people transforming into superheroes by starting their own business. 

Buckle up … the rocket is taking off! 

Episodes

The First Customer - Scaling Internal Talent and Building from Within with CEO Bridgette Ferraro

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bridgette Ferraro, CEO of iCopy Legal. Bridgette shares her unexpected journey from studying human services at Purdue to leading a legal document retrieval company. She recounts how a bold consulting pitch turned into a long-term leadership role, where she embraced the challenge of scaling a traditional, service-first business into a tech-enabled powerhouse. Bridgette emphasizes the importance of asking questions, understanding internal processes,...

Apr 09, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 200

The First Customer - Why Networking is a Developer's Best Friend with Codingscape CTO Jimmy Jacobson

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jimmy Jacobson, CTO of Codingscape. Jimmy discovered programming through his father's university lab computer, unaware it could be a career. He later pursued computer science, freelancing while working at Overstock and Zappos. Zappos’ culture encouraged risk-taking, fueling his entrepreneurial drive. He co-founded Wedgies.com, a social media polling tool with clients like The Wall Street Journal and the White House. Despite its success, ventu...

Apr 02, 202524 minSeason 1Ep. 199

The First Customer - Breaking into the Birmingham Tech Scene with Co-founder Will Blackburn

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Will Blackburn, co-founder of DevClarity. Will shares he's from Birmingham, Alabama, where he still resides. Although he moved to Atlanta, thinking Birmingham lacked a tech ecosystem, he returned after seeing local success stories and opportunities. Birmingham’s smaller, supportive startup community, centered around the Innovation Depot, made it easier to build connections than Atlanta’s bigger, less personal environment. This supportive comm...

Mar 26, 202526 minSeason 1Ep. 198

The First Customer - Embracing Open-Mindedness and Independence with CEO Tatsiana Kirimava

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tatsiana Kirimava, CEO and co-founder of Orangesoft. Tatsiana shares that she grew up in various countries, including Poland, Belarus, and the U.S. She attributes her open-mindedness and independence to her parents, who encouraged her to make her own decisions. She highlights her ability to communicate effectively and build networks as essential skills she honed throughout her life. Her passion for technology from a young age naturally led her to ...

Mar 19, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 197

The First Customer - How IT Pros Thrived by Choosing the Right Clients with Founder T Brad Kielinski

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview T. Brad Kielinski, Founder of IT Pros. Brad shared his journey from growing up in Plymouth Meeting near Germantown Academy to becoming a successful tech recruiter in Philadelphia. Inspired by witnessing his uncle and aunt’s homegrown business grow to 400 employees and his father’s inventive spirit, Brad gravitated towards entrepreneurship early on. His career path began with internships in IT and eventually led him to work for various tech recruit...

Mar 12, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 196

The First Customer - How To Avoid The Pain of Missed Opportunities with Founder Charles Sims

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Charles Sims, CEO and founder of Investimate. Charles shares how he grew up around innovation and leadership inspired him to build and scale ventures, starting with a paintball supply company as a child. His ability to adapt and thrive in chaos earned him the moniker "Hurricane CTO" during his tenure with organizations like the LA Clippers and United Talent Agency, where he became known for troubleshooting crises and bringing stability t...

Mar 05, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 195

The First Customer - The Path from Real Estate Mogul to Wealth Tech Innovator with CEO David Snider

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview David Snider, founder and CEO of Harness Wealth. Growing up in Boston, David's early exposure to financial services and an interest in problem-solving shaped his career. After co-founding and helping grow Compass, a major real estate brokerage, he realized that navigating tax and financial complexities was a major challenge for business owners and high-growth employees. His personal experience with a missed tax-saving opportunity underscored ...

Feb 26, 202523 minSeason 1Ep. 194

The First Customer - Marketing, Momentum, and Making It Work with CEO and Founder Jason Shafton

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jason Shafton, CEO and founder of Winston Francois. Jason shares his journey from growing up in a family of entrepreneurs in Chicago to becoming a growth and marketing consultant for tech startups. Inspired by his parents’ business ventures in high-end audio equipment, Jason developed an early passion for business, launching a small airplane-selling stand as a child and later a record label in high school. His career took him from Google to leader...

Feb 19, 202519 minSeason 1Ep. 193

The First Customer - Empowering Tech Founders to Build Successful Companies with Vladimir Baranov

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Vladimir Baranov, CEO and founder of Human Interfaces. Vladimir had early exposure to the turbulent Russian business climate, which made him cautious about entrepreneurship, but his experiences in the U.S. gradually changed his perspective. In college, he created a textbook-sharing platform, an early taste of entrepreneurship, though without charging users. Later, he ventured into finance, spending over a decade in capital markets before transitio...

Feb 12, 202520 minSeason 1Ep. 192

The First Customer - Why Niching Down is the Fast Track to Product-Market Fit with CEO Peter Bonney

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Peter Bonney, CEO and founder of Fastbreak RFP. Peter shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his childhood in a small town in Massachusetts. Growing up with a father who ran shoe stores and constantly engaged in side hustles, Peter absorbed key lessons in customer focus and hustle. He reflects on how his early experiences shaped his business philosophy, especially his dad’s mantra, "The customer is your job," which continues t...

Feb 05, 202520 minSeason 1Ep. 191

The First Customer - What Risk-Taking Looks Like When You Have a Plan with CEO Shae Feltz

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Shae Feltz, CEO and founder of NOTICS, an IT service provider based in Minneapolis. Shae delves into his humble beginnings in Brainerd, Minnesota, where he learned early on that working for someone else wasn’t for him. At just 16, Shae launched a mobile iPhone repair business, gaining valuable insights into marketing, sales, and fulfillment. He credits his early experiences with shaping his approach to business, including the sale of his first ven...

Jan 29, 202526 minSeason 1Ep. 190

The First Customer - From Supply Chain Snags to Seamless Solutions with Founder and CEO Brian Glick

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Brian Glick, CEO and founder of Chain.io Brian traced his inspiration to a family background in leadership and entrepreneurship, coupled with firsthand experience in customs brokerage. Dropping out of college, Brian’s entry into the supply chain world began humbly, crawling under desks to set up computers. Over time, he recognized inefficiencies in the customs and freight industries, which spurred the creation of his first company, Aspect9, and ev...

Jan 22, 202521 minSeason 1Ep. 189

The First Customer - Paving a Path from Rocks to a Dynamic Creative Agency with CEO Jon Wise

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jon Wise, the founder and CEO of Jon Wise Creative (JWC). Jon started his childhood in suburban Atlanta, where his father ran a local software store. Jon recalls his earliest entrepreneurial endeavor at a community festival, selling “Tucker Rocks” to neighbors, which marked the beginning of his creative and business-minded spirit. After studying music in Boston and freelancing in event production, Jon leveraged his burgeoning Instagram presence to...

Jan 15, 202522 minSeason 1Ep. 188

The First Customer - Creating Relational Ecosystems for Leaders and Teams with CEO Etienne de Bruin

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Etienne de Bruin, Founder and CEO of 7CTOs. Etienne shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his upbringing in South Africa to founding his organization that supports technology leaders. Growing up during a time of global isolation for South Africa, Etienne reflects on how this scarcity of resources fostered a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. With a background in computer science and early exposure to personal comput...

Jan 08, 202536 minSeason 1Ep. 187

The First Customer - The Role of Personalized Nutrition in Holistic Wellness with CEO Rachel Sanders

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Rachel Sanders, CEO and Co-Founder of Rootine. Rachel shares the transformative journey behind her health and wellness brand. Rootine’s mission is to empower individuals with personalized, data-driven health solutions, starting with custom multivitamins tailored to biological data. Rachel recounts how her upbringing in a holistic health-focused household, combined with her experience in investment banking, highlighted the gap between technological...

Dec 18, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 186

The First Customer - Demystifying Backend Development with Founders Hunter Fortuin and Tom Carmona

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Hunter Fortuin and Tom Carmona, co-founders of Wolfjaw Studios. Based in Troy, New York, Wolfjaw specializes in backend development for online gaming services, tackling the complex systems that enable matchmaking, account management, and telemetry. Tom recounts how the company’s first major client originated from a network connection cultivated over three years. By focusing on honesty, stellar communication, and high technical standards, Wolfjaw h...

Dec 11, 202430 minSeason 1Ep. 185

The First Customer - The Three To Twelve Month Rule in Personal Branding with CEO Jason Barnard

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jason Barnard, CEO of Kalicube. Jason recounts his beginnings in the music industry, where he started a record label after failing to secure a deal for his band. This led him to his first customer, a record company, which he gained through relationship building. He further explains the challenges he faced with his second company, a children’s entertainment platform, which ultimately succeeded due to a significant audience demand, evidenced by five...

Dec 04, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 184

The First Customer - The Power of Community in Building A Successful Consultancy with Dave Reinhold

In this episode, I was very, very lucky enough to interview my former boss, Dave Reinhold, Founder of VentureCPO. Growing up in New York, Dave recounts his first “business” selling bubble gum and fans to classmates, reflecting a lifelong drive for independence and resourcefulness. His early passion for technology blossomed with his first computer, a Commodore 64, which sparked a fascination with digital products. Dave went on to study management information systems at Binghamton University and e...

Nov 27, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 183

The First Customer - The Secret Sauce For Success in Cybersecurity with Co-Founder Deanna Sheward

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Deanna Sheward, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Capablanca. Deanna shares her unique journey from academia to entrepreneurship. She recounts how her background in art, architecture, and research instilled in her a passion for learning and personal growth, which later fueled her pivot into the tech industry. Deanna explains how the skills she honed as a researcher—like public speaking, project management, and self-promotion—naturally transl...

Nov 20, 202424 minSeason 1Ep. 182

The First Customer - The Quiet Wins: The Formula for Progress with Founder and CEO Sean Languedoc

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Sean Languedoc, Founder and CEO of Outforce AI. Sean recounts his unconventional start in business, inspired by advice to "learn by doing" instead of pursuing an MBA. He shares his experience launching a tourism venture during Expo 86 in Vancouver, which taught him the value of adaptability when the business didn’t take off as expected. From there, Sean explored various industries, including commercial real estate and digital media, with...

Nov 13, 202425 minSeason 1Ep. 181

The First Customer - Pioneering Solutions for an Inclusive Future with Founder Jordan Saunders

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jordan Saunders, founder and CEO of NextLink Labs. Jordan reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, building computers at age 12. He shares how his passion for technology led him to pursue consulting right out of college after studying computer science at Penn State. Over the past decade, Jordan has grown NextLink Labs into a technology consultancy, focusing on custom software development, c...

Nov 06, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 180

The First Customer - Aligning People, Purpose, and Progress with Co-Founder Alex Levin

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Alex Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Regal.io. Alex grew up in Manhattan with a father who ran a steel service business. Alex absorbed early lessons about business operations and efficiency. While his father’s ventures in technology during the late 90s exposed him to a rapidly changing landscape, Alex initially explored entrepreneurship by selling wild fruit with his brothers as a child. After working for another company rather than launching his own...

Oct 30, 202421 minSeason 1Ep. 179

The First Customer - How To Drive Impactful SEO and Conversion Strategies with CEO Dave Schneider

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Dave Schneider, the CEO of Shortlist.io. Dave shares his upbringing in Ashland, Massachusetts, a small town where entrepreneurship was not encouraged. He explains how his early life and family background led him toward a more traditional career path, but eventually, after working a corporate job, he shifted to a more nomadic lifestyle with his wife. They started a travel blog that eventually turned into a client service business, introducing trave...

Oct 23, 202427 minSeason 1Ep. 178

The First Customer - Decoding Value Creation Through Pricing Strategies with Founder Dan Balcauski

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Dan Balcauski, founder and CPO of Product Tranquility. Dan shared his backstory, growing up in Chicago with no direct entrepreneurial influences but finding his path through engineering and the software industry. He moved to Austin, Texas, over 20 years ago, drawn by its warmer climate and tech opportunities. Initially influenced by the dot-com bubble, Dan's entrepreneurial dreams took shape later in life, especially after a year-long trip ar...

Oct 16, 202426 minSeason 1Ep. 177

The First Customer - Embracing the Wild Ride of Breaking Barriers with Founder Donnie Boivin

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Donnie Boivin, Founder and CEO of Success Champions Network. Donnie grew up in a blue-collar family, and never considered starting a business until he was in his 40s. Inspired by thought leaders like Gary Vee and Tim Ferriss, Donnie made the leap after spending nearly two decades in sales, but quickly realized that building a successful business was far harder than anticipated. He faced significant challenges, including a crippling non-compete tha...

Oct 09, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 176

The First Customer - The Power of Subscription Models in E-Commerce with Co-founder Baird Hall

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Baird Hall, co-founder of Churnkey. Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Baird didn’t start his first company until he was 27, though he feels he could have begun earlier. His first venture, a social audio network for sports fans, ultimately failed because while the product had passionate users, it generated no revenue. Baird reflects on how this experience led to his first success, pivoting to create a tool that allowed podcasters to share au...

Oct 02, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 175

The First Customer - How to Find Your Authentic Voice in A Crowded Market with CEO Lynn Whitbeck

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Lynn Whitbeck, Founder and CEO of Petite2Queen. Lynn grew up in a mid-sized town, and her experience in the Girl Scouts, where she spearheaded a cookie-selling strategy with a shy friend, sparked her love for sales. That early success, along with her passion for helping people, laid the foundation for her sales expertise. Over time, Lynn moved into outside sales after graduate school and eventually founded Petite2Queen. Her company focuses on help...

Sep 25, 202423 minSeason 1Ep. 174

The First Customer - The Transition from Services to Product-focused Business with CTO Len Covello

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Len Covello, CTO and Co-founder of Engage People. Len discusses his early influences, including growing up in Toronto and being inspired by his father, who was an entrepreneur in the catering business. Len's passion for technology started at a young age with his first computer, a Vic 20, and continued to grow as he developed basic programming skills and built websites during the early days of the internet. His journey into the tech industry i...

Sep 18, 202424 minSeason 1Ep. 173

The First Customer - How To Ace Your Business Strategy with Co-Founder Andrew Watson

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Andrew Watson, Co-Founder of Igloo Media. Andrew recounts his upbringing in Italy and England, and how his initial aspirations as a tennis player eventually led him to entrepreneurship in the U.S. He describes his collegiate tennis career, where he honed his competitive spirit, which later translated into valuable skills in the business world. Andrew emphasizes how the discipline and resilience learned through sports have been instrumental in his ...

Sep 13, 202417 minSeason 1Ep. 172

The First Customer - Building A Legacy In Ice Cream with Founder Sanket Karamchandani

In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Sanket Karamchandani, Founder of Miss Neeta's Ice Cream Parlor. Sanket shared his entrepreneurial journey from a childhood dream inspired by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar to becoming a business owner. Growing up in the Bay Area, Sanket was driven by the desire to pursue something he loved, which he eventually realized was ice cream. Despite his early aspirations, it took years of preparation, including a career in product management, to set...

Sep 11, 202419 minSeason 1Ep. 171