Chris started out in the Lehigh Valley but also spent a ton of his youth in Philadelphia. He has an inspiring story of how being adopted helped shape a lot of his entrepreneurial journey and perspective on life. He went on to found multiple businesses, coach tons of clients to success, and help inspire people to be a better version of themselves. Get yourself a day pass to the Lehigh Valley Zoo this week and let’s wander through the exhibits of the extraordinary life of Chris M. Sprague. Connect...
Jun 29, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Peter grew up in quiet Quakertown Pennsylvania. He bounced around a bunch of different non-profits, lived in the nations capitol, but his love for PA couldn't keep him away forever. Pete took his passion for politics and non-profits and built a platform that gives people a voice with social impact programs and movements. He shared lots of lessons about how to create change and go out on a limb for an idea you believe in. Hop on the PA Turnpike this week and buckle up for a fun conversation ...
Jun 27, 2023•37 min
Born in Brazil, Nick Balee wrote business plans as a kid. He moved to America and trained with international chess champions. After college he pivoted from his history background to start his first business back down south in Brazil. After learning some important lessons, he moved back to the states and went into sales. His background in cold calling eventually helped him create second successful business. He queued up thousands of people in his network and started dialing. The rest is history. ...
Jun 22, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Philly born and raised, Drew Griffin's lessons around starting with the end in mind should serve any future or current entrepreneurs well. A really inspiring, humble, smart guy that shared a lot of how he built his empire. Starting as a wound-care nursing specialist, Drew took a different path than some to being a serial founder. Now he's started and sold multiple tech companies. He also lost 125 lbs using intermittent fasting! Hearing that story alone should be enough to tune in this ...
Jun 20, 2023•37 min•Ep. 23
Damian may be one of the nicest, coolest, and inspiring guys you'll have the pleasure of meeting. His experience ranges from representing some of the top NFL and NBA athletes in the world to founding a revolutionary platform to help people secure their future careers. Phynally is a platform that allows job-seekers to meet transparent employers and professionals without cannabis pre-employment screening. The connections Damian has made in the sports, business, and entertainment world speaks ...
Jun 14, 2023•39 min
My cheeks still hurt from laughing so much with the absolutely wonderful Dr. W. Soyini Powell ("Dr. Sy"). What should I have expected with someone who calls herself "The Rogue Gynecologist"??? Applying the lessons she learned from getting healthy, Dr. Sy offers a transformational experience to help you take back control of your health and live your best life. Leaning on her decades of experience across various medical settings, environments, and challenges, she set out to cha...
Jun 13, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 21
There's quite a few people I meet that I think I can outwork. Adam Fiore is not one of those people. From his early days in the Navy to starting multiple successful businesses, Adam has walked his talk. He's currently working on his company Limitless AF which is a combination of wellness and healthtech. Put the bag of chips away this week and cinch up your belt for a really fun episode with an inspirational and impressive founder. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/i...
Jun 08, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 20
From Jimmy Johns franchisee to co-founder and CEO of ClearCOGS, Matt Wampler (pronounced wham-pler) worked harder, then smarter. Matt took the path of restaurant owner to consulting to founder after identifying a huge gap in restaurant analytics and never looked back. Order up a hoagie and kick back and relax for a fun episode with an even more fun guy this week. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@thefir...
Jun 06, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Dave started his business early and learned a ton of lessons along the way. From his first customer to his current portfolio of happy clients, Dave always listened to his employees and clients to build a trusting culture that has stood the test of time. Call up your current accountant and tell him you may be late to lunch and buckle up for a fun ride this week with Co-founder of Quanitify Dave Ashworth. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtub...
May 31, 2023•38 min
Starting out in South Street in Philadelphia, April Burks based her life around volunteer work and building communities and events. She quickly found her path to creating successful businesses and giving back to her community. Grab a cheesesteak at Jim's and kick back and listen to the story of an awesome human being doing awesome founder things in this week's episode. Pink Social Strategies https://www.pinksocialstrategies.com/ Sponsored by: JDAQA Software Testing - https://www.JDAQA....
May 23, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 17
A slip and fall down the stairs woke Sean up to chase his dream of creating his own AI-powered planner app, Heydai. Heydai learns patterns about your time and the things you need done to recommend a balanced agenda between productivity and leisure. Sean's a great guy with a great story on how to take what you've learned across your career and turn it into an awesome product. Make sure you have "Listening to The First Customer" on your agenda today and tune in for a great epis...
May 16, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 16
A standup comedian and standup guy. Steve started his journey in Jersey before setting out west and making a name for himself in comedy. Founder and host of "The Coop Tank" and about a million other things, Steve lives by a simple but awesome rule: Don't be a jerk. He's a master interviewer and a masterful guest. No laugh tracks needed for this one, grab a drink and settle in for a really fun episode! Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The Fir...
May 10, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Shawn Richard's awesome company hails from equally awesome Eagle Mountain, Utah. His previous life in operations and business development helped kick off his journey into consulting and owning his own business. His passion to help others grow their business has allowed him to create an impressive coaching and consulting services firm. He's a long-distance Phillies fan and compassionate leader with the experience to back it up. Tighten up your cleats and get ready for a trek out west, i...
May 03, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 14
From custom made lacrosse sticks to upending one of the biggest industries in the world -- Carl is not your average sauceman. Carl's a tall, big-energy-but-down-to-earth founder with all the ingredients for big-time success. He and his co-founder Paul are taking the condiment industry by storm with a novel concept, powdered ketchup called AWSM Sauce. Across their late-night taste-tests to game-changing pivots, I had a lot of fun getting to know Carl better on this weeks episode. Grab your f...
Apr 18, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 13
DOCTOR Miles Aron is an extremely cool guy. He's worked at ESPN, NASA, Stanford Linear Accelerator where he worked on Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiments, and the founder of multiple exciting startups -- just to name a few places. An audiophile on a never-ending quest for learning has been a thread connecting Miles from childhood to his current role as co-founder and CEO of Arcanium. He's got pHD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Oxford, Bachelors in Acoustical Engi...
Apr 11, 2023•59 min
If you live in or near Philadelphia you'll eventually be asked "Do you know Mike Bertoni?" A sales-machine-turned-business-owner, Mike is never short of energy or great advice. He's built an incredible staffing agency laser-focused on SaaS talent. His innate ability to excite his audience, be creative with his sales process, and flood the room with positive energy make it clear why PhillyTech has had hockey-stick growth. Hop on some jug handles to the Jersey Turnpike this wee...
Mar 22, 2023•36 min
If you want to be inspired by simple goals that turn into big things, look no further than Bob Cooper. Bob has a knack for feeling the undercurrent of technology and marketing before they break the surface. From video kiosks to the dawn of multimedia marketing to selling companies to coaching others to do the same, Bob has done just about everything. There's a good chance right now Bob is off founding something, but for this episode we're lucky enough he sat down and told us the secret...
Mar 08, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 11
A true gem born and raised in Central New Jersey, Jessica Corrado is professional passion personified. Dedicating a large portion of her career to marketing and Life Sciences, Jessica set out on her own and quickly realized it was just as easy as she expected. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone with a more laser-focused, confident, and infectious personality. Hop on a jug handle and ride in circles around New Jersey with Jessica on this weeks episode, it's a good one! Also make sure...
Feb 23, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Boring. Low-Energy. Lazy. Unmotivated. You won't find a more polar opposite person to that description than Evan Yudell, CEO of Sales Made Simple. He's a smart, driven, passionate leader who saw his opportunity to become a founder and didn't flinch. Do yourself a favor and listen as we go from his roots in Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Penn State and Drexel to creating an industry-disrupting sales platform. This is one you don't want to miss! Connect with Jay on LinkedIn http...
Feb 09, 2023•46 min
Motivated, adventurous, and inspired. Never short on energy, excitement, or alliteration (sorry Chels). Chelsea Craig, CEO of Rhino Reviews, took a personal experience and turned it into a thriving business in the online review management space. From Maryland to Center City Philly, take a trip up I-95 and hear the cool story of an even cooler entrepreneur. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcusto...
Dec 15, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 9
From Chicago to Colorado -- Brandon Frisch always took the path less travelled by. He started a tech company as a non-tech guy. He built a powerhouse in the software development space through unconventional means. He's successful and cool and one of the nicest guy's you'll ever meet. Tune in to hear how Brandon decided to play whack-a-mole professionally with his development studio for non-technical founders. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The ...
Nov 14, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Half man, half machine. Alex is a charming, smart guy who knows how to run a business. He also knows how to program. And surf. He also goes to Italy but just for the food and coffee. Alex takes us on his journey from journeyman to CEO of Materialize Labs, a world-renowned development agency. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcast The First Customer podcast website https://www.firstcus...
Nov 03, 2022•39 min
It's rare you actually get to meet someone like Alex. He's the type of guy you see on stage somewhere, talking big things and doing even bigger ones. Like a handsome Tony Robbins. I've learned more about running a good, fair, honest business from Alex in a couple years than I have over the rest of my career. Settle in for a really fun episode this week with Alex Tuck from Tuck Consulting! Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtub...
Oct 25, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Everybody knows Chris. You'll be hard-pressed to meet anyone who hasn't heard of the great Chris Cera, especially in Philly tech. Kind, intelligent, driven, and charming are some of the ways people describe him. We go from his DelCo roots to building Arcweb Technologies, a staple in the Philly tech scene. 📽️Check out Chris's episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/05Ac0bCPVvU 😎Guest Info: Name: Chris Cera LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chriscera/ Connect with Jay on LinkedIn...
Oct 20, 2022•36 min
If you've ever wondered how to start a company and sell it twice, you're in luck. Justin "The Ghost" Klemm turned a side-hobby into a company that he sold, worked for, bought back, then sold again. There's a lot to unpack there, so buckle up. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/ The First Customer Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcast The First Customer podcast website https://www.firstcustomerpodcast.com Follow T...
Sep 28, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Painfully handsome and unmistakably motivated are two ways to describe Russ Macumber, the man from down under. This week we talk to Russ about his winding and less-than-orthodox path to becoming the head of marketing powerhouse. 📽️Check out Russ's episode on our Youtube Channel: http://ow.ly/OZHl50Lh960 😎Guest Info: Name: Russ Macumber LinkedIn: http://ow.ly/zQKN50Lh963 ⛓️Connect with me on LinkedIn http://ow.ly/tuAj50Lh961 🐤Follow me on Twitter @jay_aigner 📽️ The First Customer Youtube...
Sep 18, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 2
If getting hacked by a Euro-crime gang when trying to buy his first car on Ebay before starting a crime-fighting career sounds like a superhero origin story -- it's because it is one. Tyler is an absolute legend for many reasons, the least of which being he recently met Mike Tyson. 📽️Check out Tyler's episode on our Youtube Channel: http://ow.ly/Jr9n50Lh0YQ 🎧Or find it streaming on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast: http://ow.ly/bXVb50Lh0YM 😎Guest Info: Name: Tyler Ward Lin...
Sep 02, 2022•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 1
