What a great time it was getting to know the great Bryan Farris, the CEO and Founder of Goldfish Code! A full-fledged California boy from the Bay Area, Bryan was constantly hearing of the success of the growing tech industry. He cut his teeth as a software engineer before founding Goldfish Code with his vision for next-generation technology and digital transformation. With an extreme focus on user experience, Bryan and his team use a patented approach to delivering digital products that aren’t j...
Sep 13, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 48
In this week's episode, I had the chance to interview the visionary financial maestro, Bruce Weinstein, who wears the dual hats of CEO and Founder of Weinstein Wealth Insurance Solutions and the dynamic host of the renowned "Ask the Planman" podcast. As an orchestrator of financial harmony, Bruce helps guide people through the labyrinth of wealth management and insurance solutions. Bruce's podcast, "Ask the Planman," serves as a beacon of knowledge in a sea of finan...
Sep 11, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Tim Dodd is an enterprise cloud sales extraordinaire and mastermind behind JTD Group. Growing up in Delaware, Tim's story is one of relentless ambition and a passion for helping businesses flourish. His roots at the University of Delaware laid the foundation for his career, but it was his first gig as a sales rep that ignited the spark within him. Tim discovered his knack for transforming small enterprises into thriving giants, a skill that would later define his path to success. Fast forwa...
Sep 08, 2023•21 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Ring the bell! In this episode of The First Customer podcast, I was lucky enough to interview the Zen master himself, Scott Berman. Scott has been an NBA statistician for the Philadelphia 76ers for 35 years. He’s also the co-founder of The Panther Group — a cannabis merchant bank and advisory firm that focuses on venture funding and has a track record of successful exits in technology, healthcare, software, data, and ad tech. Hop on I-95 and head down to the Wells Fargo Center for an informative...
Sep 06, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 45
A very special episode today with my pal, Jon Mercer, the president and co-founder of Startup Bucks. It's an organization that helps startups in and beyond Bucks County, Pennsylvania. One of my favorite local folks with a smile that lights up any room -- Jon has a background in IT informatics which landed him a job at Johnson & Johnson, and from there, ignited his passion for supporting and connecting the startup ecosystem. Jon turned his focus toward venture funding and economic develo...
Aug 31, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 44
For this week's episode, I was lucky enough to sit down with a digital nomad -- Chris Roche, CEO of Catalyst Consulting. He shared some really great insights on digital marketing and entrepreneurship. Chris shared how he started his career in digital marketing and what inspired him to start his own company. He also talks about the key challenges he faced while he built his agency and how he overcame them. Make sure to tune in to this episode and get the biggest takeaway from this very inspi...
Aug 29, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 43
In this episode of the The First Customer podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jake Henry, the CEO and founder of Lectra, a wearables company that aims to revolutionize health care. Jake shared his personal story of how his mom’s osteoarthritis and his own hip problems inspired him to create a brand that focuses on prevention rather than treatment. He also tackled how luck and persistence paved the way to his success and how important it is to love what you do so that it wouldn’t feel lik...
Aug 24, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Brenden Kumarasamy is the incredibly likable and impressively passionate CEO and founder of MasterTalk. He grew up in Montreal, Canada and initially wasn't interested in building a business but rather just looked for the fastest way to make money and became an accountant. From making videos in his mom's basement, Brenden's life changed when he met his leadership coach, who introduced him to the world of entrepreneurship and personal development. He realized that he had a passion a...
Aug 22, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 41
In this episode, we will be talking to Brian Magrann, the co-founder of Boilerplate.co. Originally from Philadelphia suburbs and went to Penn State, Brian started his career as an auditor and then got to work in a federal government where he did consulting. He eventually worked in a start-up distribution type of company where he identified a pain point related to tracking documentation requests. I love how he went from being a process improvement consultant to founding a software company which f...
Aug 17, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 40
In this episode, I am lucky enough to be joined by a multi awarded leader and professional speaker Victoria Pelletier, founder of Unstoppable You. Victoria is a C-Suite transformational leader, a keynote speaker, a Board Director and at the same time a mom, wife, fitness fanatic, foodie, wine lover, you name it! But what stands her out is her strong passion for making a difference to the society, excelling wherever she sets her heart on. Be sure to watch this episode and learn how to be the Unst...
Aug 15, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 39
A very special episode of The First Customer podcast with Shruti Pandey, a freelancer QA Engineer AND Podcast host ... that sounds familiar! Shruti walks us through her journey to stepping out of the corporate grind and into the world of freedom with consulting and freelancing. Her story is full of passion, pride, and love for her family and her personal time. Let's take the long flight over to Mumbai together and talk to a fantastic human-being in this weeks episode ... a MUST listen! Chec...
Aug 11, 2023•33 min
Today's episode is with the great Bo Motlagh, CEO & Founder of United Effects. Bo shares his early exposure to tech and his transition from architecture to the software development world. He explains the inspiration behind United Effects, which focuses on streamlining authentication and data integration for businesses. Bo discusses his journey, the company's evolution, pricing strategy, and customer engagement, revealing how networking, customer feedback, and adaptability have shap...
Aug 08, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Marcel Petitpas is a driven entrepreneur who embarked on his business journey with a fervent passion for building companies. However, his early ventures faced significant challenges as he navigated different industries, trying to find the right product-market fit. Despite initial setbacks, Marcel's resilience and determination led him to co-found Parakeeto, a company that assists creative and digital services firms in streamlining their operations. With a focus on pre-selling and customer v...
Aug 03, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Michel Nematnejad is the founder of Mila Labs. As a skilled software engineer, he started his journey as a freelancer on Upwork, providing services to clients worldwide. Michel found success by focusing on niche markets and showcasing his expertise. This led to landing his first significant client, which boosted his confidence and opened doors for future projects. As a business owner, Michel learned the importance of balancing technical skills with sales and marketing. He acknowledged that while...
Aug 01, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 35
In this episode of The First Customer podcast, host Jay Aigner interviews Neeraj Vir, the managing partner of Amalgam Inc. Neeraj shares his journey from being born and raised in New Delhi, India, to eventually landing in the United States in the early 2000s. He talks about his background in technology and his career growth from a developer to an executive in the information technology space. Neeraj also discusses the impetus behind starting Amalgam and the challenges he faced as an immigrant en...
Jul 27, 2023•16 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Renee, the spirited co-founder of the CAPE Movement, started her journey in Southeastern PA. She honed her skills in personal development and wellness before launching an initiative aimed at facilitating individual growth. Armed with years of experience and a profound passion for nurturing self-improvement, Renee co-founded the CAPE Movement, a platform committed to providing individuals with the tools and inspiration necessary to realize their dreams and enhance personal and professional compet...
Jul 25, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Frommm Wessssst Philadelphia, Ezra Cohen, raised in Mount Airy, Philadelphia, initially pursued a career in animation inspired by the Dire Straits' video "Money for Nothing." He attended the University of the Arts where he delved into various artistic mediums but found his true passion in metal sculpture, particularly artisanal blacksmithing. However, after graduation, a lack of resources and studio space led him and his friend to shift their focus towards graphic design. They est...
Jul 19, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Today we bring you the intriguing journey of Kevin King, the CEO, and founder of Effective Solutions. Born from the dorm rooms of American University, Kevin's venture arose during the inception of the internet era, paving the way for a 25-year-long entrepreneurial voyage that witnessed multiple pivots, strategic partnerships, and growth. Our conversation delves into the excitement and challenges of the early days, the evolution from web design to a multifaceted digital entity, and how the c...
Jul 18, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 31
In this week's episode, we sit down with Marcus Blair, the dynamic engineer-turned-entrepreneur who is making waves in the tech industry. As the CEO and Founder of Omega Digital Solutions, Marcus used his extensive engineering experience to bridge the technology gap between large corporations and smaller businesses. His thrilling journey from corporate to entrepreneurial life serves as an exciting roadmap for aspiring business founders. Marcus delves into the nuances of founding Omega Digit...
Jul 13, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Atlanta born-and-raised CTO and Co-founder Hesom Parhizkar cut his teeth in electrical engineering before making the switch over to computer science and the rest was history. His sharpened his skills in strategy, architecture, design and development for more than two decades then co-founded an innovative company, AdvizorPro, that provides their clients direct access to high-quality financial advisors, registered reps, and agents. Upgrade to business class this week because we're taking a qu...
Jul 11, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Jake Stein grew up in North Jersey and had the itch for entrepreneurialism early in life. He started creating businesses ("hair-brained schemes") in high school and that interest and passion for business never went away. He learned about venture capitalism in college, dove into that world headfirst, then came out again looking to create more businesses of his own. Do yourself a favor and look up "Startup Entrepreneur Rap Video" on YouTube to see what kind of guy we're ta...
Jul 06, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Joe started his journey in Minneapolis, Minnesota and discovered a passion for language at an early age. Then he saw C3P0 and decided to make a universal translator a reality. He's a serial entrepreneur and IT Transformation Architect with a broad technical foundation in AI, Natural Language Processing, applications/solutions, integration, data and infrastructure and cloud implementation. Oh, and he's also fluent in Japanese and European languages. Toss on your headphones and settle in...
Jul 04, 2023•31 min•Ep. 27
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
