William Bissett – SPEAKING OF STARTUPS

Speaking of Startups Episode 166: Joel Puthoff with Linxy

Serial entrepreneur, Joel Puthoff is our guest for Speaking of Start-Ups episode 166.

Joel is the founder of Linxy a location/check-in social app that “bridges the gap between the digital world we live in and the real time connections that people desire.”

Joel got his start as an entrepreneur at an early age with his first lawn care business in his teens, then sharpened his skills in college with the Youth Entrepreneurs Across America group. His participation in the group was pivotal, but it wasn’t until he signed up to teach the skills he had learned that his knowledge and expertise in the business world grew by leaps and bounds.

Key takeaways from episode 166:

How negatives in life and business present opportunities
Why sports and most notably experience in college sports translates into success in the business world
The big letdown of the business experience in college
How mental frameworks and models help uncover hidden potential
How Young Entrepreneurs Across America helped shape his journey
Why teaching something leads to mastery
How curiosity helped Joel write his first book
Embracing “the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know”
What you allow yourself to be capable of exposes you to a world of learning and experiences
Learning from beta launches
Failure creates strength
Why culture makes such a huge difference in your company
Why you should be thinking in terms of teams
How Linxy is using technology to lose technology
Monetizing your app
And much more…

From college sports to the board room, you’ll want to tune into today’s insightful interview with Joel. And click on the title if you’d like to get a copy of Joel’s book, Capability Fuel.

William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener. 

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance. 

Investments described herein may be speculative and may involve a substantial risk of loss. Interests may be offered only to persons who qualify as accredited investors under applicable state and federal regulation or an eligible employee of the management company. There generally is no public market for the Interests. Prospective investors should particularly note that many factors affect performance, including changes in market conditions and interest rates, and other economic, political or financial developments. Past performance is not, and should not be construed as, indicative of future results. 

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 165: Chance Smith, Co-Founder of GoghNow

In our 165th episode of Speaking of Start-Ups, we meet up IN PERSON to Chance Smith Co-Founder of GoghNow.

We were able to utilize the great podcasting studio at Tabbris - which continues to be an awesome spot for entrepreneurs and the entire start-up ecosystem.

In our podcast today, Chance and I were able to dive into the key elements of their business - GoghNow.

GoghNow is the app that brings musicians to your private space at the tap of the button. Learning the ropes from stints at Red Ventures and through talent acquisitions, Chance is using his love of music and people to transform the spaces they frequent.

As with any start-up, they’ve grown, pivoted, and grown some more. Now they are positioned to explode out of the Charlotte market onto bigger scenes through their attention to detail, customer service, and “just a piece of the pie”.

Key takeaways from episode 165:

How different jobs inspire and encourage different modes of personal and professional growth
Turning beats into a sales generating machine
Leveraging connections to grow your brand
How collaboration expands ideas and possibilities
Why travel broadens both your personal and business vision
How studying your customer avatar AND behavior helps spawn new business ideas
Using brand ambassadors to help scale
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses to best allocate time and energy
Handling the inevitable “no”
When to push into new territory to expand your business

Whether you’re interested in hearing more of your favorite musician or learning where to find them next, you’ll want to hear how Chance and his team are making that happen.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 164: Russell Kroeger, Founder of Trayecto

In today’s 164^th episode of Speaking of Start-Ups, we veer off the traditional path of interviewing founders and talk to one of the professionals that supports them on their quest to glory through financial literacy.

Russell Kroeger is a partner at Upstart Wealth Management, and founder at Trayecto, a platform to help/educate other advisors of the complex financial world surrounding founders, their employees, and the decisions made that impact all of them.

This is one of the most technical episodes we’ve had to date, but definitely worth the listen for those interested in broadening their understanding of equity compensation.

Key takeaways from episode 164:

How the start-up space differs from a financial planning perspective
Educating founders and their key employees along the way
Building the framework to explain the complications of equity compensation
The psychological impact of mismanaging money and making prudent financial decisions
How to structure and manage equity from a founder’s perspective and the employees
What is a venture capitalist for people?
How facilitating self-discovery pays off financially
Why good questions help create a road map for success
How to find the right financial planner/partner for your journey

Get your pen and paper ready to take notes for this highly informative episode.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 163: William Ward Founder and CEO of Flexie

Welcome to episode 163 of Speaking of Start-ups where we interview William Ward, founder of Flexie.

Flexie is a talent cultivation platform that helps companies source, hire, and retain quality young talent while giving the job seekers the availability to curate their working experience, build up a reliability score, and showcase their skills for future prospective employers.

William is a survivor of modern civil war. He used his family’s thirst for knowledge and desire to help others to create Smile For Liberia, a program that’s aided over 2,000 of his homeland’s people as well as awarded over 200 scholarships to young Liberians.

Learn how to keep moving forward no matter what life throws your way from this driven entrepreneur.

Key takeaways from episode 163:

How solving other’s people’s problems helps solve your own
Why saving money before you get started is a great reliever of stress
Why the current employment landscape for young workers is broken and how to fix it
The benefits of partners in scaling a business
Using AI to do the things you don’t need to do and shouldn’t be
Why financial literacy is such a huge hurdle for young Americans
The importance of mentors and the impact they can have on your business
Importance of getting your idea to market, BUT ALSO being flexible enough to accept feedback and constructive criticism
Looking for multiple streams of income for your business
Why networking with other entrepreneurs is about cooperation not competition
Data Doesn’t Lie
The pluses and minuses of the Charlotte start-up ecosystem
William’s biggest life lessons from his entrepreneurial journey… so far

Get ready for a ride across continents, cultures, and a truly inspiring story.

William Bissett is the owner of and an Investment Advisor Representative of Portus Wealth Advisors, a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Opinions expressed on this program do not necessarily reflect those of Portus Wealth Advisors. The topics discussed and opinions given are not intended to address the specific needs of any listener.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 162: Justin Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Switchframe

In today’s episode of Speaking of Start-Ups we interview Justin Kelsey, a serial entrepreneur and Jack-Of-All trades kind of guy who likes to keep his mind and body busy. Justin is the CEO and founder of SwitchFrame, a new video testimonial creation engine that allows companies to simplify the video testimonial collection process using an AI teleprompter that teaches customers hot to record the perfect video.

The service chops them up and spits them out to make the testimonials imbeddable and accessible to your whole team as an ad, social post, and more for the brand to use.

In this episode you’ll about the passion that drives Justin in his business with SwitchFrame as well as how he's able to channel his energy into other projects that keep him at the top of his game.

Key takeaways from episode 162:

How doing pro formas and working financial models helps make sure a business scales
Seeing opportunity everywhere
Being open to new experiences and embracing a “let’s see what happens” philosophy
Paying attention to your surroundings and using that to feed your intuition
Why passion keeps you going past the inevitable walls entrepreneurs face
The difference between the risk of working or someone else and entrepreneurial risk
How systematizing your business at the beginning helps scaling easier
How ADD/ADHD can be an advantage as an entrepreneur
Finding your team
Using referral and agency partnerships to build your business
Feedback! Feedback! Feedback
Window shopping your own business
And much more…

Get your notepad and pen ready, and dive into today’s episode.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 161: Ahriana Edwards, Founder and CEO of Vaila Shoes

In today’s episode we welcome Ahriana Edwards to Speaking of Start-Ups. Ahriana is the founder of Vaila Shoes, Vaila short for available “because it’s about time ladies with extended shoe sizes have options available to them." Through her Vaila line, which is now being represented in Macy’s department stores, Ahriana focuses on footwear for the workplace and after hours.

In this episode you’ll learn how Ahriana’s journey from a curious and artsy child helped shape her journey as a budding entrepreneur.

Key takeaways from episode 161:

How acting at an early age helped shape her entrepreneur journey
How curiosity inspires not only companies, but all the aspects of bringing a company to life
How university hackathons helped her learn and embrace the entrepreneurial process
Why being a big fish at a smaller school helps get access to more opportunities
Leveraging the relationships built at a small institution
Why solving your own problems becomes a solution for others
Researching adjacent industries when you can find what you’re looking for in your own
Why it is so important to be super specific with the questions you ask your customers
Building inventory of physical products is about knowing your customer
You can’t say the right thing to the wrong person and you can’t say the wrong thing to the right person
When to let go of things you’re not passionate about in your business and bringing on the right team members to help you do so
Finding employees who feel your pain
And much more…

Since the inception of her company in 2020, Ahriana has 10x’d her sales and revenue each. Listen to find out how this young woman is taking big strides in the footwear industry and solving problems for women worldwide.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 160: Jenny Farias, Co-Founder of gWen (growing Women entrepreneurs network)

In today’s episode we welcome Jenny Farias to Speaking of Start-Ups. Jenny is the co-founder of gWen, Growing Women Entrepreneurs Network. Jenny and her partner, Ashley Gautreaux, co-founded gWen in 2022. A year later their platform to elevate female founders has spread from Charlotte to Raleigh/Durham and now Atlanta, GA with the premise of accelerating growth for the underrepresented female founder.

In this episode you’ll learn how her parents’ immigrant journey as well as marketing for Fortune 100 companies in New York and Miami inspired her to work with other women in the start-up space.

Key takeaways from episode 160:

What’s the deal with Charlotte?
Hitting “the circuit” when arriving in a new city
Hurdles female founders face
Building a community from the ground up
Using the connector model to grow your brand
How gWen fits in the developing Charlotte ecosystem
Why adding a board early on has helped take things to the next level
Using smaller markets to springboard into larger opportunities
Keeping a level head during explosive growth

Charlotte, NC is not at the top of the list or even on the radar for some folks when they think of the tech industry but listen to the end to find out what reeled Jenny into the area and now has gWen at the forefront of something really special.

Jenny also runs her own marketing company, Brand x Humans, while Ashley is a partner with CreativeCo.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 159: Sasha Surkin, Founder and CEO of WeyeZE

Today, we welcome Sasha Surkin to Speaking of Start-Ups. Sasha is the founder of WeyeZE (pronounced Wise). Since her early teens, not that long ago considering this impressive founder is only 20 years old, she’s had the vision to transform the eye care industry.

WeyeZE was born from the frustration of having to wait months… from initial appointment to getting her own pair of eyeglasses. As a result, Sasha has dedicated herself to “revolutionize how humans see the world” by producing and selling self-correcting kits to create accessible vision care.

These kits take customers from diagnostic to solution in 15 minutes.

Key takeaways from episode 159:

Inspiring creativity in children at a young age.
How entrepreneurship is the perfect complement to a young mind.
Inspiring children through knowledge and ideas.
Viewing school as a mental playground to learn about others and their diverse perspectives.
The power of mentors.
Why poking holes in your idea/vision makes it stronger.
The power of a strong support system.
Embracing AND celebrating small wins.
Taking the time to get it right.
The importance of a target market.
How WeyeZE works and cuts the cost of getting eyeglasses by 90%.
The mindset Sasha is embracing to move her company forward.
And much more….

Stick around to the end to learn how a surfing trip gave Sasha perspective and another metaphor to use in any of her undoubtedly future podcast appearances on the whole entrepreneurial journey.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 158: Michael and Leanne Burnett, Founders of Burnett Index

In this, our 158^th episode of Speaking of Start-Ups, we interview Michael and Leanne Burnett, founders of Burnett Risk Control International and the Burnett Index.

Burnett Index is a compilation of worldwide data concerning sexual misconduct and sexual abuse claims. This data has been used by Michael to provide various stakeholders with a data driven understanding of the cost of sexual misconduct and abuse claims. It is their intent that this can be used to create the groundwork for a compassionate, cost-effective, and expeditious resolution of those claims.

In this episode, we delve into the unfortunate history surrounding sexual abuse and the expertise Michael and Leanne have gained through an empathic and data driven approach to help victims heal while educating companies, governments, and non-profit institutions on the best ways to make sure these instances don’t happen in the first place.

Key takeaways from episode 158:

Using empathy to help others heal in a professional manner
How to use numbers to get through the black and white nature of their representation
Understanding the power of words when communicating with others
The history of insurance and the escalation of sexual misconduct cases over time
How the insurance industry actually helps drives positive change in the world
The power of collaboration… how Michael and Leanne’s separate work helped shed light on the bigger picture and drive the creation of the Burnett Index
Building a business by solving pain
The “happy coincidences that happen along the way” one you choose your path
Secrets of a husband and wife team and how they make it work in their business and marriage
The people and institutions who benefit most using the Burnett Index
And much more….

Despite the ugly nature of sexual abuse and misconduct claims, we learn the ways that Michael and Leanne are doing their best to resolve these occurrences and, taken many steps further, proactively using the data of past transgressions in our society to push awareness, closure, and healing.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett

Speaking of Startups Episode 157: Gloria Folaron Founder of Leantime

In today’s episode of Speaking of Start-Ups, we interview Gloria Folaron founder of Leantime, a software company adding a human touch to project manager through behavioral science and AI. In our hour together, we discuss Gloria’s journey from the RD to the world of technology and how her desire to help translates into the software industry.

Key takeaways from episode 157:

Measuring purpose
With 70% of projects failing, learn the difference between “hard” and “soft” skills and how each impact a projects success rate.
How terminology undermines our understanding of simple processes.
The confidence that emerges as part of the start-up journey.
Overcoming capital challenges as a start-up.
The importance of timing, and more importantly, waiting for the right time to come your way.
Leveraging gamification to help the organization AND responsibly encourage employees.
The benefits of open-source technology.
Nurturing your community when deploying an open-source model.
How leading with value can benefit and hinder growth.
The importance of simplicity in the business and the end product.
Why productivity is a product of company culture.
How vulnerability precedes trust and the beauty of helping people feel validates.
And much more….

Ever wonder how Alpaca farming and glamping effect software development? Tune in to this exciting episode to learn more.

Portus Wealth Advisors does not offer legal or tax advice, listeners are encouraged to discuss their financial needs with the appropriate professional regarding your individual circumstance.

by William Bissett