School For Startups Radio

Andy Hilliard – CEO of Accelerance and Author of Synergea: A Blueprint for Building Effective, Globally Distributed Teams in the New Era of Software Development This quote will be added soon, sorry! At age 26, Andy Hilliard had a quarter-life crisis that changed the trajectory of his life. In an effort to find himself, Andy joined the Peace Corps in 1988. On assignment in Costa Rica, he fell in love with the culture—and the woman who became his wife. The experience led Andy to dedicate himself to enriching businesses and individuals through valuable cultural exchange. As CEO of Accelerance, Andy helps companies find the talent they need to scale high- performing, globally distributed software engineering and product development teams. Software development outsourcing is experiencing a new renaissance, fueled by a scarcity of technological expertise, centers of excellence in unlikely places, and tools that facilitate remote work. What was once a tactical move to save a few dollars, outsourcing software devel

Michel Elings – CEO & co-founder of Vev   VEV is a way to turn your idea into a business, all from your computer or even better, from your phone.  Michel Elings is CEO & co-founder of Vev, a platform to accept orders, reservations, bookings, tickets and payments from one simple page! It’s a new small business tool making waves in Europe that is coming to the US for the first time. It’s called Vev, and it’s the easiest way to start your own business, whether you provide a service, sell a product, or build an experience. Michel, whose previous company formed the backbone of Apple News, is now out with a free web app and simple set of tools to allow anyone to start a business and begin taking orders or reservations within three clicks. Whether you are a personal trainer, pet stylist, artisan crafter, or baker, Vev has created 200 pre-built templates with easy prompts and free tools such as a calendar to book appointments, a CRM system to manage sales, and a delivery/order tracker. Unlike other small bu

Adam Coffey – CEO, Operating Partner, Board Member, CEO Coach, Consultant, Empire Builder, Dealmaker, #1 Best Selling Author of Empire Builder: The Road to a Billion  I buy companies from people who typically don’t know they are sellers before I meet them. Adam Coffey is an Empire builder, CEO coach, in-demand speaker, and three-time #1 bestselling author Adam Coffey builds high-performance cultures that drive transformative exponential growth. A CEO for more than two decades, he led three national private equity-backed service companies for nine PE sponsors, completing 58 acquisitions and realizing billions of dollars in successful exits. Coffey is a founding partner of CEO Advisory Guru, serving as management consultant and independent director to PE portfolio companies, family offices, and elite executives. His specialties include growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions, new business development, and exits. A proud US Army veteran, Coffey lives in Texas with his family. Read the transcript here. E

Grace Hawthorne – Teaching at d. School (Stanford’s Design School) and Author of Make Possibilities Happen: How to Transform Ideas into Reality (Stanford d.school Library) The one skill that is always at the top is being Biased to Action. Grace Hawthorne is the author of a quick and insightful guide called Make Possibilities Happen: How to Transform Ideas into Reality (with the Stanford d.school). Hawthorne has been transforming great ideas into actual products on the market for clients like Walmart for years. She’s a highly accomplished artist, designer, entrepreneur, educator, and creativity researcher. “This is the book I wish I’d had when I was starting,” says Hawthorne. “I want people to feel agency and understand that you already possess (almost) everything you need to make things happen.” She is the Founder/CEO of Paper Punk, an award winning Origami meets LEGO mashup that helps people exercise their creativity and Foldmade, an innovative work supply system that helps people get stuff done. As an Adj

Solomon Thimothy – Co-Founder and CEO of IMS Zuckerberg gives me the cheapest cost per click. Solomon Thimothy is a highly accomplished entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in marketing and sales. As the co-founder and CEO of IMS, a leading inbound marketing and sales agency, as well as Clickx, he has helped businesses increase their revenue using the 10X Framework. Solomon is also an expert in lead generation and customer acquisition, as well as a USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. In addition to his work, Solomon is also an angel investor and startup advisor. He has helped numerous startups grow and scale, leveraging his expertise in marketing, sales, and business strategy. For the last decade, he has been working as a consultant helping businesses grow and thrive in a hyper-competitive environment. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Clickx, he works with new and developed agency owners to build scalable business models. The platform provides agency owners with every tool and reso

Meir Rabkin - Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Vision Capital There is a generational investment opportunity in the venture capital climate space. When you look at valuations, there has been a 9X valuation compression since 2021. Valuations are at an all-time historic low in venture capital. Pile on the $1.7 trillion that is going into that and you are creating a very attractive generational opportunity to go into this space. Meir Rabkin is the founder and managing partner of Blue Vision Capital, a climate-tech venture capital fund dedicated to investing in early-stage startups to reduce global warming by focusing on innovative capital-efficient technologies. Meir’s dedication to the fund aligns with his passion for the environment as he has been involved in various causes, such as the Climate Solution Prize, and Hands on USA, where he volunteered to clean up debris left by Hurricane Katrina. Before launching Blue Vision Capital, Meir accumulated over 18 years in the investment sector working in large a

Meir Rabkin – Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Vision Capital There is a generational investment opportunity in the venture capital climate space. When you look at valuations, there has been a 9X valuation compression since 2021. Valuations are at an all-time historic low in venture capital. Pile on the $1.7 trillion that is going into that and you are creating a very attractive generational opportunity to go into this space. Meir Rabkin is the founder and managing partner of Blue Vision Capital, a climate-tech venture capital fund dedicated to investing in early-stage startups to reduce global warming by focusing on innovative capital-efficient technologies. Meir’s dedication to the fund aligns with his passion for the environment as he has been involved in various causes, such as the Climate Solution Prize, and Hands on USA, where he volunteered to clean up debris left by Hurricane Katrina. Before launching Blue Vision Capital, Meir accumulated over 18 years in the investment sector working in large a

Michelle Alvarez - Manager of IBM X-Force's Strategic Threat Intelligence Team We have seen a 256% increase in the use of malware designed to steal your information including your credentials for e-mail, social media, and banking. Michelle Alvarez is the manager of IBM X-Force's Strategic Threat Intelligence team. She brings 20 years of cybersecurity to her role, specializing in threat research and communication. In her current role, she focuses communications efforts around strategic threat and impact assessments for X-Force Incident Response and Threat Intelligence clients. Michelle's previous roles include threat analyst, writer and manager with IBM Managed Security Services (MSS). [social_icons type='circle_social' icon='fa-linkedin' use_custom_size='yes' size='fa-lg' custom_size='' link='https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellealvarez-cybersecurity/' target='_blank' icon_color='' icon_hover_color='' background_color='' background_hover_color='' background_color_transparency='' border_width='' border_color=

Marc Bjerring – Co-Founder of Tourism Video Co Spivo and Speaker Video Co OutSpeakMedia     We hold speaker demo days in Portland where we have a beautiful stage, and you can come speak on a stage that looks like you are giving a Ted talk, but you were really in and empty room. We film it from a number of different camera angles to create your speaker demo reel. Marc Bjerring is an engineer turned entrepreneur. He has a passion for adventure and extreme sports which led him to develop and patent an innovative video camera mount. It sold worldwide and generated millions in revenue. Seeing opportunities in the video industry, Marc co-founded and currently operates two video agencies. Spivo.com specializes in making personal travel videos for busy professionals, and Outspeakmedia.com makes powerful speaker demo reels for public speakers. Ashley Cunningham – Founder of ChewTyme and Business Credit Expert For black women following me, you need to create an action plan, stay consistent, and most importantly

Garr Russell – Founder and CEO of Fireside RV Rental and Author of My Wheel-Estate Story: From lawnmowers to RV’s, my entrepreneurial journey filled with faith, failures, and fun times Entrepreneurs always think about how to turn something into a business, or how to turn a liability into an asset. So, I put my RV on Craigslist for rental and within hours I had inquiries. Garr Russell is the Founder and CEO of Fireside RV Rental. Having started, scaled, and sold several companies, Garr’s genius lies in understanding systems, processes, sales, marketing, leadership, and forging the way for others. In 2016 he entered the RV space with just his personal travel trailer and has since expanded to hundreds of RV’s under management and 8 figures in RV rentals under his belt. Garr is paving the way in the RV rental world as the nation’s first RV rental management franchise with locations all around the US and projects to close in on 100 locations by the end of 2024. Garr’s franchisees earn a whopping 40%+ management

Laka Sriram - V.P. of Product, U.S. Independents at GoDaddy GoDaddy has taken all of the advancements that are happening in the tech industry in the field of generative AI and incorporated it into our own platform. We then bring it to our 21 million plus customers in an easy, simple way for them to use. It is called GoDaddy Airo. Laka Sriram is a V.P. of Product, U.S. Independents, at GoDaddy. Within his role, he focuses on building products that leverage A.I. technology to help small businesses scale and prevent them from spending time on strenuous tasks that otherwise could have been used for strategic planning. For small businesses, every second saved and every dollar spent is the difference between surviving and thriving. Despite overall use of AI in the U.S. being 73%, on average, only 26% of small business owners are utilizing AI for their business. GoDaddy Airo™ is a new solution that saves SMB owners time and money by easily taking advantage of generative AI. It is set to be a game-changer, with sma

Dr. Eric Siegel – Founder of Machine Learning Week, Former Columbia Professor and Bestselling Author of The AI Playbook: Mastering the Rare Art of Machine Learning Deployment  The supposed threat of AI taking over roles, I think that is part of the hype that is hurtful for everybody. It causes nerves where they are not needed and oversells the technology. It is not autonomous. We are not creating artificial humans. Eric Siegel, Ph.D. is a leading consultant and former Columbia University professor who helps companies deploy machine learning. He is the founder of the long-running Machine Learning Week conference series, the instructor of the acclaimed online course “Machine Learning Leadership and Practice – End-to-End Mastery,” executive editor of The Machine Learning Times, and a frequent keynote speaker. He wrote the bestselling Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die, which has been used in courses at hundreds of universities, as well as The AI Playbook: Mastering the

Cam Beaudoin – Founder of The Frequent Speaker Being memorable is sometimes more important than having the best talk or having the most polished look. Try to be remembered! Cam Beaudoin is the founder of The Frequent Speaker, where he revolutionizes how speakers utilize their content. With a background in software development and technical consulting, Cam bridges the gap between technology and public speaking. His expertise lies in getting speakers on bigger stages so they can help transform bigger crowds by leveraging their existing content. Cam’s agency offers a unique “done-for-you” service, crafting speaker highlight reels that quickly and efficiently build trust and credibility with the audience. His approach combines a deep understanding of big business needs and leveraging technology, making him a valuable ally for speakers navigating the digital landscape. Driven by a passion to elevate voices in the speaking world, especially those less heard, Cam aspires to open new, rewarding opportunities for sp

Michael Hinkle – Founder of JBI and Author of Treasure Hunt: A Common-Sense Approach To Building A Successful Sales Career If you formulate your sales questions and develop a process where you are making it difficult for potential customers to use the word no, if they do use it, you can step back for a second, and say ‘What is the real objection here. Are they saying no to stop me from talking further or are they saying no, not now?’ Michael Hinkle, author of ‘Treasure Hunt: A Common-Sense Approach To Building A Successful Sales Career,’ is the founder of JBI, a Los Angeles-based sales consulting and coaching business with a specific interest in teaching sales professionals to become sales hunters and create business opportunities from scratch. His three decades in sales have included 20-plus years with a Fortune 500 company, where he rose to become a vice president while continuing to manage a productive sales pipeline and foster client relationships. As a husband and father to three grown children, he lov

An Ly-Tampere – Book Coach Coach Use promo code Jim to get 20% off on my coaching package! You don’t get clients in one day just by putting out a Facebook post and hoping that the social media gods make it go viral. You have to do it every single day! An Ly-Tampere is a business mentor specializing in supporting book coaches. Her journey began with the birth of her child, leading her from a challenging start to a balanced life with family and reading time. With a background as a writer and a decade in business consultancy, she offers customized solutions. An Ly-Tampere’s journey into entrepreneurship was sparked by the arrival of her child, propelling her into the unfamiliar realm of starting a business. Despite encountering numerous hurdles, setbacks, and a plethora of mistakes along the way, she has found herself immersed in a life enriched with ample quality time for her family, maintaining a manageable 20-hour workweek, and indulging in a reading habit that could rival that of a librarian. This lifestyl

Wayne Elliott – Ship Recycling and Strauss Naturals Advocate I owe my life to Strauss Naturals products. Jim Strauss had such an understanding of nature and how everything connects. There has never been one word that he said that did not turn out to be true. Wayne Elliott is a former football and baseball player. He has been in the ship recycling business for 40 years. His company can take a 1000-foot-long ship and reduce it to a pile to reusable materials. He has grown into other areas such as battery recycling. He recounts his life-changing experience with SHD, a health supplement he stumbled upon after battling angina and its debilitating symptoms. Struggling with leg cramps, shortness of breath, night sweats, and chest pains, Wayne also grappled with anxiety and a lack of energy, resigning himself to the fate of heart-related issues that plagued his family. However, upon learning about SHD through a friend in Vancouver and being inspired by studies from renowned institutions like Harvard, Wayne decided

Steve Berry – NY Times Best Selling Author of The Atlas Maneuver (Cotton Malone Book 18) You take tremendous risk with Bitcoin. There is something fundamentally flawed about Bitcoin itself! Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone adventures, five stand-alone thrillers, and several works of short fiction. His books have been translated into 41 languages with 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, a Steve Berry book is sold. History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners, and their popular wri

Jason White – Federal Contracts Expert and Author of The Unconventional Path to Success: How to Build a Multi-Million Dollar Empire with Self-Education Most people get into a business and they want to make $1,000,000 in their first month or their first year. That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life! The goal should be bringing in consistent money over a long period of time. Jason White uses passion, charisma, and people skills to succeed in business and in his personal life. He is someone who struggled through his youth and turned it around with little more than motivation. Keeping his persona intact, he found being real in the world to be the key to success. Most importantly, he knows how to help others achieve their highest goals. Today, Jason shares that knowledge with anyone looking to learn. From humble roots with nothing more than a public high school diploma (his Ph.D.), Jason’s initial direction was lacking. He made his way into the Coast Guard, serving for a decade, only leaving to find

Art Powell – Founder and CEO of Trinsic Technologies      Foosball is not going to give you a great culture. What gives you a great culture is when everybody is focused and knows the vision. Everyone has bought into the vision and values. We are all about listening to people, our customers and our employees. Art Powell is an entrepreneur who has enjoyed working in the tech industry for over 25 years – still bragging of being one the first of his friends to buy a 28 kbps Modem. He is the founder and CEO of Trinsic Technologies, and the strategic AI visionary with AHvos, an enterprise-level, highly scalable AI solution tailorable for data-heavy businesses. Married for 31 years and teach theology at my non-denominational Church. I love playing video and role-playing games. I have two grown adult children. I love drinking coffee while discussing science, business, technology, and theology. Doug Lennick & Chuck Wachendorfer – Founder and President of think2perform and Authors of Don’t Wait for Someone Els

Wayne Elliott – Ship Recycling and Strauss Naturals Advocate Banks don’t care if you had a bad month. They want your money. They are not much difference from the mafia! Banks are tough. Banks will give you an umbrella when the sun is shining and when it starts to rain they want to take the umbrella back. Wayne Elliott is a former football and baseball player. He has been in the ship recycling business for 40 years. His company can take a 1000-foot-long ship and reduce it to a pile to reusable materials. He has grown into other areas such as battery recycling. He recounts his life-changing experience with SHD, a health supplement he stumbled upon after battling angina and its debilitating symptoms. Struggling with leg cramps, shortness of breath, night sweats, and chest pains, Wayne also grappled with anxiety and a lack of energy, resigning himself to the fate of heart-related issues that plagued his family. However, upon learning about SHD through a friend in Vancouver and being inspired by studies from ren