Ep. 071 – An Interview with Brian Walker, Part 1: “Whitewater Growth” and Startup Priorities

Brian Walker

Brian Walker

After spending over a decade working at marketing and advertising agencies, Brian Walker had an epiphany. “Everyone is expendable.” In that moment, Brian decided that making others wealthy without even the promise of security wasn’t a sustainable life. In the middle of one of the worst economic climates in modern history, Brian struck out on his own, launching his own marketing firm from a walk-in closet turned office.

He’s done pretty well for himself. As the founder of the Chicago-based AE Marketing Group, Brian has overseen 18 straight quarters of profitability, and 200% growth. He’s also a Graduate of Goldman Sachs Small Business 10K Program. In this episode, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles talk with Brian about his background, his company, and his mission. Continue reading

Ep. 069 – An Interview with Brenden Fitzgerald, Part 3

SIB-Blog-3As an entrepreneur who has spent substantial time in the crowdfunding space, Brenden Fitzgerald has a few thoughts for listeners about growing a community, building collaborations and exploring partnerships as a means of creating a successful campaign.

In this final installment of this three-part interview, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles also chat with Brenden about his favorite startup resources, balancing priorities, time management, and what it means to be a “slasher” entrepreneur. Continue reading

Ep. 068 – An Interview with Brenden Fitzgerald, Part 2

SIB-Blog-2In his role as a serial entrepreneur, Brenden Fitzgerald has spent a lot of time building community, connecting with influencers and mastering the fine art of raising money through crowdsoucing.

In part two of this interview, host Tom Ryan and Brenden discuss these challenges, as well as managing outsourced talent and courting technical co-founders, all while creating solid products for the market. As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading

Ep. 067 – An Interview with Brenden Fitzgerald, Part 1

SIB-Blog-1 In today’s episode, serial entrepreneur and GoWorx founder Brenden Fitzgerald returns to the show to talk about his new app-based venture Taggd.

Brenden and host Tom Ryan discuss how the app came to be, lessons learned in the development, and Brenden’s process for working with collaborators.

As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading

Ep. 065 – Interview with Joel Robertson, co-founder of HalfSizeMe.com, Part 3

SIB-Blog-1As HalfSizeMe.com has grown, they’ve found themselves with an unexpected problem: Not wanting to grow too much. As co-founder Joel Robertson explains, part of the appeal of their business is the personal, somewhat exclusive relationships they build with their clients. Growing too quickly could mean losing that connection. As a result, HalfSizeMe.com’s biggest priority is sustainable retention rather than rapid growth.

In this episode, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles wrap up their conversation with Joel about the next steps for growing HalfSizeMe.com, while retaining the strong, individual connections they’ve developed with their clients. Continue reading

Ep. 064 – Interview with Joel Robertson, co-founder of HalfSizeMe.com, Part 2

SIB-Blog-5As an online-centric weight-management, health and fitness business, HalfSizeMe.com faces many unique challenges. From creating compelling products and services, to solving the riddle of subscriber growth and retention, founders and digital entrepreneurs Joel and Heather Robertson have innovated their way through some tough times.

In this episode, host Tom Ryan continues his conversation with Joel about the challenges HalfSizeMe.com has faced, and the lessons learned as the business has taken shape. Continue reading

Ep. 063 – Interview with HalfSizeMe.com’s Joel Robertson, Part 1

SIB-Blog-4When Heather Robertson decided to take control of her weight, her husband Joel was more than just supportive. Together, the two of them built a successful podcast, an online weight-loss support community and a growing business, HalfSizeMe.com. Joel takes his startup work seriously, and he was also one of the first listeners to submit a question to Success In Business Podcast.

Over the next few episodes, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles talk to Joel about the challenges HalfSizeMe.com has faced, and the lessons learned as the business has taken shape. Continue reading

Ep. 060 – Interview with N.C. Securities Division Specialist Leo John, Part 2

SIB-Blog-6Building your company is more than a matter of developing products and finding customers, it’s also a matter of creating a strong and stable legal entity. Simply having the wrong legal structure can be a major red flag for investors. Understanding taxes, intrastate funding, and other state-level issues can easily cause a fledgling entrepreneur’s head to spin.

In this episode, host Tom Ryan continues his interview Leo John, a Legal Specialist for the Securities Division of the N.C. Secretary of State. Leo provides a wealth of insight into a wide variety of topics, from intrastate crowdfunding investment to solid advice for forming a legally sturdy business. As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading

Ep. 059 – Interview with N.C. Securities Division Specialist Leo John, Part 1

SIB-Blog-4One of the most important things for any fledgling entrepreneur to understand is how to build a positive relationship with the state business agencies. Knowing the rules and regulations will prevent countless future headaches, from legal costs to licenses. For a company seeking investment and outside funding, knowing the rules can prevent outright catastrophe.

In this episode, host Tom Ryan interviews Leo John, a Legal Specialist for the Securities Division of the N.C. Secretary of State. Leo provides a wealth of insight, from the value of retaining a securities attorney early in the process to the future of investment crowdfunding in North Carolina. As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading

Ep. 056 – Interview with Slidebean CEO ‘Caya’ Cayasso, Part 4

Jose 'Caya' Cayasso, CEO of Slidebean

Jose ‘Caya’ Cayasso, CEO of Slidebean

In this episode, the Success In Business Podcast wraps up our interview with Jose ‘Caya’ Cayasso, founder and CEO of presentation-sharing software startup Slidebean. In this segment of the interview, Tom and Caya discuss working with investors, the challenge of timing your fundraising, and the startup cultures of New York, Silicon Valley and Costa Rica.

In addition to his success as an entrepreneur, Caya has been named in the “40 Under 40” list of Costa Rican innovators by El Financiero newspaper, and received an Innovation Champion by the Costa Rican Ministry of Science and Technology. Continue reading