545: Work BACKWARDS to achieve your goals!

Meet Andrew Safnauer, a serial entrepreneur who proves that the pattern of success isn't about luck—it's about execution. From winning an Emmy and launching a seven-figure apparel brand to building a luxury vehicle wholesale organization from scratch, Andrew has mastered the art of turning ideas into reality. In this episode, he breaks down the single biggest obstacle holding most wantrepreneurs back: the fear of making decisions. This isn't just an inspiring story; it's a practical guide for anyone ready to stop planning and start building. You'll learn why your ideas are worthless without action and how to develop the "executionist" mindset needed to succeed in any industry.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 The Napkin-to-Product Playbook: Learn the step-by-step process of taking a simple idea and turning it into a tangible, sellable product people love.🧠 Action vs. Motion: Discover the critical difference between being busy and being productive, and how to focus on tasks that actually move the needle.🤝 The Mirror Method for Marketing: Uncover the secret to crafting a brand message that connects deeply with your audience by making them see themselves in your product.📈 How to Navigate Inflection Points: Understand the key stages of business growth and the different questions you need to ask to scale successfully.🛠️ AI as a Force Multiplier: Learn how to leverage AI as a powerful tool to enhance your work and save time, without letting it become a crutch for decision-making.💪 The Power of Reps and Resourcefulness: Why experience in one industry can become your superpower in another, and how to cultivate the resourcefulness to solve any problem.💥 Overcoming the Fear of Failure: Reframe failure as a lesson-learned opportunity that provides the crucial experience needed for your next big win.📝 About Andrew Safnauer Andrew Safnauer is a cross-industry entrepreneur and strategic advisor with a track record of turning bold ideas into thriving businesses. His diverse career includes winning an Emmy for voiceover work, leading creative teams for a major broadcast company, launching and exiting a seven-figure apparel brand, owning automotive dealerships, and developing apps. Andrew now leverages his deep experience in execution and problem-solving to help growth companies and leaders navigate complex challenges, cut through indecision, and accelerate their path to success through his consultancy, 9Five Partners.🎯 Andrew’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "The takeaway would be get off this podcast when you're done listening to it and write down one thing you've been avoiding and write down what it's costing you... Indecision is the problem."📢 Memorable Quotes “Ideas are a dime a dozen... it's getting it done. People have said to me... ‘well, I thought of ideas like that.’ And my thing was always like, well, you should have executed on them.” – Andrew Safnauer“You can't steer a parked car. You've got to make decisions and move forward.” – Andrew Safnauer“Creative really, in the end, is trying to turn the mirror back on the audience, right? They want to see themselves in your product.” – Andrew Safnauer🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit NineFive Partners’ websiteConnect with Andrew on LinkedInFollow NineFive Partners on LinkedIn

In this powerhouse episode, Brian sits down with David Frederiksen, a seasoned CEO who has lived through the entrepreneurial gauntlet and emerged with a playbook for massive growth. David shares the raw, unfiltered story of scaling his healthcare company to over $250 million in receivables, including mortgaging his house three times and raising $16 million from angel investors (a move he surprisingly advises against). This isn't just theory; it's a masterclass in the realities of scaling, packed with hard-won lessons on fundraising, execution, and team alignment. If you're tired of hearing the word "scale" as a buzzword and want to understand the strategic decisions that truly drive growth, this episode will give you the clarity and conviction to build a business—and a life—you love.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🍕 The "Two Pizza Rule": A simple yet profound way to know exactly when you need to change your systems, communication, and processes as you grow.💰 Fundraising Red Flags: Why raising $16M from angel investors can be a strategic mistake and when you should pull the trigger on institutional capital instead.🚀 Need vs. Demand: Learn the critical difference between a market that needs your product and one that is willing to pay for it—a lesson David learned from a multi-billion dollar business venture.🔥 How to Execute a 90-Day Sprint: A step-by-step guide to breaking down your biggest goals into granular, actionable tasks that guarantee progress every single quarter.🛠️ The Coach, Build, Transfer Model: Discover a unique methodology for getting expert help to build scalable systems and then seamlessly transferring ownership back to your team.🤯 The Entrepreneur's Mindset: Why you must believe in your vision "like gravity" and drive full-speed towards the cliff, trusting that your car will either fly or land safely.⚖️ The Speed, Cost, & Quality Triangle: Understand the trade-offs you're making in execution and how to consciously choose which two you will prioritize to achieve your goals.📝 About David Frederiksen David Frederiksen is a seasoned CEO, entrepreneur, and executive coach with over 25 years of experience scaling businesses in healthcare, finance, and technology. He is the founder of Tobias Advisors, where he helps leadership teams execute with clarity and grow smarter. As a former CEO, David built and exited a healthcare company after raising $16 million and scaling it to over $250 million in receivables. His unique, hands-on experience gives him a rare perspective on what it truly takes to navigate the chaos of growth and build not just a scalable company, but a sustainable life.🎯 David’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "It's really, really important to distinguish the difference between need and demand... Demand is taking that same need, but there are customers willing to take out their wallets and pay. Those are fundamentally different things."📢 Memorable Quotes"Entrepreneurs... they drive full speed towards the edge of the cliff with every ounce of conviction that either the car is going to fly or there will be something to drive on." – David Frederiksen"Every time your team grows to the point where you need two more pizzas to feed your team, you've got to do things differently. You've got to communicate differently, you've got to solve problems differently." – David Frederiksen🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Tobias Advisors’ websiteConnect with David on LinkedInFollow Tobias Advisors LLC on LinkedIn

Ever feel like your business is stuck in a rut, doing the same things while the world changes around you? In this powerful episode, corporate anthropologist Dr. Andi Simon reveals how to see your business, your customers, and your market with a completely fresh lens. She breaks down why the "more of the same, but cheaper" model is a recipe for disaster and introduces the game-changing principles of Blue Ocean Strategy—creating entirely new markets where competition is irrelevant.This isn't just theory; it's a practical guide for wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs to stop guessing and start exploring. You'll learn how to apply the tools of an anthropologist to uncover what your customers really need (not just what you think they need), embrace change as an opportunity, and build a business with longevity and purpose. Dr. Andi's unique blend of human insight and strategic thinking will give you the objective perspective you need to innovate, scale, and thrive in 2026 and beyond.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to apply the mindset of a corporate anthropologist to see your business as a "small-scale society" and uncover hidden opportunities for growth.Why you need to get out of the office and "go exploring" to see how customers actually use your products and find their true unmet needs.The core principles of Blue Ocean Strategy and how to create new, uncontested market space instead of fighting bloody battles in a crowded "red ocean."Techniques to overcome your own biases and develop an objective perspective that allows you to see possibilities your competitors miss.How to embrace disruptive technologies like AI as powerful assets to expand your thinking and add innovative value, rather than viewing them as threats.The critical link between curiosity, purpose, and building a sustainable business that can adapt and thrive through changing times.📝 About Dr. Andi Simon Dr. Andi Simon is a corporate anthropologist, award-winning author, and the CEO of Simon Associates Management Consultants. After two decades as a successful executive in financial services and healthcare, Andi launched her own firm to help organizations see their challenges through a fresh lens to spark growth and innovation. She is the brilliant mind behind the books On the Brink, Rethink, and Women Mean Business, and the host of the top-ranked podcast On the Brink with Andi Simon. Andi’s unique gift is her ability to blend deep human observation with actionable business strategy, making her an invaluable guide for any entrepreneur looking to build something truly meaningful.🎯 Andi’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Follow your curiosity. It's telling you something... Listen to it. Don't delete your gut."📢 Memorable Quotes “What makes you think a business isn't a small scale society? When you begin to apply the theory methods and tools into a corporate setting, you discover that people are people.” – Dr. Andi Simon“In tumultuous times, it's not the tumult that gets you. It's trying to solve it with yesterday's solutions. Yesterday will not help you tomorrow.” – Dr. Andi Simon (quoting Peter Drucker)"If you can't see it, you can't do it. Visualizing what might happen... begins to make the brain open up objectively to what's possible." – Dr. Andi Simon🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Andi Simon’s websiteVisit SAMC's websiteConnect with Andi on LinkedInFollow Simon Associates Management Consultants on LinkedIn

Ever get lost in a chaotic group chat trying to plan a simple trip or event? Ankit Dave, a former Google software engineer and product manager, saw this exact problem and left his "golden handcuffs" to build the solution. In this episode, he unveils Farflung.ai, his AI-native platform designed to transform messy conversations into organized, actionable plans. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur on how to identify a universal problem and leverage cutting-edge technology to solve it. Drawing from his decade of experience building billion-user products at Google, Ankit shares invaluable insights on product development, go-to-market strategy, and the founder's mindset needed to thrive in the fast-paced world of AI.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessAI for Real-World Problems: Learn how to spot friction in everyday life (like fragmented group chats) and apply AI to create a seamless, valuable solution.User-Centric AI Design: Discover the core principles of building an AI product that empowers users by keeping them in control, rather than letting AI become an interruption.Niche-First Market Strategy: Understand why focusing on a single, powerful use case (like travel planning) is a brilliant way to gain initial traction and build a network effect for your app.Bootstrapping to Beta at Lightning Speed: Learn how Ankit went from an idea in March to a live beta on the app stores in just a few months, proving that rapid execution is key.Building Trust Through Privacy: Get tactical advice on how to design an AI platform with user privacy at its core, a crucial step for gaining customer trust and adoption.Seizing the AI Opportunity: Ankit makes a powerful case for why the current vacuum created by AI presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for entrepreneurs to build something new.📝 About Ankit DaveAnkit Dave is the Founder and CEO of Farflung.ai. His journey is a testament to scrappy innovation, having moved from India to the U.S. and carving a path to Google, where he spent a decade as both a software engineer and a product manager. He played a key role in developing major projects like the Fuchsia OS and worked with Gemini, giving him a front-row seat to the AI revolution. In 2024, Ankit took the ultimate entrepreneurial leap, leaving his secure role at Google to build farflung.ai, an AI-native platform that turns talk into action. His unique blend of big-tech experience and a relentless founder’s spirit makes him an incredible guide for navigating the new AI landscape.🎯 Ankit’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs“Don't wait for the perfect time. If there's something that you want to do, do it. Jump, take that jump, because the perfect time may or may not come.”📢 Memorable Quotes“I personally believe that if you want to do something, don't let anything come in your way. There are always ways or things you can find out which will help you build the things that you want.” – Ankit Dave“Every single product that we are using today will go through this change, and I'm not sure when this type of opportunity will come in the future... It's a very good time to go out and build something.” – Ankit Dave"Any company which is trying to adapt quickly, I think would be more successful than people who are rigid to their roadmaps." – Ankit Dave🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Farflung’s websiteConnect with Ankit on LinkedInFollow Farflung AI on LinkedIn

Ever feel like you have too many ideas and not enough focus? Andrew Mathewes is here to show you why that might be your greatest strength. In this episode, Andrew shares his incredible journey of leaving a high-profile role at the National Civil Rights Museum to launch not one, but two completely different businesses simultaneously: Jehl Consulting, a tech consultancy for nonprofits, and Stomping Grounds, a massive brick-and-mortar play space for families. This episode is a masterclass in turning personal problems into powerful business ideas, leveraging AI as your strategic partner, and understanding why building community is the ultimate growth hack. Andrew’s story proves that the skills you’ve gathered throughout your career are more connected than you think, and they can fuel a multi-faceted entrepreneurial life that is both profitable and fulfilling.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe Anti-Focus Method: Discover how running two seemingly unrelated businesses (tech consulting and a brick-and-mortar) can create a powerful synergy that makes you a better strategist and CEO.Solve Your Own Problems: Learn how Andrew turned his frustrations as a dad of two toddlers into Stomping Grounds, a community-focused business that solved a real-world pain point he experienced every weekend.Bizanthropy 101: Uncover the strategies used by multi-billion dollar nonprofits like St. Jude to run their mission-driven organizations with the ruthless efficiency and marketing savvy of a top for-profit company.Why a 5-Year Plan is a Waste of Time: Embrace the power of "discovery-based planning" and a "test and learn" approach to stay agile and responsive in an uncertain market.📝 About Andrew Mathewes Andrew Mathewes is an entrepreneur who thrives at the intersection of data, technology, and community. After a distinguished 15-year career serving major organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the National Civil Rights Museum, he took the entrepreneurial leap in a big way. Instead of choosing one path, he launched two: Jehl Consulting, which helps nonprofits leverage technology for greater impact, and Stomping Grounds, a 1.4-acre family-focused eatery and play space in Memphis. Andrew’s unique perspective comes from his ability to speak the language of both tech nerds and business leaders, making him a powerful connector and problem-solver.🎯 Andrew’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs “I wouldn't be anywhere without a mentor. So if you're young in your career, if you're just stepping out to be an entrepreneur... I can't urge you to do that enough.”📢 Memorable Quotes“When everything is so uncertain, it's actually imprudent to plan that far ahead. And instead, you stay in test and learn mode.” – Andrew Mathewes“I could not have done it without where the tools are today in terms of AGI and ChatGPT. Doing this completely different business, I've never run a restaurant… I can just pull out my phone and run a deep research report.” – Andrew Mathewes“Both [businesses] are rooted in community and rebuilding... that impulse to go back to knowing our neighbors a little bit better.” – Andrew Mathewes🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Jehl Consulting’s websiteVisit Stomping Grounds’ websiteConnect with Andrew on LinkedInFollow Jehl Consulting on LinkedInFollow Stomping Grounds on LinkedIn

In this episode, fractional CMO and founder of Garde Haus Marketing, Cristin Padgett, breaks down the art and science of building a predictable, scalable marketing engine. She explains why relying on "vibes" is a surefire way to waste time and money, and how to shift to a data-driven, systematic approach. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur tired of inconsistent results. You'll learn how to leverage AI for more than just content creation, focus on the metrics that actually matter (like customer acquisition cost), and build a growth system that attracts customers and investors alike. Cristin’s unique ability to blend creative storytelling with operational rigor provides a clear roadmap for turning your vision into a revenue-generating machine.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business⚙️ How to build a scalable, repeatable marketing “engine” instead of relying on one-off tactics that don’t produce consistent results.📊 Why you must ditch the “vibes-based” marketing approach and embrace a data-driven, scientific method to find and attract your ideal customers.🤖 The untapped power of AI for systematizing your marketing, improving timing, and automating workflows—saving you dozens of hours a year.💸 How to identify your marketing “North Star” metric (Customer Acquisition Cost) to ensure every dollar you spend is driving real growth.🧪 A framework for effective experimentation, knowing when to pivot, and why failing fast is critical for long-term success.🤝 Why marketing isn’t just about lead generation—it’s about creating a frictionless customer experience that drives conversions and retention.🧠 How to stay curious and continuously peel back the layers of your data to understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what to do next.📝 About Cristin Padgett Cristin Padgett is a fractional CMO and the founder of Guarde Haus Marketing, a strategy-first consultancy that helps early-stage and venture-backed startups build predictable growth systems. With a rich background working with giants like Palo Alto Networks and innovative startups, Cristin excels at the intersection of creative storytelling and operational excellence. Her expertise lies in transforming big ideas into scalable, investor-ready marketing engines that drive traction, credibility, and revenue. Cristin brings a unique, data-driven perspective that challenges founders to think beyond tactics and build a truly sustainable business.🎯 Cristin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Stay curious. That is how you succeed." Cristin’s most powerful advice is to maintain a relentless sense of curiosity. It’s the driving force behind understanding your data, your customers, and your market.📢 Memorable Quotes “You shouldn't create a marketing strategy based off vibes. Let's put it like that. Don't just go off vibes. There's an art and a science to this.” – Cristin Padgett“Fail, fail often and fail fast... the longer it takes you to figure out you're going down the wrong path, the more it's going to cost you.” – Cristin Padgett"Marketing is an engine, and you need to develop the structure around it in order to create a scalable, repeatable engine.” – Cristin Padgett🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Garde Haus Marketing’s websiteConnect with Cristin on LinkedInFollow Garde Haus Marketing on LinkedIn

As the new year approaches, are you tired of setting the same old resolutions that fizzle out by February? It’s time to stop making wishes and start building a strategic roadmap. In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on his completely evolved annual planning process — a powerful 6-layer framework he’s using to design his best year yet in 2026. Forget spreadsheets and simple goal-setting. Brian walks you through a holistic system that starts with who you need to become and ends with designing a life that fuels your business, not the other way around. This is the exact process for turning big ambitions into an actionable, quarter-by-quarter execution plan.✨ Why This Matters for YouThis isn't just another planning episode. This framework is designed to create alignment and momentum:It forces you to start with identity, ensuring your actions are aligned with the person you need to be to succeed.It connects your offers directly to your revenue goals, revealing gaps and opportunities in your business model.It helps you move beyond tactical chaos by defining high-level strategy before you get lost in the "how."It breaks down an entire year into manageable 90-day sprints, making big goals feel achievable.It integrates your life with your business, preventing burnout and ensuring your company serves your ideal lifestyle.📝 Key TakeawaysBrian breaks down his annual planning into six distinct layers that build on one another:The Identity Layer: Who do you need to become to achieve the results you want? It all starts with embodying the identity of the person who has already succeeded.The Offer Layer: A strategic look at your products and services. Do they align? Do they support each other? Do they create a clear path for your customers and your revenue goals?The Themes Layer: What are the 3-5 guiding principles for your year? Think "leverage over labor" or "visibility over obscurity." These themes act as your compass for every decision.The Strategy Layer: Before tactics, you need strategy. This is where you make the big-picture decisions about your focus, market positioning, and key milestones for the year.The Execution Layer: Translate your strategy into a concrete plan. This is where Brian maps out his quarterly focuses, turning a 12-month vision into 90-day actionable chunks.The Life Design Layer: Your business must support your life. This layer ensures you intentionally plan for health, relationships, rest, and creativity, building a sustainable foundation for success.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, grab a notebook and do a "6-Layer Audit" for your upcoming year:Identity: Who is the version of you that effortlessly achieves your goals? Write down three traits they embody.Offers: List all your current offers. Is there one you need to cut, evolve, or create to hit your goals?Themes: What’s one theme that feels absolutely essential for you this year?Strategy: What is the single most important strategic milestone that would make this year a massive success?Execution: What is the #1 focus for you in the first 90 days of the year?Life Design: What is one non-negotiable personal habit or activity you will protect this year?🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.Want to share your plan or ask Brian a question? Send him a personal email at [email protected] with Brian on Instagram @imetbrian.Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who is ready to make next year their best year yet.

Tired of the screen time battle and the overwhelming number of single-use gadgets for kids? This episode tackles the "iPad kid" epidemic head-on with Dhruv Chadha, founder of Ahmi. Drawing from his experience building hit products at Blackberry, Microsoft, and T-Mobile, Dhruv shares how his personal journey as a father led him to create Ahmi—an all-in-one intelligent device that serves as a monitor, sound machine, nightlight, and learning hub. This conversation is a masterclass for any entrepreneur on how to identify a deeply personal problem, validate it with rigorous customer research, and make the strategic decision to build a cohesive hardware and software solution in a fragmented market. Tune in to learn how technology, when built with intention, can support development instead of competing with it.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe "iPhone Moment" Strategy: Learn how to identify a fragmented market filled with single-solution products and create one cohesive platform that does it all.Why Hardware Matters: Understand the strategic decision-making process behind building a physical product versus just an app, especially when user behavior (like kids swiping away) is a key factor.From Pain Point to Product: Discover how Dhruv turned his own parenting struggles with routine charts and learning tools into a scalable business idea.Customer-Led Development: Hear how interviewing over 50 parents was crucial in defining Ami’s core features and validating the market need before a single unit was built.AI-Powered Personalization: See how Ami uses AI not as a gimmick, but as a tool to create personalized learning experiences for children based on their unique interests (like counting with cars instead of apples).📝 About Dhruv Chadha Dhruv Chadha is the founder of Ahmi, an intelligent device designed to help parents raise confident, capable kids in a tech-saturated world. With a rich background in consumer technology, Dhruv has been at the forefront of the mobile revolution, building smartphones at Blackberry and Microsoft. He later led the software development for T-Mobile's Sync Up Kids Watch, which became the #1 selling kids' smartwatch at launch. As a father himself, Dhruv combines his deep technical expertise with a personal mission to create technology that enhances early childhood development rather than distracting from it.🎯 Dhruv’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "If you have a passion for an area and the drive to do it, you can. Just jump in and go do what you're passionate about, and if you see a real problem and you can quantify it, I think it's worth pursuing those problems."📢 Memorable Quotes"We're not here to replace the parent. We're here to help the parent and actually bring the child and parent closer." – Dhruv Chadha"I really call this the iPhone moment of parenting tech. There is so much tech for parents right now, but they solve like one problem at a time, and they don't work cohesively." – Dhruv Chadha🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Ahmi’s websiteVisit The Connected Childhood PodcastConnect with Dhruv on LinkedInFollow Ahmi on LinkedInFollow Ahmi on Instagram

Justin Steele, a former Google.org director who oversaw $700 million in grants, found himself on the other side of the table as a non-profit founder struggling to afford fundraising tools. Instead of accepting the status quo, he taught himself to code with AI and built Kindora, a Public Benefit Corporation that makes professional fundraising tools accessible to all. This episode is a masterclass in scrappy innovation, demonstrating how any entrepreneur can turn a personal "thorn in your side" into a viable business. Justin shares his incredible story of building an MVP in just two weeks from his living room, offering a powerful lesson in leveraging AI as a superpower to solve real-world problems, build a mission-driven company, and scale your impact without waiting for permission.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to use AI as your personal software developer to build an MVP, even with zero coding experience.💡 The step-by-step process of identifying a personal pain point and transforming it into a scalable business idea.💰 A fundraising strategy for early-stage ventures: why a high-volume, targeted approach to small grants can be your rocket fuel.⚖️ How the Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) model allows you to legally balance profit with social impact, protecting your mission as you grow.🛠️ Why being the "painter" closest to the problem gives you an unmatched advantage in developing effective solutions and products.🤝 The power of partnership and how a co-founder can provide the courage and confidence to turn a prototype into a real company.📝 About Justin SteeleJustin Steele is the co-founder and CEO of Kindora, a Public Benefit Corporation making professional fundraising tools accessible to every nonprofit. With a background that includes directing $700 million in philanthropic grants at Google.org and degrees from Harvard Business School, Justin combines big-company experience with startup grit. His journey began when he founded his own nonprofit, Outdoorithm Collective, and discovered the very tools meant to help him were financially out of reach. This inspired him to leverage AI to build a better solution from scratch, giving him a unique and powerful perspective from both sides of the funding table.🎯 Justin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Grab your paintbrush and start painting with these AI programs."📢 Memorable Quotes“I would just gut check it. I don't want to know... is this worth my time to do more due diligence or not? And I just literally had the AI do that 10,000 times.” – Justin Steele"As a founder, you know, you're supposed to put out products that you're embarrassed by... if you're not putting stuff out that's early prototyping, then you're probably hanging on to it too long." – Justin Steele"I have yet to try something and hit a wall where I'm like, 'Oh, I actually can't build the thing.' It's a superpower. It gives everybody a massive edge and we should all be in these tools. It's like jumping into an Iron Man suit." – Justin Steele🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Kindora’s websiteVisit Outdoorithm Collective’s websiteConnect with Justin on LinkedInFollow Kindora on LinkedInFollow Outdoorithm Collective on LinkedIn

In a world buzzing with AI, how do you cut through the noise to make decisions that actually grow your business? This episode features Bobby Thompson, the founder of WUNN Labs, who is demystifying the world of data for entrepreneurs. Bobby breaks down how the information you already have—from sales calls and emails to CRM entries—is a goldmine waiting to be tapped. He explains how modern AI makes it possible for any business to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data to gain a competitive edge. This isn't a high-level theoretical chat; it's a practical guide on shortening your innovation cycles, solving problems faster, and building a well-oiled machine that moves with speed and clarity. Tune in to learn how to harness data to build a smarter, more agile, and more successful business.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 Why your qualitative data (emails, call transcripts, Slack messages) is just as valuable as your quantitative data, and how AI can finally make sense of it all.💰 How to identify and eliminate the 20% of sales efforts that are going nowhere, effectively boosting your revenue without increasing your workload.🧠 A framework for approaching AI: Start with your biggest business problem, not with the technology, to find the right solution.⚡ How to shorten your business cycles from years to months (or months to weeks) by making better, faster decisions backed by real data.🤝 Why AI won't replace entrepreneurs but will empower smaller, more agile teams to compete with monolithic companies.📈 How to move beyond simple dashboards and get the full context behind your data to make decisions you can feel confident about.📝 About Bobby ThompsonBobby Thompson is the founder of WUNN Labs, where he is building the infrastructure for better human judgment in an AI-driven world. With a background as a data scientist and a former Chief Product and Technology Officer, Bobby has spent his career at the intersection of data, design, and decision-making. He got disillusioned with the slow, expensive cycle of traditional data science and saw an opportunity with AI to create a shorter, more effective bridge between data analysis and real-world business action. His unique perspective helps entrepreneurs move past the hype and use data to build truly intelligent and efficient companies.🎯 Bobby’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs“It's the golden era for ambition. Be ambitious. You could do so much more than you could before, and so the people that try and are resourceful and ambitious, they're going to have a lot of success.”📢 Memorable Quotes"If we keep accelerating faster without better decisions, we're just going to kind of end up in weird places as businesses." – Bobby Thompson"The bigger question should be what are your biggest problems that you're actually trying to solve?... And then it's just, AI to solve that thing specifically." – Bobby Thompson"I do think you're not going to need as many monolithic companies, which I actually think is cool, especially for a podcast about entrepreneurship. There's going to be a big boom of smaller companies." – Bobby Thompson🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit WUNN Labs’ websiteConnect with Bobby on LinkedInFollow WUNN Labs on LinkedIn