Welcome to 15 Minute Founder, where we sit down with ambitious founders, creators, and operators to unpack the journey behind their business all in 15 minutes or less. From bold first steps to lessons learned the hard way, this show is for anyone building something of their own.

Today’s Guest: MarkBuildsBrands
Mark Builds Brands is the personal brand of a YouTube creator and entrepreneur focused on e-commerce, AI automation, and direct response marketing. He has built a reputation for launching highly profitable online brands while sharing unfiltered insights on content creation, funnels, and growing businesses digitally.

Join Arjun on the 15 Minute Founder as he sits down with Ramin Popal, an entrepreneur who went from a 16-year-old with a dream to a millionaire by 21! Ramin holds nothing back as he shares his unfiltered journey, revealing the mindset shifts, sacrifices, and relentless drive that made it all happen.

In this episode, you'll discover:
01:07 - The origin of his fierce conviction
04:23 - Lessons from early hustles
06:37 - The "ghost mode" strategy
17:12 - The truth about money and happiness
19:48 - His hot takes on "having it all" and why "dropshipping is dead" is just an excuse.
27:45 - Tactical advice for taking action
33:13 - His unique daily routine and the power of acting like you've already achieved your goals
40:12 - How to identify top talent and inspire your team to think BIG

Ramin's energy is infectious and his insights are pure gold for any aspiring or current entrepreneur. Don't miss this one.

Join us on the 15 Minute Founder podcast as we sit down with the incredibly candid Aaron Spivak, a serial entrepreneur who’s seen it all – from jumping fences for produce to a massive $48 million exit! In this no-fluff episode, Aaron shares the raw truth about building businesses, the immigrant mindset that fueled his ambition, and why connecting with your customers is the ultimate growth hack.

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00:00 - The Immigrant Mindset
01:45 - The 3 AM Produce Hustle
05:23 - The Birth of Hush & The $48M Exit
11:32 - The Power of Celebrating Wins
13:53 - Savage Clarity: Engineering Your Exit from Day One
19:19 - From "Why" to Community
22:24 - Does Money Buy Happiness?
27:55 - 100K to 1M: The Customer is King
35:36 - 1M to 10M: Master Your Finances
39:27 - 10M to 50M: Attracting A-Players
43:17 - The Masterclass to Exit.
46:11 - Life Post-Exit & The Savage Mindset
50:03 - Aaron's Billboard Message

In this episode of the 15 Minute Founder, we sit down with Alex Fedotov, a self-made millionaire who built his e-commerce empire from the ground up. From his humble beginnings in Ukraine to becoming a sought-after expert in the e-commerce world, Alex shares his journey, the pivotal moments that shaped his career, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

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Timestamps:
00:00 - 00:10 - Introduction to Alex Fedotov 
00:10 - 00:40 - How Alex went from factory work in Ukraine to becoming an e-commerce millionaire 
00:40 - 01:10 - The moment Alex decided to quit his job and pursue e-commerce full-time 
01:10 - 02:40 - The hardships Alex faced while transitioning into freelancing and digital marketing 
02:40 - 04:00 - Discovering e-commerce: From SEO to Facebook ads and the pivot to dropshipping 
04:00 - 04:50 - Alex explains how he connected the dots and started his own Shopify store 
04:50 - 06:00 - The rise of e-commerce and the importance of Facebook ads for scaling 
06:00 - 06:40 - What it took to go from $2,000 a month to hosting 200+ people at his Dubai conference 
06:40 - 08:10 - The biggest mistake new e-commerce entrepreneurs make and advice for going from $0 to $100k 
08:10 - 09:00 - How Alex recommends approaching content creation and shifting from consumer to producer 
09:00 - 10:00 - The biggest mistakes people make when scaling from $100k to $1M in revenue 
10:00 - 11:00 - The importance of leveraging other people's time and avoiding burnout 
11:00 - 12:00 - From $1M to $10M: Scaling with the right team and finding the right people for each function 
12:00 - 13:00 - Alex’s thoughts on where founders should spend their time and the importance of empowering your team

In this episode of 15 Minute Founder, we dive deep into the mindset of AC Hampton, a serial entrepreneur and founder who has built his business by focusing on systems, not just people. 

AC is the founder of Supreme E-Commerce, a company that has transformed how businesses scale by creating efficient and repeatable systems that drive success. From the early days of his entrepreneurial journey to managing a growing company, AC shares invaluable insights on hiring, work-life balance, and the principles that have shaped his path to success.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or just looking for some motivation, this conversation is packed with actionable advice that will help you grow and scale your business! ⚡️

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro to AC Hampton's background
01:00 - Building a business with systems
03:00 - Hiring for cultural fit over experience
06:00 - Lowering costs with systems
09:00 - Believing in your system
12:00 - Opportunity for growth in teams
15:00 - The role of systems in business success
18:00 - How systems scale businesses
20:00 - AC’s morning routine
23:00 - Consistency and habits for growth
25:00 - Work-life balance early on
28:00 - Disappearing into the business for growth
30:00 - Investing in yourself
33:00 - Dealing with doubters
35:00 - Perseverance and systems for success

15-Minute Founder Presented by doola:
Jason Feifer is the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, a bestselling author, and a podcast host who helps people navigate change and build future-proof careers. In this episode, we dive into the key motivators behind success, how to embrace career shifts, and why thinking like an entrepreneur, whether you start a business or not, is essential for long-term growth. Plus, Jason shares a powerful framework for staying adaptable in any industry.

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TIMESTAMPS:
Hot Take - 00:39-2:08
Future-Proofing Your Career - 2:09-6:19
Adopting the Entrepreneurial Mindset - 6:20-9:30
The Future Landscape of Media - 9:31-14:45
The Power of Content - 14:46-16:30
Hot Take: 16:31-21:21
Use Now to Build For Tomorrow - 21:21-24:30
Being a Nonstop Optimism Machine - 24:31-26:21
A Glimpse into Jason's Day - 26:21-31:31
Thinking Vertically - 31:32-34:05
Productivity Hack - 34:05-35:15
What's Next for Jason Feifer - 35:16-41:52

15-Minute Founder Presented by doola: 

Channing Allen is the co-founder of Indie Hackers, where he helps share the stories, business ideas, strategies, and revenue numbers from the founders of profitable online businesses. Originally started in 2016, Indie Hackers would go on to be acquired by Stripe in 2017. Then in 2023, Channing and his co-founder spun Indie Hackers out of Stripe to return to their roots as a truly indie business.

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:36 What is an Indie Hacker?

01:29 Starting From Scratch

03:13 Acquisition by Stripe

05:15 Monetizing Media

08:16 The Goal for Indie Hackers

09:44 Becoming an Entrepreneur

12:03 Money, Power, Pleasure, or Fame

14:49 How It Started

17:53 Hot Take

20:09 Work-Life Balance

22:11 Best Time to Start Your Day

23:49 The Never Zero Approach

26:06 The Earthquake Book

30:24 Advice for Entrepreneurs

33:11 Taking The Hats Off

35:49 Continuous Learning and Growth

15-Minute Founder Presented by doola:

Join us as Robbie Bent, Co-Founder and CEO of Othership, takes us inside the first immersive sauna and ice bath spaces in North America, designed to enhance emotional wellness and foster healthy social interactions. Don't miss this deep dive into an innovative venture reshaping the wellness landscape.

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TIMESTAMPS: 

00:16 - What is Othership? 

01:43 - The Cold Experience

02:43 - What Does Othership Stand For? 

03:54 - The Benefits of Hot Therapy 

06:15 - The Benefits of Cold Exposure 

08:26 - The Evolution of Othership 

12:18 - Money, Power, Pleasure, or Fame 

16:09 - A Typical Day 

20:44 - Productivity Hacks

23:27 - An Important Truth 

26:23 - The Impact of Othership 

28:10 - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 

15-Minute Founder Presented by doola:

Avni is the CEO and founder of Gen She, a media platform building and leading the next generation of female talent. Avni has built a community of 200,000 women across IG, TikTok, a newsletter, a podcast, and a job board. With 4+ years in Big Tech as an engineer and product manager, Avni is now on a mission to unlock the potential of every young woman in entrepreneurship, tech, venture, and media.

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TIMESTAMPS: 

00:08 - Morning Routine

03:13 - Career Switch

06:12 - Dream Lazy Girl Job 

08:10 - Money, Power, Pleasure, or Fame 

09:20 - Should I Be an Entrepreneur? 

10:47 - How You Got Started

13:20 - Media Business 

15:29 - Social Media in 10 Years 

17:29 - Traditional Business & Social Media

19:42 - Contrarian Question

21:09 - Role Model

22:16 - Target Reach 

23:02 - A Typical Day 

26:29 - Rapid Fire Questions 

15-Minute Founder Presented by doola:
Join us for an insightful conversation with Maya Bakhai, the founder and sole general partner at Spice Capital, an early-stage fund investing in capital, crypto, and community. Backed by notable figures like Marc Andreessen, Chris Dixon, and Alexis Ohanian, Spice Capital has made impactful investments in companies like Dirt, Immortal Game, and Flowcarbon. Bakhai previously led investments at Kevin Durant's 35 Ventures, where she backed companies including Hugging Face, Mercury, OpenSea and Whoop.

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:11  Investing in Crocs
04:25 Angel Investing
07:48 Starting a Fund
12:55 Hot Take on Founders
17:22 Hot Take on Investors
20:58 Money, Power, Pleasure, Fame
23:02 Biggest Lesson Growing Up
25:39 A Typical Day
29:30 The Vision for Spice
32:23 Advice for Early Stage Founders
34:49 How to Get in Touch
35:18  Current Verticals