American Dream Factory (ADF)

Before Google Maps. Before smartphones. Before Silicon Valley gave mobile a second thought — the Blumberg brothers were strapping GPS units to PalmPilots and piping real estate data through them.

In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with Brad and Eric Blumberg, the underdog inventors who quietly pioneered location-based real estate search and filed the first patents that would later shape the mobile experience we take for granted.

From living a few blocks apart in Jersey to battling billion-dollar giants over the definition of “proximate,” the brothers share their wild ride through invention, patent wars, early startup life, and building trust with major partners before “startup” was even a cultural word.

This one’s about grit, timing, vision — and being early enough that people thought you were crazy.

• They were the first to hack GPS and mobile devices to make real estate location-aware.

• At a time when telecom was obsessed with “minutes,” they were shouting: “It’s about data.”

• Selling a vision is often harder than building the tech.

• They faced deep skepticism from insiders who couldn’t see the future — yet.

• Real innovation demands a shift in perception — and persistence when no one’s clapping yet.

• They proved you could shop for homes on a tiny screen long before Zillow or Redfin.

• Innovation often starts by refusing to follow the rules everyone else takes for granted.

• They stuck to their vision even through lawsuits, economic downturns, and tech shifts.

• Progress doesn’t happen in a straight line — it’s messy, hard, and worth it.

• At the center of it all: understanding real user needs, not just market trends.

  
  

Check out AstorKey, their newest innovation using encrypted, decentralized data to rethink how mortgages are done — without giving up your identity to the internet forever.

• 🔐 AstorKey

• 🌆 Build Cities

17:55 Pioneering Patents: The First Steps in Innovation

51:52 Defending Patents: The Journey

01:00:58 The Reality of Intellectual Property

In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with Susan Paley, the powerhouse behind the early days of Beats by Dre. Before Beats became a global icon, it was Susan — employee one, founding CEO — who brokered the partnerships, built the business model, and turned the brand from an idea into a global force.

Susan shares how she navigated the chaos of startup life at the highest stakes, made the deals that fueled a cultural movement, and why simplicity is the hidden lever behind every great company. From early internet ventures to hardware innovation, her career is a blueprint for building in uncertain environments.

Today, Susan leads Beacon, where she has pulled together the best minds in global hardware manufacturing to help the next generation of founders build faster and smarter. We also dive into her perspective on innovation, leadership under pressure, and how places like Coeur d’Alene are becoming new frontiers for bold builders.

If you want to understand what it takes to create real momentum — and survive the pressure — this is a conversation you will not want to miss.

Highlights:

• How Susan built Beats into a company with no map, no playbook, and no safety net

• Lessons in deal-making: why listening wins and aggression loses

• Why hardware matters again — and how Beacon is helping founders scale

• How Build_ Coeur d’Alene is laying the groundwork for 100 new companies

• The mindset required to build when the rules are being written in real time

Want to meet Susan in person?

She will be live at Build_ Coeur d’Alene on April 30 and May 1, sharing more stories, lessons, and energy with the builders of North Idaho. Request your invite today at [Build_ Coeur d’Alene].

Chapters

00:00 The Love for Volleyball

11:14 The Evolution of Sports and Gaming

14:17 From Chicago to LA: A Journey into Film

17:11 The Internet Boom and Early Innovations

20:13 Navigating the Audio Industry

26:15 The Art of Deal-Making

33:20 Life in Los Angeles: A Dual Perspective

34:39 The Traffic Dilemma in LA

37:01 Resilience and Reinvention in Los Angeles

41:24 The Evolution of Beats by Dre

47:46 Lessons from the Beats Experience

51:17 Empowering the Next Generation of Hardware Entrepreneurs

56:55 Unlocking Hidden Innovations in Research

In this episode, Nick Smoot sits down with Javis Cornett, Audience Development Director at Hagadone Media, to announce a groundbreaking partnership between Build_ and The Coeur d’Alene Press. This isn’t just a media collab. It’s the birth of a modern business community—where local news, startups, mentorship, and creativity converge to reshape the future of North Idaho.

Whether you’ve got a dream project, a big idea, or you’re just looking for your tribe—this episode lays out how the new Build_ membership gives you the tools, access, and support to actually build it.

🚨 Big Announcement:

We’re kicking things off with an exclusive meet & greet for CDA Press subscribers featuring the Founding CEO of Beats by Dre, Susan Paley—a woman who scaled Beats to a $3.2B exit to Apple.

🎧 Meet Susan Paley – Live in CDA:

🗓️ April 30 @ 7 PM

📍 RSVP for the Meet & Greet

What You’ll Learn:

• Why Build_ and Hagadone Media teamed up (and why it matters now)

• How this new membership reinvents what local media can be

• What’s included in the Build_ subscription (hint: access to mentors, startup resources, local coworking, and venture capital opportunities)

• How you can start building your dream project with real support

• Why local storytelling and entrepreneurship belong in the same room

Best Quote: “You could sit at home and watch more YouTube… or you could go build something real. Don’t go to the grave with the song in your heart you never sang.” – Nick Smoot

🎁 What You Get as a Member:

• 🗞️ Digital CDA Press subscription

• 📘 Quarterly Build_ Journal (local startup news + national inspiration)

• 🧑‍🚀 Access to Build Circles (small group accountability)

• 💡 Invitations to premium live events & mentorship sessions

• 🚀 Project dashboard, coaching, and matching to capital or collaborators

• 🏛️ Option to add coworking, pool, gym, and conference space

Ready to Join?

Start building with us at buildjournal.club.

Free and premium levels available.

For questions or partnership inquiries, reach out to [email protected].

🎙 Show Notes:

In this solo drop, Nick Smoot lays down a rapid-fire take on the real American Dream, the cultural war around who gets to speak, and why reading is the ultimate act of rebellion in the algorithm age.

Here’s what you’ll hear:

• Why the American Dream isn’t dead, it’s just been hijacked by consumerism and lazy marketing
• Joe Rogan, Ro Khanna, Douglas Murray, and the future of middle-class discourse
• A call to arms: stop being programmed by Netflix, YouTube, and TikTok and start programming yourself with deep learning and real exploration
• The books you need to read to understand U.S. Iranian history (including one involving Nick’s own ancestor):
• The Strangling of Persia by W. Morgan Shuster
• America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present by John Ghazvinian
• A new take on listening: use your eyes. Read. Learn. Build.
• Why Build_ isn’t just another app. It’s a community-powered, real-world game for chasing your purpose and building the future.

If you’re tired of being fed the dream and ready to actually build it, this one’s for you.

🧠 Join the movement: buildjournal.club

📚 Read a book. Then build something that matters.

In this inspiring and wide-ranging episode, Nick sits down with Julian Guthrie, a Pulitzer-nominated journalist, bestselling author, and now AI startup founder, who calls Hayden, Idaho home.

Julian opens up about:

• Her path to the San Francisco Chronicle, covering the tech boom, interviewing billionaires and astronauts, and telling underdog stories that matter.
• How her deep empathy, resilience, and pursuit of excellence shaped her storytelling and life choices.
• What she learned from Larry Ellison about Kaizen and how that daily discipline drives her today.
• Her leap from journalism to tech with the creation of Alphy and HarmCheck, a tool using AI to reduce harm in digital communication.
• Why she believes leadership can be powerful and kind, and how she’s leading with authenticity rather than aggression.

This is a conversation about words, power, purpose and why story matters more than ever.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• Why Julian believes every person has a powerful story to tell.
• The state of journalism, what went wrong in San Francisco, and whether journalism can bounce back.
• How tech and storytelling intersect — and why AI might be the next great tool for empathy and accountability.
• What feminine leadership looks like in the world of startups.
• The origins of HarmCheck and how it helps companies communicate ethically and effectively.

🌎 Guest Links:

• 💡 HarmCheck – Julian’s AI company that detects harm in digital communication.
• 📚 Books by Julian Guthrie
• 🧭 Alphy – Parent company to HarmCheck.

🏗️ Join the build_ Community:

Julian is a proud build_ member and mentor, actively collaborating with AI experts and fellow builders. Want to connect with incredible people like her?

📍 Become a member at buildjournal.club

🌐 Attend events, find mentors, and build your vision with us.

05:31 Optimism and Resilience in Life

10:52 Morning Routines and Systems for Success

14:19 The Importance of Personal Stories

17:45 The Evolution of Journalism

22:31 Tech's Impact on Journalism and San Francisco

27:19 Empathy and Action in Addressing Urban Issues

33:00 The Future of Journalism: Balancing Tradition and Technology

40:01 From Journalist to Founder: Julian's Journey with Alfie

47:41 Empowering Communication: The Role of HarmCheck

55:15 Finding Your Story: The Importance of Narrative

Welcome to The American Dream Factory, where we don’t sugarcoat reality — we design for it. In this spicy solo episode, Nick Smoot serves up a no-BS framework for building better systems, companies, communities, and lives by embracing one hard truth:

👉 Humans are selfish. Stop expecting otherwise.

Instead of hoping for good behavior, plan for predictable behavior. Create rules and incentives that make doing the right thing the easiest (and most rewarding) thing. Whether you’re leading a city or starting a side hustle, this episode will help you flip your mindset and win the game by designing it better.

📚 THE 4 BOOKS TO BUILD A SHARPER MINDSET:

1. The 48 Laws of Power — Robert Greene: Decode power moves. Learn how others might manipulate you — and how to build ethical defenses.
2. The Origins of Virtue — Matt Ridley: Virtue isn’t selfless. It’s strategic. Learn how cooperation really works in evolution and economics.
3. The Road to Character — David Brooks: People are messy. Character is built, not born. This book will give you grace and grit for the journey.
4. Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights : A master of systems thinking. Understand the power of incentives at the national (and personal) level.

💡 Key ideas in this episode:

• Why your systems are failing — and how to fix them
• What bacterial behavior can teach you about teamwork
• The dark side of ambition and the bright side of honesty
• Why the people you admire were often disasters behind the scenes
• How to design real-world incentives that actually work

🚀 Want to be part of a movement building real cities and actual impact?

Join us at buildjournal.club — tools, events, goals, and a community of creators who are worldbuilding offline.

Points, progress, podcasts, and purpose. We’re done playing video games. This is the real one.

Questions? Ideas? Want to argue about human nature? Hit up Nick. And if this hit home, send it to a fellow builder. [email protected]

#EveryoneIsSelfish #BuildPodcast #TheAmericanDreamFactory #DesignTheGame #CityBuilders #IncentiveDesign #Economics

Nick sits down with Tom Lucas and Morgan Dixon, co-founders of a startup that brought together an unlikely team—a 15-year-old, a 75-year-old, and PhDs—united in their mission to partner with disabled inventor Robert Brady to develop a tool for the hard of hearing and ultimately save a marriage.

This episode explores:

• How personal struggles fuel innovation

• The power of intergenerational collaboration

• The realities of launching, pivoting, and shutting down a startup

• Lessons in mentorship, legacy, and purpose-driven entrepreneurship

00:01 - Introduction

• Nick introduces the episode and guests

• The unusual partnership between a teen and a senior entrepreneur

01:23 - Robert Brady: The Inventor Behind It All

• A single amputee, later a double amputee, but an unstoppable innovator

• How his parents’ communication struggles led to a startup idea

• The emotional moment he revealed they were on the verge of divorce

02:38 - Merging Two Startups into One Mission

• Robert’s speech-to-text tool for the deaf

• Morgan’s text-to-speech tool for the blind

• How their ideas naturally aligned

04:03 - The Birth of a Startup

• The Coffee & Concepts community rallies to solve a real-world problem

• The minimum viable product: Early prototypes and key decisions

• Tom’s insights from his manufacturing background

07:05 - Building the Solution

• Moving beyond phone-based solutions to real-time room transcription

• Innovating with color-coded text for better clarity

• Beta testing in medical and senior care settings

10:44 - Morgan’s Journey: A 15-Year-Old Founder’s Perspective

• Learning business fundamentals from seasoned entrepreneurs

• Navigating mentorship while contributing as a peer

• How this experience shaped his future in research and AI

14:53 - Startup Realities: Highs, Lows & Lessons

• The challenges of scaling a niche technology

• The emotional weight of mission-driven startups

• Why building together is often more valuable than the final product

18:16 - Robert’s Passing & The End of the Startup

• How his death led the team to dissolve the company

• Honoring his legacy by supporting his family

• The impact left on each team member

21:07 - Lessons in Legacy & Innovation

• Nick’s framework: Listen → Launch → Leap → Legacy → Legend

• Why Robert became a ‘legend’ in their community

• The power of showing up, raising your hand, and solving real problems

22:39 - The Value of Project-Based Friendships

• Why mentorship isn’t about age—it’s about shared purpose

• How working together builds deep, lasting connections

• Rethinking friendship as mutual contribution rather than passive support

25:23 - Final Reflections

• The importance of taking action even when you don’t have all the answers

• How entrepreneurship fosters self-discovery and purpose

• The unexpected impact of a small act—Robert helped Morgan set up his first email, a habit that lives on in every message he sends

Memorable Quotes:

🗣 “Startups aren’t just about making money—they’re about making a difference.” – Tom Lucas

🗣 “Robert helped me set up my first email. To this day, I still sign off with ‘Cheers’—because he did.” – Morgan Dixon

Key Takeaways:

✅ The best ideas come from real problems

✅ Multi-generational teams bring unique strengths to innovation

✅ Startups are about solving problems, not just making money

✅ Failure isn’t the end—it’s part of the journey

✅ Meaningful friendships form when people build together

In this urgent talk, Nick dismantles the illusion that most jobs in the recent past are actual sources of meaning and purpose.

With AI and automation rapidly replacing traditional labor, he argues that we must stop clinging to outdated notions of work and instead embrace the next phase of human potential: creation.

For too long, society has placed meaning in the exchange of money rather than the work itself—convincing us that our jobs are valuable because they allow us to provide for others or find fleeting personal happiness. But the work itself was rarely soulful; it was simply a means to an end. Now, as robots take over scaled production, logistics, and even knowledge work, we have an opportunity—and an obligation—to return to what makes us truly human.

Smoot lays out a vision where innovation, problem-solving, and creation become the backbone of our economy, where communities gather not around employment but around the act of building a future filled with beauty and value. It’s time to let the robots have the jobs. Our role is far greater: to shape the future itself through soulful work that matters.

About Nick Smoot

Nick is an entrepreneur, strategist, and founder dedicated to redefining the systems that shape our economic, social, and civic lives.

As a founder of build_, he has pioneered new models that transform cities into thriving hubs of creativity and innovation, unlocking the full potential of their residents.

His work has influenced governments, universities, and Fortune 500 companies, helping them navigate the rapidly changing landscape of AI, automation, and human-centered economic development.

His book Better explores how we can reclaim purpose through strategic community gatherings, appreciative inquiry, and behavioral psychology.

Smoot is on a mission to move humanity beyond the outdated model of jobs and into an era where creation is not just an economic driver—but our birthright.

Nick Smoot sits down with Brigadier General (Ret.) Blaine Holt for a deep-dive conversation on global power shifts, economic collapse, and the future of entrepreneurship.

Blaine shares firsthand insights from his time working with NATO, dealing with Russia and China, and witnessing the hidden mechanics of war and diplomacy.

They explore what comes next in a world where traditional systems are crumbling, and how entrepreneurs, investors, and community builders can prepare for the next chapter.

From the military-industrial complex to open-source defense tech, from DeFi to local innovation ecosystems—this episode is a must-listen for anyone thinking about the future of business, geopolitics, and human flourishing.

Click here to learn more about build_

Show Notes:

Introduction (00:00 - 02:13)

• Introduction to the American Dream Factory Podcast
• The mission of Build Cities and why this conversation matters
• Guest introduction: Brigadier General (Ret.) Blaine Holt
• Blaine’s background: NATO, global conflicts, entrepreneurship, and defense innovation
• Setting the stage: How geopolitics, economic shifts, and technology impact communities

From the Battlefield to the Boardroom (02:14 - 10:58)

• Blaine’s military journey: Learning leadership through war and diplomacy
• The question that changed everything: "Towards what?"—Blaine’s realization about the long-term impact of war
• Why community-building was key in Kyrgyzstan and how he applied cultural intelligence to diplomacy
• The intersection of military leadership and entrepreneurship

Navigating Global Superpowers: Russia, China, and the U.S. (10:59 - 23:58)

• Blaine’s direct experience being in the crosshairs of both Russian and Chinese interests
• The intelligence game: Psychological warfare, strategy, and negotiation
• Story: How Blaine “moved into” a Russian commander’s head rent-free
• The role of soft power and economic influence in global conflicts

The Neocon Agenda and The Business of War (23:59 - 41:51)

• The hidden incentives behind war and the military-industrial complex
• Why some people “never want the wars to stop”
• The shift from traditional power structures to a decentralized global economy
• The economics of war vs. the economics of innovation

The Coming Economic Collapse and New Business Models (41:52 - 55:00)

• The “apocalyptic Passover” Blaine sees coming
• Why the collapse of fiat currency is likely inevitable
• The rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), crypto, and new trade structures
• How startup founders and entrepreneurs can navigate the transition

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Defense Tech (55:01 - 1:10:00)

• Blaine’s work in hypersonics, advanced materials, and drone manufacturing
• Why open-source defense technology is the future
• The role of AI, robotics, and quantum computing in reshaping industry
• How startup founders can position themselves for the coming shift

The Future of Communities and Collaboration (1:10:01 - 1:27:00)

• Why building local and regional innovation ecosystems is the way forward
• The importance of bonded and bridged communities
• How cities can prepare for the unbundling of global economies
• The role of software and technology in creating resilient, decentralized systems

Final Thoughts and Takeaways (1:27:01 - 1:50:03)

• Why Blaine is bullish on the future despite the challenges ahead
• Lessons from history: The parallels between Rome, China, and the modern world
• How entrepreneurs can turn crisis into opportunity
• Parting words: "If there's one thing we can all do, it's manage our little neighborhoods and add more beauty and value to the world."

🔥 AI is eating politics alive—and two founders from the backwoods of Idaho are leading the charge.

What happens when artificial intelligence meets democracy?

When cold, hard data replaces political spin?

When people get real-time transparency on what their government is actually doing?

This isn’t some Silicon Valley utopian fantasy. This is happening right now—built by a team who isn't in DC, aren’t in the Ivy League, and definitely aren’t taking marching orders from political overlords.

Luke Dupin and his team are applying AI to politics in a way that’s never been done before.

It’s about radical transparency, political accountability, and cutting through the noise so citizens can make real, informed decisions—not just every four years, but every damn week.

🔥 In This Episode

🚀 AI Eats Politics for Breakfast – Why government (from local to federal) is wildly inefficient, and how AI is slicing through the legalese to actually tell people what’s going on.

🤖 From C-SPAN to Chaos Mode – Mystery Science Theater for legislation? Live-streamed bill breakdowns? AI-powered public engagement that doesn’t suck? Yeah, that’s happening.

🏛️ The Death of Traditional Politics – Why both the Left and the Right are completely missing the point—and how data-driven, decentralized decision-making is the only way forward.

💰 Polymarkets, Blockchain, and Betting on Policy – What if we let people bet on legislation outcomes? (Hint: It already works better than any polling system we have today.)

🎯 AI for True Representation – Forget lobbyists. Forget media spin. What happens when your AI assistant helps you track every bill, every vote, and every politician in real time?

🛠️ How We Fix This – Real solutions, not just angry rants. From direct democracy to AI-driven voting tools, this is the blueprint for the next political revolution.

🎙️ About Our Guests

Luke Dupin – AI engineer, political systems disruptor, and co-founder of Anchor, the AI-powered engine reshaping how people interact with legislation. Play with wonk here.

Nick Smoot – Serial entrepreneur, systems thinker, and community builder on a mission to gamify civic engagement and make politics actually work for people. Sign up to be a member of build_ here.

Together, they’re proving that you don’t need to be in DC to change the system—you just need the right tech, the right mindset, and the guts to build it.

00:00 Navigating Startup Life in Non-Traditional Tech Hubs

07:11 The Challenges of Being a Technical Founder

10:11 The Importance of Customer Engagement

13:08 Introducing Wonk: AI in Politics

15:56 Understanding Legislation with AI

18:37 The Role of Personal Anchors in Political Engagement

21:24 The Future of Democracy and Civic Participation

24:27 Decentralization and Direct Democracy

27:20 Innovations in Voting and Representation

30:00 The Intersection of Data and Politics

37:17 Engaging the Public: The Challenge of Awareness

38:26 Innovative Ideas for Political Engagement

40:10 Understanding Complex Healthcare Policies

44:02 Using AI to Predict Legislative Outcomes

46:44 The Role of AI in Political Decision-Making

55:30 Reimagining Education for the Future

01:01:47 Decentralization and Economic Models

01:09:01 The Decline of Home Ownership

01:11:53 Innovative Ideas for Community Ownership

01:17:42 Digital Twins and Urban Planning

01:21:38 Decentralized AI and Its Implications

01:25:07 Rethinking Economic Models for the Future

01:31:11 The Future of Work and Human Flourishing

01:36:49 Building Meaningful Products in Niche Markets