Behind the Founders

By Cherry Assistant

Behind the Founders is where we breakdown how founders actually run their businesses. from hiring to scaling and hard decisions. Produced by

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FAQs about Behind the Founders:

How many episodes does Behind the Founders have?

The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.

Behind the Founders episodes:

July 03, 2026She Lost Everything. Then She Rebuilt Careers for Thousands.
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 16: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Jan Barlow (https://www.linkedin.com/in/janbarlow/) about how her holistic approach helps marginalized groups, including veterans, foster care alumni, and formerly incarcerated individuals, find meaningful employment and purpose.

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Jan Barlow founded Better JobFit with a mission that stemmed from her own tumultuous career journey. After rising to success in the pharmaceutical industry, Jan faced an unexpected job restructure that led to personal and professional turmoil. She lost her home, her health, and her marriage, prompting her to reevaluate her path and ultimately inspire her to create Better JobFit.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
00:33 Jan’s Origin Story and the Creation of Better Job Fit
06:07 Matching People by Strengths, Not Background
10:14 Custom Job Matching and Employer Trust
27:52 Advice for Entrepreneurs and Taking the Risk
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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27min
July 01, 2026He Quit Corporate for $14/ Hour...Then Built A Thriving Laundry Business
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 15: Ben Deckey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-deckey/) talks to Ayad Mirjan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayadmirjan/) about his journey of building Orange Bag Laundry from a residential service to a nationwide B2B logistics and laundry company. They discuss insights on automation, hiring, scaling, and maintaining quality in a competitive industry.

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Ayad Mirjan is the owner of Orange Bag Laundry, which he founded in 2019, although his journey in the laundry industry began in 2017. Initially starting as a residential laundry service, Ayad’s business has pivoted to focus predominantly on commercial laundry services, catering to hotels, spas, and gyms across the United States.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and guest background
05:24 Investing in automation and scaling operations
07:42 Hiring and team management strategies
13:54 Automation and AI in laundry processing
17:33 Growth plans and national expansion
22:14 Work-life balance and personal insights
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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27min
June 30, 2026Revolutionizing Mobility for the Visually Impaired: Cornel's Journey
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 14: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Cornel Armariei (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelamariei/) about revolutionizing mobility for the visually impaired through advanced AI and robotics.

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Cornell's journey to founding .Lumen began in a family where everyone except him lived with a disability. Growing up, he developed a deep understanding of the daily mobility challenges faced by people who are blind, inspiring him to build a more accessible alternative to guide dogs. Today, .Lumen has developed AI-powered smart glasses that use self-driving technology and haptic feedback to help users safely navigate their surroundings.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
05:31 Personal Journey and Family Inspiration
08:00 Innovative Solutions for the Visually Impaired
10:36Team Structure and Collaboration
13:21 Challenges and Resilience in Entrepreneurship
16:02 The Role of AI in Business
21:13 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
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25min
June 29, 2026The Hospital Failed His Brother. So He Built AI to Save Lives.
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 13: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Sailesh Pattnaik (https://www.linkedin.com/in/saileshpattnaik/) about his journey from personal tragedy to healthcare innovation with AI, the challenges of building AI solutions in healthcare, team setup, and future plans for global expansion.

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After losing his brother to hospital negligence during COVID-19, Sailesh Pattnaik founded RxGPT, an AI platform helping hospitals reduce operational failures and save lives. Today, he leads the company's vision to transform healthcare with AI while advising startups on growth, go-to-market strategy, and digital transformation. With more than 20 years of experience and over 300 startups consulted, he's helping shape the future of AI-powered healthcare.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
05:30 How RxGPT Helps Hospitals Reduce Operational Inefficiencies
09:00 Using AI to Solve Healthcare Operations Challenges
15:18 Biggest operational challenges
25:52 Building RxGPT to Save Lives
31:35 Founder Insights: Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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32min
June 25, 20269-5 recruiter and Youtuber manages a coaching business while rebuilding after a layoff
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 12: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Dellyn Lee (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dellyn-lee/) about his journey from in-house recruiting to building his own brand, Dylan Digital, blending gaming and career coaching, innovative strategies for job hunting, the role of AI, and how to balance multiple ventures effectively.

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Dellyn Lee is a recruiter with 10+ years of experience who blends career coaching with gaming-inspired content to make job hunting more engaging and practical. He runs a solo coaching business focused on resumes, LinkedIn optimization, interview prep, and job search strategy, while also creating YouTube content, live streams, and digital products. Beyond that, he volunteers in recruiting and gaming-related spaces, and works full-time in recruiting, giving him a broad, hands-on view of the job market. His overall mission is to help job seekers level up their careers in a tough market by making the process more accessible, educational, and human.

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Chapters
00:00 Dylan Digital: Merging Gaming with Job Hunting
06:58 Navigating the Job Market Challenges
09:47 The Role of AI in Recruitment
18:17 Future of Job Hunting and Networking
32:41 Job Search Strategies and Motivation
36:34 Taking the Leap: Starting Your Own Business
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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39min
June 22, 2026How Losing Her Job Led to Building a Global Women's Community
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 11: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Liz Rivas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rivaselizabeth/) about building meaningful connections in a digital world, overcoming loneliness through community, and turning a personal challenge into a global platform for women travelers.

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Liz Rivas is the Founder and CEO of RoamCircle, a women-first community and friendship app designed to help solo female travelers, digital nomads, expats, and remote workers find authentic friendships and safe communities around the world. Inspired by her own experiences traveling alone across 13 countries, Liz created RoamCircle to help women connect, belong, and build lasting relationships wherever life takes them. Before launching RoamCircle, she spent over a decade leading enterprise marketing initiatives for global technology companies and is passionate about empowering women through travel, friendship, and community.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to RoamCircle and Its Purpose
09:37 How RoamCircle Works and Its Features
15:06 AI's Impact on Human Connection and Community
16:31 The Power of Vulnerability in Content Creation
25:07 Building a Supportive Team
29:21 Future Goals for RoamCircle
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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35min
June 16, 2026How One Founder Built a Business Across Continents
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 10: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Brendan Lebitsch (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanlebitsch/) about his entrepreneurial journey, insights into manufacturing and sourcing in China, and how AI tools are transforming his business operations.

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Brendan Lebitsch founded High Life Tech at just 18 years old, starting with custom phone cases that allowed customers to print their designs. Over time, the company evolved, expanding its product range to include keychains, lanyards, and more.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Brendan Lebitsch and His Ventures
07:57 Operational Challenges in Merchandise Development
09:49 Leveraging Technology and AI for Efficiency
18:21 The Role of AI in Business and Creativity
21:36 Rebranding to Off Menu: The New Direction
24:06 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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27min
June 12, 2026He Built a Nonprofit at 18. Now He's Building the Future of AI.
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 9: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Tyler Raciti (https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciti/ about his unconventional journey from public policy and nonprofit advocacy to the frontier of artificial intelligence. Tyler shares how his passion for solving large-scale societal challenges led him through politics, consulting, emerging technology strategy, and ultimately entrepreneurship.

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Tyler Raciti is the founder and CEO of Volumes, a New York-based, venture-backed startup focused on helping world models work with 3D and 4D spatial data. Prior to founding Volumes, he worked as a Physical AI Strategist at Monitor Deloitte, advising organizations across robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, smart cities, and emerging technologies. Tyler is also the founder of PRO-NEO, a nonprofit organization that successfully helped shape New York State opioid overdose prevention policy impacting millions of students. His career spans public service, consulting, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship, all driven by a passion for tackling complex problems with meaningful real-world impact.

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
06:19 Revolutionizing AI with Physical Data
12:09 Building a Team and Overcoming Challenges)
38:03 Personal Journey and Final Thoughts
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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39min
June 11, 2026She Took a Freelance Side Hustle and Built an Agency Serving Major Fashion Brands
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 8: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Terri Trovato (https://www.linkedin.com/in/terri-trovato-387bba74/) about expert insights on digital marketing strategies and the role of AI in enhancing creativity.

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Terry Trovato has over thirteen years of experience in digital marketing, navigating through the evolving landscape from organic social media to paid media and now integrating AI technologies into her strategies. She is the founder of the Darcy Agency, which specializes in creating tailored marketing solutions for various brands, particularly in the fashion industry. Her journey began when she moved to Spain and found herself navigating through the complexities of working remotely while establishing her brand. The transition from freelancing to founding the Darcy Agency was a natural progression.

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Chapters
00:00 - Introduction and Business Overview
02:04 - Founding the Darcy Agency
06:08 - Inspiration Behind the Name Darcy
11:52 - AI in Marketing and Tools Used
16:11 - Challenges in Freelancing and Starting a Business
25:52 - Advice for New Entrepreneurs
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
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23min
June 09, 2026He Started a Life Sciences Company During the Pandemic. Here's What Happened.
Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 7: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Quy Tran (https://www.linkedin.com/in/quy-trong-tran/) about the importance of resilience and adaptability in navigating and recognizing career changes, industry challenges and new opportunities during crises.
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Quy Tran is the founder of Sound Life Science Services, a consulting firm dedicated to supporting the life sciences industry. With a background in biophysics from UCLA and extensive experience in various roles within the industry, Quy has a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in life sciences. His journey from academia to business ownership is a testament to resilience and adaptability in the face of adversity.
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Chapters
00:00 Quy's Background and Career Journey
10:24 The Founding of Sound Life Science Services
18:18 Networking and Community Involvement
21:00 Balancing Work and Family
26:58 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.
...more
30min

FAQs about Behind the Founders:

How many episodes does Behind the Founders have?

The podcast currently has 16 episodes available.