Built for This

In this forward-thinking episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Laurent Cohen, a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience building and scaling businesses across multiple industries, to explore what truly drives growth in the age of AI.

Laurent shares a candid perspective on entrepreneurship as a mindset rooted in creativity, risk-taking, and constant reinvention. At the center of the conversation is his latest venture, a voice-first AI platform, and a key realization that shifted his entire approach: the real value of the business is not the technology itself, but the trust it creates between companies and their customers.

Carly and Laurent dive into how AI is reshaping business, while also reinforcing a fundamental truth: AI is just a tool. The real advantage comes from understanding customer behavior, leveraging data effectively, and creating meaningful interactions at scale. The conversation expands into SEO, product development, and growth strategy, with a strong emphasis on validating ideas through real customer conversations rather than building in isolation. Laurent also introduces the concept of playing the “infinite game” in business, focusing on long-term value instead of short-term wins.

This episode offers a grounded yet strategic perspective on navigating a rapidly evolving landscape, showing that even as technology advances, the fundamentals remain unchanged: understand your customer, build trust, and execute with clarity.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“The more you work with AI, the less you focus on AI.”

About Laurent Cohen:

Today, Laurent is the founder of GetOblic, a voice-first AI platform for local businesses, which he is building as a bootstrapped venture. His approach centers on leverage over capital, validating ideas before investment, designing profitable systems early, and building companies grounded in clarity, execution, and long-term value.

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In this candid episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Sarah Boyd, Co-CEO and CRO of The Digital Dept., to explore what it really takes to scale a business beyond your own capacity and build a high-performing team.

Sarah shares her early journey founding Simply with a small team, handling every aspect of the business herself, until she reached a turning point. Realizing she could not grow further alone, she made a bold move, reaching out to potential acquirers, which ultimately led to the next stage of expansion.

Carly and Sarah dive into the emotional and strategic shifts that come with scaling, including stepping out of day-to-day operations, overcoming imposter syndrome, and learning to trust others as the business grows. They also unpack the complexities of merging companies, aligning cultures, and building a unified team that feels true ownership in the business. From hiring for grit and accountability to prioritizing culture and retention, Sarah shares the leadership mindset required to grow from a small startup into a company of 75 and beyond.

This episode is an honest look at leadership evolution, team building, and what it takes to create a business that thrives beyond the founder.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“I didn’t want to feel like an island anymore.”

About Sarah Boyd:

Prior to this, Sarah founded Simply, a creative collective built around connection and collaboration. Today, she leads a growing team representing top creators such as Lauren Lane, Jana Kramer, and Becca Tilley, while working with major brand clients including Crocs, H&M, Molson Coors, and Function Health.

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In this strategic episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Jackson Calame, entrepreneur and growth strategist, to unpack why so many businesses struggle to scale despite having strong vision and relentless effort.

Drawing from years of experience across startups, SaaS, and operational leadership, Jackson introduces a powerful framework built on real-world lessons: the six critical “avatars” every business must serve effectively. From prospects and customers to team members, vendors, media, and investors, he explains that sustainable growth depends on building systems that support each of these relationships.

Carly and Jackson explore the deeper realities of entrepreneurship, including the myth of the solopreneur, the importance of building strong teams early, and the need for clear processes and operational infrastructure. The conversation also highlights leadership blind spots, the role of feedback, and how personal growth directly influences business outcomes. This episode is a grounded look at what it really takes to build a scalable, resilient business, one that is driven by systems, people, and intentional leadership rather than hustle alone.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“That’s why they’re called blind spots. If I’m not willing to ask about them, my business is going to fail.”

About Jackson Calame:

Jackson and his team partner with business owners and executives through critical growth phases, often stepping into strategic leadership roles across operations, marketing, and executive management. His approach focuses on leadership evolution, strong culture, operational clarity, and a customer-centric vision. He equips leaders to make high-stakes decisions with confidence, enabling them to scale intentionally and lead their markets.

Connect with Jackson Calame:

In this insightful episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Filip Keuppens, CEO of The Pickle Juice Company, to explore what it takes to transform a company from the inside out while building a brand that defines an entirely new category.

Filip shares how stepping into the business, and later navigating a private equity acquisition, became a pivotal moment that forced a complete rethink of leadership, culture, and direction. Rather than chasing growth metrics alone, he made a deliberate shift toward building a values-driven organization grounded in collaboration, accountability, integrity, and a champion mindset.

Carly and Filip dive into the realities of culture transformation, from overcoming internal skepticism to creating psychological safety and reinforcing behaviors through systems, feedback, and accountability. He explains why culture is not something that happens by accident. It must be built intentionally and reinforced every day.

Beyond leadership, the conversation explores how The Pickle Juice Company is creating a new “hyper-functional” food and beverage category. By combining science, curiosity, and real-world application, Filip and his team are developing products that solve tangible problems for consumers, moving beyond trends into true functionality. This episode is a powerful blend of leadership insight and innovation strategy, showing how strong culture and clear purpose drive both people and product forward.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“We’re only as good as the systems that evaluate us.”

About Filip Keuppens:

Filip’s background spans sales and operations across e-commerce, grocery, club, and specialty channels, with a strong focus on innovative, solution-based products. He previously held roles with 20th Century Fox and Warner Home Video, where he developed a deep understanding of storytelling, messaging, and consumer engagement.

Beyond business, Filip is deeply connected to the world of sport, serving in leadership roles within rugby organizations, including as a coach and director with the Dallas Rugby Football Club and as a competition commissioner with the Red River Rugby Conference.

Connect with Filip Keuppens:

In this powerful episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Draven McConville, a technology entrepreneur who built and exited a global SaaS company after overcoming homelessness at just 18 years old.

Draven shares the full arc of his journey, from survival and uncertainty to founding Clipboard, a field service management platform designed to digitize and streamline operations for trade and service businesses. By focusing on a sector many tech founders overlooked, he built a product rooted in real-world problems, creating strong demand and long-term value.

Carly and Draven explore the realities of building and scaling a SaaS business, including navigating the “SaaS slump,” securing the right type of investment, and making intentional decisions around growth, pricing, and product direction. The conversation also goes beyond the build phase into what most founders are unprepared for: the exit itself. Draven shares candid insights into choosing the right buyer, understanding the long-term implications of a deal, and managing life after liquidity, from handling sudden wealth to navigating personal relationships and purpose.

This episode is a grounded and honest look at entrepreneurship from start to exit and beyond, offering both strategic insight and real-world perspective.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“The strategy probably changed every two minutes in the early days.”

About Draven McConville:

Connect with Draven McConville:

In this impactful episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Krissy Webb, co-founder and executive director of Student ACES, a nonprofit dedicated to developing young leaders through character, accountability, and real-world life skills.

Krissy shares how a simple but powerful question about the future of leadership sparked the creation of Student ACES and grew into a multi-million-dollar organization transforming student athletes across schools. What began as a passion project quickly became a mission to fill a critical gap in traditional education, where character and leadership development are often overlooked.

Carly and Krissy dive into the realities of building a nonprofit from the ground up, from early failures and working without pay to learning how to fundraise and measure impact through meaningful data. They also explore the challenges facing today’s youth, including the effects of constant digital distraction, reduced critical thinking, and the need for practical life skills like resilience, decision-making, and time management. This episode is a powerful reminder that real leadership is built through character, not titles, and that lasting impact starts with investing in people.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“A lot of trial and error, a lot of failure… to have anything successful, you did fail a lot.”

About Krissy Webb:

Beyond her work with Student ACES, Krissy is deeply involved in youth development through sports, serving as the head coach of the ACES Elite softball team and mentoring the next generation both on and off the field. Her passion for empowering young people is unwavering, making her a true advocate and champion for youth leadership.

Connect with Krissy Webb:

In this powerful episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Glenn Poulos, a seasoned entrepreneur who has built, scaled, and exited multiple companies across industries, only to lose it all and start again.

Glenn shares the story of what looked like a life-changing exit, until the acquiring company went bankrupt and wiped out the value of his shares. Faced with starting over in his mid-40s, he chose action over hesitation, rebuilding from scratch and eventually growing his next company to more than $80 million in revenue.

Carly and Glenn unpack the realities behind business exits, including the risks of stock-based deals, the complexity of private equity, and how deal structure can make or break the outcome. Glenn also outlines the three essential ingredients for starting a business and explains why momentum after failure is often more important than the setback itself. This episode is a candid and practical look at resilience, smart decision-making, and playing the long game in business.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“Don’t sell your company for all shares. Make sure you get cash.”

About Glenn Poulos:

Glenn founded his first company at twenty-nine and grew it over fifteen years before a successful exit. He later co-founded Gap Wireless, helping scale it to more than $80 million in revenue before another eight-figure exit. After these successes, he moved from Toronto to Orlando to lead ProgUSA, stepping into a new industry, new customers, and a new country.

He is also an award-winning author of Never Sit in the Lobby, runs AI training initiatives, and performs as a voice-over artist and charity DJ under the name Phossl, supporting non-profits through events and fundraising.

Connect with Glenn Poulos:

In this practical and insight-packed episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Sean Griffith, founder of Truffle, an AI-powered hiring platform built to solve one of the biggest bottlenecks in modern business: screening candidates at scale.

Sean shares his journey from joining SimpleTexting as the seventh employee to helping scale the company to $40M ARR, and later leading hundreds of employees as COO at Sinch. Through hiring more than 1,000 people, he developed a deep understanding of what breaks first as companies grow and why hiring is often the earliest and most painful constraint.

Carly and Sean explore the realities of scaling, from the moment leadership becomes complex to the need for structure, systems, and communication cadence as teams expand. Sean also shares how Truffle was born from personal frustration, sorting through overwhelming volumes of applications and struggling to identify the right candidates efficiently. The conversation dives into how AI can enhance hiring decisions without replacing human judgment, and why protecting time for deep work is essential for leaders. This episode is a clear and grounded look at building systems early to create scalable, resilient companies.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“There’s got to be a better way to do this.”

About Sean Griffith:

Connect with Sean Griffith:

In this raw and practical episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Chris McManus, founder of GC Landscaping Inc., who scaled his business from mowing lawns to a multi-million-dollar full-service landscaping and pool construction company in just six years.

Chris shares his unconventional journey from semi-professional motocross into entrepreneurship, where he redirected his competitive drive into building a business from the ground up. What followed was rapid growth driven by action, risk-taking, and learning in real time rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

Carly and Chris dive deep into the realities of scaling fast, from acquiring another company and doubling operations overnight to navigating the chaos that comes without strong systems. Chris opens up about the lessons learned around onboarding, infrastructure, and leadership, and how he evolved from being deeply involved in every detail to building a management team that can operate independently. This episode is a powerful reminder that growth does not come from perfection. It comes from progress, adaptation, and the willingness to move forward before you feel ready.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“I’m a firm believer in biting off more than you can chew and then figure it out.”

About Chris McManus:

Connect with Chris McManus:

In this honest and practical episode of Built for This, Carly Pepin sits down with Dave Gulas, co-founder of EZDC 3PL and host of the Beyond Fulfillment podcast, to explore what it really takes to build and scale a business in a demanding, fast-moving industry.

Dave shares how he transitioned from a 20-year career in pharmaceutical sales into launching a third-party logistics company, stepping into an industry he initially underestimated. What followed was not a smooth trajectory, but a rapid education in execution, problem-solving, and learning through mistakes.

Carly and Dave dive into the realities of entrepreneurship that rarely make the highlight reel. From saying yes to the wrong clients and scaling too quickly without systems, to underestimating the importance of visibility and marketing, Dave unpacks the lessons that shaped his growth. He explains how content creation and launching a podcast became unexpected catalysts for building relationships and generating inbound opportunities. Alongside this, he shares the simple but powerful systems, like daily team huddles and a customer-first culture, that helped his company expand, open a second warehouse, and continue scaling sustainably.

This episode is a grounded look at entrepreneurship in action, where progress comes from doing, learning, and refining over time.

Key Themes:

Memorable Quotes:

“I believe you really learn best by doing.”

About Dave Gulas:

Since launching in 2022, EZDC 3PL has become known for its personal service, fast response times, and flexibility, helping clients grow by acting as a true extension of their operations. Dave also hosts the Beyond Fulfillment podcast, where he interviews entrepreneurs and shares insights into the realities of building a business.

Connect with Dave Gulas: