DARE

A retail space seemed like the obvious next step, until it turned into the most expensive lesson of the business. Chris Hull found his real growth engine somewhere else entirely: B2B.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Chris Hull, founder of Cloud Candy Co, joins Ned to talk about pivoting from retail hustle to high-margin B2B accounts, why viral content didn't translate to sales, and what it took to reinvent a 100-year-old treat.

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A 7-year shelf life and zero refrigeration required changed everything for one backpacking trip, and it became the foundation of an entire company. Sara Willis built Luxefly Basecamp from that single insight.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Sara Willis, founder of Luxefly Basecamp, joins Ned to talk about building a gourmet freeze-dried food brand as a solo founder, what it took to 5X sales in a single month, and her plan to turn a backpacking staple into a billion-dollar company.

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Surgery is currently the second most common intervention for older men, right behind cataract surgery, and it comes with a steep cost to quality of life. Tushar Sharma thinks there's a better way.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Tushar Sharma, founder and CEO of Vivify Medical, joins Ned to talk about building a non-invasive alternative to a widespread surgical procedure, what it took to move from biomedical research to clinical trials, and why he believes hundreds of thousands of surgeries could one day be unnecessary. 🎙️

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Most small businesses don't need another AI tool, they need the work actually completed. Jojo Palacio built Cheerzz to be the operations team that gets it done, with a human always in the loop.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Jojo Palacio, founder of Cheerzz, joins Ned to talk about ethical AI implementation, why the 80% of the economy without an AI department deserves support too, and what it took to go from HR leader to first-time founder. 🎙️

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Most companies are good at OKRs and rear-view metrics. Almost none of them are good at forward-looking strategy, especially when the team is spread across time zones. Dave Scott wrote the playbook to fix that.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Dave Scott, three-time CPO, founder of ProductLeap, and author of "Product at a Distance," joins Ned to talk about his "Product House" framework, the real difference between product managers and product owners, and how he kept an entire product team in Ukraine aligned without ever being in the same room. 🎙️

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Sparkling wine and coffee, in one can, has never existed anywhere in the world. Andrew Smith is betting Brut Cafe is about to change that.

On this episode of #DAREwithDarwoft, a podcast from Darwoft in collaboration with Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Andrew Smith, founder of Brut Cafe, joins Ned to talk about building a brand-new beverage category from a 20-year winemaking career, why the "weird" reactions are actually the point, and what it takes to launch a ready-to-drink product from scratch. 🎙️

Most EV charging problems aren't about the car, they're about the electrical panel behind it. Tyler Hughes and Brian Breniser of Positron Charging spent a year figuring out how to route power to multiple cars without the six-figure infrastructure bill.

On this episode, Tyler Hughes and Brian Breniser, founders of Positron Charging, join Ned to talk about their patented multiplexing tech, the "last mile problem" of EV charging, and why apartment complexes could be the next big frontier for affordable charging access. 🎙️

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Most companies didn't fail at social media because the tech was bad. They failed because nobody managed the transition. Ami Maceira-Lopez thinks we're about to make the same mistake with AI, unless managers step up now.

In this episode, Ami Maceira-Lopez, founder of Everyday Future, joins Ned to talk about Task Technology Fit, the digital literacy gap hiding in plain sight, and what it actually takes to supervise a large language model without losing your team's trust. 🎙️

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Amy Chiang, Founder & CEO of Transforma Systems, joined host Ned Hayes on the #DAREwithDarwoft podcast, in collaboration with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, to explain why standard change management keeps failing, what the Survival Identity™ framework reveals about the patterns running your leadership, and how her platform Transforma is making identity-level transformation scalable for individuals and enterprises navigating AI disruption, restructuring, and post-merger transitions.

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Most pet food brands sell nutrition. Bryan Du Toit, founder of Hungry Hound, sells something harder to manufacture: belonging.

In this episode of the #DAREwithDarwoft podcast, hosted by Ned Hayes in collaboration with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Bryan shares how he went from Hollywood film producer to fresh dog food maker in Bend, Oregon, why he launched with a 500-person dog festival before selling a single bag, and what "trust before transaction" actually looks like as a growth strategy for a values-driven consumer brand.

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