Everyone tells founders the same story:
Raise money. Move fast. Figure it out later.

Adam Fard chose a different path.

In this episode of Decision Factory, Olya Grovel sits down with Adam Fard, founder of UX Pilot, to unpack why he turned down a VC term sheet at a $30M valuation and how bootstrapping gave him something far more valuable than capital: clarity and control.

Adam shares how UX Pilot grew from an internal agency tool into a profitable AI product, how he filters real signal from noisy feedback, and why metrics like NPS and usage often matter more than early revenue. They dive into decision-making under uncertainty, avoiding confirmation bias, removing features instead of adding them, and how AI is reshaping UX design without replacing human judgment.

This episode is a masterclass in calm, disciplined decision-making for founders who want to build something real, not just something fundable.

🎧 Listen if you’re questioning whether raising money is actually the right move.

We don’t have an AI problem.
We have a decision-making problem.

In this episode of Decision Factory, Olya sits down with AI-driven marketer and podcaster Danchez to unpack what it actually takes to think clearly in a world flooded with tools, trends, and “one-click solutions.”

Dan shares how he filters signal from noise when new AI products drop daily, why most tools are just well-disguised procrastination, and how confirmation bias quietly sabotages founders, marketers, and creators — especially when AI is involved.

We talk about why the hardest problems in business are still wicked hard, why judgment beats automation, and how podcasts are becoming one of the most powerful trust engines in an age where everything looks polished but not everything delivers.

This conversation explores learning in public, making decisions with incomplete data, and why calm, clarity, and lived experience matter more than ever as AI accelerates everything else.

🎙️ Listen if you’re overwhelmed by AI, building something meaningful, or trying to make better decisions without getting lost in the noise.

We’ve been sold a lie about what it takes to build something meaningful.

That working harder is always the answer.
That extreme hustle is a badge of honor.
That betting the house is courage — not laziness.

In this episode, former VC turned operator Kiran Mehta dismantles some of the most dangerous myths in startup culture and replaces them with something far more uncomfortable: clear thinking.

We talk about how founders quietly trap themselves through confirmation bias, why perceived risk is often far more terrifying than actual risk, and how businesses rarely fail from one bad decision — but from hundreds of small ones left unexamined.

Kiran shares what he learned from years in venture capital, why he ultimately walked away, and how working closer to the action reshaped his understanding of leadership, calm, and responsibility.

This is a conversation about making decisions when the data is incomplete, the pressure is high, and the consequences feel personal. About why the calmest person in the room often holds the most power. And why success without clarity eventually collapses under its own weight.

🎙️ Listen if you’re building a company, navigating uncertainty, or questioning whether the way you’re working is actually serving the life you want.

Get in touch with Kiran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiranmehtakhm/

After losing her son, nearly losing her daughter, and hitting rock bottom with her mental health, Gabs Hayes decided to stop chasing “success” and start chasing peace.

In this powerful conversation, host Olya Grovel sits down with Gabs — an entrepreneurial mom, business strategist, and self-proclaimed “stay-at-home mom who runs a business” — to unpack what it really means to build a life that feels aligned.

Gabs opens up about:

• The phone call that changed everything — when her boss asked about work while her daughter was in a coma
  

• Losing a child and finding a new definition of freedom through grief
  

• How she rebuilt her business (and herself) from the ground up
  

• The mindset shift from scarcity to abundance
  

• What she means by “mental freedom” and how to cultivate it
  

• Why she plans her weeks by priority — not to-do list
  

• The real cost of “playing it safe” and how to reclaim your peace
  

• How kindness, curiosity, and connection became her superpowers
  

💬 Quote of the Episode:

“Life is chaotically beautiful — but it’s worth fucking loving.”

🎧 Whether you’re a founder, parent, or someone just trying to find joy in the chaos, this episode will remind you that the most successful life is the one you’re actually present for.

Keywords: Gabs Hayes, Olya Grovel, Decision Factory Podcast, motherhood, entrepreneurship, burnout recovery, mental health, self-worth, mindset shift, abundance mindset, women in business, working moms, founder burnout, redefining success, personal growth, mindfulness, productivity, human design, manifestation, career change, self-awareness

Most founders and creators are chasing the wrong metric. They’re optimizing for followers, impressions, and vanity engagement — then wondering why they can’t convert attention into actual revenue.

In this episode of Decision Factory, Jon Brosio breaks down the mindset shift that took him from restaurant shifts and dead-end freelance work to running a multi-six-figure solo business. The turning point wasn’t going viral. It wasn’t audience size. It was realizing that clarity of offer beats the size of your following every single time.

We dissect why:

• Most people go “audience first” and trap themselves in a content hamster wheel

• Big accounts often have zero idea who they’re actually selling to

• Founders accidentally train the algorithm — and their audience — to value the wrong thing

• Service providers and SaaS leaders both suffer when they chase reach instead of relevance

• Your content only works when it leads someone somewhere specific

Jon also shares his 3-A Content Funnel — Amusement, Advisor, Authority — and how he uses it to build demand intentionally instead of relying on luck, virality, or posting three times a day. If you’ve ever wondered why your content gets engagement but not revenue, this episode is the diagnostic you needed.

You’ll walk away with frameworks for:

• Building an offer people instantly understand

• Re-aligning your content with your real buyer

• Choosing the right platform based on customer behavior

• Pricing with confidence instead of fear

• Producing content that captures attention and converts it

Homework: For the next 30 days, pick one question a day on Quora or Reddit in your domain. Answer it. Stop writing for the algorithm and start writing for an actual human. Your positioning — and your product — will sharpen immediately.

This is an episode for founders, creators, and operators who are done chasing followers and ready to build something people will actually pay for.

What does it actually take to scale a service business without burning out or micromanaging every task?

In this episode of Decision Factory, Olya sits down with Milan Savov, founder of SmartClick, to unpack how he went from solo developer to CEO — and built an SEO agency that thrives on systems, not hustle.

Milan breaks down what most founders get wrong about SEO, how to delegate without losing control, and why “working smarter” beats 12-hour days every time.

🔍 You’ll learn:

• How to transition from operator to strategic founder

• SEO strategies that drive long-term business growth

• How to scale a digital agency sustainably

• Why consistency and clarity beat hustle and chaos

• The mindset shift every technical founder needs to grow

If you’re a founder, operator, or marketer trying to scale intelligently — not frantically — this episode is your playbook for sustainable growth.

🎧 Keywords: SEO strategy for startups, B2B growth, agency scaling, founder mindset, business systems, leadership under pressure, decision-making for founders, delegation and growth.

Everyone says starting a podcast is easy. They’re right — it’s easy to start. It’s brutally hard to sustain.

In this episode, Ana Xavier, founder of The Podcast Space, breaks down what it actually takes to build a show that grows your brand and your business. From why most creators quit before episode 50, to how founders can turn a podcast into a lead engine, Ana shares hard-earned lessons on consistency, positioning, and creative stamina.

We go deep on:

• The real ROI of podcasting for founders

• How to design a format that compounds trust (not vanity metrics)

• What separates “content” from brand-building IP

• Why your first 50 episodes are just training camp

A masterclass in podcasting as a strategic advantage — not a side project.

After a three-month pause, host Olya Grovel returns with a raw five-minute reflection on how the show evolved—from Business Savages, a pilot celebrating the wild side of entrepreneurship, to Decision Factory, a space for decoding how high-stakes decisions really get made.

In this short solo episode, Olya opens up about:

• Hitting her own “ugly phase” and what it taught her about direction and burnout

• The realization that building tech wasn’t her zone of genius—building systems for thinking was

• Why every founder eventually faces a decision that changes everything

If you’ve ever felt stuck between chaos and clarity, this one’s for you.
🎙 Every big bet starts with a decision.

Why are marketers always the first to go in a startup shakeup?

In this raw and revealing conversation, marketing advisor Oren Greenberg breaks down the harsh realities behind why growth leaders get scapegoated—and what’s actually broken under the hood of most early-stage companies.

With 20+ years in digital marketing and experience advising both scale-ups and global brands like Canon and BT, Oren unpacks:

🚩 Why most startup marketing hires fail (and it’s not what you think)

🧠 The psychology of founders under pressure—and how it warps decision-making

🎯 Why attribution, strategy mismatch, and unrealistic expectations kill momentum

⚔️ How to survive micromanagers, misaligned exec teams, and chaotic growth cultures

🛠️ The real work of being a fractional CMO (spoiler: it’s part therapist, part operator)

Whether you’re a founder, head of growth, or fractional leader navigating the chaos of startup life—this one’s for you.

💥 Bonus: Oren shares his framework for choosing the right clients, firing the wrong ones, and staying sane through it all.

— 👂 Like this episode? Follow The Ugly Phase for raw founder stories, smart strategy, and zero fluff.

📈 Keywords included: entrepreneur burnout podcast, how to pivot your startup, business growth plateau, startup psychology, leadership during business challenges, how to scale without burnout, stories from founders who pivoted, growth strategy for stalled businesses.

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Where to Find Oren:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orengreenberg/

Follow me on IG @olyagrovelofficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olya-grovel-ryabinina/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheUglyPhase

Website: https://olyagrovel.com/ 

What does it really take to scale a B2B SaaS startup from 0 to $5M ARR—and keep your team aligned, your users happy, and your ego in check?

In this episode of The Ugly Phase, I sit down with Vuk, CMO of HeyReach, to unpack the tactical and leadership decisions that drove HeyReach’s breakout LinkedIn-led growth. From chaotic early-stage pivots to building a decentralized marketing org, Vuk shares a masterclass in go-to-market execution, team accountability, and marketing without fluff.

🎧 We cover: • How HeyReach nailed product-market fit by niching down before scaling up • The invisible tension between growth and marketing—and why Vuk leads both • Why decentralizing KPIs leads to stronger team ownership (and faster execution) • The simple hiring filter Vuk uses to find top marketers (hint: it's not experience) • How to launch a new product when you’ve got $0 in ad budget • What bad growth advice to ignore (and what to do instead)

👀 If you’re a founder, marketing lead, or growth operator navigating messy middle-stage growth, this is the episode you didn’t know you needed.

🟢 Optimized for: entrepreneur burnout podcast, startup psychology, how to scale without burnout, stories from founders who pivoted, business growth plateau

🔥 Follow for more real startup stories and practical GTM insights—minus the vanity metrics.

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Where to Find Vuk:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vukasinvukosavljevic/

Follow me on IG @olyagrovelofficial

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olya-grovel-ryabinina/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheUglyPhase Website: https://olyagrovel.com/