This week we have a special episode of our podcast. To start off the 2021 New Year, Mike and I have looked over our 100+ episodes and pick the ones we think are the most interesting or thought-provoking.

We also want to thank all of our super guests and you, our listeners. In the 2 plus years, we have been doing this podcast, we have had over 17,000 listens all around the world. From the United States to Sweden to Saudi Arabia to India to Uganda. It has been a load of fun and we have certainly garnered many insights from our guests.

Bela: One of the episodes that stands out to me is EP-95 with Mike Saccocio. He is the executive director of the city mission in Schenectady, New York. The creativity, energy, and compassion that Mike has helped so many people. I was fascinated to learn how Mike took a negative, ie. having a homeless shelter in your neighborhood, and turned it into a positive with the downtown ambassador program. Just pure genius. A complete win-win. So check out EP-95 with Mike Saccocio

Mike: My favorite topic has been organizational culture and two episodes that really helped me better understand entrepreneurial culture were David Dussault and Darrin Jahnel. David was our guest in EP-2 and is the CEO of P1 Industries, which is a precision mechanical component manufacturing company. And Darrin Jahnel was featured in both EP-5 and EP-84. Darrin is the Co-Founder of Jahnel Group, a software development company. Darrin was on the show twice so, that in itself says something. I was really impressed with how both David and Darrin focused on their company culture, It is reflected in everything they do, their management style, company functions, and meetings, hiring practices, and opportunities for employee growth. Many founders talk about culture, but very few do anything about it. We can all learn something from these two founders. Give them a listen on EP-2, 5, and 84.

Bela: The next one I have is EP-27 with Euwyn Poon the founder of Spin. Spin partners with cities, college and corporate campuses, and businesses to provide dockless scooter-share services to get you where you need to go. I had several key take-a-ways from this episode. Euwyn spoke about how he looks at the VC's who invest in his company. He is hiring them! He looks at what the VC's bring to the table in addition to money. What connections do they have? What skills and experience do they have? How can they help him grow his business? Euwyn also discusses how he wanted to be at the epicenter of the start-up universe. He wanted to be where all the action is, the talent is, because he fletch this was the best environment for success.

Mike: One thing I am really focusing on right now in my teaching is trying to influence issues of gender inequality in the startup world. The data are really concerning, so I have been actively trying to explore my own teaching, coaching, and mentoring to try and make sure opportunities are not being unintentionally blocked for women entrepreneurs. So, I really like EP-10 with Charlotte Hayden and EP-11 with Nicole Snow. You know Charlotte and I think there is a good story about inspiration, taking actionable steps, seeking mentors and advisors. For Nicole, I think it's all about building a customer community. Both are great stories that are worth listening to.

This has been a fun episode to put together. What a great way to kick off what we hope is a better 2021 for all of us after all the challenges we faced in 2020!

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected] - we will answer your questions in a future episode.

Thanks for listening,

Bela and Mike