In this episode of MustardHub Voices: Behind the Build, Curtis sits down with Andrew Nielsen, General Counsel at MyHRCounsel, for a lively and enlightening conversation about the hidden pitfalls of HR law—and how to steer clear of them. Andrew shares his unconventional journey from pre-med to law, explains why FMLA is one of the most misunderstood areas in employment law, and gives practical advice on avoiding costly legal mistakes. From the rise of remote work to AI’s role in hiring discrimination, this chat covers the real-world challenges that growing businesses face—and how proactive policies, consistent enforcement, and a strong employee handbook can make all the difference.

About Andrew:

Andrew Nielsen is General Counsel at myHRcounsel.  He can convey complex HR and employment law issues to executives, human resources professionals, and salespeople alike.  Having handled more than 100 trials, he enjoys using that experience to help clients avoid litigation by taking a proactive approach to avoid problems before they arise.

Doug Rixmann knows a thing or two about putting out fires—whether it’s in his volunteer fire department or in the day-to-day chaos of multi-unit restaurant operations. In this candid chat, he shares how OwlOps evolved from a homemade fix for his family’s QSR business into a must-have tech tool for franchises of all sizes. If you’ve ever tried to manage a store with a broken ice machine again or a missing soap dispenser still, this one’s for you.

About Doug:

Doug Rixmann is the co-founder and CEO of OwlOps. OwlOps is a task and maintenance management app that helps you improve communication, enhance accountability, and eliminate the paper shuffle in your restaurant operation. He’s a computer science professional and a dedicated volunteer firefighter, always driven by a passion for serving his community and solving problems. Doug likes to keep active outside of work through CrossFit-style workouts and pushing his limits by training for triathlons. He’s a happily married father to two teenagers, and he loves to travel and explore new places with his family.

In this episode of MustardHub Voices: Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes chats with Tevis Paxton, Director of Partner Development at HiringThing and veteran of the startup world. Tevis shares how a background in improv and a self-designed college major in "persuasion" laid the foundation for a thriving career in sales, partnerships, and go-to-market strategy. From the magic of white-label recruiting tech to the importance of context, alignment, and fun at work, this conversation is packed with wisdom for leaders building strong teams and scalable cultures. If you're into practical advice, startup storytelling, and a little humor along the way—this one's for you.

About Tevis:

Tevis Paxton is a startup guy, with primary professional focuses being: generating new revenue, strategic partner management, and launching new products. He's spent over a decade helping scale early-to-mid-stage startups and loves the opportunities and chaos that come with that.

Many businesses leave money on the table, and Stephanie Cornejo and her colleagues at Corporate Tax Incentives know this all too well. This is also the case when examining the Human Resources department. HR doesn’t need to be the cost center most business leaders see it to be – once tax credits come into play.

About Stephanie:

Stephanie Cornejo is a talented, ambitious leader who heads CTI’s Credits & Incentives practice. With oversight of operations and practice development, Stephanie monitors the tax incentive landscape to identify federal, state, and local tax credits that CTI can capture, maximizing value that clients can use to power success.

In this insightful conversation, Curtis Forbes sits down with Elena Davis, the longtime HR leader at Bader Rutter, to explore what it truly takes to build a culture that lasts. With over two decades of experience, Elena shares her take on leading through generational divides, trauma-fatigued workforces, and the rise of AI, all while keeping humanity and empathy at the heart of it all. From employee listening strategies to shaping culture without ego, this chat is packed with grounded wisdom and practical takeaways for any people-first organization.

About Elena:

Elena Davis is the Director of HR at Bader Rutter, where she’s spent over two decades helping shape a people-first culture. She is a modern HR leader with deep expertise in benefits, relationship dynamics, and employee development. Elena brings a rare blend of big-picture thinking, objectivity, and practical empathy to her work, with a belief that what’s good for employees is almost always good for the business.

What happens when a founder scales a franchise to 100+ locations in just five years—then hits a wall? In this episode of MustardHub Voices: Behind the Build, Curtis Forbes sits down with Landon Eckles, former founder of Clean Juice and now a professional EOS implementer, to unpack the journey from entrepreneurial chaos to organizational clarity. Landon shares how the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) helped him regain focus, foster accountability, and build healthier teams—and how he now helps others do the same. From confronting hard truths to creating culture-fit teams and using scorecards to track what really matters, this conversation is packed with takeaways for leaders who want more than just growth—they want alignment, health, and traction.

About Landon:

Landon is a founder who implemented Entrepreneurial Operating Systems to scale and successfully exit the business. Landon understands the challenges entrepreneurs face firsthand. As a Professional EOS implementor and consultant, Landon helps businesses with 10 to 250 employees clarify their vision, gain traction, and build healthier teams. Landon leverages rich experience to guide leadership teams to break through barriers and achieve sustainable growth using the EOS.

The savings rate in the United States is alarmingly low, with some studies indicating that nearly a quarter of American households have no emergency savings, and a significantly larger percentage of US families lack sufficient funds to weather a financial crisis. These statistics are scary, but this is where Devin Miller and SecureSave come in. Join Curtis and Devin as they discuss the importance of financial wellness to today's labor force and how employer-sponsored emergency savings accounts are a must-have benefit to support today’s workers and drive better business outcomes.

About Devin:

Devin Miller is an expert in workplace emergency savings. Devin is a financial technology entrepreneur who has built FinTech solutions used by tens of millions of Americans. Today, Devin serves as the CEO at SecureSave.

Perry Lunsford is a people person, committed to the health, wellness, and happiness of others. His career has been all about putting love and awesomeness into the world, building and supporting great teams along the way. Perry and Curtis delve into how to attract and retain top talent by setting realistic expectations, leading authentically, learning from failure, and being human. Of course, they also discuss compensation (including benefits such as health insurance) as they discuss how employers can get it right when it comes to their people.

About Perry:

Seven years ago, Perry Lunsford changed the way health insurance is sold in America. Today, he and his team at The Healthy Insurance Dude have a goal to FIX the way health insurance is sold in the United States.

What do franchisees really need? Dan Martin, CFE, has been answering that question for decades — not just with tools, but with empathy. In this episode, Curtis chats with Dan about his journey from fast-typing admin to tech entrepreneur, the “gravity-free” thinking that shaped his innovations, and the people-first mindset that powers business success in franchising and beyond. Come for the war stories, stay for the mirror speeches.

About Dan:

Dan Martin stumbled into franchising after college. He’s a pro now, but then, he knew nothing. After learning from the best, he started his own franchise management firm in 1985 to assist startup franchisors, and he became a multi-unit owner, purchasing a large territory franchise and running 18 franchises. Later, he would go on to launch the tech company version of his franchise management firm, IFX, with 10 impressive SaaS modules designed to help franchise organizations grow (and make it so they're yelled at less by their franchisees). These SaaS applications and the Mentoring Strategies bring everything together for both startup and established franchise brands.

You need to walk the walk if you talk the talk, just like Chris Igou. A seasoned entrepreneur and business owner, Chris knows what it's like for small businesses trying to recruit, hire, and retain the right people for the right roles. In this episode, Chris joins our host, Curtis Forbes, to discuss how small businesses can build and grow their culture.

About Chris:

Chris Igou started his career as an entrepreneur, owning a home painting franchise in his early 20s. He's spent most of his career in franchising, running and building brands. Today, Chris serves as the Vice President at CareerPlug. He's been a part of growing a number of businesses, but his true passion is coaching others and helping them grow their business to reach their potential.