Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Lars Gerull, M.Sc, ACC, the insightful founder of Toolbox-Coaching. Lars takes us on his personal journey from a disillusioned mechanical engineer working for giants like BMW and Siemens to discovering his true calling in coaching. He shares the pivotal moments and "milestone jobs" that helped him merge his engineering background with his passion for helping others, ultimately leading him to launch a business dedicated to guiding technical professionals through meaningful career transitions.

Lars delves into the core of Toolbox-Coaching, detailing his comprehensive program that helps engineers find career clarity, overcome mindset blocks like imposter syndrome, and master the practical aspects of a job search—from crafting a standout CV and LinkedIn profile to confidently acing interviews. He also shares his growth strategies, the challenges of client acquisition, and his exciting plans for the future, including developing an app to scale his impact and help more people align their work with their purpose.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Sherrie Price Clark, the founder and CEO of Storehouse Media Group. Sherrie shares her incredible journey from a career in NYPD and counseling to becoming a powerhouse in the publishing world. She reveals how her company was born not from a grand plan, but from a series of "yeses" to client needs, organically evolving from editing and ghostwriting into a full-service, award-winning publishing agency that handles everything from crafting a manuscript to marketing and even screenplay adaptation.

Sherrie delves into the heart of her boutique, client-focused operation, emphasizing the deeply personal nature of storytelling and how Storehouse Media Group customizes every project to the author's unique vision and passion. She highlights the importance of her dedicated team and their commitment to integrity, transparency, and treating each book as if it were their own. Sherrie also gives a glimpse into the future, discussing her exciting new venture into launching a values-driven TV streaming platform, further expanding the "media" scope of her aptly named company.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Tori Whitaker, the founder and CEO of Better After Baby. Tori shares her powerful journey from being a collegiate athlete to a single mother facing homelessness, and how she channeled her passion for fitness and personal experience into a mission to help mothers reclaim their strength, vitality, and sense of self after childbirth. She discusses the pivotal moment during the pandemic when she left a secure corporate training job to create the supportive community she wished she had, embodying the belief that transformation is always possible.

Tori breaks down her core high-touch offers: the 90-day group coaching program, Rise and Thrive, which combines fitness, nutrition, and mindset in a community setting, and her VIP one-on-one, 6-month transformation program. She emphasizes her philosophy of simplifying health for the chaos of motherhood and her authentic, service-based approach to sales, which she reframes as "connection calls." Looking ahead, Tori envisions expanding her impact through speaking engagements and immersive retreats designed to help women discover their capabilities and prioritize a life of quality over quantity.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with David Pennington, PhD, founder of Penn Coaching & Consulting. With over three decades of leadership experience, David shares his powerful GAIN framework designed to help business leaders move from being overwhelmed to strategic. He delves into how founders often become the bottleneck in their own companies by working in the business instead of on it and provides a clear path to generating freedom, assembling a complementary dream team, and igniting growth.

David explains the critical intersection between scaling a business and preparing it for a lucrative exit. He introduces the “Silver Tsunami” concept and reveals the eight key metrics that acquisition firms use to value a company. The conversation highlights how improving these metrics not only positions a business for a sale at a significantly higher multiple but also fundamentally strengthens it for sustainable, profitable growth—ultimately allowing founders to reclaim their time and purpose.

📄 View David Pennington’s Media Kit

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Carl Roose, the innovative founder behind Mindteam | AI Strategy and Consulting. Carl shares his fascinating journey from a career in graphic design at a non-profit to becoming a pioneering AI consultant, a role that barely existed just a few years ago. He delves into the specific problems that inspired his pivot, explaining how he helps businesses navigate the new landscape of AI through training, strategy, policy development, and implementation, all while maintaining a crucial human touch in an automated world.

Carl opens up about the current state of his lean, efficient business model, his strategies for client acquisition through organic networks and precise outreach, and his philosophy on balancing automation with personal connection. He also outlines his vision for the next 12 months, which includes expanding through speaking engagements, strategic partnerships, and further systematization. The conversation tackles common misconceptions about AI, emphasizing the immense opportunities it presents for businesses ready to embrace it strategically and ethically.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we dive into the journey of Georgy Marrero, the founder of Equis Capital. Georgy shares his incredible transition from an AI engineer at Meta to building a formidable commercial real estate portfolio. He reveals how the principles from "Rich Dad Poor Dad" planted an early seed, leading him from purchasing single-family homes to mastering large-scale commercial syndications in sectors like senior housing, multifamily, and land development. Georgy emphasizes the critical importance of shifting your mindset by surrounding yourself with the right mentors and peers who are already achieving the results you desire.

The conversation explores Georgy's unique approach to leveraging his tech background, detailing how artificial intelligence acts as a powerful accelerator—not a replacement—for deep industry knowledge. He breaks down his investment philosophy, prioritizing the right team and market over the asset itself, and explains the multiple exit strategies that make deals like land development so compelling. Georgy also gives a glimpse into his AI studio, NoomShot, and his mission to empower other engineers and tech leaders with the tools and community to build generational wealth through strategic real estate investing.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we meet Jennifer Chou, the innovative force behind Vegan Tech Nomad. Jennifer shares her journey from being laid off from a growth marketing role at a startup to rapidly building a six-figure, diversified online business. She reveals how she leveraged her authentic content and ADHD diagnosis to create a unique lifestyle and productivity brand, all without a traditional website.

Jennifer provides a transparent deep-dive into her primary revenue stream: her cohort-based course, "Unhinged Life Tracking." She discusses the psychology behind her habit-building systems, her experiments with pricing from $99 to $299, and the challenges of maintaining focus and momentum as a creator. The conversation explores the mental blocks of entrepreneurship, the power of believing in your own value, and designing a business that fits your desired lifestyle of freedom and flexibility.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Olivia Sammons, we sit down with Florian Schleicher, the strategic mind behind FUTURESTRATEGIES. Florian takes us through his remarkable journey from marketing roles at major brands like McDonald's and Greenpeace to scaling the anti-food-waste app Too Good To Go in Austria. He reveals the core insight that inspired his venture: companies often fail not from a lack of ideas, but from a "lack of clarity to act." Florian explains how his unique, tailor-made approach—using deep dives, in-person workshops, and concise blueprints—helps corporate clients cut through the noise of sustainability and ESG to find tangible, actionable strategies that are both impactful and easy to communicate.

Florian delves into the details of his business model, emphasizing the importance of in-person collaboration to build clarity and momentum. He shares a compelling case study of working with the city of Vienna to develop livability initiatives, illustrating his process from vision to a narrowed-down list of five key projects. The conversation also covers his effective, organic marketing flywheel—a dedicated newsletter, a podcast, and providing genuine value on LinkedIn—which attracts his ideal clientele of marketing leaders and CEOs. Looking ahead, Florian discusses his plans to launch a self-published trend report and his strategic pivot to working primarily with corporate clients, which allows him to choose meaningful projects and deliver profound results.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Nathan Strum, the founder and CEO of Abby Connect. Nathan takes us back to the company's origins in 2005, detailing its evolution from a traditional executive suite and human-based virtual receptionist service into an Inc. 5000 company now pioneering AI-powered business communications. He shares the core of their people-centric, tech-empowered approach and the strategic decision to develop an AI receptionist to complement their existing services, all while maintaining the exceptional customer service and company culture that has been their foundation for nearly two decades.

Nathan delves into the specifics of their ideal client profile, which includes law firms, medical offices, financial advisors, and a broad range of small businesses that rely on never missing a customer call. The conversation explores their customer acquisition strategies, the recent pivot from heavy reliance on paid advertising to exploring new channels like Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and the empowering company initiative to upskill their team of human receptionists for new tech-focused roles in the era of AI.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we are joined by Deborah C. Smith, a holistic business coach and women's health advocate. Deborah shares her incredible journey from launching New York's first mobile juice truck to empowering women solopreneurs to build authentic and profitable online businesses. She delves into the origins of her coaching practice, which emerged organically from helping fellow wellness practitioners scale their businesses using digital assets and strategic marketing, moving them beyond trading time for money.

Deborah provides a detailed look into her signature "Mindset to Market" program, which uniquely blends foundational personal wellness with actionable business strategy. She explains her innovative and ethical approach to lead generation, including a powerful 6-episode private podcast that pre-qualifies clients by turning them into action-takers. The conversation also covers the importance of building a strong personal brand, creating evergreen marketing funnels, and her mission to help women in the "intangible arts" achieve scalable success and financial freedom.