Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Mordy Oberstein, Founder of Unify Brand Marketing, to explore his unique approach to bridging the gap between performance marketing and brand strategy. Mordy shares his journey from heading communications at major brands like Wix and Semrush to launching his consultancy, where he helps SMEs align their messaging across all touchpoints—revealing why most companies fail at this critical integration. He breaks down his "one song" philosophy (inspired by Neil Young) for cohesive marketing and why he intentionally avoids enterprise clients to focus on high-impact, mission-driven work.

Mordy also gets candid about the challenges of scaling a boutique consultancy, his $350K revenue ambition, and why he prioritizes lifestyle design over aggressive growth. Listeners will walk away with tactical insights on avoiding brand-performance silos, why startups should "leave room to pivot" in their messaging, and how to build authority through content without burning out.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Erica Hansen, founder of The Wisdom Collective and a seasoned accounting transformation expert with 25+ years of experience. Erica shares her unconventional journey from fixing financial chaos in distressed companies to building a multi-pronged consulting firm that empowers construction businesses and beyond. She reveals why she launched The Wisdom Collective after witnessing recurring patterns of financial blindness, operational inefficiencies, and overwhelmed teams across industries—and how her "three-pronged approach" (people, processes, systems) untangles these challenges.*

Erica dives into her unique client engagement model, which starts with a "diagnostic contract" to identify root causes before committing to solutions. She also teases upcoming initiatives like the Tool Shed Mastermind for construction entrepreneurs and her podcast Executive Diaries, which shares hard-won lessons from the C-suite. For founders struggling with scaling pains or operational chaos, Erica offers tactical advice on change management, the ROI of early intervention, and why "utility players" are the future of accounting teams.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, we sit down with Craig Pisaris-Henderson, serial entrepreneur and founder of Economic Recovery Center (ERC), a firm dedicated to helping businesses navigate disaster recovery, government funding, and financial compliance. Craig shares his journey from launching one of the first pay-per-click search engines in 1996 (pre-Google!) to building ERC—a company born from firsthand experience with Hurricane Ian’s devastation in Southwest Florida. He reveals how ERC combines AI, deep compliance expertise, and empathy to guide businesses through crises, from SBA loans to insurance claims, while staying true to a culture of transparency and ethical practice.

Craig also dives into his other ventures, including Neuro.is (an AI agency tackling data integration) and his patent portfolio around digital interfaces, while offering hard-won wisdom for entrepreneurs. He discusses why differentiation and market need trump "novel ideas," how AI is reshaping consulting, and why Youtube is ERC’s secret weapon for building trust with disaster-struck business owners. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, tech enthusiast, or business leader, Craig’s insights on scaling, AI adoption, and resilient company culture are gold.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Tamica Sears, founder of Sears Coaching and "The Corporate Fixer" with 20+ years of HR expertise. Tamica shares how witnessing toxic leadership inspired her to launch a dual-focused business: Sears Coaching for executive leadership development and The Corporate Fixers, which bundles HR support, legal counsel, and coaching to help companies ditch expensive PEOs. She reveals her "aha moment" when coaching certifications transformed her from rule-enforcing HR professional to employee advocate—and why she now teaches leaders to avoid being "a-hole bosses."*

From surviving a near-business collapse during COVID to scaling her unique "HR trifecta" model, Tamica offers hard-won lessons on resilience and diversification. She breaks down her plans to add 4-5 consultants in 2024 by solving her #1 bottleneck: predictable lead generation. For mission-driven founders, she shares her favorite tools (Personio AI for role-play coaching) and counterintuitive advice: "Don’t quit your day job until you have 3 years of savings—my early caution saved my business.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Catherine Colombo, founder of Muse Media, a dynamic social media marketing agency. Catherine shares her journey from freelancer to agency owner, revealing how she identified the critical gap many businesses face—creating content that drives real results, not just vanity metrics. She dives into Muse Media’s unique 3-month trial approach, where clients see tangible growth before committing long-term, and how her team blends competitor research, data-driven scripting, and hands-on content production to amplify brands and creators.*

From navigating early pricing mistakes to scaling her team, Catherine offers candid insights on the challenges of hiring talent and systematizing operations. She also shares her vision for Muse Media’s next chapter—building a 100K-strong organic audience and launching digital products—while staying true to her mission of empowering local businesses. For any entrepreneur struggling with client acquisition or service scalability, this episode is packed with actionable lessons on positioning, sales, and the power of saying "no" to discounting your worth.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elm, Simran Whitham, Founder and CEO of FORMAT Group, shares how he transformed a gap in Manchester’s gaming and creative events scene into Europe’s leading games industry nightlife festival. What started as a one-off university passion project now spans B2B and B2C events, agency services, and merchandise—all while championing inclusivity and community-driven innovation. Simran reveals how FORMAT Group pivoted post-2020 to build resilience through diversified revenue streams and why dominating the UK was just the beginning of their global ambitions.

Simran dives into FORMAT Group’s unconventional growth strategies, including their surprising success with Reddit ads (41% click-through rates!) and hyper-targeted LinkedIn campaigns. He breaks down the challenges of scaling internationally, the art of balancing event production with agency work, and why "meme-lord" marketing tactics are secretly unlocking high-value clients. For entrepreneurs, his golden advice? Surround yourself with people who’ve already achieved what you aspire to—because mentorship beats guesswork every time.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with William Turner, founder of William and Friends, a Denver-based digital marketing agency helping small businesses punch above their weight. William shares his journey from corporate burnout to entrepreneurship, sparked by a mentor’s nudge and a leap into freelancing—revealing how he’s tackling the "DIY marketing" gap for local SMBs with tailored strategies, from SEO to digital PR. He opens up about the realities of founder burnout, his pivot to hiring A-players, and why in-person networking (like his Denver Chamber of Commerce hustle) became his unexpected lead-gen goldmine.

William also dives into his "fluid and flowing" approach to scaling—rebuilding his foundation after hitting capacity, why he’s prioritizing mentorship over ego, and his plans to shift from "owning a job" to building a business. For founders wrestling with delegation, client trust, or the myth of overnight success, William’s candid take on sustainable growth—and his hard-won advice to "find a mentor who’s walked the walk"—is a masterclass in resilience.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Archer Lawrence, co-founder and CEO of Loophole Automation, a company revolutionizing how event industry businesses and SMBs streamline operations through AI and low-code solutions. Archer shares his journey from working in marketing at a catering company to identifying the repetitive, time-consuming tasks plaguing the industry—leading him to build custom automation tools that save businesses hours of manual work. He discusses the power of niching down in the events space, the importance of community-driven growth through networking, and how Loophole’s solutions chain together to create compounding efficiency gains for clients.

Archer also dives into the challenges of scaling while maintaining a high-touch, relationship-based sales approach, the 70% month-over-month growth they’ve achieved, and the shift from selling "nuts and bolts" to selling transformational outcomes. Whether breaking down the emotional appeal of automation ("How will it feel to remove tedious work?") or sharing lessons from his first entrepreneurial venture (a DJing company in high school!), Archer offers a candid look at building a business where technology meets human-centric problem-solving.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Ryan Calkins, Founder & CEO of Reframe & Rise, LLC, a career coaching venture dedicated to helping professionals—especially veterans—rediscover their purpose and align their careers with their core identity. Ryan shares his journey from Marine Corps veteran to certified career coach, detailing how his RISE Method (Reflect, Integrate, Strengthen, Execute) helps clients break free from unfulfilling careers. They dive into the challenges of scaling a mission-driven business, lead generation strategies, and why execution beats perfection when building a coaching brand.

Ryan also discusses the gaps in traditional career coaching, the importance of identity-driven career alignment, and his vision for expanding through group coaching and digital courses. Whether you're a veteran feeling "quietly stuck" or an entrepreneur navigating early-stage growth, this episode offers actionable insights on turning purpose into a profitable, impactful business.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Mishal Saeed sits down with Jill Alban, founder and CEO of Ahead by 11, a paid ads agency specializing in Meta and Google advertising for outdoor and wellness brands. Jill shares her journey from nonprofit communications to launching her own agency, detailing how she niched down to serve e-commerce and booking-based businesses in the outdoor space. She discusses the challenges of transitioning from general marketing consulting to a focused paid ads model, the importance of client education, and her vision for scaling through digital courses and rebranding.

Jill dives into her hands-on approach to campaign management, from audits to optimization, and how she maintains work-life balance while growing her business. She also shares insights on the future of digital marketing, AI’s role in advertising, and why she’s prioritizing evergreen content over aggressive scaling. Whether you’re an agency owner, marketer, or founder, Jill’s thoughtful approach to business growth offers valuable lessons on niching, client boundaries, and sustainable scaling.