Founders Future

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Stephen Nikolaos Michael, founder of Propel Earth, a global venture studio and social network empowering impact-driven startups to scale solutions for humanity's greatest challenges. At just 22, Stephen shares his journey from NYU student to social entrepreneur, driven by the urgent countdown of the Climate Clock and his vision for a Wikipedia-style platform connecting changemakers worldwide. He breaks down Propel Earth's unique model—blending consulting, investor matchmaking, and a volunteer network—while emphasizing radical accessibility: "Impact shouldn't require wealth or connections. Anyone can solve problems if we collaborate."

Stephen reveals how Propel Earth operates as a "first hire" for startups, offering free roadmaps and success managers before monetizing through service referrals and success fees. With 270+ members across six continents, he discusses the challenges of structuring a decentralized network and his ambitious goal: "Imagine a bounty system where the world collectively funds solutions to pressing issues." His advice for aspiring changemakers? "Advocate for yourself—no one else will. Clarity in your mission attracts the right people."

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with John Chapman, founder of The Marketing Chap, a full-service consultancy helping small-to-medium businesses with strategic marketing, brand transformation, and revenue growth. John shares his decade-long journey from corporate marketing to launching his own agency, emphasizing the importance of balancing SEO, social media, and paid ads while avoiding the pitfalls of rapid, unsustainable scaling. He discusses his hands-on approach—offering free assessments, cold outreach, and word-of-mouth lead gen—and his vision for the next 12 months: refining industry-specific client models and building predictable revenue streams.

John also opens up about the challenges of startup life, from managing operations solo to resisting the temptation to "do everything at once." His advice for fellow entrepreneurs? "Start slow, validate your systems, and prioritize financial stability over vanity metrics." For agencies, he stresses the power of data-driven campaigns and niching down—like focusing on one geographic market per vertical—to avoid competing clients.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Chuck Shaver, founder of CS Sales Consulting, to explore how he's transforming B2B sales through LinkedIn mastery. With decades of hands-on sales experience and early adoption of LinkedIn (thanks to his brother, a LinkedIn pioneer), Chuck reveals his 3-pillar framework for social selling success: profile optimization (fixing the 308 overlooked settings), strategic content distribution, and hyper-targeted prospecting. He shares surprising insights on why most companies fail at social selling—from marketing/sales misalignment to leaders' irrational fear of letting reps post freely—and how he's helping clients worldwide (including a Parisian chemical manufacturer) break through these barriers.

Chuck dives into his ambitious goal of onboarding 100 new clients in 60 days to create the industry's most comprehensive LinkedIn performance study, analyzing results across industries, company sizes, and geographies. He explains why traditional marketing channels like radio are dying, how AI helps him decode prospect psychology from initial meetings, and why the future of sales belongs to reps who blend human authenticity with platform-specific strategies. Whether you're a solo consultant or enterprise sales leader, Chuck's battle-tested approach to turning LinkedIn into a revenue engine offers actionable takeaways for standing out in an increasingly noisy digital landscape.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Joshua B. Lee, founder of StandOut Authority, to explore his radical journey from monetizing billions in ad spend (including early work with Myspace) to building a human-centered marketing revolution. Joshua shares his raw entrepreneurial story—how he walked away from a 9-figure business empire at 36, gave everything to his family, and rebuilt his life from $1,000 to pioneer "Human-to-Human (H2H)" marketing. He reveals why traditional lead generation is broken and how his agency helps brands like AWS, Oracle, and Tony Robbins build authentic influence by focusing on advocates over clients.

Joshua dives into his proprietary LinkedIn engagement framework, explaining how to trigger meaningful conversations (without spam) by leveraging dopamine-driven psychology and Microsoft’s AI-powered LinkedIn/OpenAI integration. He breaks down why personal branding is now critical for SEO, how to quantify your "human impact score," and why the future of business isn’t B2B or B2C—but H2H. Whether you’re a coach, consultant, or CEO, Joshua’s insights on turning connections into high-value relationships (while avoiding entrepreneurial burnout) offer a blueprint for sustainable growth in the AI era.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Rob Lion, CEO and Co-Founder of Black River Performance Management, to explore his unique approach to organizational development and leadership consulting. With over 20 years of experience in academia and human behavior research, Rob shares how he transitioned from teaching in the classroom to helping Fortune 100 companies, startups, and even Supreme Court judges optimize workplace culture and performance. He reveals why his firm stays industry-agnostic—focusing instead on values alignment and solving root-cause issues in human behavior—and how his background in real estate, restaurants, and spin studios gives him a practical edge in business advising.

Rob dives into the challenges of scaling a consulting business, from training affiliates to handle foundational work (while he tackles high-stakes strategy) to the unpredictable nature of lead generation in a referral-driven model. He shares hard-won lessons on why new entrepreneurs should keep their day jobs while building their ventures and how to future-proof an organization amid economic uncertainty. Whether you're a consultant, coach, or leader navigating team dynamics, Rob’s science-backed frameworks and candid insights offer a roadmap for sustainable growth—without sacrificing employee

In this episode of Founders, Future, with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Gregory Perine, CEO and Co-Founder of Pholeo, a revolutionary event and hospitality management platform. Gregory shares his journey from managing high-end events to solving the inefficiencies of spreadsheets with Pholeo’s unified platform for budgeting, scheduling, and inventory management. He discusses the evolution of Pholeo’s product, the shift from a product-led to a support-led approach, and his vision for scaling the platform with new modules like agenda building and space allocation.

Gregory also dives into the challenges of achieving product-market fit in the event tech space, the role of AI (and its limitations) in event planning, and why passion is the driving force behind successful entrepreneurship. Whether you’re a founder, event planner, or tech enthusiast, this episode is packed with insights on innovation, adaptability, and building a business that truly serves its users.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Matt McCabe, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Axia Growth Partners, to explore the world of search funds and strategic acquisitions. Matt shares his journey from management consulting to launching Axia, detailing their unique self-funded search model and how they identify, evaluate, and acquire niche businesses—particularly in energy supply chain and industrial services. He also breaks down the differences between traditional and self-funded search funds, the deal origination process, and the art of structuring offers that align with seller goals.

Matt dives into their current acquisition opportunity, explaining how they reached the final round of bidding by presenting a compelling growth plan. He also discusses the role of AI and automation in deal sourcing, the challenges of due diligence, and his long-term vision for scaling acquired businesses through bolt-on acquisitions. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, investor, or M&A enthusiast, this episode offers invaluable insights into buying, growing, and exiting businesses strategically.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with John Matthews, President and CEO of Great Cat Enterprises, a retail consulting firm with over 20 years of transforming brands like Little Caesars, Jimmy John’s, and Deluxe. John shares his journey from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship, driven by his father’s advice to "gather knowledge and go out on your own." He dives into the three core pillars of Great Cat—strategic scaling, senior project management, and interim executive leadership—and how he helps businesses navigate growth, acquisitions, and operational excellence.

John also unveils his Great Cat Learning Series, a digital extension of his expertise designed for smaller businesses, and reveals how LinkedIn has been the cornerstone of his client acquisition for 15+ years. With a unique approach to time management and a passion for gardening as his "mental reset," John offers invaluable insights on balancing high-impact consulting with a fulfilling lifestyle—proving that success doesn’t require a massive team, just relentless focus and relationship-building.

 In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Eric Elkins, CEO and founder of WideFoc.us, a social media agency that’s been transforming B2B and B2C marketing since 2007. With over 20 million engagements under their belt, Eric shares how he pivoted from journalism and startups to building a full-service social media powerhouse—back when brands still asked, "Can’t the intern handle this?" He reveals why WideFoc.us’s core offer hasn’t changed (audience-first content + paid social) but how AI optimization is now revolutionizing visibility, with clients discovering them through ChatGPT searches.

Eric dives into the bottlenecks of scaling an 18-year-old agency: unpredictable lead flow, founder dependency in sales, and the eternal struggle to prove social media’s ROI. His top priorities? Dominating AI-driven inbound leads, debunking the myth that marketing budgets should shrink in downturns ("Saving money by not buying gas for a road trip?"), and finally building a self-sufficient sales team. For founders, his hard-won advice is simple: "Breathe. Slow down. Tactical chaos won’t outrun strategic clarity."

In this episode of Founders Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Vidur Nayyar, founder of Upchange AI and co-founder of Vedra AI, to explore how he's bridging the gap between AI innovation and real-world business transformation. With a decade of experience at McKinsey's QuantumBlack AI unit, Vidur shares his journey from consulting to entrepreneurship, revealing why he built Upchange AI to deliver actionable AI solutions for financial services and insurance—focusing on underwriting, claims, and policy processing. He also dives into Vedra AI’s unique consortium model, which helps mid-sized insurers pool resources and adopt cutting-edge AI tools they couldn’t access alone.

Vidur breaks down his client acquisition playbook, emphasizing the power of warm introductions, federated networks, and credibility-building in B2B sales. He also shares his vision for 2025—scaling Upchange’s AI solutions, expanding Vedra’s consortium, and leveraging AI agents to stay ahead of market trends. For founders, his advice is razor-sharp: Avoid shiny objects, nail unit economics early, and let AI handle the grunt work so you can focus on high-impact relationships.