Founders Future

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Sheila Butler, founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Butler Marketing Group. With over 25 years of experience at powerhouse brands like Disney, JPMorgan Chase, and Choice Hotels, Sheila shares how she made the leap from high-level corporate roles to launching her own boutique marketing firm in Florida.

Sheila opens up about her career pivot, the mental and logistical challenges of becoming a solopreneur, and the realities of building a business from scratch—including why she gave up on the idea of “balance.” She also breaks down her unique offerings, from her proprietary brand transformation bootcamps to fractional CMO services and loyalty program optimization.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, we sit down with Peggy Sullivan — women’s leadership speaker, mindset expert, and founder of SheCAN! — to explore how purpose, happiness, and subtraction are reshaping the way women lead. Peggy shares her journey from high-level corporate roles to launching a movement focused on helping women reclaim time, combat "time poverty," and lead with intention. A powerful personal moment sparked her transformation, leading to the development of the “Busy Busting Process” and proprietary tools like the Busy Barometer and happiness rituals.

Peggy dives into how her values-based approach helps clients regain 5–7 hours per week while cultivating focus and well-being through daily happiness practices. She unpacks her business model—from high-touch workshops and coaching to organic, relationship-driven growth strategies—and shares insights from her latest book, Beyond Busyness: How to Achieve More With Less. This episode is full of practical wisdom for anyone looking to escape overwhelm, build a more aligned life, and lead with clarity and purpose.

In this episode, Mishal Saeed talks with John Wade, who leverages 30+ years of leadership experience to help companies build purpose-driven cultures. John shares his Titanium Triangle framework, focusing on core values that drive employee engagement and business growth. Discover how C3 Culture uses AI and a global consultant network to scale culture transformation for medium to large organizations. Learn actionable insights on turning culture into a competitive advantage and growing your business from the inside out.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Jae Encarnacion, we sit down with Alex Schady, founder of Columbus Business Consulting. Drawing from his upbringing in a family-run paving business, Alex recognized the operational gaps that often hinder trades and service-based companies from scaling. That insight led him to launch his consulting firm in 2025, with a mission to help contractors and SMBs streamline systems, boost efficiency, and reclaim valuable time. Now serving businesses with under 100 employees and up to $100M in revenue, Alex specializes in guiding those stuck in “growth purgatory” to sustainable scalability.

Alex shares how he grew the business organically—starting with helping friends and family implement software—before developing a marketing-led, consultative model focused on blog content, discovery calls, and process mapping. With a unique project-plus-retainer structure, Columbus Business Consulting tailors solutions without overcommitting or overengineering. He also discusses the power of partnerships, having built a network of trusted fractional experts to deliver results without bloated overhead. If you’re in the trades, consulting, or simply passionate about building lean, systems-driven businesses, this episode is packed with insight.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Karyn Vadnais, we sit down with Brian Reichert, founder and CEO of Fast Forward Marketing. With over 36 years in the dental industry, Brian shares his remarkable journey from owning a dental lab to launching breakthrough products like Cavicide and the first flowable composite. Drawing from his experience working with major dental companies such as Ss White Dental, Brian explains how he channeled his expertise and deep industry relationships into creating a marketing firm that supports multiple segments within the dental space.

Brian unpacks the evolving landscape of dental marketing, from the effects of consolidation to his firm’s strategic focus on national accounts, DSOs, and government sectors. He emphasizes the importance of positioning as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor, and how Fast Forward Marketing’s tailored pricing model reflects the depth and nuance of its specialized work. This episode offers powerful insights into sustaining innovation, building strong industry relationships, and creating scalable impact in a niche yet rapidly changing field.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Ammar Elman, we dive into the inspiring journey of Nita Ann, the visionary behind Glow Up Your Life and Luxera Content. Nita shares how she empowers individuals and businesses to create professional-grade content using just their smartphones, eliminating the need for expensive equipment or photographers. From her innovative in-person workshops with a neon luxury vibe to her groundbreaking Luxera service for high-end hotels and coworking spaces, Nita reveals her strategies for scaling, the challenges of introducing something new, and her vision for taking her brands international.

Nita also opens up about the importance of in-person networking in 2025, her love for neon aesthetics, and how ChatGPT helped her strategize her unique business models. She offers valuable advice on pricing, team building, and overcoming self-doubt, emphasizing the power of trust and community in entrepreneurship. Whether you're a business owner, content creator, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode is packed with actionable insights on innovation, lead generation, and turning passion into profit.

In this episode of Founders Future, with host Mishal Saeed, Kris San from CWK Consulting shares key insights on scaling a coaching business the right way. Discover why building client independence beats creating dependency, and how authentic growth comes from referrals and consistent LinkedIn presence—not quick fixes like paid ads. Kris breaks down a personalized, relationship-driven sales approach tailored for creative entrepreneurs, and reveals how to avoid burnout while scaling sustainably. Perfect for founders ready to grow with purpose and build lasting client relationships.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Sean E. Mahar, founder of Sean E. Mahar & Associates, LLC and creator of the Conscious Communication® method. Sean shares how he’s helping leaders, educators, and teams replace confusion and conflict with clarity and confidence—one conversation at a time.

From classrooms to boardrooms, Sean’s mission is powerful: shift the way the world communicates by making it conscious, intentional, and responsible. He opens up about his journey, the challenge of scaling as a solo founder, and why your words shape your leadership—and your legacy.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Ammar Elm sits down with Leslie LaCosta, co-founder and principal consultant at Metamorphosis Studios, a boutique consulting firm specializing in retail transformation, customer experience, and operational excellence. With over 25 years of experience in retail leadership roles at companies like Party City and Bed Bath & Beyond, Leslie shares her journey from a part-time store associate to corporate leadership and what inspired her to start her own firm.

Leslie dives into the unique challenges she saw in retail leadership—particularly the gaps in operational focus and strategic direction—and how her firm helps clients drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by removing friction points and optimizing processes, policies, and omni-channel systems. She explains the importance of balancing core internal teams with outside expertise to accelerate change and improve operational efficiency.

Listeners will learn about Metamorphosis Studios’ ideal clients, engagement models, and how Leslie customizes consulting to each company’s unique needs while emphasizing the value of deep industry experience over cookie-cutter solutions. 

In this episode of Founders Future,  host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Dean Seddon, founder and CEO of MAVERRIK, a global leader in social selling. Dean shares his journey from TV and political communications to building a company that trains over 200,000 professionals and supports thousands of businesses monthly across the UK, US, and Europe.

He reveals how MAVERRIK helps professionals overcome sales anxiety and digital overwhelm through content-led strategies, webinars, and coaching programs like the MAVERRIK Accelerator—generating up to 6,000 inbound leads weekly without paid ads. Dean also discusses plans to integrate AI, expand their content engine, and scale with the right partners, offering actionable insights for anyone looking to grow with authenticity.