Founders Future

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Cheryl Brinkley, the founder and CEO of ITM Coaching Next Level, to discuss her journey from a corporate leader to a full-time entrepreneur and executive coach. Cheryl shares how she discovered her passion for coaching while working in leadership roles and the pivotal moment that led her to take the leap into entrepreneurship.

She dives into the mindset shifts necessary for making this transition, including the challenges of moving from employee to business owner, embracing personal branding, and expanding professional networks. Cheryl also offers valuable insights on leadership, highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence, adaptability, and leveraging diverse perspectives for business success.

Looking ahead to 2025, Cheryl discusses her upcoming initiatives, including her Ignite & Ascend leadership program for mid-career women, her first book, and her continued mission to help leaders develop their full potential. She leaves listeners with essential advice for new founders—prioritizing self-care, avoiding financial pitfalls, and embracing the entrepreneurial journey with patience and resilience.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Jae Encarnacion sits down with Angela Fowler, the CEO and accessibility coach of Real Life Access. Angela shares her inspiring journey as a blind entrepreneur and how her firsthand experiences led her to create a business dedicated to helping companies improve their accessibility.

She discusses the common misconceptions around accessibility—such as it being just an ADA compliance checkbox—and highlights the vast business opportunities in creating inclusive digital and physical spaces. Angela walks through her flagship courses, group coaching, and upcoming employment-focused program, Hiring for Champions, designed to help companies organically integrate accessibility into their hiring and business practices.

Angela also opens up about the challenges of growing Real Life Access, from lead generation to scaling her services. She emphasizes the importance of positioning accessibility as not just a legal necessity but a business advantage that taps into the $2 trillion purchasing power of people with disabilities.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Nikhil Vaish, the CEO of Boost Solo, to explore the journey of solopreneurship and the future of independent business growth. Nikhil shares his insights on how Boost Solo is revolutionizing the way solo entrepreneurs manage and scale their businesses efficiently.

The conversation delves into Nikhil’s personal entrepreneurial path, from identifying market gaps to building a platform that empowers solo business owners. He discusses the challenges solopreneurs face, including time management, client acquisition, and scaling operations without a traditional team. Nikhil also reveals his strategies for leveraging AI and automation to streamline workflows, allowing individuals to focus on what they do best.

Throughout the episode, Elliott and Nikhil explore the evolving landscape of independent work, the impact of technology on modern entrepreneurship, and the mindset shifts required for long-term success. Whether you’re an aspiring solopreneur or an established business owner looking for new growth strategies, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Jim McCarron, CEO of McCarran and Company, to explore his journey from competitive athlete to leadership coach and business owner. Jim shares how his passion for coaching, combined with his experience in business, led him to launch his company over a decade ago.

The conversation dives into the challenges of entrepreneurship, the importance of avoiding “stop-and-start” cycles, and why great leaders prioritize synchronization and teaming to drive success. Jim also reveals key insights on structuring organizations for peak performance, the biggest obstacles facing businesses today, and his powerful "less is more" approach for founders to maximize their impact.

If you're looking for actionable leadership strategies and a fresh perspective on building high-performing teams, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Srini Bangalore, the Founder and Chief Client Officer of CaseTeam—the world's first GenAI-native management consulting firm. Srini shares how his firm is revolutionizing problem-solving for businesses, nonprofits, and government organizations by integrating AI at every stage of consulting, from research to decision-making.

They dive into the ongoing challenge of shifting client mindsets away from legacy consulting giants to more agile, AI-powered firms. Srini also unpacks the essential balance between human ingenuity and AI efficiency, explaining why creativity, intuition, and deep expertise will always give people the edge over machines.

Looking ahead, Srini outlines Case Team’s ambitious priorities: deepening client impact, expanding industry reach, and continuously evolving their AI-powered consulting tool, Prism. He also offers a powerful piece of advice for founders—solve a pervasive problem and build a competitive moat around your solution.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Edo Perry, CEO and co-founder of Elements, to explore his entrepreneurial journey from Apple’s sustainability team to launching a startup that helps companies optimize business travel costs while reducing emissions.

Edo shares the inspiration behind Elements and the challenges of founder-led enterprise sales, offering insights into adapting messaging based on market needs. He also discusses the evolving corporate approach to sustainability, the importance of data-driven decision-making, and why focusing on customer value should come before raising capital.

For founders navigating their own startup challenges, Edo’s advice is clear: Stay flexible, listen to customers, and focus on solving real problems.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Morgan Hoogvelt, the founder of Gohfr, an on-demand delivery platform revolutionizing courier services. Morgan shares the fascinating origin story of Gohfr, sparked by an unexpected conversation about the inefficiencies in medical device delivery.

He discusses the challenges of launching and scaling a logistics business, particularly navigating expansion into new markets like Dallas-Fort Worth. Morgan also offers invaluable insights on hiring the right people, leveraging his background in executive search to build a strong team.

Looking ahead, Morgan reveals exciting plans for Gohfr's future, including national expansion and a franchise model aimed at transforming the industry. He closes with key advice for founders—embrace the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approach to test and refine ideas without unnecessary risk.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Chris Mader, the founder and CEO of Mta Consultancy. Chris shares his inspiring journey of launching his business after being laid off and the strategies he used to scale, including hiring an executive assistant, a content development team, and a marketing intern—with plans to onboard a salesperson in the future.

Laura and Chris discuss the critical role of a predictable lead flow system and how restructuring offers can support sustainable growth. Chris highlights the value of executive and leadership coaching, emphasizing psychological safety, vulnerability, and long-term engagement for lasting behavioral change. He also touches on the importance of follow-up and reinforcement in learning, referencing the Ebbinghaus effect.

As both Laura and Chris explore the challenges of scaling coaching practices, Chris shares his consideration of hiring corporate trainers to expand sales coaching efforts. This conversation provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs looking to build and scale service-based businesses while maintaining a strong coaching culture.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Susan Richards, founder and CEO of CredTech Consulting LLC. Susan shares her journey from being a COO at a large company to launching her own firm in 2022, specializing in debt recovery and collections consulting.

Susan explains how CredTech Consulting helps collection agencies, debt buyers, community banks, credit unions, and auto fintech companies optimize their recovery processes and build efficient collections strategies. She highlights the common financial hardships that lead to delinquency, the importance of compliance in today’s economic climate, and how she works as a fractional COO to refine operations.

The conversation also explores the challenges of scaling a consulting business, Susan’s desire to focus more on fulfillment while building a lead generation and sales team, and potential growth strategies such as paid advertising and expanding her team.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Sepher, the CEO and founder of Shyftbase, a platform revolutionizing supply chain management. Sepher shares his unconventional journey from a background in science and physics to becoming a tech entrepreneur. He discusses the early challenges of building Shyftbase, the pivotal role of industry partnerships, and the complexities of working with large enterprise clients.

The conversation dives into Shyftbase approach to lead generation, emphasizing LinkedIn as a key growth channel, and their strategic expansion into the U.S., Mexico, and Australia. Sepher also reflects on the personal toll of entrepreneurship, the importance of execution over just having a great idea, and his vision for the company’s next phase of scaling.