Founders Future

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Hunter Surles, founder and principal of Rooted Advisory Group. Hunter shares his unconventional journey into entrepreneurship, from working in Fortune 500 companies and global consulting firms to taking the leap into business ownership.

He opens up about the challenges of transitioning from an independent contractor to building a full-fledged company, including navigating legal and financial complexities, acquiring clients, and defining the firm’s mission and values. Hunter emphasizes the importance of integrity in business, making strategic decisions rooted in long-term success rather than short-term gains.

Looking ahead, he discusses his priorities for 2025, including strengthening client relationships, refining Rooted’s brand and mission, and fostering a culture of camaraderie within his team. He leaves founders with a key piece of advice: think deeply before taking the leap into entrepreneurship, as the highs and lows can be extreme.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Caroline Woosenfranzia’ the founder of Uppercut First, to explore her entrepreneurial journey and vision for the future.

Caroline shares her motivation for leaving the corporate world—where office politics often overshadowed execution—and how she built a thriving consulting business focused on performance, impact, and results. She also reveals a major milestone: Uppercut First is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and she is launching a new venture—an eco-friendly offsite and event space in Lisbon, designed to help companies reset, strategize, and improve collaboration in a unique environment.

The conversation touches on key trends in leadership, including the increasing mobility of executives across companies, as well as the challenges of scaling a business. Caroline highlights how her sales expertise made the transition to entrepreneurship smoother but notes that packaging her knowledge into a structured offer was one of her biggest early hurdles.

She also shares insights into innovative approaches to company offsites, particularly how neurodiverse individuals process information differently. She describes how her new business will create engaging, digestible learning experiences using storytelling, gamification, and hands-on metaphors to improve retention and collaboration among teams.

As the episode wraps up, Caroline leaves founders with a thought-provoking challenge: How much do you really know about your company’s data, and how accurate is it?

In this episode of Founders’ Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Andrew Mellen, an organizing expert, best-selling author, and CEO of Andrew Mellen, Inc. Andrew shares his unconventional journey from theater producer to becoming a sought-after organizational expert. He recounts how a missed gig led to the accidental creation of his business and how word-of-mouth referrals propelled him into a thriving career.

Andrew dives into his strategies for scaling a service-based business, the psychology behind clutter, and why traditional self-paced courses fail for disorganized individuals. He also discusses his unique live coaching approach, high-impact transformation programs, and the newly launched coaching certification for those looking to master the Unstuff Your Life system.

Tune in for insights on personal organization, entrepreneurship, and how structure can lead to greater success and freedom.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Barbara Jenks, CEO and founder of Bright Fulcrum, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and the impact of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) on leadership development. Barbara shares how her transition from a corporate HR executive to a business owner was driven by a desire to help managers communicate more effectively with their teams.

She delves into the challenges of pivoting her business focus, from operations to personal development coaching, before ultimately honing in on leadership and communication training for businesses. Barbara highlights a recent success story in which NLP techniques helped a leader gain clarity on a difficult personnel decision.

The conversation also covers Barbara’s strategic priorities for growth, including refining her target market, expanding her work in healthcare, and training additional coaches to scale her impact. She emphasizes the power of face-to-face networking in client acquisition and discusses how AI tools are shaping the future of leadership development while reinforcing the need for human touchpoints in coaching.

Tune in to hear Barbara’s insights on effective communication, business growth strategies, and the evolving role of AI in leadership training.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Jeff Tetzlaff, founder of KPSV, to discuss his transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, his philosophy on sales, and his mission to help businesses unlock true value. Jeff shares how his deep expertise in sales strategy and business development has shaped his approach—focusing on selling outcomes rather than just products.

From the early challenges of building his company to leveraging digital transformation tools for sales acceleration, Jeff reveals insights on overcoming obstacles, staying adaptable, and the importance of aligning teams with a clear, value-driven vision. He also highlights the evolving landscape of sales, the power of demand generation, and why the best leaders surround themselves with experts.

For founders looking to refine their sales approach and drive business growth, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways.

🔹 Key Takeaways:

1. Why understanding and communicating value is the key to successful sales.
2. How startups and SMBs can break free from "analog dinosaur thinking" and embrace digital tools.
3. The power of delegation and why founders should focus on their strengths.
4. Why long-term success is built on alignment, expertise, and the right network.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Jeremy Bedenbaugh, CEO and Founder of Recreate Solutions, to explore his entrepreneurial journey and leadership philosophy. Jeremy shares his personal story of success, burnout, and ultimately, transformation—how stepping away from leadership helped him redefine his mission and build a company centered on organizational and personal growth.

Throughout the conversation, Jeremy discusses the importance of asking for help, the power of mentorship, and the key role middle management plays in a company’s long-term success. He also unveils his plans for the next 12–18 months, including leadership curriculum development and an exciting partnership with a private equity firm to scale leadership training across 72 companies.

Finally, Jeremy leaves listeners with a powerful insight: instead of falling in love with a product, entrepreneurs should fall in love with their customers—because true growth comes from understanding and solving their biggest challenges.

Tune in for an inspiring discussion packed with valuable leadership lessons, personal growth insights, and business strategies that can help any founder or executive scale their impact.

Episode Synopsis: 

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Jason Rosoff, CEO of Radical Candor, to explore the journey behind the company and its mission to transform workplace communication. Jason shares insights into Radical Candor’s growth, from its early bootstrapped days to a thriving business with 10x revenue growth and a global impact.

Jason discusses the company’s unique approach to scaling—not through traditional hypergrowth but by prioritizing meaningful, high-quality learning experiences. He explains how Radical Candor leverages organic brand awareness, book sales, conference appearances, and a growing paid advertising strategy to drive customer acquisition.

Additionally, Jason provides a behind-the-scenes look at Radical Candor’s evolving sales process, including its shift toward self-serve offerings and leveraging technology, such as AI, to enhance learning experiences. He highlights key lessons learned, including the importance of staying close to customers and resisting the urge to scale too soon.

In this episode, Laura Skinner speaks with Noelle Russell, founder of the AI Leadership Institute, about the challenges and opportunities in AI adoption. Noelle shares her journey from selling over a billion dollars in AI technology to realizing that many organizations lacked the knowledge to implement it effectively. This realization led her to create a company dedicated to closing the AI literacy gap.

The discussion covers how fear and lack of education hinder AI adoption, and how Noelle’s hands-on approach—taking organizations from the boardroom to the keyboard—empowers businesses to embrace AI. She highlights her successful "I Love AI" initiative, a free educational challenge that has drawn tens of thousands of participants and helped build a thriving community.

Noelle also delves into the intricacies of go-to-market strategy, emphasizing that being known is more important than being the best. She explains how paid advertising, content creation, and community building play a crucial role in scaling AI education and adoption. Additionally, she shares insights into the science of sales, the importance of script adherence, and the challenge of transferring authority to sales teams.

Whether you're an AI enthusiast, business leader, or marketer, this episode offers valuable takeaways on overcoming AI resistance, leveraging community-driven growth, and mastering the sales process.

In this episode of Founders Future, Elliott Boll sits down with Karen Mayer Cunningham, the CEO and founder of Special Education Academy, to dive into her inspiring journey of advocating for children with disabilities. Karen shares the personal story behind founding her business, motivated by the challenges she faced with her own child’s developmental delays. She explains how her passion for special education was ignited and the steps she took to help other families navigate the complex special education system.

Karen also opens up about the challenges she overcame early on, including a pivotal moment when she advocated for her child’s access to summer school services, which revealed the inequities in the system. She discusses the importance of serving children with disabilities and shares her mission to bridge the gap in special education, both at a local and global level.

As the conversation turns to the future, Karen emphasizes the importance of education, training, and empowering parents and educators. She reflects on how the pandemic accelerated her business’s growth and allowed her to reach families and professionals worldwide. With her online courses and resources, Karen aims to equip more individuals to be "special education bosses," ensuring that every child receives the support they deserve.

Karen wraps up with valuable advice for founders and entrepreneurs: stay focused on your mission, build a strong team, and keep your circle small to protect your vision. This episode is a testament to Karen’s relentless drive to create meaningful change in the special education space, and her unwavering commitment to helping children thrive.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliot Boll sits down with Karey Swartwout, founder and owner of Mesquite, to explore the journey behind her company and its mission to help entrepreneurs and leaders thrive. Karey shares how her background in technology and hospitality led her to develop a resilience-based framework that empowers business owners to navigate challenges, maintain their core values, and build sustainable success.

She discusses the power of reality-based thinking, inspired by her admiration for Charlie Munger, and how long-term, incremental progress is the key to transformation. Karey also reveals the challenges of growing in a noisy, competitive industry, why word-of-mouth marketing has been her most effective strategy, and her vision for Mesquite—including expansion into wellness retreats and digital resources.

Finally, she leaves listeners with a powerful reminder: “Don’t be afraid. The world needs your voice.”