In this episode of Founders, Future, host Joseph Fitzgerald welcomes Daniel Horgan, founder of CoLabL, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the impact of his organization. CoLabL focuses on empowering early-career talent, particularly those from underrepresented and under-resourced communities, by expanding their networks, skills, and opportunities to achieve their unique definitions of success.

Daniel shares the story behind CoLabL, highlighting its origins in his early work with nonprofit youth organizing and workforce development. He explains how CoLabL bridges the gap between employers and talented individuals by leveraging mentorship, training, and talent development initiatives.

Listeners will gain valuable insights as Daniel reflects on:

1. The importance of authenticity and following your gut as an entrepreneur.
2. Transitioning from corporate success to launching a mission-driven venture.
3. Building a strong foundation through co-creating with partners and refining operations over a decade.
4. Prioritizing customer experiences to foster organic growth and referrals.
5. Leveraging data, technology, and strategic partnerships to scale sustainably.

Daniel also shares actionable advice for entrepreneurs, including focusing on progress over perfection, working on the business (not just in it), and elevating others through partnerships. He emphasizes the importance of patience and persistence, reminding listeners that success is a long-term journey.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Joseph Fitzgerald sits down with Ben Hippeli, the founder of Benchmark Training, to explore his journey from a high-powered VP of Sales to launching and scaling his own business. Ben shares the story behind Benchmark Training, a company that works closely with vice presidents of sales and operations to help their teams identify and overcome blind spots, ensuring sustained growth and success.

The conversation delves into the challenges Ben faced during his transition, including balancing a demanding full-time role while laying the groundwork for Benchmark Training, and the realities of building brand awareness from scratch. He discusses the unique demands of entrepreneurship, the importance of referrals, and the value of giving back to the organizations and customers you work with.

Listeners will also hear about Ben’s approach to scaling his team, finding the right people for a small business environment, and fostering partnerships with experienced professionals who bring unmatched value to coaching roles. Ben provides actionable advice for those looking to transition from a 9-to-5 to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of having a documented plan, setting milestones, and involving a supportive network.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Joseph Fitzgerald dives into the entrepreneurial journey of Susan Power, founder and CEO of Power Up Leadership. Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Susan shares how her company helps entrepreneurial organizations elevate leadership effectiveness through coaching, training, and talent roadmaps.

Susan reflects on her transition from corporate roles back to entrepreneurship, the lessons learned from her first business, and how she navigates challenges like balancing personal life and business growth. She discusses the importance of patience in building long-term client relationships, the value of trust when growing a team, and how a vivid vision shapes the future of Power Up Leadership.

Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business leader, Susan's advice on starting small, staying consistent, and embracing leadership development is both inspiring and actionable.

In this inspiring episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Kelly Poquiz Burke, founder of Career Slate, to explore her incredible journey of resilience, reinvention, and leadership. Kelly shares how her life was transformed in 2020 when she faced a trifecta of challenges: a dream role as Doritos’ brand manager, a cancer diagnosis, and the global pandemic. These events led her to reevaluate her priorities, ultimately inspiring her to leave the corporate world and launch Career Slate—a coaching platform dedicated to helping professionals align their careers with their values and become fearless leaders.

Kelly discusses the importance of work-life harmony, emphasizing the need to define personal values and build a career that supports them. She also reveals her ambitious goal of empowering 10,000 people to find meaningful work, highlighting her human-centered approach to business development and leadership.

Throughout the conversation, Kelly shares valuable insights on resilience, building relationships, and finding confidence from within. Whether you're a founder, leader, or someone looking for inspiration, this episode offers a powerful reminder that the stability we seek starts from within.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Galen Bingham, CEO of Kiln Global Coaching and Consulting, to uncover his inspiring journey from corporate executive to leadership strategist. Galen shares how an 18-month developmental assignment at Coca-Cola evolved into an eight-year transformational experience, guiding leaders across the U.S., London, Canada, and Mexico.

Listeners will gain insights into Galen’s unique approach to leadership coaching, including his philosophy that people act for their reasons—not ours—and the importance of aligning goals to unlock discretionary effort. Galen also introduces his groundbreaking program, Vanta Elite, tailored to empower Black corporate senior executives, and reveals his strategies for accelerating growth through curiosity and creative problem-solving.

From navigating initial resistance to driving measurable success, Galen offers actionable advice for entrepreneurs and leaders looking to amplify their impact. Don’t miss this candid conversation packed with lessons on leadership, growth, and the art of building lasting influence.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with SK Vaughn, the CEO of Juniper Marketing, to explore her journey from aspiring entrepreneur to successful business owner. SK shares the story of how her marketing agency quietly evolved over five years, culminating in her bold leap in September 2024 to launch Juniper Marketing full-time.

SK discusses the challenges of balancing a day job while building her business, emphasizing the importance of intentional time management and strategic planning. She opens up about her philosophy on work-life balance, explaining why you can have it all—but not all at once.

Looking ahead, SK highlights her goals for Juniper Marketing in 2025, including a focus on recurring revenue and cultivating long-term client relationships. She explains her unique “quiet marketing” approach, which prioritizes quality over quantity and relies heavily on referrals and relationship-building to create a boutique experience for her niche clients.

SK also shares her perspective on the impact of AI on marketing, emphasizing the need for authenticity and human connection to stand out in an increasingly automated world.

Finally, SK offers valuable advice for fellow founders, urging them to build strong infrastructure, map out exceptional customer journeys, and celebrate small wins to maintain energy and purpose.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Joseph Fitzgerald sits down with Melanie Borden, founder of The Borden Group, to discuss her evolution from a corporate VP of Marketing to a successful entrepreneur leading a thriving branding agency.

Key insights from the conversation:

1. From Ground Zero to Growth: Melanie shares how she built her LinkedIn network from scratch during the pandemic, leveraging it as the foundation for her personal brand and eventual business.
2. Starting Without a Plan: With no formal business plan, Melanie began as an independent marketing consultant before scaling her efforts into a full-fledged agency with a team of contractors.
3. Overcoming Early Challenges: She reflects on the difficulty of translating a large online following into revenue and the persistence required to secure her first clients.
4. Balancing Organic and Paid Strategies: Melanie highlights how combining organic community-building efforts with targeted paid initiatives has been pivotal for scaling her brand visibility and business reach.
5. Adapting Leadership for Entrepreneurship: Transitioning from leading corporate teams to managing her own agency taught Melanie valuable lessons about delegation, trust, and optimizing workflows.

Looking ahead, Melanie envisions expanding her agency into new markets, emphasizing collaboration with other creators, and continuing to empower entrepreneurs with tools and templates through The Borden Group’s newly launched Creator Store 2.0.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Vince de Benedetto, the founder and CEO of Automated Dreams. Vince takes listeners through his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early days growing up in a family of entrepreneurs to his pivot from corporate life at Intel to striking out on his own. Reflecting on the challenges he faced, Vince shares how his experiences as a freelancer led him to discover his leadership strengths and the importance of hiring the right team to help scale his business.

Vince also delves into the biggest misconceptions about entrepreneurship, debunking the myth that success comes quickly and easily. He highlights the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need to embrace failure and adjust your approach when plans don’t go as expected.

Looking toward the future, Vince outlines his goals for 2025, focusing on AI’s potential in business process automation and operational efficiency. He discusses how his company is transitioning into AI solutions and shares his vision of becoming a thought leader in AI within his industry. Vince wraps up by sharing crucial advice for other founders, particularly around hiring based on cultural fit and prioritizing attitude and soft skills over technical abilities.

In this episode of the Founders Future podcast, Paul Hassel, co-founder of Red Tiger Talent, takes us through the journey of building and growing the recruitment consultancy. Alongside his brother Steve, Paul started the business in 2016, identifying a gap in the market for roles that leverage insights and research to influence business decisions, especially within the property sector. Paul shares their vision for scaling Red Tiger Talent, the company’s niche market strategy, and the importance of coaching and development for the talent they place.

Throughout the conversation, Paul and host Laura discuss the challenges they’ve faced, including adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving their go-to-market strategy to navigate shifting circumstances. They also delve into the intricacies of account management, the necessity of creating a predictable lead flow system, and the role automation plays in reducing manual work. To wrap up, Paul emphasizes the importance of working smart, investing in the right tools, and focusing on developing core skills to drive business success.

In this episode, host Joseph Fitzgerald sits down with Lee Black, founder of Antilles Digital Media, to discuss his journey from corporate banking to building a mission-driven digital marketing agency. Lee shares how his personal experiences with addiction in his family inspired him to open a substance abuse treatment facility, which led to the accidental birth of his digital media business.

Listeners will learn how Lee leveraged his knowledge of SEO to help struggling treatment facilities grow during the pandemic, evolving his company into a specialized agency serving over 100 facilities nationwide. He opens up about the challenges of balancing entrepreneurship with family life, maintaining authenticity in the digital marketing world, and the power of niching down in a competitive market.

Lee offers practical insights into scaling a business responsibly, staying true to your mission, and learning from mistakes without losing sight of your values. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to turn their personal stories into impactful, purpose-driven ventures.