In this episode of Founders Future, Elliott Boll is joined by Laura Barnard, the founder of Breakthru Brands, and the author of Leadership Types. Laura shares her inspiring journey of founding Breakthru and her vision for changing leadership paradigms. She recounts her transition from a consulting role to creating a business focused on increasing visibility and diversity in leadership, drawing on her experience in branding, psychology, and leadership.

Laura explains how her book challenges traditional leadership stereotypes, offering a new model of leadership that incorporates motivational psychology and archetypes. She highlights the 12 leadership types and how they can be used both for personal growth and team development.

Looking ahead, Laura discusses her strategy for scaling Breakthru, focusing on B2B partnerships with organizations interested in transforming their leadership cultures. She also addresses the challenges of reaching decision-makers and how to approach the slow sales cycle in leadership development.

For entrepreneurs and leaders, Laura’s advice is clear: don't worry, work. By focusing on action and solving problems, founders can navigate obstacles and push their businesses forward. Tune in for actionable insights on leadership, business growth, and the importance of diverse leadership in today's world.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Joe Fitzgerald sits down with Kate Lewis, founder of Fractional Talent, to explore her entrepreneurial journey and the innovative business model driving her success. Kate shares how she transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship during the pandemic, launching two businesses—Connections Consulting Partners and Fractional Talent.

Fractional Talent was born from a growing demand among senior executives seeking flexible consulting opportunities but struggling with sales, marketing, and pricing strategies. Kate discusses the challenges of educating the market on the fractional employment model, which offers companies cost-effective, expert-level talent on a flexible basis while providing professionals the freedom to diversify their income streams.

Throughout the conversation, Kate delves into the strategies that have worked for her, including the power of referrals, networking, and expanding her market reach nationally. She also opens up about the struggles of maintaining work-life balance and the importance of building boundaries. Looking ahead, Kate emphasizes scaling her business, leveraging AI to streamline operations, and creating content to raise awareness about the fractional workforce model.

Finally, Kate shares valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: identify your superpower, seek feedback, and surround yourself with a supportive network. This episode is packed with insights for anyone navigating the entrepreneurial landscape or considering the shift to a fractional business model.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Bill Ryan, the principal consultant and founder of Ryan Consulting, to explore his entrepreneurial journey and the lessons he's learned along the way. Bill shares the pivotal moment that led him to launch his consulting business, driven by a desire to help others work safely, effectively, and efficiently.

Bill discusses the challenges of building his brand, particularly in marketing, and how he discovered the power of strategic partnerships to amplify value for his clients. From listening as a cornerstone of leadership to carving out time for intentional reflection, Bill offers practical advice for entrepreneurs striving to align their work with personal values and goals.

Looking ahead, Bill shares his vision for expanding collaborative relationships in 2025 and emphasizes the importance of aligning with complementary organizations to create holistic client solutions. Whether you're a founder, a leader, or someone seeking inspiration for your own entrepreneurial journey, this episode is packed with actionable insights and thought-provoking reflections.

In this episode, Laura Skinner sits down with Michel Koopman, founder and CEO of CXO Coaching, to discuss her transition from corporate America to entrepreneurship. Michel shares the story behind her decision to leave the corporate world and pursue a coaching business focused on empowering salespeople. Together, they explore the growth strategies behind CXO Coaching and dive into the coaching process that has helped her clients achieve greater success.

Michel also takes us through her sales process and how her desire to scale her business beyond her current network has shaped her approach. As an entrepreneur passionate about helping others reach their full potential, Michelle emphasizes the importance of aligning personal purpose with company mission and shares how this mindset has driven her personal and professional success.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Laura Skinner interviews Ravi Kumar, the CEO of Neto AI, a cutting-edge startup specializing in generative AI solutions for the telecommunications industry. Ravi shares his journey from working in large corporations to founding Neto AI, bringing over 25 years of experience in emerging technologies to this innovative venture.

Ravi explains how Neto AI is transforming the telecommunications space through its proprietary large and small language models, which enable human-centric, contextual conversations. Within just two months of launching, Neto AI’s models have garnered over 1,000 downloads on platforms like Hugging Face, reflecting the immense interest in their solutions. Additionally, Neto AI has developed AI agents designed to sit on top of these models, providing enterprises with scalable, efficient tools for customer interactions.

The discussion delves into Neto AI’s unique three-pronged strategy for customer acquisition: leveraging Ravi’s extensive network of C-level connections, building partnerships with major system integrators, and collaborating with influential industry advisors. While the company primarily uses paid media for branding and awareness, Ravi emphasizes the importance of education in a crowded AI market. To that end, Neto AI has released white papers, research, and educational videos to help clients understand and trust their solutions.

Looking to the future, Ravi outlines ambitious plans, including signing their first 10 customers on a freemium model to prove the platform's value, then scaling with a paid enterprise approach. With key markets in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, Neto AI is poised for rapid growth, supported by an outbound sales strategy and inside sales team launching in the coming months.

This episode is a must-listen for tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs interested in the transformative potential of AI in industry-specific applications.

In this episode of Founders.Future, Elliott Boll sits down with Nate Thompson, founder and CEO of Triumphant Transition Partners, to explore his journey in the healthcare industry and the inspiration behind his business. Nate opens up about his early days in dental equipment sales, where he uncovered a significant need: dentists selling their practices without proper representation, often for far less than their worth. This led Nate to create a company that ensures healthcare professionals get the full value for their businesses, providing expert representation in practice sales.

Nate shares valuable lessons learned from his early entrepreneurial experiences, including the challenges of navigating bad partnerships and managing a growing business alone. He discusses the realities of work-life balance in the startup phase and reflects on how the focus shifts from balancing everything to dedicating oneself fully to the venture.

Looking ahead, Nate's priorities center around enhancing client experience and focusing on quality rather than quantity. He also emphasizes the importance of hiring based on intuition and experience, not just raw talent. His best piece of advice for fellow founders? "Just do it." Nate encourages entrepreneurs to show up every day and put in that extra effort, which ultimately sets successful founders apart from the rest.

This episode offers deep insights into navigating business partnerships, scaling with purpose, and the importance of integrity in business operations. Don't miss Nate’s advice for founders ready to make an impact in their industries.

In this episode of Founders' Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Robin Greaves, the co-founder of Pravi, to discuss how her company is transforming the fundraising landscape for small to medium-sized charities. Robin shares the inspiration behind Pravi, which stemmed from her personal experiences working with charities and encountering challenges in donor acquisition.

Pravi addresses a critical gap in the charity sector, helping organizations without extensive donor data leverage technology and AI to identify potential donors, craft effective messaging, and design impactful fundraising strategies. Robin provides insights into Pravi’s early journey, including their successful Innovate UK Smart Grant, the development of their MVP, and their organic approach to building a waitlist and gathering feedback from users.

Laura and Robin also dive into the importance of testing marketing strategies, scaling internationally, and creating tailored solutions for diverse charity needs. With plans to expand into markets like the U.S. and Canada, Robin envisions Pravi as the go-to platform for small and medium charities seeking sustainable growth. This episode is an inspiring conversation about blending innovation with social impact to empower nonprofits worldwide.

In this episode of Founders’ Future by Closers.io, host Joseph Fitzgerald sits down with Marie-Claire Ashcroft, the self-proclaimed "Professional Rebel." As a photographer, authenticity strategist, and advocate for self-discovery, Marie-Claire shares her unique journey from an accidental entrepreneur to helping others embrace their authentic selves.

The conversation dives deep into her transition from a corporate career that didn't align with her values to starting her photography business as a way to combat personal struggles with depression. Over nearly two decades, she’s evolved her business to not only capture people’s best moments through photography but also guide them to overcome self-doubt and embrace their individuality through authenticity coaching.

Marie-Claire opens up about her challenges, including overcoming low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and finding business strategies that worked for her neurodivergent mind. She discusses her mission to empower others—especially creatives and entrepreneurs who feel they don’t "fit the mold"—to redefine success on their own terms.

With insights into personal branding, mental health, and the importance of embracing what makes you different, this episode is an inspiring reminder to forge your own path and challenge societal norms. Tune in to learn more about Marie-Claire's journey and her advice for anyone ready to step outside the box and build a life and business that aligns with their true self.

In this episode, Neil and Kimberly take center stage as they strategize key outreach initiatives for Ex Judicata's growth and visibility in the legal and corporate sectors. Their efforts are focused on forging meaningful connections with lawyers, law firms, and law schools, all while highlighting Ex Judicata’s role in transitioning legal talent into non-legal roles.

The team works diligently to build credibility by developing case studies showcasing successful lawyer transitions, aiming to increase awareness of the unique value Ex Judicata offers. Additionally, Neil and Kimberly target corporate talent executives to advocate for hiring lawyers in non-legal positions, further expanding the reach of Ex Judicata's mission.

As they navigate limited resources, the team explores creative and cost-effective marketing strategies to maximize impact. They also pursue partnerships with forward-thinking law firms to enhance alumni programs, ensuring long-term success and growth.

Amidst these efforts, Ex Judicata remains vigilant about the approaching "Enrollment Cliff" in 2025, adjusting their approach to meet the needs of employers seeking top talent from law school graduates. Finally, the team aligns with academic initiatives to reshape the perception of the J.D. as a degree in complex problem-solving, weaving this messaging into all marketing and outreach endeavors.

This episode emphasizes proactive planning, relationship-building, and strategic innovation in positioning Ex Judicata for success in a dynamic market.

In this episode, Bill Flynn, CEO of Catalyst Growth Advisors, shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur who has scaled businesses from the ground up to hundreds of millions of dollars. Bill discusses his transition from working in a startup environment to leading a division in a larger company, where he faced and overcame a significant technical crisis, ultimately improving customer satisfaction. He dives into the challenges of leadership, the importance of acquiring and retaining clients, and how surrounding yourself with experts can elevate your business. Bill also reflects on his coaching philosophy—encouraging his team to create a growth roadmap, which initially faced resistance but ultimately led to success. Now an executive coach, Bill imparts his knowledge to others, teaching a proven growth framework to help businesses thrive. This episode provides invaluable lessons on resilience, leadership, and strategic growth for entrepreneurs and executives alike.