Founders Future

In this inspiring episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Scott Ballard, CEO of Confidence Coach, to explore his powerful journey from self-doubt to becoming a leader who empowers others. Scott opens up about his deeply personal story, sharing how a childhood marked by struggles with dyslexia and a harsh teacher’s words nearly led him to despair. But with the unwavering love and belief of his mother and grandmother, Scott discovered a transformative power: the ability to see greatness in others when they couldn’t see it in themselves.

Through decades of coaching, Scott has developed a unique approach to leadership—one that is rooted in the transformative power of love and belief. He shares actionable insights on how leaders can replace fear with love, the antidote to imposter syndrome, and how to help others tap into their true potential. Scott emphasizes that the key to growth is recognizing the truth of who we are and helping others to do the same.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a leader in any field, this episode is packed with powerful lessons on building confidence, fostering courage, and leading with love. Tune in for an empowering conversation that will leave you inspired and ready to take bold steps forward in your own journey.

In this episode of Founders, Future, host Laura Skinner sits down with Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead Women a transformative nonprofit aimed at fostering women’s leadership and empowerment. Gloria shares her journey from leading Planned Parenthood to founding an organization that helps women reframe their understanding of power, embrace their potential, and break barriers in leadership.

They delve into the genesis of Take the Lead, which evolved from Gloria's book No Excuses: 9 Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power. What started as a personal passion turned into a full-fledged leadership framework that’s now empowering thousands of women globally through workshops, online courses, and immersive programs like “50 Women Can Change the World.”

Gloria explains her strategies for scaling the organization, the challenges of navigating the nonprofit and entrepreneurial spaces, and the importance of building trust over paid advertising. She also shares insights into teaching negotiation skills, addressing gender pay equity, and fostering confidence in leadership.

If you're passionate about leadership, gender equality, and driving impactful change, this episode offers a wealth of wisdom and actionable advice. Tune in to hear how Gloria is rewriting the narrative of leadership for women everywhere.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with April Porter, the founder of Secretsos, a business intelligence agency dedicated to helping small business owners scale effectively. April shares her incredible journey from being a successful prosecuting attorney to running multiple kickboxing gyms, and eventually transitioning into the world of entrepreneurship. She reveals how she cracked the code for scaling businesses and how her experiences with franchising led her to launch Secret Sauce, a platform combining technology, mentorship, and a gamified approach to empower small business owners.

April discusses the common challenges faced by entrepreneurs, such as the fear of failure, burnout, and limited capital, and how outside support helped her turn her life and business around. Looking ahead, April’s goal is to reach 2,000 businesses in the next year and help them achieve sustainable growth. She concludes with powerful advice for founders—focus on your mission and passion, delegate the tactical tasks, and the money will follow. This episode offers invaluable insights for entrepreneurs looking to scale without burning out.

In this episode of Founders Future, host Elliott Boll sits down with Ted Davis, the founder and CEO of Grace Strategic Services (GSSI), to explore his entrepreneurial journey and leadership philosophy. Ted shares how his distinguished 22-year career in the U.S. Army set the stage for his transition into the private sector, where a sudden career setback pushed him to start his consulting business. Now in its 27th year, Ted’s business has flourished through resilience, adaptability, and a strong commitment to mentorship and lifelong learning.

Ted reflects on the early challenges of establishing a consulting business from scratch, including building a client base and establishing credibility. He emphasizes the importance of understanding your business’s purpose and cultivating relationships with mentors who can provide valuable guidance along the way.

Looking ahead, Ted is focused on expanding his reach in 2025 by leveraging social media, developing new client relationships, and shifting his training programs to digital platforms. He shares his excitement about using technology to scale his impact and offer valuable content to aspiring leaders across the globe.

Ted also delves into the crucial distinction between knowledge and wisdom, stressing that wisdom—applied knowledge—is what truly makes a leader effective. His leadership philosophy combines emotional intelligence, passion, and rational decision-making to guide individuals and organizations toward success.

In the episode’s closing moments, Ted offers invaluable advice to fellow entrepreneurs: Know your purpose, understand your value proposition, and surround yourself with a network of people who will support you on your journey.

Join us for this insightful conversation, filled with timeless advice for business leaders and founders at all stages of their journey.

This episode of "Founders Future" features an interview with Wesleyne Whitaker, founder of Transformed Sales, a behavior-based sales training firm. Wesleyne shares her inspiring journey from a recovering chemist to a successful entrepreneur who helps organizations in technical fields overcome sales challenges.

Wesleyne's expertise stems from her own experiences, including a period of low performance as an international sales manager. She learned to identify and address the underlying behavioral and mindset issues that were hindering her team's success. This led to a successful sales team and eventually to the creation of Transformed Sales.

The episode delves into the challenges Wesleyne faced during the early days of her business, particularly the impact of the pandemic and her personal journey. She emphasizes the importance of learning to delegate and build a company that can function independently.

Wesleyne provides valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly those working in technical fields, offering practical advice on how to identify their ideal customers, address their needs, and transition from a W-2 role to business ownership. The episode concludes with Wesleyne's vision for the future of Transformed Sales, which includes franchising and scaling her business to reach a wider audience.

In this episode of *Founders Future*, host Joseph Fitzgerald speaks with Dr. Priscilla Kucer, founder and CEO of Priscilla Kucer Consulting Solutions, a global management consulting company dedicated to helping small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve their full potential through strategic planning, leadership development, and organizational improvement. 

Dr. Kucer shares her journey from school psychology to launching her consulting firm, driven by a passion for systems and organizational effectiveness. She highlights the importance of applying principles from industrial-organizational psychology to guide businesses in crafting clear visions, setting strategic goals, and fostering collaboration within their teams. 

The conversation delves into Dr. Kucer’s approach to helping entrepreneurs refine their business strategies, including offering tailor-made solutions and masterclasses on productivity, vision-setting, and emotional intelligence. She emphasizes the critical role of cultural competence in today’s global marketplace and shares plans for new retreats tailored to small business owners and women entrepreneurs. 

Dr. Kucer also reflects on the challenges of entrepreneurship, including overcoming perfectionism, learning from failure, and balancing innovation with practical application. Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: take risks, embrace rejection as a learning opportunity, and don’t let fear hold you back from testing your ideas in the market. 

This episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration for entrepreneurs and small business leaders looking to align their businesses with their vision and values.

In this episode of *Founders Future*, host Joseph Fitzgerald interviews Anna Perry, founder of Aligned Life, a coaching business dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and business owners align their personal and professional goals. Anna specializes in a hybrid coaching approach that blends life coaching with business strategy to guide clients toward creating businesses that serve as vehicles for fulfilling their ideal lives. 

Anna shares her entrepreneurial journey, which began 18 years ago when she accidentally launched a highly successful basketware business. Over the years, her ventures evolved from retail and consulting to her current focus on coaching. Anna discusses the challenges of transitioning to a service-based business where the “product” is herself, including overcoming imposter syndrome and redefining marketing strategies. 

The conversation dives into Anna’s passion for working with perfectionist entrepreneurs who often struggle to let go of the need for everything to be “just right.” She highlights her belief in creating calm, confidence, and control within one’s business and life, emphasizing the importance of personal growth alongside professional success. 

Looking ahead to 2025, Anna reveals her plans to expand her impact through group coaching, a book on the imperfectly perfect entrepreneurial journey, and further development of her podcast, *Being Imperfectly Perfect.* She also shares how her personal experiences, including navigating a divorce and entering a new chapter of life, have shaped her business and renewed her focus on growth. 

This episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs, perfectionists, and anyone seeking inspiration on balancing personal growth with building a thriving business.

In this episode of *Founders Future*, host Joseph Fitzgerald interviews Dr. Ryan C. Warner, founder and CEO of RC Warner Consulting, a firm dedicated to improving workplace inclusion and employee wellness to help organizations thrive. Drawing from his background as a clinical psychologist and former Air Force officer, Dr. Warner discusses his journey from treating individuals to tackling organizational challenges at their root. 

Dr. Warner shares how his consulting business started as a speaking engagement side hustle and evolved into a global operation working with Fortune 500 companies, government entities, and high-performing teams. With a mission to foster belonging and leverage employee strengths, RC Warner Consulting has trained over 10,000 individuals across six continents. 

The conversation delves into the transition from a military career to entrepreneurship, the challenges of balancing work and family life, and the importance of creating “work-life harmony.” Dr. Warner also provides actionable advice for business leaders on fostering inclusion and wellness within small teams and outlines his ambitious goals for expanding his company’s impact globally by 2025. 

This episode is packed with insights on leadership, inclusion, and the power of embracing discomfort to achieve growth, making it a must-listen for entrepreneurs and professionals looking to build thriving, inclusive organizations.

Welcome to another engaging episode of Founders, Future by Closersio, hosted by Joseph Fitzgerald. This podcast delves into the journeys of innovative entrepreneurs, exploring the challenges they’ve faced and the strategies propelling their future growth. In this episode, Joseph is joined by Mr. Geoff Todd, a visionary entrepreneur known for his transformative work in [industry/field].

Together, they discuss Jeff’s early inspirations, pivotal moments in building his company, and the innovative approaches that have defined his success. From overcoming initial hurdles to scaling the business in a competitive landscape, Jeff shares valuable lessons and advice for aspiring founders. The conversation also touches on the future of [relevant industry trends or topics discussed], offering listeners a glimpse into what lies ahead.

Tune in for an inspiring dialogue packed with insights and actionable takeaways for anyone on their entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode of "Founders Future," host Joe Fitzgerald welcomes Neil Katz, the founder of Exceptional HR Solutions, to discuss his entrepreneurial journey and the evolution of his business. Neil shares the inspiration behind starting his fractional HR services company, which aims to help small to medium-sized businesses across the United States focus on their core passions by taking care of their HR needs. He reflects on the challenges he faced in the early days, particularly in sales and business development, and emphasizes the importance of networking and referrals for growth. Neil also discusses the significant differences between Exceptional HR today and its inception, highlighting the lessons learned about understanding customer needs. As the conversation unfolds, Neil candidly addresses the demands of running a business, the balance between work and family life, and offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs considering a leap into the world of business. The episode concludes with Neil encouraging listeners to start their entrepreneurial journey as a side hustle, allowing them to build a foundation before fully committing.