Founders Unfiltered

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION

In modeling and in business, you are the product. On Episode 8 of Founders Unfiltered, Male Model of the Year Fred Kpoto joins Landon, Tayseer Jabour and Seth of Vorena AI to break down the business behind the image.

Fred talks about growing up in Liberia, trading soccer for a modeling career built from Lexington, Kentucky, and the 5 a.m. call that sent him to New York that night for a Premier League ad with Ian Wright. He walks through the six-day competition that ended with Male Model of the Year, how agencies book and represent models, and why most of the job is hearing "no" and staying consistent anyway.

We also cover:

- Money discipline when one job pays $10,000 and the next pays $200

- How to sell yourself without being fake

- What designers look for, and what "timeless" really means

- Building a portfolio when you have zero connections

- Why behind-the-scenes content gets him booked

- The best and worst sides of the modeling industry

Follow Fred: @fredkpoto · Follow us: @VorenaAI

All Founders Unfiltered links: https://linktr.ee/foundersunfilteredpodcast

Founders Unfiltered is a podcast about business, AI, technology and the realities of building something, hosted by the team behind Vorena AI.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Can either of us actually sell? And does the most famous sales scene in movie history teach the wrong lesson?

Before we get into it, a quick AI update on who is responsible when AI misbehaves:

• A new government AI group, the Superintelligence Force, chaired by Jay Clayton, with 120 days to study AI's risks and opportunities
• A bipartisan bill from Senators Hawley and Murphy that would make AI agent operators and developers criminally and civilly liable when their agents hack other systems
• A New York City Council hearing where OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google were asked to guarantee their public AI agents would always follow safety rules, and none would
• A rough week for OpenAI: Sam Altman's comments on lighter rules, three safety researchers fired, and a nonprofit lawsuit

Then today's topic: do you know if you're being sold?

In this episode:

• The worst pitches we've made, and the worst pitch someone made to us
• What Harvard research says about why asking questions makes people like you more
• What the Wolf of Wall Street pen scene gets wrong, and what the real Jordan Belfort said about it, plus the caveat we say out loud about his history
• Do top sellers actually talk less than everyone else?
• Our game: sell a random object. A stapler, a single sock, a bag of ice, duct tape, a phone charger and a coffee mug
• The worst product reviews ever, including a one-star bag of ice from a Chick-fil-A Yelp page
• Is urgency a trick or real selling?
• How Landon opens outreach with a question about the business instead of a pitch
• Listener questions: the biggest technology mistake businesses make, where to start with AI, and how to know if AI is helping or creating more problems

This week's challenge: before you pitch anything, ask one more question, then stay quiet and listen. Tell us in the comments: the last time you were sold something, did the seller ask about you first?

Next week: a special guest, model Fred Kpoto, on how he made it in the modeling world.

Founders Unfiltered is hosted by the Vorena Team (Landon and Tayseer). Real people. Real ideas. A more honest tomorrow.

All our links: https://linktr.ee/foundersunfilteredpodcast Vorena AI: https://vorena-ai.com

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Is hustle culture a scam? In this episode of Founders Unfiltered, Landon and Tayseer get into it, and they don't fully agree.

They ask who taught us that more hours means more success, what research says about output past 50 hours a week, and what long hours do to your health. They also look at how to spot fake hustle content and what happened when 61 companies tried a four-day week. Then it's a rapid-fire round of scam, tool, or depends.

Before all that, a quick weekly AI update on the push to slow down AI, the new White House agreement, and the China question.

Your turn: if you tracked your hours honestly for one week, how many would actually move your business or your life forward? Tell us in the comments or email us.

Founders Unfiltered is a podcast by the Vorena team. Vorena helps business owners automate repetitive work so they get time back. https://vorena-ai.com

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

AI is changing more than technology.

In Episode 5 of Founders Unfiltered, Landon and Tayseer talk about how AI is changing the economy, the workforce, and the education system that is supposed to prepare people for it.

The conversation moves through what employers actually need from workers now, how people are building careers and businesses differently, and what happens when the world students are entering changes faster than the system preparing them.

A major part of the episode focuses on education: whether schools are preparing students for the world they are actually entering, what needs to change, whether students should have more opportunities to work and gain real-world experience, and how critical thinking and practical experience fit into an AI-driven economy.

The bigger question:

If the world students are graduating into has completely changed, why does the way we prepare them for it still look so similar?

We talk about AI, education, jobs, the economy, real-world experience, critical thinking, and building a stronger foundation for the next generation.

Subscribe to Founders Unfiltered for more conversations about AI, business, technology, entrepreneurship, and the future of work.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

AI has gone from something most people barely thought about to one of the biggest technological conversations in the world.

But as AI becomes more capable, an important question follows: could AI actually become dangerous enough to seriously impact humanity?

In Episode 4 of Founders Unfiltered, Landon and Tayseer sit down to talk about the risks and possibilities surrounding artificial intelligence.

They discuss AI and jobs, misinformation, dependence on technology, the growing power of AI, and what happens as we begin trusting artificial intelligence with increasingly important parts of our lives.

It's not about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions and thinking seriously about where this technology could take us.

Is AI actually going to destroy us — or are we looking at the future all wrong?

🎙️ Founders Unfiltered — Episode 4 Hosted by Landon & Tayseer from Vorena AI.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Is technology still a competitive advantage, or is it becoming a requirement to stay in business?

In Episode 3 of Founders Unfiltered, Landon and Tayseer dive into how technology and AI are changing the way businesses operate. We talk about why some businesses are falling behind, where AI actually makes sense, and whether companies should use AI to replace employees or make them more productive.

We also get real about building Vorena AI, including the mistakes we've made, what we would do differently if we started over, and what we've learned about building a business from the ground up.

Plus, we answer questions from viewers about AI, small businesses, technology, entrepreneurship, and the future of work.

Founders Unfiltered is about real conversations surrounding business, AI, entrepreneurship, startups, and what it actually takes to build something.

🎙️ Founders Unfiltered Hosted by Landon & Tayseer 🏢 Vorena AI

Subscribe for new episodes, clips, and conversations about business, technology, and AI.

#FoundersUnfiltered #AI #Business #Entrepreneurship #VorenaAI

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Is AI actually taking people's jobs, or is it changing the way we work forever?

In Episode 2 of the Vorena AI Podcast, Landon and Tayseer break down one of the biggest questions surrounding artificial intelligence today. We discuss what AI actually is, which jobs are most at risk, why some careers may be safer than others, and whether AI is replacing employees or making them more productive.

We also explore what this means for young people entering the workforce, the future of college and entry-level jobs, AI employees and automation, and what businesses could look like in the next decade.

As people building AI automation ourselves, we also ask an uncomfortable question: are companies like Vorena helping businesses become more efficient, or are we contributing to job loss?

This episode is about separating the hype and fear from reality and having an honest conversation about where AI is taking the workforce.

Featuring Landon and Tayseer.

The big question: Are we entering a world where AI takes people's jobs, or where people who know how to use AI take the jobs of people who don't?

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In our pilot episode, we introduce ourselves, talk about why we decided to start this podcast, and give you a look behind the scenes of what it’s really like building a business from the ground up.

We talk about our journey with Vorena AI, why we started the company, what motivated us to build something of our own, and what we’ve learned along the way.

This is just the beginning. Expect honest conversations about startups, AI, technology, entrepreneurship, business, failures, wins, and everything that comes with building something from nothing.

No polished founder story. No pretending we have all the answers.

Just Founders Unfiltered.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Welcome to Founders Unfiltered.

In this short trailer, meet the founders behind Vorena and get a quick introduction to who we are and what we're building.

This is just the beginning.

Founders Unfiltered — coming soon.