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Hong & Suzan talk about the realities of being a startup founder, mental health in leadership, and the ups & downs of startups in general.

Hong (@quan) and Stephen Green (@PDXStephenG) talks about how showing up for other people can create a huge impact in the community, startup vs. small business, turning your bank into an active participant in your finances and discrimination. Topics include: Why VCs aren’t beholden to businesses (4:29), differences of startup and small business (7:24), the value of granting first check deals to founders (19:08), Stephen’s dream job — the sneaker world (22:37), choosing to show love to the oppressor (30:02).

Hong (@quan) and Jonathan (@basker) have a chat about finding a job during downturns and how to prepare yourself for the best outcome. Topics include: job hunting during COVID-19 (2:00), Hong's first job (8:06), how to get into tech/startups without a technical background (10:24), how to know if your resume isn't working (16:04), what a day in the life of a startup recruiter looks like (17:32), the best tool to help you look credible (19:00), an important tactical way to stand out with your resume (19:35), and why (if you can) skip the resume entirely (20:17).

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Hong (@quan) and Arlan (@arlanwashere) have a chat about the wild ride of investing in underrepresented groups. Topics include: how to invest in the underrepresented (2:14), how venture capital works (7:31), her first million podcast (13:26), almost being on reality TV (16:19), whether Asian Americans are considered underrepresented (17:47), and her new book "It's About Damn Time" (22:59).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pXY0ae27_ts

Hong (@quan) and Brian (@brianmwang) have a candid chat about parenthood while founding a startup business, how founder egos can get in the way (and how to fix it), and what is executive coaching. Topics include: a true story fable of founder ego getting solved (1:17), tips for a new #StartupDad (7:36), balancing life with your partner (14:16), the biggest tip for parents (16:50), what is executive coaching (17:24), who pays for it (24:24), and how to make the most of coaching/advice/feedback (25:43).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VHsRhM1tXzw

Hong (@quan) and Christine (@christine_tsai) talk about 500Startups (500S), the venture capital firm & accelerator, its international expansion, and how to attract more diversity in entrepreneurship. Topics include: how the two met (1:01), details about 500S (1:48), differences compared to another accelerator (3:02), what makes 500S stand out (4:39), a huge hit from an unexpected place (7:58), on why 500S has an international expansion (9:19), differences between regions & markets (13:05), on how to attract diversity in VC & entrepreneurship (18:36), and the 500S application cycle & how to apply (26:39).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bMuqtnVYOvw

Hong (@quan) and Steve (@blick) talk about their love of cycling, what marketing is, how to do marketing well, and how it is evolving over time. Topics include: what Blick is known for (0:58), the history of Oakley (2:34), what stood Oakley apart from the competition (3:49), powering through a troubling situation (5:37), what the goal of marketing actually is (7:41), how Blick turned a rough situation into an amazing opportunity (8:28), the essence of marketing (11:42), where great marketing comes from (14:29), what's next in the world of marketing (17:44), where to find Blick now (23:56).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pA6dg3A9XTA

Hong (@quan) and Joyce (@troutgirl) talk about 106miles, the realities of Silicon Valley ecosystem, women in technology, and how to succeed in a more gender balanced economy. Topics include: getting into tech (00:51), dramatic firing (01:54), getting into entrepreneurship (02:36), what is 106miles (04:07), the hard truth about some VCs (04:35), sudden health changes (06:07), how 106miles helps with tackling hard issues (07:10), realities of the entrepreneurship journey (08:11), how failure in Silicon Valley isn't really failure (10:05), how to nurture your confidence (12:02), how to pick good startup ideas and business models (16:36), what to tell the next generation of founders (21:22), examples of women centric businesses (23:35), on dealing with historically based gender biases (24:35), on female VCs/CTOs/cofounders today (26:10).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_o_wrG0NnqE

Hong (@quan) and Liên (@paliendrome) talk about homeschooling, how parenting applies to starting over and building a business, gender/racial/etc balance in companies, and how your heritage can drive your legacy. Topics include: getting into Yale (1:30), getting started with homeschooling (2:53), the trivium educational process (5:36), the origin of PHNX / "Phoenix" (8:33), managing work-life balance with kids (10:00), managing a gender/racial/etc balanced company workforce (11:00), what differentiates PHNX Creative from other agencies (14:24), the origins of this podcast/show (17:25), on being treated as an "outsider" & your responsibility to tell your story (18:00).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zzjv6ipTHOM

Hong (@quan) and Marc (@mbrandolph) talk about Marc's newest book, how to develop effective company culture, and share some stories about the early days of Netflix. Topics include: how an editor led him to write the right book (2:30), looking back at Netflix's humble beginnings (5:29), the origins of Netflix's famous culture (6:24), how wilderness survival training shaped the culture (9:44), crazy story of how they almost got bought by Amazon (16:09), what ultimately worked for Netflix (20:30), and Netflix's IPO (21:37).

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/iEwajxBUJ20