Go Build Tomorrow

Immigrant founders start over half of America’s billion-dollar companies.

Not because they have insider networks, but because failure isn't an option.

In this episode of Go Build Tomorrow, I sit down with Sarah Romanko from Geek Ventures, a seed-stage venture fund backing immigrant founders building transformational tech companies in North America.

We cut through standard VC buzzwords to break down the cold, commercial advantage of the "immigrant edge," the critical narrative blind spots that get brilliant technical founders rejected in the first three minutes of a pitch, and what Seed-stage startups actually need to show to command an institutional Series A today.

The conversation covers the topics of fractional leadership, setting expectations, cash flow challenges, and the impact of technical innovation on business structure and growth. It also delves into the importance of diversity in skill sets and the need for early-stage clarity in business planning. The conversation covers the importance of metrics and KPIs in business, the role of tools in financial management, and the value of learning from diverse perspectives and industries. It also explores the benefits of fractional and interim leadership, and the need for continuous innovation and learning.

Takeaways

• Fractional leadership provides small businesses with access to top-level expertise and skills without the cost of full-time employment.
• Cash flow challenges are a common cause of business failure and require early and continuous attention.
• Technical innovation requires a diverse team with the right skills and thinking to identify and address market gaps.
• Early-stage business planning should include considerations for international growth, cash flow risk, and flexibility in product development.
• Metrics and KPIs drive behavior and performance, but must be carefully designed to align with company goals.
• Learning from diverse industries and perspectives is essential for continuous innovation and improvement.

Chapters

• 00:00 Fractional Leadership and Expectations
• 05:08 Personal Experience and Expectation Settings
• 12:05 Cash Flow Challenges and Business Realities
• 16:24 Technical Innovation and Business Structure
• 21:03 Early-Stage Business Planning and Clarity
• 24:32 Metrics and KPIs in Business
• 25:19 The Role of Tools in Financial Management
• 26:19 Fractional and Interim Leadership
• 32:24 Continuous Innovation and Learning

Every leader believes their industry is the exception. Gary Brown has spent a career proving that it almost never is.

Gary is a mentor, board advisor and angel investor with a background running product and innovation inside global manufacturing, plus a stint as an interim leader who inherited a business in far worse shape than anyone on the board realised. In this episode he sits down with Tim Hayden Clark to unpack why the businesses that learn fastest are the ones humble enough to admit they do not have the answers.

We get into:

• The single trait Gary looks for before agreeing to mentor anyone, and the request that makes him say no • Why one lucky sale is not a skill, and how to build capability that repeats • Where innovation actually comes from: aerospace, toy companies, Formula One pit lanes and the space between your own departments • What genuinely changes inside a company the day the cheque clears, and why an IPO can quietly kill long term thinking • Board, advisors, leadership team: who is allowed to do what, and what happens when investors get too close to operations • The fractional model, and why the biggest blind spot after a seed round is spending it all on one expensive senior hire • Gary's interim to CEO story, and what three months of lifting stones uncovered

If you lead a team, sit on a board, or are about to raise, this one is worth your time.

00:00 Intro and how Tim and Gary met
00:35 "I just love helping people find their path"
02:31 The one trait Gary looks for before he says yes
04:45 Teach a person to fish: why one sale is not a skill
06:27 What a summer of fishing with his son taught him about coaching
07:30 Boardrooms that ask for help but do not want to hear it
08:12 Why you cannot skip the failure loop
09:41 Where Gary actually gets his input, and it is not books
11:41 Your business is not as unique as you think
13:19 Formula One, pharma and the ventilator story
16:40 Founding an innovation function, then calling Boeing, Hasbro and the European Space Agency
17:30 Anti lock brakes and heated windscreens: what innovation really means
18:27 Innovation is not only product. It is relationships and business models
20:33 How to read a company's real culture in a single visit
22:24 When founders stop wanting the same thing
23:54 What changes the day the cheque clears
25:40 The IPO trap: quarterly results versus long term strategy
27:11 Board, advisors, leadership team: who is allowed to do what
30:00 "We want your money, but we do not want you involved"
33:20 Is the founder still the right leader at fifty people?
36:37 The fractional model: buying senior capability before you can afford it
39:45 The hiring blind spot after seed and Series A
40:56 Why fractional doers should exist, not just fractional leaders
42:14 Interim to CEO: lifting stones and finding a cash flow crisis
45:22 Why new people ask the questions nobody else will
46:09 Branson, Wozniak, and the leaders Gary wants in the room

Gary is open to conversations with leaders and leadership teams who are willing to say "we could be better." Details in the comments.

Building Tomorrow is hosted by Tim Hayden-Clark. Subscribe for new episodes with the founders, operators and investors building what comes next.

leadership, mentoring, innovation, angel investing, startup advice, fractional leadership, board governance, company culture, scaling a business, product innovation

The first episode of Building Tomorrow podcast features a conversation between Tim Hayden-Clark and Andrew MacAskilll, exploring the intersection of technology, business, and sports.

Andrew shares insights on the impact of technology on the sports industry, strategic workforce planning, and the role of content creators in the board agenda.

Tim discusses the challenges of institutional thinking and the power of in-person events and video content on LinkedIn.

The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to LinkedIn content strategy, personal branding, authenticity, alignment of work and personal values, transparency in networking, and the importance of speed and responsiveness in deal making. It also delves into the nuances of fundraising, the impact of perception, and the significance of in-person meetings. Andrew shares his insights on optimizing LinkedIn profiles, engaging with the new LinkedIn algorithm, and the importance of timely responses in networking and deal making.

Takeaways

• Technology's impact on sports industry
• Strategic workforce planning in sports Consistency and authenticity are key to personal branding on LinkedIn.
• Transparency and imperfection build trust and engagement on LinkedIn.
• Speed and responsiveness are crucial in networking and deal making.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Building Tomorrow Podcast
• 01:02 Andrew's Diverse Background and Sports Industry
• 02:07 Applying Performance Mindset to Business
• 03:12 Tech Playbook and Nuances in Sports Sector
• 04:03 Technology's Impact on Motorsports
• 05:48 Demand for Technologists and AI Chiefs in Sports
• 07:00 Navigating Strategic Workforce Planning in Sports
• 08:21 Challenges of Institutional Thinking in Sports
• 09:17 Agility and Tradition in Sports Industry
• 10:44 Technology's Role in Enhancing Sports Experience
• 12:12 Strategic Workforce Planning and Org Design
• 13:31 AI and Data Modeling for Injury Prevention
• 14:16 Personal Branding and Content Creators in Sports
• 16:08 Maintaining Tradition and Evolving with Technology
• 17:23 Role of Content Creators in Board Agenda
• 19:43 The Power of In-Person Events and LinkedIn
• 22:29 Video Content and Personal Branding on LinkedIn
• 25:04 LinkedIn Content Strategy
• 27:15 Consistency and Personal Branding
• 29:29 Scare to Prepare Interview Technique
• 31:36 Alignment of Work and Personal Values
• 32:16 Lack of Alignment in Corporate Jobs
• 33:35 Building Trust Through Transparency
• 34:22 New LinkedIn Algorithm and Engagement
• 36:15 Speed and Responsiveness in Networking
• 37:02 LinkedIn Profile Optimization
• 40:06 Fundraising and Timing
• 41:52 Importance of Speed in Deal Making
• 43:26 Networking and Connection Goals
• 45:26 Desired Connection from the Podcast
• 45:56 Desired Connections for Networking