Going Deep with Aaron Watson

We believe this is one of the best and most valuable podcasts we’ve had the privilege to share.

Michele McGough is the founder and CEO of solutions4networks, a professional services and integration company that provides network engineering and network security consulting as well as associated equipment/software to a select client portfolio.

She’s been in IT for more than 30 years and has learned a lot of lesssons along the way.

In this episode, you’ll hear her discuss retaining the talented people on her team, how & when to fire a client, and how she got started. 

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Michele’s Challenge; Perception is not reailty. Don’t make assumptions about others.

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If you liked this interview, check out episode 361 with Jason Wolfe another top-notch entrepreneur, operator, and team builder.

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Michelle Walters founded Liberty Closet Systems in 1993. The family-owned and operated business serves up custom closet, cabinetry, and storage solutions in Westmoreland County & surrounding areas.

Over time, operations have been scaled to meet the demands of over one hundred builders in PA, WV, and Maryland. In 23 years LCS, Inc. has grown from a single designer/installer to a full staff of designers, fabricators, and installers specializing in custom closet design & storage systems.

In this conversation, Aaron and Michelle discuss starting the business, how to sell a great closet, and working with her family.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Michelle Walters’s Challenge; Be kind. Not just people that agree with you.

Connect with Michelle Walters

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If you liked this interview, check out episode 396 with Kristy Knichel where we discuss 3rd party logistics, woman-owned business, and great customer service.

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Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

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We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

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James Haluszczak founded SteelBridge Consulting in 2008. The boutique consultancy exclusively focuses on serving as a strategic advisor to Private Equity and Venture Capital fund managers, investors, and administrators. 

He is also a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SteelBridge Laboratories, which he and his partners founded in 2016 as an investment firm focused on early-stage Fintech companies.

James has 20 years of experience in Financial Service operations, finance, and technology roles, and is a seasoned Fintech founder and investor. James has held management roles inside of four currently operating Fintech startup companies, and he and his team have invested in more than 10 Fintech companies since 2016. 

In this conversation, James and Aaron discuss scaling a consulting firm, finding deal flow for investing, and helping a young company grow.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

James Haluszczak’s Challenge; Use a fintech tool to donate to a cause, like cancer research.

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If you liked this interview, check out all of our interviews with the world’s biggest financial leaders and writers.

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Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

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We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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Austin Webb is leading a startup that aims to upend the food system. How? By using robotics and AI to build and operate highly efficient, commercial-scale urban vertical farms.

In late September 2019, his company Fifth Season (originally founded as RoBotany) came out of stealth mode by announcing a $35 million round of funding. With this capital, it plans to build its first commercial-scale indoor vertical farm to be located just outside Pittsburgh, in Braddock. 

The startup plans to expand into other similarly-sized cities throughout the US.

In this episode, Austin and Aaron discuss the seismic impact Austin believes vertical farming can have, how this model reduces labor costs & water usage, and the composition of the team pursuing this goal.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Austin’s Challenge; For an entire week, try to eat only fresh food for every meal.

Connect with Austin

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Fifthseasonfresh.com

If you liked this interview, check out our other interviews with top Pittsburgh entrepreneurs Jason Wolfe and Cooper Munroe.

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Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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Hayden Cardiff is the co-founder and CEO of Idelic. Idelic is a B2B Saas startup that helps trucking companies track data on their fleet & drivers to improve safety.

Idelic recently announced a Series A financing round of $8M led by Origin Ventures with participation from TDF Ventures, Birchmere Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and SaaS Venture Capital. 

Hayden, with cofounders Nick Bartel & Andrew Russell, spun Idelic’s software out of Pitt Ohio, a logistics service firm providing less-than-truckload, truckload, supply chain solutions, and ground services in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest United States. 

In this episode, Hayden and Aaron discuss spinning a company out of a larger business, fundraising millions of dollars, and bringing software to an old, conservative industry.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Hayden Cardiff’s Challenge; Consider and respect the truck drivers you’re sharing the road with.

Connect with Hayden Cardif

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Idelic Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 396 with Kristy Knichel where we discuss building an $80M 3rd Party Logistics Provider using customer service, hustle, and humility.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

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We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

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Denise DeSimone has started & run 9 different companies. Some have been successes, some have been failures, some have fallen in between.

In 1998, Denise founded and grew one of her greatest successes, Unicorp where she developed the privately-held technology-based business from the ground floor to over $74 million in revenues.

In this conversation, Aaron and Denise discuss where to get good mentorship, how she has changed her service offerings, and the importance of company culture.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Denise Desimone’s Challenge; Be kind.

Connect with Denise Desimone

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[email protected]

If you liked this interview, check out two other episodes with prolific entrepreneurs Jason Wolfe and Dave Nelsen.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

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Nathan Martin is the founder and CEO of Deeplocal, a Pittsburgh-based marketing agency. The firm is comprised of creative engineers, hired by brands to build interactive experiences. 

Since spinning Deeplocal out of an art and technology lab at Carnegie Mellon University in 2006, Nathan has become a leader of innovation and invention in advertising, creating custom solutions that are often the world's firsts.

In the last decade, Nathan has grown Deeplocal’s portfolio to include advertising work for some of the world’s biggest and most celebrated brands — including Google, Netflix, and Nike.

Prior to founding Deeplocal, Nathan was an originating member of a hactivist art group and the frontman of Creation is Crucifixion, a grindcore band.

In this conversation, you’ll hear Aaron & Nathan discuss how to build a talented team, what it took for Deeplocal to get off the ground, and how he explains the company to others. 

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Nathan Martin’s Challenge; Do not look at income and money as the driver of happiness. Evaluate your work on the basis of how you spend your time.

Connect with Nathan Martin

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Twitter

Deeplocal Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss generating more than $300M in shareholder value.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

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Kristy Knichel is a second-generation logistics executive and the president of Knichel Logistics. Prior to leading the company, she led the operations team for 10 years. 

Kristy has driven a staggering amount of growth for the company. Since its inception, Knichel Logistics has grown from $2 million in revenue to $80 million under Kristy’s leadership.

Knichel Logistics is a woman-owned and operated, non asset based third-party logistics provider. In this interview you’ll find out what that means.

The company specializes in intermodal, less than truckload, full truckload, and specialty services and has a veteran staff that prioritizes customer service.

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Kristy Knichel’s Challenge; Put yourself out there.

Connect with Kristy Knichel

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Knichel Logistics Website

If you liked this interview, check out the rest of our interviews with the top business people in the city of Pittsburgh.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

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Çetin Meriçli is the co-founder and CEO of Locomation, a Pittsburgh startup building autonomous trucks. His company is taking a novel approach to the technical challenge by pairing trucks together, instead of building a single truck to stand alone.

Locomation has raised more than $5 million from 13 venture investors, including Pittsburgh VC firm Draper Triangle Ventures.

Çetin’s team, including 5 co-founders, have been working together for a decade and are aiming to realize the opportunity in the multi-trillion-dollar logistics industry.

Çetin and Aaron discuss how to sell into the 4 key groups that will determine Locomation’s success: investors, employees, customers, and regulators.

You’ll walk away from this episode with a much better understanding of the timeline and challenges associated with autonomous vehicle technology.

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Çetin Meriçli’s Challenge; Find a way to give back.

Connect with Çetin Meriçli

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Locomation Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 306 with Bryan Salesky (Argo AI) where we discuss self-driving cars or episode 297 with Jorgen Pedersen where we discuss robotics and removing humans from harm’s way.

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A digital agency that provides strategy, delivery, and analysis specializing in a few key service offerings.

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If you aren’t creating or curating content regularly, your clients and customers might forget you’re open for business.

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Ryan Kulp is both a marketer and a programmer. This unique skill set allows him to do things that most entrepreneurs only fantasize about.

Ryan constantly builds and ships new products and services on a monthly basis. This gives him the opportunity to experiment and test lots of ideas, seeing which ones stick.

He also uses this skill set to buy small technology companies & software products that most private equity firms are forced to overlook. In this uncharted terrain, Ryan uncovers value by applying his skillset to businesses that were previously run by someone lacking the skills or bandwidth to apply the best techniques.

Now, Ryan’s companies generate more than $5 million in annual revenue and he travels the globe with the freedom granted by cash flow + operating businesses with no geographic restraints.

In this conversation, Aaron and Ryan discuss how to think about entrepreneurship, rules to abide by in business, and the greater “Why” behind Ryan’s work.

Pittsburgh’s best conference to Expand your Mind & Fill your Heart happens once a year.

Ryan Kulp’s Challenge; Work via negativa. Don’t watch Netflix.

Connect with Ryan Kulp

Twitter

Ryanckulp.com

Dishonest Marketing

Micro Acquisitions Course

3 Books Ryan Mentioned

Negotiation Genius by Deepak Malhotra & Max Bazerman

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher & William Ury

If you liked this interview, check out: 

Episode 269 with Brent Beshore where we cover investing for the long term, boring businesses, and starting a career.

Episode 216 with Noah Kagan where we discuss Facebook, Mint, and how to be an effective entrepreneur.

Episode 383 with Zak Slayback where we discuss how to avoid copycat careers, why job descriptions usually suck, and How to Get Ahead when you’re early in your career.

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