Ground Zero Growth

In this episode of Ground Zero Growth, Sam Sapp interviews Rylan Miller, President and CEO of the Ottawa, Kansas Chamber of Commerce. Rylan’s journey to his current role is a story of serendipity, hard work, and community engagement Rylan explains the concept of a Chamber of Commerce, emphasizing its variability based on location and its […]

Ryland Miller became president and CEO of the Ottawa Area Chamber of Commerce at 27, and he didn't know what a chamber of commerce was until he stumbled into one as an intern. In this conversation, Ryland walks through how chambers actually work, what membership buys a small business, and why the real value shows up in rooms where strangers become partners. Sam also shares how early Ottawa Chamber support pulled Lockbaud back from the brink of pivoting out of tech entirely.

In this episode of Ground Zero Growth, Sam Sapp interviews Jim Starcev, an entrepreneur, Program Manager at KC Digital Drive, mentor, coach, and coffee shop consultant. Jim’s story is a testament to overcoming adversity, the power of mentorship, and the importance of digital transformation in today’s world. Jim shares his humble beginnings, growing up on […]

Jim Starcev bought his first house at twenty off the earnings of a Kansas City Star paper route. By the end of that run he had three trucks and eleven people delivering papers to nearly two thousand homes. That early stretch, along with a childhood east of Troost raised by a single mother who worked in a factory, shaped the work ethic he carried into financial services, into a bootstrapped tech company that grew to almost fifty employees, and eventually into his current role at KC Digital Drive.

In this episode, Sam Sapp interviews Ray Freeman, founder and executive director of One Community Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, who shares his journey from foster care to community leader and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Ray’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and the importance of creating positive change through martial arts and mentorship. […]

Ray Freeman was 12 years old, riding his bike through Kansas City, Kansas, when a police officer stopped him and told him he wasn't going home. That afternoon became the first of what Ray now calls multiple lifetimes. He spent the next six years in eight different foster homes, aged out at 18, and stumbled into adulthood with no driver's license, no savings, and no idea how to hold a job. Today he runs One Community Jiu Jitsu Club, a Wyandotte County nonprofit built on a $5,000 grant, a $1,200 GoFundMe, and a refusal to take zero days.

In this episode, Sam Sapp interviews Pat Phelan, owner of LEAP and author of Leaping Forward, who shares his entrepreneurial journey and the valuable lessons learned along the way. Pat’s story is one of resilience, adaptability, and the importance of navigating life’s challenges with persistence and determination. Pat’s journey began with a dream of becoming […]

Pat Phelan wrote his book, Leaping Forward, during COVID after what he calls a Jerry Maguire moment at the manuscript. Eighteen years into owning the company now known as Leap, he sits down with Sam Sapp to trace the winding path from a failed stint as a restaurant operator to a national supplier of restaurant furniture and case goods. Along the way he unpacks the line between a hustler and a con artist, why partnerships are tougher than marriages, and the kind of business amnesia that keeps an entrepreneur moving forward.

In this episode, Sam Sapp interviews Allison Mott, the founder of AMCPA, who shares her inspiring journey from an uncertain college student to a successful accounting firm owner. Allison highlights the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and celebrating milestones in entrepreneurship. She emphasizes the wisdom gained through unexpected career turns, balancing professionalism with personability, and […]

Allison Mott scored a 102 on her first college accounting test. The class average was a 60. That moment in a 500-seat lecture hall at Oklahoma State flipped her major from public relations to accounting and set up a decade-long loop through a big four firm, a burnout so deep she quit without another job lined up, two nonprofit roles that rebuilt her love for the work, a failed apprenticeship, and finally AMCPA, the full-service CPA firm she founded five years ago this September.