If Not Now Wen Podcast

My special guest in today’s episode is Brooke Bains. Brooke has over 20 years in sales, go-to-market operations, and consulting for businesses, whether publicly traded, privately held, or venture-backed companies.  She is passionate about the customer experience and believes that this is where the journey to creating valuable partnerships ultimately begins.

Brooke founded the company Bombshell, simplifying business travel for women. She is currently the Chief Commercial Officer with Thinktiv, a value creation consultancy. Today she is also an Entrepreneur in Residence with Techstars in Austin, as well as sitting on multiple advisory boards for other startup businesses to help and support them on their growth journey.

Brooke shares her wisdom and insight on the entrepreneurial spirit and the power of embracing your humanity in order to thrive in your environment and business.

On the podcast, we discuss:

🔹  How to overcome adversity and turn the challenges you face into huge learning experiences

🔹  The joy of being in alignment and not trying to force something to happen

🔹  How you can be unknowingly limiting yourself and your potential

🔹  How taking the time to know and understand yourself can create the change you want to see in the world

🔹  The top mistake Brooke sees founders make and her advice for other entrepreneurs

Brooke is so inspiring, and I hope you love this episode as much as I do! I can’t wait to hear what you think!

Curious to hear more from Brooke? Catch today’s episode right here.

In today’s podcast we’re speaking to Chris Beaman who is a software developer, product designer, growth marketer, and serial entrepreneur. Over the past 10 years, Chris has built several companies, as well as mentored dozens of early-stage founders.

A natural super connector, Chris is most passionate about introducing great people. In his current role as CEO at Astronomic, Chris is building software to connect founders with the cofounders, advisors, investors, contractors, and employees who will help them scale their companies to the moon.

One of the biggest mistakes founders make in pitching is not telling us why, why we should listen to what you have to say, and why your business matters in the world. Today Chris is sharing insights into his successful personal journey. And his why is out of this world inspiring!

You’ll learn how:

🔹 People can be shaped by their childhood experiences and how that can lead then to find their passion and their why

🔹 It’s so important to go into entrepreneurship with openness and to be able to adapt to feedback

🔹 You can take a desire to do something creative and turn it into a highly scalable, profitable business

🔹 We need as many innovators and entrepreneurs as possible

🔹 Entrepreneurship is the ultimate social cause

Curious to hear more from Chris and his inspiring why? Catch today’s episode right here.

I hope you love this episode as much as I do! Let me know what your biggest takeaways are in the comments below.

My special guest in today’s episode of If Not Now Wen is Martin Martinez. He is the Entrepreneur in Residence at Founder Institute, the world’s most proven network to turn an idea into startup and turn a startup into global business since 2009, helping 5500 companies across the world and on six continents.

Martin is also the host and producer for the online show Global Startup Report and Founder Showcase Series. He is passionate about supporting founders as an advisor and he serves on the advisory board for many entrepreneurship programs as well as one of the world’s leading festivals and conferences South by Southwest.

Martin helps to build community and support for entrepreneurs to really create their dream business, and his story and mission are so inspiring!

On the podcast, we discuss:

- Why having the right support network can make entrepreneurship more manageable and successful

- One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a startup (and how you can avoid making it!)

- Why it’s so important to engage the right advisors who understand small startups

- Some of the biggest misconceptions about the startup world

I know you're going to love this episode and get so many amazing takeaways! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Curious to hear more from Martin? Catch today’s episode right here or connect with Martin directly on LinkedIn!

Today I want to share a little bit more about my story and my why.

I was born and raised in a little mountain town in China. There were no cars, no internet, no way out. Girls like me were expected to follow a specific path, but I never saw myself in it. I always dreamed about seeing the world beyond the mountain.

In the episode I will share:

🔹 How the discovery of a cassette tape changed my life

🔹 Why my years in the startup space and then working in businesses operating at the large and global scales led me to find my why

🔹 How my passion for entrepreneurship inspires me to help entrepreneurs globally to raise capital through storytelling and pitching

🔹 The mission of INNW Institute

I have always wanted to make a difference, create impact, and be the change I want to see in the world.  I am truly just so honored and so excited to have a chance to work with founders from all over the world and help them tell stories.

Curious to hear more? Tune in to this episode here!

I hope you enjoyed this episode and hearing about my why!  What about you? What is your why?

My special guest in today’s episode is a successful multi-disciplinary leader working with amazing people at global innovators, including NASA (Senior Engineer), Goldman Sachs (VP - Product Strategy), Hypersciences (COO), and ibble (Co-Founder and CEO).

My special guest in today’s episode is long time Silicon Valley technology and startup veteran, Paul O’Brien. Paul has been in Austin, Texas for a dozen years and is heavily involved in the startup boom of the state, working at the crossroads of economic development and venture capital.

He’s a founder and the CEO of MediaTech Ventures, a venture development company in Media, worked to bring Founder Institute and MassChallenge to Texas, serves on the board of a number of startup incubators and accelerators, and is a managing director of venture capital programming in Funded House.

Paul shares the lessons he has learned from being a tech venture entrepreneur and his insights on how facing life challenges head on has helped him to grow in his life and work.

On the podcast, we discuss:

🔹How you can make sense of and overcome hardships in your life

🔹How having the right mindset can help you see opportunities that you otherwise would not have seen during times of difficulty

🔹Tools you can use to help you pivot successfully in transitionary seasons of your life

🔹The mindset you need and practices you can implement  in order to thrive in the start-up/tech-venture industry

Curious to hear more from Paul and learn more on the strategies he uses to remain successful in the start-up space? Catch today’s episode right here!

Connect with Paul here.

On today’s podcast, we are joined by the inspiring Marcos Gutierrez, who is the CEO of QA Systems, Inc based in Austin, Texas.

With over fifteen years in the high tech industry, Marcos leads his businesses with a motivational and charismatic methodology that promotes constant personal and professional improvement.

Marcos has worked with both commercial and public entities of all sizes by promoting an excellent customer service mentality which creates and cultivates long-term business relationships.

Marcos shares amazing insights on the intersection between business success, family and mastery. Tune in to this episode to find out more!

Some of the things you will learn today include:

Be sure to tune into this episode to hear more from Marcos and to gain new perspectives on business, leadership, family and legacies.

In today's episode, welcome with me the CEO of global consultancy "Strategy Sprints", Simon Severino. Simon is the author of "Strategy Sprints" & "Habits of Success", Creator of the Strategy Sprints Method, and a contributor for Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazine. He's also a member of Silicon Valley Blockchain Society and the #1 speaker on agile strategy and agile sales.

In his 19 years of entrepreneurship, he has executed hundreds of go-to-market strategies with B2B teams around the globe. He has scaled his own consultancy and has retired from operations. Simon reached financial freedom and became an investor and has since helped thousands of entrepreneurs reach financial freedom too.

Simon shared amazing advice about creating success along the entrepreneurial journey. If you are serious about thriving in the future, join me and listen in to this episode!

Today, we’ll discuss:

🔹 The importance of identifying and focusing on the One Thing for which you will stand

🔹 The significance of integrity in your entrepreneurial journey

🔹 How to focus on your superpowers and overcome yourself doubts

🔹 Why do you need to build a system to clarify, change and adapt goals

🔹 How you can use his 3-Step "Strategy Sprints" Method to succeed in business and life

Curious to hear more from Simon and learn more on his winning approach to success, catch today’s episode right here!

In today’s episode, my special guest is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer of MODintelechy, Scott Thomas. Scott has an impressive background which includes corporate/marketing strategy and execution, lead generation, intellectual property licensing, and software selection/implementation. He worked for and with several industry leaders.

Prior to founding Intelechy Group, a leading Revenue Growth Marketing Agency, Scott was the Director of Client Marketing, Lead Development at Rainmaker Systems, where he created and executed lead generation programs for respected technology leaders such as Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Panasonic, and Red Hat.

Scott is an entrepreneur who is both creative and data-driven. His one-of-a-kind journey is just amazing, and what I like the most about him are his core values.

Today, you’ll learn:

🔹 How to find your path and your true-calling

🔹 The power of turning potential into reality

🔹 How to balance between perseverance and reality

🔹 The importance of Integrity, Loyalty and Impact

🔹 The value of self-awareness to accomplish success

Are you eager to learn more from Scott Thomas and his amazing journey? Tune in for more exciting insights!

In today’s podcast, we are speaking to CEO and co-founder of DivInc., Preston L James II. Preston is a startup advisor/consultant, investor and evangelist for tech startups with 25+ years in the technology sector, mostly in IT technology sales/consulting.

Preston joins us today to talk about his work on diversity and inclusion and to give us a different perspective on how to approach our differences as humans.

We discuss:

- How to approach differences with curiosity instead of assuming the negative

- The importance of moving forward despite challenges

- How you can use your core values to shape how you interact with others in business and life

- How to recognise gaps in the space you operate in and how to use that information to be the change you want to see

- Preston’s journey in the tech start-up world and his learnings since he has been in this space