If Not Now Wen Podcast

Welcome back to another episode of If Not Now Wen! Today we are talking to the serial entrepreneur Gary Hoover!

You're going to love hearing from Gary! He started Bookstop, which was later sold to Barnes & Noble for $41.5 million. This laid the foundation for the book chain's success. Gary then started Hoover's, Inc, with a successful exit of $117 million and digitized business information in the modern world.

Today, he is leading the American Business History Center with a mission to inform and empower entrepreneurs to learn business lessons from the great history in order to shape the future.

Gary and I discuss:

- How Gary started out, his passion for business and how he started his own companies.

- How learning from history can help you understand the future.

- How long you should look into the future when you start your business.

- How to react when life throws you obstacles.

- How entrepreneurship is a life-long discovery of yourself and your life goals.

A driven visionary at the intersection of strategic partnerships, impact, entertainment, & global business development .  

'If that dream does not scare me, it does not excite me!' - @Yinka

In this INNW episode, Dr. Yinka shares her winning strategies on how to win in life or business. Simply put, how the ''The Nigerian Gas Lady'' make her American Dream come true.

In this conversation, we discussed:

- What skills you need to be an entrepreneur

- How to move through self imposed fear

- How she made her American dream come true

Dr. Opeke is a Houston-based International Business Consultant with over 15 years of industry experience, connecting businesses, mentoring startups, and brokering mutually beneficial relationships among organizations at private and government levels. She graduated from the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria with a B.Sc. in Geography, and M.Sc. in Geographical and Information Systems (GIS). She later proceeded to the United Kingdom to obtain another M.Sc. in Project Management from Queen Mary University of London. In 2018, she bagged a doctorate degree from Walden University, Minnesota, USA, where she specialized in Entrepreneurship and Organizational Leadership. Yinka is PRINCE2 Certified and has been privileged to attend several local and international training & workshops.   Dr. Yinka is the Managing Director of Smart Gas, a Nigeria-based company established to leverage technologies to solve challenges faced by consumers when purchasing cooking gas. Smart Gas is the only technology-driven, app-based platform in the market designed from the ground up for clients to experience a more convenient way to purchase cooking gas, increase transaction efficiency, and optimize user experience.  Dr. Yinka is the Founder & CEO of Trade Expo Africa (TEXA), a U.S.-registered, Houston-based company focused on promoting bilateral trade relations, investment opportunities, educational advancements, international collaborations and information exchange between businesses in the U.S. & Africa. With her commendably strong business networks with SME-focused, public and private organizations in Nigeria, she has succeeded in helping businesses penetrate international markets. She achieves this through exhibitions, study trips, B2B Meetings & trade missions. She has received Certificates of Recognition from Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, State Representative Shawn Thierry and Mayor of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner for her tremendous efforts at promoting trade and investment in Houston.   Dr. Yinka is also a Managing Partner at TEXA Property Group, a U.S.-registered, Houston-based company focused on empowering individuals through real estate investments in Texas. A result- oriented Realtor with proven sales & marketing experience, Dr. Yinka’s business ethics is centered around a “win-win or no deal.”  Presently, she holds an executive board position at the Texas West Africa Chamber of Commerce (TWACC) as their Treasurer, Head of Strategy & Corporate Governance. Together with her team, they promote trade alliances between businesses in Texas and West Africa. Since the inception of TWACC in 2019, Dr. Yinka and her team have hosted the President of Guinea, 3 Ambassadors, and visited over seven African Ambassadors in Washington D.C and Houston. She is also the co-founder of Raph & Rosa, the not-for-profit arm of Smart Gas. Their vision is to enhance the quality of life of vulnerable and older adults in Nigeria. They do this by providing individualized care via their adult diapers and bedmats drive. They also cater to their overall physical, mental, and social wellbeing, in an environment that is safe and promotes social interactions among the elderly. Her professional strengths are Innovation & Strategic Thinking, Strategy Formulation & Implementation, Management & Leadership, Brand Management, Sales & Marketing, Project Management, Business Process Improvement, Team Building, Coaching & Motivation.

If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going - Winston Churchill 

In this INNW podcast interview, meet Damien, a fearless business leader who shares with us his entrepreneurial journey and how to build perseverance and remain optimistic during business hardship. 

In this conversation, we covered: 1. How to deal with setbacks and failure 

2. How to crave a path to live a life worth living 

3. How to avoid deadly mistakes when scaling a business from 0 to 1 to 500 team size. 

Here is a brief bio about Damian: Damian is the Chief Commercial Officer at Founders Factory, building and investing in early-stage tech businesses backed by the world's largest corporates. In 2008 Damian founded Adglow, one of the first social advertising platforms, which was acquired in 2016 and grew to 350 people across 17 markets under his leadership. Since then, he has worked as NED, board advisor and consultant to high growth businesses in the creative industries, as well as developing and launching the CBD brand, GoodRemedy.co and production company, Otherly Entertainment.

https://foundersfactory.com/

''When someone told me no, I said watch me.'' - Linda Ginac  

In this INNW Interview, meet Linda, a fearless and passionate technology leader, CEO, and chairwoman of TalentGuard. She always believes in human potential, and everyone deserves to be in a role where they’re appreciated, respected, while shining their own lights and unique talents to make an impact within their role.   

In this episode, we discussed:  

1. How to be fearless and turn down the dial in your head 

2. How to build real confidence and not let other's biases get in your way  

3. How to pivot in the midst of challenges and darkness     

Here is a brief bio about Linda:   Throughout her career in talent management, CEO Linda Ginac has always believed that everyone deserves to be in a role where they’re appreciated, respected, and able to make the most of their passion and talents.  She founded TalentGuard in 2009 on the back of that belief while seeing the potential for technology to enhance the way companies and employees develop and utilize their skills.  Since then, TalentGuard has helped clients in every industry—from banking to biotech—uncover and foster the talent that lies within their organizations. Seeing them transform from the inside out to create happier employees, lower turnover rates and stronger bottom lines is the reward that will keep TalentGuard going for years to come.   

https://www.talentguard.com/

You never lose - You learn or you win. -  Gavin Gallas

In this @INNW episode, meet Gavin, the ultimate innovator. Gavin is passionate about leveraging technology to create business and solve problems.

In this special heartfelt interview, we discussed:

1. How to grow your side hustle while you have a day job

2. Why everyone should attend a startup Hackathon and the impact of a successful elevator pitch.

3. How to validate your startup ideas and test product/market fits

Here is a brief bio about Gavin:

Focused on helping innovators make progress.  Experienced tech CEO with a demonstrated commercialization of IP-driven projects. Digital transformation focused on interests in behavioral science, blockchain, and machine learning.  Live in the future, then build what's missing. -- Paul Graham  Gavin is the CEO of YGC. Head of enterprise software venture studio. Leading transformative product development and new ventures. They discover new industry opportunities, launch startups to address their software needs, and partner with enterprise leaders to bring new products to market.   https://www.ygcdata.com/#hero

Lisa, is a lifelong learner as well as a teacher, who is passionate about empowering our next generation. After decades in the classroom, Lisa decided to pivot, and step into the kitchen, to create an incredible CPG brand the other mother. A vinegar drink company, that offers an incredible taste as well as all the wonderful health benefits you need in one small bottle…   

https://www.othermothervinegar.com/

''You don't really understand it until you do it'' - Deepak

In this interview, Deepak share with us:

- How to increase your self-awareness and know oneself

- How to best carve a career path for yourself

- How the role of gratitude play in his life and contribute to his success

More fun facts about Deepak: 

🚀Founder of gotFollowup.com - stop lighting your marketing dollars on fire.  

📈Teaching Biz Operators to become OWNERS 

🦄 Investor/Advisor, Father of 2 beautiful kiddos,  Husband to my incredible wife for 17+ years and I’m a consummate Entrepreneur and Innovator.   

⚡️12 startups over 25 years 

🦄 Speaker/Mentor on Uncovering Revenue - go from 🙈 to 👀 to 💰   

🤓Expert in Automating Sales💰 & Marketing📣 Follow-up   

🧭I love ❤️ mapping the business process, it’s weird, I know!   

🙏🏼Tony Robbins Platinum Partner  🗣Speaker on Sales Training, Marketing, Business Process, Holistic Health, and Children’s Education   

🧐Fun fact: I’ve spent over $250,000💵 on personal development📈 and now I’m on a mission to bring this technology and language to kids.  What if...we made the work by Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Dale Carnegie and Sean Callagy STANDARD education for kids?   

🙋🏽‍♂‍ Born in Philadelphia ||📍 Living Austin, TX for 27+ years || 🦅Lifelong Eagles fan: E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

Natural born sports enthusiast and serial entrepreneur, Michael started his first business in Hockey in school. Six business later, Michael is CEO of SwiftRide,  with a mission to building commute solutions for every need, while keeping sustainability at their core.   

https://swiftride.co/index.html 

2013 Bootstrap Awards - Guerilla Marketing | Mobilithink

'Don't be afraid for it is me who is knocking on the door' - Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers)

In this episode, - Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers) shares her journey to step into a leader with a mission to empower underrepresented founders, and making a positive impact.

We discussed:

-How to move forward in presence of fear & failure

- Her big 'why' to start Zane Venture Fund

- How to be successful entrepreneurs

See Shila's Bio here:

Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers) an instigator and a catalyst who instigates critical changes in the capital universe and speeds it up with my drive, focus, connections, and mentoring.

Shila Nieves Burney (she/her/hers) was compelled to create Zane Venture Fund because I’m committed to providing the platform that supports underrepresented founders in their quest to create thriving sustainable businesses that provide generational wealth opportunities for their families and their communities.

Her mission to champion underrepresented founders rests on the foundations I’ve built throughout my career. It’s a career that includes everything from leading organizations that foment change, including the Black Women’s Health Initiative, to working with inner-city schools in the public education sector and their students to make sure those students had access to the programs and materials (including food and clothing) to be successful at school.

This experience participating in and leading organizations that champion the human rights of people of color has given her an unequaled view into what it is to be overlooked. It has also accorded me a unique understanding of the importance of investing in human capital. All of this underlies my absolute determination to deliver solutions that address those disparities.

To that end, in addition to Zane Venture Fund, she created Zane Access, the programmatic vehicle that delivers the access underrepresented founders need to build sustainable businesses and generational wealth. This includes access to peers, business experts, mentors, and investors,

She has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Harvard Ventures, completed entrepreneurial programs at the University of California, Berkeley, speaking to women and student entrepreneurs at Cornell, MIT, and Georgia Tech.