LeverUp®️

Paul sits down with entrepreneur and author Gorm Tuxen to talk about immigration, entrepreneurship, risk, and building a career by continually adapting to opportunity.

Gorm shares how a Danish exchange student became determined to build a life in America, eventually launching a Scandinavian furniture business before a recession forced him into a complete career pivot. That pivot led to nearly a decade transforming a traditional parking meter manufacturer into an electronics and software business, and later to building his own business development company.

The conversation explores how entrepreneurs test whether an idea is actually relevant to customers, why the market matters more than the product, how to build teams around complementary strengths, and Gorm’s framework for evaluating people: attitude, aptitude, and altitude.

Paul and Gorm also discuss the immigrant mindset, the American Dream, learning to become comfortable with risk, recovering from failure, and why entrepreneurs should focus less on the destination and more on what they learn along the way. They close with Gorm’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and the ideas behind his book, Immigrant Entrepreneurship in America.

• Test assumptions before investing heavily in an idea.
• Product market fit starts with creating relevance for a real customer.
• Know your limitations and surround yourself with people whose strengths complement yours.
• Gorm evaluates people through three lenses: attitude, aptitude, and altitude.
• Great individual performers still need to understand how to win as part of a team.
• An immigrant mindset can create urgency, adaptability, and a strong bias toward opportunity.
• Entrepreneurship requires becoming comfortable with uncertainty and risk.
• Starting small lets you learn small and lose small.
• There is rarely a perfect time to start. Eventually, you have to take the leap.
• The journey, not just the outcome, builds the skills that make future opportunities possible.

00:13 Meet Gorm Tuxen
02:09 Why Gorm chose America
07:23 Building a business from the ground up
10:32 Introducing Scandinavian design to the U.S.
12:11 Learning to handle rejection
14:20 When the business collapsed
17:52 The career pivot that changed everything
19:20 Advice for making a hard career pivot
20:50 How to test whether an idea has relevance
22:05 Innovation vs. listening to the market
26:11 Know your limitations and build the right team
28:49 How Gorm evaluates people
29:18 Attitude, aptitude, and altitude
34:20 The difference between a good and bad “diva”
35:17 Immigrant Entrepreneurship in America
37:47 Why immigrants often see opportunity differently
42:44 Is the American Dream still alive?
44:44 Learning to love risk
45:28 Managing the emotional swings of entrepreneurship
49:25 Gorm’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
52:41 The book that shaped his journey
54:13 Where to find Gorm and his book

Paul sits down with productivity and time management expert Mridu Parikh to talk about what it really takes to get the right things done.

Mridu shares how her career evolved from marketing and home organization into helping entrepreneurs and executives become more focused, organized, and intentional with their time. They discuss why productivity starts with clarity, why too many priorities kill execution, and how better systems can create more freedom instead of more rigidity.

The conversation also covers executive boundaries, delegation, time blocking, AI tools, meeting overload, and how to build a week around your most important work. Mridu closes with her “Pillow Test,” a simple daily practice for making progress on both professional and personal priorities.

• Productivity starts with clarity and fewer priorities.
• Time management and organization are learnable skills.
• Protecting executive time can make leaders more effective.
• Vision without execution fails, but tasks without vision become busy work.
• Good time blocking requires realistic, specific outcomes.
• Effective delegation requires context, a clear deliverable, and a deadline.
• AI works best as a supplement to human judgment.
• Structure can create more flexibility, not less.
• Meetings should be intentional and limited.
• The “Pillow Test” helps identify the one professional and one personal priority that matter most each day.

00:13 Meet Mridu Parikh
02:46 Organization is a learnable skill
04:21 Simplify before you organize
05:53 Finding your top three priorities
08:47 From home organizing to productivity coaching
14:33 Productivity at different leadership levels
17:03 Protecting executive time
23:21 Why too many priorities hurt execution
25:07 Vision vs. task management
25:37 AI and productivity
27:45 Mridu’s favorite productivity tools
31:32 Advice for new executives
32:18 What “I’m slammed” really means
35:56 The right way to time block
38:20 What good delegation looks like
42:05 How structure creates freedom
43:16 Planning the perfect week
46:34 Why executives need fewer meetings
49:04 The Pillow Test
50:48 Accomplish It and where to find Mridu
51:18 The book that impacted her most

Paul sits down with Ted Knudsen for a wide ranging conversation about private equity operations, entrepreneurship, history, and the compounding value of great people. Ted shares his unconventional career journey from consulting into PE operations in his mid twenties, what it was like operating through the Global Financial Crisis, and why those years permanently changed the way he thinks about the human impact of business decisions.

The conversation then turns to Echoes of Revolution, an eight year effort to bring Revolutionary era New York back to life through augmented reality. Ted breaks down how an idea inspired by Boston’s Freedom Trail evolved from years of original historical research into a partnership with Ubisoft and Sugar Creative, the funding challenges that nearly killed the project, and what it took to keep moving when almost everything went wrong.

Paul and Ted also explore America’s recurring periods of division, why character matters more than contracts, how to identify people worth trusting, and why networks compound over a career. They close with advice for young professionals, the unique career value of living in a place like New York, and the books that have most shaped Ted’s thinking.

• Early career opportunities without an established playbook can create some of the fastest opportunities to learn and grow.
• Living through the Global Financial Crisis showed Ted that operating decisions have real consequences for employees, families, and entire communities.
• You do not need to possess every capability yourself: find the right expertise, build the right partnerships, and license what you cannot reasonably build.
• Ambitious projects are rarely linear. Echoes of Revolution survived through research, MVPs, creative funding, strong partners, and persistence when the project repeatedly looked like it might fail.
• Character is one of the most important filters in business. Contracts and diligence cannot fully protect you from choosing the wrong people.
• Relationships compound. A small number of trusted mentors and high-character people can introduce you to an increasingly valuable network over the course of a career.
• Geography can be a career advantage. The density of people, opportunities, and repeated interactions in cities like New York can create value that is difficult to capture on a cost-of-living spreadsheet.

00:00 Intro: Meet Ted Knudsen
00:37 From consulting to private equity operations
02:38 Taking the leap before you feel ready
06:43 Living through the Global Financial Crisis
09:55 AI infrastructure, bubbles, and what survives
14:45 Where Echoes of Revolution began
20:16 Turning history into an immersive experience
22:04 Research, MVPs, and assembling the team
25:28 How Ubisoft and Sugar Creative came aboard
29:54 Funding setbacks and finding new backers
33:47 When the project almost died
38:53 Inside the 11 augmented reality experiences
44:28 America’s birthdays and moments of division
48:39 Media, polarization, and historical perspective
50:31 Why character matters more than contracts
52:39 Finding people you can actually trust
54:29 The compounding power of networks
58:13 Career advice: location, opportunity, and proximity
1:00:30 Why New York can be worth the cost
1:03:02 The books that shaped Ted’s thinking
1:07:08 Where to find Ted and Echoes of Revolution

From Bored in Malaysia to Viral CPA: Andrew Vento (Dgen CPA) on Going Full-Time on X

Overview:

Andrew Vento, better known as Dgen CPA, went from digging around on Twitter while bored abroad to a viral account that now pays the bills. In this episode of LeverUp, Paul sits down with Andrew (over lemonades, not cocktails) to unpack the growth story: the first post that hit 5 million views, why every algorithm change seems to work in his favor, and how he is engineering a life of total flexibility.

They get into the real stuff too. Toeing the line between funny and fireable, getting doxxed, the person who showed up at his house, why AI still cannot do humor, and whether he ever wants a W2 again.

If you have ever thought about turning an online audience into income, or walking away from corporate to build something of your own, this one is worth your time.

Chapters

00:00 Intro: meet Andrew Vento, aka Dgen CPA
00:53 From messing around online to a real income
01:31 Why every algorithm change helps him
02:15 Toeing the SFW/NSFW line without getting fired
03:01 What is the next move
03:35 Going live: asking AI to monetize the tweets
04:45 AI slop, no soul, and the war on em dashes
06:30 Why AI still cannot do humor
07:31 The post that went viral: 5M views from Malaysia
09:01 The Hank Scorpio avatar
09:40 How to actually go viral: build a network first
12:01 Meeting people in real life off Twitter
12:40 Twitter as a dating app
14:10 How much of the persona is real
15:02 Why nobody selling a 5K course knows anything
16:40 Has X gotten worse under Elon
18:00 Getting doxxed and the person at his house
19:30 Fake emails to his employer
20:15 Leaving the W2 life behind
21:00 Bali, crypto, and engineering a remote life
22:31 Advice for the backpack and remote lifestyle
24:30 Purpose, family, and true north
25:45 Social media and the dating hellscape
27:00 Gambling psychology and negativity bias
28:31 Kids who want to be YouTubers
30:01 The fake private-jet photo
30:45 Favorite book, news source, Claude vs Grok
31:40 Starting a podcast and wrap-up

The conversation covers the personal and professional journey of Ryan Heckman, Co-Founder of Rally Day Partners, and his unconventional path into private equity: from competing in two Olympic Games as a ski jumper to landing his first PE job at 22 after a chance conversation on a plane with George Gillette (then-owner of Vail Ski Resort). It also delves into the unique approach of Rally Day Partners in the private equity industry, emphasizing leadership over management. The conversation covers post-closing architecture, CEO expectations, leadership development, private equity board meetings, advice for young professionals, and impactful books.

Takeaways

• An unconventional path into private equity: Olympic ski jumping, a chance meeting on a plane, and building a business from $700K to $14M EBITDA before founding Rally Day Partners

•  Leadership over management in private equity

• Post-closing architecture focuses on purpose, strategy, cultural gaps, and leadership development

• CEO expectations at Rally Day emphasize a multi-stakeholder lens and a focus on supporting employees

• Investing in personal purpose and serving others is crucial for career success and fulfillment

• The book The Greatest Salesman in the World had a profound impact on Ryan's life

Chapters

00:00 Ryan's Background and Path Into Private Equity

18:06 Founding Rally Day Partners

23:06 Leadership vs. Management

28:41 Private Equity Board Meetings and CEO Tools

36:13 Advice for Young Professionals

45:05 Impactful Books and Personal Growth

The conversation delves into Lars' experience in turnarounds and restructuring, highlighting the challenges of day one at a restructuring asset, the importance of stabilizing the team and operations, and the balance between urgency and strategy. Lars shares impactful books and reflects on mistakes made early in his career, emphasizing the value of initiative and the pitfalls of perfectionism. The conversation also explores the measurement of success in restructuring and the significance of creating opportunities for growth within the organization.

Takeaways

• Turnarounds and restructuring involve stabilizing demoralized teams and addressing financial and operational challenges.
• Success in restructuring is measured by creating opportunities for growth and advancement within the organization.
• Initiative and problem-solving skills are key attributes that get noticed by senior team members.
• Perfectionism can hinder progress, and the ability to take small steps and make quick decisions is crucial in a restructuring environment.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 05:52 Stabilizing the Team and Operations
• 29:37 Impactful Books and Mistakes in Career

Many companies experience a stall in growth, with 66% of them never recovering. CEOs need to have a bias towards action and growth to protect the green shoots of success.

Takeaways

• Stalling companies often fail to recover
• CEOs need a bias towards action and growth

Chapters

• 00:00 The Challenge of Stalled Growth

Claudia Rishu shares her journey from a military brat to a CEO, discussing her background in STEM, cryptography, and blockchain security research. She delves into the founding of Supply Co, a company focused on marketing and sales software for the industrial segment. The conversation explores the impact of AI on software engineering, the changing landscape of tech jobs, and the challenges and strategies of fundraising and sales. The conversation covers topics such as the challenges of selling a product that does not fully exist, the impact of tariffs on businesses, the qualities of people to look for when hiring for a startup, and the emotional and spiritual journey of a founder. The conversation also delves into the importance of customer feedback, the pitfalls of startup glamour, and the impact of spirituality on the founder's mindset.

Takeaways

• STEM Background
• Impact of AI on Software Engineering Selling a product that does not fully exist requires convincing prospects and selling the future.
• The impact of tariffs on businesses can lead to uncertainty and stress, affecting supply chains and consumer outcomes.

Chapters

• 00:00 Journey to CEO
• 18:44 Challenges of Fundraising and Sales
• 24:02 Selling the Future
• 36:06 The Emotional and Spiritual Journey of a Founder

The conversation covers the transition to independence as a financial advisor, the dynamics of client relationships, the financial challenges faced by athletes and entertainers, and the experience of starting a new venture. It delves into the complexities of managing client finances and the unique challenges faced by individuals in the sports and entertainment industry. The conversation delves into the importance of building human connections through non-business activities like poker and golf, the sterility of business relationships, navigating investment products, understanding the impact of policies, advising creative types, and the cost of trust and critical thinking in financial advisory. It emphasizes the significance of meaningful connections and the balance of critical thinking and non-emotional, numbers-driven advice in advising creative types.

Takeaways

• Financial Advisor Independence
• Client Relationship Dynamics Building relationships through non-business activities like poker and golf can lead to meaningful connections.
• Advising creative types requires a balance of critical thinking and non-emotional, numbers-driven advice.

Chapters

• 00:00 Transition to Independence
• 05:51 Financial Challenges of Athletes and Entertainers
• 34:59 Starting a New Venture
• 41:46 Navigating Investment Products
• 53:42 Understanding the Impact of Policies
• 59:48 Advising Creative Types
• 01:07:40 The Cost of Trust and Critical Thinking

The conversation covers the founding of American Operator and its mission to preserve small businesses in local communities, challenges in manufacturing and succession planning, the mission to prevent private equity from acquiring small businesses, the process of selecting and transitioning business operators, and the value creation and integration process for business success. The conversation covers investment strategy, underwriting, broker dynamics, challenges with brokers, independent sponsors, issues with brokers and sponsors, broker miscommunication, broker behavior, feedback for brokers, private equity structures, talent acquisition, ownership, and challenges of starting a business. The conversation covers entrepreneurial ventures, challenges, and the journey of a pepper spray company. It also delves into advice for entrepreneurs, acquisition and succession planning, influential books, family values, and the relationship between private equity and entrepreneurship.

Takeaways

• Preserving small businesses is vital for local communities
• Succession planning and operator selection are critical for business continuity and success. Investment strategy and underwriting are key to conservative growth.
• Broker dynamics and exclusive contracts pose challenges in deal management. Optimizing for the most amount of learnings per day is crucial for success.
• Finding a mission that matters and getting started is key for entrepreneurs.

Chapters

• 00:00 Preserving the American Dream on Main Street
• 11:12 Stopping Private Equity from Eating Main Street
• 18:02 Selecting and Transitioning Operators
• 25:28 Value Creation and Integration
• 31:05 Brokers and Brokerage Categories
• 36:06 Independent Sponsors and Search Funders
• 41:30 Feedback and Improvement for Brokers
• 48:18 Challenges of Starting a Business
• 59:05 Acquisition and Succession Planning
• 01:06:05 Private Equity and Entrepreneurship