Meet William Stern — a founder who sold a townhome at 22, took the proceeds, and built Cardiff into America's largest privately held small business lender — co-owned and operated by four childhood friends for 22 years. Cardiff has deployed over $12 billion in capital to Main Street businesses across the country, was voted America's favorite small business lender two years in a row, and is now using AI to give any small business owner instant access to funding that banks have always denied them.

Four childhood friends. 22 years. $12 billion deployed. And they're just getting started.

He breaks down:

1. Why four co-founders with egos can actually work — if you get this one thing right

2. Why he would never take money or advice from someone he wouldn't put on his board

3. How Cardiff is using AI to democratize small business lending before banks even wake up

4. Why time is the only currency that matters — and how success finally taught him that

5.The real reason most businesses rot from the inside — and the book that changed everything

Follow Will:

🌐 cardiff.co

🌐 williamstern.me

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/williamstern

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:00 Cardiff — America's Favorite Small Business Lender

02:45 Four Childhood Friends, One Company, 22 Years

05:00 The Entourage Model of Business

07:00 How to Eliminate Ego in a Partnership

10:00 Why Cardiff Hired a Business Coach — and What Changed

14:00 The Trillion Dollar Coach Story — Apple vs Google

18:00 Cardiff's Mission — Democratizing Capital for Main Street

21:00 Why Will Never Takes Money From People He Wouldn't Put on His Board

24:00 $2.5 Billion Last Year — Where Cardiff Is Headed

26:00 Why AI Is Changing Business Lending Before Banks React

29:00 The Don Quixote Lesson Every Entrepreneur Needs to Hear

32:00 Leadership & Self-Deception — The Book That Changed His Business

36:00 From Chasing Materialism to Buying Back Time

40:00 Why Time Is the Most Valuable Currency You Have

44:00 The Stakeholder Philosophy That Powers Cardiff

48:00 What Being 1% Means to Will

52:00 How to Get Funded Through Cardiff

01:04:00 How to Connect With Will

STAY CONNECTED:

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Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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Meet Amanda Soukoulis — a former CPA and private equity professional turned functional medicine and nutrition practitioner, who went from being a Penn State dancer and Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader finalist at peak performance, to a sudden and unexplained health crash that left her with brain fog, fatigue, and answers that Western medicine couldn't provide. She rebuilt herself from the inside out, became certified under some of the top doctors and dietitians in functional medicine, and now runs Souk Systems — a practice dedicated to helping high performers uncover the root cause of what's holding their body back and unleashing their highest potential.Doctors told her she was fine. She wasn't. She became the CEO of her own health — and now she helps others do the same.She breaks down:1. Why your symptoms are signals — not the actual problem — and what to do about it2. How she went from 8-hour productive days to less than 2 hours after a mystery health crash3. Why peptides won't work until your body is actually ready to receive them4. The 4 types of stress silently destroying your performance without you knowingWhy the first step to healing isn't a supplement — it's becoming the CEO of your healthFollow Amanda:📸 Instagram: @amandasouks → https://www.instagram.com/amandasouks/🌐 souksystems.comTimecodes:00:00 Intro01:30 What Is Functional Medicine?03:30 Why Western Medicine Gets It Wrong05:30 Root Cause vs. Treating Symptoms09:00 Peptides — The Truth Nobody Tells You11:30 Amanda's Personal Health Crash Story14:00 Dallas Cowboys Finalist to Bedridden — Overnight17:00 Doctors Dismissed Her. She Dug Deeper.19:00 How She Found the Root Cause & Healed21:00 Who Functional Medicine Actually Works For23:00 The Client Who Lost 10lbs on Day 7726:00 Parasites, Mold & Hashimoto's — The Real Story29:00 The 4 Types of Stress Killing Your Performance31:00 How Long Does Healing Actually Take?33:00 Become the CEO of Your Own HealthSTAY CONNECTED:https://www.instagram.com/the1percent_podcast/https://www.facebook.com/the1percentpodcast/http://tiktok.com/@the1percent_podcastPodcastWANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?Vin:Email: Vincentinfante.lifeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/Shane:Email: [email protected] ON OTHER SITESSpotify: https://bit.ly/3HtT10CApple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Meet Julia Kappler — a fourth-generation entrepreneur from Germany who moved to the United States at 19 with no job, no network, and one mission: to expand her family's 70-year-old medical design legacy into the US market. She is now the founder and leader of Kappler North America — a global architecture and interior design firm that transforms medical and dental practices from the ground up — and the co-founder of Anti-Fashion Week, a movement challenging overconsumption in the design industry.

She moved to a new country at 19, never had a 9-to-5, and built a global company from scratch. The space you walk into is changing your brain — and she knows exactly how.

She breaks down:

1. Why the design of your space is directly affecting your revenue and patient retention

2. How to scale a business across multiple countries without losing your mind or your culture

3. The difference between delegating and letting go — and why most entrepreneurs get it wrong

4. Why a 12,000 sq ft dental park in Dallas is about to change healthcare design forever

5. What four generations of entrepreneurship taught her about building something that lasts

Follow Julia:

📸 Instagram: @juliakappler → https://www.instagram.com/juliakappler/

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julia-kappler-1b21ab141

🌐 juliavkappler.com

🏢 Kappler Group: kapplergroup.com

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:55 Fourth Generation — Julia's Origin Story

03:50 Why Medical Design? The Niche That Changed Everything

05:55 Inside the 12,000 Sq Ft Dental Park in Dallas

09:00 Why Your Space Is Your Best Marketing Tool

11:00 Design Is Not Just Pretty — It Has to Work

13:00 How Your Senses Shape Every Patient Experience

15:00 Why AI Can't Replace What She Does

17:00 Daring to Challenge the Status Quo

19:00 Co-Founding Anti-Fashion Week

21:30 Running a Global Company Across 5 Locations

22:30 The Difference Between Delegating and Letting Go

25:00 The Military Approach to Building Teams

27:00 What's Her Why — The Real Reason She Builds

29:00 Moving to the US at 19 With No Friends, No Job

32:00 Never Having a 9-to-5 — The Mindset Behind It

35:00 Teaching Your Kids Entrepreneurship Early

38:00 The Family Legacy That Fuels Her Drive

40:00 What Being 1% Means to Julia

41:30 How to Connect With Julia & Kappler Group

STAY CONNECTED:

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WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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Meet Joe Zapiain — a self-taught automation expert who went from living in his car working as a McLaren technician in Miami, to getting laid off two weeks before his daughter was born, to building SmartClick Systems — an AI automation and Clickup implementation company that has generated tens of millions of dollars in new revenue for clients across industries. He held over 32 jobs across 9 states, became an official Clickup partner through a cold DM and a $200 bet on himself, and now builds custom automation systems and full-stack applications for businesses ready to scale.

He got laid off with $600 in his account and a baby on the way. He bet $200 on a stranger. It changed everything.

He breaks down:

1. Why 99% of AI automation courses online are just Shopify dropshipping in disguise

2. The difference between agentic AI and programmatic logic — and when to use each

3. Why businesses running $10M on Google Sheets are more common than you think

4. How he went from $400/month to $20-30K/month by doing free work first

Why the future of business isn't AI vs. humans — it's a customer service renaissance

Follow Joe:

🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/joezapiain

📅 Book a call: smartclick.systems/bookjoe

🌐 smartclick.systems

📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@smartclicksystems/videos

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:41 32 Jobs, 9 States — Joe's Origin Story

06:00 Living in His Car Working at McLaren

08:00 Laid Off Two Weeks Before His Daughter Was Born

09:00 The $200 Bet That Changed His Life

11:00 How a Cold DM Led to the Clickup Partnership

13:00 From $400/Month to $20-30K/Month

16:00 What Smart Click Actually Does

19:00 Why Businesses Are Still Running on Google Sheets in 2025

21:00 The Truth About AI Automation Courses Online

24:00 Agentic AI vs. Programmatic Logic — Know the Difference

26:00 Why Joe Only Hires 100% US-Based Engineers

28:00 The Customer Service Renaissance Is Coming

30:00 McDonald's vs. Chick-fil-A — The AI Parable

32:00 Will Robots Replace Workers? The Political Reality

37:00 The Automation Wizard YouTube Channel

40:00 Stop Using AI for Things Logic Can Handle

44:00 What Being 1% Means to Joe

46:00 The Best Advice Joe Ever Received

48:00 How ChatGPT Recommended Joe to a Client — The New SEO

STAY CONNECTED:

https://www.instagram.com/the1percent_podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/the1percentpodcast/

http://tiktok.com/@the1percent_podcastPodcast

WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

Spotify: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Meet Ryan Lane — a New York City-based entrepreneur who spent 8 years in corporate real estate before quitting his job to go all-in on FTL Bags, a bootstrapped premium bag brand he co-founded with his childhood best friend Zander. Built from scratch with zero outside funding, FTL has grown into one of the most exciting up-and-coming bag brands in the market — carried organically by professional athletes, and now available on Amazon.

He quit his corporate job, kept 50/50 ownership, took on 145% tariffs, and never compromised on quality once. That's what building for the love looks like.

He breaks down:

1. How two friends solved a real problem and built a premium brand with zero investors
2. Why organic athlete endorsements beat paid influencer deals every time
3. How FTL survived Covid, supply chain chaos, and the tariff crisis without lowering quality
4. Why bootstrapping forces better decisions — and builds a more authentic brand story
5. The one rule that will never change no matter what: quality is non-negotiable

Follow Ryan:

📸 Instagram: @ftlbags

🌐 ftlbags.com

🛒 Also available on Amazon

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:13 Meet Ryan — From Real Estate to Bag Brand

03:50 What Makes the FTL Bag Different

06:30 Shoe Compartment, Garment Bag & Packing Cube Walkthrough

12:30 95% Male Demographic & How They Market

14:00 Why Athletes Carry FTL for Free — Zero Paid Endorsements

17:00 Meta, Google & Bootstrapped Marketing Strategy

19:00 Expanding the Product Line — FTL Light, Max & What's Next

21:00 Working ON the Business vs. Working IN It

23:00 How FTL Is Structured — Freelancers Over W2s

25:00 How to Source a Product From Scratch — The Playbook

28:00 Two Steps Forward One Step Back — The Manufacturing Reality

29:00 Tariffs, Sleepless Nights & Supply Chain Survival

34:00 Quality Is the Non-Negotiable — Never Compromise the Brand

36:00 The Zipper Story — What One Bad Batch Taught Them

39:00 Never Lower Quality to Save Margin

41:00 What the 1% Life Means to Ryan

42:00 The Best Advice Ryan Ever Received

45:00 How to Connect With Ryan & Shop FTL Bags

STAY CONNECTED:

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http://tiktok.com/@the1percent_podcastPodcast

WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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Meet Austin Boyd — a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur who started making and selling custom t-shirts in 10th grade and, 17 years later, has built a 40-person live print shop operation serving Fortune 500 companies, professional sports teams, and major brands across the nation. He also recently launched a laser med spa and hosts a recurring in-person networking event called Grow & Connect.

Stop waiting for perfect. The best businesses are built by people who push the car down the hill and figure out the engine on the way.

He breaks down:

1. Why cheap merch is silently destroying your brand — and what to do instead
2. The one form of advertising where people actually pay YOU to promote your brand
3. Why AI won't replace his industry and what that means for entrepreneurs
4. How Jim Rohn at 16 rewired the way he thinks about success
5. Why the shift from "I want to achieve" to "I want to help others win" is the real unlock

Follow Austin:

📸 Instagram:

@austinboydlasvegas

https://www.instagram.com/aliveprintshop/

https://www.instagram.com/laserskinlounge/

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro

01:55 17 Years Building His First Business

03:30 How a Matching T-Shirt in Class Started It All

08:00 Doubling Down — No Exit, No Sellout

09:50 Why Tariffs Were Actually a Scam for His Industry

13:50 Why Cheap Merch Kills Your Brand

17:00 Merch Is the Only Marketing People Pay For

14:00 Will AI & Robots Replace His Business?

19:30 The Most Important Leadership Skill He Developed

22:00 Jim Rohn at 16 — The CD That Changed Everything

23:00 What Got You Here Won't Get You There

25:00 From Achieving Goals to Helping Others Win

28:00 Why Success Makes People Pull You Down

30:00 Money Doesn't Buy Happiness — It Just Enhances It

33:00 Why Entrepreneurship Is Lonely at the Top

35:00 The DMV Story That Revealed Everything

38:00 Why Short Memory Is a Superpower in Business

41:00 Best Advice for Anyone Starting a Business

43:00 Push the Car Down the Hill — Figure It Out on the Way

45:00 Stop Asking How — Start Asking What

47:00 The Pre-Launch Strategy That Built Day-One Revenue

01:16:49 The Laser Med Spa & Tattoo Removal Business

01:17:00 Grow & Connect — His Las Vegas Entrepreneur Events

STAY CONNECTED:

https://www.instagram.com/the1percent_podcast/

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WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

Spotify: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Meet Paul Hutchinson — a serial entrepreneur who sold his first company at 29 for $20 million, co-founded Bridge Investment Group which grew to over $50 billion in assets under management, led more than 70 undercover child rescue missions across 15 countries, and is the executive producer and primary investor behind Sound of Freedom — the #1 independent film in the world that went head-to-head with Hollywood and won.

He put $14 million into a movie the industry tried to kill. It made $300 million at the box office. That's just the beginning of this story.

He breaks down:

1. How he built and exited a company in his 20s that 0.01% of people ever achieve

2. Why he walked away from billions to go undercover rescuing children

3. The truth behind Epstein, Diddy, and how deep the swamp really goes

4. Why psilocybin therapy could replace 20 years of traditional therapy in 2-3 sessions

5. How looking in the mirror changed everything — and why it will for you too

Timescode:

00:00 Intro

05:00 The Mindset That Started at 14

07:30 From $6M to $72M — The Marketing Play

09:00 Building Bridge Investment Group

13:00 Hiring People Smarter Than You

17:00 How He Predicted the 2008 Crash

19:00 Scarcity Mindset Is Killing Your Wealth

22:00 From Billionaire Lifestyle to Rock Bottom

23:00 His First Undercover Child Rescue Mission

25:00 Why Green Berets Broke But He Didn't

28:30 Sound of Freedom — The Real Story

30:00 Epstein, Diddy & How Deep It Goes

33:00 What Traffickers Actually Look Like

35:00 The Man in the Mirror Moment

39:00 The Healing Retreat That Changed Everything

41:00 Psilocybin & the Future of Trauma Therapy

49:00 What a 1% Life Means to Paul

51:20 How to Connect With Paul

STAY CONNECTED:

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WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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Meet Levi Lomey the Face of Syndicate11, top creator and model community, a South African-born model who walked runways for Dior and Kenzo at Paris Fashion Week, built a growth marketing agency, gave a TED Talk, and is now the founder of Syndicate 11, an invite-only private network connecting the world's top creative talent, models, musicians, athletes, and creators, to each other and to life-changing opportunities.

Creators are building empires on rented land,and most don't even know it.

He breaks down:

1. Why most creators are one algorithm update away from losing everything

2. The 1,000 True Fans theory that quietly generates $100K/month

3. How he built a community of 317 members with 420 million combined followers

4. Why authentic connection will always outlast paid masterminds

5. What AI is really doing to the creator economy — and who survives it

Timescode:

00:00 Intro

01:32 From Nerdy Kid to Dior

05:10 How to Stand Out in Any Room

07:10 The Township Hustle at Age 12

10:30 Modeling's Golden Handcuffs Explained

13:00 Inside Syndicate 11

16:30 The No A**holes Policy

18:20 How Syndicate 11 Funds Itself

22:30 317 Members. 420 Million Followers.

25:30 Curated Community Is What's Next

26:00 Why Creators Are on Rented Land

28:30 The 1,000 True Fans Theory

31:00 Turning Your Audience Into a Company

33:00 Will AI Replace Influencers?

35:00 What Being 1% Really Means

38:15 The Best Advice Levi Ever Received

39:00 How to Connect With Levi

Follow Levi:

📸 Instagram: @levilomey → https://www.instagram.com/levilomey/

🌐 Syndicate 11 → https://www.syndicate11.co

STAY CONNECTED:

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WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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What happens when Dr. John A. King loses his career, his first marriage, and his reputation all at once?

In this episode, Shane and Vin sit down with Dr. John A. King, a survivor of extreme childhood trauma and a global leader , to discuss the brutal reality of rebuilding a life from the ground up when the world as you know it collapses.

We break down:

1. The Identity Trap: Why building your self-worth on external success is a dangerous foundation.

2. The Phoenix Concept: How to navigate the "burn" of a life transition and use it to reinvent yourself.

3. Redefining Masculinity: A raw look at the hidden statistics of why men are struggling today and how to fix it.

4. Inside-Out Leadership: Why the most successful people focus on what is irreplaceable rather than what is material.

5. Trauma as Fuel: How to take the "poop" of your past and turn it into the "fertilizer" for your future fruit.

This episode is for you if:

1. You feel like your current path is crumbling and you're afraid of what's next.

2. You’ve achieved success but still feel an "identity hole" inside.

3. You want to understand the true resilience required to lead in the modern world.

Stick around—this conversation with Dr. King is the blueprint for anyone needing to start over and win.

Connect with Dr. John A. King:

Website: drjohnaking.com

Instagram: @drjohnaking

X (Twitter): @drjohnaking

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 How to handle a total life collapse

01:44 Introducing Dr. John A. King

05:40 Uncovering a hidden heritage: The "Breeding Out" policy

08:20 When the world falls apart: Losing a marriage and career

11:45 The Phoenix Concept: Why you must burn to rebuild

15:30 Why men are struggling with identity in today's society

24:10 Building success from the inside out

38:50 Dealing with childhood trauma as an adult

52:40 Final takeaway: How to live an amazing life

STAY CONNECTED:

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WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

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In this episode, T-Drew reveals why he’d burn the "Founder" title to the ground if he had to start over from zero today. We sit down with the designer and creative strategist to discuss why the 2026 wealth-building blueprint isn't about owning a startup—it’s about reforming your identity to become a high-level contributor with massive leverage.

He explains: ⁃ The "Founder Trap" that kills your creativity and keeps you broke

⁃ Why a high-level career is actually the best venture capital for your life

⁃ The "3-Step Reform" to kill your ego and accelerate your income

⁃ How to build "Internal Equity" so you never have to worry about a paycheck again

This episode is for you if:

⁃ You’re burnt out from the "solopreneur" grind

⁃ You feel like a failure because you don’t have a viral business

⁃ You’re ready to build actual wealth without the 24/7 CEO stress

00:00 Intro 02:25 Why the "Founder" title is a trap in 2026 07:15 The "Start Over at Zero" mindset: T-Drew’s tactical shift 12:40 How to kill your ego to save your career 18:50 The Bridge Method: Moving from "Boss" to "Elite Contributor" 26:15 Using your 9-to-5 as the ultimate venture capital 33:10 Reforming the self: Escaping the "Comparison Trap" 41:45 Building wealth through internal equity 52:10 Mental health and the pressure of the "Modern Hustle" 1:04:00 The final step to starting over

Follow T-Drew:

https://www.instagram.com/itstdrew/

https://www.tiktok.com/ ⁨@itstdrew⁩

https://www.facebook.com/iamtdrew

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tdrew1and1

www.1and1life.com

STAY CONNECTED:

https://www.instagram.com/the1percent_podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/the1percentpodcast/

http://tiktok.com/@the1percent_podcastPodcast

WANT TO CONNECT TO OUR HOST?

Vin:

Email: Vincentinfante.life

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vin.infante/

Shane:

Email: [email protected]

LISTEN ON OTHER SITES

Spotify: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

Apple Podcast: https://bit.ly/3HtT10C

TIMESCODES: