In this episode of My First Overnight Success Podcast, Victor Macias gets raw about building the world's first keto cookie from scratch, scaling it to 7 figures, landing a deal on ABC's Shark Tank, and then watching it all fall apart. Victor breaks down the financial collapse that followed the show, the 9 months he and his co-founder didn't pay themselves, and the dark period that made him question everything. But this isn't just a failure story. It's a comeback story. Today, Victor is the founder of Santana Snacks, a clean, Latin-inspired snack brand now in 500+ retail stores and growing nationally. He breaks down exactly what went wrong, what he'd do differently, and why losing it all was the best business education money can't buy.

Key Topics:
· Entrepreneurial impact and purpose
· Importance of MVP and iterative testing
· Financial metrics: margin and contribution margin
· The emotional rollercoaster of startups
· Strategic use of Shark Tank for growth


Chapters:
00:00 The Journey Begins: Early Struggles and Aspirations
02:29 Entrepreneurial Roots: From Childhood to First Ventures
07:48 Education vs. Street Smarts: Finding Balance
12:43 The Rollercoaster of Entrepreneurship: Success and Setbacks
20:46 Lessons Learned: Metrics that Matter in Business
29:56 The Shark Tank Experience: Preparation and Strategy
39:35 Building a New Brand: Santana Snacks



𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: Victor Macias
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victormacias/


𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀:
𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 TCVN
Website: https://www.tcvn.org/
Instagram: https://lnkd.in/dw2jm-5j
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀:
Sunstone Community Fund: https://lnkd.in/gUxKzCVV
Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

#Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

In this episode, Idean Moslehi, the founder of Frowg Systems, Inc., creator of Forge Cascade, a decentralized knowledge operating system designed to make AI safer and reduce hallucinations, shares his unconventional journey from competitive gaming and a viral Solana meme coin to building infrastructure for the emerging AI agent economy. He explains how concepts like ISNAD lineage tracking, trust flames, knowledge capsules, and the "Ghost Council" work together to verify information and economize knowledge, while reflecting on altruism, education, and empowering underserved communities through technology.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Forge Cascade
02:50 Understanding Knowledge Capsules and Trust Scoring
06:06 The Journey to Creating Forge
09:00 The Ghost Council and AI Integrity
11:52 Tokenization and the AI Agent Economy
15:11 The Impact of Forge on Education
18:01 Empowering Individuals through Technology
21:09 Final Thoughts and Future Aspirations


𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗮: https://www.instagram.com/its.shoda?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝟯𝟯𝘄𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄: https://www.instagram.com/fr33wrld.show?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: Idean Moslehi
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frowg/

𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀:
𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 TCVN
Website: https://www.tcvn.org/
Instagram: https://lnkd.in/dw2jm-5j
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀:
Sunstone Community Fund: https://lnkd.in/gUxKzCVV
Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

#Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

In this 4th episode of My First Overnight Success Podcast, George Carpenter, Founder/CEO of multiple biomed startups with an aggregate exit value over $1 billion. Current President of TCA Venture Group OC, shares his journey from entrepreneur to investor, highlighting key lessons on startup turnaround, the impact of AI, and building resilient teams. Discover how experience, curiosity, and strategic thinking can lead to success in the fast-evolving tech landscape.

Key topics

• Startup turnarounds and lessons learned
• The role of AI in industry transformation
• Building resilient teams and leadership challenges

Chapters

00:00 Journey of an Entrepreneur

05:47 Lessons from Failure and Resilience

12:00 The Importance of Team and Leadership

24:01 The Future of AI and Human Intelligence

28:30 The Role of AI in the Workplace

32:14 Investing in Founders: The Human Element

33:11 AI as a Core Business Component

37:53 The Investment Process: From Pitch to Partnership 40:44 Characteristics of Successful Founders

46:49 Building a Supportive Entrepreneurial Community

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 Guest: George Carpenter

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gcarpenter4/

Website: https://tcaventuregroup.com/orange-county-chapter/

𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀

𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽:  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗖𝗩𝗡 Website: https://www.tcvn.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀: Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/ Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

In this episode, Lillian Victoria Ng, TEDx speaker, author of Own Your Path, founder of Awesomeness Lifestyle, and a leadership coach, shares her journey from startup founder to leadership coach, emphasizing the importance of public speaking, embracing failure, and building high-performing teams. She discusses her upcoming podcast, her insights on leadership, and how to turn setbacks into comebacks.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

00:24 Lillian's Journey from Startup to Leadership Coach

01:22 Influence of Mentorship and Personal Transformation

02:19 Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking

03:13 Lessons Learned from Public Speaking Experiences

04:13 The Importance of Preparation and Authenticity

05:35 Launching the 'My First Overnight Success' Podcast

07:05 What It Means to Be Human and Share Your Story

08:02 Turning Setbacks into Comebacks

09:00 Closing Remarks and Community Support

𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗮: https://www.instagram.com/its.shoda?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝟯𝟯𝘄𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄: https://www.instagram.com/fr33wrld.show?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==  

𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 & 𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁: 𝗟𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗡𝗴

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗦 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗽: 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/ 

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/

𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘄𝗶𝘁𝘇:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗖𝗩𝗡

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀:

Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/

Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/

#Myfirstovernightsuccess #founder #entrepreneurship

 This episode is a fireside chat recorded live at Survivor 13, featuring Steve Kost, CRO of CloneForce AI, interviewed by fireside host, Tony Crisp, TCVN President, where we unpack the fast-moving world of AI, exploring the rapid evolution of agentic AI, strategies for market differentiation, and the future of AI workforce transformation.

We dive into:

• The rapid rise of agentic AI
• How companies can actually differentiate in a crowded AI market
• What the AI workforce transformation really looks like (beyond the hype)

Chapters

00:00 The Acceleration of AI in Business

03:09 Attracting Top Talent in AI Companies

06:05 Navigating the AI Market Noise

09:12 Identifying Ideal Customers for Agentic AI

12:00 Overcoming Objections in AI Adoption

14:49 The Future of AI and Workforce Dynamics

18:11 Advice for Founders in the AI Space

Special thanks for or guest:

CloneForce: https://www.cloneforce.com/

Steve Kost: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenkostsalesmarketingleader/

Special thanks to our sponsors:
Sunstone: https://sunstonecommunity.org/
Reed Smith: https://www.reedsmith.com/


Presented by Tech Coast Venture Network
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techcoastventurenetwork/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tcvn



Hosts:
Lillian Victoria Ng: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lillianvictoriaspeaks/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lillianvictoriaspeaks/

Tony Crisp: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tonycrisp/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycrisp/

Michael Sawitz: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sawitzmichael/ & LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsawitz/

In this episode of My First Overnight Success, we sit down with Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, to uncover the real story behind one of Southern California’s most iconic lifestyle brands. From immigrant family grit and restaurant roots to surf culture, rapid expansion, franchise lessons, pandemic survival, and community-driven reinvention, Wing shares what it truly takes to build something that lasts. This conversation is a powerful masterclass in resilience, leadership, brand-building, and the mindset required to keep going when everything you’ve built is on the line.

Show note:

0:00 – From Surf Culture to Wahoo’s Fish Taco

8:30 – Building a Brand Before Social Media

19:45 – The Real Cost of Scaling

34:00 – Surviving the Pandemic Through Service

49:30 – Leadership, Legacy, and the Power of Being a Connector

Special thanks to our sponsors:

CloneForce

Sunstone

Reed Smith

Presented by Tech Coast Venture Network

Instagram & LinkedIn: @tcvn

Hosts:

Lillian Victoria Ng — @lillianvictoriaspeaks

Instagram & LinkedIn: @LillianVictoriaSpeaks

Tony Crisp — Instagram & LinkedIn: @TonyCrisp

Michael Sawitz — LinkedIn: @MichaelSawitz

Welcome to My First Overnight Success, presented by TCVN. In this introduction episode, Lillian Victoria Ng shares what this show is all about: uncovering the truth behind success. Not the highlight reel — the hard lessons, pivots, failures, grit, and breakthroughs that shape every real journey. You’ll also meet co-hosts Tony Crisp and Michael Sawitz as we kick off a series designed for founders, builders, and anyone ready to turn vision into reality.