Rebellious Times Podcast

Paul Lascault is the CEO of Long Road Transportation, a transportation and drayage company serving customers throughout the Pacific Northwest. With extensive experience in freight movement, fleet operations, and supply chain management, Paul has built a reputation for operational excellence and customer-focused service.

As a logistics leader, Paul believes success comes from combining strong relationships, disciplined operations, and a motivated team. His expertise spans transportation strategy, port logistics, equipment management, and navigating the complex challenges facing modern supply chains.

Randy Vlasic is the Founder and CEO of LIWMI Logistics, a freight brokerage focused on helping middle-market companies optimize transportation, improve visibility, and create better customer experiences. After building and successfully exiting his first logistics business, Randy launched LIWMI Logistics with a mission to create a company centered around relationships, purpose, and long-term impact.

Beyond logistics, Randy is the host of the Life Is What We Make It podcast and an advocate for personal growth, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Through his content and social media presence, he shares lessons learned from business, family life, and overcoming personal challenges to help others build meaningful lives and careers.

Pietro Mina is the CEO of Uno Web Design, a Mexico-based digital marketing agency specializing in web design, SEO, and AI-powered visibility strategies. After teaching himself web development and marketing, Pietro built the agency from the ground up, serving clients across Mexico and the United States.

Driven by a passion for entrepreneurship and human-centered business, Pietro has expanded beyond traditional web design into SEO, AI search optimization, and community-focused projects. Together with his wife, he is also developing Abordo Hub, a creative initiative designed to help artists, small businesses, and mission-driven organizations thrive in the digital age.

Jason Boyce is the Founder and CEO of Avenue7Media, a leading e-commerce agency that helps brands grow on Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, and other online retail channels. As one of the early Amazon sellers, he has firsthand experience building and scaling businesses in the evolving world of e-commerce.

Today, Jason leads a global team focused on helping brands navigate marketplace complexity through strategic planning, operational excellence, and his proprietary Seven Avenues framework. His expertise spans product development, marketplace growth, competitive analysis, and emerging technologies such as AI.

Luca Conner is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Pack'N, a third-party logistics company focused on direct-to-consumer fulfillment for e-commerce brands. After beginning his entrepreneurial journey as a teenager selling products online, Luca co-founded Pack'N while attending college and has helped grow the company into a rapidly expanding logistics operation serving brands across multiple industries.

Passionate about entrepreneurship, technology, and operational excellence, Luca represents a new generation of founders who are embracing risk, innovation, and continuous learning. Alongside building Pack'N, he continues his studies while developing a long-term vision for transforming the post-purchase experience in e-commerce.

Ameen Raisi is the Co-Founder and COO of What2Do, a social discovery platform designed to help people connect through real-world experiences. While studying molecular and cellular biology and public health at Johns Hopkins University, he is helping build a startup focused on reducing loneliness and increasing social engagement among young adults.

Beyond What2Do, Ameen is an accomplished content creator who has built a large Pittsburgh Steelers community online. His work reflects a passion for entrepreneurship, community building, and creating meaningful connections both online and offline.

Justin Starbird, CEO of The Aebli Group, discusses crowdfunding for startups, alternative capital strategies, founder engagement, and building communities that drive growth.

In this episode of the Rebellious Times Podcast, I sat down with John Petri, CEO of Fuel BMC, to discuss entrepreneurship, sports culture, branding, resilience, and what it takes to build a successful sports branding agency.

“The rise of the analog is here.”

That line from Mark Stern perfectly captures a shift many businesses are starting to feel.

In this episode of the Rebellious Times Podcast, I sat down with Mark Stern, CEO of Custom Box Agency, to discuss entrepreneurship, customer experience marketing, physical product engagement, health transformation, and why human connection matters more than ever in the AI era.

This episode fits both our Austin Startup Series and Agency Spotlight Series because Mark is building something genuinely different inside the marketing world.

Mark’s story starts far away from entrepreneurship.

He grew up in Alabama believing success followed a very traditional path:

That mindset eventually led him into management consulting at Deloitte after earning his MBA at Duke University.

On paper, everything looked successful.

In reality, the lifestyle became exhausting.

For six years, Mark lived the “road warrior” consulting life:

Eventually, he hit a point where he realized:

“This can’t be it.”

That moment became the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey.

One of the things I appreciated most about this conversation was how practical the origin story was.

Custom Box Agency did not start because Mark wanted to launch an agency.

It started because he became frustrated buying expensive digital products, masterminds, and programs that still left customers confused and overwhelmed.

His thought was simple:

“Why not physically send people everything they need to succeed?”

That insight eventually evolved into Custom Box Agency.

Today, the company helps businesses create physical onboarding and customer experience campaigns designed to:

00:00 Introduction to Mark Stern and Custom Box Agency
03:02 Mark’s Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
06:06 Understanding Custom Box Agency’s Offerings
09:07 The Importance of Physical Experiences in a Digital World
11:59 Differentiation and Positioning in the Market
14:50 Health Transformation and Its Impact on Business
23:51 Conclusion and Call to Action

This was probably the strongest theme of the entire episode.

As AI-generated content explodes, Mark believes people are increasingly craving:

He described it as:

“digital distrust.”

That idea really resonated with me.

As more interactions become automated, physical experiences become more memorable because they feel real.

That creates a huge opportunity for businesses willing to think differently.

One thing Mark emphasized repeatedly:

Custom Box Agency is not simply shipping branded merchandise.

Instead, they engineer experiences.

That includes:

The goal is to help customers achieve outcomes faster while creating stronger emotional connection along the way.

One of the most interesting parts of this episode came unexpectedly.

Mark shared his personal health transformation journey after realizing he had reached a breaking point physically during COVID.

At one stage, he reached 250 pounds and began questioning how sustainable his lifestyle really was.

What followed was a complete shift in:

The deeper insight was powerful:

If your health becomes the weakest link, eventually your business suffers too.

That part of the conversation felt especially relevant for founders and agency owners.

Underneath the agency discussion, this episode was really about reinvention.

Mark walked away from the traditional definition of success to build something more aligned with:

That tension is something many entrepreneurs quietly wrestle with.

And honestly, I think that’s why this conversation resonated with me personally.

fuelbmc.com

“It all starts with a good brief.”

That line from John Petri captures the philosophy behind Fuel BMC.

In this episode of the Rebellious Times Podcast, I sat down with John Petri, CEO of Fuel BMC, to discuss entrepreneurship, sports culture, branding, resilience, and what it takes to build a successful sports branding agency.

John’s story moves from Buffalo to Atlanta, from corporate leadership roles to entrepreneurship, and eventually into working with major sports brands and organizations.

This episode is part of the Agency Spotlight Series.

John grew up in Buffalo, New York, surrounded by sports culture. Naturally, that passion became part of his identity early on.

After studying graphic design, he moved to Atlanta looking for opportunity, warmer weather, and a stronger creative industry.

That move became a turning point.

Over time, John built experience across:

Those experiences laid the foundation for Fuel BMC.

One of the strongest themes in this episode is that sports branding is not just about logos or visuals.

Instead, it is about understanding fan culture.

John explains that if you do not genuinely understand sports fans, you cannot effectively market to them.

That includes:

Because sports are emotional, branding decisions carry much more weight.

This perspective gives Fuel BMC a more strategic approach than traditional creative agencies.

00:00 Introduction to Fueling Big Sports Brands
03:06 John’s Journey from Buffalo to Atlanta
05:52 Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
08:47 Understanding Sports Culture and Fan Engagement
12:07 The Sharks Experience and Entrepreneurial Resilience
14:56 Building Relationships in Business
17:52 Working with Family: Balancing Business and Personal Life
20:55 Health, Family, and Stress Relief
23:53 The Meaning Behind Fuel BMC
27:02 The Discovery Process at Fuel BMC

After years working in-house at major brands, John eventually launched Fuel BMC following a corporate layoff.

That transition was not easy.

At one point, John invested nearly everything into pursuing a major opportunity with the San Jose Sharks. Although the project did not fully materialize, the experience became a defining entrepreneurial lesson in resilience, risk, and persistence.

That part of the conversation stood out to me because many entrepreneurs experience moments where belief has to outweigh certainty.

Another major takeaway from this episode is how much John values relationships.

Throughout the conversation, he repeatedly credits:

for helping Fuel BMC grow.

That relationship-first mindset also extends internally.

John explains that he sees leadership as serving his team rather than managing them.

In an agency world increasingly focused on automation and scale, that human approach feels refreshing.

John also shared insights about building Fuel BMC alongside his wife.

That part of the conversation was especially interesting because entrepreneurship and family life often become deeply interconnected.

Rather than separating business and personal life completely, John views them as part of the same mission:

That perspective gives the episode a very grounded feel beyond marketing strategy alone.

Toward the end of the episode, we discussed AI and creative workflows.

John made an important point:

AI is powerful, but it still requires strategy, direction, and human judgment.

Even with advanced tools, successful creative work still depends on:

As John puts it:

“It all starts with a good brief.”

fuelbmc.com

“Disney taught me how to develop teams.”

That line from Roger Phipps stayed with me long after this conversation ended.

In this episode of the Rebellious Times Podcast, I sat down with Roger Phipps — a serial entrepreneur operating across FinTech, PropTech, AI, construction technology, communication strategy, and immersive faith-based virtual reality experiences.

This wasn’t a typical startup conversation.

Instead, we explored the mindset behind multi-preneurship, the realities of scaling companies, leadership lessons from Disney, and how AI is reshaping industries faster than most businesses realize.

Roger describes multi-preneurship as managing multiple businesses simultaneously.

However, he explains it with a more memorable analogy:

Entrepreneurship is jumping off one cliff and building your parachute on the way down.

Multi-preneurship is jumping off multiple cliffs at the same time.

That mindset has defined much of Roger’s career.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Roger spent years in leadership roles at Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies.

At one point, he believed he had reached the destination:

Then life changed.

A major personal transition forced Roger to reevaluate what he wanted from work and life. That became the inflection point that pushed him into entrepreneurship.

What followed was a rapid rise inside a FinTech startup focused on solving problems inside the credit union industry.

00:00 Introduction to Multi-preneurship
02:06 The Journey from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
05:57 Finding the Right Partners
11:07 Lessons from Disney Leadership
18:04 Current Ventures and AI Exploration
23:17 AI Adoption in Fortune 500 Companies
24:32 Transforming Industries with AI
27:34 The Real Estate Industry’s Complexity
30:02 The Role of Real Estate Agents
35:10 Integrating Faith and Technology
40:25 Experiencing the Bible in Virtual Reality

Roger explains that the credit union space had been underserved technologically for years.

Instead of building generic tools, the company focused specifically on the unique operational needs of credit unions:

The key insight was simple:

Understand the industry deeply enough to solve problems others ignore.

That focus helped the business scale rapidly.

One of my favorite sections of the episode was Roger’s discussion about leadership training at Disney.

Unlike many corporations, Disney focused on holistic leadership development:

Roger explained how Disney actively invested in helping leaders become better humans first — not just better managers.

That philosophy heavily influenced how he later built and managed entrepreneurial teams.

The AI section of this conversation was especially interesting.

Roger argues that only a small percentage of Fortune 500 companies are using AI effectively today.

The reason?

Most businesses struggle to diagnose their own inefficiencies.

Instead of simply adding AI features to existing systems, Roger believes businesses should rethink workflows entirely from the ground up.

One major theme throughout the episode:

AI should enhance human capacity — not simply replace people.

Roger also discussed how industries like:

have fallen behind technologically.

One of the projects he is working on uses AI-powered video and audio analysis to automate property inspections and asset management workflows.

Instead of replacing workers, the goal is to eliminate repetitive manual tasks and increase operational capacity.

That distinction matters.

Toward the end of the conversation, Roger shared one of his most fascinating projects:

A virtual reality Bible experience.

The idea is to allow users to immerse themselves visually inside biblical environments while reading scripture.

Using VR technology, users can:

The project combines:

in a surprisingly thoughtful way.

This episode was one of the most wide-ranging conversations I’ve had on the podcast so far.

We covered:

and what it really means to build multiple businesses at once.

Roger’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship is rarely linear.

www.vpohomes.com