Dmitry Buterin is the Founder of three multimillion-dollar businesses, including top-ranked membership management software company Wild Apricot, which serves over 20,000 small nonprofits. He was also the Co-founder of Blockgeeks, an online hub where talented, inspiring, and hard-working entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders learn about the rapidly evolving world of blockchain.

Dmitry is also an angel investor and mentor for blockchain startups. He is a proud father of three, one of whom is the creator of Ethereum.

You've probably heard about Ethereum and how it powers many products and services. You may not know that Ethereum exists partly because one man, Dmitry Buterin, got tired of Soviet Union propaganda. He moved his family to Toronto, where he raised his son, Vitalik Buterin, who would later drop out of college to co-found the Ethereum platform.

And that's only the short version of the story. Dmitry, who himself founded and built three multimillion-dollar businesses, played a significant role in introducing Vitalik to Bitcoin early on. Fast forward years later, he's undeterred and excited about the future of Ethereum. What does that look like?

Listen to this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring a Co-founder of Blockgeeks, Dmitry Buterin. They discuss the Ethereum origin story, Ethereum use cases, Dmitry's work with Gate To Ukraine, why he is vilified for it, and what the future holds for Ethereum.

Samir Balwani is the Founder and CEO of QRY, a media agency for direct-to-consumer and e-commerce brands. QRY's media methodology and testing framework helps e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands grow faster and scale more profitably. QRY uses a full-funnel advertising approach and ad experimentation process to rapidly optimize campaigns and identify new opportunities.

With over a decade of experience in strategic marketing, Samir has worked in high-level positions with companies including PMK*BNC, StyleCaster, and American Express. He holds a BA in economics from Rutgers University.

Are you taking advantage of every tool at your disposal to grow your business? Could you be scaling and growing even faster?

E-commerce and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have undergone an evolution over the past two years due to the constraints imposed by the pandemic and the changing needs of consumers. Having a strong media strategy and thorough analytics is crucial to ensure your brand is at the forefront. Always remember that your people are your #1 asset, so it's essential that you show your appreciation and to always take care of your employees. Holding 360 reviews, having growth plans, and doing annual reviews are great to keep them engaged, happy, and fulfilled in their roles. Many elements go into creating a brand that grows and thrives. Samir Balwani knows all the ins and outs and what it takes to be at the forefront of media strategy, e-commerce and DTC, consumer behavior, and analytics.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, Dr. Jeremy Weisz welcomes Samir Balwani to the show. Samir is the Founder and CEO of QRY, a media agency for direct-to-consumer and e-commerce brands. Samir reflects on his career history and trajectory and how it led him to founding QRY, how to motivate your employees, the evolution of DTC, and details QRY's methods for helping its clients.

Nikole Mackenzie is a CPA residing in the San Francisco Bay Area with clients located all over the U.S. She has seen small business accounting from every perspective as a former tax and audit CPA who now runs her own scaling accounting firm. Nikole has led hundreds of owners to revitalize their accounting departments through her easygoing approach and contagious enthusiasm. She and her team help agency owners save money, increase revenue, stay compliant, save time, eliminate stress, and ultimately give them the freedom to scale their recurring revenue businesses to an eventual multimillion-dollar exit.

When is it the right time to pursue something unstable? When should you choose stability instead? During your entrepreneurial journey you will be faced with taking a leap of faith or playing it safe. Your experiences and goals will affect how you make your decision.

For the longest time Nikole Mackenzie pursued the stable option throughout her career, but she knew she needed to take a risk to reach where she wanted to be. She now helps others navigate their entrepreneurial journey through her business Momentum Accounting and her involvement with the San Francisco chapter of Entrepreneurs' Organization.

In this episode of Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, host John Corcoran welcomes CEO and Founder of Momentum Accounting Nikole Mackenzie to the show. She shares stories from her past as a CPA and the lessons she learned that led her to found Momentum Accounting. Nikole discusses creating an exceptional customer service experience and building customer loyalty through that before talking about EO San Francisco and the value entrepreneurs from all stages of their career get from being involved.

Pat Costello is the Co-founder and Principal of Evolve MGA, a company specializing in cyber insurance that does the underwriting for one of the most comprehensive cyber insurance policies a business can buy. Pat co-founded Evolve MGA with his brother Mike because they knew they could provide retail insurance brokers with far more value than anyone else in the marketplace. He is a veteran of the insurance industry and is the fourth generation of his family to be a leader in the insurance field. Pat is also hosts The Evolved Broker Podcast.

How do you respond to real-world feedback regarding your entrepreneurial ideas? Sometimes you can see what's needed, but you must have the tools, background, and determination to get your ideas off the ground. What can you bring to the table besides pure hard work to grow your ideas into a viable business?

As the world becomes ever more connected to the internet, the risk of being hacked increases. Pat Costello co-founded Evolve MGA with his brother Mike in 2015 to help protect people and businesses from cyber threats. Pat stresses the importance of cyber insurance to all businesses, especially small and midsize businesses since they are involved in 43% of all data breaches.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, John Corcoran welcomes Pat Costello to the show. As Co-founder and Principal of Evolve MGA, Pat shares the story of his early entrepreneurial journey and how it taught him the value of real-world feedback. He also shares the story of founding Evolve MGA and the dedication and thriftiness required to build it to where it is today. Pat discusses the value and protection cyber insurance can add to your business and the growing importance of having cyber coverage.

Winnie Hart is the Founder, President, and Chief Right Engine of TwinEngine, a brand growth agency fueled by purpose. Winnie is an industry-recognized interpreter of business brand and personality. She brings more than 30 years of experience in impacting firms and leaders to know what they stand for so that they can make a difference in the world.

She is the author of Stand Out: Tools to Manage the 8 Fundamentals of Standing Out in Business. Winnie also founded Brand in the Box and is the creator of the One Page Marketing Plan. For the past 15-plus years, Winnie has been a member of and is currently a Global Board Director for the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO).

Is your business missing out on opportunities, but you don't know why? Or has your business grown to a level where you've lost touch with why you started in the first place? Suppose your brand is out of alignment with its target audience, and your messaging isn't conveying how you can solve their problems. In that case, it's impacting your entire business.

More and more consumers and employees are resonating with brands that are doing good in the world — they're in it for purpose over profit. The companies that embody this mantra have incredible results. The crucial question: is your brand conveying that to their audience? Brands need a structured way to understand who they are to project authentic messaging according to their brand identity. You do that by honing in on what's important for your brand, the planet, and how you can contribute and serve others and then marry it with your marketing messages. If those things aren't aligned, you're probably missing many opportunities.

Listen to this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring the Founder, President, and Chief Right Engine of TwinEngine, Winnie Hart. She explains why it's essential for companies to have a clear brand identity and its far-reaching effects. They discuss what goes into creating a brand strategy, identifying and sticking to your target audience, finding your brand's higher purpose, why it matters, and more.

Chris Madden is the Co-founder of Matchnode and Sea Bums. Matchnode is a boutique growth marketing firm that works with clients, including the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks, LendingTree, Indiana University, and New Balance. Sea Bums is a digital platform community centered around protecting our oceans. Sea Bums' 10K Generative NFT project donates 20% of sales and 3% of secondary market sales to ocean charities.

As a career entrepreneur, he's either founded, co-founded, or held leadership positions in companies, including Celebratelt.TV, Playhem, Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMfest), DPCM LLC, and Creaverde Group. Chris earned his BA in English and Spanish from Georgetown University and his MBA in entrepreneurship and marketing from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Years ago, brands were aimed at a more traditional advertising route. Now, it is slanted towards the digital space. How can brands stay relevant in a world that is shifting to digital outputs? Is it possible for an organization to comfortably transition to the expansive online space?

That's where Chris Madden enters the room. He has experience and patience in guiding brands that are unsure of the digital realm. He helps companies grow by increasing communication, ROI, and funneling traffic to create sales. Through his social marketing advertising and online community, Chris saw an opportunity to make positive changes using the metaverse and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Now, he's here to share how to drive revenue for your business in the digital space while creating meaning and purpose.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, join Dr. Jeremy Weisz as he sits down with the Co-founder of Matchnode and Sea Bums, Chris Madden, to discuss the digital experience of the metaverse and digital marketing. Chris talks about digital advertising, the software and technical learning used to create his digital community, and marketing inclusive experiences to generate revenue.

Mike Simonsen is the Co-founder and CEO of Altos Research, a real estate analytics firm founded in 2006. Altos provides real estate brokers and agents, financial institutions, investors, and builders with real-time data and insight into the US housing market. Mike has 15 years of experience in software development, marketing of enterprise applications, and security products. In developing the Altos product offerings, he combined his expertise in analytical systems development with a personal interest in the real estate market. He is on the Board of Directors at the Entrepreneurs' Organization San Francisco chapter, where he served as President during the pandemic.

As an entrepreneur, solving conflicts and navigating unaligned values among your people come with the territory. So, where should you go to discover tools for personal development and advanced learning to help you through these kinds of issues? Where can you turn to establish deep connections with people around the globe to develop your leadership skills?

Mike Simonsen's drive and passion have guided others at a leadership level to strengthen their businesses. He advocates for "hacking happiness." What does that mean? He practices bringing joy, purposefulness, and the essence of happiness to his business and his Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) chapter. Under his leadership, Mike counseled his EO chapter by delivering high-performance forums, structure, and resources to take businesses to the next level, even through some very trying times.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, John Corcoran sits down with Mike Simonsen, Co-founder and CEO of Altos Research, to discuss how entrepreneurs can cultivate personal development. Mike talks about mitigating difficult times during the pandemic, why collaborative placement is essential for selecting new Entrepreneurs' Organization members, and "hacking happiness" to control your experience.

Johanna Bialkin is the Founder and CEO of Aldea Home & Baby, which offers a highly curated selection of stylish, eco-friendly nursery pieces, hip decor, baby gear, and more. After a successful career in advertising and time spent within the non-profit space, Johanna decided to combine her love for people and creating beautiful spaces by launching Aldea Home & Baby in September of 2005. Since then, Johanna has also founded Aldea for Business, where she offers her personalized touch with thoughtfully assembled gifts for corporate events, holidays, and special life moments.

Since the pandemic, the world has evolved to do almost everything virtually — and if you want to keep up, you must also evolve and innovate as an entrepreneur. So, what are some proven tips for shifting your business online?

Meet Johanna Bialkin, an entrepreneur who went from 10% online revenue to 70% in only two weeks after the pandemic hit. Johanna's business was initially brick-and-mortar, but after the country shut down and her customers shifted online, she had to be innovative to keep her business alive. Now, she's here to share the process and challenges she faced transitioning to an online business and how she overcame them.

In this episode, John Corcoran sits down with Johanna Bialkin, the Founder and CEO of Aldea Home & Baby, to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and how she transitioned her brick-and-mortar business to online sales. Johanna explains how the pandemic impacted her business, the innovative ways she pivoted, and how being an EO member impacted her business growth.

Laurie Corona is a business coach and entrepreneur. She is a member of the Entrepreneurs' Organization of San Francisco and coaches for the EO Accelerator program.

She was the Chief Executive Officer at Greene's Cleaners, a family-owned business that was sold in 2021. Laurie worked as the Vice President and CFO for Lixit Animal Care Products and as a Financial Analyst for Stamper Capital. In 2012, she received the North Bay Business Journal CFO Award issued by the North Bay Business Journal.

The pandemic disrupted business as usual in virtually all industries, including dry cleaning. Many business leaders faced challenges finding a path for growth or an exit strategy as they emerged from the pandemic, but some managed to come out on top by using technology. How can your business leverage new technologies to scale and increase customer satisfaction?

Laurie Corona shifted the way her business operated by implementing new technologies and broadening her services to stay afloat. By utilizing app features, her company could answer common questions, track orders, and provide a better customer experience without the usual number of employees. Listen to this episode to hear how Laurie expanded her business throughout the challenges of the pandemic and how things developed as the market emerged.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, John Corcoran of Rise25 sits down with Laurie Corona, business coach and entrepreneur, to talk about leading and exiting her family business in the wake of the pandemic. Laurie discusses getting her business back on track after the pandemic, how emerging technology can fulfill the consumer experience, and the face of exceptional leadership in trying times.

Aalap Shah is a Chicago-born entrepreneur and Founder of 1o8, a performance marketing digital agency focused on driving sales for CPG companies nationwide on e-com and Amazon platforms. They've worked with companies like Gildan, Sweet Leaf Tea, Tio, So Crazy, and more.

Aalap has been recognized as a leader in Chicago's minority-owned digital marketing world and is known by multiple entities for his entrepreneurial and charitable endeavors. Crain's Chicago Business recognized him as one of Chicago's young emerging philanthropists, while the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship named him the National Volunteer of the Year.

One of the greatest concerns for online retailers is retaining customers and keeping them engaged. It is especially critical now because customer acquisition costs have become astronomically high as brands scramble to lift online sales. Currently, only 20% of site visitors account for 50% to 70% of retail sales.

Getting new customers is great, but what if you tried to get that returning customer up 30% or 40%? How would your business change? How do you get your existing customers to buy more? That's where the retention loyalty model comes in: this model helps you generate increased profitability more quickly rather than spending insane amounts on new customer acquisitions. Want to find out how?

Listen to this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast with Dr. Jeremy Weisz featuring the Founder of 1o8 Agency, Aalap Shah. They discuss Aalap's journey to becoming an agency owner, how retail brands can thrive online, the retention loyalty model, and how to increase the profitability of your business.