Silicon Slopes | Leaders Interviewing Leaders

What happens when getting rejected from medical school completely changes the course of your career?

In this episode, Brett Hopkins shares the unexpected journey that took him from aspiring anesthesiologist to CFO of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee, and ultimately to CEO of Ken Garff Automotive. Brett opens up about learning to recognize your natural strengths, taking risks, and finding success by pursuing the path that fits you—not necessarily the one you originally planned.

He also reflects on working alongside Mitt Romney and Fraser Bullock during the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, what he learned from their leadership, and how the experience shaped his approach to business. Brett discusses his transition into the automotive industry, why he wanted to make the dealership experience “un-car-like,” the future of the car business, electric vehicles and hybrids, and why Utah has become home to some of the most successful automotive groups in the country.

Brett also shares his experience being named Mountain West Entrepreneur of the Year, and the personal reflection that came with the recognition. He explains why he believes entrepreneurship isn't limited to business owners—and why, in one way or another, we're all entrepreneurs.In this conversation:

• Turning rejection into a career pivot
• Lessons from the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics
• Leadership lessons from Mitt Romney and Fraser Bullock
• Building and scaling Ken Garff Automotive
• Why Brett wanted to be “un-car-like”
• The future of dealerships and mobility
• Electric vehicles vs. hybrids
• Utah’s unique entrepreneurial culture
• Being named Mountain West Entrepreneur of the Year
• What it really means to be an entrepreneur
• Taking risks and creating value

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Early Career Aspirations
00:00:28 - Failed Attempts at Medical School
00:01:00 - Pivot to Business and Education
00:01:42 - Realization of Natural Aptitude for Business
00:02:22 - Graduate School and First Job in Corporate Finance
00:03:03 - Expat Experience in France
00:04:12 - Transition from Corporate Finance to Salt Lake Olympic Committee
00:05:03 - Working with Mitt Romney and Frazier Bullock
00:06:10 - Leadership Lessons from Mitt Romney and Frazier Bullock
00:08:01 - Post-Olympics Career Decisions
00:08:44 - Joining Ken Garf Automotive
00:10:09 - Insights into the Car Dealership Business
00:12:09 - Career Progression at Ken Garf Automotive
00:13:09 - Utah's Success in the Car Dealership Industry
00:15:14 - Future of the Car Industry
00:18:43 - Electric Vehicles and Market Trends
00:20:58 - Impact of Gas Prices on Electric Vehicle Demand
00:21:17 - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Nomination
00:22:01 - Personal Reflection on Entrepreneurship
00:24:07 - Encouraging Entrepreneurial Mindset in Teams
00:25:21 - Conclusion and Final Remarks

Watch the full conversation for a candid look at career pivots, leadership, entrepreneurship, Utah business, and the evolving automotive industry.

In this episode, Clint Betts sits down with Dylan Blake, the founder and owner of Dylan Blake Customs, a premier custom suit and clothing company. From dressing celebrities like Logan Paul and Ray Lewis to outfitting clients for their special occasions, Dylan shares his journey from door-to-door sales to becoming a renowned name in the custom tailoring industry.Timestamps:
Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Compliment
00:00:23 - Guest Introduction: Dylan Blake
00:00:49 - Starting the Custom Suit Business
00:01:00 - Inspiration and Early Beginnings
00:01:31 - Journey to Italy and Sourcing Materials
00:02:13 - Suiting Origins: Italy and London
00:02:47 - Personal Suit Preferences
00:03:16 - Comfort and Fabric Blends
00:04:02 - Dylan's Background and Move to Utah
00:04:14 - Utah Market and Suit Trends
00:05:15 - Sales Model and Tailoring Process
00:05:41 - Learning Tailoring from Tommaso
00:06:29 - Getting Celebrity Clients
00:08:04 - Impact of AI on Tailoring
00:09:01 - Suit Manufacturing Process
00:10:16 - Off-the-Rack vs. Custom Suits
00:10:28 - Scaling the Business and Training Salesmen
00:12:03 - Future Expansion Plans
00:12:49 - Business Model and Financials
00:13:13 - Growth and B2B Opportunities
00:14:02 - Marketing Strategies
00:14:18 - Trade Shows and Sponsorships
00:14:49 - Expanding Product Line
00:15:34 - Cultural Shift Towards Dressing Well
00:16:02 - Learning Tailoring and Savile Row
00:17:13 - Savile Row and Bespoke Tailoring
00:18:02 - Empowerment Through Custom Suits
00:18:59 - Client Transformations
00:19:51 - Passion and Drive
00:20:11 - Travel and Business Expansion
00:20:32 - Personal Enjoyment of Travel
00:20:43 - Client Appreciation and Future Goals
00:21:23 - Faith and Business Location
00:21:43 - Contact Information and Closing Remarks

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of business scaling with the founder of Scaling.com, Blake Erickson. Discover the journey from door-to-door sales to advising over 550 companies on achieving exponential growth. Learn about the principles of scaling, the importance of mindset shifts, and how to leverage AI for efficiency.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:13 - Scaling.com Origins and Tony Robbins
00:00:35 - Transition from Door-to-Door Sales to Business Growth
00:01:07 - Partnership with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
00:01:38 - Founding of Scaling.com
00:02:25 - Criteria for Engaging with Scaling.com
00:04:01 - Psychological Aspect of Scaling
00:05:29 - Mindset Shift for Exponential Growth
00:07:05 - Building a Scalable Model
00:08:08 - Simplifying Systems and Building the Right Team 
00:09:01 - Exponential Distribution Strategies
00:10:16 - The Power Law and Focus on Key Actions
00:10:30 - Example of Scaling a Popcorn Company
00:12:19 - Discussion on AI and Its Impact on Business
00:13:20 - Leveraging AI for Efficiency
00:14:02 - Human Connection and Accountability in Business
00:15:43 - Self-Leadership and Personal Growth
00:17:43 - The Role of the Founder in Scaling
00:18:49 - Psychological Barriers to Scaling
00:20:06 - Should Every Business Scale?
00:21:12 - Purpose-Driven Scaling
00:22:47 - Defining Scaling and Its Potential
00:23:36 - Self-Leadership and Confidence Building
00:24:48 - Upcoming Book: The Power Law
00:25:57 - Importance of Focus and Avoiding Busy Work
00:28:06 - Example of Messi's Efficiency in Soccer
00:30:05 - Final Thoughts on Purpose and Fulfillment
00:30:37 - Closing Remarks and Call to Action

In this episode, we dive into the vibrant intersection of sports, tech, and consumer brands in Utah. Our special guest is Alex Sherman, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Skullcandy, an Utah-based company with deep roots in the action sports world.

Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction
00:34 - Meet Alex Sherman from Skullcandy
01:08 - Alex's Journey from Pro Snowboarder to Brand Marketing
02:12 - Alex's Role at Skullcandy
02:57 - Skullcandy's Utah Roots and Action Sports Culture
04:08 - The Origin of Skullcandy
05:04 - Staying True to Action Sports DNA
06:11 - Skullcandy's Innovative Product Team
07:17 - Global Consumer Brand and Fan Engagement
08:48 - Exciting Creator Strategies and Influencer Programs
10:39 - Skullcandy Headquarters and Office Culture
12:53 - Partnership with Woodward and Community Engagement
14:19 - Events and Activations: Kilby Block Party and Crusher Cup
17:04 - Social Strategy and Gen Z Engagement
20:39 - Where to Buy Skullcandy Products
23:21 - Upcoming Collaboration: Crusher 1080 with Bose
25:04 - Challenges and Advantages of Scaling Internationally
26:39 - Custom Headphones for Partners
28:08 - Skullcandy's Role in the Utah Ecosystem

Key Highlights: Alex shares his journey from being a pro snowboarder to leading brand marketing at Skullcandy. Discover how Skullcandy stays true to its action sports roots while constantly innovating. Learn about Skullcandy's exciting collaborations, including the upcoming Crusher 1080 with Bose. Get insights into Skullcandy's social strategy and how they engage with Gen Z. Explore Skullcandy's community involvement and partnerships, including their work with Woodward. Don't miss out on this in-depth conversation about the dynamic world of sports, tech, and consumer brands in Utah!

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What does it take to bootstrap a SaaS company from a broke college student's dorm-room idea to a successful acquisition with barely $50K in real outside capital?
In this special Silicon Slopes Podcast, guest host Adam Stoker, President and CEO of Brand Revolt, sits down with Evan Teshima, investor and Co-Founder of foreUP golf software, to find out.
Evan co-founded foreUP as a BYU senior after a pivotal entrepreneurship class taught by John Richards sparked a realization: golf courses were running their entire operations on archaic, CD-based software that belonged in a museum. So he and his co-founders built a cloud-based point-of-sale system from scratch and spent the next decade turning it into the industry's go-to platform, powering over 2,300 courses across the country before being acquired by Clubessential Holdings.
But the path there was anything but linear.
In this candid conversation, Evan walks through seven major pivots, a near-death convertible note crisis, years of rock-bottom salaries, and the legendary chess match against investor John Richards that nearly made or broke the company. He also shares the counterintuitive philosophy that kept foreUP alive in those early years: stop chasing elephants and go for the rabbits.
In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Evan's first business idea involved a self-opening toilet seat and what came next
• How losing multiple business plan competitions actually pointed him toward his real opportunity
• The moment he realized golf courses were the customer, not golfers
• Why "our customers are our investors" became the founding mantra of foreUP
• The chess match with John Richards that decided $400K in equity
• How staying small, scrappy, and focused on the lower-end of the market built the foundation for a massive exit
• What Evan has learned since selling  and what he's up to now (besides being an unpaid Uber driver for his four kids)

About the Guests
Adam Stoker is President & CEO of Brand Revolt, a full-service marketing agency known for bold, innovative destination marketing strategies. With over 17 years in advertising, Adam is also the host of the Destination Marketing Podcast and author of Touchpoints: A Destination Marketer's Guide. He was recognized as a Utah Business 40 Under 40 honoree and is a fellow investor in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund.
Evan Teshima is the Co-Founder and former CEO of foreUP Golf Software, the first 100% cloud-based point-of-sale and management platform built specifically for golf courses. After co-founding foreUP in his BYU senior year and growing it over a decade with minimal outside capital, Evan led the company through its acquisition by Clubessential Holdings in 2021. He is now an investor and advisor — and a devoted father of four.

Both Adam and Evan are investors in John Richards' Startup Ignition Fund, which continues to back promising Utah-based founders.

Welcome back to the Silicon Slope Show! In this episode we dive into the dynamic world of sports business with Joe Summers from OnBase. Join us as we explore how OnBase is revolutionizing licensing, sponsorship, and NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) opportunities for brands and athletes alike.
 00:13 - Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:29 - Overview of OnBase
01:01 - Evolution of NIL in Sports
01:26 - Joe Summers' Background
01:44 - Sponsorship Pitch Meeting
02:00 - Founding of OnBase
02:43 - Shift to Licensing and Sponsorships
03:47 - Challenges in Licensing and Sponsorships
04:08 - Role of OnBase in Streamlining Processes
05:04 - Different Systems in College Licensing
05:49 - Tech Tools in Sports Business
06:16 - Building Custom Systems
07:10 - Private Equity in College Sports
07:39 - Player Mobility and NIL
08:39 - Professionalism in College Sports
09:38 - Donor Fatigue and ROI
10:24 - Impact of Successful Athletic Programs
11:33 - Financial Challenges in College Sports
11:52 - Excitement for Utah's Sports Future
13:05 - How Brands Can Get Involved with OnBase
13:58 - OnBase's Future Plans
14:55 - Major League Baseball in Utah
15:41 - Joe's Experience in Athletic Departments
17:07 - Importance of Licensing Over Individual Endorsements
18:38 - Risks of Personal Endorsements
19:48 - Ideal Clients for OnBase
21:06 - Success with Minky Couture
21:44 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information
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In 2018, following a rich and storied career in business, philanthropy, and academia, Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez became the seventh president of Utah Valley University. She is the first woman to serve on a full-time basis as UVU president. Raised in the slums of the Philippines, Tuminez rose to become a world leader in the fields of technology and political science, most recently serving as an executive at Microsoft. She is also the former vice dean of research and assistant dean of executive education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

Dr. Seth Jenson recently joined the UVU Baugh Entrepreneurship Institute from the University of Oxford, where he lectured and researched entrepreneurial strategy and innovation ecosystems. He has consulted and collaborated with elite entrepreneurship programs worldwide, including India’s premiere entrepreneurship governing bodies (NITI Aayog and EDII), Harvard, LSE, MIT, Stanford, Techstars, as well as state governments and regional programs. As a leader in the Bolder Way Forward initiative, Seth helps shape Utah policy to close entrepreneurial gender gaps and foster diverse leadership. He completed his bachelor's at BYU in Finance and graduate degrees in Sociology (MSc) and Business Strategy (PhD) at Oxford.

Hunter Anderton is a serial entrepreneur currently scaling his second venture, Simpll. Dedicated to making blockchain opportunities accessible, Simpll provides user-friendly node hosting that removes technical barriers for everyday users. Under Hunter’s leadership, the company saw explosive early product-market fit, surpassing $1M in ARR in its infancy. A deeply involved member of the Baugh Entrepreneurship Institute (BEI) ecosystem, Hunter is a graduate of the Sandbox program and "0 to CEO" series. His rapid scaling recently earned him a nomination for the BEI Rocketship Award for revenue growth, as well as funding from multiple competitive programs.

Join host Wade Leaphart, Chair of the Sports Business Chapter at Silicon Slopes, as he sits down with Rob Cornilles, founder and CEO of Game Face Inc. Rob is a pioneer in modern sports sales training and has transformed the way organizations approach ticket sales and customer engagement.
In this episode, Wade and Rob dive deep into the evolution of ticket sales, from the early days of paper lead lists and phone books to the sophisticated CRM systems and results-based selling approaches of today. Rob shares his journey from working with the LA Clippers in the 90s to founding Game Face and coaching tens of thousands of professionals across major sports leagues like the NBA, NFL, and MLB.

00:13 - Podcast Introduction
00:23 - Guest Intro: Rob Cornilles
00:34 - Rob's Background
00:55 - Wade and Rob's Connection
01:18 - Evolution of Ticket Sales
01:38 - Early Sales Methods
01:49 - Founding Game Face
02:05 - Rob's Start with Clippers
02:25 - Challenges with Clippers
02:46 - Realization in Sales
03:07 - Competing LA Teams
03:29 - Observing Fans
03:50 - LA Riots Impact
04:13 - Enthusiasm in Sales
04:35 - New Sales Approach
04:56 - Sharing Sales Secrets
05:16 - Results-Based Selling
05:32 - Selling Relationships
05:55 - First Game Experience
06:06 - Fan Motivations
06:27 - Reasons Fans Attend
06:48 - Business Outcomes
07:09 - Results-Centered Selling
07:30 - Value Beyond the Game
07:52 - Business Initiatives
08:14 - Expanding to Other Industries
08:39 - Selling Results
09:07 - Transferable Skills
09:28 - Modern Sales Challenges
09:49 - B2B Sales Shift
10:01 - Results-Focused Messaging
10:22 - Role of Technology
10:43 - Personal Interaction
11:01 - Timeless Sales Skills
11:22 - Open-Ended Questions
11:43 - Sales Education Gap
12:04 - Rob at BYU
12:24 - Sales Skills for Executives
12:46 - AI in Sales
13:05 - Human Interaction in Service
13:25 - Frustration with AI
13:47 - Personal Touch in Service
14:08 - Training on Service Calls
14:30 - Customer Service Skills
14:51 - Tech and Sports in Utah
15:14 - Professionalization of College Sports
15:36 - Innovation in Fan Experience
15:59 - Breaking into Sports
16:22 - Starting in Sales
16:47 - Wade's Career Path
17:08 - Sports Media Realities
17:29 - Practical Experience
17:50 - Value of Sales Skills
18:14 - Networking in Premium Sales
18:36 - Sales Training Benefits
18:59 - Sports as Conversation Starter
19:20 - Upcoming Utah Sports Events
19:42 - Utah's Sports Recognition
20:00 - Innovation in Utah Sports
20:27 - Customer Service Importance
20:48 - Industry Conversations
21:10 - 30 Years of Game Face
21:30 - Game Face's Impact
21:51 - Expansion Beyond Sports
22:13 - Conclusion and Future

If you enjoyed this video and want to support us please leave a LIKE, write a comment on this video and Share it with your friends. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and click the icon for notifications when we add a new video. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. 
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In this episode, Jason Smith, Founder and CEO of Sponsor CX, sits down with Jeff Burningham, a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. Jeff shares his journey from starting a tech company as an undergrad at BYU to becoming a venture capitalist and even running for governor of Utah.

00:12 - Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:38 - Jason's Mentorship and Early Days of Sponsor CX
01:09 - The Decision to Go All-In on Sponsor CX
02:09 - Initial Investment and Early Support
02:52 - The Hero's Journey of an Entrepreneur
03:11 - Importance of Believing in the Founder
03:58 - Jeff's Venture Investing Philosophy
05:00 - Jeff's Background and Career Overview
07:09 - Running for Governor and Post-Political Journey
08:19 - Transition to a More Reflective Life
08:31 - Jeff's Investment Approach and Early Stage Focus
09:13 - Qualities of a Successful Founder
11:04 - Scaling a Startup and Building a Team
12:08 - Achieving Product-Market Fit
13:39 - Leadership Qualities in Startups
15:58 - Key Characteristics of Effective Leaders
17:03 - Importance of Kindness in Leadership
19:01 - Human Element in Leadership and Management
19:41 - Introduction to Jeff's Book on AI and Humanity
20:16 - Why Jeff Wrote the Book
22:46 - Where to Find Jeff's Book and Follow His Work
23:39 - Closing Remarks and Encouragement
 
If you enjoyed this video and want to support us please leave a LIKE, write a comment on this video and Share it with your friends. Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and click the icon for notifications when we add a new video. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions. 

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