At nine years old, when a teacher tells you you're an idiot, he's the master authority in your life and so you believe it must be true.  "I knew I wasn't a great reader but it didn't make me an idiot. Yet, my teacher's words became a narrative, the little voice in my head, that said don't get up to speak, don't share your thoughts, keep things to yourself, you're not worthy of speaking in front of people." 

"Later in life, I started to question if I was an idiot even though my mother always said great things about me. I decided that the world doesn't know who I am, and when the world finds out about me, they'll know I'm not an idiot."  

Fast forward, after a journey around the world (literally), Joe is a poet, rapper (yes, he launches into a spontaneous rap on this podcast), writer, and incredibly successful entrepreneur who built one of the fastest-growing marketing agencies in the U.S. 

And best yet, Joe loves to speak especially in front of people- the bigger the crowd, the more energetic Joe becomes! 

Joe is a master networker and a LinkedIn expert but most importantly, he's a man with a golden heart who loves connecting and helping others. 

This is a rare behind-the-scenes insight into the art of copywriting and an entrepreneurial woman that changed everything in her life and became an international success. 

 Eden Bidani's journey starts with  a dream of becoming a Forensic Anthropologist, or as she puts it, " establishing the cause of death and securing life for the people who cannot do it themselves." But, when faints at the sight of blood it also ends her quest for forensics, and she pursues a degree in Anthropology and Sociology.

Eden gets a sales job which she describes as "the intersection of marketing and anthropology" (you should listen to her fantastic interpretation of this). What attracted her was not the sales pitch or techniques but the ability to develop an in-depth connection and understanding of her customers.

On a solid foundation of caring for people and empathy, Eden dives into the highly competitive direct-to-customer cosmetic industry and her partner focuses on sales, logistics, and operations). Spoiler alert - violating every HR rule, their relationships blossom, and they get married. 

Eden converts to Judaism and moves from Australia to her new home in Israel.  

Eden is transitioning from a laidback Australian culture to a fast-paced Israel,  and in the process, she also becomes (as she describes it) a mom to lots of kids. She begins to explore opportunities that fit her natural curiosity and talents but one she can do from home.  

In 2015, Eden launched her copywriting career, and the rest is, as they say, "is history" - She is now of the most sought-after international copywriters.

This touching and engaging conversation is about an inspiring businesswoman with important takeaways, especially for business owners frustrated by marketing that doesn't work. 

"Raised as an entrepreneur, schooled as a scientist, developer by trade, and Founder at heart."

Numaan's earliest memories are of spending time in the back of my father's electronic store; playing with the credit card machine and testing what he sold; a VCR, an Atari game, and even a computer... Having grown up in an immigrant family, I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur." 

My dad told me, "business is common sense" now go get a real degree. 

Numaan got a degree in computer science, fell in love with coding, and soon started his own development shop. "I loved making software but I was also a developer that could actually talk to executives. "

Then in 2010, the Rally to Restore Sanity, organized by John Stewart and Stephen Kolbert, planted the seed for entrepreneurial success. 

Find out how Numaan's crowdsourcing buses for events solved a common problem while also creating a  way for owners of buses ( typically small family-owned businesses) to grow as well. 

Meet Moritz von Oheimb. He isn't a wiz-kid, he's...well, an entrepreneur that could be your next-door neighbor. Moritz is down-to-earth, smart, strategic, and a hard worker.  When you listen to his journey, from childhood to high school,  you get the idea that success isn't born, it's created.

He moves to Mexico, identifies an unmet need, builds a $1,000,000 business in a highly competitive industry (healthcare/dental) using brilliant strategy and logistics.... 

It all comes crashing down. "We knew something was coming but we didn't think it will be that big."

Moritz is now 25 and I bet this is just the beginning of his story.  

Meet Jason Kersch, 4th generation owner of Major Homes Corporation, a family business in the brutally competitive home improvement industry in Queens/ Long Island New York. 

Frank Sinatra ("New York, New York") sang, "if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere" and Major Homes is living proof of that statement. 

This episode is about the inner workings of a family business; a father and son working together and the interesting dynamics of generational transition; from hardcore sales to using digital tech but never compromising on basic founding principles in 1919 when Jason's great grandfather started the business: integrity, customers and satisfaction are everything. 

If you've ever replaced or are thinking about replacing a roof, windows, siding, doors, or built an extension, hear the the-behind-scenes story: how this industry operates and how Major Homes is able to compete with box retailers (Home Depot, Lowes),  some mega brands as well as drive-by installer (fondly referred to as "uninsured two man and a truck" and continues to grow. 

What's it like starting a business at the start of Covid? 

In this episode, we meet Irit, who served as an officer in the Israeli army and later loved managing a book store for fifteen years, something her grandfather started in Jerusalem in 1908. Spending her day surrounded by books was an experience, but the opportunity to interact with people and talk about literally anything made this an incredibly gratifying job. 

Her journey takes her to a start-up in the personal development niche, working primarily with moms who worked from home. Irit started a master's degree in education and cognitive behavior and became an  "instructional designer" writing training courses for software and loved it. "It fits my mind how to take a subject and simplify. I realized that I like organizing and simplifying the world around us. "

Irit comes from an extended family of public servants, including her husband - she hasn't been surrounded by entrepreneurs all of her life. But as she shares earlier,  "I've always wanted to do things my way. I've always gone against the grain." She realizes that opening her own company was her dream, using her skills to "guide companies to understand, clarify and simplify their workflows. 

 "I put in a lot of work talking about what I love doing and what gives value to other people. It was never about me."  From sixty LinkedIn connections, she organically grew her network to over ten thousand in a relatively short period, growth that started with a post "don't work with MailChimp."

Why is her work so important? "When you clarify and simplify what you do, it allows you to delegate the work, and then it frees you to do the things you love." 

Isn't this the reason why we all started our own business? 

In this episode, I speak with Anita Toth, Chief Churn Crusher (CCC). While Anita focuses on Software as a Service (SaaS) companies, the topic - how to stop customers from leaving- applies to any business. 

Find out what Medical Geography (an actual Master's major) is all about and what attracted Anita to public health and the environment. Anita's first day on the job was the day before September 11th, 2001 - talk about jumping into the water and learning how to swim. 

Anita shares that she felt like a square peg in a round hole during her tenure as a researcher. But,  like many would-be entrepreneurs, she also had a side hustle selling honey for her friend. She then takes an expensive website building and SEO course and helps companies rank on Google, but... "it didn't feel right" and was somewhat sketchy. 

Anita falls for a few "it's too good to be true" courses by a self-promoted guru and dabbles with a paid advertising agency. She comes to realize a vital thing: "I didn't love marketing as much as I thought." 

 "My bad experiences as a customer pushed me. What appealed to me was what happens post-sales - the customer experience side of the business."   Anita finally finds her calling by joining an AI SaaS platform where she discovers the world of churn.

Why do customers become dissatisfied after making a purchase? Listen to how Anita, who has built a profitable company, is helping businesses identify the root cause of customer dissatisfaction and getting them on a healthy growth track.

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Next Door, Zev Asch speaks with Philip Muccio, CEO of AxioBionics , a company that specializes in wearable pain management devices. Phil has always believed that people with physical disabilities must have a reasonable chance at a productive and enriched life. And, he speaks from personal experience as he suffers from a disability as well. 

Axiobionics designs, manufactures and distributes neuroprosthetic devices to manage pain and the effects of neurological conditions. Neuroprosthetics (also referred to as neural prosthetics or neuro-prosthetics), is a discipline which encompasses the integration of neuroscience and bioengineering concerned with providing potential solutions to people with neurological and/or neuromuscular impairment. 

Phil shows that engineering prowess isn’t the only ingredient that contributes to entrepreneurship success; his genuine caring and big heart shine throughout the interview and drive his mission to change lives for people that experience chronic debilitating pain. 

To connect with Philip, email [email protected]. 

To Learn more about business growth and Zev’s latest book: https://zevasch.com/

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Next Door, Zev’s guest is Foti Panagiotakopoulos, the Co-Founder of Growth Mentor, an international mentoring platform. Find out about Foti’s journey from a military policeman to a growth marketer with a network of over 400 vetted international marketing experts united by a servant mindset. 

To connect with Foti email [email protected].
To Learn more about business growth and Zev’s latest book: https://zevasch.com/

In this episode of The Entrepreneur Next Door, Zev Asch speaks with Josh Dyszel, President & CEO at Recruit & Field, a qualitative research company in New York. Josh was well on his way to a career in information systems when his mother, Bette Dyszel, one of the early pioneers in recruiting respondents for marketing research, asked him to help with her growing company. From setting up a computer network to part-time business development,  Josh eventually took over the reins of the company in 2009, orchestrated a buyout of his mother’s partner, rebranded the company and significantly grew the business.

Using his skills as an IT professional, Josh developed a proprietary database system to manage a rapidly growing network of respondents. As the business grew at a rapid pace, Josh was nevertheless focused on staying true to his mother’s legacy. He steered the company’s growth with an early adoption of digital methodologies and his mission to position Recruit & Field as a creative and forward thinking business. Josh continues to expand his in-house talent pool and to invest in advanced technology and research tools.

To connect with Josh email [email protected]. 

To Learn more about business growth and Zev’s latest book: https://zevasch.com/