The Founder's Forge Podcast

We're back with the second part honoring some amazing female founders in our network. In this episode, Owen, Kristin, and Mercedes dive a little more into Kristin’s story and learn how and why education, activism, and encouragement are all so vital for women and other minority founders. They also get into some fascinating data surrounding remote work and how and why it affects demographics differently. And finally, they cover some crucial tips on how to start closing the equity gap in your own business and how keeping these factors in mind can help you succeed. Don't miss it!

Get in Touch with Kristin and Mercedes:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, Owen sits down with Kristin Bonds and Mercedes Ballard of Heristic. We touch on what makes women uniquely qualified, prepared, and empowered to thrive in the start-up world.... the advantages of leaning into your perspective when it comes to growing your business.... and finally how to find and get involved in like-minded communities and the critical role they play in founder success. Next week, in part 2, we’ll dive a little more into Kristin’s story and learn how and why education, activism, and encouragement is so vital for women and other minority founders. You won’t want to miss that episode or this one.

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

This week Owen join's guest host Phill Reed in talking with Blake and Brandon Shirk, founders of SOVA Micro Room and Social Hotel. The Shirk twins are hoping to bring the hospitality and efficiency they experienced from their travels abroad to the US market. From tips on pitching and getting funded to finding design inspiration, you wont want to miss this special episode.

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

This week Owen and Marcus wrap up season 3 with Taylor Jacobs, founder of Dabble. Dabble offers exclusive memberships for complimentary food & drink items as well as access to events in the best spots all over Dallas. Some great learnings about being a solo founder, and being willing to pivot and experiment. Take a listen!

Emerald Labs: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emeraldlabspk/

Reach Out to Taylor and Dabble:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorjacobs3/

Reach Out to Us:

Owen Goode: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owendavidgoode/

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with Alison Gorman, founder of TruFaves. TruFaves is attempting to be a private, closed-circle version of something like Yelp where friend groups can share things they recommend. We got to chat with Ali about the woes of becoming a software founder without a technical background, pivoting from being a registered nurse, to reporter, to startup founder, and partnering with an accelerator.

Intellectual Property with Steve Pearson

Connect with Alison:

https://trufaves.com

Want to come on the show?

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with FlexDesk CEO and Co-Founder Clark Jacobs. FlexDesk provides companies with a central tool to distribute access to on-demand workspaces, set spend and space access policies, uncover valuable engagement data, and reduce the burden of admins managing it all. This is the second time we've talked to Clark, and is a great example on the importance and learnings of pivots and market research.

Want to come on the show? Fill out a questionnaire, and learn more on our Medium page, or find us on Twitter, Instagram, and of course on Axon Pages. We hope to see you enter the forge soon!

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with self-labled ‘dadtrepreneur’ Carl Starkey, co-founder of AWSM Sauce Co. Carl and his co-founder have sky-rocketed to startup success over the course of just a few months with their zero-waste sauce concept. This is a great episode full of advice and fascinating stories of how they went from coaches to founders in a matter of months.

This week Owen and Marcus talk to Alicia Hawley, founder of Donally and subsequently Any Help Appreciated. She's a life long entrepreneur and deeply committed to helping her community. It's a great listen!

This week Owen and Marcus have Peter Yeargin of Sage back on the show almost a year later to talk about his company's pivot and to have a deep dive conversation on the world of SEO. This episode is chock-full of useful information surrounding search engine optimization, pivots, funding, and more, you won't want to miss it!

This week Owen and Marcus sit down with Steve Pearson. Not only is Steve a founder himself, he’s also an intellectual property expert who’s been in the field for decades. In this episode, we get deep into the concepts and nuances of patents, trade marks, service marks, and more. When should you apply for a patent? What kind? What about those little symbols after slogans or logos, what do those mean? Steve and the guys get into all that and more!

Where to find Steve:

Come on the Show!