The Founder's Forge Podcast

This week Owen and Adam interview Tucker Cowie about the important of design in software, from user experience to product validation to strategic management. Tucker has both design and software experience across a variety of industries, and bridges the gap between technical and non-technical experts. We cover a huge range of subjects, and this episode serves as an awesome introduction to design and it's applications in your company. No matter what your role or experience, there is something to be gleaned here and from the resources that Tucker and Adam quoted from and summarized (all below).

We're not promising anything, but if we were going to do a spin-off podcast...

The Design of Everyday Things

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products

Org Design for Design Orgs: Building and Managing In-House Design Teams

Universal Principles of Design

LawsofUX.com

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 interview Colby Harvey about his company Rizse - an autonomous drone inspection platform that's in the process of revolutionizing aircraft inspections in the airline industry. Join us as we nerd out about planes and drones alike, and stay for the solid discussion about why there is always opportunity in the hardest spaces. When the low-hanging fruit is gone, where do you go?

The Hard Thing About Hard Things on Amazon.

Extreme Ownership.

Inspired.

Nonviolent Communication.

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!

Marcus goes on the mic with Nick Hughes of the Founders Live Podcast, where the two podcasters compare notes about how they started podcasting and how they landed on the model they use today. Get behind the scenes on where *this* podcast came from, and why we do what we do.

Go check out the Founders Live website, and find their podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and everywhere else.

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 interviews Itamar Gil, one of the founders (Arjun Vairavan is the other) of Kama, a dating website that sets up actual in-person dates for matches at partnering restaurants. Itamar shares his entrepreneurial beginnings as a middle-school loan shark, and explains how his background in software came from his service in the Israeli military. How do you get a busy restaurant owner's attention and keep it long enough to get a partnership? Learn how Kama created a new niche in a crowded field before the 2020 pandemic threw a wrench in their plans. They've adapted well, and are getting ready for a full launch - check them out at kama.club and on Instagram.

Thinking Fast and Slow

Zero to One

Give and Take

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 interview Ben Wolff, an entrepreneur innovating in the fashion space. Learn how Ben leveraged his education as an actor and his experience as the top salesperson at Hugo Boss to start not one, not two, but three successive companies. We talk about how do you know it's time to strike out on your own, how is sales more about improving the customer's life instead of tricking them into buying things, and how an unplanned hospital stay turned into a inroad into the wholesale oncological accessories industry. Despite being in a completely different industries, we prove that the fundamentals of business are the same no matter what you do, and that lessons learned in one sector have applications everywhere.

Check out the Beaniesleeper for yourself, or email Ben directly at [email protected].

Beaniesleeper on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkTree.

Sleeping with Ben episode.

Ed Sylvia's website.

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!

Marcus and Owen interview Deena Shelton, PhD and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-S). Deena is a lifelong counselor, educator, and self-labeled nerd who has worked at a very high level across a variety of industries, including director positions at multiple non-profits (and a current seat on Axon Collective's Board of Directors). Together the three of us explore applications of psychology and therapy in an industry that largely shuns professional counseling. Learn why an understanding of how our brains work is not optional if you want to work in entrepreneurship, and how to learn mindsight, empathy, and integration form a foundation for mental health.

We also talk about how the intentionality of taking breaks is as important (if not more so) than the break itself, how meaning-making can either help or hinder our entrepreneurial self-image, and how therapy ends up as a net gain for you and your business in both time and money.

Don't miss what we consider to be one of the most important and useful episodes we've produced yet. We also want to invite anyone who thinks they may be struggling with burnout to reach out to us - you don't have to be in this alone.

Dan Siegel's website.

Listen to the Remodel Parenting Podcast on Apple Podcasts and check out The Remodel Project on Facebook.

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!

Marcus and Owen interview Michael Testa, a serial entrepreneur who just had his first exit with EatCheap, a food deal aggregation website that has done very, very well. Michael takes us through his background and how he stumbled into becoming an entrepreneur. We discuss the perils and joys of deciding when it's right to sell a company and how to go about doing it correctly. Also, we celebrate the fact that for the vast majority of founders their first exit is only large enough to set up their second venture, and how that's ultimately a good thing. Michael is a dynamic and entertaining guest and you won't want to miss our conversation.

Almanack of Naval Ravikant on Amazon.

Follow Michael on Twitter.

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!

Marcus interviews Mari Ramirez, one of Austin's most prolific CPAs and founder of multiple small businesses in Central Texas. Learn how she got her start in accounting, why most CPAs only do taxes and neglect bookkeeping, and how being an accountant actually just means you're a therapist. Also, is Dave Ramsey actually terrible at giving business advice? And just how important is math anyways?

Don't miss our exciting return to the microphone as our second season gets underway!

Check out Open Bookkeeping, and download their free budget tool.

Also check out Mari's video on PPP loans that she mentions in the show.

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!

Marcus guest stars on Brad Flaugher's Remote Software Genius Podcast.

Listen to Brad's show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts!

Brad's Website: http://bradflaugher.com/

https://inoxoft.com/

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, and we'll be back soon with more episodes.

In our final episode of the season, Adam interviews Michael C. Bertoni, a serial entrepreneur who has founded multiple companies, including PhillyTech and UPROSPECT. UPROSPECT is redefining the way that lead generation works for businesses and jobseekers alike by creating digital business cards - listen as Mike energetically lays out his plan to become the largest startup in Philadelphia. Mike lays out why sales is the most fundamental area new businesses can focus on, and how he has honed his sales technique over the years. Also, the guys talk about their favorite superheroes - how does the Hulk relate to startups? Find out in this episode, and we'll be back soon with more content.

Enjoy your holidays and welcome to 2021!

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!