The Mark Haney Podcast

Alert: Company building in progress!  Meet Reneta Jenik, founder of Foodom, a local early-stage startup that is connecting private chefs with busy families to cook meals in the customer's kitchen for less than the cost of take out.  Essentially, she’s built a better way to answer the age-old question of “what’s for dinner?”  We are very honored to be working alongside Reneta and Foodom through the Growth Factory Accelerator! Reneta’s goal is to help families reduce stress in their life and get healthy food tailored to whatever they need while also creating flexible and good paying job opportunities for certified chefs who are passionate about cooking.  And, it’s happening!  Despite launching during the heart of the pandemic, Foodom’s chefs have prepared over 500 meals for some very happy customers and they are just getting started.Tune in to hear Mark and Reneta talk more about her story – from her background in corporate America and her why behind starting the company to the challenges and victories she’s encountering while launching her first startup.

Frank Ono is the founder of the iFish Group, a Sacramento-based government consulting firm that was named one of the fastest-growing companies by both the Sacramento Business Journal and Inc. 5000 for 2 years in a row and also recognized as one of the best places to work by the SBJ.  He joins Mark to share his experiences, agile approach to business growth, and lessons learned in building a successful company and a winning culture.  From hiring for character, critical thinking, and work ethic to building an Innovation and Leadership Board that provides a framework for evaluating business opportunities, Frank’s intentional and people-centric approach is worth learning more about!



Following his discussion with Frank, Mark also takes a few moments to dive deep and share his thoughts about the one ingredient he feels is needed to start and grow a business: Commitment.  Tune in!

Mark Rawson is the Chief Operating Officer for the California Mobility Center (CMC), a Sacramento-based organization whose mission is to help early-stage mobility companies accelerate the commercialization of their products by linking them with established industry leaders and service providers.  He shares more about the CMCs founding, current partner and client activities, the future of their 25-acre campus at Sacramento State (in development), and how this work will not only fuel the Sacramento region economy but attract and grow innovative mobility solutions from around the world.

Kenneth Johnston, CEO of KJ 2 Productions, a full-service digital media production company based in Sacramento, California, shares his story of perseverance in life, business, and most recently through the pandemic.  Like all great entrepreneurs, KJ is living proof that while the journey is often incredibly tough, with creativity, grit, and the right people by your side so much can be accomplished.

Scott Alvord, Roseville City Councilmember, is the founder and CEO of Advanced Development Concepts, a business consulting company that has helped companies with strategy, marketing, and team development for the last 35 years. He also teaches Marketing at William Jessup University where he engages his students in real-world projects to develop their skills and portfolio while providing value to local companies.  Mark talks with Scott and one of his students, Blair Maynard, about the lessons learned during the most recent marketing campaign that the class worked on for a local startup (and one of Mark’s portfolio companies), Reviver.



In the second half of the show, Mark shares his personal thoughts and experiences as he responds to a few questions from listeners in a new segment called “What would Mark do.”

Tamaira Sandifer, also known as “Miss Tee”, founded what is now Studio & Arts & Entertainment in 2005 to teach dance to trauma informed youth in communities that were facing a myriad of challenges.  She used hip hop dance as a vehicle to connect, engage and then support kids – providing them with a positive alternative to the streets.  
 
She quickly evolved from “just” teaching dance to providing basic needs, giving classes like “how not to go broke at Christmas” to parents, and ultimately to training youth in other areas ie: video, social media, brand building, and merchandise design and production. 
 
In the process, she has begun to develop a new generation of “creative arts entrepreneurs” that are learning to see, value and develop their natural abilities and interests into positive and lucrative income generating opportunities.  Join Mark as he digs in to learn more about her inspiring story.
If you would like to learn more about Studio T or Miss Tee, check them out on social media or the links below:
Studio T:
www.StudioTArts.org
IG - @studiotdance
FB - studiotdance
YT - studiotdance

Tamaira "Miss Tee" Sandifer:
www.TeeSandi.com
IG - @sweetteetime
FB - Tee Sandi
YT - /SweetTeeTimeChannel

Barry Broome, CEO of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, is the hard-charging, always-on, vision setter who leads economic development strategy and execution for the region.  He is a masterful brand builder who has worked tirelessly to change the Sacramento narrative outside of the region -- pounding the pavement giving 2000+ presentations in 3 years.  Since arriving in Sacramento 7 years ago, he has also had the courage to challenge the status quo culture - always pushing us to think bigger and become better than we believe we can be. We are excited to have him back on the show to talk with Mark about recent regional wins, economic trends, and the opportunities at hand.  From talent and jobs to business starts and attraction, to venture investment and large-scale initiatives, if you want to get a pulse on what’s happening in the region, tune in to this energizing and informative discussion.

Mark talks with Growth Factory co-founder Rick Spencer about the early traction the Growth Factory acceleration platform and fund have seen over the last several months and then take a look ahead at 2022.  In honor of Thanksgiving week, gratitude is a clear theme throughout this segment. Mark and Rick share their appreciation for the many founders, partners, community and business leaders and investors who, over this past year, have joined forces with the Growth Factory to support our local founders as they grow innovative world class companies in the hometown we love.

Later in the show, Mark spends some time with Rick Brown from Marketstorm AI, an innovative digital advertising solution.  They talk about how the Marketstorm team which includes a squad of data scientists builds custom algorithms and a propriety strategy for their clients to more effectively target customers and fuel business growth.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark invests in founders who “make the molecules move” and that is certainly true in the case of Patrick Desmond of Desmond’s Dynamic Auctions.  A talented auctioneer whose performance can be the difference between a good charity event and a wildly successful one, Pat’s job is to spur guests into action – bidding against one another for the benefit of a good cause.  Pat talks with Mark about the art and the business of auctioneering and shares his journey to becoming the man on the mic delivering the signature auctioneer chant and making fundraising FUN.

Mark & one of his Growth Factory co-founders, Monique Brown, provide a behind the scenes peek of their new pre-seed / seed stage accelerator and accompanying early stage venture fund.  They talk a little about why they started it, how it's designed, and how it’s going with their first cohort of 15 companies.  They also share their excitement in activating the “Backyard Advantage” and recruiting the leaders of Sacramento as mentors, partners, and investors to join forces with our world class founders and build great startups together.