In Episode 119 of the Purpose Chasers Podcast, host Mark Crandall sits down with Evan and Jon of Lightwork Exchange. They delve into their evolution from passionate pin collectors to influential creators within the jam band scene, particularly their collaboration with Dogs in a Pile.

Discover how their commitment to original designs and community engagement has fostered a vibrant fan culture. This episode offers insights into the intersection of art, music, and community building.

Mark Crandall interviews Scott Hannay, the multi-talented keyboardist known for 8-bit remixes, unforgettable sit-ins, and helping bring the Mihali Band to life.

Scott opens up about his early inspiration from video game music, his rise in the jam scene through humility and service, and how his journey has brought him full circle—from solo gigs to stage tech to headlining with Mihali.

This episode is for the Frends, the gamers, the dreamers, and anyone chasing purpose in the shadows of adversity.

What happens when you hand 6- to 14-year-olds a business plan template and a booth? You get 150+ confident kid-CEOs. Dr. Carolyn Colleen returns to Purpose Chasers to reveal:

• The Children’s Business Fair model (and why no participation trophies matter)

• “Peace-table” conflict skills that build lifelong leaders • How a song written for her became the anthem of the Fierce Foundation

• The profit-for-purpose loop funding scholarships and scaling impact

If this inspires you, subscribe to the show and share Dr. Carolyn’s story with one parent or educator today!

Episode 116 : Radio Days & Beyond: Bobby J from Rockaway × Produced by Nef

The Purpose Chasers Podcast with Mark Crandall @organicwordnerd

Nostalgia-drenched boom-bap meets Brooklyn precision. Bobby J from Rockaway and super-producer Nef have created a collection of work together. This episode we breakdown the in's and out's of Bobby J from Rockaway and Produced by Nef's work. Featuring: Radio Days EP, single “The Hangover,” and “From the Jump” (ft. J57) into underground staples—and why real, in-the-room collaboration still crushes template beats.

• Origins & Hustle – Bobby J’s Rockaway roots, Nef’s Maine-to-Brooklyn grind under DJ Premier & Statik Selektah

• Creative Chemistry – From a chance studio cleanup to a decade-long partnership

• Track Spotlights

  • Radio Days EP: golden-era textures, live strings, vinyl crackle

  • The Hangover: cinematic horns + raw lyricism

  • From the Jump: neck-snap drums, J57 synergy

• Nef’s Production Philosophy – Turning “good” into “legendary,” one mix tweak at a time

• Take-Home for Artists – How relationship-driven creation wins in an algorithm world

• Bobby J from Rockaway: Website • IG @bobbyjrockaway

• Produced by Nef: Studio & Services

• Artist Seeking Management? The Purpose Chasers

If this episode leveled up your mindset or your mix, hit that ★★★★★, drop a review, and share it with the one artist who still thinks LinkedIn is “just for suits.”

The deep dive into festival-booking strategy with One Time Weekend—how relationship marketing moves bands up the poster. Subscribe so you don’t miss it.

Purpose fuels art. Precision turns it into profit.
Stay connected at https://thepurposechasers.com

Quick HitWhat You’ll Learn Links & ResourcesRate • Review • ShareWhat You Missed

Why is a shreddy, fan-favorite like One Time Weekend still stuck in the mid-day slots? In this punchy sit-down we unpack the “headliner conspiracy,” their DIY booking grind, and the studio marathon fueling their next drop.

Hit Play, Then…

What You’ll Learn

Catch OTW Live

🎟️ Sound Check Studio's THIS SATURDAY NIGHT 6/28/2025

Grab Your Tickets Right Meow → https://www.soundcheck-studios.com/shows/one-time-weekend-28-jun

🎟️ Fencepost Festival – Aug 9 2025, Millville MA

Tickets → https://linktr.ee/FencepostFestival

🎟️ The Homie Collective Campout – Aug 21-24 2025, Russell MA

Passes → https://homiecampout.com

CTA—Join the Chase
🎥 Watch the video on YouTube and drop a comment.
🌐 Deep-dive resources, embeds, and links at thepurposechasers.com.

Host Mark Crandall sits down with hip-hop producer Produced by Nef to trace his journey from late-night bedroom sessions in New Hampshire to collaborating with legends in Brooklyn. Discover how Nef turned his beats into a business—leveraging SEO, digital asset management, and passive-income models—to build a sustainable career in music.

Purpose Chasers is your backstage pass to the art and business of creative success. Hosted by Mark Crandall—veteran entrepreneur turned artist advocate—each episode dives deep into how musicians, producers, speakers, and visual creators can transform passion projects into thriving, sustainable enterprises. We cover everything from mastering organic marketing and SEO for your personal brand to negotiating contracts that protect your creative vision and financial future.

Join us for candid conversations with top-tier artists, producers, and industry experts as they share real-world lessons on growing digital assets, building passive income streams, and maintaining personal well-being in a fast-paced creative world. Whether you’re releasing your next album, launching a speaker career, or simply curious about how to retain control of your online presence, Purpose Chasers equips you with actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and the industry insights you need to scale your creative legacy—on your own terms.

👉 Need Exclusive Beats, Seeking to Lease Beats? Or want that by Nef Production? : https://producedbynef.com 

👉Artists Seeking Management &/Or Marketing Services: https://thepurposechasers.com

Received Value? Hit The Like & Share It Out!

It's no secret that Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs drives and motivates human behavior. Each stage is the motivating factor behind what you are doing and why you are doing it. When it comes to business, these needs only intensify when it comes to you and your employees. 

Suppose you want to create a successful business where the success is mutually beneficial for everyone involved. In that case, you must start with the first level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. After understanding your employee's needs, you also need to recognize and understand your needs as the entrepreneur and owner of the company. 

Purpose Chasers, if you missed last week's episode where I broke down Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and how to fit the company's vision with your employee's driving factors and behaviors, I invite you to go back and listen to part one. Last week, I took a deep dive into recognizing and understanding your employees' needs, specifically how you can help them attain them and how you and your team will reap many benefits, including maximum production, happiness, and self-fulfillment.

This week, I'm focusing on you, the entrepreneur. When creating a solid business, four main contributing factors keep any entrepreneur out of the lower levels of the Hierarchy of Needs: Cash Flow, Paying Yourself First, Chain of Command/Leadership, and Systems. While individuals commonly refer to a typical 9-5 job as a rat race, it's easy to fall into the entrepreneurial roller coaster trap. To get off the roller coaster for good, tune in as I help you dial in these four systems to create space for you to do what you do best.

Topics Discussed:

• Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs breakdown
• Why efficient systems are Gospel in business
• Solution-minded vs. problem-minded
• How to spot an immediate crisis vs. something you can come back to
  
  

Ready to stop working for your business and have your business start working for you? To gain access to resources I've created for you and learn how to work with me and my marketing team to grow and scale your business, visit www.markcrandall.net

Quotes:

Mark Crandall

• "Being pulled into all the problems within your company will bring you down faster than anything else. A chain of command or order of business needs to be put in place to ensure you can get out of the weeds.”
• “Chain of command is CRUCIAL. If you want to grow and scale your company, you must be out of the problems. You need to train and empower team members to make decisions to solve problems so that you are not pulled into every single issue that arises.”
• “Building systems without accountability is useless because there is no structure to ensure the systems get followed.”
• “You'll never feel at your highest self if you're constantly solving problems and never put preventative measures in place to ensure those problems never happen again. That's the core definition of systems.”

According to Abraham Maslow, all humans operate inside a Hierarchy of Needs. The Hierarchy of Needs includes Physiological Needs, Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. These needs are what drive and motivate human behavior. When it comes to business, creating a vision for your employees to align themselves with is the key to recruiting and maintaining employees. 

This week, I'm sharing a quick overview of the 5 Stages of the Hierarchy of Needs and how to fit the company's vision with your employees' driving factors and behaviors. Once you recognize and understand your employees' needs and how you can help them attain them, you and your team will reap many benefits, including maximum production, happiness, and self-fulfillment.

Purpose Chasers, be sure to tune in next week as I share part two of how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs applies to business, specifically how it applies to entrepreneurs and business owners. 

Topics Discussed:

• Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs breakdown

• How to help your employees map out a career, not a job

• Goal setting as a team vs. individual goals (hint: teamwork is HIGHLY beneficial)

• Create a vision that motivates your to take on new roles and responsibilities
  
  

Ready to stop working for your business and have your business start working for you? To gain access to resources I've created for you and learn how to work with me and my marketing team to grow and scale your business, visit www.markcrandall.net.

Quotes:

• "My belief of the Hierarchy of Needs is that you can never have enough behaviors that are driving multiple phases of the hierarchy because your behavior is dictated in that single stage you are seeking to fulfill." 

• “Every human is striving to get to a place of self-actualization, the desire to become the most that one can be, but a lot of people never get to experience that because they don't get the lower level needs met.”

• “I use all my team members' goals to drive my behavior. Team members hitting their goals and hierarchy of needs allows me to sustain self-actualization.”

This week, I'm sharing the lessons learned from terminating two individuals who are near and dear to me. Terminating employees who are like friends and family is one of the most challenging decisions I've ever had to make in business. But one of the most valuable takeaways is the importance of asking how YOU can do better. How can you be a better leader and team leader? What areas can you improve on to future-proof the relationships in and out of your company? 

While entrepreneurs and team leaders don't regularly ask this, it's important to instill it into your team. When you own up to your mistakes and treat others equally, you create a strong accountability structure moving forward that everyone can pick up on. On the flip side, just as owning up to your mistakes is necessary for team success, so is praise and appreciation. Ensuring that you point out the achievements of your team members lets them know that you're investing in their growth and security. 

Purpose Chasers, be sure to tune in next week as I share how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs applies to business, specifically how it applies to your employees and team members. 

Topics Discussed:

• The Number 1 question to ask yourself when facing adversity in your business
• Why owning your mistakes makes you a better leader
• Finding mutual ground and equality with your team
• Establishing a solid accountability structure
• Understanding the balance between praise and demand
  
  

Ready to stop working for your business and have your business start working for you? To gain access to resources I've created for you and learn how to work with me and my marketing team to grow and scale your business, visit www.markcrandall.net

Quotes:

Mark Crandall

• "Whenever something happens that negatively impacts your company, the most important question to ask yourself is, "What can I do better." 
• “An iron fist can only go so far, but too much praise can get you in trouble. Finding the balance between praise and demand is key.”
• “I never want to be better than the team beside me. I don’t view myself as better or less than the people surrounding me. We are all equal.”
• “Making money is great, but not on the backs of those you rarely show appreciation to.”
• “Good is the enemy of the great. Keeping the good may prevent the great from ever gracing you with their presence.”

If you're an active listener of the show, then you might remember Episode 100, where I chatted with Nathaniel Bruno, Owner of Community Solar Authority, about my entrepreneurial journey and how he helped me get started. It was a fantastic conversation about the two main lessons I learned in entrepreneurship and the incredible insight I gleaned from Nat's own experiences. Well, Purpose Chasers, I decided to bring him back for an all-new episode. 

Nat Been has been an entrepreneur since college and is currently on his 6th business. He's lived in a van for three years and traveled all over the US and overseas. Now, homesteading in Texas, he's been running a solar business without ever meeting his business partners in person ever since Covid-19. In this episode, Nat shares his own entrepreneurial journey and how he became a community authority within the solar industry. 

Be sure to listen in as we discuss the truth behind what it takes to be a business owner, how to grow your business and scale yourself out of your company, and why entrepreneurship isn't for everyone (and that's okay!)

Topics Discussed:

• Going all in and focusing on ONE business at a time
• Being intentional in both your personal life and business
• The KEYS to creating healthy partnerships (and the dangers to look out for)
• Why it’s near impossible to scale out of a consulting business

Ready to stop working for your business and have your business start working for you? To gain access to resources I've created for you and learn how to work with me and my marketing team to grow and scale your business, visit www.markcrandall.net

Connect with Nat Bruno:

• Website: https://www.communitysolarauthority.com/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/community-solar-authority/

Quotes:

Nat Bruno

• "I started with my good friend and consulting client; next thing you know, I had three businesses. And that quickly led to burnout. I sold everything, took off on the road, lived in a van, and traveled through the US and Canada to enjoy life. Running three businesses, I finally had to say enough and focus on one business. And now I'm all in on one business, and since then, things have been super clear in my life, and I'm a lot more intentional in everything I do in life and business." 
• “There’s always going to be that entrepreneur in me that’s always looking for what’s next, what can I do better, and how do I be better. I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel settled and content.” 
• When I was on the road, I had a very specific framework of what I was looking for in my next venture, one that had unlimited income potential, the ability to work from anywhere, and the ability to hire and train my replacement. I didn't want to be the only one. In consulting, being the face of a company, you're never going to be able to get out of it because people want you and only you, not your replacement.”

Mark Crandall

• "I stay behind the computer and work on marketing strategies that break the internet. But I'm also a visionary, so I like to look at a company and the hazards and issues that could arise."
• "There are a lot of dynamics that go into healthy relationships with your business partners. Being able to have clear communication with your partnerships is essential."
• "I quit my 9-5 to be a business owner, and then I started working 24 hours a day. There's a degree of crazy that's involved in being an entrepreneur. That's why most companies don't make it. It’s not for everyone.”