The Savvy Entrepreneur

Many people, even in Chicago, don't know about Rosalind Franklin University.  It's probably the least well-known of Chicagoland's 6 medical schools.  But nestled in the northern suburbs of Chicago, it sits close to Illinois huge cluster of biotech and pharmaceutical companies.  Abbott, Baxter, Astellas, and Abbvie are the largest.  But there are many smaller companies, as well as divisions of several other large healthcare companies. 

Hoping to spur university-industry collaboration on new concepts and products, Rosalind Franklin in just 4 short years built a new science park.  The park includes a new healthcare incubator, called Helix 51.

Michael Rosen, Managing Director of Research and Innovation at the University also heads up Helix 51.  He joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of building a new incubator.  He explains the difference between an accelerator and an incubator. He also talks about how the University is planning to expand shared services for incubator companies.

Click on the arrow to listen!

Dr. Aaron Olson

Dr. Mehrdad Arjmand

NovoMoto co-founders Aaron & Mehrdad Arjmand join The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show to talk about how they are growing their company.  Starting from a student entrepreneur project at The Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin Madison, NovoMoto has already improved the lives of tens of thousands in The People's Republic of the Congo.

NovoMoto provides economical solar-powered generators and appliances there, where many users are "off the grid" and have no regular access to electricity.  Solar-powered generators are less expensive to use and are much better for the environment than diesel generators or other alternatives.

Their goal?  To help 1 million families by 2026!

Click on the arrow below to listen to their fascinating story!

Ty Rohrer knows a thing or two about nonprofits.  He's currently Director of Cultural Arts for the Waukegan Park District (which includes managing the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra), Director of the Waukegan Arts Council, and a Board Member for the Illinois State Historical Society.

You may wonder what running or being a board member on a nonprofit has to do with entrepreneurship.  Ty articulates the many entrepreneurial skills needed to effectively steer a nonprofit -- maybe it's a way for you to test your entrepreneurship skills, or maybe even to put them to use!

Click on the arrow to take a listen!

 

 

Steve Dinehart says that creating & operating MoolaPitch has almost caused him to lose faith in humanity.  He recently joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show to explain what he means.  He talks about the common mistakes businesses make when they put their offering out on a crowdfunding site.

He also shares his recommendations for how to raise money successfully.  He also talks about when crowdfunding is a good tool, and when it might not be.

It's a very interesting listen from someone who manages a crowdfunding platform, and might save some of you entrepreneurs out there a boatload of time, money and disappointment.

Click on the arrow to the left to hear the interview with Steve.

Listen in as Angela Spinazze joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show.  She shares how she built ATSPIN consulting, and how she has successfully pivoted with her offerings multiple times as the needs of her clients changed.

Angela founded ATSPIN consulting in 1997.  She helps museums, art galleries, and other cultural organizations facilitate conversations about key initiatives. Angela's candor about the challenges she's faced makes for a great listen.  And she generously shares many wise pieces of advice for entrepreneurs.

I promise you'll enjoy her story -- click on the arrow to the left to listen!

Dan Olszewski, Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, joins The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show.  He talks about the many programs and other support at the UWM for student entrepreneurs. The center welcomes any student with an entrepreneurial mindset, and he talks about what that means at the UW.  He talks about some of the program's successful company launches.  He also shares how entrepreneurial skills today are really life skills that benefit students, even if they don't go on to start a company.

Click on the arrow to listen!

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Dan for being our guest.

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

Fred Copestake, Founder and CEO of Brindis, a small training, coaching & consulting company based in the U.K. recently joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show by phone to share the story of how he transitioned from a full-time employee to a gig contractor to his own independent company.

Brindis provides sales training, coaching and mentoring, focusing on larger, global companies with large sales forces that are seeking measurable improvement in their sales goals.

Fred candidly shares some of his challenges in building a consulting and training business.  He also talks about both successes and mistakes.  And he has plenty of great advice for other service business startups.

It's a great interview, plus his British accent is fun to listen to, and his sense of humor is wicked!  Click on the arrow to listen!

Whether you've retained a contractor vs an employee is an important question, and one that lots of businesses get wrong.  John Sartoris, principal of The Sartoris CPA Group, recently joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show live in the studio to discuss some of the issues.

It turns out that a lot of companies think they've hired a contractor, but what they really have is an employee, which can lead to lots of issues and significant costs.  John talks about the IRS and Department of Labor tests, and how the issue often comes to light later.

He talks about the costs and repercussions if you categorize the individual incorrectly.  He also shares the IRS requirements for any contractor you hire that you pay more than $600 in any given year.

John is articulate and often humorous as he explains some of the issues, and gives lots of practical examples.

Click on the arrow to the left to take a listen!

Chelsea Brownridge, Co-Founder and CEO of DogSpot recently joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Show by phone to share the story of how this disruptive company was founded. 

DogSpot provides on-demand, temperature-controlled doghouses outside coffee shops, grocery stores, and other places. DogSpot allows owners to take their dogs on errands without tying them up or leaving them in a car or at home.

Chelsea candidly shares how the company went from bootstrapping to venture capital funding.  She also talks about some of the challenges and successes, and gives some great advice for other startups.

It's a great interview -- click on the arrow to listen!

Marsha McVicker, Founder & CEO of Chicago's Errand Solutions joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently to share some of the challenges and stories of taking a business from a student business competition to a mature business.  Joining her was Micky York, Director of Marketing and Innovation.

Errand Solutions runs personal errands and helps employees as well as patients and their families, making their lives easier.  Over the past 2o years, they have done more than 7 BILLION chores and tasks for their clients.

They also talk about their upcoming book, which memorializes some of the many funny and touching stories that have become part of the company's lore.  The book is called "How to Save a Choking Iguana," and will be available on Amazon soon.

They also share advice about starting up a business, and talk about some of the challenges that woman-owned startups face.

It's a great listen -- click on the arrow to hear the show!