The Startup Junkies Podcast

Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine and Caleb Talley sit down with Josh Duntz and Tyler Dunbar of Metova and Central Standard Talent, respectively. With their Naval backgrounds, Josh and Tyler have a unique perspective on the business world. Throughout the episode, the crew discusses Central Standard and Metova’s expertise in identifying customer needs and developing digital products that align with business goals. They highlight the importance of tailoring technology solutions to meet the specific needs of each customer, and how this approach sets Central Standard and Metova apart from other tech agencies. They also comment on artificial intelligence, exploring whether these emerging technologies pose a threat to Central Standard and Metova, and whether AI can be as effective as humans.

Show Notes

(1:33) Introducing Josh and Tyler

(6:08) Josh’s Transition from the Military to the Civilian World

(9:20) Key Takeaways from Military Service

(15:42) Central Standard and Metova’s Connection

(21:01) Finding Talent without Paying Silicon Valley Prices

(23:35) The Threat of AI

(27:51) Looking at the Landscape of the Current Economy

(32:52) Advice to Their Younger Selves

(35:38) Tyler and Josh’s Naval Background

(39:23) Closing Thoughts

Links

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Josh Duntz

Tyler Dunbar

Metova

Central Standard Talent    

Quotes

“I approach leadership the same way in business now, where it’s like, I don’t care if you’re the lowest man on the totem pole or the CEO of the company. I believe that before decisions should be made, everyone should be able to voice their opinion.” - Josh Duntz, (13:19)

“Rule of thumb is we’ll save you 30-50% in cost. And for somebody who’s in any sort of startup, there’s another critical element to this. You also don’t have to give any of your company away to get really high-quality talent.” - Tyler Dunbar, (21:24)

“You have a certain mindset of what outsourcing looks like, right? And typically, for most people, it’s not high quality. So that’s a piece that looks really different for us. We focus on hiring people long-term—custom solution building for a team just for you. And [that allows] us to really focus on high-quality technical talent that is retained over time. So rather than fill fifty really low-level positions, we really try to focus on those senior and mid-level positions that establish and create value for years and years to come.” - Tyler Dunbar, (22:34)

“I think you still need humans to be effective, right? And there’s a difference between being effective and being efficient. I think that AI is probably really efficient, but like Josh was talking about, how effective is it without those little human elements of nuance in between?” - Tyler Dunbar, (26:34)

Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Grace Gill are joined by Fred Gustafson, operating partner of Wabi Capital and president of Louisville Vegan Jerky. Fred details how his entrepreneurial journey began with an online tuxedo rental startup that saw great success and an early exit. He shares about jumping into franchises without any prior experience, leading to—of all things—a brick-and-mortar shop for soap. Throughout his wild ride of entrepreneurship, Fred has learned the importance of being flexible and willing to learn something new. 

Show Notes

(1:01) Introducing Fred

(1:20) A Successful Exit with Menguin

(10:57) Working with Voxie and Buff City Soap

(23:08) Wabi Capital

(26:29) Louisville Vegan Jerky

(30:08) Marketing to Meat Eaters

(38:28) The Wabi Capital Name 

(40:35) Advice to the Younger Self

(43:24) Closing Thoughts

Links

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Grace Gill

Fred Gustafson

Wabi Capital

Louisville Vegan Jerky    

Quotes

“We started Wabi with our whole background being entrepreneurs and really not finance and investment people. And we felt like that was actually a strength for us…We’ve always kind of looked at business as—there’s a lot of strength in being an outsider to the industry you are going into.” - Fred Gustafson, (23:58)

“The challenge isn’t as much [convincing] more plant-based, vegans, and vegetarians to eat more of this stuff. It’s more so, how do you show the traditional meat eater that there is this healthy, better for you, more natural, less-processed alternative that also happens to not use any animal products, that can deliver more on the nutritional value, the taste, everything like that, as a way to supplement your diet.” - Fred Gustafson, (29:40)

“People still want an indulgence in their snack. They want stuff to taste good. They want that craveable deliciousness. And so we want to be that. We are that. We’ll always deliver big on flavor, but then also be this cleaner, whole food, vegan-based product.” - Fred Gustafson, (36:45)

Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Matthew Ward are joined by Palmer Hays of Bennet Commercial Real Estate. A collegiate golfer, Palmer shares his insights on how he learned sales through the golf course by building relationships and gaining trust. He highlights how the state of the real estate market is influenced by people and their needs. He explains that infrastructure follows people, and as the population grows, new businesses and buildings emerge to support them.

Show Notes

(1:16) Introducing Palmer Hays

(4:09) Palmer’s Origin Story

(6:59) Choosing Commercial Real Estate

(7:59) Business on the Golf Course

(11:55) Market Changes in Northwest Arkansas

(15:37) The Perks of Northwest Arkansas

(22:02) Projecting Future Trends

(28:13) Handling Exponential Growth in Northwest Arkansas

(33:14) Prioritizing Mixed-Use Properties

(37:10) Advice for the Younger Self

Links

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Matthew Ward 

Palmer Hays 

Bennett Commercial Real Estate 

Quotes

“A typical deal that we’ll see—we’re either working with a tenant that needs to find a space, whether that be a startup or Fortune 500 company, a manufacturer, or just your typical [quick service restaurant]...We can touch on those businesses, and we can learn so much from what they do and also be able to solve one of their biggest issues at the time, which is typically finding a piece of real estate that works for them.” - Palmer Hays, (7:12)

“I wouldn’t say I had experience in sales prior to getting into the real estate industry, but what I did have experience in was talking to people who had a lot of business dealings. I grew up playing golf, and typically at the golf courses, you’re talking to business owners. You’re talking to individuals who own real estate. You’re talking to individuals who are having to make those decisions.” - Palmer Hays, (8:06)

“There’s nothing better than just getting here [to Northwest Arkansas]. So I’ll tell people all the time, if you have the opportunity and if the property is worth it, just come to Northwest Arkansas and take a peek at it.” - Palmer Hays, (16:16)

“Real estate as a whole, if you take a ten thousand foot view at it, it’s based on people. Where are people? Where are they located? Where are they coming from? What do they need around them?...So whenever you have more and more people moving in here, there’s going to be a need for X, Y, and Z…People drive real estate, so whenever you have more people, you’re going to have more need. And that translates to housing. That translates to industrial product. That translates to offices. That translates to more businesses coming here.” - Palmer Hays, (24:11)

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Rick West and Henry Ho, co-founders of Field Agent, where Rick serves as the CEO and Henry is the Chief Strategy Officer. Field Agent is a tech company built for winning at retail by connecting brands to shoppers across the country. This enables companies to capture in-store information, gather rich consumer insights, and drive product trials completely on demand. Throughout the show, Rick and Henry discuss the solutions Field Agent provides, how to improve interactions with customers, and how to create business ventures that are scalable and repeatable.

Show Notes:

(0:57) Introduction to Rick and Henry

(1:41) Field Agent’s Backstory

(9:33) About Field Agent

(14:18) Raising Outside Venture Capital

(18:56) What’s Next for Field Agent

(26:03) Interacting with Customers

(27:56) The Future Utilization of AI

(35:16) Scalability and Repeatability

(39:13) Northwest Arkansas’s Collaborative Ecosystem

(46:27) Advice to Younger Self

(49:57) Closing Question

Links:

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Rick West

Henry Ho

Field Agent

Quotes:

“We built this platform along with a crowdsourcing engine to help our clients understand store conditions like pricing product, distribution, merchandising, etc…We also created it so we would be able to gain everyday shopper insights into their shopping experience.” - Henry Ho, (10:19)

“We’ve created an opportunity or a marketplace for people to be able to come in and see items and actually purchase as opposed to talking to a bunch of different sales people from different companies to try and make something work.” - Rick West, (19:24)

“We think we have the secret sauce to have a services mentality, a sales led growth mentality, and taking the best of that and then productizing it to make it scalable and repeatable.” - Rick West, (35:37)

“I think one of the joys I have as an entrepreneur is not only are we pouring into business entrepreneurs, there’s a whole bunch of social entrepreneurs in Northwest Arkansas that are doing incredible things.” - Henry Ho, (44:51)

Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson are joined by Owen Parker. Owen is the co-founder and CTO of HomeKeeper, an app that creates easy to follow, effort-free maintenance plans for busy homeowners that want to take great care of their home without the hassle of researching, billing, and record keeping. Throughout the episode, Owen and the hosts discuss HomeKeeper’s origin story, creating a platform that helps both customers and vendors, and future plans for scaling. 

Show Notes

(1:23) Introducing Owen Parker and HomeKeeper

(4:24) Owen’s Origin Story

(8:34) Advice for App Development 

(10:26) Helping Both Customers and Vendors

(12:40) HomeKeeper’s Unique Rollout

(16:40) Raising Outside Capital

(18:10) What’s Next?

(19:53) How Owen’s Childhood Impacted His Entrepreneurial DNA

(22:44) Advice for the Younger Self

(25:56) Connecting with HomeKeeper

Links

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Victoria Dickerson 

Owen Parker

HomeKeeper  

Quotes

“I guess the advice would be do not over-engineer. But don’t solve your problem, solve whatever the universal problem is for that marketplace.” - Owen Parker, (10:10)

“That’s our number one priority, it’s advocating for the homeowner. Now that being said, when it comes to vendor relationships, we think that there’s a hugely positive impact for vendors as well.” - Owen Parker, (10:48)

“I think that’s the big thing that keeps me up at night. We’re sort of in a race against time to perfect the processes and models to take this to other markets, because we know that it’s going to happen. I mean, this business makes too much sense to not exist.” - Owen Parker, (16:03)

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Victoria Dickerson, and Matthew Ward sit down with Chris Thompson, creator and CEO of SoberSidekick, a free app that helps users maintain their sobriety by connecting with a community of people who can empathize and relate with where they’re at. Chris opens up about his personal sobriety journey and the road to creating a platform aimed at solving the issue of isolation and loneliness for those struggling with addiction. Throughout the show, Chris talks about scaling empathy, designing an algorithm that provides users with a judgment-free space, and the current realities for recovering addicts in the healthcare system and how Sober Sidekick aims to solve some of those issues. Listen and be inspired by Chris's story and mission!

Show Notes:

(1:07) Introduction to Chris

(2:28) Moving to Northwest Arkansas

(6:53) About SoberSidekick

(11:25) The Importance of Supportive Networks

(14:06) Growth Tactics

(17:31) SoberSidekick Users

(21:28) Expanding SoberSidekick

(30:03) SoberSidekick’s Business Model

(34:11) The Process of Raising Capital

(37:48) Measuring Success

(43:51) Advice to Younger Self

(45:47) Closing Thoughts

Links:

Caleb Talley

Victoria Dickerson

Matthew Ward

Chris Thompson

Sober Sidekick

Quotes:

“...acknowledging that luck, I started to theorize what if there was an algorithm we could build that created a world where connecting with the right people at the right time was no longer up to chance. So I formed this idea of an empathy algorithm.” - Christ Thompson, (8:39)

“Most people don’t commit suicide during therapy sessions…it’s when they think they’re alone. And that’s what we’re there for. An analogy I make is like AA therapists, mental health professionals, you could compare them to the heart surgeon and we’re here to be the pacemaker.” - Chris Thompson, (20:41)

“Understanding how we need to go to the market is the first step to being able to produce an effective pitch. It’s about understanding how our own data correlates to outcomes and how that can be positioned.” - Chris Thompson, (35:00)

“The differentiator between founders is not IQ, it’s not talent, it’s just resilience. You know there’s mental and emotional resilience, but then there’s also the idea of building something to be resilient and that’s why we bootstrapped as long as we possibly could.” - Chris Thompson, (40:17)

Summary

On this episode of Startup Junkies, hosts Caleb Talley and Jeff Amerine sit down with Patrick Randall, Fallon Cardoza, and Jason Lam, co-founders of Boulders and Brews. Boulders and Brews is a coffee shop and rock-climbing gym with a clear mission: Growing the NWA climbing community and helping climbers of all skills grow by providing a premier indoor climbing facility that embodies the climbing atmosphere with an open, welcoming environment for new climbers. Throughout the episode, the crew discusses turning an old Piggly Wiggly into a bouldering gym, learning to pivot and adapt, and creating a safe space and culture for the climbing community and Boulders and Brews’ staff. 

Show Notes

(0:58) Patrick’s Origin Story

(2:51) Fallon’s Origin Story

(3:27) Jason’s Origin Story

(5:06) Each Parter’s Role

(8:44) Choosing a Dickson Street Location

(11:21) Investing in Arkansas’s Climbing Culture

(14:57) Learning to Pivot and Adapt

(18:10) Dealing with Vendor Issues

(21:07) Curating a Safe Space for Customers to Enjoy

(23:05) Boulders and Brews’ Burgioning Company Culture

(25:38) Climbing’s Barrier to Entry

(28:47) Creating a Gym That’s Convenient for Students

(31:41) Outreach and Events

(37:03) Advice to the Younger Self

Links

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Patrick Randall

Fallon Cardoza

Jason Lam

Boulders and Brews     

Quotes

“...We’ll bring some health and fitness back. So adding that diversity to Dickson Street I think is really helpful for the community—and exposing the sport to people from all walks of life that would never be interested in climbing, but since it’s in the right location, they’re like, ‘Alright, I’ll maybe give it a shot.’” - Patrick Randall, (10:59)

“We actually have the mecca of outdoor climbing two hours away from us in Jasper—Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. People from all over the world come to develop routes here in Arkansas. It’s such a great beginner place for people to be able to go out. All the anchors and everything is fixed and ready for you. I mean, it’s right in our backyard.” - Fallon Cardoza, (11:51)

“It’s been magical to go into the space and watch people enjoy the safe space that we intentionally created for them to walk into and feel safe and feel happy and feel like they have a community away from their home…I’m told almost daily that people feel all of these really great positive things, and being able to know that we were attributed to that is so reassuring. And it’s beautiful to know that we created that for them.” - Fallon Cardoza, (21:20)

“...Everything that’s inside the gym is great, but it’s only a vessel. Your business is the community.” - Patrick Randall, (21:55)

“I’m looking at our life as a whole, like what is important to us—our friends, our family, the big picture type thing. So when you look at risk in that regard, it’s like, okay, starting this business isn’t as scary because the risk versus reward is a lot higher. So I would tell my younger self to just take the risk and not wait as long as I did.” - Fallon Cardoza, (37:42)

“I guess if I were to go back in time and before starting this journey, I would tell myself to think bigger. Shoot for bigger because at some point, we’re going to max out our location and we’re going to have to find another one. And maybe it would’ve been easier if we just started with a bigger location, but obviously there is risk to that.” - Jason Lam, (40:18)

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Jeff Amerine, Victoria Dickerson, and Grace Gill sit down with Sean Fitzgibbon, author and artist of the nonfiction book What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel. Sean is a freelance creative who specializes in various forms of visual development. He has had his work exhibited throughout the United States and was a 2023 recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship Award. Throughout the show, Sean shares the eerie history of Eureka Springs’ Crescent Hotel as well as how he turned a longtime interest into a passion project, his experience promoting his work on Kickstarter, and best practices for entrepreneurs looking to do the same.

Show Notes:

(0:49) Introduction to Sean

(9:40) About What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel

(15:13) Utilizing Kickstarter

(23:42) Stories Found in the Book

(32:35) Sean’s Research Experience

(39:59) Where to Find Sean’s Work

(42:06) What’s Next for Sean

(44:57) Advice to Other Creatives

(52:52) Closing Question

Links:

Jeff Amerine

Victoria Dickerson

Grace Gill

Sean Fitzgibbon

What Follows Is True: Crescent Hotel

Quotes:

“This is a big passion project because I’ve always loved telling stories. I always have this weird history I’m attracted to. I always want to go to these strange places that are off the beaten path.” - Sean Fitzgibbon, (9:13)

“If you’re going to do a Kickstarter campaign, you need to go support other Kickstarters. There's a network effect. People will look and be like is this just some interloper coming into our community…also a lot of people think of Kickstarter as a shortcut and it’s not. It’s a profit maximizer.” - Sean Fitzgibbon, (19:00)  

“I want to do something for society, and I feel like I’m helping bridge this gap of making history accessible. It’s a gateway to literacy for children.” - Sean Fitzgibbon, (47:28)

“A fist doesn’t do anything, whereas an open hand gives and receives. And that’s the way I look at it…I don’t ever want to have a closed fist.” - Sean Fitzgibbon, (50:06)

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Grace Gill sit down with Mariano Quinones, founder of Hunger & Action Gym, a local boxing and general fitness gym in Springdale. After boxing helped Mariano graduate high school and eventually obtain a degree, he made it his mission to give back to the community by providing a healthy space for individuals to come together. Throughout the show, Rodrigo shares about his entrepreneurial journey starting Hunger & Action, how he found boxing to be a release when he hit rock bottom, and his hopes that Hunger & Action can do the same for youth today.

Show Notes:

(1:08) Introduction to Mariano

(2:00) Mariano’s Origin Story

(7:41) Helping Out the Next Generation

(9:42) The Risks of Starting a Business

(10:54) Why Members Choose Hunger & Action

(14:49) Marketing Hunger & Action

(18:53) What Hunger & Action Offers

(24:02) Hunger & Action’s Boxing Fights

(26:49) What’s Next

(29:20) Advice to Younger Self

(30:15) Closing Question

Links:

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Grace Gill

Mariano Quinones

Hunger & Action Gym

Quotes:

“The meaning behind it, to give a little background behind Hunger & Action, hunger was the desire for something, just wanting something bad enough. And then action is the necessary steps to achieve a goal.” - Mariano Quinones, (4:13)

“I learned a lot just wanting it, just really being hungry, wanting it bad enough that I did my due diligence and research. It was exhausting at times, but I read this quote somewhere and it said, ‘Start where you’re at now and better tools will come along the way.’” - Mariano Quinones, (6:14)

“The hardest part looking into it would be a little bit of fear of failure. I think the biggest obstacle is just getting over the fear and then knowing that I’d rather try than regret [not trying] at one point.” - Mariano Quinones, (9:43)

“I think we were received really well by the community…We don’t have all the bells and whistles. We don’t have all the equipment we really want to compete on that level. I really think it’s just being ourselves.” - Mariano Quinones, (11:15)

Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Caleb Talley, Jeff Amerine, and Victoria Dickerson sit down with Rodrigo Salas, executive director of Entrepreneurship for All Northwest Arkansas, also known as EforAll. EforAll is a nonprofit entrepreneurial support organization that partners with communities to help under-represented NWA residents successfully start and grow businesses. It works to ensure all individuals are presented with the same opportunities, especially through its Spanish program, EparaTodos. Throughout the show, Rodrigo discusses his entrepreneurship background, his passion for NWA’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and how EforAll provides value to Hispanic entrepreneurs in the form of mentorships and programs.

Show Notes:

(1:01) Introduction to Rodrigo

(1:41) Rodrigo’s Origin Story

(8:26) About EforAll

(13:03) The Importance of Bilingual Resources

(18:33) Filling Bilingual Service Gaps

(21:35) Building Bridges within the Community

(24:54) About Chamoy

(31:39) What’s on the Horizon for NWA

(37:18) Advice to Younger Self

(38:43) Closing Questions

Links:

Caleb Talley

Jeff Amerine

Victoria Dickerson

Rodrigo Salas

EforAll

Quotes:

“It’s between an incubator and an accelerator because what we do is get deep into business understanding because a lot of the people that come through our program are struggling with that part, like knowing how to structure the business or determine who is their customer segment.” - Rodrigo Salas, (10:36)

“We all know that networks make a big difference for success…Every touchpoint they have with anybody from the community helps them expand their network. So that’s the objective of the program as well.” - Rodrigo Salas, (17:10)

“We’re experiencing this tremendous growth from a population perspective, from an economic perspective, and from an entrepreneurial perspective…So looking at the size of the ecosystem that has been built here in Northwest Arkansas, it’s amazing.” - Rodrigo Salas, (31:42)