Larry Kosilla quit a career on the floor of the Mercantile Exchange to wash cars — and built that decision into AMMO NYC, one of the most respected names in car care. In this episode, we dig into why he left finance, how he built his first car wash into a full sensory experience, the 2008 crash that taught him to never take on debt, and why he's stayed AMMO's only full-time employee — turning down offer after offer to keep the business built entirely on his own terms.

AMMO NYC: https://ammonyc.com/
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Kevin Prince spent 15 years building marketing and social strategy at places like NBC, CBS, Gawker Media, and Netflix, always chasing the feeling of building something new. Then a headline-grabbing project for the 2023 Grammy Awards led him to drones, and Heads in the Sky was born.

In this episode, Kevin shares how a flexible contractor gig gave him the afternoons to explore side projects, how a conversation in a golf cart turned into a company by the end of the night, and how three friends at his very first drone show became his first three customers. We also talk about why he thinks owning your own business might be a safer bet than a corporate job in entertainment right now, and how AI has changed the way he builds.

Heads in the Sky: https://www.headsinthesky.com/
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Will Petz discovered silent discos on a cruise ship with his parents — dancing to music DJs play directly into your headphones — and thought it was the stupid until he tried it and realized it was amazing.

At the time, Will was working in finance and IT — first moving computers on Wall Street for J.P. Morgan, then running the BlackBerry rollout at Lehman Brothers — when he decided to build his own headphones, throw his first silent disco party in New York, and see what happened. That party was the start of Quiet Events.

In this episode, Will talks about deliberately separating himself from the brand after a painful lesson from his first business, manufacturing his own headphones in China with his savings, why he turned down Mark Cuban's money on Shark Tank, and why Quiet Events might be at your next basketball game.

Quiet Events: https://www.quietevents.com
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Ken Decker set out to make monster masks and movie props — and ended up also building hyperrealistic silicone human heart models used to train medical professionals. In this episode, he talks about how he found his way onto a Hollywood film set with no union card and no connections, taught himself mold-making from a VHS tape, started a prop shop and grew it into a company that supplies both Hollywood and now the medical industry. It's a conversation about showing up, saying yes before you know how, and staying flexible when your customers show you where the business actually wants to go.

Composite Effects: compositeeffects.comDana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Loren Ostrow spent over two decades thinking about building senior housing for the LGBTQ community before he ever broke ground. In this episode, he tells the story of Living Out — one of the first senior living communities in the country built specifically for LGBTQ seniors — and how it finally came together in Palm Springs with his business partner of 50 years, Paul Alanis.

We talk about why Loren was so certain this would work, how he raised $29 million in equity in three weeks, the fight to win over a skeptical lender, and the lesson from his mom that's shaped every partnership in his career.

Living Out: livingout.com
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Dave Campbell spent years scribbling game ideas on index cards during long drives as a traveling salesman before Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza became an international hit, selling over 12 million copies.

In this episode, Dave shares how he taught himself to recognize when a prototype has "electricity," why he ran his game company as a side hustle for years before leaving his day job, and what happened when a random viral video sent Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza from garage prototype to shelves at Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble. We also get into the moments that surprised even him, and what's coming next from Taco Cat Games.

Taco Cat Games: https://tacocatgames.com/
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Tara Chapman spent a decade at the CIA working on issues surrounding Afghanistan and Pakistan — then quit to become a beekeeper in Austin, Texas. In this episode, she talks about the Groupon beekeeping class that changed her path, why she took a seasonal job with a commercial beekeeper before going all in, and how a simple idea to sell honey turned into Two Hives Honey, an agritourism business that now hosts thousands of visitors a year for hive tours and honey harvest parties.

We get into how she found her first paying customers on Meetup before she owned any land or bees of her own, why she believes in making the best decision with the information in front of you rather than waiting for the perfect one, and what finally convinced her to stop doing everything herself.

Two Hives Honey: https://www.twohiveshoney.com/
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Raj Shingadia always wanted to be a lawyer — until a professor convinced him the reality of a law career was nothing like he imagined. With no backup plan, he started taking steps. He tried commercial real estate. He went deep on his aquarium hobby. He started growing coral in his basement to offset the cost. And then 2008 happened — and everything he had built was wiped out overnight.

What came next is one of the most compelling founder stories I've heard: how Raj turned a side hustle into Southeast Aquariums, one of the most respected custom aquarium design and construction companies in the country — and how that same business landed him a contract to build sets for Marvel's Black Panther.

Southeast Aquariums: https://www.seaatlanta.com
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Marc Evan is the co-founder of Maniac Pumpkin Carvers, a New York-based studio that has elevated pumpkin carving into a legitimate fine art — with work displayed at MoMA, the Whitney, and Yankee Stadium, and clients including Martha Stewart, Food Network, and the New York Botanical Garden.

In this episode, Marc traces the whole journey: from carving Halloween decorations at the East Village bars where he and co-founder Chris worked, to posting on Flickr, to getting a cold email from Wired Magazine asking for a Star Wars pumpkin, to fielding a call from the New York Yankees needing 50 pumpkins in 48 hours.

What makes Marc's story especially interesting is how deliberate he and Chris were about not just building a business, but building an entire industry. When they started, there was no market for fine art pumpkins. People balked at spending $50. So every press opportunity — morning shows, Food Network, Martha Stewart — was a chance to plant a seed: pumpkins are worth spending money on. The long game paid off.

We also talk about identity: what it means to call yourself a professional pumpkin carver, how pricing changed everything, and why Marc kept bartending for years even as the business grew. It's a story about following the fun, being ready when opportunity knocks, and sometimes having to create the market before you can sell to it.

Maniac Pumpkin Carvers: www.maniacpumpkincarvers.com
Dana's Newsletter: nationofdoers.substack.com

Dasti Llenga was juggling three things at once — private equity job, master's degree, growing side hustle — when he asked himself a simple question: what could he do if he put all his focus into one?

It started with a $4,000 Mercedes he flipped for $15,000 in three days. Then came the flea market finds, the first liquidation pallet, a truckload of Costco returns sold out of his parents' garage. By the time his employer told him to come back to the office, the decision was already made.

Today Dasti runs American Liquidations — New England's largest liquidator — with nearly 100 employees and 200,000 square feet across Connecticut.

www.americanliquidations.com

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