Throwing Sparks with Nate Sanel

Former Council and Chief Ethics Officer of Airbnb Rob Chesnut has written a book that I think every business owner should read. “Intentional Integrity: How Smart Companies Can Lead An Ethical Revolution” explains that companies that do not think about their culture and Integrity are destined to fail. Inc Magazine has named it one of the Top Ten Business Books for 2020.

After 14 years as a US Justice Department prosecutor he joined ebay in 1999 as their third lawyer where he founded the Trust and Safety team. After working with many silicon valley companies he joined Airbnb in 2016 and oversaw and developed “Integrity Belongs Here” which was a popular employee program that helped drive compliance within the company’s culture.

In the book he shows not only why, but also how to implement a code of ethics within any company. In our conversation we discuss why it is important and Rob shares some of his personal stories from the past. I also share a lot about how this topic has had an impact on the success of my business, National Powersports Distributors. Rob is a fascinating and captivating speaker and I could have talked with him for hours.

If you built a tech company and successfully sold it, would you use that money to buy an out of business ski area? Mark Hayes did exactly that. In a move that must have taken huge nads, Mark has proved that his vision of what it could be was spot on. Today Highland Mountain Bike Park is one of the top destinations in the United States to ride a MTB bike. In our talk Mark takes me through the history of the park, how Covid has effected business unexpectedly, and what the future holds for one of the most fun places on earth to ride.

https://www.highlandmountain.com

Norm LaViolette is the CEO and co-founder of the Improv Asylum. He is also a comedian, actor, author, corporate trainer, public speaker and a serial entrepreneur. In this conversation we talk about how Covid-19 has effected his business, what he's doing about it, and how the correct mindset can find opportunities even in the midst of a pandemic. Norm is an incredibly positive person and a lot of fun to talk to!

Aaron Chase is a Professional Mountain Bike Freestyle rider, and a legend in the sport. He has starred in many MTB free riding films and has traveled the world with his bike.
He also is a fun dude to hang out with! In 2019 I went to Peru with him and an incredible group of riders and had the trip of my life. Here we catch up, talk about his background, some of the horrific injuries he's had, making movies and what it's like to have such a long career in a tough line of work.

Christian Griffith never stops moving. He is always looking to try "anything and everything healthy and productive to challenge his mind, body and spirit". That quest has led to running over 100 ultramarathons, competing in many of the toughest obstacle course races, running 3100 miles across the country (and raising over $300,000) for child sexual abuse victims, and participating on The History Channels "The Selection", a show that put 30 civilians through the toughest military training to see how they would fare.

He has faced an enormous amount of adversity in his life, including being sexually abused as a child, dealing with a rare amoeba that affected his ability to breath, and recently an Achilles heel injury and surgery. But nothing can slow this man down. On his website, https://run2heal.hfc.org, he states - "My sexual abuse does not define me, it fuels me. I am not a victim, I'm a fighter."

When I created this podcast I was hoping to bring the audience conversations with inspirational people. This is one of the best!

John Lacroix is an Ultra runner and the owner of the Human Potential Running Series. The company was founded in 2014 and unlike most other running races, they do not provide preferential treatment for top finishers, nor do they present age group awards or cash prizes. The focus is on individual discovery, rather than on determining winners and losers. This unique approach comes from Johns deep belief that people are capable of more than they are aware, and he thrives on providing the opportunity for them to discover just how much they can do!

Johns success with this unique approach is a strong example for entrepreneurs, as things really took off when he refocused the business on providing an experience that was very different than his competitors.

Rod Lopusnak has been involved with the Motorcycle Industry for his entire life. He grew up riding dirtbikes and working in the dealership that his grandfather started. Now the General Manager for Triumph North America, Rod is using his vast wealth of information to help them create, produce, market and sell some of the most desirable motorcycles available. In this conversation we talk about how he worked his way up from dealerships to the OEM side, and the importance of putting together an excellent team. We also talk about innovation, current trends, electric bikes, how Covid changed everything this year, and what the future might look like.

Brian Beckstead is the Co-founder of Altra Shoes. He is also a long distance runner, fly fisherman and outdoorsman. While working as a running store employee, he and the other co founder started modifying shoes to help with their customers running injuries. After pitching their innovative approach to many shoe companies and getting nowhere, they decided to form a company to produce them on their own. Now 9 years later Altra is a major brand in the space. In this interview Brian talks very candidly about managing the rapid growth of Altra, and the struggle of trying to maintain a good life/work balance. It is a discussion that will resonate with a lot of entrepreneurs.

Kale Poland is an incredibly tough and driven person. He has run 500 miles over 9 days on a brutal 10 mile mountain course. He has completed the Deca Iron Man Triathlon twice. Thats 24 miles of swimming, 1120 miles of biking and 262 miles of running in one event. He has run multiple 100 mile races.

He is also one of the nicest and most down to earth people you will ever meet. It’s not every day you get a chance to pick the brain of a true outlier, and we had a great time discussing the crazy things that he does on a regular basis.

In this episode Jack Greco, the co-founder of ACV Auctions, talks about building a billion dollar company and shares his passion for investing in and helping others build their businesses.