Sam Parr retired with over $20 Million by age 31, just a few years after losing his job offer at AirBNB. In this interview, Sam goes deep into his journey to share his biggest lessons learned while creating an impressive career and company.

Parr is the founder of The Hustle, a daily newsletter providing an entertaining delivery of the latest news in business and tech. He was born in Missouri, grew up in Tennessee, and moved to San Francisco after graduating from college. His media company The Hustle was acquired by Hubspot in 2021 for a reported $25-30 million dollars.

In today’s episode of UNVALLEY with Sam Parr you’ll learn:

7:30 Which Midwest values lay the foundation for Sam’s successful career in tech

14:05 The simple writing technique that helped Sam create enormous opportunities in his career

28:30 How to optimize your career for success, even if you don’t have money or connections

42:30 Why Sam is investing in real estate in Unvalley tech hubs like Austin

UNVALLEY is the show for tech leaders that want to unlock their full potential and connect with the biggest opportunities in tech beyond Silicon Valley. UNVALLEY is brought to you by Powderkeg — the only private member network focused on supporting tech companies and leaders in fast-growing communities beyond Silicon Valley. Join the community at Powderkeg.com.

Arlan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, a venture capital firm dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech by investing in high-potential founders who are people of color, women, and/or LGBTQ. Backstage has raised tens of millions of dollars, invested in 200 startups led by underestimated founders, and has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Quartz. Arlan also founded Runner, a talent operations startup that connects outstanding operations talent with inclusive companies. She also published It’s About Damn Time, her book detailing her journey from homelessness to venture capital. In today’s episode of Unvalley you’ll hear Arlan’s incredible story and learn some of her best strategies that have helped her succeed in venture capital, startups, and tech, despite enormous challenges.

Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee) shouldn’t need an introduction. Revered as the king of content, he has an uncanny ability to spot trends in the market and skate to where the puck is going. Gary has his finger on the pulse of consumers and is one of the most forward-thinking voices in business today. He is also a prolific angel investor. His portfolio is bolstered by early positions in Facebook, Uber, Twitter, Coinbase, and his own NFT project VeeFriends.

Mickey Cloud is the Executive Director of The Sasha Group. A VaynerX company based in Chattanooga Tennessee. Mickey works with some of the biggest brands around the world helping them turn business objectives into actionable marketing plans.

In Episode 1 we hear Gary’s thoughts on the Unvalley and his approach to building a company with a dispersed team.

Six years ago we launched the Powderkeg Podcast Igniting Startups. We were featured in top publications like Entrepreneur and Forbes. Since 2017 we have interviewed over 100 execs at dynamic tech companies beyond Silicon Valley.

We are excited to bring this Podcast back in a way that honors both the Powderkeg community and the amazing growth that we have seen in the Unvalley community over the last several years.

In Episode 0 we are going to catch you up on what we’ve been up to for the last two years.

The last two years have taught us so much. How to be flexible and adapt quickly to change. A whole new style of doing business in a virtual world. Even how to integrate your work and your life in a healthy way.

Today we are hearing startup growth stories from 5 CEOs based in the Circle City. These five Indianapolis-based tech companies are doing incredible things and we are joined by their CEOs to hear some stories and lessons learned over the last two years.

One CEO opened a 50-acre innovation community during the first year of the pandemic. She proceeded to lead her organization through the biggest mass-adoption of remote work ever.

Another CEO started their company less than a year ago from his home office.

One even wrote a book chronicling the whole journey!

We are going to hear from;

Emily Krueger, President and CEO, 16 Tech

Jake Miller, CEO, The Engineered Innovation Group

Jim Goldman, CEO, Trava

Steve Johns, CEO, OneCause

Lindsay Tjepkema, CEO, Casted

These 5 CEOs share practice advice and stories that they have learned over the past two years that you can use in your professional career.

Culture, when built correctly can be your key differentiator. When built incorrectly it can be your Achilles' heel.

Today we do a deep dive into the founding story of Indianapolis darling startup Lessonly. Lessonly is a market leader in training software and was acquired by San Diego-based Seismic in 2021.

We sit down with co-founders Max Yoder and Conner Burt to discuss Lessonly's development over the last decade and why culture has always been a North Star in the companies evolution.

Max and Conner both started their professional career by means of the Orr Fellowship, a two-year, Indianapolis-based fellowship focused on developing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Max began working on Lessonly after winding down his first startup. Conner was working in sales at ExactTarget (acquired by Salesforce) at the time. The two were roommates and Conner became an early adopter of the original Lessonly platform, where he used it to help train an international sales team of ExactTarget.

Learn more about the Lessonly journey and hear the words of wisdom this dynamic duo has about growing a high-performing, venture-backed tech company.

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher.

Have you ever been stuck in a parking garage and couldn't quite figure out how to leave? Well, you're not the only one; according to reports, 85% of "help" calls in a parking garage are due to struggles with understanding the equipment, whereas only 15% of those calls are due to actual equipment failure. That’s why today, you'll hear from a company that saw the need for human interaction within the parking industry and set out to fill it—combining software-as-a-service, hardware, and a 24/7 call center to create personal, high-empathy interactions in the parking industry.

On today's episode of the Powderkeg Pitch, you’ll be hearing a 5-minute live startup pitch between an entrepreneur and myself. You’ll be hearing from Brian Wolff, President & CEO at Parker Technology based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Before joining Parker Technology, Brian, in 2006, co-founded Bluelock, Indiana's fastest-growing private company in 2010, with four other Indiana tech entrepreneurs. He has helped fund more than 30 local companies through angel funds Gravity Ventures, xCap Angels, and Momentum Ventures. Brian consulted several other organizations, including Purdue Research Foundation, where he was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) at The Foundry.

On today's show, Brian will be pitching Parker Technology, a company focused on providing parking facilities with a premium customer service experience platform through software.

Brian will have just 5 minutes to pitch Parker and share more on the incredible team they're growing at Parker, and then I will have the opportunity to hit Brian with a few hard-hitting and rapid-fire-q-and-a, sort of shark tank-style questions right after his pitch. Tune in for more!

Please enjoy this conversation with Brian Wolff!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul area may not be as known for tech as San Francisco, but the city has seen huge potential in building a rising tech scene. And when it comes to the Midwest, you couldn't ask for a more tech-friendly city. Minneapolis-St. Paul is home to some of the top accounting firms in the country and overall has a healthy and satisfying tech environment. And with so much untapped potential left for opportunists to unlock...it's hard not to consider becoming a part of the incredible tech ecosystem that's brewing in the Twin Cities.

In today’s episode, I speak with two leaders who are focused on investing and nurturing the innovation happening inside the heart of Minnesota Tech. The first guest is Mary Grove, Managing Partner at Bread and Butter Ventures. She brings nearly two decades of leadership experience in technology, early stage investing, and startup ecosystem growth.

Mary served as the founding director of Google for Startups, leading the company’s global efforts to support entrepreneurs in over 100 countries. Mary also started a nonprofit called Silicon North Stars, which she now runs, to educate and inspire young Minnesotans from economically underserved backgrounds towards futures in tech. After her 15 year career at Google, Mary worked as an investment partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund where she led dozens of investments in a range of sectors including healthcare, enterprise software, and fintech.

Joining Mary today is Brett Brohl, a Managing Partner of Bread and Butter Ventures. He is also the Managing Director of the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator. Brett is an experienced entrepreneur, investor and mentor, driven to make a difference in the world through helping entrepreneurs succeed. He founded or has been CEO of several companies, leading three to exit and also experiencing failure firsthand. AndI hear he loves leveraging those experiences to help the next generation of startups to be successful. Tune in for More!

In this episode with Mary Grove and Brett Brohl, you’ll learn:

- How to find the best opportunities in tech during the new normal

- Why having a culture is an important stage for startups

- Great advice talent looking to break into tech

- The most exciting things happening in and around Minnesota tech

- Backstage look into the newly created Bread and Butter Ventures

Figuring out your next career move doesn’t have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this conversation with Mary Grove and Brett Brohl!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast. Check it out at powderkeg.com/itunes.

Every new beginning has its struggles, but getting a business started to call your own can be so fulfilling. Today we dive in with a founder who is ready to risk everything. He gives up his steady 9-to-5 job to chase his passion for the entrepreneurial dream beginning with the simple words "I Quit."

On today's episode of the Powderkeg Pitch, we're bringing on Co-founder and BBQ expert of Durham based Mike D’s BBQ, Mike De Los Santos.

Mike and his wife Gloria started building a BBQ sauce business with Mike having 'quit' his job. They launched the company back in 2014. And hit their sales goal that year, and have seen strong and steady growth ever since. In 2015, they introduced their Sweet & Spicy rub and, in 2016, had their biggest growth year to date (120%).

As if that weren't remarkable enough, Mike is about to be featured on Discovery's Channel's new show called "I Quit," which is a show that will follow six businesses for one year as they are led by hopeful entrepreneurs who leave their steady incomes and retirement plans behind to go all-in on their dreams of launching their own unique business. Tune in to hear more!

In this episode with Michael De Los Santos, you’ll learn:

--What drew Mike to the path of entrepreneurship

--How Mike and Discovery connected to start the show “I Quit”

--Building the right sales strategy for your business

--Backstage look into the entrepreneurial world of BBQ

--Mike’s secrets and tips for barbecue enthusiasts

Please enjoy this conversation with Michael De Los Santos!

If you like this episode, please subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Stitcher. We have an incredible lineup of interviews we’ll be releasing every Tuesday here on the Powderkeg Podcast.

How much more impactful could your company's marketing strategy be if you could understand exactly what content to create and the best places to publish it in order to keep up with the present trends?

Well in today’s episode, you’ll hear from Shawn Schwegman, Co-founder and CSO of Demandjump. DemandJump focuses on taking the uncertainty out of digital marketing by allowing you to see what your customers and competitors are doing, and what you should be doing next to get out ahead.

Shawn had only 5 minutes on the Powderkeg stage to pitch his company DemandJump to a live panel of investors and industry experts from our Marketing Tech in the Roaring 20’s pitch night we hosted this past February before the pandemic featuring some of the most innovative companies scaling in Middle America. The four experts you’ll hear from in this episode include:

--Syam Nair | Executive Vice President, Technology, Salesforce Marketing Cloud

--Miloni Madan | Private Equity Technology Investor at Warburg Pincus LLC

--Aaron Gillum | Senior Vice President at 50 South Capital

--Lindsey Groepper | President at BLASTMedia

Today’s Presenter, Shawn Schwegman, is a professional Entrepreneur, who has been heavily involved with more than a dozen startup companies over the last two decades, both advising and working in pivotal roles running sales, marketing, technology, strategy and operations for companies in early and high growth stages. Tune in to hear more from Shawn!

Figuring out your next career move doesn't have to be so stressful. So why not try Powderkeg Matches?

By joining Matches, you’re joining a community of thousands of top professionals in the Powderkeg community to get connected with outstanding people at the hottest tech companies between the coasts. Get matched with great employers, land your next major opportunity, and get started today!

Please enjoy this pitch with Shawn Schwegman of Lessonly!