We Live to Build

It’s the central paradox every founder needs to understand. This video reveals The Secret to Fundraising: Only Ask for Money When You Don't Need It. Nick Spiller, a Venture Principal at Capital Factory, pulls back the curtain on the world of venture capital, explaining why investors are most attracted to companies that are not desperate for cash. This is an insider's guide to the investor mindset. You'll learn the three "buckets" VCs use to value every startup (cash flow, data, and technology), why building deep trust is more important than your pitch deck, and the "possessive" founder mentality that signals to an investor that you're a bet worth making. Check out the company: https://capitalfactory.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

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Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - A VC's Perspective on What Makes Startups Succeed

03:23 - The Hard Truth: Why VCs Push for 100x Growth

06:49 - A VC Reveals the 3 "Buckets" of Startup Valuation

10:24 - The Fundraising Paradox: VCs Fund Startups That Don't Need Money

13:40 - It's Not Your Metrics, It's Trust

16:53 - Your Investor's #1 Responsibility (It's Not to You)

20:15 - The "Possessive" Founder Mindset That VCs Love

23:36 - The #1 Mistake Founders Make Before an Investor Meeting

27:02 - How Deep Tech Startups Can Win Military Contracts

41:07 - Advice for 2023: Become a "Wartime" Founder

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Ever hired someone you were excited about, only to be disappointed by their performance? The problem might not have been them—it might have been you. This video breaks down a toxic cycle called The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of a Bad Hire. Business strategist Daniella Genas explains how a founder's lack of trust leads to a lack of systems, which in turn causes new hires to underperform, "proving" the founder's initial fears were right. This is an essential guide for any "maxed-out" founder struggling to build a team. You'll learn the powerful analogy of why elite athletes have coaches but entrepreneurs don't, why you must build processes from day one, and her actionable "VISA" framework (Vision, Innovation, Strategy, Systems, Accountability) for creating a business that can scale beyond you. Check out the company: https://bethebossintl.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - From a Failed Business to a Thriving Consultancy

03:21 - The Universal Mistake I See in Every Business (From 1 to 30 Years Old)

06:44 - The Real Reason Founders Don't Trust Their Team

09:51 - How You Create a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy with Bad Hires

12:44 - The Generational Clash: Managing Gen Z Expectations

18:55 - Why You Must Build Systems From Day One

25:29 - The #1 Emotion That Kills Founder Progress: Frustration

31:49 - The First Step to Breaking the Cycle: A Clear Vision

35:06 - The "Missing Link": Why Usain Bolt Has a Coach (But You Don't)

38:05 - Why Founders See Coaching as a Cost, Not an Investment

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Could your cloud costs be silently destroying your startup's profitability? This is a case study on that exact problem. Our AWS Bill Hit $95000/Month. Here's How We Halved It. Nick Jordan, CEO of the data-intensive startup Narrative.io, shares the unfiltered story of how his company's cloud costs spiraled out of control and the diligent process they used to get them back in line. This is a masterclass in efficiency for tech founders. You'll learn the step-by-step story of how they cut their AWS bill in half while simultaneously doubling revenue, dramatically improving their gross margin. The conversation also covers other "salty" truths about the unglamorous, real-world challenges of being a CEO. Check out the company: https://narrative.io

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - I Never Wanted to Be an Entrepreneur

06:14 - A CEO's Confession: "This Job Isn't Fun"

09:16 - Why I'm a "Wartime CEO" Who Likes the Pain

15:39 - The Moment Our AWS Bill Hit $95,000 in One Month

18:36 - How We Halved Our Cloud Costs While Doubling Revenue

24:50 - The "Jack of All Trades, Master of None" CEO Dilemma

28:03 - The Dream: A 3-Week Vacation With No Tech

31:21 - The Hardest Thing for Me to Do as a CEO

34:38 - My #1 Piece of Advice: Don't Listen to Anyone

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

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This is the conversation about new motherhood that you won't hear in a parenting book. It's A Mompreneur's Confession: Postpartum is a Form of War. In this deeply personal interview, author and Kahlmi CEO Elina Furman gets brutally honest about her experience with postpartum depression, where the severe sleep deprivation is horrible.This is a raw and unfiltered look at the realities of balancing a career and a newborn. You'll learn about the profound identity crisis that can happen when an ambitious woman becomes a mother, the unspoken challenges of working without a support system, and the hard-won wisdom that eventually inspired her to launch a family wellness brand. Check out the company: https://kahlmi.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - The Unspoken Challenges of Being a Mompreneur

03:44 - My Expectation vs. The Brutal Reality of New Motherhood

07:02 - "Sleep Deprivation is a Form of War"

10:39 - Why Moms Are Still the "Default Parent"

14:09 - The Shocking Loss of Control for a Type-A Founder

17:43 - The Terrifying Decision to Have Kids (Or Not)

24:59 - The Identity Crisis: When "Founder" is Replaced by "Mom"

31:48 - How My Postpartum Struggle Inspired My Wellness Brand

35:16 - Are We Creating a "Cauldron of Anxiety" for Our Kids?

38:40 - My #1 Piece of Advice for Expecting Parents

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

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▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

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Are you a Western founder expanding into Asia? Your job title might be more important than your product. This video reveals The Job Title "Hack" You Need to Know Before Entering Asia. Ex-Googler and Tablevibe co-founder Mathieu Sneep shares his on-the-ground experience navigating the region's large power distances, where decisions are made top-down and your title can make or break a deal. This is a practical guide to scaling in one of the world's most diverse markets. You'll learn the "mini games" framework for solving complex problems one at a time, why hiring local "boots on the ground" is critical for remote scaling, and the expensive $10,000 mistake he made on a marketing video that became outdated before it was ever used. Check out the company: https://tablevibe.co

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - An Ex-Googler's Plan to Save Restaurants from High Fees

03:34 - The #1 Mistake Westerners Make When Selling in Asia

07:10 - Why Your Sales Team Should All Be "Co-Founders" in Asia

10:24 - How to Scale in Asia Without Being Physically Present

13:50 - Why Our First Product Was a Failure (And How We Found Product-Market Fit)

20:39 - A Google Exec's Guide to Solving Problems Like "Mini Games"

24:10 - Think Local First: A Lesson in Asian Diversity

27:33 - The 24/7 Work Culture in Asia (And How to Survive It)

30:43 - Our First Marketing Video Was a $10,000 Mistake

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/collaborate

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Could a simple vendor decision cost your company millions? For one bank, it did. This video breaks down the true story of How a Simple Mistake Led to a $20 Million Ponzi Scheme. Anders Lillevik, a 25-year procurement veteran and founder of Focal Point, uses this shocking real-world example to illustrate the critical importance of a structured procurement process. This is a masterclass in corporate risk management. You'll learn the full story of how a seemingly logical vendor choice spiraled into a multi-million dollar disaster, a practical framework for conducting proper due diligence on new suppliers, and why "Excel is not a management tool" for any business that wants to scale safely and efficiently. Check out the company: https://getfocalpoint.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - "Excel is Not a Management Tool": A Procurement Manifesto

03:33 - What is Procurement? (A Simple Guide)

06:42 - The #1 Mistake That Grinds Businesses to a Halt

09:54 - The $20 Million Ponzi Scheme Caused by One Bad Vendor

13:06 - A Masterclass in Due Diligence: How to Vet a New Supplier

16:06 - The Real Cost of a SOC 2 Certification for a B2B Startup

19:16 - How Modern Auditing Finds the Problem

25:34 - Inside a $5.5M Seed Round: From Product to Scaling

28:41 - Why Our B2B Sales Cycle With One Client Took 14 Months

31:45 - Why "One-Size-Fits-All" Software is Obsolete

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

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Could your government's messy, outdated data be the foundation for your next startup? This video is a case study on How We Built a Fintech on Top of Government Tax Data. Sebastian Carlsson, a Swedish expat in Mexico City, shares the story of how his company, Syntage, created a modern data layer on top of the Mexican tax authority's "extremely, extremely rich" but inaccessible database. This is a masterclass in spotting hidden opportunities. Learn how Sebastian's outsider perspective allowed him to identify a massive "market failure" rooted in a lack of public trust and data availability in Latin America. The conversation also includes a fascinating look at how radical transparency in countries like Sweden, where you can look up your neighbor's tax records, creates a completely different business environment. Check out the company: https://syntage.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - A Swedish Expat's Journey to Mexico City

03:42 - Why I Left Corporate Banking for the Startup World

07:17 - The Untapped Goldmine in Government Tax Data

14:38 - After Living in 7 Countries, I've Learned This One Truth

17:55 - The Surprising Reason Americans Are So Easy to Talk To

35:09 - Why Immigrants Often Make the Best Entrepreneurs

38:32 - Why We Chose to Focus on Mexico (And Not Go Global)

42:01 - The "Market Failure" Caused by a Lack of Trust

45:21 - In Sweden, You Can See Your Neighbor's Tax Bill (A Lesson in Transparency)

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/collaborate

▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

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Could your greatest struggle actually be your greatest strength? This video tells the story of How My Dyslexia Became My Entrepreneurial Superpower. Euan Cameron, the founder and CEO of the video hiring platform Willo, shares his journey from a struggling student who thought he was "stupid" to a successful founder. This is a deep and vulnerable conversation between two neurodiverse founders, as host Sean Weisbrot also shares his experience with ADD. Learn the powerful coping mechanisms, like extreme organization, that can turn a learning disability into a massive advantage in the chaotic world of startups. This episode also explores why the traditional hiring process is broken for neurodiverse individuals and includes a surprising discussion on using microdosing for mental clarity. Check out the company: https://willow.video

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - Why Hiring Based on a CV is Broken

03:39 - My School Days: "I Thought I Was Stupid"

06:47 - A Founder's Story of Living with ADD

10:02 - How a Diagnosis Changed My Life & Unlocked My Strengths

13:15 - Finding Role Models & The Power of Making Lists

19:51 - How Dyslexia Makes Me a BETTER Entrepreneur

26:15 - Microdosing Psilocybin to Quiet a Chaotic Mind

32:11 - How the Hiring Process Fails Neurodiverse People

38:26 - Using Our Own Product to Build a More Inclusive Team

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/collaborate

▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

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Could one C-suite change be the key to 8x growth? This video is a real-world case study explaining

How Firing My CFO Took Us From $11M to $80M. Ryan Niddel, CEO of the e-commerce brand MIT45, shares the unfiltered story of how he inherited a company with broken processes, including $1.6 million in uncollected revenue. This is a masterclass in scaling. You'll learn the tough realization that the team who gets you to seven figures often can't get you past it. Discover the full story behind the difficult decision to replace a key executive, the framework for "firing gracefully," and how building a world-class C-suite allowed them to create an employee-centric culture with benefits like a 6.5-hour workday. Check out the company: https://mit45.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - From a Repossessed Truck to an $80M Company

06:07 - The Truth About Our Controversial Product (Kratom)

15:32 - The First Fix: Finding $1.6M in Uncollected Revenue

21:21 - The Team That Gets You to $11M Won't Get You to $80M

24:12 - Why I Had to Fire Our CFO (The Full Story)

27:13 - The "Domino Effect" of Hiring a World-Class C-Suite

30:05 - The Next Bottleneck: Outgrowing Our Manufacturing

33:00 - How Jeff Bezos's Framework Helped Us Decentralize

41:45 - Why We Give Every Employee Stock & Free Meals

44:40 - Why We're Moving to a 6.5-Hour Workday

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

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▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

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It’s the dark side of the internet most of us never see until it's too late. This is the story of how I Got Ads for Cancer Cures After My Wife Died. In this deeply personal interview, Dan Frechtling, CEO of the security firm Boltive, shares how his family's health crisis exposed him to the predatory world of surveillance advertising, a journey that led him to change his career and fight back. This conversation goes beyond personal privacy and into the urgent issues of our time. You'll learn how your personal data has become a national security threat through apps like TikTok, how new US privacy laws are changing the game for consumers, and the practical steps you can take to protect yourself from being tracked and targeted online. Check out the company: https://boltive.com

Book a 1-on-1 advisory session with me to apply these principles to your business: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

👀 CONNECT WITH SEAN

Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@seanweisbrot

LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/seanweisbrot

Inquiries: [email protected]

🕒 CHAPTERS

00:00 - Introduction

03:33 - The 250 Billion Daily Auctions Trading Your Personal Data

07:07 - How to Comply With New US Privacy Laws

10:23 - How We Scan the Internet for Malware and Data Leaks

13:53 - My Personal Story: Ads for Cancer Cures After My Wife Died

17:15 - How Your Search History Can Be Used to Prosecute You

20:38 - Data Privacy is Now a National Security Threat

24:25 - The Real Reason Governments Are Banning TikTok

27:49 - The History of Cookies (And How They Became a Monster)

31:02 - The 2018 "Great Collision" That Changed The Internet Forever

34:28 - The Future: When Neuralink Can Read Your Thoughts

📈 WORK WITH ME

▶ Book a Paid Advisory Session: https://calendly.com/wltb/advisory

▶ Sponsor the Channel: https://www.welivetobuild.com/collaborate

▶ My AI/Automation Agency: https://optimai.ai

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.