Startup Mindsets
By Dan Gonzales
Rewriting The Rules with Author Ritu G. Mehrish
This is a fascinating conversation you won't want to miss.
In this episode of Startup Mindsets, I sit down with author Ritu Mehrish to unpack the ideas behind her book “Rewrite the Rules
and the evolving expectations around work and family.
One of the most thought-provoking parts of our conversation explores a cultural shift that doesn’t get talked about enough—why having a family is no longer as universally glamorized as it once was, and how that ties into changing definitions of fulfillment, freedom, and identity in modern careers.
We also talk about building startup-style thinking in everyday life, and how questioning traditional “rules” can open up more intentional paths in both business and personal decisions.
Read her book https://www.amazon.com/Rewrite-Rules-changing-leadership-scenario-ebook/dp/B0DKF1XMXK
Key Themes we talked about
- Writing books
- Work Culture in South East Asia vs. America
- Quitting Corporate Life to be an Entrepreneur
This episode is brought to you by Gamma.app and Delve —tools helping founders and operators think, build, and communicate faster in today’s startup landscape.
If you’re interested in entrepreneurship, career reinvention, or how mindset shifts shape modern success, this conversation is for you.
Thank you for your continued support over the last 6 years, we've eclipsed 10K downloads on streaming and are looking forward to the future of this show.
Startup Mindsets the book is available for purchase only $10!
Please like, share, comment etc your thoughts as it helps the algorithm find more listeners and spread good ideas.
That was my cousin, Rocko Steady, on the intro song: What I want Them to Know 🎵
Revolutionizing Deal Flow with Ai & Ali Dastjerdi of Raylu
In this conversation, Ali Dastjerdi, founder of Raylu.ai, shares his journey from being born in Iran to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the AI and venture capital space.
He discusses
- the evolution of his company,
- the challenges of finding product-market fit,
- and the unique insights gained from transitioning from an investor to a founder.
- The conversation delves into the role of AI in enhancing deal flow for venture capitalists, the financial realities of running an AI company, and valuable sales strategies for startups.
Connect with Ali via Linkedin.
Read about Raylu on Business Insider
STARTUP MINDSETS is Sponsored by DELVE
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Time Stamps
03:07 Ali's Journey: From Iran to Harvard and Beyond
05:49 Understanding Raylu.ai: Revolutionizing Deal Flow
09:24 The Role of AI in Venture Capital
13:35 The Evolution of Raylu.ai: From Idea to Product
18:00 The Dual Perspective: Investor to Entrepreneur
21:39 Navigating the Challenges of Entrepreneurship
26:50 Sales Strategies and Lessons Learned
30:46 The Financial Realities of Running an AI Company
35:04 The Future of AI in Business
37:50 How much do AI native startups spend on AI?
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Ai for Board of Directors: Raffaela Rein
Raffaela is a tech entrepreneur turned board director, with experience on boards including Porsche, €5bn PE firm Mutares, and tech unicorn IU.Her newsletter, The AI Leadership Edge, delivers actionable insights to over 11.000 investors, board and business leaders.Previously, Raffaela founded CareerFoundry and WWV, scaling startups to eight figure revenues and building ventures in frontier technologies.She began her career at BlackRock and launched three companies across Asia-Pacific for Rocket Internet.Recognized by Forbes, Capital’s 40 Under 40, and among Europe’s most influential women in tech and VC, Raffaela has built her career at the intersection of innovation, leadership, and emerging technologies.
BoardLens turns post-investment work into momentum — so funds can systematically drive performance after the check clears, not just report it.
Startup Mindsets is SPONSORED BY DELVE
To say compliance is complicated is an understatement.
Constantly worrying about SOC 2, ISO, HIPAA, CMMC, FedRAMP and more can leave your head spinning. Even worse, a misstep can get pretty costly for your startup. That’s why Delve is designed as an AI-native compliance platform.
Delve uses AI agents to handle headaches like taking repetitive screenshots for you, monitoring your tech stack for security gaps in real time, auto-filling security questionnaires in your browser or in CSV, and creating secure data rooms to send to prospects and auditors. Their team can personally work with you in Slack to get you 100% compliant, and manage your whole audit for you.
Over 1,000 of the fastest-growing companies get compliance done in Delve including Lovable, Bland, Micro1, Instantly, and 11x. For our listeners, they're offering an exclusive $1k discount on any compliance framework.
Check out https://delve.co/book-demo and start using AI for compliance.
Also a major shoutout to Popup.fm which we used to record and host this live conversation. Popup helps you make money from your live events. Forget juggling dozens of apps. With Popup you can sell tickets or run free events then monetize with products, merch, recordings and offers before, during, and after you go live.
The intro music was my cool cousin, Jim Narvios, a person injury lawyer in Houston, Texas if you ever need one.
Ringing the Nasdaq Bell w/Paul Cecil
It's been a while, I know... but we back in action!
Back in September, Paul Cecil, joined us to share his story as VP of Strategy at ReAlpha, the world's first AI-powered, integrated real estate platform.
We cover
- How AI products like ChatGPT are being used in business and our personal lives for enhanced productivity.
- A career highlight moment in ringing the Nasdaq bell in Times Square as his company went public
- How ReAlpha is changing the home purchasing experience by taking out the middleman.
- Corporate Strategy and finance.
- Skydiving and fun stories along the way.
We got our book sold in Walmart! Buy it for the holidays with this link https://business.walmart.com/ip/Startup-Mindsets-A-Blueprint-to-Thrive-in-an-Innovation-Driven-and-Globally-Connected-World-Paperback-9789815204872/14546373834
Jayla Siciliano on Shark Tank, Real Estate, Entrepreneurship
In this episode, we dive into the dynamic world of the beverage industry with Jayla Siciliano, a Shark Tank alum and entrepreneur. Jayla shares her journey from corporate life to launching Bon Affair, a pioneering wine spritzer brand. Discover the challenges she faced in educating the market about a new product category and the successes that followed, including securing investment from Mark Cuban. Jayla's story is a testament to resilience and innovation in an ever-evolving industry. Tune in to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and the lessons that can be applied to any business venture.
If still haven't read our book, Startup Mindsets, there's still time. Order used copies from Amazon and save some dinero.
Stepping Over Milestones: Stephan Schenk of Stapelstein
Stephan Schenk is the designer-turned-entrepreneur behind Stapelstein, the German startup that is redefining children’s play through vibrant, ultra-light “stacking stones” made from 100 % recyclable EPP. Inspired by a childhood spent in a family of educators, Stephan set out to get kids moving in the classroom; what began as a dynamic chair concept in 2016 quickly evolved into an open-ended play system that lets children (and adults) build, balance, sort, and imagine without limits.
Learn more at stapelstein.comToday Stapelstein is a purpose-driven company headquartered near Stuttgart, employing 29 people and posting €40 million in annual turnover. Stephan has hard-wired social and environmental responsibility into the firm through a steward-ownership model, German-made carbon-neutral production, and a commitment to designing products that outlast trends and generations.Under his leadership, the brand’s rainbow-hued elements have earned a string of accolades, including Good Housekeeping’s Best Toy Award 2024 and multiple design honors for their minimalist aesthetic and durability. Stephan’s work has been featured at SXSW 2025, where he spoke on marrying playful design with positive societal impact.
Grab a signed a copy of Startup Mindsets: https://buy.stripe.com/5kAaGeddW5tF4WA5kq
SDR Manager with No Degree: Alan B.
Alan Bautista is a good friend since high school. His career story is quite inspiring for those who feel stuck at dead end jobs maybe in the restaurant industry.
We also delve into politics, family life, and shoot the shit in this unfiltered conversation.
Order your copy of Startup Mindsets on Amazon: =https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Mindsets-Blueprint-Innovation-Driven-Connected/dp/9815204874/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TCL9L0EZPI1F&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x4QX_wiZMXF5-NRXQnIoccghWJuNE8WRlsD_tNLm5l4.iLyUPuRRmmUiKYfVJpHyA07WmZOQBZDXhOFwhtPvvXc&dib_tag=se&keywords=startup+mindsets+dan+gonzales&qid=1733460395&sprefix=%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1
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UC Berkeley's Chief Innovation/Entrepreneurship Officer: Professor Darren Cooke
What's up Startup Mindsets Nation! We've been out on the book tour in the Philippines but are BACK and better than EVER
If you've bought a copy of Startup Mindsets already, you don't know how much that means to me, thank you 🙏
If you'd like to order a copy, find it on Amazon.
Today's guest is Darren Cooke, the Chief Innovation/Entrepreneurship Officer at UC Berkeley. I was honored to have Darren on the podcast.
Time Stamps
(8:00) What does a CIO do? Coordinates resources
(15:00) Working for biotech companies
(25:00) How does Berkeley select which startups to work with
(36:00) Publishing a book
(37:25) Opinion on students pursuing entrepreneurial careers
(43:00) Experience at Columbia Law School
(45:00) Darren's Big Career Break
(47:00) What was your first job
(48:42) Book recs
Berkeley Skydeck's Executive Director: Caroline Winnett
Caroline Winnett is the Executive Director at Berkeley SkyDeck, a world leading startup accelerator.
We discuss
- What it is like running a startup accelerator.
- How academics make the decision to commercialize their ideas and research.
- What Skydeck looks for in applicants.
- Advising startups on their best path forward.
About their fund _ _ _ _
The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is the investment partner for UC Berkeley’s SkyDeck Accelerator Program. The Fund invests $200K into each startup that goes through SkyDeck, and can participate in later stage investment rounds with Berkeley founders. One of the most active seed investors in the Bay Area, the Fund has made over 130 investments in 3 years!
In a first-of-its-kind, public-private partnership, the Berkeley SkyDeck Fund shares one-half of fund profits with UC Berkeley. This unique partnership helps support UC Berkeley education and creates a source of funding for UC Berkeley’s public education mission.
The Berkeley SkyDeck Fund is run by Chon Tang, Managing Partner, and Brian Bordley, Partner. It is funded by organizations such as Sequoia Capital, Sierra Ventures, and Canvas Ventures, as well as other VC firms, individuals, and large corporations.
Learn more about Berkeley Skydeck: https://skydeck.berkeley.edu/our_team
GRAB YOUR COPY OF STARTUP MINDSETS ON AMAZON, UNLOCK VALUABLE LIFE AND BUSINESS INSIGHTS FROM OUR RESEARCH, PODCAST, AND LIFE EXPERIENCES: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Mindsets-Blueprint-Innovation-Driven-Connected
7 Job Rejections Led to Starting Tangle News: Isaac Saul
He's debated Bill O'Reilly, our guest,Isaac Saul, started a politics newsletter called Tangle. It aims to make sense of the noise in politics by delivering straightforward journalism.
We learn about Isaac's interesting path to entrepreneurship in that it took 7 final interview job rejections to say, "Screw this, I'm starting a company."
Hear about
- Find the best cheesesteak in Philly
- When the revenue exceeded the income from his last job
- Advice for entrepreneurs and what success looks like.
- How Tangle cuts through to write fair honest news.
They have 280,000 readers and counting.
The only political news source trusted by people from all across the political spectrum. 100% independent, subscriber-supported, and non-partisan.
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Partnerships with Freefuse & Klarissa.AI
Alex Londo and Mike Liu join the podcast to discuss their startup's partnership and collaboration.
In this conversation, Mike breaks down how FreeFuse is transforming customer engagement and training with interactive media, bringing a whole new level of personalization and impact to digital experiences. 🌐 Imagine being able to create paths and journeys within a single video—content that feels like it was made just for you!
But it doesn’t stop there. FreeFuse is also diving into automation with custom GPTs, helping teams streamline workflows and connect more effectively with their audiences. 📈
Check out the episode for insights into how interactive media can unlock new possibilities for businesses of any size. It’s a must-listen for founders, marketers, and anyone passionate about rethinking customer engagement!
🎧 Listen to the episode here: Startup Mindsets Podcast on Spotify📖 Dive deeper: FreeFuse x Startup Mindsets Partnership
#StartupMindsets #FreeFuse #InteractiveMedia #CustomerJourney #Automation #Podcast
Buy The Change You Want To See: Jane Mosbacher Morris
Jane Mosbacher Morris stops by the podcast to share how her book and company go hand in hand in creating ethical supply chains for retail. Clients include Coca Cola, Visa, and Bloomingdales.
Jane Mosbacher Morris is the founder and CEO of To The Market, a turnkey solution for ethical manufacturing, connecting brands and retailers to a syndicated network of sustainable, story-rich suppliers. Jane started To The Market with a vision to democratize access to the global supply chain and provide makers around the world with the economic empowerment that comes from safe, dignified, fairly paid work. Our conversation covers Jane’s background in foreign relations, how To The Market is giving underrepresented entrepreneurs access to global supply chains, and the importance of sustainability and resilience in supply chains.
PROMOS: Join PICKS and get a $100 deposit match when you make your first deposit using my promo code: RF-DANFROMSF https://sleeper.com/picks/register?c=give_get&o_t=picks&p=any&p_c=RF-DANFROMSF
Use CODE: DANGONZALES121 on Hoteltonight for $50 off your first stay!
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Robots in Your Body: Endiatx CEO Torrey Smith
Today’s guest is Torrey Smith, an eclectic entrepreneur and CEO of Endiatx, the pillbot startup.
Watch the Pillbot in action on TedX: https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_luebke_vivek_kumbhari_how_you_could_see_inside_your_body_with_a_micro_robot?subtitle=en
My book, Startup Mindsets, is coming out on Jan. 26, 2025 reserve a copy with your email address here: https://www.startupmindsets.com/book
Your support over the years has meant a lot to me! We have eclipsed 8.1K streams on all podcast platforms this month.
Submit questions for future guests or ask me something: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Our merch store will be back up soon: startupmindsets.com/shop
Getting an investment after 3 years of email updates
4:24 Living with artists
7:00 building friendships all around the world
9:37 Endiatx name meaning
10:10 Swallowing robots
Clinical Trials in New Zealand, used in a real clinic
13:25 Handling negative feedback, keeping optimism in the face of rejection.
33:20 Cool dialogue about venture and Silicon Valley
36:30 90 clinics and 10 dreamers walk into a room
39:28 The nail that sticks out will get hammered down.
44:00 The least fundable startup company
47:00 Having nothing to lose, what you’re risking by not launching the company
49:00 I innovate for the roof over my wife’s head, when I hustle I hustle for their sake, for the patients we can treat with this technology.
Who are you fighting for? Why are you? Is your hustle pure? Are you trying to save lives?
52:00 Let’s go build some dreams! Slide Decks, Spreadsheets and Robots for the body.
Alan Bautista on Working at Restaurants, Closing Deals worth Ms, and all you need to know about Tech Sales
Hello Startup Mindsets fam, happy October! Today's episode features Alan Bautista, a friend from high school who's had a successful career pivoting from working at restaurants to landing a meaningful career in
Recently, Alan was ranked Top 25 on SDRleader.com
This episode's especially valuable to those looking for a career change, software sales stories, and inspiration to overcome adversity.
Connect with Alan on the LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalan4/
Join our free community of entrepreneurs, hustlers, and the like on Freefuse with the explorer tier.
Please leave a review on Spotify or Apple, it really helps us reach more people like you!
Follow us on social: @dan.podcasts
Grab some merch: https://www.startupmindsets.com/shop
Author Martin Gonzalez: 🔥 Bonfire Moment 🌲
Dan travels to Redwood City to interview Martin in person about The Bonfire Moment, his work as a Principal of Organizational Management at Google, why startups fail, handling feedback and more on this episode.
Grab your copy at https://www.bonfiremoment.com and find unique insights from pioneers of Google’s Startup Accelerator on why building teams is harder than building tech—and a proven way to develop a tight team that’s ready for the intense challenges of startup life.
Follow Martin on the LinkedIn 👇https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinjosegonzalez
Rep your #StartupMindset with merch: https://www.startupmindsets.com/shop
Shoutout to our LinkedIn post sponsor, Arcane. We trust Arcane to to turn user insights into impactful LinkedIn posts by automating industry and audience research, copywriting, and more with their AI Toolkit - all whilst maintaining my authentic Tone of Voice!
https://tryarcane.club/startupmindsets
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Time stamps
4:20 Merch at startupmindsets.com/shop
4:40 Shoutout to Freefuse and Mike Liu
5:00 Shoutout to Arcane for sponsoring a post: try arcane
(5:40) Convo w/Martin Starts
(6:00) How do you reduce yourself to a label
(7:10) What lead into the book
(15:00) Writing a book takes years
(16:10) Collaborating w/Earl to write the book
(18:10) Getting on USA Today bestseller, selling 5k copies
(19:52) Thinking about the people problems on the team
(21:00) Study out of Harvard showing top reasons for failure:
Not assembling complimentary skill sets
(21:43) People issues are what crumble the startup from within
(23:17) Friends and family are the most unstable partnerships, people who are acquaintances and more stable are people who were previously coworkers
Friends and fam are the most expensive, damage is more severe.
(25:00) Winning the short game, get the product out.
(29:00) First time moving to New York
33:40 meeting high profile successful people, underestimating good luck and s
What were the circumstances that gave them the psychological and mental capacities to meet that success (35:00)
(46:10) What do we find meaningful?
(47:50) What kind of pains can I alleviate in the world? Making organizations suck the life out of us less is a battle cry.
(48:30) Handling feedback for the book
(49:39) Dig for feedback
(50:51) Very indirect Filipino communication culture
(51:50) Working jobs that you hate and dealing with bad bosses
(55:00) Dealing with other coworkers and adjusting
(56:34) Assimilating to American life in NYC
(59:05) Filipinos are the Mexicans of Asia?
Raising a family in Philippines vs USA
Being an immigrant hardens you
(1:01:00) show effortlessness while hustling and the US culture behind it.
Starting Vouch Vault with Jay Chandrasekar from Super Troopers
Eric Colbert the founder/ceo of @vouchvault2321 joins the pod to share his story creating the company, 🏄♂️ surfing, and being an entrepreneur. Start vouching today on the app: https://www.vouchvault.com Startup Mindsets launched our merch collection! Rep your startup mindset: https://www.startupmindsets.com/shop Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC0U3wic27w Check out our book set to publish early next year: https://www.penguin.sg/book/startup-mindsets Join the newsletter: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact Book us to speak at your next event: https://www.startupmindsets.com/speaking
What's your Startup Mindset?
This a trailer for the podcast with the infamous question, "What is your startup mindset?"
Passive Income: A Solo Podcast
Making passive revenue or income is a major key in scaling any business. You don't want to have to be always selling when you can leverage machines/technology to do work for you.
Our book: https://www.penguin.sg/book/startup-mindsets will be published November 2024. Join our Newsletter to be entered to win free copy!
Follow us on Social
IG: @dan.podcasts or @startupmindsetspod
Kenny Eliason | Personal Injury Tech for Lawyers/Clients
Kenny Eliason shares funny career and life stories and what led him to start his company, Record.
Learn more about The Client App That Legal Teams Love at https://www.recordclient.com
Collaborate with us as a brand partner: https://www.passionfroot.me/startup-mindsets
Our debut book, Startup Mindsets, is set to be published this November. Read all about it https://www.penguin.sg/book/startup-mindsets
A Doctor Serial Entrepreneur: Jon Baktari, MD
Dr. Jonathan Baktari is the founder of E7 Health, U.S. Drug Test Centers, and eNational Testing. He was formerly the Medical Director of The Valley Health Systems, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Culinary Health Fund. He also served as clinical faculty for several medical schools, including the University of Nevada and Touro University.
We landed a book deal with Penguin Random House SEA and I spoke a bit about my debut book this November.
Enter your email for a chance at a free copy of Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to Thrive in an Innovation Driven and Globally Connected World. Enter Email Here: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Sponsors: --------------------------------------------------------------
SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSOR: SHRED SAFE LLC is a Dallas Fort Worth based shredding company for businesses with paper shredding needs.
VISIT: https://www.shredsafe.org OR DIAL 469-265-8142 FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about Jonathan and his businesses below
https://www.baktarimd.com
https://www.enationaltesting.com
Resetting in Miami & Texas: Book Deal with Penguin Random House SEA
I had the time of my life traveling to Miami and Houston. Here are my thoughts on the beauty of getting out of your hometown by enriching your mindset and energy.
We landed a book deal with Penguin Random House SEA and I spoke a bit about my debut book this November.
Enter your email for a chance at a free copy of Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to Thrive in an Innovation Driven and Globally Connected World. Enter Email Here: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Sponsors: -------------------------------------------------------------- SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSOR: SHRED SAFE LLC is a Dallas Fort Worth based shredding company for businesses with paper shredding needs.
VISIT: https://www.shredsafe.org OR DIAL 469-265-8142 FOR MORE INFORMATION
E127: Julia Enthoven: Getting Mentored by Carol Dweck, Quitting Google for Entrepreneurship, Raising a Series A, Growth Hacks
Julia Enthoven is the Founder & CEO @ Kapwing, the startup that provides a new, collaborative platform for creating images, videos, and GIFs. Highlights: 📝 GROWING UP IN DALLAS AND MOVING TO STANFORD & SAN FRANCISCO 📝BEING MENTORED BY CAROL DWECK 📝 INNOVATE ON DISTRIBUTION PROCESS 📝 LEAVING GOOGLE TO START KAPWING 📝 HOW KAPWING CREATES CONTENT IN LESS TIME 📝 SEEING THEIR WATERMARK ON PRESIDENT ZELENSKY'S SPEECH VIDEO
📝 The startup environment in 2019 vs 2024 and why it's harder to raise money 📝Why content creators should keep creating, best restaurant in SF Give Kapwing a try for your next video edit: kapwing.com -------------------------------------------------------------- SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSOR: SHRED SAFE LLC is a Dallas Fort Worth based shredding company for those with paper shredding needs. VISIT: https://www.shredsafe.org OR DIAL 469-265-8142 FOR MORE INFORMATION OUR BOOK: STARTUP MINDSETS: A BLUEPRINT TO THRIVE IN AN INNOVATION DRIVEN AND GLOBALLY CONNECTED WORLD is set to publish this year with Penguin Random House. To stay in the loop: subscribe to our email list: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Starting a Business is a Personal Finance Decision
What up Startup Mindsets fans! I just had to come on here and spill my 2 cents about what it's actually like running a business and its affect on your personal finances.
Last year as a side hustle we made about 2.5K from the podcast which is something to celebrate as an entrepreneur. A lot of people will judge you for starting a company but only you know how fulfilling and rewarding it truly is.
Your business has costs and so do you! What are you willing to pay to grow? AKA what are you willing to sacrifice in exchange for what you want? Is there an asymmetrical ROI?
How sustainable will it be? How much cash runway do you have?
https://www.startupmindsets.com
https://youtube.com/@startupmindsets
Thank you for listening be sure to subscribe!
150,000 Rides Later Circuit Cofounder Alex Esposito
Dan catches up with one of the first startup founders he met while working as an analyst at VU Venture partners.
Circuit is an all-electric, on-demand, local shuttle service. Download the app & Ride Circuit. https://www.ridecircuit.com
Connect with Alex on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/espositoalexander
Interested in sponsoring this podcast via strategic ad placement? Give us a holler: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Time Stamps
2:45 What is Circuit? On demand shuttle service focused on small trips
10:00 Selling advertisers
19:00 Operating and scaling a mobility operation,
20:00 Moving 150K passengers a month
21:25: Thoughts on autonomous cars
27:00 When was your first Uber ride?
34:10: Getting first customer and starting the company
35:10 testing out an idea for a company and keeping desk jobs until it made sense financially to leave
Taking out 3 car notes to start the business
38:00 Closing first advertiser for 10K
44:00 Differences of working as an employee of a company vs being a founder
Get in touch with Startup Mindsets/Dan. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners on our Substack email list.
Website: https://www.startupmindsets.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan.podcasts
Ed Latimore | Secrets to Transform Your Mindset
Ed Latimore is a writer, physicist, and Professional Heavyweight Boxer. He's been on the world's top podcasts such as Fresh n Fit, Knowledge Project, and Modern Wisdom. It was an honor to interview Ed and we're delighted to share our conversation.
Ed's Website: https://edlatimore.com
Learn how to control your mind, body, and emotions with my Stoic Street-Smarts Newsletter
Follow Ed on X: https://x.com/EdLatimore
Get in touch with Startup Mindsets/Dan. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners on our Substack email list.
Website: https://www.startupmindsets.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan.podcasts
Youtube: https://youtube.com/@startupmindsets
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangonzales1
Interested in sponsoring this podcast via strategic ad placement? Give us a holler: https://www.startupmindsets.com/contact
Time Stamps
(14:34) If you don’t take a risk, there’s no way to get tough.
(30:11) Approach 1,000 women to get with 100.
Approach to a formidable situation. There’s an a symmetrical ROI
(39:54) Getting quoted by Steven of Diary of CEO
(40:32) Getting quoted by James Clear
(46:32) Setting limitations, Why people do it
(50:32) Era of humanity we’re in is way different
(64:40) We only see the highlights not the downs on social media
Culture is how you do everything - Francis Lacoste the VPE Coach
Francis Lacoste speaks about how he fuels growth for VPs of Engineering as a coach. Drawing from decades of startup experience at Heroku and Salesforce, Francis puts into practice operational principles that help teams scale past 20 employees. He coaches technical executives to become leaders who nurture amazing engineering cultures by helping CTOs transition from “building the product" into “building the org that builds the product”.
Before coaching, he spent over twenty-five years in the open-source and cloud developer tools industry. He started as a software engineer working on open-source technology. He transitioned into engineering management at Canonical. Francis' experience with remote environment led him to Heroku where he built the remote engineering culture. In 2019, he realized that the engineering management path wasn't fulfilling to me, and moved into a role dedicated to supporting the engineering culture within the Salesforce Platform.- He's worked remotely for 24 years. Interested in promoting your product/service via sponsoring the podcast? Fill out this form. Learn more about at https://thevpe.coach
- “Thank you for tuning in today! If you found our discussion insightful, there's a good chance your friends will too. We'd love it if you could take a moment to share this episode with a loved one who you believe would appreciate it. It's an easy way to spread the word, and it helps our podcast reach more people just like you.”
Exciting Updates from Rene Morkos and ALICE
Rene highlights the invention of a parametric scheduler and simulator, which now deploys 100 times faster, and the unexpected optimization of schedules with their software. The company has seen positive beta feedback and a shorter sales cycle.
Morkos discusses targeting conferences for customer acquisition, maintaining company culture in a distributed team, and the complexities of scaling and managing a growing organization.
The episode delves into Alice Technologies' impact on the construction industry and its commitment to continuous innovation.
Entrepreneurs shouldn't value themselves based on how well a company performs.
ALICE Core harnesses the power of optioneering to find the most efficient construction paths, all based on your existing P6 or Oracle Primavera Cloud schedule.
Attract Don't Sell: Bureau of Small Projects CEO David Gaz
David Gaz is the founder and creative director behind several successful ventures, including the award-winning documentary "Kindness Is Contagious" and The Bureau of Small Projects, a branding agency dedicated to amplifying the impact of small businesses, startups, and nonprofits.
The Bureau of Small Projects is a think tank of sorts. They're rated in the top 5 agencies in the Los Angeles area for branding and marketing. Their clients are not these well known brands but unknown organizations struggling to make a difference or well known people in their own right with noble missions, but not huge budgets, like Animal Planet Star Jackson Galaxy who has an incredible nonprofit to help at-risk shelter cats, or Bill Nye the Science Guy. The Bureau Of Small Projects started as an incubator within their old firm and it was so successful that it actually out-performed the parent company so in the spring of 2014, they spun The Bureau Of Small Projects off into its own company. Kindness is central to our brand values and our vision.
Attract Don't Sell, Create attractors (15:30)
Problems Scaling a company (18:30) A $100,000 Problem
Learning how to Trust and Delegate to employees (25:18)
Pricing a service: websites, marketing (30:00)
You can't fail if you don't quit (43:00)
How word of mouth of one client lead to AI startups becoming their clients (48:00)
A film on luck (01:08:33)
Hear how Kindness is Contagious
Be a path, not a goal person
Dorothy Chang on starting Lynx Collective, Running Kode with Klossy, Investing in Bitcoin in 2012
#119 Customer Success 101: Luke Diaz CSM @ Optimizely, AppsFlyer, Clearbit, and now Appzen
Julia Arpag: Laid Off to CEO of Aligned Recruiting
The Bar Brothers on Founding Jorny to Provide Personal Growth
Being an LP in VC Firms: Alan Kadisch of InvestorMatch.ai
Starting the Ice Cream Factory
They are on a mission to spread happiness to the world through high quality ice cream.
Enjoy Ice Cream Factory's flavors delivered to your door or if you're a small mom and pop shop, add them to your offerings!
www.icecreamfactoryco.com
Raising 250K on Shark Tank with $800 in Revenue ~ Nick Sky Founder of Changed App
We've got an insanely special podcast coming your way. Have you ever felt the burden of student loans or credit card debt? I know I have, those pesky loans won't go away easily but I have a solution for you.
In this episode, we sit down with Nick Sky, CEO of Changed who shares insights, anecdotes, and invaluable tips on harnessing the power of entrepreneurship.
Changed started as Dan and Nick were among the sea of graduates struggling with the burden of student loan repayment (43.6 million at latest count). To ease the pain, they created an app that simply rounds up everyday purchases and stashes it in an account. Such if you pay, say $3.65 for a grande Starbucks latte, the app adds and routes that 35 cents short of $4.00 into your account.
Surprising how fast that loose change adds up to help pay off loans. (It was a “why didn’t I think of that” moment as I listened to their story.)
Changed offered a winning combination of leveraging technology to help with education-related issues, a concept that totally resonated with me – and apparently also with Shark Mark Cuban. He granted the brothers $250,000 for a 25% equity stake plus his invaluable high-tech, high-profile expertise.
Since then, Changed has racked up success to make a Shark proud: It’s sent over $25 million in payments, helping members save $50M+ in interest and shorten their repayment time by decades.
Do Debt Differently: put more money back in your wallet with an app that helps you manage your savings and minimize your debt.
Shaun Gold talks Jorny, Personal Meaning, and so much more!
Shaun Gold returns to shed light on an exciting new startup, Jorny
We talk more about personal meaning as it relates to entrepreneurship, social norms, how Jorny solves this problem for the 50 and up community.
Some parts of the conversation I found valuable:
- Find something that transcends the basic needs of your life and pushes you through the gauntlet
- Makes you avoid the nuisances of entrepreneurship
- Focus on what you're doing, it's about climbing your own personal mountain.
- The feeling of I'm doing this either way and it's not going to matter if they say yes or no.
- Community makes you healthier as you have people you can rely on
- Having a WHY can get you through any HOW
Investing in Frontier Tech/Ai with Creative Ventures' James Wang + Book News
We have an exciting podcast with General Partner, of Creative Ventures, James Wang. He's held a number of impressive roles working at Bridgewater Associates, Google X, to his own sex tech startup, and now as a venture capitalist.
Creative Ventures invests in early-stage deep tech companies, solving humanity’s most critical crises—rising healthcare costs, climate change, and labor shortages.
Learn more about Creative Ventures at creativeventures.vc
From Grassroots to Greatness | Lloyed Lobo (Wall Street Journal Bestseller)
His unique background as a young refugee from Kuwait during the Gulf War has shaped his perspective on community-led growth.
Some concepts to think about:
🤔Who are you going through this life/business journey with?
💭What is your definition of success?
📣Let us know, we've got a worksheet and want to hear from you!
Type your definition of success on this form!
🔑 Points
How much to pay yourself as a startup founder
Coming together from the ground up and leveraging people to go from nothing to impact while dealing with risk and uncertainty
True leaders instill purpose, not just goals
Going from engineer to cold-caller to startup founder
Follow Startup Mindsets on Instagram
Follow Dan on instagram
Connect with Lloyed on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lloyedlobo/
Buy Lloyed’s new book, 'From Grassroots To Greatness: 13 Rules to Build Iconic Brands with Community Led Growth' (Top New Release on Amazon) at www.amazon.com/Grassroots-Greatness-Iconic-Brands-Community-ebook/dp/B0CFR8F7PH
Starting a Quant Fund in a Dorm: Michael Mills Founder of Infinitary Fund
Mike talks about winning limited partners over, leveraging technology to select investments, thoughts on the US economy, and being an entrepreneur.
About Infinitary Fund:
Infinitary Fund is a limited partnership based in New York that provides investment advice in the form of a pooled-investment vehicle designed for long-term investors.
The Infinitary Fund was created using an algorithm developed by Nicolas B. Spoors. We recognized the value of data, the significance of analyzing it properly, and the benefits of a stable investment strategy. Combining these three elements we have been able to perform competitively while staying true to our core belief: prioritize research.
📣 Connect with Mike on Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/mmills-infinitaryfund
Contact Infinitary Fund: www.infinitaryfund.com/contact-1
Rewriting Your Script with Mindfulness: Cari Jacobs Crovetto
Raising a 150M Series B with Dan Wang VP of Finance at Iterative Health
Dan Wang joins Startup Mindsets to discuss his role as VP of Finance/Operations at Iterative Health
- How Iterative Health uses computer vision and AI to enable doctors to make more informed decision for patients
- The advantages an MBA can provide in a career
- Joining an early stage startup with a ton of uncertainty
- Working in a startup vs huge corporation
- Raising a series B over 100M and applying that capital to grow the business
- What are startup proof points?
AI in Recruiting with Rolescale CEO Mehdi Taifi
In this episode of "Startup Mindsets" we dive headfirst into the fascinating notion of how AI is set to change recruiting and hiring with Mehdi Taifi, CEO and founder of Rolescale. We also talk working on Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and quitting a career with a safety net to pursue entrepreneurship.
About Mehdi:
Mehdi is the Founder and CEO of RoleScale, a SaaS company specializing in AI based solutions in the recruiting tech space. Mehdi is an experienced founder with over 18 years of Wall Street and Silicon Valley experience combined. He was one of the early joiners at Robinhood where he built and scaled operations for their brokerage division. Mehdi also worked on Wall Street for some of the top investment banks including Bank of New York Mellon and Deutsche Bank.
Giving candidates a fairer chance at landing a job.
Conversation Time Stamps:
(5:00) What Rolescale does/inspiration for starting
(12:00) Being data driven, efficient, and automated to save recruiters time/energy (23:00) Moving from wall street to silicon valley (28:00) Carving out a niche in the recruiting industry (31:00) Helping grow a startup to unicorn status (34:00) Making the decision to leave Robinhood and do a startup full time (40:00) discipline, keep motivating yourself
(42:00) Working with the founders of Robinhood. The value of a humanities/nontechnical degree(45:30) Getting a job in tech is tough (49:00) Miami Tech/startup scene (55:00) Writing and publishing a novel on magical realism (58:00) Is getting a degree in the humanities worth it? (60:00) the value of philosophy, today. (62:00) How art and philosophy ties into a business by taking a logical approach (64:00) Leading a company despite the emotional toll (66:00) understanding team member's motivations and pulse check on how the team is feeling.
Follow us on your podcast platform and leave a review, your listenership means a ton!
Solo Pod with Dan Gonzales (Entrepreneurship)
Dan gives his thoughts on life as an entrepreneur, being his own boss, running a company, surviving, and getting the podcast to 107 guests.
If you haven't already, follow us on the platform you're listening to and on instagram and linkedin. We'd love to have you along our journey to becoming a premier podcast on entrepreneurship.
Subscribe to our newsletter and Youtube channel.
AI for Legal with Beagle AI CEO: Sergey Demyanov
About the Guest
Sergey Demyanov is a serial entrepreneur from Russia with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Melbourne. He founded Teleport which Snap acquired and from there worked as a machine learning manager for four years prior to working on his current venture, Beagle.
About Beagle: Beagle is the first human-level-intelligence e–discovery assistant. Beagle’s AI helps you accurately find and analyze documents that best match your needs. And the more you use Beagle, the smarter it gets.
Explore Key Features
Discover How Our Product Enhances Your Experience
$2/Gb/month hosting price
No license fees
10x fast, detailed and verifiable automated document review for 20%–50% of human review cost
Sign up for Beagle here: discoverbeagle.com
Connect with Sergey on Linkedin:
Make sure you follow and subscribe to be notified of new episodes and help yourself to our other 100+ podcasts with hungry for success entrepreneurs.
Let us know who you are, where you are on your startup mindset journey, all feedback and responses are heard.
Philosophy in Business - Shaun Gold (Part 2)
This is part 2 of my conversation with Shaun Gold. In this part, Shaun talks about how philosophy influenced his multi dimensional career. We also talk going on Jeopardy and his experience being on the game show. Key Points
- You are the opportunity, it doesn't matter how long it takes, how much it costs, you need the ability to go after that goal.
- Nothing is easy, things get easier as you get stronger.
- Philosophy opens up your mind to the resilience that people with harder lives and how it is applicable to daily life. Links Follow Startup Mindsets on Linkedin & Instagram to stay connected on social. Keep up with Shaun Gold on Instagram and Linkedin.
Who is Shaun Gold for 1,000? (Part 1)
We meet interesting entrepreneurs through this podcast and I'd like to introduce you to Shaun Gold, a self described polymath. Shaun's been involved with the bustling nightlife industry as a promoter in Miami, published 4 books, worked in the venture capital industry for Open VC, competed on Jeopardy on ABC, worked as a screenwriter
Throughout the conversation, you'll hear Shaun cite philosophers in response to open ended questions regarding entrepreneurship and his life decisions.
Valuable Life Lessons:
- You have to be able to think and plunge and reflect
- Be reliable, dependable, and able to deliver lessons from being a promoter in Miami.
- Too much reflection and no action so you have to combine being able to reflect
- Bang the wall everyday, the mountain will not be climbed for you.
- "It's not you who's eating the idea, it's the idea that's eating you.
From my count, we recalled Plato, Tolstoy, Gerta, Aristotle
Ways to get in touch and work with Shaun:
Newsletter: Youtopian Journey
Purchase one of his books:
Promoter Mind, Hustler Heart: https://www.amazon.com/Promoter-Mind-Hustler-Heart
Better Be U: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Be-Entrepreneur-Powerful-Lessons-
Read stuff from OpenVC: https://openvc.app/blog/paris
#102 Learn New Languages with Hallo AI CEO Joon Beh
Joon Beh's advice resonates as he reflects on entrepreneurship's highs and lows. His impactful presence inspires confidence in Hallo AI's potential to transform language learning worldwide.
Throughout our conversation with Joon, we discuss:
How AI is built into their core product.
Hallo provides the opportunity to speak with an interface in dialogue.
Having the idea for Hallo on a roadtrip to LA and talking about creating Hallo with his siblings.
Persevering as a founder who was having visa issues but earned a green card to follow an entrepreneurial dream in the USA.
(17:30) The exciting life of an entrepreneur who wears many different hats
Creating a startup as a nontechnical founder and interviewing 1000 cofounding engineers
Key Talking Points
Joon's background and passion for languages
Genesis of Hallo AI
Unique features of Hallo AI
The role of AI technology, including ChatGPT and other APIs, in developing Hallo AI
The unique experiences and roles that come with running a startup compared to established companies
Comparing traditional methods with innovative technology solutions like Hallo AI
How language learning can change lives and open up new opportunities
Joon shares insights on user acquiring 40k users and building a business
Learning from challenges and pivots
Show Links
Download Hallo on the Apple or Google Play Store and start practicing and speaking a new language today!
Follow Hallo on Instagram/TikTok.
Connect with Joon on Linkedin.
Make sure you follow us on Social and join our newsletter to receive powerful self development insights.
When Does Your Startup Need a Lawyer? Steven Weigler CEO of EmergeCounsel
We've all heard the Theranos story of how Elizabeth Holmes lied to investors about groundbreaking technology and the lawsuit that followed. Or maybe you watch Silicon Valley and have seen how Hooli filed suit against Pied Piper for creating the software while at Hooli.
Legal work is important to startups especially when looking to create a patent or protect the company from breaking the law.
Key Talking Points
- How to protect and build value in a brand.
- How can I protect my brand from infringement? (a.k.a. Knocked Off)
- Why business sellers should be cautious when international buyers come calling. They could be trying to get your intellectual property, which is very common, and caution will protect you from such buyers.
Steven Weigler is the Founder and Managing Partner of EmergeCounsel, whose mission is to provide a worldwide clientele legal counsel on the protection of intellectual property and business assets at a lower price point than large legal firms.
Steve's received many awards, including being named a Super Lawyer for three consecutive years (2021-2023).
Time Stamps for your convenience
22:00 The lack of structure in entrepreneurship
25:00 The unpredictability of startup life as an entrepreneur
29:00 Comparing and contrasting being an employee to entrepreneur
42:00 Working in a city good for your soul
48:00 Just incredible sound bites on running a business
Learn more about EmergeCounsel at https://emergecounsel.com
RT Custer CEO of Vortic Watch Company ⏱
Today, RT Custer an American entrepreneur stops by the podcast to tell us his story of salvaging and restoring antique American pocket watches expertly preserved into one-of-a-kind wristwatches.
We talk about getting through all the hurdles as an entrepreneur and scaling to seven figures. This included battling a court case against Swatch and winning to keep his company and product alive. RT tells us the company almost failed three times before growing to what it is today.
Don't miss the fascinating story of
- Getting a watch on Mr. Wonderful aka Kevin O'Leary from Shark Tank.
- Marketing advice when it comes to email e-commerce
Learn more about Vortic Watch Company and own a piece of American history : https://vorticwatches.com
Subscribe to our Newsletter on LinkedIn for more great insights on mindsets from entrepreneurs.
Making 🗺️ Mapquest: Chris Heivly on Building the Fort 🏰
Chris Heivly is an accomplished executive in the information-technology sector with proven experience in marketing, sales, business development, investment finance, and operations. He was a co-founder of MapQuest (sold to AOL for $1.2B), a managing director of 77 Capital (a $25 million venture fund) and has been an executive at five other companies.
Key Takeaways
Channel your inner 10 year old when approaching creating anything
How to start and scale startup communities in nascent cities
Starting will eventually create a path to work on so stop talking about ideas and work on them
How Mapquest came to be
His new book Build the Fort
Purchase Chris' Book, Build the Fort The Startup Community Builder's Field Guide on Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Build-Fort-Startup-Community-Builders/dp/1544542607