Jacob Lapera, Author at Business RadioX ® Page

Joe Dupriest With NextUp Ventures

October 13, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Startup Showdown Podcast

Joe Dupriest With NextUp Ventures

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Joe Dupriest, Managing Partner at NextUp Ventures.

Senior sports executive with 15+ years of progressive leadership experience driving market penetration and business growth.

With an engineering degree from Georgia Tech coupled with an MBA from Duke University, he served as CMO for Monumental Sports & Entertainment during a period of explosive growth and change.

Joe launched Monumental Sports Network, the first OTT platform for regional sports, and has won 5 NCCB Emmy Awards.

Connect with Joe on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Sports tech
Current trends
Early stage sports tech fund

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome back to the Startup Showdown podcast, where we discuss pitching, funding and scaling startups. Join us as we interview winners, mentors and judges of the monthly 120,000 pitch competition powered by Panoramic Ventures. We also discuss the latest updates in software web3, health care, tech, fintech and more. Now sit tight as we interview this week’s guest and their journey through entrepreneurship.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:40] Lee Kantor here another episode of Startup Showdown podcast, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor Panoramic Ventures. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Startup Showdown, we have Joe Dupree’s out with Next Up Ventures. Welcome, Joe.

Joe Dupriest: [00:01:00] Thanks, Lee. Great to be here. Appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:02] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about next step ventures. How are you serving folks?

Joe Dupriest: [00:01:07] So we started Next Up Ventures regularly right before the pandemic. So I’ve got a sports marketing background. I was CMO at Monumental Sports and involved with that organization for almost a decade. And so we launched Next Step Ventures initially to make Angel Investments. I’ve got two co-founders that I’ve known for the better part of 15 years, other sports executives throughout the years. You know, the initial thought behind it was sort of facilitating fundraisers. We run demo days. We’ve since launched a fund. We’ve got a $5 Million Early Stage Fund, and then we also have a complementary company. Next up, Partners, which is a 1099 network of sports executives, people handling social media, PR, creative, all of that that we then use to support not just startups, but especially startups with a model that can get them the resources that they need to grow and thrive.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:54] So I would imagine that the sports tech, is it an industry now? I would imagine it’s now kind of its own industry, right? It’s a niche unto itself.

Joe Dupriest: [00:02:05] Yeah, I think so. When we say sports tech, it’s a pretty broad term. A lot of times it’s really cool tech that has a sports application but can also be applied to many other industries. But it’s interesting from the standpoint of sports teams and leagues, which traditionally have trailed the play a bit when it came to whether it was social media engagements or AR, VR, any of those type things as they would come along, you know, the bigger brands would be first. But as ownership has changed, as the executive teams running these have changed, it’s really come to the forefront of how to differentiate themselves, whether it be fan experience or digitally, you know, how they engage their fan bases. It’s really become more to the forefront.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:46] Right. And then I would layer on top of that all of these devices now where you can, you know, like the whoop device where you can kind of track yourself. It seems like the highest level athletes are using devices like that to just maximize their performance.

Joe Dupriest: [00:03:00] Exactly. I mean, it started with one of my co founders actually wants Nike plus back in the day, you know, one of the first ones of that. But then, you know, the iterations on that with Connected Fitness. And then it’s really been interesting to see the various different avenues that companies have taken. And then you get all these various products and how do you then combine them, which is in creating a whole new area of how you take all this data and use it. So more data companies come in complimentary. And so it’s really been a quickly evolving area across all sports.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:29] Yeah, it must be exciting for the athletes and for the owners to be kind of now at the forefront of this world. There are other trends you’re seeing in this because, you know, we’ve talked about a couple of things, but I would you know, you can talk about kind of Web three where there’s opportunities for a brand to insert themselves there. And with nfts and and with the licensing of athletes, it seems like, you know, those are other areas that are ripe for sports tech influence.

Joe Dupriest: [00:03:59] Yeah. And I think COVID certainly spurred a lot of it as there was no live sports. How do you engage? So virtual events really became big as the sports collectible market began to grow again. The pivot into Nfts, which obviously is only one application with like sports tech being applied to sports, but a lot of other areas that was just one that kind of came to the forefront. And then athletes being able to monetize themselves. You certainly seen a lot from the PGA Tour and and the athletes there and some of the issues and players, you know, the nil that is now come about players ability in college to monetize their own brand. But then what tools do you have to do that? What platforms and marketplaces do you have? So you’ve really seen a lot of ways for people other than just the teams and leagues and the brands to make the money. Those opportunities abound for for everybody.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:50] Are you seeing the athlete becoming more sophisticated when it comes to their investing and what they’re doing with their money?

Joe Dupriest: [00:04:57] Absolutely. I mean, you’re seeing a lot of athlete either founded companies, you know, when it’s not just pro athletes, even college athletes, you know, surrounding themselves with more business people, you know, really kind of looking at what’s what’s in the future for them, you know, planning their own money, their own. What’s next? We invested in a company called Star Stock. Kevin Durant was an investor in that. There’s a number of other companies that have popped up that have athletes being involved and really have an interest in entrepreneurship. And you’ve really seen that especially in the last couple of years, athletes saying, hey, there’s a lot more than just what the on the field is. How do I capitalize on that?

Lee Kantor: [00:05:38] So now what are kind of the investors in this space looking for in terms of their pitches that they’re seeing?

Joe Dupriest: [00:05:45] I mean, it is I see a lot of really early stage stuff, which really comes down to kind of who the founder is. And I think the authenticity of it is, is there a founder market fit is really important, which is where the athlete comes in. A lot of times if you are a fitness company and you don’t have high profile athletes that believe in what you’re doing, that that really makes it a lot more difficult. So you see a lot of advisory boards, if not founders with the athletes, then combining with the tech teams. But really, really that fit in that vision is important. And then kind of an understanding of knowing what they. Don’t know what you see. A lot of times in sports, tech or sports startups in general is sports fans or people that don’t have other sports backgrounds. They may not understand the nuances of sports. Being able to surround themselves with the right team and prove that they are the ones to solve these issues is really important to investors to see see that team and vision that’s been built while understanding that they don’t know everything.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:44] Now, we talked a little bit about this, but the athletes, now, they’re making so much money, are they kind of looking to get involved as angel investors and getting involved in the investment side of these things to diversify their portfolios? And just because they see, hey, I can leverage my brand to really kind of jump start the right with the right fit.

Joe Dupriest: [00:07:05] Yeah, I think, yeah, I think it really is. And I think it’s athletes wanting to get involved in more than just the game. And you see whether it’s launching their own brands and products, it’s not just putting their name on stuff, it’s what they believe in and things that they can really get involved in day to day and drive value. So now you have that authenticity of. I need the athlete with the company that you may not have always had before this diversification piece. You know, whether it’s Steph Curry and others you’ve seen really get involved in a lot of these spaces and behind companies that they believe in and especially, you know, founders they believe in know it’s that that’s become a big driver of it as well, especially whether it’s the social conscious, just start up solving real problems and really going after, you know, unique opportunities that the athlete sees the value in. It’s an investment piece or they want to make a lot of money off of it. And a lot of them have their own funds or investor groups, actually. You know, Baron Davis has his own group, actually, one of the companies that next ventures invested in. We met through them, through basketball, but they really want to get involved more than just writing a check. It’s not just about the money, but obviously you want to you want to make money, but they have the financial means to really find what’s important to them and drive that value.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:16] So what’s the part that excites you the most of these kind of early stage companies and founders of early stage companies? What kind of gets you fired up?

Joe Dupriest: [00:08:26] I think it’s seeing the creativity behind finding the solutions, seeing the process that that’s really exciting for me. You know, and this is a new area for me, if you like I said, I was CMO. I actually had an engineering background prior to getting involved in sports. But, you know, startup entrepreneurship is something I always had an interest in but never was hands on. So it’s a great learning experience for me as well to see what founders have succeeded, to kind of see them along their journey. They just meeting the founders, and it’s from that standpoint because that’s really what differentiates one from the next or whether they’re going to invest in early stage. You know, as great as the hockey stick grass they all put in their decks are, you know, it’s really meeting the founder and getting to know them and their vision. And sometimes, hey, maybe this this company isn’t going to be right for them. They’re going to figure something out. And I’ve seen that just in the last couple of years, you know, a number of startups that have pivoted in various ways to great success. But the founder piece of it is huge, but it’s just the creativity and the especially now paired with the openness of teams and leagues and brands to try a lot of this stuff. You know, create pilot programs and get stuff out of the market that the opportunity wasn’t necessarily there before. It was definitely a lot harder to find it now. There’s an opportunity now and people are capitalizing on it now.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:42] I would imagine because of your work, you do meet a lot of, you know, kind of professional athletes that would have an interest in this. Are there when they’re doing a venture, is there maybe some do’s and don’ts you would recommend for an athlete that’s thinking about investing? What are some of the things that are kind of must have skills and maybe some of the things that are red flag or, you know, maybe not even a red flag, but just kind of you’ve got to educate them on like managing their expectations.

Joe Dupriest: [00:10:15] Yeah. I mean, I think there’s a couple of things. One is certainly pairing themselves with somebody that’s experienced in this area that’s sort of been there and done that and can kind of guide them along the way. So I’ve seen some interesting, you know, VC or angel partnerships with athletes and going in together. I think that that really helps the athlete. You know, one similar to the founder, knowing what they don’t know, the athlete knowing what they don’t know about the space and being open to learning that. So pairing with the right mentor in the investing space is important. And I think it’s also just making sure that if they’re looking at startups or founders, making sure that it’s authentic to what they do, their own personal brand, that there’s really a there’s a fit there because it’s if it’s an obvious not fit that’s going to become obvious to investor, it’s going to be become obvious to potential customers. So just really making sure that it fits in with their greater vision of what they want for themselves both now and down the road.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:09] Now, in your career, when you started out, were you always in sports?

Joe Dupriest: [00:11:15] My vision for myself. Well, I guess my assumption for myself, I should say, was going to be an engineer. So growing up, I was always, you know, really good at math and science. So I’ll go to Georgia Tech, I’ll be an engineer, went in there as a mechanical engineer, decided about a year later, I don’t really want to be a mechanical engineer, but engineering makes sense. Marty Here, go down the industrial engineering path. I did that, worked at FedEx for a few years and even then it’s like, I don’t know, this is really what I want to do now that I’m into it. It’s what you’re what kind of rises to the top of your school grades and isn’t necessarily where you would be happiest. And so that’s where I sort of made it sort of making a pivot, which actually started when I was at Georgia Tech. We had a project. You talk to somebody in the industry we were interested in and I blindly reached out the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Braves, Dean Taylor, back in the early, mid late nineties, you know, had a conversation there. Even when I got the FedEx was talking to Memphis, Redbirds and other companies and then I went back to business school. My whole concept there was I want to get into sports marketing and look at anything else besides sports marketing. I didn’t get sucked into the big brands or other other companies that were recruiting on campus, really just focused on that side. And that was. I graduated there in oh four, landed a job with the Philadelphia Eagles right out of school. And then it’s just been kind of bouncing between teams and, you know, kind of up and down I-95 until I eventually launched this company a few years ago. But that was I kind of had an idea early, but it wasn’t until I really got to business school and really, really got to force the issue and focus on it.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:52] So like when you were in high school, in college, you were interested in sports, but you never kind of connected the dots at the time that, Hey, maybe I should be pursuing this. You’re like, Hey, I’m good at math, so I’m going to do this engineering thing and play that out.

Joe Dupriest: [00:13:06] Exactly. And then it was much different. If you look at sports in the late nineties or early, even into up to like 2010, you know, you didn’t really see research data analytics departments within sports and. I wasn’t really at the time, you know, early on it was like you do sports or you do this. It wasn’t really, hey, you do both. And sports wasn’t run the same. It is if you look at the executive line on a lot of these teams, you know, it’s it’s a lot of people that come from other industries or it’s it’s not built as much around sports fans as is more like a business than it was 25 years ago. And so I think that opened the doors a lot, which is also great for me because I was able to leverage when I was at Duke, I did a summer internship with the Durham Bulls triple-A team, and my project was Market Research. I built some case studies around their sponsorships. It’s a lot of analytics that nobody had done. I ran a regression analysis for a couple of NHL teams or on their ticket sales. It was all brand new at the time, so it was easy for me to carve that niche and it was really, Hey, it’s not one or the other. Hey, I can leverage the stuff I’m really good at to get into this. And now, you know, marketing and sales and everything else within sports is very data analytic driven. But back then it wasn’t. But I did. I kind of hit it at the right time that I was able to leverage the prior life with what is the current.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:28] Right now it looks like you’re the strategic genius that played this exactly right.

Joe Dupriest: [00:14:34] Yeah, that’s what I try to say. A little luck in the timing and, you know, meeting the right people here and there. And even when I talk about my time at Duke, I landed the Eagles job kind of right out. It was kind of right place, right time. But it was also part of my 200 phone call of, you know, marketing here. You know, getting everybody I could talk to across sports, you know, talking to and and the 201. Ended up being the one. Okay, here’s a perfect job of the perfect fit with looking for my exact skill set. Not good enough as it eventually lands.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:07] Now, can you talk a little bit about start up Showdown, your mentor with them? How did that get on your radar and what was that experience like for you?

Joe Dupriest: [00:15:16] Yeah. So one of the VP’s there, Dustin. So I’m based in Atlanta, as is he. We met through a mutual friend. I was looking for mentorship on my own end around the venture side and raising a fund. And we we run our own demo day events as well through through next up. It’s a smaller scale and no investment necessarily from us, but it’s just more of a traditional demo day event. So he and I were talking and I want to get more and more involved. I want to meet more startups. I’m really enjoying this process, my Techstars mentor as well. So I’ve gotten exposed to that. And then kind of through our conversations, he introduced me to some people on his team. Describe what it was like. Hey, this is perfect. This is exactly what I want to get more involved in. And it was interesting too, because obviously, you know, panoramic does a pretty good bit in sports, but it’s much broader. So it was exposure to other early stages that aren’t necessarily directly in what I do day to day of next up. And so that that was really appealing to me as well. But yeah, it’s been a nice process and I really enjoyed it.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:22] And if you were advising that first time founder, the person that maybe you were mentoring during Startup Showdown, what what’s kind of a piece of advice that you would say to them in order for them to get the most out of their experience?

Joe Dupriest: [00:16:34] Yeah. I mean, it’s listen and be open to feedback, ask questions, but don’t take it as just a pure pitch to your mentor. Take it as a true mentor opportunity. Because there’s there’s a number of things that I’ve seen, you know, kind of taking it back a little bit to sports tech. It seems like there’s a few problems that a lot of the startups that we talk to and work with. One is it takes too long to find a product market fit or realize it’s not there. You can spend too money too quickly or is not understanding the nuances and making sure you got the right team behind you for whatever, whatever industry you’re involved in. And so making sure you’re able to answer all of that, have a really good story, really tighten it up, bounce it off the mentor, listen as much as you can and dial it in and just be open of, Hey, I know my business inside out, but I know there’s a lot that I don’t know and I’m here to learn and absorb everything. And the good thing about it as well, you get to interact with a lot of different mentors. So you’re not just taking the advice of one. You know, you get a number of different perspectives that can then be hone your story and hone your pitch and really answer a lot of the tough questions that you know you’re going to hit when you really go out on the investment trail and try to start raising that money.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:43] Yeah, to me, that’s the kind of the art form of being a startup founders is threading the needle between, you know, having the confidence to do something this hard and also having the vulnerability and humility to listen to other people.

Joe Dupriest: [00:17:59] Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, you see a lot of different early on. I mean, you see some startups that they basically think that they’re doing me a favor by pitching me and engaging with me, whereas a lot of the others like they really want. The mentorship they really want to absorb and learn. And those are the ones that are ultimately going to be successful because your exact business model now is probably not the one that’s going to be successful. It’s probably some derivative of that, some things that you’re going to learn throughout this process. So as much as you can start learning and avoid getting quicker to market, not burning through money because it’s really easy to do if you’re going down the wrong path to run out of money before you fix it. So as much as you’re able to do that and I would take that same philosophy with you, take money from it, people that write checks are great, but people that were really invested in your business are going to want to help you and mentor you along the way there because you don’t want mentorship. Shouldn’t be just a one time conversation. You need to. These mentors that are really going to guide you along the way and be engaged with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:03] Amen to that. Well, Joe, if somebody wants to learn more about next step, either ventures or partners, what are the coordinates?

Joe Dupriest: [00:19:11] Yeah, Joe at next up ventures dot net. And you can reach out to me there. If there’s any interest across the venture side and our demo day events or our advisory and consulting or just want to have a conversation, you know, I was looking at open to talk of the startups up and talking to other investors, talking to people interested in the sports tech space as well. So. Joe. Next up, ventures dot net.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:33] At the Web site.

Joe Dupriest: [00:19:35] Next up partners dot com.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:37] All right, Joe. Well, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Joe Dupriest: [00:19:42] I appreciate it. Thanks for the time.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:44] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Startup Showdown.

Intro: [00:19:49] As always, thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to follow and subscribe to the Startup Showdown podcast. So you get the latest episode as it drops wherever you listen to podcasts to learn more and apply to our next startup Showdown Pitch Competition Visit Showdown VC. That’s Showdown Dot VC. All right. That’s all for this week. Goodbye for now.

Antonio Clinkscales With Life Way Services

October 12, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Richmond Business Radio

Antonio Clinkscales With Life Way Services

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Antonio Clinkscales is a pastor, educator, business owner, author, speaker, conference host, and community advocate who is passionate about healing the mind, body, and spirit. As Founder/CEO of Life Way Services, a mental health counseling company, he uses his training in trauma and spiritual calling to fuse both the science and spirituality of healing into a transformative message of hope for the hurting and lost.

His national conference of “Tackling Trauma Together: The Way To Wholeness” is changing lives by placing people on a mental trajectory towards ones divine purpose. Professionals in the medical and mental health industries recognize his strategies as revolutionary and partner to assist in helping people overcome their past pain in order to live in their present prosperity.

Follow Life Way Services on LinkedIn and Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

His reason of entering this business
His community involvement
His motivation

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:06] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Richmond, Virginia. It’s time for Richmond Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Lee Kantor here another episode of Richmond Business Radio and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor War Cry Consulting Solutions, supporting women to lean into their purpose, craft their vision and crush their goals. Today on Richmond Business Radio, we have Antonio Kling Scales with Lifeway Services. Welcome, Antonio.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:00:45] Welcome. Glad to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] Well, I’m so excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about Lifeway Services, how you serve in folks.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:00:53] Absolutely. Thank you for having me. We are an outpatient mental health counseling company that services individuals, youth, as well as adults in the Richmond area and beyond. We also provide in-person counseling as well as virtual. So we’re able to service a wide range of individuals with a variety of needs in different locations.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:20] So what’s your back story? How did you get involved in this line of work?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:01:24] Absolutely. It’s really a tremendous story. It was birth out of the pandemic, believe it or not, because the need was so great in this county already, the pandemic only. Increase the need and the demand for services in our county and the surrounding counties. And therefore we rose to the challenge and to meet that need head on and to make sure that individuals were able to receive the help that they need. And so because of a pandemic, which is a bad or negative thing, depending on how you look at it, but it also birthed something that was so tremendous and such a blessing to so many people in our community.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:15] Now, when you started offering the services that you offer, when did you realize, hey, this is something that’s really getting a lot of traction, A lot of folks are this is resonating with a lot of folks. We should be doing more of this.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:02:32] Well, again, the need was already there. And many people where we are in Caroline County, our headquarters in Caroline County, which is just north of Richmond, right above the King’s Dominion area, is very rural. So we either have to travel to Richmond or Fredericksburg for services and many people have transportation concerns and aren’t able to receive the services. And therefore, again, out of the pandemic, it only magnified the problem that already existed. And therefore we had to do something to not only try to bring relief to individuals through a lot of community service projects that we also formed through our company, through Lifeway services, but to give people mental relief as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:29] Now, was it something that you just started offering these services and people were coming to you or were they coming to you saying, Hey, we need some help? What can you do to help us? Like what came first, the offering of services or just the demand from the public?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:03:44] The demand was there. But when we opened our doors and we said that we’re here and we’re able we wanted to help and give people some mental relief and to put some youth and students on the right path. People immediately gravitated towards us and accepted us into the community and welcomed the help and the resources that we were providing. And again, we are out in the community. We are the community I live in. The community have been here for almost 30 years. Our staff live in the community and some of them have grew up in Caroline County and are willing to give back to their community. And so we wanted to do something that was unique and special again, birth out of the pandemic, but wanted to make sure that we were taking care of our own.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:45] Can you share with the listeners some examples of how you work with somebody? Maybe somebody gets onto your radar, you see a person in need. What are some of the services you provide? What are some of the ways that you interact with them and maybe help them kind of redirect their life maybe to a better place?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:05:06] Absolutely. People can call our office or the best way is to go onto our website which is w WW dot lightweight services dot org. And from there you can find out all the resources that and services that we provide. You can see our clinicians and our counselors that also that are listed there. And most importantly, individuals can schedule their own free consultation right through our website at a time and date that is convenient for them and we will make sure that we contact them during that particular time. We’re able to work with them during their initial consultation, get them scheduled with a clinician, get them into our office as quickly as possible because that’s one of the benefits that we wanted to provide, is to make sure that not only we be in the community, but we want to make sure that we were available for the community. Therefore, we had to make sure that we had sufficient staff, we had to make sure that we were available to meet those needs. So when they call that, we didn’t have to place them on a waiting list, like many other services and providers in the surrounding area, if you call them, you might get a 2 to 3 month waiting list before you’re able to have that initial consultation. But we want to make sure that we met the needs and those demands of the community by being available.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:45] Are you finding that young people are open to this kind of help, that maybe for older folks there was some stigma or some feeling that they didn’t need help? I could do this myself, or I should be able to solve these challenges on my own, whereas maybe younger people today are more open to asking for help and receiving help.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:07:04] Absolutely. I am just ecstatic of the number of young people that come to us who are open, who are honest, who are receiving the strategies that we’re providing and the information that we provide. They are soaking it up. They observe it, absorbing it. And it’s a beautiful sight to see. And I encourage more young people to reach out not just to Lifeway services, but to any provider just to be able to talk things through. They want a listening ear. They want to be heard in so many times in the community and the society that we live in today, they’re not giving that voice and then not given an opportunity. And therefore, a lot of the behaviors, a lot of stressors, a lot of things that they’re going through, the anxiety, the depression, trying to find out who they are in their place in this world is because of the lack of voice and opportunities that they have to speak and to be heard. And therefore, we want to make sure that we are providing them that space, that safe space, so that they can be heard and we can begin to work through some of their issues and concerns.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:23] Is there any kind of clues maybe a parent could be on the lookout for that? Maybe something is amiss with their child. A lot of times you want to give your child space, but you also don’t want to miss things that maybe in hindsight would have been obvious. Are there some clues that maybe your child needs some help and there maybe you can identify and then introduce them to you and your team?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:08:46] Absolutely. One of the biggest strategies that we encourage parents is to get involved with their children. And I know that may sounds real crazy, but the reality is with technology, a lot of parents just say, go to your room, you know, go watch TV, be on your phone, be on the computer, be on your tablet, be on a gaming system, and therefore they don’t want to be bothered and therefore they allow their electronic device or system to be their teacher, their guide in that safe space that they can go to. And so we encourage parents to get involved just to have those conversations with their child. It’s okay to ask them how their day was. It’s okay if they say fine and then just kind of want to be by themselves, but really engage their child and know who their friends are, know who they hang out with at school and get involved with their school system. Because a lot of times that explains a lot of what’s going on because they find trust in individuals and adults in the school system and they may confide in those counselors or teachers. And so when parents are involved, they can become connected and find out a lot more information from those sources than they would at home. But definitely parents have to be more involved in engaging with their with their child to find out what’s going on in their lives so that they can stay connected and build that trust so that their child can share those intimate things with them, those concerns and those thoughts that they may be having and be able to share them with their parent and their parent really should be there for them.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:42] Now, how do you help the parent where, you know, they’re trying to do these things, They’re asking the questions, but the kid’s like, hey, you know, I’m good, everything’s fine. And they just kind of brush them off and don’t really engage back. Is this a situation where the parent just kind of has to be relentless and and just kind of keep showing up day after day to let them know I’m going to be here no matter what?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:11:08] And absolutely as parents, we’re supposed to be doing that anyway. We’re supposed to be that relentless voice saying that we are going to be there and providing that security, providing that safe space and a place, and that their child can be comfortable and trusting enough to share again that their intimate thoughts and things that might be going on on the inside of them and with their body changing during certain times in their development. We should be there anyway and we should be that relentless force. Absolutely. But not pressing, but just reminding their child that they are there for them, not only to provide that shelter and food, the basic needs that they need, but also to be that listening ear. So. The parents really need to look out for patterns and they need to look out for certain behaviors in their child. If they see something that is different, that they’re doing something different. If they’re normally outgoing and now they’re quiet, that’s a sign. If they’re really quiet and to themselves and isolation. But now they’re wanting to go out and they’re dressed in a certain way and looking a certain way. I mean, these signs are signals. They can be red flags. And parents need to be aware of those changes in their child’s behavior and not to be pressing. But they also parents have the responsibility to care for their child. Therefore, if they’re seeing some reckless behaviors, if they’re seeing things that are the some of their decision making is not aligning with some of their core values and beliefs and the way that they want to raise their child, then certainly they should seek help in those situations so that it’s they’re not waiting until it’s too late.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:08] Can you share a story? Maybe that. Is a success story that maybe you got a hold of a kid, maybe that was in a in a in rough water and you were able to help them get to the other side. And now they’re leading a more healthy, productive life. You don’t have to obviously don’t name the kid’s name, but just maybe tell the story.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:13:30] No, absolutely. And we we have a bunch and I’m excited about that. And that’s why I’m so passionate about what I do. And to be in this mental health field is because of the successes. And one particular student who a male student in middle school was really having a hard time fitting in. He was new to the area. He was being picked on and bullied because he was new in a little different dress. Different because it was from a different part of the country. And therefore he kind of stood out a little bit. And in his outgoing personality, he just wanted to make friends. But it didn’t it wasn’t received well and it was received differently by his peers. And so he really struggled the first year of school here, being in Caroline County. But his mom got involved. His mom called us and said, I need some help. I don’t know what to do. We began working with that student and mentoring that student as well. And really within three, 3 to 4 months, that student was a totally different kid. I mean, he really embraced the process and the strategies that we were trying to implement. And we work with mom as well to for mom to implement some things at home and to put some different boundaries and structure at home so that he could operate, she began she became more involved with him at school, and that gave him a lot of confidence and gave him really some security that he was looking for because he didn’t feel safe at school.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:15:19] And therefore, to have those extra bodies and eyes there to reassure him that he was in a safe place and that he could really fit in. And then he began to gravitate towards some different friends who really wanted to become his friend, and they really bonded. And that student is excelling. He was when he came to us in our county, he was an average student, a C student, and now he’s on the AB honor roll every semester and we’re just super excited with his progress. But it was really the the the quickness in how quickly he gravitated from who he was to who he became in such a short period of time that we’re super excited to really spotlight him and showcase that our strategies and our efforts really do work when we are a village trying to take care of our kids.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:19] Yeah, and that is an amazing story to be able to turn a kid’s life around so quickly. And you know, if you weren’t there to intervene, you know, it could have really had a different outcome. And now the path seems like it’s going in the right direction. And not only do you impact that child, you impact their that family, you impact the community. I mean, the impact is real.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:16:42] Absolutely. And it does trickle down. And we’re starting to see that in our community now as we become more involved and we’re working with more students and families, that we are really changing individual, dynamic family dynamics as well as we’re trying to change our community and with our staff being here in the community, that just feels a heart that makes us so proud.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:13] So what do you need more of? How can we help?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:17:16] Absolutely. More clients. We’re we’re still a relatively new company. We’re only a few years old, but we’re growing. And therefore, as the demand grows, we want to we will grow proportionately with the demand and we’ll make sure that we have the staff and the capability to meet those needs. But we’re out in the community. And also during the pandemic, we provided meals to 35, almost 40 families every week, and we collected those foods and we delivered the foods to their houses because a lot of people were, again, during the pandemic, during the shutdown, would not come out. And therefore, we delivered food boxes. And we continue to be in the community providing food boxes to those who are in need. We’re showing up at different events, and what we need is just more individuals who know about who we are and what we do and if they are willing to partner with us in this process of wholeness, then we are there for them.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:31] And if somebody wants to learn more, what’s the website? What’s the best way to get a hold of you or somebody on the team?

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:18:37] Absolutely. Through our website again is W WW lifeway services dot org and all of our information is there and most importantly, individuals can choose their free consultation and book it right through our website. It will come to us and we will make sure that we contact those individuals at their designated time.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:01] Well, Antonio, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Antonio Clinkscales: [00:19:06] Know, I appreciate the opportunity and thank you for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:09] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Richmond Business Radio.

Jake Gocke With Deloitte & Touche LLP

October 12, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Atlanta Business Radio

Jake Gocke With Deloitte & Touche LLP

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Jake Gocke is Deloitte & Touche LLP’s National Audit & Assurance Payments leader and a partner in the Fintech practice. He has extensive experience in the payments industry and is passionate about its growth, expansion, and evolution. He serves clients across the payments ecosystem, including merchant acquirer and issuer payment processors, gateways, independent sales organizations, integrated payment solution providers, and payment facilitators. Jake has provided leadership and guidance to his clients through IPOs, debt and equity offerings, new service offerings, management transitions, internal controls implementations and rationalizations, and fiscal year-end changes.

He is a subject matter expert on industry-specific technical accounting topics, including revenue recognition. Jake has served a variety of Deloitte’s clients — from emerging growth companies to our largest and most complex multinational clients. Jake serves on the Technology Association of Georgia FinTech Society Board of Directors. He also serves on the Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth Georgia Fast 40 selection committee. He is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Georgia.

Connect with Jake on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

About the consumer payments industry
The consumer payments section of Deloitte’s 2023 Banking and Capital Markets Outlook touches on unlocking deeper financial relationships beyond transaction flows
Factors that influence the consumer payments industry
The business and consumer sides of digital payments

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:10] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by on pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at unpaid. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] Lee Kantor here another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Jake Gocke with Deloitte. He is the partner National Audit and Assurance Payment Leader. Welcome, Jake.

Jake Gocke: [00:00:52] Thanks for having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:53] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. First, tell us a little bit about your position. How are you serving folks?

Jake Gocke: [00:01:00] Yeah. Happy to. As you said, I’m a partner with Deloitte and I work specifically with clients in the payment processing space. Served clients in the industry for about ten years based in Atlanta. And it’s just. It’s really been an exciting time. So happy to talk to you today.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:15] So before we get too far into things, can you tell the listener, maybe educate them a little bit about what exactly is consumer payments industry? What does that entail? Is it is it banking? Is that what it is or is it that’s just now a subset of what it is today?

Jake Gocke: [00:01:31] Yeah, it’s a great question and I get it quite a bit. And really, payment processing is an industry designed to ensure that people like me and you can use credit and debit cards to pay for transactions. And so a lot of people might go to the grocery store at the checkout swipe, tap or insert their credit card pay for the transaction is approved within 2 seconds and walk out and not really think about how that all happened. And what people don’t realize is behind the scenes there are a lot of different parties involved to ensure that you and I can do exactly that, which is walk in, use a credit debit card transaction, and walk out seamlessly. And so this industry is really expanded quite a bit, a lot of parties involved. And it’s really just an exciting, exciting industry to be in, just given how dynamic and innovative it’s become.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:23] And to that to that end, Deloitte has put together a report that kind of touches on this, and it kind of explains maybe the financial relationships that are involved in all these transactions. And maybe you can talk about that a little bit about how, you know, maybe just give us kind of the State of the Union.

Jake Gocke: [00:02:44] Sure. Happy to. So, yeah, our report does a nice job of just laying out the payment processing ecosystem and really highlighting what’s changed and what’s expected to change over the next five, ten years. But really what we’re seeing in the industry is it’s dynamic, it’s innovative, it’s competitive, and a lot of companies in the space are figuring out ways to drive innovation, disrupt the the old norms of how payment transactions work and deliver more value added services to consumers and to merchants.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:22] Now, you mentioned how complex that this ecosystem is. And for the people who don’t understand, like when you make a payment, whether it’s a credit card payment or debit or, you know, now you can swipe your hand over a machine and that makes a payment. Any of those things. Not only is the merchant obviously touching the money and the bank touches the money, but there’s a multitude of players in between that help kind of move that transaction along. And because of that, I would imagine that’s good for the consumer, the speed of which that happens. But it’s also opens up some possibilities for bad actors to insert themselves and maybe, you know, get access to that same information. Can you talk about how security is is involved in this?

Jake Gocke: [00:04:13] Yeah, and it’s a great point because really what the industry is trying to balance is speed of payments without losing security. And so consumers, merchants, obviously value quick, fast, simple payments. But we also value as consumers and merchants, security and controls to ensure that transactions remain safe. Ultimately, if a transaction is safe, he or she may be less likely to use a credit debit card or make a digital payment. And so the industry, of course, has always been and will continue to be focused on security around transactions, understanding the environment, the ecosystem and potential exposure areas, and really using innovation and sort of historical practices to ensure that transactions remain safe. So certainly there’s a balance here between speed and secure transactions, and the industry continues to be focused on ensuring they are achieving both of those things.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:12] Now, how does kind of Atlanta fit into this fintech ecosystem? Are we a hub of it or are we a big player? Like, where do you see us in kind of the entire, at least the United States ecosystem when it comes to fintech?

Jake Gocke: [00:05:27] I mean, Atlanta is is the hub for payment processing. And a lot of people, even those who reside in Atlanta, don’t realize that six of the ten largest payment processing firms are headquartered in Georgia. 70% of all global financial transactions pass through. Companies headquartered in Atlanta. And Atlanta really has become just the scene as it relates to payment processing. So it’s an exciting place to be and exciting time to be in the payments industry. And as far as the future outlook for Atlanta, it continues to be very bright in the payment processing space.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:01] Now, what kind of trends are you seeing? You said that it’s obviously it changes rapidly and for you to even be able to forecast ten years. Good, good on you on that, because I mean, if you went back ten years, could you have predicted today, ten years ago? I would imagine that would be outside the scope of most people’s predictions. But what are some of the things you see moving forward when it comes to payment processing? Like how much faster can it be? Like, like I said earlier, you can now buy things just by swiping your hand on on a device. And now that’s you can purchase items that way. How else is it going to change?

Jake Gocke: [00:06:37] Yeah, well, I think where we’re going to see changes is really the way a consumer experiences payment transactions. So what you’re seeing more is the development of mobile apps, for example, where payment transactions can occur, but there’s more consumer engagement, more insights for both consumers and merchant in terms of spending behavior, patterns of spending, behavior and the like, and really just more innovation around a payment transaction so that it’s more it feels more of a value added service to both the merchant and the consumer. But you’re absolutely right. You know, ten years ago, I don’t think anyone could have really predicted where we are today. And that’s why what I think is so exciting about this space is in ten years, where will we be then and what innovations are really going to take off as we now in that point in time?

Lee Kantor: [00:07:22] Now, you talk a lot about, obviously consumers and merchants. What about when it comes to peer to peer kind of sharing of funds? Are you seeing that also an area of interest for these fintech firms?

Jake Gocke: [00:07:38] Absolutely. I mean, digital payments is a great example of that, where if I play golf with a friend on the weekend and he happens to pay the fee for that round, I could pay him back my share of it through a number of different apps. I think entities in a space realize that there is a strong appetite for a peer to peer payments and have developed the technology to ensure that can happen and will continue happening going forward. But that’s certainly an area of high growth where I think a lot of us in the industry have the opportunity to continue to innovate and drive consumer engagement.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:13] Now, are you seeing with this switch obviously to a more cashless world, how is that impacting kind of the people who are unbanked? Where does how do they fit into this?

Jake Gocke: [00:08:26] Yeah. I mean, the unbanked and the underbanked certainly have access to card payments through different avenues. I think cash remains very prevalent form of currency in different subsectors. But to think that the unbanked or underbanked don’t have access I think is probably a misconception. It’s just different mechanisms through which these consumers are able to access payment transactions.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:53] And when it comes to kind of the the growth of the businesses that are serving fintech here in Atlanta, are you seeing more companies getting into that, more startups entering that space? Do you see some types of consolidation maybe Where are we at right now when it comes to the fintech industry, maybe from an employment standpoint from in Atlanta?

Jake Gocke: [00:09:19] Yeah, great question. I mean, Atlanta really has, has it all? We’ve got emerging growth companies and start ups. We’ve got private companies that are continuing to thrive and we’ve got very large public companies. So we sort of across the different size or lifecycle of of a of a business, we sort of got all different points, which is fantastic. And I think a big reason for that is we’ve got great colleges in the Georgia area, a lot of talent, a lot of interest in payment processing, just given the history here in Atlanta and really an appetite for innovation. So what we’re seeing is the continued development of fintech startups that are looking to innovate the space. And we’re seeing the continued success and consolidation and growth of existing incumbent companies in the data processing space.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:06] Now, are you seeing the universities and maybe even high schools helping out when it comes to talent and changing curriculum, maybe opening up curriculum that serves this niche to help create more qualified people coming out of university with the type of education and training they need in order to be successful in fintech.

Jake Gocke: [00:10:29] Absolutely. What we’re seeing is across the board, colleges are offering fintech curriculum, payment processing curriculum because there’s a recognition that it is an emerging space, it’s continuing to grow and get traction, and there’s really a great future there. So absolutely, you know, at colleges across the state, we’re seeing curriculum designed specifically around fintech and payments, which is only going to further the cause of growth in the payment space here in Atlanta.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:56] So what do you think the ecosystem needs more of?

Jake Gocke: [00:11:01] Innovation, always, always innovation. And certainly the future outlook is always going to be uncertain. We don’t we don’t know what we don’t know and we don’t know what the next five or ten years will hold. But what we do know is companies need to continue to be agile to deal with the uncertainty and innovate, to continue to drive positive consumer and merchant experiences.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:24] Now from from a Deloitte kind of standpoint, what does Deloitte need more of? Are you looking to hire right now? Are you looking for more talent? You’re looking to partner with more fintech organizations. What do you need more of?

Jake Gocke: [00:11:38] All the above. We’re always looking for, for great talent to grow our practice. We love partnering with other companies in this space, and we’re really just looking for all the different ways we can grow our practice and support the fintech industry here in Atlanta.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:51] So what is the pain that that fintech organization is having where Deloitte is a good partner?

Jake Gocke: [00:11:58] Could you repeat that question?

Lee Kantor: [00:11:59] What is the pain that fintech organization is having where Deloitte is a good partner and can help them solve whatever that issue is?

Jake Gocke: [00:12:07] Yeah, I wouldn’t I wouldn’t really say there are necessarily pains so much as opportunities for companies to continue to grow and find success. And really we can do that across the board. But really what we look to do is, is leverage the expertise we have in the space to help and assist companies continue to develop their products, their services, and grow their own companies.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:30] Can you share an example? Don’t name the name, but an example of maybe a problem or an opportunity that a company had. And Deloitte was able to inject themselves and help them get to a new level.

Jake Gocke: [00:12:41] Sure. I mean, companies all the time are looking to get into the payment space. They might need a roadmap or a playbook in terms of how they can do that. Deloitte has offerings where we can help companies understand the payments ecosystem, how they can develop offerings and really help them build those out.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:58] Now, if somebody wants to get their hands on that 2023 Banking and Capital Markets Outlook report, is that on the website? Where can they find that?

Jake Gocke: [00:13:07] Yeah, it’s online. So if you go to the website and search for the report you just mentioned, it should be easy to find. Click on and read through it.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:15] And then the person that would benefit the most from reading through that report is who.

Jake Gocke: [00:13:23] That’s a great question. I think I would say businesses that are involved in the space or looking to get in the space would find a lot of value in reading a report.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:34] And while, Jake, thank you so much for sharing your story today one more time, the website for Deloitte. If somebody wants to connect with you or somebody on your team or get a hold of this report.

Jake Gocke: [00:13:45] Pardon me.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:45] The website. For Deloitte.

Jake Gocke: [00:13:49] The Deloitte AECOM.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:51] All right. That’s Deloitte’s AECOM to get your hands on that report, find Jake or somebody on his team and learn more about the offerings over there. Well, thank you so much, Jake, for sharing your story. You do an important work and we appreciate you.

Jake Gocke: [00:14:07] Thanks, Ali. Appreciate it.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:08] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on the Atlanta Business Radio.

Intro: [00:14:16] Today’s episode of Atlanta Business Radio is brought to you by On pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll in HR software anywhere. Get one month free at on Paycom.

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Amy Thomasson With Cure SMA

October 11, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Association Leadership Radio

Amy Thomasson With Cure SMA

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Amy Thomasson currently serves as Vice President, Marketing and Communication for Cure SMA. She is a strategist, content creator, and storyteller with extensive experience in marketing and communications, membership development, and volunteer management. She has worked in a variety of business environments ranging from the Fortune 500 to professional associations.

She is a highly-rated speaker and article author, who has partnered with ASAE, Association Forum, AssociationSuccess.org, and standalone associations and nonprofits to deliver engaging content. Amy is a recipient of Association Forum’s Forty Under 40® Award and the Daily Herald Business Ledger’s Influential Women in Business Award. She is a Certified Association Executive, has a BA in Communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an Executive Leadership certificate from Cornell University, and a Professional Fundraising certificate from Boston University.

Connect with Amy on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Building a career in the association and nonprofit industry
Growing a network in the association/nonprofit industry
Benefits of volunteering
Building brand awareness for a rare disease organization
The importance of storytelling for organizations and brands

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix.

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Association Leadership Radio. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:19] Lee Kanter here another episode of Association Leadership Radio. And this is going to be a good one. Today on the show, we have Amy Thompson with Cure SMA. For those who don’t know, stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Welcome, Amy.

Amy Thomasson: [00:00:36] Thank you, Lee. It’s my pleasure to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:38] Well, I’m so excited to learn about your work. Before we get too far into things, tell us about Cure SMA. Can you talk about kind of mission purpose and how you’re serving folks through that?

Amy Thomasson: [00:00:48] I’d be happy to. So Purisima is a 500 1c3 nonprofit, and we work with folks who have, as you mentioned, spinal muscular atrophy. SMA is a rare disease, but it’s one of the least rare or rare diseases, if that makes sense. One in 50 people carries the gene mutation that can produce SMA. So if you have two individuals who have that gene mutation, they have a chance of having a child with spinal muscular atrophy. And there’s four types of spinal muscular atrophy, type one through type four. And within the last few years, we’ve really made a lot of progress on the disease. We now have three approved treatments, but there is still no cure. So Cure SMA is focused on research and support programs for individuals with spinal muscular atrophy and trying to find that cure.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:40] Now, has your work always been in the association field, or is this something new in this time in your career?

Amy Thomasson: [00:01:48] I spent the first ten years of my career in for profit organizations, in manufacturing and distribution. I worked for a Fortune 500, and in 2015 I made the pivot to the association and nonprofit space. So I’d say I’ve spent about half of my career in for profit and now about half of it and non profit.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:11] So what drew you to the association and nonprofit work?

Amy Thomasson: [00:02:15] I did not know much about associations before I came into the association world, and I don’t think that’s unique to me. I think that’s one point where I wish we could spend more time educating youth about the association space because it’s such a great career path. But I was working for a distribution company that was pivoting our offices potentially over to the East Coast, and I really was ready for a change. I wanted to work for a smaller organization where I could have a more meaningful impact, and I had coffee with a friend of a friend who introduced me to the association space, and it just skyrocketed from there.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:56] Now, when you were in your kind of for profit world, were you involved in the kind of the trade associations and the business associations there?

Amy Thomasson: [00:03:04] Yes. I had been involved in an organization called the Industrial Supply Association, so I was certainly involved in a limited capacity volunteering here and there in the association space. So I was definitely aware of trade associations, but I had no awareness of membership based associations.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:23] And then once you started getting involved in the association world, what were some of the skills and talents that you had that kind of transferred and what were some of the areas you needed to shore up?

Amy Thomasson: [00:03:34] So it’s interesting you bring that up because I think in the career journey to because I didn’t come straight from the association, a nonprofit world, it’s created some pluses and minuses, but I think more positives is really given me a solid understanding of strategic planning, building business plans, sales, managing a profit and loss statement, all of those core competencies I brought over from my corporate life. And I really view it as helpful because within the association space, more competitors are coming from the for profit world. So having that knowledge of the for profit world has really helped to differentiate me and create a niche for me in my career journey.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:17] Now, when you’re working for a cause that has no cure yet, how do you kind of keep folks motivated and and pushing forward? How do you like we have a saying here, like I have a for profit business, but you want to ring the bell, right? You want to have successes and wins to celebrate. How do you kind of encourage morale and encourage, you know, the feeling that you are making progress?

Amy Thomasson: [00:04:46] Sure. So within the spinal muscular atrophy space and not just with SMA, but with our pharmaceutical partners, researchers, health care providers, there’s been a lot of progress. Even 20 years ago, if your child got a diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy, you were told, go home and love your child because they’ll likely pass before their second birthday. So now we have people living to adulthood with the disease. So that’s hugely. Motivated. But the next steps are how do we help our community in lieu of a cure? Gain more independence, gain more physical functionality over their muscles, and be able to do the things they want to do. But also, getting on an airplane is a major undertaking. A lot of our folks can’t travel. So finding those other key areas where we can help make daily life better for people with spinal muscular atrophy. And also one thing I was just really blown away by with SMA is the personal touch points. So, for instance, if your child is diagnosed with SMA at one of our partnering medical institutions who are part of our care center network, within several days you’ll receive a package of developmentally appropriate toys, a medical binder helping you navigate things with your insurance and your providers. So really trying to create positive experiences. And a lot of our community says those care packages that they receive from us are the first positive touchpoints they have in their SMA journey.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:24] And it must be so difficult for the families because, like you said, it’s rare, but the not not the rarest. So how do you build that community and foster that kind of We’re all in this together feeling sure.

Amy Thomasson: [00:06:39] So we are thrilled that some of our in-person events are back, outdoor events that we do, fundraising events throughout the US. We have nearly 50 walk in rolls across the country throughout the year. So those are fundraising events. But even more than that, they’re about community engagement and bringing local folks together. And you might not have someone else with spinal muscular atrophy in your neighborhood, but you probably have people closer than you think. So trying to bring those folks together and foster connection. Our conference as well. We have about 3000 people and the logistics of putting on a conference for 3000 people where nearly 1000 of them are in wheelchairs is just astounding to me. I’ve been endlessly impressed by the well-oiled machine that is our community support team at Cure.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:32] Sma Now, in your work in corporate world, volunteering probably wasn’t as prevalent as it is in your work today. I mean, there were probably people that were volun told to do certain things and it was encouraged, but it wasn’t really true. Volunteering. How have you seen volunteering? How how, how big of a part is volunteering part of your work today? And how do you kind of find and motivate those volunteers?

Amy Thomasson: [00:08:01] Volunteering personally has been massively helpful for me, and if there was one tip I could provide to young professionals who are just entering the association space or considering it, it would be to volunteer. Find an organization. You can find a national organization like RSA. I’m in the Chicagoland area, so the Association Forum has been a home base for me. Or you can find more industry specific or profession specific type of volunteer opportunities, like I work in marketing, so some opportunities to flex my skill set. But for me, I was really lucky to be walked into and introduced to volunteering by a mentor of mine who’s been heavily involved in volunteering, and from there I just fell in love. I think volunteering solidified my commitment to the association space even more than where I was working at the time. So I’ve had the opportunity to serve on committees, and then when the pandemic happened, I still try to stay connected by doing virtual speaking opportunities, writing articles, and it’s really been helpful. For instance, when I was interviewing for jobs about a year ago. I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel with writing samples because I had volunteered, had written magazine articles or blog posts for different volunteer groups.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:25] Yeah, I think this is one of those kind of secret hacks for young, aspiring kind of people who want to go up that corporate ladder faster is to volunteer, take leadership positions, demonstrate your skills. You know, you start meeting the people that can hire you in your next job by showing how good you are at this volunteering aspect. People appreciate it. I think a lot of young people would benefit from kind of leaning into their associations no matter the size really, because even the small ones were are going to give you an opportunity to really lead major initiatives for that group and people notice.

Amy Thomasson: [00:10:09] Exactly. It’s how I got comfortable with public speaking. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to do that at that point in my career. And so I started volunteering for speaking engagements. And I remember being on the train going into Chicago for my first speaking engagement and being incredibly nervous, and I kind of developed a mantra for myself. I said, This discomfort is what growth feels like, and now I try to put myself in situations that stretch me a little bit, and I remind myself that that’s in fact, what growth feels like for me.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:44] Yeah, I think I mean, I can’t encourage that’s one of my first things I ask a young person when I’m mentoring them is like, What groups are you part of? You know, how are you participating? It’s not enough to just pay a membership fee and just show up at networking events. You got to really lean into them.

Amy Thomasson: [00:11:02] Right? It is what you put in. You’ll get out what you put in.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:07] Now, you mentioned your background in marketing. Is has marketing different when you’re in a nonprofit as there is kind of are the fundamentals the same? But maybe the execution is different when it comes to marketing in the work that you’re doing today. Like I would imagine the the power of the stories from these individual people are that much more important and they become what kind of is the voice of of the organization? They become kind of helping you define what is needed and what can be done?

Amy Thomasson: [00:11:42] Oh, absolutely. I think one of the difference is and it’s it’s different across roles, comparing associations to nonprofits is associations and nonprofits. We’re mission based organizations, so we tie most things back to our mission. I like to tell people a mission statement is a statement, not a story. So you need more than a statement to attract hearts and minds. So as you mentioned, it’s really about storytelling, highlighting the members of our community because we serve at the pleasure of the members of our community. We exist to elevate them, to help them. So storytelling has been a major initiative I’ve been working on at Charisma. In fact, we even have a stories at Christmas dot org email address and we just invite people passively to send in stories at any time too. And it serves as a great repository for all the different stories of members of our community. But we’re also doing video storytelling, social media, all sorts of things.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:49] Now, is there a story that stands out to you that’s most memorable in the work that you’re doing today?

Amy Thomasson: [00:12:55] We have so many wonderful stories, but there was a woman I interviewed a few months ago. I had met her in person at an event and her tidbits of her story and followed up with her afterwards. She is a mom of several boys, but her son Zachary, has type one SMA, and she was really trying to find inclusive toys for him to play with. He’s in a wheelchair. And so she got a Fisher-Price school bus and there was a character in a wheelchair. But unlike all the other characters and the school bus, the figurine in the wheelchair didn’t walk into place. So when you move the school bus about, he would kind of dash back and forth between the walls of the school bus. And so she went on TikTok and Facebook and said, Fisher-Price, thank you so much for developing these toys, but I really think you could do that much more, and I’d be happy to work with you on that. And product development at Fisher-Price reached out to her and Fisher-Price revamped their airplane and their school bus toys to make them more inclusive, to make the wheelchair figurine fit. And just like all of the other figurines and set her all of those new toys. So she was able to really make an impact at a national level.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:18] And that’s one of those things where, you know, probably at Fisher-Price Price, there wasn’t that representation for someone to say, hey, this isn’t, you know, that’s nice, we’re doing a wheelchair, but it’s not accurate. And this isn’t really their experience. And there wasn’t someone to say that until this woman kind of spoke up and they got their attention to explain how much better it could be. They’ve done 90% of the work. All they need to do is just this little bit more to make it more realistic.

Amy Thomasson: [00:14:48] Exactly.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:51] Now, what is kind of day in the life in your work? Are you spending time, you know, kind of advocating for just more brand awareness for the disease? Are you, you know, partnering with pharmaceutical companies and researchers? Are you trying to serve the families of these folks that are suffering?

Amy Thomasson: [00:15:12] So a little bit of all those things at our leadership level at SMA, we have I have counterparts who are overseeing our conference and our support programs or advocacy programs or fundraising programs and the like. But marketing is interesting, I think, in a lot of organizations, because we touch every single department and work with every single area of the organization every day. So my team and I were joking about this yesterday, but every day looks very different. Right now I’m working on an initiative with Microsoft in partnership with our fundraising team. They October is give month where they match employee donations and encourage volunteerism. So we’re working on highlighting SMA. We’re starting up on an advocacy video series, How to Advocate in Washington DC. We’re working on a website revamp. So there are so many different things we’re doing and every day looks different. But one of my favorite things to do is to sit down and interview members of our community and to learn about their stories and being able to help them share their story. I feel like it’s one of the greatest gifts of my role at SMA.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:30] Because that’s where it comes to life, right? Like a lot of the work that you’re doing is helpful and stuff, but when you hear a person’s story and say what you did improved my child’s life by this, by doing this and that, I mean that’s where the tears start flowing, right?

Amy Thomasson: [00:16:49] Yes, it can be emotionally taxing highs and lows, but it is just such a beautiful gift to be able to see through these individuals that the work we’re doing at this organization is truly making an impact. And I feel like for me, for the first time in my career, I felt like I got a lot of meaning and have gotten a lot of meaning through my volunteer work. But working now directly with the impacted individuals has really made me feel like on fire for my career. It’s truly a career and not a job for me, right?

Lee Kantor: [00:17:26] It becomes a calling where you’re seeing the impact and you’re seeing the the the real effects that it’s just difficult for people who are in that kind of corporate treadmill to really understand. It doesn’t have to be that way. And there are so many organizations that need your skills and that you can really impact people’s lives in meaningful ways, that you’ll actually kind of see the results firsthand. You’ll hear the stories, you’ll you’ll feel the hugs. I mean, it’s really meaningful work. And I wish more people would consider it as a career path.

Amy Thomasson: [00:18:00] Right? Especially with Gen Z, who is more motivated by doing good than a paycheck. Not to say that a paycheck doesn’t matter, but in having impact and meaning in their careers. I can think of no better space to serve than the association and nonprofit space. And what I love about it is I feel like it’s a place where diverse individuals can thrive, where you can explore different career options. I’ve worked in marketing, I’ve worked in membership, I’ve been an executive director and worked in the governance space and all of those things. You can move more flexibly through all those different areas of a business. I feel like in the association space.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:46] And and those organizations, a lot of them are hungry for talent. I mean, this is a chance to really accelerate your career if you want to.

Amy Thomasson: [00:18:55] Very much so. I really hope that more young people coming out of colleges and universities will consider this space and we’ll look to find mentors in this space. That’s really what’s helped me advance my career and grow my skill set. A friend of mine calls it her or her kitchen cabinet and build a group of advisors. I have an association Women’s Network, where six of us get together virtually and candidly talk about career opportunities and career challenges. I have several mentors that I can call up or email that will be responsive and helpful. And so I think that’s another tip I have is just find a few individuals who can help you grow, who can advise you, who are outside of the organization where you currently work.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:49] Right? And if there isn’t an official group, just, you know, be the change you run the world and start your own group.

Amy Thomasson: [00:19:56] Exactly. The women’s network I’m a part of is not an official group. It’s a few of us who had a hunger for deeper conversation and got together and and made this informal women’s circle.

Lee Kantor: [00:20:09] So what do you need more of? How can we help you for cure? Asthma?

Amy Thomasson: [00:20:14] Well, I would love for. We are going into our year end campaign and shortly and, you know, cure asthma. Asthma is a rare disease. So we don’t have the visibility sometimes of a larger organization. Like, for instance, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and all causes are worthy. But if you want to make a true impact for a really wonderful community, these people are the coolest people I’ve ever met. They just they are so much fun. They have such great stories. If you want to make an impact, you can go to cure SMA dot org. We have a donate button and any amount is helpful. We even have a fundraising program called $5 Fridays where we ask you to forego your Starbucks for the day and donate $5 to cure asthma because every dollar has an impact.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:08] Well, Amy, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Amy Thomasson: [00:21:14] Thank you so much, Ali. It was my pleasure.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:16] And that’s cure Smaug, if somebody wants to connect or learn more.

Amy Thomasson: [00:21:21] Yes.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:22] Well, thank you again for sharing your story. Thank you. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Association Leadership Radio.

Alon Bender With CLEER Security

October 11, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Atlanta Business Radio

Alon Bender With CLEER Security

00:00 /

Alon Bender is the CEO and founder of CLEER Security, a Miami-based cybersecurity startup. Backed by industry leaders, CLEER Security offers a SAAS Cybersecurity solution to help SOC teams respond quickly to the alerts that need their immediate attention.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Bender spent 20 years as an enterprise cybersecurity engineer working at the leading cybersecurity vendors including Trend Micro, Symantec, McAfee, and Proofpoint.

He is an NSU Cybersecurity Advisory Committee member, MDC Cybersecurity Center of the Americas Advisory Committee member, South Florida HIMSS member, and South Florida ISSA member.

Connect with Alon on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Inspiration to found CLEER Security
People who benefit the most from the CLEER Security solution
Example of major event that went undetected and had impact to people lives
Making cybersecurity more easily handled for their customers
Best way to learn more or get in touch with CLEER Security

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s time for Atlanta Business Radio, brought to you by on pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll and HR software anywhere. Get one month free at onpay. Now here’s your host.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:31] Lee Kantor here, another episode of Atlanta Business Radio. And this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor on pay. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories today on Atlanta Business Radio. We have Alon Bender with CLEER Security. Welcome, Alon.

Alon Bender: [00:00:49] Thank you so much, Lee. A pleasure to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:52] Before we get too far into things, tell us a little bit about clear security. How are you serving folks?

Alon Bender: [00:00:57] Yeah, CLEER Security is a cybersecurity startup based in Florida, and the way we serve folks is by offering a solution to help organizations better defend themselves against cyber attacks. So we developed a unique and innovative platform. It’s SAS security, a service. It’s all cloud based that allows businesses. We typically target the large organizations, allows businesses and other organizations to deal with the overwhelming number of threats that triggers alerts and be able to sort through the noise and figure out how to respond to those alerts, security alerts, cybersecurity alerts, and in a timely manner.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:48] What’s your background? Why are you the right person to take on this challenge?

Alon Bender: [00:01:53] Yeah, so my background in cybersecurity through and through, I’ve been in the cybersecurity field for my entire career. So in the last ten years, I’ve been working for some of the leading companies in the space like Trend Micro, Symantec, McAfee, Proofpoint, well-known brands. And I witnessed the problem firsthand as a security engineer. I’ve been working with different organizations on the East Coast, on the West Coast, and I learned about the problem of getting overwhelmed with security alerts, cybersecurity alerts first hand by working with a key decision maker. So just coming from that hands on field experience really gave me the right tools and background to put together this company clear security in order to come up with a solution. One of my experiences of being that working for some of those other vendors, when when you meet with the potential customers, each vendor wants to say, Hey, I have my new shiny tool that if you deploy that and that tool will block nearly 100% of threats. While the reality is really there is no tool out there that can get anywhere close to being able to fulfill that promise of stopping 100% of of threats that just doesn’t exist. And that turns into an operational nightmare, operational challenge for many organizations that it’s not if they will get rich, but it’s really when and how do you prepare for that and how do you not overstretch your limited resources as you go through that process of protecting the digital assets of your company?

Lee Kantor: [00:03:47] Now, what part of your technology allows them to kind of see the signal instead of the noise? How do you kind of discern what are the threats that they should be paying attention to and what are the ones that they could ignore?

Alon Bender: [00:04:04] Yeah, that’s a great question. So one of the other things that we notice and that definitely since COVID 19 is that the threat landscape shifted to being people focused, meaning that most of the breaches. So if you look at the latest analyst reports, they talk about 82% in the last year of breaches happened when a person was basically compromised. Someone may have gotten a PCR results and say, Hey, click here, your PCR results are arriving, it’s urgent and other types of a little bit more sophisticated type of attacks like social engineering. You may get the message from someone that you think is your manager. It’s actually not your manager asking you to do something urgent and to share with them a sensitive information like account, bank account details, etc. And those unfortunately are very effective from the bad actors perspective and are able to bypass all of the existing defenses. So what we have done with security, we basically developed and came up with a unique, innovative technology that allows us to identify how people are being targeted. And by doing so, we are now able to go and identify that signal, what we call a signal, and correlate. To look at all of the other signals that you may already have in your network in order to unveil how that bridge or how that threat is propagating or targeting your organization. By doing so, be able to respond to that very quickly.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:47] Now, you mentioned that this is a SaaS product. Is this something that’s geared primarily to kind of the Fortune 1000 companies, or is this something that’s going to be deployed to businesses of all sizes?

Alon Bender: [00:05:59] Yeah, that’s a great question. So we see different use cases. I would say the vast majority of the use cases are the large organization like 2500 employees and above. However, we do work with some MSPs. Those are managed security service providers that are typically much smaller in size and they provide they have the ability to wrap their services around our SAS offering and provide that service to their customers. So they those MSPs are typically much, much smaller. They may have dozens of employees, probably not more than that. And for them to be able to scale up without having to hire lots of resources and it’s very hard to justify that when you are a small organization while still keeping up with the growth in threats that their customers are experiencing and meeting their service level agreements or sla’s with their customers while keeping that within their profit margin. This is where clear security helps these type of service providers to be able to basically provide a force multiplier. So automate what otherwise would have been handled manually.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:17] And then so they become the user of clear on behalf of their clients.

Alon Bender: [00:07:23] Correct. So that becoming the manager of manager. So they basically manage the environment on behalf of their clients and they basically are a client of clear security, but they use clear security as a platform to really manage their customers environment using clear security.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:43] Now, at this stage you mentioned you’re a startup. At this stage. Do you have examples that you can share where this has been deployed and has kind of done what you promise?

Alon Bender: [00:07:55] Yeah. So we are actually this is exactly the process that we are going through right now. We are just releasing our first product, first release to the market. We are actually right now planning for several pilots with potential customers and we definitely would welcome the opportunity to invite anyone else to join our pilot program and just to test the system, there’s no risk. It’s out of band. There’s no risk to any business flow. It’s very safe. The setup of this type of system because it’s SAS cloud base takes minutes. So very easy to set it up and let it just run in audit mode and prove itself.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:44] And so you’re looking for partners to pilot this, whether they’re the end user or the MSPs.

Alon Bender: [00:08:50] Yes, Correct. So we are looking to add more pilots to the program. So if there are any organizations out there that are experiencing challenges when it comes to their security operations, being able to keep up with alerts, with the amount of threats, this is where we can come in and offer a pilot, basically a proof of concept to demonstrate how we are able to help them in their unique and specific environment.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:21] Now, you mentioned before that humans tend to be the weak link or can be a weak link in organizations. Is there an example you can share of something that maybe has gone undetected and that had a big impact?

Alon Bender: [00:09:35] Yeah, absolutely. So I would think about something that actually there are a number of examples that are more recent, like Uber. The Uber one is fairly recent, very recent. But I like to give another example because I was involved in that hands on, and that’s back in 2018, there was a major ransomware attack on the city of Atlanta. So if you remember, that was all over the news. And that all started basically with a simple email that contained the ransomware. And the the impact of that single attack was immense. The MARTA services were impacted a pain. All of the payment services throughout the city of Atlanta went down for a period of time. It took several good months to recover from that cyber attack. And during that time there was disruption to all city services. Anything that involved payments from parking to transportation to airport. That was a very severe event and I like to use that as an example because people not always realize that those type of cyber attacks have very real implications and they can impact our lives in a very, very real way. And the Atlanta Bridge would be probably a good example of that.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:01] And then sometimes it’s like you said, that it’s just an email that people aren’t, you know, paying super close attention to that just slip through the cracks. Somebody clicks on something and then all of a sudden now a hundred dominoes have now fallen and you’re in trouble.

Alon Bender: [00:11:18] Exactly. So what happened with the city of Atlanta is that the bad actors? It was an Iranian group that actually operated out of Germany, and they basically targeted specific people within the city. So that was a highly targeted, very sophisticated type of attack. It’s not a widespread virus that everybody sees, and it’s easier to to identify the footprint, but it was highly targeted. Those are very hard to detect, even though the method itself was very simple. So during my involvement with the city of Atlanta at the time, I helped the city to identify some of those risks and I was able to show to the heads of cybersecurity in City of Atlanta that the police department, including the police radio, were targeted by bad actors trying to bring down anything that is related to the police form the police radio, meaning just try to insert a ransomware and lock down all of the systems and all of the files that are related to the police radio to targeting. At the time, the chief of police and deputy deputy chief of police. So that was a very sophisticated orchestrated attack. And unfortunately, those happen every single day.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:43] Now, if somebody wants to learn more about clear security, maybe participate in the pilot or just learn more about the offering, what is the best way to get a hold of you or check out the website or something along those lines?

Alon Bender: [00:12:58] Yeah, I think the best way is to check out our website. Our website is clear c l e r s e c dot com. And if anyone wants to get a hold of me, they can find my details on LinkedIn. That’s alone a one vendor and we are more than happy to share more details around our programs as well as to further discuss the opportunity to offer pilots. And what are some of the benefits of running those pilots risk free. It’s we don’t charge for the pilots, so there’s really no risk, no cost, and it will give you a good visibility to into the threats that you may be missing today and more importantly, how you can automate what you may be doing today manually.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:49] Now, as you mentioned before, your startup, are you looking for funding at this point? Are you looking for talent? Is there anything else we could be doing to help you?

Alon Bender: [00:14:00] Yes. So we are in the process of actually opening our next round of funding. So we definitely are open to discussions with any VCs or investors. We do have several high profile angel investors that are behind clear security and we definitely look forward to the opportunity to to extend that that opportunity to additional investors as we are planning for our hypergrowth and and executing executing on our go to market strategy.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:39] Well, Alan, thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Alon Bender: [00:14:44] Thank you. Lee, Thank you so much.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:46] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you next time on Atlanta Business Radio.

Intro: [00:14:54] Today’s episode of Atlanta Business Radio is brought to you by On pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll in HR software anywhere get one month free at on paycom.

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Amber Cleveland With Peace of mind Popsicles

October 6, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Atlanta Business Radio

Amber Cleveland With Peace of mind Popsicles

00:00 /

Amber Cleveland, CEO at Peace of mind Popsicles.

She is a serial entrepreneur, a mom, a mental health therapist, and a GSU alumni. She has been in private practice for 12 years in Decatur, GA treating adults with anxiety, depression and stress management. She’s the mother of a child with learning differences and food sensitivities. And she is passionate about making life easier for all parents as they raise unique and amazing children.

Connect with Amber on LinkedIn and follow Peace of mind Popsicles on Facebook.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

The inspiration of the idea for POM pops
What makes their brand different
How and why the gut brain connection is so important
Who POM pops are for
Where to buy POM pops

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Lee Kantor: [00:00:31] Lee Kantor here another episode of GSU ENI radio. And I am so excited to be talking to my guest today. Amber Cleveland with Peace of mind Popsicles or POM pops. Welcome, Amber.

Amber Cleveland: [00:00:45] Hi.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:47] I’m so excited about learning more about your operation. Tell us about pom pops. How are you serving folks?

Amber Cleveland: [00:00:53] So we are an allergen dye and GMO free brand of popsicles. We offer freedom of choice for kids. They can have anything in our brand if they have food sensitivities or allergies, and we offer no stress for parents. They don’t have to ask about ingredients. They don’t have to worry about reactions to foods. It’s just inclusion and fun and freedom for the whole family.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:17] So what was the kind of genesis of this idea? How did it come about?

Amber Cleveland: [00:01:22] Sure. So I am the mother of a child with food sensitivities and learning differences. So one day after tutoring, I decided to take her to Jenny’s ice cream for a treat, and we walked up to the counter and I asked the cashier, Do you have any options that are both gluten and dairy free? And she said, Yeah, I have this one right here, and pointed to the one in front of her. And my daughter was livid. She said, I don’t want that one. I want one of those, and pointed to the other 30 flavors behind the counter. And what should have been fun just turned into something really stressful. And I realized that I’m not the only parent going through this. She’s not the only kid going through this. There’s just a lack of options for these kids and these families, and they’re just underserved in public places.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:14] So then, had you ever made popsicles before?

Amber Cleveland: [00:02:19] I had, actually. So my daughter was on a really specialized diet when she was little called the Gap diet. And I’m I’m actually a mental health therapist. And so I had a lot of experience on healing her body through nutrition. And so I have a background in making foods by hand for years, actually.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:41] So was this the first time that you tried to create your own kind of brand of Popsicle?

Amber Cleveland: [00:02:49] So it is my my first time creating a food brand. My family owned a restaurant in College Park for 20 years, so I have some experience in the food service industry and in that domain. And I actually have a business partner who makes the popsicles now, but I have made popsicles in the past that I’m not technically the popsicle maker at this point.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:09] Now, when you were coming up with the concept and you were trying to make it, you know, I guess specifically for your child, but children like your child and maybe adults as well, how did you kind of come up with the flavors like the widget? How do you even launch something like this? Did you start with one flavor and then expand? How did that go?

Amber Cleveland: [00:03:32] That’s a great question. So it was a little bit of trial and error. We tried a few different recipes to see which ones were the best. And then I did a little bit of research on what are the most popular flavors of popsicles and ice cream. So that was kind of the starting point. And in regard to kind of getting them out there, we started selling in local farmer’s markets and really just started getting feedback from people and kind of tracking sales and seeing like, what did we sell the most of the least of and trying to figure out what was the most popular.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:05] And then what are the types of ingredients that are in one of your popsicles in order to satisfy all of those demands for folks who have allergies and all the different issues that they’re dealing with.

Amber Cleveland: [00:04:18] So the base of our popsicles is a combination of organic, non-GMO, coconut milk, organic, non-GMO cane sugar, and then a grass fed beef gelatin. And from there we add in different ingredients that we source locally, like different fruits and herbs and spices.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:39] And then when did you start going? Hmm, We might be on to something here.

Amber Cleveland: [00:04:45] Hmm. That’s a great question. I think once we started getting feedback from people at the farmer’s market and they were asking, you know, are you going to distribute? Where can I get these? It was just it was reinforcement that there was a need and that the product, you know, met their expectations and was actually both healthy and delicious.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:07] Now, none of the like kind of the big players in the popsicle market, they’re not going after this market at all. And you guys are the kind of for creating your own path in this space.

Amber Cleveland: [00:05:22] To some degree, yes. There are. So like King of Pop’s is out there and they do have some allergen free options. But what differentiates us is that our entire brand is free of these things. So we offer something that they can’t in terms of the exclusivity of the brand being entirely inclusive. We subtract the mental work for the parents and that’s not something they can offer unless they get rid of all of their regular popsicles, which is highly unlikely given that that’s where the majority of their sales is going to be.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:54] And then so you’ve been rolling this out primarily through festivals and farmer’s markets.

Amber Cleveland: [00:06:00] We have that’s that’s been phase one of our sales and that’s where we have been. And we’re we’re currently moving into phase two and where we haven’t solidified anything yet, but we’re we’re in discussions with two local health food stores to retail them by early winter.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:18] And then how did you get involved with the Main Street fund? How did that get on your radar?

Amber Cleveland: [00:06:26] I actually was in the first cohort about two and a half years ago, two years ago, three years ago. It’s been a while and for a lot of personal reasons, wasn’t able to complete that that project that I you know, I had a great relationship with M.K., the director, and he said, you know, I understand what you’re going through personally, and if you have another idea, you can always come back. And I had another idea and I came back and it just happened to work out this time and everything lined up. And so that’s kind of how I got into this cohort.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:59] Now how have they helped you kind of get to a new level? What what has their experience been for you to go through the program again?

Amber Cleveland: [00:07:08] It’s been great. So the funding has been tremendous. Just to have money to work with to start for start up costs, doing food we have for permitting and everything. We have a lease with a commercial kitchen. So it’s been great to have the funding for that to help us get off the ground. And then also the mentorship, it’s just been incredible. There’s just so much that you don’t know about, what you don’t know. And being able to rely on the expertise of the mentors in the program has been incredibly helpful.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:42] Now, can you explain to the listener why it’s important to have a choice like this out there for folks like why that maybe explain the the connection between the food and the body and brain of a young person, especially why it’s important to have a brand like yours out there serving not just folks with food sensitivities, but probably other people as well would benefit from this choice rather than one that doesn’t do it the way you do it.

Amber Cleveland: [00:08:15] Now, that is really my passion. When you ask me what the recipe was, the all of the primary ingredients serve your health holistically right, children and adults, but especially in growing bodies and brains. The coconut milk is a healthy fat and your brain is 70% fat. So automatically you’re feeding your child’s brain when they’re when they’re eating coconut milk. The beef gelatin that I mentioned that heals and seals your gut. So that’s going to improve your GI function. And 90% of your serotonin and a lot of your other trans neurotransmitters are made in the gut. And then last but not least, the fruit and the herbs and the spices. They all contain phytochemicals and micronutrients which boost your immune system. So not only are you not doing anything bad by avoiding the bad stuff, you’re doing something really, really good. Every time your kid has one of these popsicles, it’s actually building the foundation of health.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:22] Now, a lot of foods that are good for you don’t taste that great. How do you make these things taste great?

Amber Cleveland: [00:09:31] So sorry. It. So the cane sugar helps, right? A little. A little bit of sweetness. Certainly appeals to most people. And also Taylor, who actually makes our popsicles, is I mean, she’s an amazing chef. She’s an amazing cook. Her background is in food and early childhood education. So she’s very passionate about this. But she has a knack for bringing all these ingredients together in a way that just is really delicious.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:02] And then so if people want to kind of get one and try them. Is there a website like how how do people find out where you’re at or where you’ll be in a given week or weekend?

Amber Cleveland: [00:10:17] So you can follow us on Instagram at At Peace of Mind Pops and all of our information is right there. We are working toward building a website and we intend to eventually have direct to consumer sales that we can ship them directly. But prior to that, we’ll be in some stores in the Atlanta area and our our lineup of where we’re going to be at different farmer’s markets is also posted on our Instagram page.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:44] It’s really an amazing story. Do you have any advice for other maybe moms out there that have figured out something for their kid that they might be sitting on a real business opportunity if they kind of maybe looked at it a little differently? Any advice for moms out there to take something that they’ve been doing at home and maybe at least make it available for others to see if it could be a business?

Amber Cleveland: [00:11:08] Yeah, I think it’s it’s just talking to the other moms that, you know, and seeing if there’s really a need for that. And then, you know, it’s there’s something just really powerful and people wanting to help other people. And that’s a huge motivation for us as well as I know a lot of other kind of wellness businesses in the Atlanta area. If you’re passionate about helping people, if you really have something that makes people’s lives easier and makes their quality of life better, it will sell itself. It’s just a matter of bringing it to life and and the resources are out there. You’ve just got to pursue them.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:47] Well, congratulations on all the success and the momentum you’ve got. It must be pretty exciting for you to see this thing keep blossoming.

Amber Cleveland: [00:11:55] It really is. It is. It is thrilling to to see this unfold and to be a part of it. It is it is a passion that I have. And watching the progress that my child has made over time, I can only hope that other families experience the same thing. And if peace of mind pops can be a part of that. It’s just it’s really great.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:16] And then Instagram is the best place to find peace of mind pops right now, and then they can find out where you’re at at any given weekend.

Amber Cleveland: [00:12:25] Exactly. And we will have a website coming soon that’s just on our ongoing list of things to develop. We’re not there yet, but anything you need to know for now, you can find on Instagram.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:35] Well, Amber, thank you so much for sharing your story today. You’re doing such important work and we appreciate you.

Amber Cleveland: [00:12:41] Okay, great. Thank you. I appreciate you having me.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:43] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GSU. Any radio?

Intro: [00:12:52] Today’s episode of Atlanta Business Radio is brought to you by On pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll in HR software anywhere. Get one month free at on Paycom.

Dr. Sabina Prempeh-Arbuah With Sabine DuPain Consults LLC

October 6, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

GWBC Radio

Dr. Sabina Prempeh-Arbuah With Sabine DuPain Consults LLC

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Dr. Sabina Prempeh-Arbuah, MBA, SSM (h.c.) obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in International Trade & Finance from Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) and pursued a professional and advanced degree in a dual program. She graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Business Administration (MBA Degree) from Keller Graduate School of Management and a certification in Health Services Management. She also attained a Harvard certification in Management Essentials

She has over 18+ years of corporate experience in FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) and Business Strategy with global, publicly traded, and Big 4 companies. She has spent 8 years of her corporate career in the consulting industry with one of the top 4 consulting firms in the world and acquired a wealth of knowledge and expertise from her tenure. Thereafter, she transitioned to industry and then to the financial services sector.

She is a Certified Life Coach, Inspirational and Motivational Speaker. She speaks at conferences internationally and in the United States. Sabina is the Executive Producer and Host of The Dominion series; an inspirational and motivational program airing on Radio, TV, the Sabina Music-Dominion TV youtube channel and on her social media platforms.

She has been featured on CBS, FOX, NBC, The US Times, Voyager ATL Trailblazers among other news publications, where she shares a message of hope and encouragement – embracing life in its fullness, weathering storms and living on purpose.

She is the CEO of Sabine Dupain Consults LLC; a business, financial consulting and coaching firm. Sabina has been helping clients since 2008 attain clarity, break through obstacles holding them back in life, discover purpose and live at full potential through a journey of transformational change.

Connect with Sabina on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Business consulting & financial management experience helping companies in FP&A. & Agile methodologies.
Expertise as a certified life coach. Featured in multiple publications including Voyager ATL, Fox, CBS, Beauty & The Gospel, etc – sharing her story of overcoming challenges, inspiring change, encouraging others – and have a goal helping her clients.
Work as a motivational speaker, host and exec producer of inspirational series on Youtube, Radio & TV – SabinaMusic -DominionTV
Courses she have launched and have upcoming – Mystery of dreams – LIVE (This is under life coaching wing)
Other courses (Business coaching wing) – Agile Simplified series. – Free webinar coming plus teaching and coaching on all seeking Agile safe certification, and to understand Agile.

Cordero Tanner With Athleaders 360°

October 6, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Atlanta Business Radio

Cordero Tanner With Athleaders 360°

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Cordero Tanner is the Founder and Executive Director of Athleaders 360°. He holds a Master’s of Public Health from Georgia State University and a bachelor’s of science in Sociology for Virginia Tech. Tanner has over ten years of youth and community development in a variety of roles from coaching to being an outreach coordinator.

His public health experience has enabled him to develop a unique approach to sports. Using the socioecological model of health, Tanner looks at the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community and society to create a holistic approach to coaching and youth development that seamlessly incorporates the character traits of “discipline, grit, teamwork, and sportsmanship.” With this approach he not only concentrates on athletic performance, but social and mental wellbeing to equip athletes with the necessary tools to function on and off the field.

Cordero is a loving husband and dedicated father of a daughter and son, whom he is raising in Atlanta.

Connect with Cordero on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Issues that their organization addresses
Their organization’s key activities
Their goals for Athleaders 360

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Lee Kantor: [00:00:31] Lee Kantor here. It’s time for another one of my favorite things we do each week, and that is to spotlight the folks at GSU ENI and the Main Street Fund, folks that are really changing the landscape of the entrepreneurial world in Atlanta. So today on GSU ENI Radio, we have Cordero Tanner with Athleaders 360. Welcome.

Cordero Tanner: [00:00:55] Thank you for having me. I’m glad to be here. Beyond today?

Lee Kantor: [00:00:58] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us about at Leaders 360. How are you serving, folks?

Cordero Tanner: [00:01:04] Yeah. So at least 3060 is a leadership development organization for young athletes. And we help youth sports coaches develop the skills needed to coach the next generation of leaders in the sports world as a deep divide between the expectations of youth sports coaches and actual competencies of those coaches. Of the 6.5 million youth coaches in the in the United States, only 30 of them, 30% of them have any kind of training. And sports is one of the only areas where adults are allowed to guide, you know, skills or training. So an athlete. We focus on equipping coaches with the best practices and practices in youth development so they can develop a coaching framework that is child centered, looks at the four lives out in the communities they are from and uses social justice to holistically develop their athletes.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:54] So how did this idea come about? What was the genesis? Did something happen that kind of got you fired up about this issue and this way to tackle it?

Cordero Tanner: [00:02:04] Yeah. So I’ve always had a strong passion for sports. I remember when I was in the fifth grade, I declared myself the assistant basketball coach of one of my teachers. Girls basketball team had a whistle and everything. And, you know, it was in college when I actually got my first chance to be a volunteer coach to a fourth grade basketball team. And my experiences, coupled with what I was learning in my sociology classes and public health, and I was actually what I was saying in youth development, and I was seeing the link between social inequities and sports and thinking there could be a way to actually holistically develop youth. So in spring of 2020, right before the pandemic, you know, I created athletes because you know what they say, they often say coaches say they don’t care about what you know until they know that you care. So I felt like, you know, this is the opportunity to give to other coaches and be able to show our athletes that we care about them and that we can give them all the tools that they need to be leaders in this world.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:09] And at the heart of it, though, is the athletes, right? Where these the person that chooses to be part of a sport, to be part of a team, they have kind of the core fundamentals maybe that aren’t fully developed yet, but at least there’s an opportunity to develop these athletes as true leaders. And with the right training and coaching, they can really kind of wring out the most value of being an athlete leader, whether they are, you know, become a professional athlete or not, just fundamentally the skills they’re going to gain if trained properly, are going to serve them the rest of their life.

Cordero Tanner: [00:03:46] Yeah, that’s right. So one of the things that we like to say is we, we through it, we do the work for the athletes, but we do it through our coaches. If you don’t even know anything about the sports world, athletes, coaches, anywhere between 12 to 25 hours per week, and that’s a lot of times that’s more than with any other adult. So we saw that the coach athlete relationship is a very critical relationship that we if we can get it right. And we can give these coaches the tools that they need, that we can we could really launch these athletes and have them prepared for the world, whether or not they make it to that next level or not. They’ll be ready for life regardless.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:33] Now, how did you develop this methodology around what you’re going to be coaching these coaches about and in order to serve their athletes that they’re working with?

Cordero Tanner: [00:04:46] Yeah, that’s a good question. So I’ve been a coach now for probably a little over ten years, so I’m deeply rooted in the coaching world. But also, like I said earlier, you know, my relationship with players, you know, that I’ve had in the past and, you know, the players that I coached, they they said these are the things they need. Like they verbalize those things that, you know, they need more support from their coaches. They want to be heard from their coaches and they seek this relationship. So everything that we’ve done with athletics is deeply rooted in the community. Everything is based on the needs of our athletes, but also we have input from coaches and saying, you know, where they need help it and where areas sit their weekend. So everything that we do at athletics has been rooted in what the coaches and athletes need.

Lee Kantor: [00:05:42] But as a coach, there’s a lot of there’s different styles of coaching. I mean, you have some that are kind of the old school yell at you and berate you to build you back up again. There’s others that are nurtured, more nurturing and more like kind of players, coaches. How do you kind of land on or do you land on a way, a methodology, or do you just say, here’s some best practices and just incorporate them? You know, that fits in a way that fits your personality and your style.

Cordero Tanner: [00:06:13] Yeah. So that’s another great question. I believe for the most part. There are multiple coaching styles, but what athlete is what we do is we just tell coaches like, here’s what your what your current generation of athletes need. Here are the things that they believe in here, the things that they value, and here are the things that they want to see in their leaders. And we give them those those best practices so they can in turn translate, add that into their coaching philosophy so they can be the best coaches for their for the athletes.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:50] And then right now, what stage are you at? You’ve obviously developed some methodology. Is any of your work happening right now?

Cordero Tanner: [00:07:00] Yeah. So just this summer we had five leadership retreats where we brought in athletes. We got them away from the hustle and bustle of everyday world, and we took them into the mountains and, you know, we did a lot of personal development, identity development, and talked about mental health and just gave them the opportunity to develop bonds with their peers, their teammates. And actually in this fall, we’re going to this fall, coming forward, we’re going to have our first. Coaching fellowship, where we’re going to work with coaches and really just work on that idea of being a transformational coach for your players.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:42] So the first retreat was athlete focused and then the next one is going to be coach focused.

Cordero Tanner: [00:07:48] Exactly. So one of our methods is we we focus on athletes, we talk to them, we learn the things that they need, the things that they want, and really figure out the areas in which they are struggling in and and where coaches can be best helpful. And then we take what we learn and we give it to the coaches.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:10] And then so moving forward, are you going to have services that are geared directly to the athlete as well as services that are aimed at the coaches, or is it going to be one or the other or It’s both right now?

Cordero Tanner: [00:08:26] Currently it’s both. Right now, I believe it’s important to really focus on on both. And that way by focusing on our athletes who are always, you know. Of the new challenges and the things that they’re going through. Say, we could give our coaches the latest and most up to date information to help them so they got the best tools to help their athletes.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:50] So how did you learn about the Main Street fund?

Cordero Tanner: [00:08:56] I actually learned about it from a participant in cohort to elicit that she we did the Civic Atlanta Fellowship with the center, the civic innovation. We did that together. And she’s like, you should apply, you know, you’re at Georgia State. And I was like, okay, I’ll apply. So that’s how I found out about it.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:16] Can you share maybe some ways that going through the program, how that’s helped you grow your business or maybe position it?

Cordero Tanner: [00:09:26] Yes. Since I started the fellowship, things have been going. I’m really great. You know, I’ve developed a lot of partnerships, important partnerships with people in the city of Atlanta. And I’ve also been able to learn a lot from from M.K. and his team there. And Erica. They’ve really been very helpful and very hands on and been able to, you know, catapult the guys, the people that are in the fellowship. So it’s been a great experience. But then I would say the most important thing and the most the thing that I’m most excited is that being around like peers who are on this entrepreneurial journey with me and we’re going to be able to share our wins and share our losses and, you know, be there to support each other. So that’s one of the main things that I’m most excited about being a part of this cohort.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:23] Now, do you have any advice you could share for other founders, you know, that are thinking about taking the leap into entrepreneurship and maybe are hesitant a little because, you know, not not everybody is kind of what wants to be that founder, that wants to be that person that’s following this type of path. Some people, you know, want to just go to school, get a degree, get a job. Any advice for that person that maybe has in the back of their head? I think I want to try this entrepreneur path.

Cordero Tanner: [00:10:57] Yeah, no, it’s definitely not easy. So I guess the main thing that I would say and what’s been most helpful for me is finding you a community, a supportive community that that’s going to be there for you. It’s going to call to check on you. If they haven’t heard from you a while, that’s going to give you constructive criticism or an advice. So finding that that close community that you can lean on when times get hard and that you can celebrate when you reach your accomplishment. So I would say that’s the main thing. Like if you’re going to go down this route, you have to get you a strong, tight community that you can rely on throughout the whole process.

Lee Kantor: [00:11:40] So what do you need more of? How can we help you?

Cordero Tanner: [00:11:46] Oh, well, right now, if anyone’s listening and you have a youth sports organization and you feel like your coaches need any training, feel free to contact me. And also, you are a school district or something and you want some coaches training or want to work through the athletes you can contact with. An athlete is 3060 dot org and we’ll love to partner with you.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:11] And that’s 80 Aliadiere is the number three, the number six, the number zero dot org.

Cordero Tanner: [00:12:20] That’s great.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:21] Well, congratulations on all the success and thank you so much for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Cordero Tanner: [00:12:30] Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed my time.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:32] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on GSU, N.I. Radio.

Intro: [00:12:41] Today’s episode of Atlanta Business Radio is brought to you by On pay. Built in Atlanta on pay is the top rated payroll in HR software anywhere. Get one month free at onpay.com.

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Steve Gilman With Range

October 6, 2022 by Jacob Lapera

Startup Showdown Podcast

Steve Gilman With Range

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Steve Gilman, Co-Founder & CEO at Range

Steve graduated Yale University with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and was elected captain of the baseball team. He spent several years as a closing pitcher after being drafted in 2008 by the Detroit Tigers.

Following baseball he spent time as an Intelligence Officer for the Department of Defense, completing embassy tours as a diplomat in Cairo and Abu Dhabi.

He attended Columbia business school, graduating in 2015 with his MBA, it was then he Co-Founded blockparty, which changed the way tailgating partnerships are developed division 1 colleges.

While building the company in Dallas, TX, he received a direct commission into the US Navy as a Reserve Intelligence Officer, where he currently serves as a Lieutenant. Steve moved back to NYC area at the end of 2020 and started Range, an early-stage workforce development tech company.

Connect with Steve on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode

Leading an early-stage team
What makes a good co-founder
Test Go to Market Strategies
Professional development for employees
Product development

This transcript is machine transcribed by Sonix

TRANSCRIPT

Intro: [00:00:04] Welcome back to the Startup Showdown podcast, where we discuss pitching, funding and scaling startups. Join us as we interview winners, mentors and judges of the monthly $120,000 pitch competition powered by Panoramic Ventures. We also discuss the latest updates in software Web3, Healthcare, Tech, FinTech, and more. Now sit tight as we interview this week’s guest and their journey through entrepreneurship.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:39] Lee Kantor here another episode of Startup Showdown, and this is going to be a good one. But before we get started, it’s important to recognize our sponsor, Panoramic Ventures. Without them, we couldn’t be sharing these important stories. Today on Startup Showdown, we have Steve Gilman with Range. Welcome, Steve.

Steve Gilman: [00:00:57] Hey, Lee. Thanks for having me. Excited to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:00] Well, I’m excited to learn what you’re up to. Tell us a little bit about range, how you serve in folks.

Steve Gilman: [00:01:05] Yeah. So Range is a professional development platform and service that allows companies to invest in the individual employees. We’re a service that allows companies to strategically upskill all of their employees to make sure they retain and grow top talent.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:23] So how did you get into this line of work? Have you always been involved in this industry?

Steve Gilman: [00:01:29] Yeah, I think it’s it’s interesting. I haven’t always been. I come from a varied background of different types of organizations. But throughout my career, I reflected and understood that the one thing that I always tried to do, no matter what my job title was, was to empower others. And usually I saw myself doing that, advising chief people, officers or HR in terms of how professional development worked at the company. I basically wanted my self and friends to get ahead if they were willing to continuously learn throughout their career. And so whether it was with the government or with Johnson Johnson, IBM, in my past, I’ve always kind of found a way to to help others thrive. And so range is just a culmination of of that and making it more scalable for professional development to happen everywhere.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:22] So you always saw the value of professional development and came up with a way that it can kind of be deployed for more people and more situations.

Steve Gilman: [00:02:32] That’s exactly right. I saw the value in professional development. I also kind of saw whether it’s a small company or a large company, no matter what the industry is, it’s incredibly hard to deploy true professional development, which is usually very individualized, usually uses external resources. We’ve all heard of tuition reimbursement and things like that, and when it comes down to it, companies usually don’t have the infrastructure to do what’s needed, what their employees are continuously demanding for lifelong education. So I got together with my co-founder and CTO Hooten a little over a year ago and realized that we both saw the same issues, both as employees of larger companies and operators of our own companies in the past.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:18] So you decided to go the route with a co founder. Can you talk about kind of the trade offs you had to make when identifying the right co founder and kind of negotiating the arrangement?

Steve Gilman: [00:03:30] Yeah, I think who tends a good friend of mine and has been since we both started our first company separately, we met in a combined co-working center back in 2015 and each had our own experiences. I went into live events in hospitality with a company called BLOCK Party. He went into machine learning as well as an E commerce business. Starting from the ground up. When we settle on the idea of starting a company co-founding a company together. I think there was two main things. One, we had enough startup experience to know how forming arrangements work and and why that was going to be good for us, our company and any stakeholders that came along. So that was relatively easy to put together. Our first conversation and the other piece is bifurcation of duties. I’m clearly on the business side. He’s clearly on the product brand technology side. And so it was a little easier to know which domains we kind of control. And at the end of the day, we trust each other. So conversations have been easy ever since ever since we decided to start something together.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:43] Now, you mentioned your past. That’s been pretty varied in terms of what you’ve done, whether it’s been playing sports, whether it’s been getting involved in the government or work in enterprise level organizations, making this leap to, you know, a startup. How has that been? Or is this just another kind of game that you’re playing here and that it’s the same rules, just a different field?

Steve Gilman: [00:05:09] I like how I like how you frame that. So to kind of describe where I am in my journey, I am a recovering mechanical engineer, recovering professional baseball player, recovering project manager, recovering intelligence officer. And that all happened before I went back to business school full time to discover what I wanted to do next. I found very quickly, not just in the groups that I kind of spend most of my time with, but also just as a creative outlet that building businesses from the ground up was going to be what I did with my life, and I needed business school to understand how that transition work and get some of the skills I needed to apply every business that I start. I, I, I want to be with it for 10 to 20 years and beyond, and I want to be in it with the right people. So I started my first company in 2015. I started this latest one when I moved back up to New York during the pandemic, knowing I want to have a technology venture with Hooton and we started building. So, you know, startups for me are a time in my life where I don’t see anything else in front of me. Right. You kind of work for your own. You’re building that creativity. Whenever I’ve been part of other organizations, I’ve always looked out for what’s next. Now it’s all about Do we have what it takes to drive the mission? And so range is kind of a culmination of everything I’ve been through, but the only thing really that I care about right now.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:45] So in some ways it’s similar to sports in terms of you have a goal that you’re putting all your efforts and that building a team around. Do you notice any similarities to, you know, having been part of successful teams and have building your own team here with range?

Steve Gilman: [00:07:05] Yeah. So I owe baseball and athletic career to a lot of the lessons that I derive in my life about leadership, about achieving goals, about interacting with different personalities, dealing with adversity and everything like that. I think the main difference, which is why startups are just so interesting and fascinating and kind of never stop, is that with sports you usually have a goal defined for you. In baseball, it’s scored more runs than the other team and win the World Series, right. And keep climbing the ladder. So everything you’re doing is building towards that goal. Work harder, work smarter, get the right people on the team, lead through adversity. Awesome in startup land, in business land in general. All of those same things apply to hit the goals, but you have to define what the goals are, and it’s a little more ambiguity. There’s a lot more ambiguity when it comes to leading a team in the right direction, because you’ll never 100% of the time know the exact direction that you have to be leading the team. And so in that way, it’s more challenging, more stimulating. You bring all the pieces together, but you’re also doing a lot of trying to figure it out every every day along the pattern, if you’re if you’re heading towards the right goals, because if you achieve the wrong goals, it’s not going to matter much in terms of achieving your mission.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:29] Right. That’s something that’s always fascinated me about sports, is that in some ways, sports it’s it’s very it’s a meritocracy in the sense that the best players are the ones playing and participating. But each season kind of is finite. So there’s an end and that means there’s a rest period and reevaluation. And then rejiggering of the team happens. So sports and business have similarities, but you brought up some really great points, the ambiguity and the lack of, you know, kind of a finish line that’s, you know, that everybody knows that we’re all aiming for is a lot different. And it requires different skills and a different kind of timeline and level of patience and humility.

Steve Gilman: [00:09:13] Yeah, I think. I think that’s right. Our coaches used to pose it to us in baseball. You play for seven months out of the year what they call the championship season from spring training until you lose or win in the playoffs. And then you have five months off and you get sick of the game that you play every single day, no matter how exciting it is, that offseason gives you a chance to do something else, realize how much you miss it, and then come back energized. And the seven five rule kind of works really well for a lot of different sports. You don’t get the time off with start ups. Yeah, there’s slower times of the month and their seasonality to some of the things that work. But much like the rest of the working world, there’s no time off to kind of reevaluate and realize what you miss most about the day. So it’s a little bit different in that way. The other thing that I’ll kind of point out is in baseball, we often joked amongst the folks who went in right after college that you take it so seriously, right? You want to be competitive. It’s what you do. It’s your trade, it’s what you get paid for. But at the end of the day, it is a game, right? You still go to Denny’s after the game, eat your grand slam and then the next day you wake up and it’s all over. The worst that happens is some fans say I’ll shucks, will get them tomorrow and they’re not tremendously pleased when they go home. Business is different. You’re trying to affect people’s lives every single day. So we take it very seriously here and we try to have fun while we’re doing it to make sure we’re we’re creative and innovative. But it’s very different than kind of the the swings of being in it and being not in it when when you’re doing sports.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:56] Now, getting back to the business part of things, when did you start realizing that with this idea that you had something that is viable? Like did you have a moment where you’re like, okay, this I’m getting kind of some love from these beta testers or I got my first client and they, they see some things that here that can really scale. Like, when did you start seeing those breadcrumbs that you had something?

Steve Gilman: [00:11:26] Yeah, excellent question. So Hooten and I got together and had to figure out what we were really passionate about. And when it came to professional development, I mentioned we had some disconnects with employers or as employers with our employees. And so there’s really two things that came together very quickly in our process. The first is we built a site that aggregated different tools, kind of as like a very late MVP. We said, hey, online courses, books, come get whatever you want. And within the first day, people came to the site and then they mentioned that they need some way for their companies to sponsor. So if you’re going to take a $400 course on Coursera, that’s awesome. But my company needs to pay for it, right? So we quickly realized, hey, this is all going to land within a company ROI for attracting and retaining folks. And then too we started talking to a company leaders and there was always, always, always a disconnect between what executives or managers thought they were doing for people in terms of professional development and what the employees thought that companies were doing for them. All right. So a typical conversation would be we invest in all of our employees. They get whatever resources they want. They continuously upskill and it’s part of their performance. Talk to an employee that maybe just came into the company or has a new manager and they say, Yeah, I know there’s some budget that I can access for external resources, but I’m not familiar with how to use it. I wouldn’t know where to find it, and I’m a little afraid to put it on my personal card because I’ve heard some disaster stories about reimbursements in the past. I mean, that was a typical conversation that kept happening over and over and over again. So the reason we love our business models, because we align the employees interests and goals with the employer’s interests and goals, and we do it all from a single platform, something that technology helps a tremendous amount with and that, you know, honestly, we could have started years earlier to make sure it happens.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:28] So with the professional development, the way you’ve defined it, it sounds like it includes online courses and things like that. Does it also include like coaching, business coaching, those kind of elements as well?

Steve Gilman: [00:13:43] Yeah. So we defined professional development as individualized. There has to be specific budgets because everyone’s goals are usually different. We define it as strategic upskilling. So it’s not just to be competent with your current job or be compliant with what you’re currently doing, but how to get ahead, how to challenge the status quo in your own career. And it’s usually from external resources. And that doesn’t come from us. That comes from employees. And surveys show that 99% of employees participate in professional development and activities. And of that, 90% of them are external. So it’s outside of what the company is actually able to provide. When it comes to format. We are edtech at the end of the day. So online courses continue to be great and there’s huge demand for them. In-person courses and seminars, things like that are coming back. We’re starting to see conferences. Webinars coaching you mentioned, is pretty huge, connecting with people that have experience, books, podcasts and everything also. We’re format agnostic because we know most employees are format agnostic. Typically, we’ll see people get one or two courses, a book from Amazon, a podcast, and maybe a coach for three months out of the year. And that’s how they choose to develop their skills.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:01] So what’s next? What do you need next? How can we help?

Steve Gilman: [00:15:07] Yeah, I appreciate that. We’re we’re getting the word out. We have launched our latest features which completely streamline everything for the company and for the employee. If for those not familiar with range, we’re a marketplace solution where employees can add whatever they need to the marketplace, be it a coach, conference book, podcast, anything like that, while also discovering their own. And now we help companies streamline payments, which helps with security, and people don’t have to do any personal reimbursement. So when we go into companies, we are an end to end solution that requires little to no management and or oversight, but the companies win and the employees continuous continuously win. We have enough data at this point to provide great recommendations for someone, and at any step of their career and for anybody in the organization, no matter what your job function is, which is different than what we’ve seen in the market, we’re getting out there and we’re building professional development programs with companies either from scratch, we’re taking over software solutions like a single online course provider, or we’re working to help manage the stipends that pre exist, just making it more transparent to employees and delivering an ROI to the company. So no matter what stage a company is at, we can come in and help very seamlessly with with some great technology.

Lee Kantor: [00:16:32] Now, how did you hear about Startup Showdown and Panoramic Ventures? How did they get on your radar?

Steve Gilman: [00:16:38] Yeah, so we were kind of in the middle of a fund raise a few months ago, so I was well aware of panoramic ventures and and what they have done in the space. And we’re also part of Capital Factory, so we’re Capital Factory Portfolio Company, which is an accelerator investment fund co-working center out of Austin, Texas. Startup Showdown worked with Capital Factory in partnership not only for investment purposes, but also to host the startup showdown. So we got connected through Capital Factory. We love going through the application process because it helped us reorient and organize our thoughts and we kind of launched off into actually getting to the finals and making a trip to Austin to to have fun with them. On the Startup Showdown.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:31] Now, can you talk a little bit about when when you get kind of go through the ringer there and they really are asking hard questions how how you handle that? And in terms because it takes confidence, but humility, you have to be confident in your product and service, but you also have to be coachable and and listened. How did your you and the team handle that?

Steve Gilman: [00:17:56] Yeah. So I think the first thing is you have to have a business that’s headed in the right direction. Right. So no application can be strong unless you know the market, you know your position in the market and you’re you’re gaining traction. You’re helping people in that way. The first step is always a written application, pitch decks, things like that. So until you’re able to really get to know someone and they’re able to understand your background, your product and service is exactly what you put out there. So descriptions of backgrounds, pitch decks, things like that. I think one of the pieces that we excelled in, but was also very advantageous for us, was what they call a mentoring session, where they organize the entrepreneurs. They for 2 hours put you in front of four different mentors. One individual is from Panoramic Ventures as an investor. The other three were from different areas of business. All three of those, in addition to the panoramic ventures investor I connected with pretty immediately I’ve stayed in contact with and their whole thing was pitched to me and I’ll give you my thoughts, feedback and everything else while making sure that you are a good fit to be evaluated for the next round. So that was really just getting in front of people and almost like a speed dating, but really meant to be beneficial to the company. And I really thought that was a good part of the process that I haven’t seen traditionally in a lot of the competitions.

Lee Kantor: [00:19:24] Now in your career, I would imagine you’ve had mentors or people that you’ve looked up to and maybe used as a kind of a guide to go through the process. Is there anybody from the startup world that you’re kind of lean on for advice or whether you know them personally or you just read their blog or their books? Is there anybody out there as your new kind of your role model of startup founder?

Steve Gilman: [00:19:48] Oh, yeah. Listen, there’s there’s way too much there’s way too many to mention my network from undergrad and graduate school. I continually to continually lean on almost every single day. I’ve become friends with investors of mine. I’ve made investors friends of mine. And so I think in terms of people that I looked up to, I can throw out a few names. Going into business school, I wrote an essay on wanting to be a consultant, which I think is what most people do if they don’t know what they want to do coming out of business school. I was turning down job offers to make sure I could be an entrepreneur. I think one of the people that I credit for that is an individual named Dave Lerner. He’s director of entrepreneurship at Columbia University as a whole. But I knew him through Columbia Business School and he taught me that 0 to 1 kind of mentality of how to go out and do it. Another person that I kind of look up to is Ryan Petersen of Flex. He’s a multi time entrepreneur who came back actually to a class to teach about how he built his businesses. And so I have fun following his career and listening to his interviews and things like that. We were able to spend some time together and I got more advice in 5 minutes in a car ride than I did from him about fund raising. Then I traditionally see reading articles and articles and following different people. So those are two folks that came from my business school career I continually lean on and look up to as entrepreneurs.

Lee Kantor: [00:21:29] Now, before we wrap, I’d like you to share a piece of advice for other founders and maybe let’s talk specifically of folks who have gone and played sports at a high level, because I think that that’s a unique group. And I think that a lot of times those folks are high achievers, no matter what they do well outside the sports world. Can you share some advice for somebody that plays sports at a high level? And then, you know, the clock ran out for them that they’ve gone as far as they can go. And it’s time now to enter the business world. Can you share some advice for them to either start their own thing or just to be successful?

Steve Gilman: [00:22:11] Yeah, that the the transition between sports and business, especially entrepreneurship, is a difficult one. What’s made it easier and what I think I would give advice to for any founder is that when you’re on a sports team, you have a team, you have a coach. Depending on what level you’re at, they all get better. You never want to be the best person on your team, right? Because then you’re learning less than than most people on your team. And so when it comes down to being a founder, transitioning to a business career, you kind of have to set up those relationships on your own. Specifically talking about building your own team, which is different than you’ve experienced in sports. I’m talking about getting with other founders or other business like minded people that do something similar because you’re going to learn from those people the most. And then in terms of coaches and where you’re going to go, you need to gain experience. So build relationships with mentors. You’d be lucky to call them investors, obviously, and have financial stakes in each other’s outcomes. But when it comes down to it, if you don’t seek all of the components that you used to have playing on a sports team at a competitive level, you’re not going to learn as quick. You’re not going to be as effective. And to be honest, playing at a competitive level, you love having teammates, right? So never isolate yourself. Never spend all your day reading on the Internet, trying to learn something new. Get around the people that already know what they’re doing and hopefully get accepted into into networks that can help you continue to build and grow.

Lee Kantor: [00:23:46] Yeah, that’s super important advice. And like you said, in one five minute car ride, you learn more than you did reading, you know, pages and pages of books and articles so the right person can accelerate your learning and your network everything dramatically. So meet more people.

Steve Gilman: [00:24:07] Yeah, that’s right. I in undergrad, I concentrated on mechanical engineering design. All right, so how do you build a bicycle from someone from scratch? What materials do you use? How do they connect? What’s the packaging look like? Stuff like that. And I had an influential professor. That one day senior year looked at the class and he goes, Och, I have no idea what size, sprocket or gear to put on this bicycle. How do I figure it out? And 15 people in the class, 14 of them went directly to the mechanical engineering book for design. We had in front of us, flip through, started writing down calculations and while it looked like I was the slowest one to start opening my book and looking for calculations, I ended up having the best answer, which was the point of his question, which is, if you don’t know, just ask somebody. Yeah, there’s calculations you can do, there’s chalkboards you can draw on, there’s different tools and software you can build out. But if someone’s already built the bicycle and they know what size the sprocket should be for a certain gear length, ask them. And that’s where you learn the most. So building on human experiences has been kind of the theme throughout my career.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:18] Good stuff, Steve. Congratulations on all the success. If somebody wants to learn more about range, what’s a website?

Steve Gilman: [00:25:25] Yeah, you can find us at get range dot com, get range dot com. And we’re happy to chat with folks about professional development on LinkedIn personally or through the company page.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:36] All right. Well, thank you again for sharing your story. You’re doing important work and we appreciate you.

Steve Gilman: [00:25:40] Thank you so much, Lee.

Lee Kantor: [00:25:42] Appreciate it. All right. This is Lee Kantor. We’ll see you all next time on Startup Showdown.

Intro: [00:25:48] As always, thanks for joining us. And don’t forget to follow and subscribe to the Startup Showdown podcast. So you get the latest episode as it drops wherever you listen to podcasts to learn more and apply to our next startup Showdown Pitch Competition Visit Showdown VC. That’s Showdown Dot VC. All right, that’s all for this week. Goodbye for now.