27 Oct 048 – What might the lovechild of Tinder and Snapchat for employees look like?

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/F2tdqNPcE4I']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_048_-_Jeff_Boodie.mp3[/embed]   Featured in Forbes, Harper Collins, Gen Z@Work, and Lean Startup, Jeff Boodie is an experienced entrepreneur, consultant, speaker, and Gen Z blogger. Realizing you can’t write personality into an algorithm, Jeff founded JobSnap – what the lovechild of Tinder and Snapchat would look like - and the hiring voice of Generation Z. In this episode Jeff and I discuss the problems for both Gen Z and employers and how JobSnap bridges that gap, the shifting attitudes towards entrepreneurship in young people, and how social media is influencing the way Gen Z views brands and companies. Make sure you listen to the full episode to learn how Jeff has created the Tinder of job creation platforms!

24 Oct 047: To move on from where you’ve been before, you need to change who you were before – with Melyssa Moniz

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/VXpc2bvqKcg']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_047_-_Melyssa_Moniz.mp3[/embed]   “If you want to step up and move beyond where you’ve been before, that means you’ve got to be someone you’ve never been before’. Whenever you step outside of your comfort zone, you’re going to meet your ego. You’re going to meet your fears. You’re going to meet you feelings of inadequacy. You’re going to meet your limitations – which are all self-imposed” In this episode I chat with Melyssa Moniz - an International Speaker and Social Impact Entrepreneur, a Master Neuro-Linguistic Programming Coach, Master Hypnosis Coach and a certified Sales and Marketing Consultant. A 4 time author, she has mentored over 10,000 clients worldwide in business and lifestyle strategy. Check out the full episode and find out how you can move the needle!

20 Oct 046: Brandless – reimagining a brand based on community, authenticity, and the people it serves

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/c-m6P9f90rM']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_046_-_Tina_Sharkey.mp3[/embed]   “We’re not anti-brand, we’re not not a brand, we’re just reimagining what it means to be a brand” Following her dream to make it possible for everyone to have access to better stuff for fewer dollars, in July this year Tina Sharkey launched Brandless. Brandless wants people to live more and brand less, to tell their own stories, and to drop the false narratives sold by Madison Avenue. “We want to aspire to help people live the lives they want to live” For Tina, co-founder and CEO of the company, Brandless is about more than any individual product they sell. It is about the true democratization of goodness. Brandless promises to keep prices low by eliminating the BrandTax - the hidden costs you pay for a national brand. Its simple white labeling was designed by a team of product and marketing experts and food scientists, what Brandless co-founder and CEO Tina Sharkey calls the “white box council.” The products are tailored to the conscious urban millennial and other shoppers who are “very connected to their values.” Brandless – reimagining what it is to be a brand based on community, authenticity, the people it serves. Is Brandless the future of consumerism? Listen to the interview and you decide!

17 Oct 045: Cracking the crowdfunding code with Laura Wagner, CEO and founder of Digitzs

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/9IsaTt5hACg']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_045_-_Laura_Wagner.mp3[/embed]   Payment systems platforms are continuously changing how individuals and companies are sending money, making payments, and processing in between. And it’s a huge market - well over $1 trillion globally. Digitzs is a painless, quick and profitable way to build payments into a platform, app or marketplace. A 20-year proven entrepreneur in the payments space, Laura has compiled an all-star team including PayPal's first CFO David Jaques; Visa's Linda Perry (named Most Influential Women in Payments three years in a row); Ben Way, a world-renowned startup technologist, and Stacey Moore, an award winning technologist, strategist and entrepreneur. As the first female founded company to reach the number one position since the Crowdfinance 50 Index was launched on CNBC in early 2015, Digitzs holds the number one position for the largest capital raise by a female founded company since Title II of the JOBS Act came into effect in the fall of 2013. Check out the full episode and find out what makes Digitzs such a success story for its customers, stakeholders and investors.

13 Oct 044: 3 Presidents, 4 Prime Ministers, 5 Secretaries of State. Meet Bernie Swain, co-founder and Chairman of Washington Speakers Bureau

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/MERmDxQXga8']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_044_-_Bernie_Swain.mp3[/embed]   In this episode I Meet Bernie Swain - co-founder and Chairman of Washington Speakers Bureau and today's foremost authority on the lecture industry. Over the past 35 years, he has represented former US Presidents, American and world leaders, journalists, authors, business visionaries, and sports legends In this fascinating conversation with Bernie we talk about his experiences working shoulder to shoulder with the world’s leaders. We talk about passion, determination and defining moments, and how that passion can be unlocked in the turning points of your life. Find out how Bernie risked everything, starting in the stationery cupboard in a friend’s office, and how, with dedication, passion and pure dogged determination, he built his business to be the best and most respected agency in the country.

10 Oct 043: Crowdfunding and cryptocurrencies with Jason Best, co author of the JOBS Act and crowdfunding expert

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/RSUHraz_znE']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_043_-_Jason_Best.mp3[/embed]   In this episode I talk to Jason Best, one of a handful of people who co-authored the JOBS Act and helped legalize equity and debt based crowdfunding in the USA. Jason has spoken at The White House, South by Southwest, TEDx, the World Bank’s Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship and the Angel Capital Association. We discuss how the biggest change to securities laws in over 78 years is already creating billions of dollars of new investments. Find out how crowdfunding and cryptocurrencies can work together.

06 Oct 042: Tech business? Looking for that unfair advantage?

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/cn9oHEjQxxQ']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_042_-_Alison_Arnoff.mp3[/embed]   Stuck at early stages of growth and struggling to build sales ?   In this episode I talk to Alison Arnoff - founder of Unfair Advantage Consulting where she helps tech companies find their unique, unfair advantage to scale their business.   Find out about the typical problems tech startups face and how to solve them.   Get the inside track on what makes a company investible to VCs.

03 Oct 041: Video publishing, ICOs and cryptocurrencies. Game, meet Change with Frank E. Banks

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/-8JiYEbmF3Q']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_041_-_Frank_Banks.mp3[/embed]   What if the users that make Snapchat worth anything at all had been given ownership in it from the beginning? In this episode I talk to Frank E. Banks, co-founder of ZEN for iOS, a video sharing and communications app for the video editor community and ZENCoin – the cryptocurrency that is the front door to a powerful business model innovation. There are literally millions of mobile app developers worldwide. And who knows how many video content creators there could be over time. Find out how ZENCoins will be the currency to knit them all together into a single, infinitely dynamic, market.

29 Sep 040: Would you go to the bar if there was a 95% chance you wouldn’t get a beer?

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/a-HIUaTsr9U']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_040_-_Brian_Mac_Mahon.mp3[/embed]   In the US, 95% of startups fail. Is the American dream just for rich boys? In this episode I chat with Brian Mac Mahon - founder of Expert DOJO, the largest startup high performance center for entrepreneurs in Southern California. With access to thousands of experts and mentors Brian and his team help entrepreneurs find out whatever they need to know to pursue their small business dream. Find out what raising capital for startups is really like, and what you need to focus on to make sure your business gets on the path to success.

26 Sep 039: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, with Glenn and Kristen Hemanes

[vc_video link='https://youtu.be/cHHHYE3hDiI']   [embed]http://traffic.libsyn.com/hookedonstartups/Hooked_on_Startups_039_-_Glenn_and_Kristen_Hemanes.mp3[/embed]   Ever wanted to have a Creative Ninja on your team? Have you ever been just blown away by the graphics from a really cool presentation? In this episode I talk to Glenn and Kristen Hemanes – co-founders of Glenns Designs, a cutting edge design agency which focuses on developing brand identities, multi-media presentations and variety of creative projects. Listen to this episode to find out some of the Powerpoint horror stories Glenn has turned into powerful and effective pitch decks. Find out why visual storytelling is so important to get your message across effectively.