How Keida Dervishi Built Soulmate Customs Into A 7-Figure Brand at 19 With No Ads, and 40 Posts a Day
In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Keida Dervishi, the 23-year-old founder of Soulmate Customs, a custom embroidery brand that hit $1 million in revenue in under 11 months without spending a dollar on ads. What started as a hoodie gift for her mom’s birthday quickly turned into a viral business powered by emotional storytelling and relentless content creation.Keida shares how growing up in an immigrant household shaped her drive, how she transitioned from child star in Albania to business builder, and what it’s like leading a fast-scaling brand at such a young age. From hiring mistakes, to burnout, staying grounded, to posting 40+ times a day, this conversation is a real look at what it takes to scale with zero shortcuts.Chapters:02:08 – Growing Up in an Entrepreneurial Household03:47 – From Child Star to Burnout on Stage05:43 – Accidentally Entering Entrepreneurship07:00 – The Hoodie Gift That Started Soulmate Custom09:58 – Viral Launch and Selling Out Within Days11:32 – No Strategy, Just Action: Early Days of Posting12:37 – Moving Out of Her Bedroom to Scale Fulfillment13:02 – First TikTok Lives and Learning to Sell14:22 – Hiring Challenges and Missteps15:45 – The Family Business Breakdown: Who Does What16:37 – Discovering Her Why: The Fear That Fuels Her18:01 – A Breakthrough Moment at Founders Club19:04 – The Realities of Building While Your Parents Age21:10 – Navigating Burnout, Routines, and Sleep Struggles23:10 – Posting 40+ Times a Day: Pressure and Purpose25:12 – Why Consistency Is Her Superpower27:21 – Leading a Team as the Youngest in the Room30:44 – Building Confidence and Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs34:11 – Embracing Embarrassment to Achieve Greatness35:27 – What Keeps Her Going: Live Calls with Customers38:47 – Giving Credit Where It’s Due and Admiring the Work41:38 – What’s Next for Soulmate Customs44:45 – Learning to Let Go as the Business Grows49:28 – Curating Her Circle and Protecting Her Environment54:25 – Working With Her Brother and Navigating Family Tension57:22 – What She’d Tell Her 9-Year-Old SelfGuest Links: Website: https://soulmatecustoms.com/Instagram: @SoulmateCustoms@Keida02Kintsugi: The AI-powered tax compliance platform trusted by over 3,000 companies worldwideStay Connected!Aaron Spivak:Instagram @SpivakLinkedinThe Founders ClubInstagram @TheFoundersClubWebsite www.foundersclubofficial.com Founder2Founder:TikTok @Founder2FounderPodcastYoutube @Founder2Founder.Podcast
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1:06:42
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1:06:42
From Nightlife to Nine Figures: Heath Wolfson on Trendspotting and Building with Purpose
In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Heath Wolfson, serial entrepreneur and founder of FrontCare, a creator-powered telehealth platform. With a 20-year track record of building businesses across safety, media, and health, Heath shares how he’s repeatedly turned market inefficiencies into high-growth ventures.He opens up about navigating failure, executing without outside capital, and spotting cultural trends before they explode. From launching Tattoo Nation in shopping malls to scaling one of Facebook’s biggest publishing engines, Heath now turns his focus to reshaping healthcare access through affiliate-driven telehealth.Chapters: 02:49 – Early Life, College, and First Entrepreneurial Sparks 03:57 – A Practical Approach to Entrepreneurship 04:58 – The First Business: Event Marketing in NYC 06:35 – Lessons from a Short-Lived Nightlife Venture 07:51 – A Quick Detour at Morgan Stanley 08:52 – Bringing Tattoo Parlors to Shopping Malls 10:35 – Navigating Regulations in Traditional Retail 12:45 – The 2008 Crash and a Failed Expansion 13:56 – Forgetting a $100M Success: Glow-in-the-Dark Safety 15:56 – Getting a Law Passed and Building a Manufacturing Deal 17:19 – How a Nightlife Job Led to a Fortune 19:22 – Partnership, Production, and Exit to a National Brand 21:49 – Real-Time Pattern Recognition and Risk 22:32 – Understanding Market Timing and Survival 24:11 – Acquiring Inked Magazine and Going Omnichannel 25:36 – The Birth of Facebook E-Commerce 27:00 – Owning and Monetizing Massive Facebook Pages 28:38 – Cambridge Analytica Fallout and Platform Risk 30:51 – Why Timing is Everything in Business 32:22 – The Dangers of Scaling Too Fast 33:42 – Zooming Out: Lessons Over Two Decades 34:46 – Transitioning from Media to Health 35:38 – Accidentally Overdosing on Ozempic 37:48 – Experiencing the Power of GLP-1s Firsthand 39:21 – Bootstrapping a Brick-and-Mortar Weight Loss Clinic 40:51 – Selling Telehealth Models to Founders and Creators 43:11 – Breaking Down the Legal Fight Between Compounders and Big Pharma 44:36 – Making Health an Empowered Conversation for Creators 45:52 – Building a Trust-Based Health Affiliate Ecosystem 47:31 – Quality Control and Compliance in Telehealth 48:45 – Inside the FrontCare “Clinic as a Service” Model 49:46 – Helping Gyms, Salons & Clinics Monetize Wellness 50:38 – Legacy Thinking and the Next Chapter 52:26 – Advice to His 17-Year-Old Self: Buy Real Estate 53:56 – Why Money is a Tool, Not a Destination 55:07 – Empowering Through Access and OwnershipGuest Links: LinkedIn: Heath WolfsonStay Connected!Aaron Spivak:Instagram @SpivakLinkedinThe Founders ClubInstagram @TheFoundersClubWebsite www.foundersclubofficial.com Founder2Founder:TikTok @Founder2FounderPodcastYoutube @Founder2Founder.Podcast
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59:12
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59:12
Uncomfortable Either Way: Why Growth Requires Choosing the Hard Path with Brett Eaton
In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Brett Eaton, keynote speaker, high performance coach, and author of Uncomfortable Either Way. After a life-changing back injury and the loss of his father at 16, Brett discovered a powerful truth: life is going to be uncomfortable no matter what, so choose the version that leads to growth.He shares the frameworks behind his success, including the game-changing “Sunday Setup,” how to spot self-sabotage in real time, and why founders must upgrade their relationship with discomfort and money. This conversation is packed with raw honesty and practical takeaways for anyone serious about building a life that lasts.Chapters:02:14 – Brett’s Origin Story: Injury, Loss, and a New Lens03:46 – Sports, Hustle, and Learning to Love the Grind05:10 – When Patience Becomes an Excuse06:34 – Living in 90-Day Sprints08:01 – Gamifying Progress to Stay Consistent09:38 – Who Actually Needs a Coach?11:06 – Bad Coaching Investments & What to Watch For12:56 – Transitioning Out of Fitness-Only Coaching14:27 – Starting with Strengths, Not Weaknesses15:36 – Taking a Life Inventory17:00 – Learning While You’re Winning19:08 – The Full Sunday Setup Breakdown21:50 – Identifying Weekly Landmines24:59 – If It’s Not on the Calendar, It’s Not Real27:06 – Why Founders Must Prioritize Energy29:27 – The “F*ck It” Button: Spotting Self-Sabotage33:43 – The Comfort Trap34:40 – The Cost of Coasting: Blockbuster Syndrome37:48 – Embracing the Good Old Days While You’re In Them39:32 – Being Young vs. Being Present40:45 – “I’m in My Prime”: A New Morning Mantra41:49 – What Comfort Really Signals45:14 – Why Brett Finally Wrote the Book47:27 – Money Mindset & Unlearning Limiting Beliefs50:38 – Facing the Numbers & Taking Control54:25 – Surrounding Yourself with People Who Talk About Money1:01:31 – One Honest Question That Changed the Game1:05:12 – Advice to His 16-Year-Old SelfGuest Links:Website: www.bretteaton.comInstagram: @bretteaton_YouTube: @bretteaton_Kintsugi: The AI-powered tax compliance platform trusted by over 3,000 companies worldwideStay Connected!Aaron Spivak:Instagram @SpivakLinkedinThe Founders ClubInstagram @TheFoundersClubWebsite www.foundersclubofficial.com Founder2Founder:TikTok @Founder2FounderPodcastYoutube @Founder2Founder.Podcast
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1:09:24
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1:09:24
From 0 to 2,000+ Person Events: Lucy Nelles on Community, Profit, and Scale
In this episode of Founder2Founder Aaron Spivak sits down with Lucy Nelles, leading community-building expert and co-founder of Coffee & Chill Miami, the wildly popular bi-weekly sober wellness party that now draws over 1,000 guests per event. With over 100 sold-out events and collaborations with top global brands, Lucy has cracked the code on making in-person gatherings profitable, scalable, and deeply impactful.She shares how she went from feeling isolated in a new city to building a movement, and now teaches others to do the same through her program, Community Mastery. Listen in for insights on team structure, brand partnerships, pricing strategy, and how to build meaningful connections without alcohol.Chapters: 02:14 – Introducing Lucy: From Isolation to Community03:46 – The Move to Miami & Early Challenges04:34 – The First Event That Sparked It All05:10 – Ice Baths, Stock Tanks & the Rise of a Trend06:59 – How Coffee & Chill Was Born08:03 – Losing $10K on One Event (and What She Learned)09:30 – The #1 Mistake Event Hosts Make11:00 – The First Coffee & Chill: JBL Speakers & 250 Guests12:38 – Gradually Raising Ticket Prices & Building Trust13:57 – Driving Repeat Attendance Every Two Weeks16:24 – Special Collaborations: Art Basel, F1, NFL17:18 – How Lucy and Her Co-Founder Divide and Conquer19:39 – Keeping a Healthy Co-Founder Relationship21:06 – Investing in Learning for Herself and Her Team24:28 – Launching Community Mastery to Serve Others26:09 – Balancing Two Businesses Without Burnout27:37 – Time-Blocking, Non-Negotiables, and Systems30:26 – Expanding Coffee & Chill Into New Cities31:45 – How to Stand Out in a “Saturated” Market33:31 – Rethinking Nightlife: No Booze, All Wellness38:54 – Why Lucy Quit Drinking and What Changed43:07 – Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Through Results45:45 – The Bigger Mission: Building In-Person CultureGuest Links: Website: https://coffeeandchill.com/Instagram: @luceilanelles & @coffeeandchillmiamiKintsugi: The AI-powered tax compliance platform trusted by over 3,000 companies worldwideStay Connected!Aaron Spivak:Instagram @SpivakLinkedinThe Founders ClubInstagram @TheFoundersClubWebsite www.foundersclubofficial.com Founder2Founder:TikTok @Founder2FounderPodcastYoutube @Founder2Founder.Podcast
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59:34
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59:34
From a $900 Bank Account to a $50M Brand: Chris Meade on Building CROSSNET
In this episode of Founder2Founder, Aaron Spivak sits down with Chris Mead, co-founder of CROSSNET and Founders Club, for his most open and personal conversation to date. From a small Connecticut town, to building one of the fastest-growing backyard sports brands in America, Chris unpacks the highs, lows, and lessons of scaling a startup from scratch.They dive into the origins of CROSSNET, the $1M mistake during an acquisition, the toll of leadership decisions, and how those experiences shaped the vision for Founders Club. If you’re navigating the founder journey, this episode is packed with the kind of honest insights you won’t get anywhere else.Chapters: 02:49 – Growing Up in Small-Town Connecticut 04:40 – From Film School, to HBO, to Burnout 06:30 – Learning Amazon Dropshipping in College 08:26 – Fired, Broke, and Starting Over at Uber 12:49 – Inventing CROSSNET in a Backyard 15:06 – Quitting Jobs and Moving to Miami 17:49 – Going All-In with Marketing 19:21 – $87K to $9.8M: CROSSNET’s Hockey Stick Growth 21:30 – The Year Everything Went Wrong 25:19 – The Mistake of Not Cutting Fast Enough 28:10 – Trusting the Wrong CFO and Losing Sight 30:01 – The Acquisition That Fell Apart 33:50 – Picking the Wrong Buyer for the Wrong Reasons 35:10 – The Second Exit: Why Vivier Was the Right Fit 38:15 – What He’d Tell His Younger Self 42:04 – Why He Wouldn’t Change a Thing 42:46 – Building Founders Club from Scratch 46:41 – What Makes the Community Work 49:29 – There’s No Real Community for Founders… Until Now 51:07 – What a Great Member Looks Like 54:10 – Building a Life Beyond the Business 57:15 – Relationships Compound Like Capital 58:19 – Founders Forum and the Future of Events 1:00:51 – The Long-Term Vision for Founders Club 1:06:49 – Why This Will Never Be a Suit-and-Tie ClubGuest Links: Instagram: @crossnetgame & @chrismeadeWebsite: https://vivereltd.com/pages/crossnetKintsugi: The AI-powered tax compliance platform trusted by over 3,000 companies worldwideStay Connected!Aaron Spivak:Instagram @SpivakLinkedinThe Founders ClubInstagram @TheFoundersClubWebsite www.foundersclubofficial.com Founder2Founder:TikTok @Founder2FounderPodcastYoutube @Founder2Founder.Podcast
Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career—it’s a relentless, all-consuming way of life.Welcome to Founder2Founder a raw and unfiltered podcast where host Aaron Spivak pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build something from the ground up. No sugarcoating, no overnight success stories—just deep, honest conversations with some of the most driven, underrated, and game-changing founders of our time. From brutal setbacks to game-changing mindset shifts, Aaron goes beyond the polished success stories to uncover the unglamorous, deeply personal side of building a business.As a seasoned entrepreneur himself, Aaron goes beneath the surface and gets into the nitty-gritty of what it truly takes to succeed. He’ll dive into the habits, behaviors, and routines that set elite founders apart, the tactics and strategies that are working today, and the mindset shifts required to push through the hardest moments. Through raw personal stories, late-night struggles, and breakthrough moments, guests open up about what it really means to grow, not just as a founder, but as a person.Each week, Aaron sits down with visionary entrepreneurs from high-growth startup founders to seasoned CEOs, for real, unfiltered conversations about the highs, lows, and everything in between. Whether you're scaling a company, launching your first venture, or just looking for inspiration, this podcast will give you the insights, motivation, and real-world advice you won’t get just anywhere. If you're ready to strip away the illusion and get real about what it means to build, sacrifice, and thrive, this is the podcast for you. Join us every Wednesday!
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