Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

In an era of shiny objects and AI shortcuts, 25-year marketing veteran Scott Orth joins the show to bring us back to the fundamentals that actually grow a business. This episode is a masterclass in building a holistic digital presence, proving that a solid foundation in SEO and strategic paid ads will always outperform chasing the latest trend. Scott breaks down why simply being on Google isn't enough; you need to dominate it from every angle—organic results, maps, and ads—to truly capture your audience.
This episode is invaluable for any entrepreneur tired of marketing strategies that don't move the needle. You'll learn how to transform your website from a static brochure into a lead-capturing machine, the right way to leverage AI as an assistant (not a replacement for human creativity), and how a powerful CRM can automate your follow-up so you never lose a potential customer again. Scott’s deep experience provides a clear, actionable roadmap for increasing visibility and driving real growth.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
🚀 The Modern "Omnipresence" Strategy: Why showing up in organic search, paid ads, and maps simultaneously is the new "TV, radio, and billboard" for dominating your market.
📝 Content That Converts: Learn why a blog is non-negotiable in 2026 and how to use it to answer long-tail search queries that your competitors are ignoring.
🤖 AI as Your Assistant, Not Your Author: Discover the right way to use AI for content creation—to build frameworks and generate ideas—and why 100% AI-generated posts fail to rank.
🤝 The Powerful Marriage of Paid & Organic: Understand how to use paid ads to fill the gap while your SEO builds momentum, creating a two-pronged attack for consistent lead flow.
⚙️ Why a CRM is Your Business's Central Hub: Learn how a CRM combined with automation can capture missed calls, instantly follow up with inquiries, and keep you from losing leads to competitors.
📝 About Scott Orth
Scott Orth is an SEO and digital growth expert with 25 years of hands-on experience in the trenches of online marketing. As the founder of Thrive Business Marketing and the creator of Surge by Thrive, he has mastered the art of combining timeless marketing fundamentals with cutting-edge technology. Scott got his start back in 1999, paying for clicks when they were a penny apiece, and has since evolved into a full-stack marketing authority who helps businesses build a powerful, holistic online presence that drives measurable results.
🎯 Scott’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Things don't have to be perfect. Get out there, get it done. You're going to learn as you go."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“You've got to have posts that are written, I say for a human, by a human... a search engine is going to pick up on that and rank you better for that than if you just grab an AI post and throw it on your blog.” – Scott Orth
"How much more likely are you as a business going to get that lead or that sale than your competitor who maybe only shows up in one of those places? You're at least four times more likely because you're showing up four times instead of one.” – Scott Orth
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Thrive Business Marketing’s website
Visit Surge’s website
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn
Follow Thrive Business Marketing on LinkedIn
Follow Surge by Thrive on LinkedIn

In this episode, Connor O'Hearn completely reframes how entrepreneurs should view artificial intelligence. He introduces the game-changing concept of AI as a "navigation system for business"—a dynamic, layered GPS that guides you through complex decisions, rather than just being another static tool. For wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, this episode is a masterclass in leveraging AI to fill skill gaps, process overwhelming amounts of data, and make smarter, faster decisions. Connor’s unique journey from sales and geography to co-founding an AI strategy firm gives him a powerful perspective on how technology can enhance human intuition and democratize the tools previously reserved for massive corporations.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
The "Business GPS" Mindset: Learn to view AI not as a chatbot, but as a strategic navigation system that synthesizes data layers to show you the best path forward.
Bridge Your Skill Gaps Instantly: Discover how AI can act as your personal expert in areas you’re weak in—from financial modeling to coding—allowing you to operate like a multi-talented founder from day one.
Capitalize on the "Silver Tsunami": Understand the historic opportunity to acquire and modernize small businesses from the retiring baby boomer generation, using AI as your unfair advantage.
Enhance, Don't Replace, Your Intuition: Find out how to use AI as a "thought partner" to validate your gut feelings with data, empowering you to make bolder, more informed bets.
Achieve Presence and Build Better Relationships: Learn how simple tools like AI note-takers can free your mind during meetings, allowing you to be fully present and build deeper connections with clients and partners.
Compete with Giants on a Startup Budget: See how a small team can now achieve what once required tens of thousands of dollars and a large staff, simply by using the right AI tools.
📝 About Connor O'Hearn
Connor O'Hearn is the co-founder of an AI strategy firm dedicated to helping business leaders navigate increasingly complex decisions. With a diverse background spanning business, entrepreneurship, aviation, and even geography, Connor brings a uniquely human-centric approach to the world of technology. His experience in an early-stage startup, where he helped lead a strategic partnership with Microsoft's co-pilot ecosystem, gave him a front-row seat to the AI revolution. Today, he channels that expertise into building a true "navigation system for business," empowering entrepreneurs to turn data chaos into clear, actionable strategy.
🎯 Connor’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
Know what you're really good at, double down on that strength, and then use AI without fear to fill in all the gaps and deficiencies you have as an entrepreneur.
📢 Memorable Quotes
“That nurture folder is where deals go to die.” – Connor O'Hearn
“When you leave a meeting, it takes like one hour later, you've lost 50% of the memory of that conversation. And it just continues to degrade. If you wait 24 hours to go make those notes, you're down to like 10 or 5% of the actual conversation.” – Connor O'Hearn
“Don't get too comfortable because the chaos of how fast everything is changing. You can either look at it as chaos or I think start to see the patterns in it.” – Connor O'Hearn
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Maai’s website
Connect with Connor on LinkedIn
Follow Maai on LinkedIn

Ever wonder how a niche hobby can explode into a category-defining brand with a cult-like following? Tim Seward, the founder and creative force behind ONYX Motors, joins us to share exactly how he did it. Starting as a lifelong tinkerer customizing gas mopeds, Tim leveraged his industrial design background and a breakout Indiegogo campaign to launch a brand that blends raw performance with timeless style. This episode is a masterclass in product validation, community building, and the power of authentic passion. For any entrepreneur looking to build not just customers, but true fans, Tim’s journey provides a powerful and actionable roadmap.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
Crowdfunding Mastery: Learn the insider tactics Tim used to launch a multi-million dollar Indiegogo campaign, including the one meeting that made all the difference.
Building a Die-Hard Community: Discover the "Joshua Tree Mansion" strategy for turning your first 10 customers into evangelists who build your brand for you.
The Power of Public Validation: Hear how Tim knew he had a winning product when strangers literally stopped him in the street to ask, "Where can I buy that?"
Designing for Longevity: Understand why creating a customizable, "open-source" product that isn't disposable builds incredible brand loyalty and a thriving secondary market.
From Hobby to Enterprise: Get the blueprint for turning a personal passion project into a scalable manufacturing operation.
The Networking Long Game: Learn why maintaining relationships is crucial and how a connection from a decade ago can become your single biggest "lucky break."
📝 About Tim Seward 
Tim Seward is the founder and creative heartbeat of ONYX Motors. A lifelong tinkerer and moped enthusiast with a background in industrial design, he has created products for massive brands like Sonos, Intel, and Nike. Tim combined his passion for two-wheeled vehicles with his expertise in consumer electronics to create ONYX, revolutionizing the electric bike space. His unique perspective blends cyberpunk grit with California swagger, focusing on building not just a product, but a powerful community and culture around it.
🎯 Tim’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"I just followed what I really love to do... if you're having fun working, then it's not really work."
📢 Memorable Quotes
"When you buy an ONYX, you're actually joining more of a community of people." – Tim Seward
"The community is more of the halo aspect of our brand." – Tim Seward
"Had I not kept that relationship... that opportunity would have never been there." – Tim Seward
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit ONYX Motors’ website
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn
Follow ONYX Motors on LinkedIn
Follow ONYX Motors on Facebook

In this game-changing episode, we sit down with Jill Axline, Ph.D., the co-founder and CEO of Mavera, to explore the next frontier of artificial intelligence in business. Jill demystifies how her company is moving beyond basic language models to model human cognition and emotion, giving businesses a terrifyingly accurate predictive edge. This isn't just about faster answers; it's about understanding the why behind customer decisions, market shifts, and competitive movements. For any entrepreneur tired of making decisions based on guesswork, this conversation is a masterclass in using AI as a strategic collaborator to validate ideas, challenge assumptions, and uncover opportunities you never knew existed. Jill’s journey from studying behavioral science to leading a cutting-edge AI startup provides a powerful roadmap for how to merge human insight with technological power to build a truly intelligent business.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
🤖 How to go beyond basic AI prompts by using systems that model cognition and emotion to truly understand and predict what your customers will do next.
📈 The power of "speed with receipts" – why demanding evidence, confidence scores, and hallucination risk from your AI is non-negotiable for making sound business decisions.
📊 How to turn your company's "qualitative" information (like meeting transcripts and customer calls) into a mountain of quantitative, actionable data.
🧠 Why an "adversarial AI" can be your secret weapon, poking holes in your strategy and forcing you to build a more resilient and defensible business model.
🚀 How startups can leverage specialized AI to level the playing field, consolidate data, and make enterprise-level decisions with agility and speed.
💡 A new framework for market segmentation that is dynamic and responsive to real-time events, rather than a static PDF that sits on a shelf.
📝 About Jill Axline 
Jill Axline, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Mavera, where she builds generative systems that give companies instant, scalable insight into people and markets. With a fascinating background that began in design and behavioral science, she holds a PhD where she studied empathy and cognitive perspective taking. Before co-founding Mavera, Jill honed her skills at Morningstar, building their market insights team from the ground up. Her unique expertise lies at the intersection of human insight and intelligent systems, making her a leading voice on how businesses can harness AI not just for efficiency, but for deeper understanding and smarter growth.
🎯 Jill’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"Maintain your skepticism... but also have an open mind and don't be dismissive of things before you've really given them a shot... always be learning."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“I just don't think decisions should get ahead of evidence. And I think we've really built that into the system.” – Jill Axline
“I think of it more as an augmentation and a way to progress thinking that might be stuck in inertia circles, because I think a lot of times we kind of rinse and repeat the same things we've always done.” – Jill Axline
“Yes, you get something faster. But where did it come from? Show me how it was sourced... I kind of call it like speed with receipts.” – Jill Axline
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Mavera’s website
Connect with Jill on LinkedIn
Follow Mavera on LinkedIn

We’ve all heard the cliché: “You need to work ON your business, not just IN it.” But what does that actually mean? It’s easy to get trapped in the day-to-day grind of client work, emails, and sales calls, feeling busy but not necessarily productive. This cycle creates a growth ceiling that keeps so many entrepreneurs stuck. In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian demystifies this classic advice and gives you a tangible, actionable framework to shift from being a busy operator to a strategic visionary. He breaks down the critical difference between tactics and strategy using a brilliant chess analogy and introduces his powerful 7-pillar OPERATE framework. This is your guide to carving out the strategic time your business desperately needs to scale.
✨ Why This Matters for You
Understanding how to work ON your business is the key to unlocking real growth:
It’s how you break free from the "Finisher's Trap," where you’re so busy fulfilling orders that you have no time to grow.
It gives you a clear roadmap for what to focus on, turning vague growth goals into specific, actionable projects.
It forces you to build the systems and processes that will allow you to scale beyond yourself and eventually hire a team.
It shifts your mindset from reacting to daily fires to proactively building the future of your company.
It's not a luxury for when you're "big enough"—it's the very thing you must do to get big enough.
📝 Key Takeaways
"In" vs. "On" the Business: Working in the business is doing the client work, the sales, and the admin—the tasks an employee would do. Working on the business is zooming out to focus on strategy, systems, and long-term growth—the work of an executive.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Tactics are knowing what to do when there's an obvious next step (like responding to a client email). Strategy is knowing what to do when there isn’t an obvious move—it's about charting the long-term course for growth.
The OPERATE Framework: Brian provides a 7-pillar system to guide your strategic thinking: Outreach, Pipeline, Execution, Retention, Automation, Telemetry, and Enablement. This is your checklist for working ON the business.
Create Time to Scale: You don't get to work on your business only after you have a team. You build a team and achieve scale because you prioritize working on your business from the start.
Manufacture Urgency: Unlike client deadlines, there’s no external urgency to work on your business. You have to create it for yourself by scheduling and committing to strategic thinking time.
🚀 Put It Into Action
This week, schedule your first "ON the Business" strategy session:
Block out 60-90 minutes in your calendar where you will not be disturbed. No emails, no client work.
Go through each of the 7 pillars of the OPERATE framework (Outreach, Pipeline, Execution, Retention, Automation, Telemetry, Enablement).
For each pillar, ask yourself: "On a scale of 1-10, how strong is this area of my business?" and "What is one thing I could do to improve it?"
Identify the single biggest opportunity for growth from your audit and make it a priority project for the next month.
🔗 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode of daily value.
Want to go deeper? Brian is offering to send you a FREE copy of his book, "OPERATE." Just email your address to [email protected]. Or, grab it instantly on Amazon!
Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrian
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