Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

• 1312: The $40K/Month Referral Engine: How to Use Growth Marketing in Your Business w/ Adam Aldred

  In a world obsessed with complex marketing funnels and expensive ad campaigns, Adam Aldred proves that winning in business often comes down to mastering the fundamentals. He breaks down how he built his own growth marketing agency, Orsin, to $40K/month in recurring revenue entirely through referrals and organic content. This episode is a masterclass in practical, data-driven growth for any entrepreneur feeling overwhelmed in a competitive market. Adam reveals the surprisingly low bar for success in many industries and provides a clear roadmap to stand out by simply showing up, building trust, and over-delivering for your clients.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to turn referrals into your primary growth engine (and land 15+ clients from word-of-mouth alone).💻 The simple website tweaks that can 3-4x your conversion rate by focusing on trust over tech.📞 Why answering the phone is your most underrated marketing tool (and the shocking stats that prove it).🤖 A practical framework for using AI to reclaim 5-8 hours per week on admin tasks without sacrificing quality.📈 The art of "neighbor marketing" to turn one paid customer into three free ones and slash your acquisition costs.🤝 How to build powerful trust signals that make customers choose you over the competition, even in a crowded market.💰 Why understanding your capacity "breaking point" is the key to scaling without running out of cash.📝 About Adam AldredAdam Aldred is the founder of Orsin, a growth marketing firm that helps home service companies scale their revenue. After a decade in the traditional agency world, Adam saw an opportunity to do things better. He started Orsin as a side project, grew it through pure referrals to replace his wife's corporate salary, and then took the leap into full-time entrepreneurship. Adam's expertise lies in blending data-driven strategies like SEO and Google Ads with the fundamental principles of trust and brand building to deliver measurable results for his clients.🎯 Adam’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Establish momentum as quick as you can, and then don't let it die out."📢 Memorable Quotes"The average non-answer rate on phone calls is about 20 to 25%... The close rate on an unanswered phone call, like you have to call them back, is closer to 10%. So you have a huge delta in conversion rate or lead to close rate." – Adam Aldred"If you're starting a business, your main goal whenever you're servicing a client...should be over delivering on whatever you've promised to do, knowing that when you work that way, people will want to brag about you to their friends." – Adam Aldred"Websites that I've built where we're actually adding personalized individual branded photography...the conversion rate is usually three to four times higher across all traffic sources." – Adam Aldred🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Orsin’s WebsiteConnect with Adam on LinkedInFollow Orsin on LinkedInFollow Adam on TikTokFollow Adam on Instagram

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• 1311: From Engineer to 1 Million Users: The B2C Playbook w/ Zakhar Azatian

  In this episode, Brian sits down with Zakhar Azatian, the founder and CEO of BeHard, an app that has transformed the lives of over one million users. Zakhar shares his journey from software engineer to a two-time founder, detailing how he built B2C products that generate millions in revenue and create genuine impact. This episode is a masterclass for any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur looking to scale a product in a crowded market. You’ll learn the difference between simply “trying” marketing and building a systematic “factory of experiments,” how to leverage revenue as fuel for a growth flywheel, and why the most successful companies often start by serving a tiny, niche audience.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe Growth Flywheel: Understand how to reinvest early revenue back into your business to create a self-sustaining cycle of growth.Build an "Experiment Factory": Learn why one-off marketing efforts fail and how to create a structured system for continuous experimentation in your product and marketing.The B2C Marketing Playbook: Get a breakdown of the key marketing channels for consumer apps, including organic, SEO/ASO, influencer, and performance marketing.The Power of Starting Niche: Discover why trying to build a product for everyone is a recipe for failure and how focusing on a small, specific audience can be your biggest strategic advantage.From MVP to Polished Product: Hear how Be Hard started as a simple "black and white" app and evolved through hundreds of experiments into the polished product it is today.Find Your Motivation in Metrics: Learn how seeing the real-world impact of your work through user feedback and revenue can become an "addicting" source of motivation.📝 About Zakhar Azatian Zakhar Azatian is the founder and CEO of Be Hard, a San Francisco-based platform that helps people transform their lifestyles through challenges. As a two-time founder with a successful exit, Zakhar has over six years of experience building B2C products that empower users. With a background as a software engineer, he brings a unique and powerful combination of technical expertise and a product-driven mindset to his ventures, which have positively impacted over a million users.🎯 Zakhar’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "It's really hard to build a product for someone when you build it for everybody... so the idea that I would say is to sometimes start with something niche."📢 Memorable Quotes"When you see the value, it's actually addicting... you and your team did something to achieve these results. And that's actually how I got hooked.""You don't just try, you basically build the flow of experimentation.""Growth usually means more growth. And revenue means usually more growth. And the idea is that it's like a cycle."🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit BeHard’s WebsiteConnect with Zakhar on LinkedInFollow BeHard on LinkedIn

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• 1310: Beyond Productivity: Using AI to Foster Connection, Innovation, and Value w/ Joyce Shin

  In a world buzzing with fear and hype about AI, Joyce Shin offers a refreshingly optimistic and strategic roadmap for the future of work. This episode dives into how entrepreneurs can move beyond using AI for simple productivity gains and instead leverage it to unlock the core of what makes us human: connection, innovation, and creativity. Joyce explains how to thoughtfully redesign roles, workflows, and entire organizational systems to create a powerful harmony between machine efficiency and human potential. For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur looking to build a resilient, adaptable, and deeply human business in the age of AI, this conversation is your essential playbook for turning technological change into your greatest opportunity.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to Redesign Roles for a New Era: Learn why AI isn't about replacement, but about freeing up your team's time for high-value activities like customer connection, relationship building, and innovation.🧠 The Neuroscience of Business Systems: Discover how to apply principles of neuroscience and systems thinking to build a more adaptable, creative, and resilient organization.🛡️ Ethical AI Guardrails That Empower, Not Restrict: Understand how to implement simple policies (like protecting customer data) that build trust and enhance your team's ability to use AI responsibly.💡 Fostering a True Culture of Innovation: Hear why creating a culture where "scrappy ideas" can come from anywhere is the ultimate key to thriving in a fast-changing market, regardless of your company's size.🎲 How to Find Opportunity in Ambiguity: Learn the philosophy behind "Stochastic Potential" and how embracing randomness and uncertainty can uncover hidden pathways to growth.🤝 The Future of Team Building is Connection: Explore practical strategies for fostering genuine human connection and empathy within your team, whether you're in-person or remote.📝 About Joyce ShinJoyce Shin is a strategist, operator, and founder who blends neuroscience, business, and systems thinking to build the future of work. With a background in neuroscience from Emory and an MBA from Duke, she has led high-stakes strategy and operations at giants like Dropbox and CNN, driving multi-million dollar growth and scaling complex organizations. Today, she is the founder of Stochastic Potential, a creativity intelligence think tank dedicated to reimagining how businesses operate in the age of AI. Her unique, human-centered approach is shaped by a profound personal experience, driving her mission to help organizations unlock collective human potential in an AI-powered world.🎯 Joyce’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs“Listen to your gut and stay true to yourself. The worst that could happen is that you fail, but that you learn and you grow from that.”📢 Memorable Quotes“Instead of being afraid of ambiguity, I think that we should embrace that and we should design for that. Because underneath the ambiguity, there lies hidden opportunity and hidden growth.” – Joyce Shin“Once machines go from being able to do 25% of someone's job to 50% to 99% of someone's job, ultimately we're going to have to fundamentally rethink what roles are the fundamentals of work and how teams and organizations are built.” – Joyce Shin🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Stochastic Potential’s WebsiteConnect with Joyce on LinkedInFollow Stochastic Potential on LinkedInFollow Joyce on Instagram

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• 1309: Ask these questions during Thanksgiving week!

  As the year winds down, the pressure to find answers and set massive goals ramps up. But what if the key to a successful new year isn't about finding answers right now, but about asking the right questions? In this special Solo Sunday episode, Brian Lofrumento pulls back the curtain on his personal end-of-year process. He shares a powerful list of reflective questions—sparked by his own conversations with his AI assistant—designed to help you pause, look inward, and gain the clarity you need to make your next year the best one yet. This isn't about planning; it's about percolating. Get ready to uncover the hidden lessons, overlooked opportunities, and mindset shifts from the past year that will fuel your future.✨ Why This Matters for YouThis reflective practice is the foundation for intentional growth:It’s a break from the constant hustle and firefighting, creating space for strategic thought.It helps you identify the limiting beliefs you need to retire and the powerful new ones you need to adopt.It reveals the "invisible wins" and low-hanging fruit you've been overlooking in your business.It provides deep clarity on what truly drained you versus what energized you, so you can build better systems.It ensures your goals for the new year are aligned with who you are becoming, not just who you were.🦃 Thanksgiving Week Reflection QuestionsWhat did this year really ask of me, and how did I respond?What part of my business felt heavy this year, and why?What surprised me — in a good way or a bad way?What am I thankful that I learned the hard way this year?Who helped carry something for me this year, even if it was small?Who am I right now that I wasn’t one year ago?What’s one belief I’m ready to retire going into the new year?What’s one belief I’m finally ready to pick up?What consistently broke this year, and what does that reveal about my systems?What worked so well that I barely noticed it?If I had to run my business next year with 50% less effort, what would I automate and/or eliminate?What’s the biggest opportunity I’m sitting on that I didn’t take seriously enough this year?What would a bold version of next year look like (not necessarily bigger — but bolder)?What am I willing to disrupt in my own world to step into that version?What did life remind me of this year that business sometimes makes me forget?What would make next year feel rich — not just financially, but experientially?If next year was guaranteed to be successful, what would I stop worrying about today?🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, instead of chasing answers, give yourself the gift of a great question.Scroll down and review the full list of questions Brian shares in this episode.Choose just ONE question that resonates with you the most.Spend some quiet time this week—on a walk, with a coffee, or during your travels—and just let your mind wander on that single question. Don't force an answer; just explore the thought.🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who could use a moment of powerful reflection before the new year rush.

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• 1308: Stop Wasting Time in Meetings! This AI Coach Is Your Meeting Buddy w/ Robert Glenn

  Tired of back-to-back virtual meetings that drain your energy and feel disconnected? This episode is your solution. We're joined by Robert Glenn, a software consultant turned entrepreneur who is tackling the universal problem of "Zoom fatigue" head-on. Robert shares the journey behind building Kopa AI, an enterprise software that acts as a real-time personal coach during video calls to boost your productivity, awareness, and even your mental health. This conversation goes far beyond basic AI tools, exploring how technology can enhance the human touch instead of replacing it, making every virtual interaction more meaningful and effective. For any entrepreneur tired of inefficient meetings, this is a look into the future of work.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessHow to identify a massive business opportunity in everyday frustrations (like bad meetings) and build a tech-driven solution.Why the next frontier of AI is real-time feedback that enhances human performance, not just post-meeting summaries and transcriptions.The strategic advantage of using smaller, fit-for-purpose AI models to improve efficiency, speed, and data privacy.How to design a tech product that learns from user behavior to deliver a truly personalized experience.A framework for thinking about AI as a tool to fill human connection gaps in a remote-first world.How the discipline of "No Zero Days" can help you build unstoppable momentum, even when you lack motivation.Future applications for real-time AI in high-stakes industries like telehealth and education.📝 About Robert GlennRobert Glenn is a software consultant turned entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Kopacetic. With over a decade of experience specializing in automated infrastructure, software lifecycle management, and cloud-native architecture, he possesses a deep understanding of building scalable tech solutions. Robert channeled his expertise and personal experience with burnout from endless virtual meetings into creating Kopa AI—an innovative platform designed to make online interactions more productive and human-centric. He is a forward-thinker who sees AI not as a replacement for people, but as a powerful tool to enhance our capabilities and well-being.🎯 Robert’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs"Burn the boats." Once you fully commit to the entrepreneurial journey, eliminate the possibility of retreat. There will be countless days you want to look back or give up, but success requires seeing it all the way through without a safety net.📢 Memorable Quotes“I think AI is a great way to enhance the human touch rather than replacing it.” – Robert Glenn“A lot of it came out of early mornings and late nights burning out and realizing that there has got to be a better way.” – Robert Glenn“There's this concept of... you get to shore and you burn the boats... you just don't look back. There's really no going back once you've set on that journey, you just have to see it all the way through.” – Robert Glenn🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Kopacetic’s WebsiteConnect with Robert on LinkedInFollow Kopacetic on LinkedIn

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