Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

Think your small business is too insignificant to be a target for cyberattacks? Think again. In this eye-opening episode, cybersecurity expert and co-founder of Attainable Security, Martin Hiriart, reveals why small and medium-sized businesses are now the primary targets for hackers. Martin breaks down the critical, often-overlooked connection between everyday IT practices and a rock-solid cybersecurity posture. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur who wants to move fast without leaving their business vulnerable. You'll learn how to implement proactive security measures that protect your company, your customers, and your reputation without slowing down your growth.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
🚀 Why "I'm too small to be a target" is a dangerous myth that could bankrupt your business in 2026.
🔒 How to find the perfect balance on the "convenience vs. security" spectrum to protect your assets without crippling productivity.
💻 The modern security strategies (like Single Sign-On and conditional access) that make managing a remote team easier and safer than ever.
🤖 The right way to use AI and "vibe coding" for rapid prototyping without exposing sensitive customer data.
📈 How a holistic IT strategy becomes a business enabler, giving you the confidence to focus on growth instead of tech threats.
🤝 What to look for in an IT partner who acts as a strategic advisor, not just a helpdesk.
🔑 Simple, foundational habits for onboarding and offboarding team members that instantly harden your company's security.
📝 About Martin Hiriart 
Martin Hiriart is a seasoned cybersecurity and IT professional and the co-founder of Attainable Security. With a rich background spanning helpdesk support to high-level cloud and identity management, Martin saw a critical gap in the market: small and medium-sized businesses lacked access to enterprise-grade security programs. He and his co-founder created Attainable Security to provide holistic, high-quality IT and cybersecurity strategies, allowing entrepreneurs to build their vision on a secure and efficient foundation.
🎯 Martin’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"Find those people and those relationships in your life that are partnerships... just knowing that you have that person or the set of people that you can trust to just, hey, let's work on this together and work towards this shared goal is huge."
📢 Memorable Quotes
"The more secure you get, the less convenient things become... It's really about helping [businesses] understand where they land on that slider." – Martin Hiriart
"I feel like vibe coding is in that same spot as early 3D printing. It's great for prototyping... But I think it still needs to be paired with a competent professional." – Martin Hiriart
"How can we be just as secure working from the office as we are working from a Starbucks? That's kind of at a high level what the trying to leverage and set teams up for remote work is all about." – Martin Hiriart
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Attainable Security’s website
Connect with Martin on LinkedIn
Connect with Sam on LinkedIn
Follow Attainable Security on LinkedIn

Are you an expert in your field but struggle to communicate your true value to clients, investors, or your team? In this episode, former health insurance executive turned consultant Mandy Geyer breaks down the art and science of influential communication. She reveals why even the most brilliant experts fail to get buy-in and provides a clear roadmap to translate complex data and ideas into compelling stories that drive action. For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur who feels their message gets lost in translation, this episode is a masterclass in building confidence, connecting with your audience on their terms, and simplifying your value proposition to accelerate growth and impact.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
The Audience-First Framework: Discover why you must stop telling your story and start focusing on what your audience truly cares about to grab their attention instantly.
The Power of Simplicity: Learn how to apply the Einstein principle of "making it simple" to your pitches and presentations, ensuring your message is heard, understood, and acted upon.
From Data to Decisions: Uncover strategies to transform dense data and technical details into a clear, concise narrative that leads directly to the "yes."
Building Unshakeable Confidence: Get practical, low-stakes techniques to practice your public speaking, eliminate filler words, and present with authority in any situation.
The "Less Is More" Slide Deck Strategy: Find out why your slides are only there to support you, not replace you, and how to create visuals that enhance your message instead of overwhelming it.
Leveraging AI for Better Communication: Learn how to use AI as a tool to refine your messaging, get feedback, and tailor your communication for different audiences without losing your authentic voice.
📝 About Mandy Geyer
Mandy Geyer is the founder of Integral Edge Consulting and a former health insurance executive with nearly 20 years of experience leading actuarial teams. After seeing countless brilliant, technical experts struggle to convey their value, she made it her mission to bridge the gap between data and influence. Today, Mandy works at the intersection of data, storytelling, and persuasion, helping technical leaders, analysts, and health tech companies communicate with clarity and confidence to get buy-in faster and drive meaningful results.
🎯 Mandy’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Make sure you're taking time and space every day to be alone."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“They tend to think about their story and not their audience's story. I really try and encourage people to put yourself in your audience's shoes. And what do they care about?” – Mandy Geyer
“You are the presentation, not your slide deck or the images that you're projecting. Those are there to support your message, but you're the one presenting.” – Mandy Geyer
“When in doubt, define the term, define the acronym. It's not that you're dumbing anything down… it's making sure that you're all on the same page.” – Mandy Geyer
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Integral Edge Consulting’s website
Visit Farm Table Health’s website
Connect with Mandy on LinkedIn
Follow Integral Edge Consulting on LinkedIn

Traditional Google searches are declining by 25% as consumers turn to AI like ChatGPT and Gemini to find products, get advice, and make buying decisions. This is the next major platform shift, and if your brand is invisible to AI, it will soon be invisible to your customers. In this episode, Apurva Luty, a marketing expert from Microsoft, Meta, and Discord, reveals how this AI wave is a massive opportunity for challenger brands to get ahead. Apurva breaks down exactly how to "teach" AI models about your business, ensuring they become your biggest advocates and drive a new wave of traffic and customers your way.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
Why traditional SEO is becoming obsolete and how to master the new frontier of "Generative Engine Optimization" to get found by AI.
How to conduct a free "brand audit" to see what AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini really think about your business (and what to do if they're wrong).
The three core metrics (Message Pull-Through, Citation Share of Voice, and Recommendation) to measure and improve your brand's authority with AI.
Actionable strategies to "teach" and train LLMs about your brand, ensuring they accurately represent your unique value proposition to potential customers.
How to position your business to get recommended by AI in high-intent conversations, turning AI into a powerful, automated referral engine.
Why a holistic brand narrative is now more critical than ever for discoverability in an AI-first world.
How to leverage AI as a new distribution channel to potentially see massive increases in referral traffic, just like Apurva's clients.
📝 About Apurva Luty 
Apurva Luty has spent the last decade on the cutting edge of every major platform shift in tech. With a track record of turning new mediums into predictable revenue streams at giants like Microsoft, Meta, and Discord, she has a deep understanding of consumer behavior. Apurva is a storyteller and marketer at heart, passionate about translating complex technology into accessible strategies. She is now the founder of Optimly, where she is tackling the final platform shift—AI—and building the tools to ensure challenger brands aren't left behind.
🎯 Apurva’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"Just do it... take that leap, because you are probably more prepared than you realize you are." Apurva’s core advice is to embrace a bias for action. Whether you’re on the fence about starting a business or scared about tackling a new frontier like AI, the key is to stop overthinking and start doing.
📢 Memorable Quotes
"Instead of thinking about feeding the algorithm keywords, what you're trying to do is feed the LLM information. Truly teach the LLM who you are, what you do, who you serve, what makes you great." – Apurva Luty
"When there's a big platform shift... it's always the little guys, right? The challenger brands that are kind of ahead of the curve that are able to kind of most take advantage of those opportunities." – Apurva Luty
"AI, chat GPT, it's going to become some sort of gatekeeper between me and my customer... once you kind of get over that initial fear, you start to see this as a really unique opportunity." – Apurva Luty
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Optimly’s website
Connect with Apurva on LinkedIn
Follow Optimly on LinkedIn

Ever dream of building a portfolio of successful businesses while traveling the world? In this episode, Alex Ostrov of Nomad CPA reveals how he did just that. Alex pulls back the curtain on the financial strategies used by elite entrepreneurs to scale multiple companies simultaneously through a holding company structure. He breaks down why your financial numbers are more than just a tax-time headache—they're a roadmap to unlocking hidden growth, making smarter decisions, and achieving your ultimate goals. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur who feels overwhelmed by their financials or wants to build a business that truly supports their ideal lifestyle.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
Why a holding company structure is a game-changer for centralizing functions, gaining efficiencies, and scaling a portfolio of businesses.
How to transform your financial statements from a compliance burden into a strategic tool for growth, acquisitions, and securing funding.
The critical importance of proper expense allocation and how it reveals the true profitability of each venture in your portfolio.
How a fractional CFO can help you find the hidden answers in your numbers to make smarter decisions about everything from hiring to expansion.
The mindset and practical systems required to build a successful "lifestyle business" that allows for freedom and travel without sacrificing client value.
A low-risk strategy to transition from a W-2 employee to a full-time entrepreneur by becoming a contractor first.
Why you must master your manual processes before ever investing in expensive software or tools.
📝 About Alex Ostrov 
Alex Ostrov is the founder of Nomad CPA, a fractional CFO and full-service finance firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs scale their portfolios. After starting his career at a Big Four accounting firm in Bermuda, Alex embraced the remote work lifestyle and traveled to over 35 countries, which inspired him to launch his own business. He specializes in working with hands-on operators who run multiple businesses, providing the strategic financial partnership they need to centralize processes, optimize performance, and grow their revenue to $25 million and beyond.
🎯 Alex’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"You don't have to fully dive in the deep end. If you want to get into the entrepreneurship journey, you don't need to fully quit your W2 job... you can talk to your company, see if you can scale back, go on as a contractor, and then from there, it gives you more flexibility to work with other businesses or start another business."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“If you really want to dissect your business and look at opportunities, then the numbers tell the story. The numbers tell the story, and they can help kind of show you where you're going to be in the future.” – Alex Ostrov
“Just as you're an entrepreneur in a business, you're an entrepreneur for your own life as well. You get to create the life you want.” – Alex Ostrov
"Before you bring on any tool, make sure that your processes are refined manually. If you can't do it with a simple spreadsheet... then you're probably not going to be able to do it with one of these fancy tools." – Alex Ostrov
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Nomad CPA’s website
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Follow Nomad CPA on LinkedIn
Follow Nomad CPA on Instagram

In this episode, we sit down with Charlie Klarskov, the founder of WorkshopsForRetirement.com, who shares his incredible journey from a pig farm in Denmark to building a 29-person remote company that operates in 45 states. Charlie pulls back the curtain on how he scaled a business centered around in-person events by mastering digital marketing, automation, and a "Lego-building" mindset. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur who wants to understand the power of systems, the truth about marketing (spoiler: it's all experimentation), and how to leverage technology like AI not to replace people, but to reduce stress and scale your impact. Tune in to learn how Charlie turned a simple, descriptive idea into a well-oiled machine that serves communities across the nation.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
The "McDonald's Process": Learn how to systematize even the most customized services in your business to ensure consistency, save time, and scale efficiently.
Marketing is Just Experimentation: Why even high-end ad agencies don’t have a "golden nugget" and how your best strategy is relentless trial and error driven by data, not personal opinion.
Scale Without Burnout: Discover Charlie's philosophy on using AI and automation to reduce the workload and stress on your team, allowing you to grow volume with the same number of happy employees.
The Power of Simplicity: Understand why sometimes the best business name is the one that simply and clearly describes what you do (like WorkshopsForRetirement.com!).
Bootstrapping from Zero: Get inspired by Charlie's story of starting his business with no money while living in his friend's sister's old room, proving that resourcefulness beats resources.
Listen to the Market: Hear why trying to force your own beliefs on your business is a path to failure, and why the most successful entrepreneurs adapt to what the market is telling them.
📝 About Charlie Klarskov 
Charlie Klarskov is the founder of WorkshopsForRetirement.com, a company that promotes educational events to help local communities with retirement planning. Originally from a pig farm in Denmark, Charlie moved to the US at 19 with a dream of working in finance in Beverly Hills—a dream he quickly achieved. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to branch out on his own, building a business that brilliantly merges the power of digital marketing and automation with the high-touch, human connection of in-person events. Charlie offers a unique perspective on building a fully remote team, scaling a service-based business, and embracing technology to create a more efficient and less stressful work environment.
🎯 Charlie’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs 
"Go with your gut feeling... Don't worry about what other people are thinking, let them worry about that. Go with your own flow."
📢 Memorable Quotes
"It's a little bit like it's fun playing with Legos, taking different things, putting them together and you can build whatever you want pretty much. I feel the same way with my business." – Charlie Klarskov
"What I found is that the only way to find out is just trial and error. Test it out... Don't go with what you personally think is aesthetically good or what you think is good because you don't know. Let data speak for itself." – Charlie Klarskov
🔗 Links & Resources
Visit Workshops for Retirement’s website
Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn
Follow Workshops for Retirement on LinkedIn