Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

• 1282: The Lost Art of the Business Plan... How to Tell a Story That Gets Your Business Funded w/ Claire Pickens

  Tired of thinking of your business plan as just another piece of bureaucratic paperwork? In this episode, 30-year business veteran and planning expert Claire Pickens flips the script, revealing how your business plan is actually a living, breathing document that holds the key to your success and funding. She breaks down why the passion, story, and "secret sauce" you bring to the table are far more valuable than any AI-generated template.This episode is a must-listen for any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur who feels stuck in the planning phase or is preparing to seek funding. Claire demystifies the entire process, explaining what banks really look for in a plan and how to transform their feedback into a powerful partnership. You'll walk away with a completely new, practical, and human-centered approach to turning your vision into a bank-ready reality.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🤖 Why AI-Generated Plans Are a Red Flag: Understand why banks can easily spot AI-written plans and what they truly want to see instead—your genuine story and passion.📖 Story First, Numbers Last: Learn the counterintuitive but highly effective method of building your business plan by focusing on your vision, culture, and operations before ever touching the financials.🤝 How to Partner With Your Bank: Discover how to reframe loan application feedback as a constructive partnership, not a rejection, to build a stronger, more fundable business.🚀 The Truth About Financial Projections: Say goodbye to unrealistic "hockey stick" growth charts. Claire explains why a realistic, ramp-up projection for your first year builds more credibility with lenders.🕵️ Competitive Analysis Reimagined: Go beyond the numbers and learn why understanding your industry's local reputation is just as critical as analyzing market share.✨ Your "Secret Sauce" is Your Superpower: Learn how to inject your unique personality and boutique touches into your plan and marketing to create a business that customers and lenders will love.📝 About Claire Pickens Claire Pickens brings three decades of hands-on business experience to her business plan writing services. As an entrepreneur herself, she built a successful business from the ground up—designing, building, and eventually selling it—all before earning her formal business degrees. This "backwards" journey gives her a uniquely empathetic and practical perspective, allowing her to cut through academic jargon and focus on what truly works in the real world. Claire is passionate about helping other entrepreneurs get their dreams out of their heads and onto paper with bank-ready plans that turn vision into reality.🎯 Claire’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "If you're thinking about it, start. Go grab a journal and write down whatever you can... Get those dreams on paper and let it be a fun journey."📢 Memorable Quotes“If you allow an AI character to build your plan, that AI character is not going to be there every day to run your business. It is your passion that's going to run your business.” – Claire Pickens“When you borrow money from a bank, you are partnering on an investment journey together. They are investing in you. You're part of their overall business plan and now they are part of your business plan.” – Claire Pickens🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Claire-ity Group’s WebsiteConnect with Claire on LinkedInFollow Claire-ity Group, LLC on LinkedIn

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• 1281: The 7-Pillar Framework That Runs My 5 Businesses (And Yours Too)

  Ever wonder if your business could survive, let alone thrive, if you took two weeks completely offline? In this game-changing Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on the single biggest difference between a business that owns you and a business that gives you freedom: systems. He shares a personal story of being totally disconnected from his portfolio of companies, only to find they ran perfectly without him. How? Through a powerful operational framework he’s been refining for years. Brian makes a huge announcement about his new company, Ops+AI, and introduces the OPERATE framework — a 7-pillar system designed to help you step out of the day-to-day grind and into the role of a true visionary CEO. This episode isn't just an announcement; it's a strategic roadmap to building a scalable, sustainable, and successful business.✨ Why This Matters for You Building systems is the key to unlocking true entrepreneurial freedom. This framework helps you:Stop being the bottleneck in your own company and finally build a business that can scale beyond you.Gain the ability to step away—whether for a vacation or to focus on high-level strategy—knowing everything will continue to run smoothly.Create a more valuable and resilient company that doesn’t depend on your constant presence to succeed.Empower your team by giving them the clear processes and tools they need to excel in their roles.Identify the exact weak points in your operations so you can fix what's actually broken instead of guessing.📝 Key Takeaways Brian breaks down the 7 essential pillars of a business that runs itself, known as the OPERATE framework:Outreach: Your business needs repeatable systems to fuel demand, not just one-off efforts.Pipeline: You must have a process to capture, nurture, and convert leads, even while you sleep.Execution: Delivering your product or service has to be a seamless, documented process that doesn't rely on you.Retention: The real growth comes from systems that keep customers happy, generate testimonials, and drive referrals.Automation: Use technology and AI to eliminate friction, increase your team's capacity, and scale your impact.Telemetry: As the CEO, you need a dashboard—a clear way to see the health and key metrics of your business at a glance.Enablement: Your systems must empower you to be the visionary and your team to be the effective operators.🚀 Put It Into Action This week, Brian is giving you a powerful tool to get an objective look at your own business.Go to opsplusai.com/score and take the free OPERATE Score assessment. It takes about 10-15 minutes and will give you a clear, personalized report on the strengths and weaknesses of your business across all 7 pillars.Once you get your score, identify the single lowest-scoring area.Ask yourself: What is one small, simple process I could create this week to improve in that one area?🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode.Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who is ready to stop being the "doer" and start being the CEO.📣 Special Thanks and A Big Shout Out! A massive thank you and shout out to the entire team behind the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Podcast and Brian's portfolio of businesses. The launch of Ops+AI has been a huge undertaking, built behind the scenes for over six months by an incredible group of people. This new venture and the OPERATE framework wouldn't be possible without their dedication, brilliance, and hard work.

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• 1280: Unlock SCALE & Growth by Fixing Your Financial Foundation w/ Aubrey Merritt

  Aubrey Merritt, a serial entrepreneur and financial expert, joins the show to demystify the numbers side of your business. She breaks down why waiting for tax season to look at your finances is a recipe for disaster and reveals how to use your financial data as a strategic tool for explosive growth. This episode is a masterclass in making your finances work for you, not against you. You'll learn the difference between reactive tax prep and proactive financial strategy, how to set up scalable systems from day one, and why understanding your numbers is the key to unlocking sustainable growth. Aubrey shares her powerful journey from a young single mother to a sought-after fractional CFO/COO, offering practical, data-backed advice that cuts through the financial jargon and gets straight to what matters for your bottom line.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business🚀 How to stop making decisions based on "feelings" and start using real data from your financials to guide your strategy.💰 The critical difference between a tax accountant and a bookkeeper—and why you need a proactive financial partner year-round.📊 A simple breakdown of your financial statements (P&L) and how to spot red flags (like a negative gross profit) before they sink your business.⚙️ Why your business needs both an accounting software AND an industry-specific project management tool that integrate seamlessly.📈 The secret to intentional scaling: having the right people, processes, and financial systems in place before you experience explosive growth.🔍 How to conduct a "diagnostic" on your own business to uncover hidden inefficiencies in your operations and finances.💡 The IRS rule every entrepreneur must know about receipts for expenses over $75.📝 About Aubrey Merritt Aubrey Merritt is the founder of Merritt Innovative Consulting and Advisory, a firm dedicated to providing financial, strategic, and operational guidance to scaling businesses. Her journey from a young single mother working for the government to becoming a fractional CFO and COO gives her a unique, resilient, and deeply empathetic perspective on the challenges entrepreneurs face. Aubrey combines a deep love for accounting with a passion for innovation, helping business owners build robust systems that support sustainable growth and profitability.🎯 Aubrey’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "You need to persevere... everything is figureoutable. You just have to be willing to keep persevering, keep pushing through. Eventually you're going to figure it out."📢 Memorable Quotes“A lot of newer business owners or newer entrepreneurs, they make decisions based off of feeling instead of data.” – Aubrey Merritt“If you have a negative gross profit... you're never going to make money with your current strategy.” – Aubrey Merritt"You are going to fail so many times and you cannot compare yourself to other entrepreneurs because what you are seeing when you're looking at other entrepreneurs is how they succeeded. You're not seeing all the times that they failed." – Aubrey Merritt🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Merritt Innovative Consulting and Advisory’s WebsiteConnect with Aubrey on LinkedInFollow Merritt Innovative Consulting and Advisory, LLC on LinkedIn

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• 1279: The "Nvidia-like" Business Model That Built a Top 30 Most Fundable Company w/ Benjamin Shapiro

  From a tenured engineering professor at University of Maryland to the CEO of a revolutionary deep tech company, Benjamin Shapiro’s journey is a masterclass in calculated risk and strategic innovation. In this episode, Ben pulls back the curtain on Lumenuity, his company that's creating next-generation optics to power everything from our smartphones and drones to AR headsets and self-driving cars.This isn't just a conversation about cool tech; it's a deep dive into building a high-impact business with a lean, world-class team. Ben reveals the "Nvidia-style" business model that allows his small company to tap into massive global markets, why he’s “draconian” about focus, and the crucial mistake he sees most technical founders make. Tune in to learn how to pair groundbreaking innovation with an equally brilliant business strategy.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR BusinessThe "Nvidia" Business Model: Discover how to design and license high-value technology to mega-corporations, allowing you to dominate a market without building costly manufacturing plants.How to Pivot from Expert to Entrepreneur: Learn how Ben translated his academic skills—like rapidly learning new fields and extracting key information—into a powerful entrepreneurial advantage.The Power of "Draconian" Focus: Understand the executive mindset required to filter out "nice-to-have" opportunities and laser-focus your team’s resources on the biggest possible wins.Building a Lean A-Team: Hear Ben’s strategy for assembling a small team of world-class experts who can achieve more than a company ten times its size.The Hardware & Software Symbiosis: Get an insider’s look at how advancements in hardware (like cameras) are essential to unlocking the full potential of AI and software.From Idea to "Most Fundable": Learn the ingredients that helped Luminuity stand out from over 2,300 companies to be named one of the most fundable in the U.S.📝 About Benjamin Shapiro Benjamin Shapiro is a former engineering professor with a PhD from Caltech who made the bold leap from academia to entrepreneurship. After running a research group for 18 years, he gave up tenure to pursue his passion for building products from the ground up. Ben has been a C-suite executive at four different startups, including medical and brain-machine interface companies, and is now the CEO of Luminuity, a deep tech optics company poised to revolutionize the cameras in devices we use every day.🎯 Ben’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Get the people in quickly that know the stuff you don’t... and that includes soft skills." Ben emphasizes that technical founders often undervalue non-engineering expertise. Building a balanced team from day one is critical for success.📢 Memorable Quotes“We've put almost as much thought into our business model as we have into the tech. And that's crucial.” – Benjamin Shapiro“I'm not going to go after an opportunity that is nice to have. I'm going to go after the big things.” – Benjamin Shapiro“We have a small team that feeds into a huge market... and that's because we do the designs. And once we can prove to these mega-cap companies that our camera designs exceed what they can do, then we license it in.” – Benjamin Shapiro🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Lumenuity’s WebsiteConnect with Benjamin on LinkedInFollow Lumenuity on LinkedIn

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• 1278: The 10% Rule: How to Fuel Your Business Growth with Advertising w/ Tyler Martin

  Ever wonder what separates an ad that gets ignored from one that builds a loyal customer base? It’s not about flashy templates or massive budgets—it’s about psychology and storytelling. In this episode, we dive deep with Tyler Martin, an agency founder who turned a senior-year internship rejection into a thriving advertising business. He breaks down the timeless principles from advertising legend David Ogilvy and shows how they are more relevant than ever in our short-attention-span world. This episode is a masterclass for any entrepreneur who wants to stop wasting money on ineffective ads and start creating powerful campaigns that resonate emotionally, build trust, and drive serious growth for their business.💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business📖 How to apply the timeless, psychology-driven principles of advertising legend David Ogilvy to your modern marketing strategy.❤️ The art of uncovering and telling powerful brand stories that create deep, emotional connections with your ideal customers.💰 The 10% Rule: Why reinvesting a non-negotiable slice of your revenue into advertising is the key to creating a compounding growth loop.🎯 Why trying to appeal to everyone is a recipe for failure and how to stand out by speaking directly to your niche audience.🎥 How to leverage today's low-cost, high-quality production tools to create professional video ads without an enterprise-level budget.🧠 How to use psychological triggers like fear, empathy, and comfort to make your product the undeniable solution in your customer's mind.🤖 Where AI fits into your marketing (and where it absolutely doesn’t) to maintain the crucial human connection that truly sells.📝 About Tyler Martin Tyler Martin is the owner and founder of Tyler Martin & Associates Advertising. His entrepreneurial journey began unconventionally when he was forced to create his own internship during his senior year of college. This necessity quickly blossomed into his mission and career. Inspired by the foundational principles of advertising giants like David Ogilvy, Tyler focuses on the power of storytelling and consumer psychology over fleeting trends. His unique perspective is that no business is too big or too small to benefit from powerful, story-driven advertising, and he’s dedicated to making it accessible for everyone.🎯 Tyler’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs "Just because something doesn't work within a month, keep going. Try, try, try until you succeed... and when you succeed, that's when you start reinvesting in your advertising. Never, ever, ever give up."📢 Memorable Quotes"You always want to inject an element of story into anything you create." – Tyler Martin"If every commercial looks the same, they essentially all say nothing." – Tyler Martin"Advertising is just so important that when you're saying nothing, you're going nowhere." – Tyler Martin🔗 Links & ResourcesVisit Tyler Martin & Associates Advertising’s WebsiteConnect with Tyler on LinkedInFollow Tyler Martin & Associates Advertising on LinkedInFollow Tyler Martin & Associates Advertising on Instagram

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