Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

Tired of feeling like success has to be a constant, grinding hustle? This episode is your antidote to entrepreneurial burnout. Kelly Csiszar, a former top-performing enterprise sales rep turned executive mindset coach, reveals why more strategies and tactics often fail to produce the results we want. She explains that the real breakthroughs happen when we look inward to understand and rewire the subconscious patterns that drive our behavior. For entrepreneurs and wantrepreneurs, this conversation is a masterclass in building a business that feels as good as it looks, achieving massive goals with ease, and transforming self-sabotage into sustainable success.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
🧠 Why "more strategy" is often the wrong answer for breaking through plateaus and how to focus on your internal operating system instead.
🚀 How to make personal transformation feel fun and easy, rather than like a painful, dramatic overhaul of your life.
🧘 The secret to making peace and ambition coexist, allowing you to build your empire without sacrificing your well-being.
🔍 How to use pattern recognition as your entrepreneurial superpower to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and people-pleasing.
💰 A framework for building the internal safety and security required to handle sales rejection and fearlessly put yourself and your business out there.
🔑 The single most powerful question you can ask yourself to uncover the root cause of any problem holding you back in your business.
📝 About Kelly Csiszar
Kelly Csiszar is an executive mindset coach and the founder of SoulShyft, a private coaching practice for high achievers. After a decade in the trenches of enterprise sales, she experienced firsthand how ambition can lead to incredible results but also burnout, anxiety, and perfectionism. Kelly transitioned into coaching to help others break free from these limiting patterns. Her work combines deep pattern recognition with neuroscience-based modalities to help entrepreneurs build unshakable self-trust, make bolder decisions, and create success that is both meaningful and sustainable.
🎯 Kelly’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
When you feel stuck, ask yourself one simple but profound question: "What is the secondary gain I'm getting from having this problem in my life?"
📢 Memorable Quotes
 “We think that success has to be hard and that's a societal program that was built into us. Now it takes a lot of work, I'm not gonna lie, but it doesn't have to be hard work. It can be fun.” – Kelly Csiszar
“Being an entrepreneur is a total soul-led, self-led journey that allows you to become the best version of yourself. You start to get excited about all the triggers and all of the problems that arise because you start to look at them differently.” – Kelly Csiszar
“You have to have a slingshot. You kind of have to take a step back in order to go forward.” – Kelly Csiszar
💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ The next time you feel stuck on a problem, ask yourself, "What am I gaining from this problem still being here?" and write down whatever comes to mind without judgment.
✅ Instead of just consuming another business book or podcast, schedule 15 minutes this week for intentional reflection. Look for a recurring story or emotional trigger in your professional life.
✅ Reframe your approach to a difficult task on your to-do list. Instead of thinking "This is going to be hard," ask yourself, "How can I make this fun or approach it with ease?"
✅ Identify one area where you feel fear in your business (e.g., sales, visibility). Instead of forcing action, get curious about the underlying pattern (e.g., perfectionism, fear of rejection) that's causing the fear.
🔗 Links & Resources
Website: https://www.soulshyft.com/
Substack: https://substack.com/@soulshyft
Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn
Follow SoulShfyt on LinkedIn
Follow SoulShfyt on Instagram

In an era where AI can make or break a business decision, how can you be sure you're getting the truth? Vanja Todorovic, a 25-year financial services veteran, faced this exact problem when AI gave him disastrous advice for his new venture. This experience led him to create MelMat, a patent-pending AI research platform designed to sift through AI "hallucinations" and deliver factually-grounded answers. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur who relies on AI for market research, content creation, or critical decision-making. Vanja breaks down how his background in high-stakes mortgage compliance, where being wrong had severe consequences, shaped his unique approach to building a tool that prioritizes accuracy over a single, potentially flawed answer.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
How to turn a costly mistake (like getting bad pricing advice from AI) into a game-changing, patent-pending business.
The powerful strategy of cross-referencing multiple AI models to uncover factual blind spots and find the real truth.
Why your "non-tech" background is actually your greatest asset in building a unique and defensible technology company.
The "multidimensional founder" mindset for successfully running multiple businesses by finding surprising intersection points between them.
How to leverage the immigrant entrepreneur’s superpower of adaptability to pivot and thrive in a rapidly changing market.
A framework for building a business where accuracy and trust are the core value proposition, not just features.
📝 About Vanja Todorovic
Vanja Todorovic is the founder of MelMat, a multi-engine AI research platform built to solve the problem of AI misinformation. With a 25-year career in financial services, including as a VP of Mortgage Compliance at Wells Fargo, Vanja understands the real-world consequences of relying on incorrect information. He combines this deep industry experience with executive leadership training and advanced AI education from MIT and Johns Hopkins. As an immigrant, multi-founder, and parent to twins, Vanja brings a uniquely resilient and multidimensional perspective to entrepreneurship, proving that a diverse background is a powerful advantage in building innovative solutions.
🎯 Vanja’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Try to be a sponge, try to absorb as much information as possible while still staying true to yourself... The only people that are the biggest obstacle in your way is usually yourself. So try to remove yourself from that, try to be your own biggest fan and supporter."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“When an AI doesn't have the answer, it's going to sound, it's going to look like, it's going to smell like, it's going to taste like the right answer. But it's not going to be one.” – Vanja Todorovic
“The constraints I placed on myself throughout my life were self-imposed and that I'm able to do so much more.” – Vanja Todorovic
"You nurture that business from the ground up and you're there to see it go through these different stages in life as your kids are, right? So you see that growth and you know you contributed to it.” – Vanja Todorovic
💡 Actionable Takeaways
Before making a key business decision based on AI research, run your query through multiple different LLMs to spot inconsistencies.
Audit your own skill set and identify how your unique experiences—even those outside your industry—can become a competitive advantage.
Instead of putting all your passions on the back burner, look for ways they can intersect and inform your primary business.
When you receive advice (from a mentor, a podcast, or AI), always ask, "How does this fit me?" before blindly implementing it.
Practice being your own biggest fan this week. When you face a setback, consciously reframe your internal monologue from criticism to encouragement.
🔗 Links & Resources
Website: https://melmat.ai/
Connect with Vanja on LinkedIn
Follow MelMat on LinkedIn

Alexander Torrenegra is an entrepreneur who doesn't just build businesses; he reinvents entire industries. In this episode, he shares the incredible journey of co-founding Voice123 with his wife, bootstrapping it into the world's first major voiceover marketplace, and how that experience laid the groundwork for his current venture, Torre.ai—an AI-powered platform set to automate and humanize recruitment globally. This episode is a masterclass for entrepreneurs on how to spot broken systems, ask the right questions to innovate, and strategically choose between bootstrapping and fundraising. Alexander, also a shark on Shark Tank Colombia and Mexico, offers a raw, unfiltered look at the persistence required to build something meaningful and why your 'why' is the ultimate competitive advantage.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
🚀 How to identify a broken, non-meritocratic industry and build a digital solution from the ground up.
🧠 The powerful innovation framework: Ask yourself, "If this industry were invented today, how would it look?"
💰 Why you should focus on creating immense value for users before perfecting your monetization strategy.
🤝 The unfiltered truth about fundraising vs. bootstrapping from a founder who has successfully done both (and invests as a Shark).
🤖 How AI is shifting the job market and creating a "human touch economy" where skills like sales and entertainment are more valuable than ever.
🌱 The critical difference between entrepreneurship as a goal versus a catalyst for solving a problem you're passionate about.
📈 Practical advice on leveraging crowdfunding and a strong investor network to accelerate growth for ambitious, network-based businesses.
📝 About Alexander Torrenegra
Alexander Torrenegra is a Colombian-American serial entrepreneur, investor, and the founder and CEO of Torre.ai. Alongside his wife Tania, he co-founded Voice123, the first and largest global voiceover marketplace which they bootstrapped to massive success before selling it in 2021. Known for his unique ability to identify and solve systemic industry problems, Alexander has been named an MIT Technology Review Innovator Under 35 and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. His experience as both a scrappy bootstrapper and a venture-backed founder, combined with his role as a shark on Shark Tank Colombia and Mexico, gives him a uniquely insightful perspective on the entire entrepreneurial journey.
🎯 Alexander’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Do not try to pursue entrepreneurship for the sake of entrepreneurship. Think that entrepreneurship is a catalyst. Is not a goal."
📢 Memorable Quotes
“If for any problem, for any challenge, for any product, for any solution, ask the question, if X were invented today, how would it look?” – Alexander Torrenegra
“The best source of capital is always going to be your clients paying for your product. There is no better money than actually getting money from having created value to your users.” – Alexander Torrenegra
“Persistence comes easier, much, much easier when you are pursuing a deep why, when you are trying to solve a problem that you're really passionate about.” – Alexander Torrenegra
“Getting a VC on the cap table is more difficult to get rid of... than it is to get a divorce from your significant other.” – Alexander Torrenegra
💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Apply the "If X were invented today" framework to a process or system in your own business or industry this week. What would you build from scratch?
✅ Before you chase funding, evaluate your business model. Can you make your customers your primary source of capital by delivering undeniable value?
✅ Define your personal "why." Write down the core problem you are passionate about solving and keep it visible to stay motivated during tough times.
✅ Audit your current tasks. Identify which activities require a "human touch" (like sales or client relationships) and which can be streamlined with AI and automation.
✅ Stop romanticizing fundraising. Be brutally honest about whether raising capital will truly accelerate your mission or just add unnecessary pressure and complexity.
🔗 Links & Resources
Website: http://torre.ai/
Personal website: https://www.torrenegra.com/en
Connect with Alexander on LinkedIn
Follow Alexander on X
Follow Alexander on Instagram
Follow Torre.ai on LinkedIn

Ever see someone crushing it with a specific marketing strategy—like Facebook ads, a Shopify store, or podcast interviews—and immediately think, "I need to do that too!"? If so, this Solo Sunday episode is a must-listen. Brian breaks down one of the most common and dangerous mental traps for entrepreneurs: assuming other people's results can predict your own.
Using a powerful behind-the-scenes story from the podcast—where one guest made over $100,000 from their appearance while others made $0—Brian reveals why asking "what results have others gotten?" is the wrong question entirely. Instead, he shares a much smarter approach that trains you to look for patterns, learn from contrast, and make strategic decisions that dramatically increase your own chances of success, no matter what channel you choose.
✨ Why This Matters for You
This mindset shift is critical for building a sustainable business:
It stops you from wasting time and money chasing shiny object strategies that worked for someone else.
It protects you from the false sense of security that comes from cherry-picked success stories.
You’ll learn to deconstruct what actually makes a strategy work, instead of just copying surface-level tactics.
It empowers you to make smarter, more intentional decisions based on patterns, not just possibilities.
You’ll learn to identify what’s required for success and honestly assess if you’re willing and able to do the work.
📝 Key Takeaways
Results Aren't Transferable. Just because someone else generated $100k from a strategy doesn’t mean you will. Their results are a product of their unique approach, messaging, and follow-through.
The Wrong Question. Stop asking, "What results did others get?" This question is flawed because success and failure exist for every single business strategy.
The Right Question. Start asking, "What are the common patterns, strategies, and mindsets of those who succeeded versus those who failed?"
Learn from the Contrast. The most valuable insights come from understanding the difference between what works and what doesn't. Actively study both successes and failures to find the real lessons.
Strategy Over Channel. The marketing channel itself isn't the magic bullet. Success comes from the intentionality, value, and strategic plan you bring to that channel.
🚀 Put It Into Action
This week, pick one strategy you're considering for your business (e.g., starting a YouTube channel, running Google Ads, guesting on podcasts).
Instead of just looking for success stories, actively search for examples of people for whom it didn't work.
Identify the patterns. What did the successful people do consistently? (e.g., clear call to action, consistent promotion, high-value content).
What were the common themes among those who failed? (e.g., inconsistency, poor messaging, no plan).
Based on these patterns, what do you need to commit to in order to put yourself in the "success" category?
🔗 Stay Connected
Subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode
Connect with me on Instagram @imetbrian
Share this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop comparing and start strategizing

In this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, seven founders come together to answer one deceptively powerful question:
What's something you started or learned long ago that's finally paying off?
You'll hear from Shawn Sundsvold of GoldBear Media, Nate Hebbert of SelfWare Consulting, Raamon Newman of New Mavericks, Rami Akeela of Nera Systems, David Beltran of Accord Intelligence, Brandon Pankey of Blue Pine Works, Zeyno Dodd of AlgiSense, and Drew Mehta of ThinkFraction, as they each trace a skill, habit, or hard lesson from years ago straight into the business they're running today.
✨ What You'll Take Away
In this episode, you'll learn how to:
Spot when an old passion is quietly becoming a business asset
Prioritize real recovery, not just harder training
Stay in a "niche" you love, even when nobody else sees the value yet
Trust hands-on problem-solving even when it doesn't match the manual
Build a go-getter mindset early that compounds over years
Use pattern recognition across industries when you're stuck
Say yes more often in the early stages of entrepreneurship
🎙️ Meet the Collab Week Contributors
Shawn Sundsvold — GoldBear Media
Shawn is Co-Founder and COO of GoldBear Media, a marketing agency in Westminster, Maryland. After sitting in nearly every seat in business and recovering from a serious 2019 spinal surgery, he helped his wife Kelly grow GoldBear Media into a full-time business by 2022, focused on marketing, branding, and online presence for small and medium businesses.
 Website: https://goldbear.media/
Nate Hebbert — SelfWare Consulting
Nate Hebbert is an entrepreneur and software engineer who previously worked for 3M, KPMG, and Domo—where he developed custom Java code for Fortune 500 clients. When burnout threatened to ruin his career, he became obsessed with solving one problem: how to escape the cycle of burnout. Now, Nate is the founder of SelfWare Consulting—an organization that empowers tech companies to beat burnout without pressing pause.
Website: https://selfwareconsulting.com/
Raamon Newman — New Mavericks
Raamon is co-founder of New Mavericks, a CEO leadership development partnership he started 25 years ago as a full-time meditating monk. He works with founder-CEOs worldwide to raise their leadership consciousness for clear, healthy decision-making, and is co-author of "The Science of Protection."
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raamonnewman/
Rami Akeela — Nera Systems
Rami is the founder of Nera Systems, a confidential AI company helping enterprises use AI on their most sensitive data. With 20+ years across hardware, software, and cryptography and PhDs in electrical and computer engineering, he previously founded DZK, the first zero-knowledge proof systems company.
 Website: https://nera.systems/
David Beltran — Accord Intelligence
David is founder and CEO of Accord Intelligence. After nearly three decades in enterprise IT, including 14 years at IBM in cybersecurity and governance, he built Accord's decision layer, helping organizations trust, govern, and stay accountable for AI-driven decisions.
 Website: https://www.accordintelligence.ai/
Brandon Pankey — Blue Pine Works
Brandon is co-owner and Operations Lead at Blue Pine Works, an arboriculture and land stewardship company in East-Central Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. He runs the operational side — systems, marketing, HR, finance, and client communication — while working toward a COO-level role.
 Websiten: https://bluepineworks.com/
Zeyno Dodd — AlgiSense
Zeyno is co-founder of AlgiSense, developing AI-driven EEG digital biomarkers to objectively measure pain. With 25+ years across healthcare, cybersecurity, and applied AI, her work spans government modernization and privacy-focused health platforms, rooted in a passion for ethical AI.
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeynoaygendodd/
Drew Mehta — ThinkFraction
Drew is the founder of ThinkFraction, helping owner-operators grow revenue by fixing leaks in their back-end workflows and teaching them how AI fits into their business — all while learning to be an entrepreneur himself after 20+ years in corporate.
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhroovmehta/