Podcast
Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business
Hosted by Brian Lofrumento · EN
Brian Lofrumento reveals everything you need to go from wantrepreneur – or someone who WANTS to own their own business – to a money-making, action-taking entrepreneur. Discover exactly how to start a business and build a raving audience of fans and customers who want to buy your stuff, and learn exactly how to best serve your customers and clients by building a customer-centric line of products and services. Brian has built multiple six-figure businesses, including a six-figure SEO agency at the age of 24, and now helps thousands of entrepreneurs from around the world grow, automate, and scale their businesses by implementing high-converting marketing strategies and systems into their businesses. Visit the show online and get a free copy of the book, Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, at TheWantrepreneurShow.com.Our show is made possible by the financial, time, and knowledge contributions of our amazing guests. Together with the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur host and team, our guests believe in the power of entrepreneurs lifting up other entrepreneurs, and their contributions make it possible for us to reach wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs all over the world.
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1491: The easiest way to CRASH your mindset...
6d ago00:14:20Tap to summarizeEver find yourself thinking, "This one thing... this is what will change everything"? Whether it's a new product launch, a big press mention, or a dream client, we’ve all fallen for the allure of the "silver bullet." In this solo episode, Brian gets personal, sharing a story from his first business when a shout-out on BBC radio sent 30,000 visitors to his site in an hour. He was convinced he’d “made it,” only to find things back to normal the next day. This episode unpacks the Silver Bullet Trap — the dangerous, dopamine-fueled belief that one single event will launch you into stardom. Brian breaks down why this mindset is the #1 threat to your long-term success and how to reframe your thinking from chasing breakthroughs to building lasting momentum.✨ Why This Matters for YouUnderstanding the Silver Bullet Trap is crucial for building a sustainable business and a resilient mindset:It helps you avoid the devastating mindset crash that follows when a single big moment doesn't deliver the magical results you expected.It shifts your focus from chasing one-off wins to building a durable system for growth through consistent, daily actions.It teaches you to recognize and leverage "inflection points" for what they are — slight boosts in your trajectory, not finish lines.It protects you from becoming complacent after a win or giving up when that one magic moment doesn't immediately change your life.📝 Key TakeawaysThe Silver Bullet Doesn't Exist. The belief that one single event, launch, or feature will change everything is one of the most common and dangerous traps in entrepreneurship.Big Wins are Inflection Points, Not Rocket Launches. A major press feature or a viral post is an inflection point—it slightly changes the slope of your growth. It’s not a vertical launch into overnight success.Success is a Compound Effect. Real, lasting growth is the result of small, consistent, and disciplined actions compounding over time.Beware the Mindset Crash. Pinning all your hopes and expectations on a single outcome sets you up for a massive psychological letdown if (and when) it doesn't change everything.Progress Feels Anticlimactic. The moments that truly build your business often feel small and unremarkable as they're happening. The magic is only visible when you look back over a long period of consistent effort.Capitalize, Don't Coast. When an inflection point happens, that's the time to 10x down on the work that matters and squeeze every drop of opportunity from the momentum, not to sit back and relax.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, let’s dismantle the Silver Bullet Trap in your own journey:Identify Your "Silver Bullet": What are you currently pinning your hopes on? A product launch? A partnership? A certain revenue goal? Acknowledge it.Reframe it as an Inflection Point: Instead of seeing it as the thing that changes everything, ask yourself: "How can this moment give me a slight advantage for what comes next?"Create a "Day After" Plan: What is the very first thing you will do the day after your big moment to continue the real work? Don't wait for the results; plan your next move now to maintain momentum.🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop waiting for one big break and start building their own success.
Transcribe →1490: You do NOT want interest and attention! (This is a trap!)
1w ago00:13:26Tap to summarizeEver come back from a networking event with a stack of business cards, feeling like you’ve crushed it, only to hear crickets for weeks? Or maybe you’ve shared your big idea and gotten tons of praise like, “That’s amazing, I’d totally buy that!” but no one ever pulls out their wallet. This is one of the most common and deceptive traps in entrepreneurship. In this solo episode, Brian Lofrumento shares a personal story from his first agency about how he learned the hard way that interest and attention do not equal intention to buy. He breaks down why it's so easy to get fooled by positive feedback and a full pipeline, and reveals why the most critical job you have is moving people from "interested" to "invested."✨ Why This Matters for YouUnderstanding this distinction is a game-changer for your business:It stops you from wasting months of time and energy on "leads" that will never convert.It teaches you how to identify true buying signals and separate them from polite compliments.It empowers you to build a pipeline that actually generates revenue, not just a list of contacts.You’ll learn to filter feedback so you're only building for your real customers, not just the fans.It shifts your mindset from passively waiting for sales to proactively creating them.📝 Key TakeawaysInterest ≠ Intention. Polite compliments, encouragement, and attention are not buying signals. Real intention is a commitment to act — to sign a contract, pull out a credit card, or place an order.Your Job is to Move People. Don't wait for prospects to nurture themselves. Brian explains that it's your responsibility to build the relationship journey that turns a tiny spark of interest into the blaze of intention.Beware of Misleading Feedback. Only take product, pricing, or service feedback seriously from people who have the genuine intention to be your customer. Listening to everyone else can send you in the wrong direction.Test for Intention. When someone says, "I'd buy that when you launch," challenge them gently. Ask if they'd pre-pay or what they'd be willing to invest. This separates the talkers from the true buyers.Focus on the Intentional, Not the Loudest. Your most valuable prospects might not be the ones giving you the most attention. Spend your energy on those who demonstrate real buying potential, even if they're quiet.A Full Pipeline is a Vanity Metric. Brian’s early mistake teaches us that collecting contacts is just the start. The real work—and the real value—is in the follow-up and the intentional building of trust.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, conduct an "Intention Audit" on your business:Look at your current pipeline or list of "interested" people. For each person, ask: "What have they done to show intention, not just interest?" (e.g., asked about specific pricing, booked a demo, requested a contract).Identify one person who has shown interest but no intention. What is one action you can take this week to actively move them forward and test their intent? (e.g., send a follow-up with a clear call to action).The next time someone says "That's a great idea!" thank them and then ask a follow-up question to gauge their actual intent, like "What would a solution like that be worth to you?"🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode of this "Entrepreneurial Traps" mini-series.Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to turn their fans into actual customers.
Transcribe →1489: If you build it, WHO will come and HOW will they come!?
1w ago00:16:44Tap to summarizeKicking off Entrepreneurial Trap Week, Brian dives straight into the most common and dangerous myth that holds founders back: the belief that "if you build it, they will come." He argues this single idea is responsible for the biggest graveyard of failed businesses. In this episode, Brian challenges you to stop hiding behind product development and start focusing on what truly matters—distribution. He explains why even the most brilliant service or revolutionary product is worthless if no one knows it exists and makes a bold claim: you should be spending at least 50% of your time getting your business in front of people. This is the tough love you need to hear to turn your great idea into a real, thriving business.✨ Why This Matters for You This isn't just theory; it's a fundamental shift that can save you from months or years of wasted effort:It stops you from endlessly perfecting a product in a vacuum, only to launch to crickets.It gives you clarity on the highest-impact activities that actually lead to customers and revenue.It helps you overcome the fear of rejection by reframing outreach and marketing as essential, non-negotiable tasks.It reveals why some competitors with "worse" products are winning—and how you can beat them at their own game.📝 Key TakeawaysThe Biggest Trap: Believing that a great product is enough is the most dangerous trap in entrepreneurship. Nothing else matters if you fall into it.Ask Two Critical Questions: Before you do anything else, you must be able to answer: 1) Who, specifically, is "they"? and 2) How, specifically, will they come?The 50% Rule: Brian insists that at least half of your time, energy, and resources must be dedicated to distribution—the work of getting your offer in front of your ideal customers.Distribution > Perfection: A mediocre product with fantastic distribution will always outperform a world-class product with no distribution strategy.Action Creates Momentum: Entrepreneurs often retreat into "building" to avoid the hard work and potential rejection of sales and marketing. True progress comes from customer conversations and outreach.Build Your Audience First: Brian shares the story of his own podcast, explaining that its top 1% status wasn't luck. It was the result of launching to an audience he had already built from his book, giving him instant distribution.🚀 Put It Into Action This week, take a hard look at where your time is really going:Where are you hiding behind "building"? Are you endlessly tweaking your website, logo, or onboarding process instead of talking to potential customers?Answer the two questions for your business: Who is your specific "they"? And what is one tangible action you can take today to make sure they see you?Do a calendar audit: Does your schedule reflect the 50% rule? If not, block out time specifically for distribution activities like outreach, content creation, or networking.🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode of Entrepreneurial Trap Week.Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who is stuck in the "building" phase and needs to hear this.
Transcribe →1488: This mindset WILL sabotage your efforts!
1w ago00:11:38Tap to summarizeEver feel like you’re doing all the "right" things—launching a podcast, sending follow-up emails, running ads—but getting zero results? In this Solo Sunday episode, Brian pulls back the curtain on a subtle but destructive mindset that sabotages countless entrepreneurs: the "Checkbox Mentality." He reveals why simply "doing the thing" is never enough and how this trap convinces us that effort equals progress, even when it doesn't. Brian shares powerful examples, from sales follow-ups to content creation, to illustrate the massive difference between just checking a box and pursuing excellence. Get ready to confront this common trap and learn how to shift your approach to unlock the results you’ve been working for.✨ Why This Matters for You This isn't just another mindset talk; it's a diagnosis for why your hard work might not be paying off. Understanding and overcoming the checkbox mentality will help you:Stop wasting time on activities that produce no real return.Transform your marketing and sales efforts from empty actions into powerful, result-generating systems.Differentiate yourself from the 99% of competitors who are just going through the motions.Shift your focus from being busy to being effective, leading to real, measurable business growth.Build a reputation for excellence that attracts high-quality clients and opportunities.📝 Key TakeawaysBeware the Checkbox Mentality. It’s the dangerous belief that simply completing a task (like sending one follow-up email) is the same as achieving the goal.Effort Isn't Enough; Excellence Is. Showing up is the bare minimum. True success comes from doing things with intention, optimization, and a commitment to being the best."I Tried That" Is a Red Flag. When you hear yourself saying you "tried" podcasting or "tried" ads and it didn't work, it's often a sign that you only checked the box instead of committing to excellence over time.Excellence Requires More. The alternative to checking a box is to go above and beyond. Instead of a generic email, send a custom Loom video. It’s more work, but it gets dramatically better results.Succeed Through Persistence & Quality. It's not about just doing the thing. As Brian says, it's about "doing the thing long enough and excellent enough until it succeeds."🚀 Put It Into Action This week, Brian challenges you to audit your own actions and escape the checkbox trap. For every task you work on, ask yourself:Am I doing this just to get it off my to-do list, or am I striving for an excellent outcome?What would it look like to go above and beyond the average person's effort on this task?How can I inject more intention, creativity, and energy into this to ensure it produces a real result?🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episode (especially this week's special series on "Entrepreneurial Traps"!).Connect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs to stop going through the motions and start getting real results.
Transcribe →1487: A SPECIAL collab episode where founders leave a voicemail for their former selves... (LOTS of lessons in this one!)
2w ago00:25:50Tap to summarizeIn this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, eight founders answer one deeply personal question:What would you say in a voicemail to your younger self?You’ll hear from Lisa Larson, Jane Alexander, Nate Hebbert, Nicholas Cook, Mike Gross, Leslie Hemedes, Shawn Sundsvold, and Stephen Custer as they look back on the earlier versions of themselves — the ambitious ones, the scared ones, the grieving ones, the overthinking ones, the waiting ones, and the ones who had no idea how much life and business would eventually teach them.This episode is full of hard-earned wisdom about trusting the process, accepting help, grieving what you lose, protecting your spark, saying no sooner, starting before you feel ready, surrounding yourself with the right people, and realizing that the path rarely unfolds the way you thought it would.For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur who feels behind, uncertain, afraid, or tempted to wait for perfect clarity, this episode is a reminder that you do not need the whole road mapped out. You need the courage to take the next step — and the willingness to keep becoming the person your journey is shaping you into.✨ What You’ll Take AwayIn this episode, you’ll learn how to:Trust that your experiences are shaping you, even when they feel messy or disappointing.Accept help, be vulnerable, and share your story more openly.Stop forcing every opportunity to become “the one” and trust the direction your energy is taking you.Make room for grief so you can continue loving, dreaming, and building.Choose the right people to surround yourself with.Say no earlier, think less, and move before everything feels perfect.Come back to your “why” when fear, rejection, or uncertainty gets loud.Stop waiting for the perfect moment to start the thing that has been on your heart.Recognize that some people are wired to build — and that safety is not always the same as alignment.🎙️ Meet the Collab Week ContributorsLisa Larson — Mindful Corporate MasteryLisa Larson is the founder of Mindful Corporate Mastery, where she helps leaders and high performers build clarity under pressure before reactivity takes control. Her work focuses on performance-focused mindfulness, micro-interventions, and sustainable operating rhythms that support clearer thinking, better decisions, and long-term performance.Connect with Lisa:Website: https://www.mindfulcorporatemastery.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-larson-atx/Free Program: https://awakeningperformance.com/5-day-clarity-challenge/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6EqbbvCrXoBgtEt21ZItVX?si=fMY2efj0S7KTfwCikdibHgJane Alexander — Emma AdvisorJane Alexander is the founder and CEO of Emma Advisor, an AI platform helping families navigate the path from high school to college with more clarity, strategy, and confidence. After an unconventional educational path and more than a decade advising leaders at over 200 colleges and universities, Jane built Emma Advisor from the belief that opportunity should not depend on insider knowledge, social capital, or expensive consultants.Connect with Jane:Website: https://emmaadvisor.ai/Nate Hebbert — SelfWare ConsultingNate 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. After burnout threatened to derail his career, Nate became obsessed with helping tech companies beat burnout without pressing pause. Today, he is the founder and CEO of SelfWare Consulting.Connect with Nate:Website: https://selfwareconsulting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beat-burnoutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelfWareConsultingNicholas Cook — Money 101 AcademyNicholas Cook is a blogger, teacher, real estate investor, and founder of Money 101 Academy. His background includes work as a financial advisor and paraplanner, teaching personal finance, English, literature, theology, investing, and algebra, and building online projects across writing, web design, YouTube, ecommerce, affiliate marketing, and email marketing.Connect with Nicholas:Website: https://money101academy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-cook77/Life, Business, and Creativity Blog: https://nickcook.blogMike Gross — Michael J. Gross LLC / Management System Certification Training SolutionsMike Gross is a trainer, training provider, consultant, and auditor who helps organizations make sense of ISO standards and apply them in practical ways. With more than 35 years of experience, including growth into executive leadership roles, Mike focuses on helping organizations build understanding through training first, then refine and improve their systems. As a committed solopreneur, his approach is practical, straightforward, and centered on leaving people more capable than when he started.Connect with Mike:Website: https://mj-gross.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mj-gross/Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/michael-j-gross-llc/LinkedIn Showcase: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mscertts/Leslie Hemedes — KeepSaiQDr. Leslie Hemedes is a clinical psychologist, entrepreneur, and founder of KeepSaiQ, a family intelligence platform reimagining how families preserve memories, stories, and meaning across generations. Her work sits at the intersection of psychology, entrepreneurship, technology, and human connection, with a mission to help families preserve not just what happened, but why it mattered.Connect with Leslie:Company Website: https://keepsaiq.com/KeepSaiQ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keepsaiq/Leslie LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-hemedes-psy-d-b02b4022/Shawn Sundsvold — GoldBear MediaShawn Sundsvold is the co-founder and COO of GoldBear Media, a marketing agency based in Westminster, Maryland. After years of solving business problems across sales, operations, management, and marketing roles, Shawn joined his wife Kelly full-time in GoldBear Media to help small and medium-sized businesses improve their marketing, branding, online presence, social media, email marketing, and growth.Connect with Shawn:Website: https://goldbear.media/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldbear.media/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldBearMediaStephen Custer — Dry Humor MarketingStephen Custer started Dry Humor Marketing because he believes marketing is seriously fun. He helps clients combine strategy, data, video, photography, websites, and authentic storytelling so they can inspire people to act instead of simply throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.Connect with Stephen:Website: https://www.dryhumormarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-custer/🚀 Action Steps For Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursWrite a short voicemail or letter to your younger self. Notice what themes, regrets, or encouragements come up.Ask where you are forcing a path instead of following the energy, signals, and opportunities already showing up.Identify one area where you need to accept help instead of carrying everything alone.Look at one disappointment or closed door and ask whether it might be redirection rather than rejection.Choose one thing you have been waiting to start and take the smallest possible step this week.Protect your spark by reconnecting with the deeper reason you wanted to build in the first place.Surround yourself with one person, room, or community that reflects the kind of life and business you want to grow into.Practice saying no to one thing that is not yours to carry.
Transcribe →1486: STEAL THESE LESSONS! (from OTHER disciplines + hobbies! A special collab week episode!)
2w ago00:29:47Tap to summarizeIn this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, nine founders answer one creative and surprisingly powerful question:What is a concept from another discipline, hobby, or part of life that changed how you think as a founder?You’ll hear from Shawn Sundsvold, Jaimz Hodge, Jane Alexander, Drew Dorenfest, Erik Berglund, Lisa Larson, Nate Hebbert, Stephen Custer, and Nicholas Cook as they pull lessons from recovery, fiction writing, gardening, baseball, fitness, running, software engineering, sketch comedy, poetry, and more.The result is a wide-ranging episode about patience, systems, storytelling, recovery, consistency, craft, perspective, and the small lessons that quietly reshape how we build.For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur who feels like business wisdom only comes from business books, this episode is a reminder that some of the best founder lessons are hiding in plain sight — in the hobbies you love, the disciplines you practice, the challenges you survive, and the patterns you notice when you slow down enough to pay attention.✨ What You’ll Take AwayIn this episode, you’ll learn how to:Use life’s highs and lows as perspective instead of letting them define you.Move beyond passion by intentionally studying your craft.Build a startup with the patience and care of a gardener.Stop swinging for home runs and focus on getting on base consistently.Treat your business like something that needs regular self-care.Build recovery into your operating rhythm instead of glorifying exhaustion.Apply systems thinking from software engineering to business problems.Use storytelling to build trust in sales, marketing, and leadership.See creative hobbies as training grounds for better communication and business growth.🎙️ Meet the Collab Week ContributorsShawn Sundsvold — GoldBear MediaShawn Sundsvold is the co-founder and COO of GoldBear Media, a marketing agency based in Westminster, Maryland. After years of solving business problems across sales, operations, management, and marketing roles, Shawn joined his wife Kelly full-time in GoldBear Media to help small and medium-sized businesses improve their marketing, branding, online presence, social media, email marketing, and growth.Connect with Shawn:Website: https://goldbear.media/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldbear.media/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldBearMediaJaimz Hodge — Cart CatalystJaimz Hodge helps ecommerce brands convert more customers by eliminating the invisible friction in their buying experience, from ad click to checkout. Through Cart Catalyst, he helps entrepreneurs get their products and ideas online, selling through Shopify and advertising through Google Ads.Connect with Jaimz:Website: https://www.cartcatalyst.comJane Alexander — Emma AdvisorJane Alexander is the founder and CEO of Emma Advisor, an AI platform helping families navigate the path from high school to college with more clarity, strategy, and confidence. After an unconventional educational path and more than a decade advising leaders at over 200 colleges and universities, Jane built Emma Advisor from the belief that opportunity should not depend on insider knowledge, social capital, or expensive consultants.Drew Dorenfest — Client Magnet CRMDrew Dorenfest is a marketing expert who has worked with global brands including Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros., the NFL, and more as a video editor. Today, through Client Magnet CRM, he helps small business owners grow their brands through more clients, more 5-star reviews, stronger SEO, and more sales.Connect with Drew:Website: https://clientmagnetcrm.comErik Berglund — The Language of Leadership / LoominaryErik Berglund is the founder of The Language of Leadership and Loominary, where he builds custom skill simulation systems that help teams practice the difficult conversations that drive performance.Connect with Erik:Website: https://www.languageofleadership.ioWebsite: https://www.loominary.ioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emberglund/Lisa Larson — Mindful Corporate MasteryLisa Larson is the founder of Mindful Corporate Mastery, where she helps leaders and high performers build clarity under pressure before reactivity takes control. Her work focuses on performance-focused mindfulness, micro-interventions, and sustainable operating rhythms that support clearer thinking, better decisions, and long-term performance.Connect with Lisa:Website: https://www.mindfulcorporatemastery.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-larson-atx/Free Program: https://awakeningperformance.com/5-day-clarity-challenge/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6EqbbvCrXoBgtEt21ZItVX?si=fMY2efj0S7KTfwCikdibHgNate Hebbert — SelfWare ConsultingNate 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. After burnout threatened to derail his career, Nate became obsessed with helping tech companies beat burnout without pressing pause. Today, he is the founder and CEO of SelfWare Consulting.Connect with Nate:Website: https://selfwareconsulting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beat-burnoutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelfWareConsultingStephen Custer — Dry Humor MarketingStephen Custer started Dry Humor Marketing because he believes marketing is seriously fun. He helps clients combine strategy, data, video, photography, websites, and authentic storytelling so they can inspire people to act instead of simply throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.Connect with Stephen:Website: https://www.dryhumormarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-custer/Nicholas Cook — Money 101 AcademyNicholas Cook is a blogger, teacher, real estate investor, and founder of Money 101 Academy. His background includes work as a financial advisor and paraplanner, teaching personal finance, English, literature, theology, investing, and algebra, and building online projects across writing, web design, YouTube, ecommerce, affiliate marketing, and email marketing.Connect with Nicholas:Website: https://money101academy.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-cook77/Life, Business, and Creativity Blog: https://nickcook.blog🚀 Action Steps For Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursIdentify one hobby, discipline, or life experience that has already taught you something useful about business.Pick one area of your business where you have relied on talent or instinct, then study someone who has mastered that craft.Replace one “home run” goal with a smaller, repeatable action you can take consistently.Block time on your calendar for business self-care: systems, team support, metrics, strategy, or reflection.Build recovery into your week before your body or brain forces you to.Look at one recurring business problem and break it down like a system: inputs, steps, decisions, outputs.Turn one fact-heavy pitch, email, or piece of content into a story with a hook, journey, and takeaway.Revisit a creative hobby and ask how it might sharpen your communication, leadership, or founder instincts.
Transcribe →1485: The opportunity I ALMOST ignored! (collab episode!)
2w ago00:17:08Tap to summarizeIn this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, four founders answer one powerful question:What is an opportunity you almost ignored — but now realize changed everything?You’ll hear from Jane Alexander of Emma Advisor, Shawn Sundsvold of GoldBear Media, Mike Gross of Michael J. Gross LLC and Management System Certification Training Solutions, and Nate Hebbert of SelfWare Consulting as they each share a moment they could have easily dismissed.A bootcamp that felt intimidating.A cold email that could have been deleted.A coaching opportunity that seemed inconvenient.A local resource that could have been overlooked.Each story reveals the same lesson: some of the biggest entrepreneurial breakthroughs do not arrive looking obvious, polished, or perfectly timed. Sometimes they show up as discomfort, doubt, outreach, community, or an opportunity you do not yet feel ready for.For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur wondering whether to take the call, join the room, ask for help, invest in themselves, or say yes to the thing that scares them, this episode is a reminder to look twice. The opportunity that changes everything might already be sitting right in front of you.✨ What You’ll Take AwayIn this episode, you’ll learn how to:Recognize opportunities even when they do not look like opportunities at first.Bet on yourself when you feel underqualified, intimidated, or unsure.Use new tools, AI, and accessible technology to move faster without waiting for permission.Reframe cold outreach, local events, and free resources as potential doors instead of distractions.Invest in personal growth before you feel “ready” to become the next version of yourself.Build a stronger entrepreneurial support system so you do not have to figure everything out alone.🎙️ Meet the Collab Week ContributorsJane Alexander — Emma AdvisorJane Alexander is the founder and CEO of Emma Advisor, an AI platform helping families navigate the path from high school to college with more clarity, strategy, and confidence. Her own path included homeschooling in rural Idaho, community college, transferring to a private university, graduate work at Harvard University, and more than a decade advising leaders at over 200 colleges and universities on enrollment, student success, and strategy. Emma Advisor grew from her belief that access to college strategy should not depend on money, insider knowledge, or social capital.Connect with Jane:Website: https://emmaadvisor.ai/Shawn Sundsvold — GoldBear MediaShawn Sundsvold is the co-founder and COO of GoldBear Media, a marketing agency based in Westminster, Maryland. After years of solving problems across business development, sales, marketing, operations, and management, Shawn joined his wife Kelly in building GoldBear Media full time. Today, they help small and medium-sized businesses improve their marketing, branding, online presence, social media, email marketing, and growth.Connect with Shawn:Website: https://goldbear.media/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldbear.media/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldBearMediaMike Gross — Michael J. Gross LLC / Management System Certification Training SolutionsMike Gross is a trainer, training provider, consultant, and auditor who helps organizations make sense of ISO standards and apply them in practical ways. With more than 35 years of experience, including growth into executive leadership roles, Mike focuses on helping organizations build understanding through training first, then refine and improve their systems. As a committed solopreneur, his approach is practical, straightforward, and centered on leaving people more capable than when he started.Connect with Mike:Website: https://mj-gross.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mj-gross/Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/michael-j-gross-llc/LinkedIn Showcase: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/mscertts/Nate Hebbert — SelfWare ConsultingNate 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. After burnout threatened to derail his career, Nate became obsessed with solving one problem: how to escape the cycle of burnout. Today, he is the founder and CEO of SelfWare Consulting, helping tech companies beat burnout without pressing pause.Connect with Nate:Website: https://selfwareconsulting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beat-burnoutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelfWareConsulting💡 The Opportunities They Almost MissedJane Alexander: The intimidating room that changed the trajectory of the companyJane’s opportunity came through a bootcamp that felt outside her comfort zone. As a non-technical founder building an AI platform, it would have been easy to assume she did not belong in a room full of technical builders and Silicon Valley expertise. Instead, she said yes. That decision helped her learn new tools, build with more confidence, save significant money, and rethink what she was capable of creating herself.Key reminder: Do not let your current skill set define the limits of your vision.Mike Gross: The cold email that became a hidden doorMike’s opportunity arrived in the form many entrepreneurs are trained to ignore: cold outreach. But instead of immediately dismissing it, he paid attention to the way the opportunity showed up — professional, persistent, respectful, and not overly demanding. A simple exploratory conversation opened the door to a global business opportunity that expanded what he thought was possible.Key reminder: You do not have to say yes to every opportunity, but you should learn how to recognize signal through the noise.Shawn Sundsvold: The coaching opportunity that expanded his visionFor Shawn, the opportunity was not a tool, lead, or sales call. It was personal development. At a time when he was still trying to figure out what business ownership could look like, coaching helped him see a different future for himself. It challenged how he thought about life, work, possibility, and what he was capable of building.Key reminder: Sometimes the opportunity is not about the business yet — it is about becoming the person who can build it.Nate Hebbert: The local resource that became a communityNate’s story is a reminder that entrepreneurship does not have to be as lonely as it often feels. By exploring local business resources, libraries, councils, and community networks, he found support, connection, and momentum. One small step into a local ecosystem created a ripple effect of relationships and opportunities.Key reminder: The support you need may already exist closer than you think.🚀 Action Steps For Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursLook back at one opportunity you recently dismissed and ask whether it deserves a second look.Say yes to one room, event, call, or learning opportunity that feels slightly intimidating but potentially expansive.Take one low-risk exploratory call before deciding whether an unfamiliar opportunity is worth pursuing.Search for local business resources in your city, region, library system, chamber, or industry community.Invest in one personal development opportunity that challenges how you currently see your future.Identify one AI, no-code, or automation tool that could help you build something you previously assumed you had to outsource.
Transcribe →1484: The question I ask myself most often... (collab episode!)
2w ago00:17:30Tap to summarizeIn this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, five founders answer one deceptively powerful prompt:What is the single most important question you ask yourself to stay focused, make better decisions, and keep building?You’ll hear from Brent Newton of myOwl, Mary Gunther of The Social G Co., Nate Hebbert of SelfWare Consulting, Stephen Custer of Dry Humor Marketing, and Shawn Sundsvold of GoldBear Media as they each reveal the internal question that helps guide their work, energy, leadership, and growth.From asking whether something is truly CEO-level work, to buying back time, to protecting your energy, to shifting from “why?” to “why not?”, this episode is a masterclass in the questions that shape better entrepreneurs.For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur feeling stretched, distracted, overwhelmed, or unsure where to focus next, this episode will help you rethink the conversations you’re having with yourself — because the quality of your questions often determines the quality of your next move.✨ What You’ll Take AwayIn this episode, you’ll learn how to use better questions to:Filter your to-do list down to the work that actually moves the business forward.Identify what can be delegated, automated, or eliminated so you can buy back your time.Reframe doubt and hesitation into possibility and action.Protect your energy as a real business asset, not a luxury.Clarify your highest priority by factoring in urgency, growth, and personal capacity.Recognize and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in yourself and others.🎙️ Meet the Collab Week ContributorsBrent Newton — myOwlBrent is the co-founder and CEO of myOwl, an AI-powered platform helping student athletes and their families take back control of their time. Built around the “Play Hard, Study Smart System™,” myOwl combines homework aggregation, sports schedule syncing, and AI-generated study plans into one unified calendar. Brent built the company alongside his daughter after living the student-athlete time crunch firsthand.Connect with Brent:Website: https://www.getmyowl.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-newton-myowlMary Gunther — The Social G Co.Mary Gunther is the founder of The Social G Co., a Grand Rapids-based social media agency helping brands build strategic, authentic, impossible-to-ignore social presences. With a background in organizational development, HR, operations, community-building, and brand strategy, Mary brings a sharp mix of creativity and business growth to the companies she serves.Connect with Mary:Website: https://www.thesocialgco.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesocialgco/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marykgunther/Nate Hebbert — SelfWare ConsultingNate 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. After burnout threatened to derail his career, Nate became obsessed with helping tech companies beat burnout without pressing pause. Today, he is the founder and CEO of SelfWare Consulting.Connect with Nate:Website: https://selfwareconsulting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beat-burnoutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelfWareConsultingStephen Custer — Dry Humor MarketingStephen started Dry Humor Marketing because he believes marketing is seriously fun. He helps clients combine strategy, data, and authentic storytelling so they can inspire people to act instead of simply throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.Connect with Stephen:Website: https://www.dryhumormarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-custer/Shawn Sundsvold — GoldBear MediaShawn Sundsvold is the co-founder and COO of GoldBear Media, a marketing agency based in Westminster, Maryland. After years of solving business problems across sales, operations, management, and marketing roles, Shawn joined his wife Kelly full-time in GoldBear Media to help small and medium-sized businesses improve their marketing, branding, online presence, social media, email marketing, and growth.Connect with Shawn:Website: https://goldbear.media/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldbear.media/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GoldBearMedia💡 The Questions That Shape Better FoundersMary Gunther: “Is this CEO-level work?”Mary’s question is a direct challenge to every entrepreneur who confuses motion with momentum. Not every task deserves the founder’s time, energy, or attention. If the business is going to grow, the leader has to grow too — and that means protecting the calendar, saying no more often, and focusing on the work only the CEO can do.Key reminder: Busy is not the same as building.Shawn Sundsvold: “Where can I buy back my time?”Shawn’s question reframes time as something entrepreneurs can intentionally reclaim. Instead of assuming every task belongs on your plate, ask what can be delegated, automated, systemized, or handed off. The time you buy back becomes the space you use to lead your team, grow the business, and be present in the rest of your life.Key reminder: You do not have to do everything yourself.Brent Newton: “Why did it take me so long?”Brent’s reflection is both personal and generational. As a first-time founder building myOwl alongside his daughter, he reminds us that entrepreneurship can start at any age — but when we see that spark in someone younger, we should nurture it. Sometimes the most important question is not just how we build, but how we help others believe they can build too.Key reminder: It is never too late to start, and never too early to encourage someone else.Stephen Custer: “Why not?”Stephen’s question is simple, but powerful. Many founders default to asking “why?” from a place of fear, scarcity, or pessimism. But adding one small word — “not” — changes the energy of the entire question. “Why not?” opens the door to possibility, experimentation, hiring, scaling, and trying the thing you might otherwise talk yourself out of.Key reminder: Sometimes your next breakthrough starts with a better question.Nate Hebbert: “What is my highest priority right now?”Nate’s question goes deeper than urgency. Your highest priority is not always the loudest task, the nearest deadline, or the thing someone else wants from you. It also includes your growth, your energy, and your ability to do quality work. For entrepreneurs especially, protecting your physical, mental, and emotional capacity is not separate from business performance — it fuels it.Key reminder: Your energy is part of your operating system.
Transcribe →1483: A TINY decision that changed EVERYTHING (first ever W2E collab episode!)
2w ago00:17:34Tap to summarizeIn this first-ever Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, four past guests come together to answer one powerful question:What’s a tiny decision you made that changed everything?You’ll hear from Stephen Custer of Dry Humor Marketing, Nate Hebbert of SelfWare Consulting, Drew Dorenfest of Client Magnet CRM, and Janice Kephart of ZipID as they each share a seemingly small moment that created a major ripple effect in their entrepreneurial journey.From writing down a goal, to helping a friend for free, to saying yes to a terrifying opportunity, to using a job as a training ground for future business ownership, this episode is a reminder that transformation rarely starts with a grand master plan. More often, it starts with one small, decisive action.For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur feeling stuck, this episode offers real-world proof that the next move doesn’t have to be massive. It just has to be intentional.✨ What You’ll Take AwayIn this episode, you’ll hear how small decisions can become major turning points, including:Why writing down your goals can help shape your identity and future direction.How one free project can become the proof of concept that launches a business.Why scary opportunities often become the moments that create credibility and confidence.How your current job can become a paid training ground for your future company.Why you don’t need perfect clarity to begin — you just need one committed step.How tiny moments of courage, service, and curiosity can compound into major entrepreneurial momentum.🎙️ Meet the Collab Week ContributorsStephen Custer — Dry Humor MarketingStephen started Dry Humor Marketing because he believes marketing is seriously fun. He helps clients combine strategy, data, and authentic storytelling so they can inspire people to act instead of simply throwing ideas against the wall to see what sticks.Connect with Stephen:Website: https://www.dryhumormarketing.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-custer/Nate Hebbert — SelfWare ConsultingNate 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. After experiencing burnout firsthand, he became obsessed with helping tech companies beat burnout without pressing pause. Today, he is the founder and CEO of SelfWare Consulting.Connect with Nate:Website: https://selfwareconsulting.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beat-burnoutYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SelfWareConsultingDrew Dorenfest — Client Magnet CRMDrew Dorenfest is a marketing expert who has worked with global brands including Netflix, Apple, Warner Bros., the NFL, and more as a video editor. Today, through Client Magnet CRM, he helps small business owners grow their brands through more clients, more 5-star reviews, and more sales.Connect with Drew:Website: https://clientmagnetcrm.comJanice Kephart — ZipIDJanice Kephart is the founder of ZipID and brings decades of experience at the intersection of law, policy, national security, identity verification, and biometric technology. Her work has included drafting the federal identity theft criminal statute, serving with the 9/11 Commission, contributing to REAL ID and biometric border entry-exit systems, and now building technology to bring greater trust and integrity to identity verification.Connect with Janice:Website: https://www.zipidapp.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janicekephart/💡 Key Lessons From This EpisodeDefine who you’re becoming.Nate’s story shows the power of writing down your goals and allowing that act to shape your identity, attention, and future decisions.Create proof before you chase perfection.Drew’s story is a reminder that helping one person, even for free, can become the case study that gives you confidence and opens the door to paying clients.Say yes before you feel ready.Janice’s story reveals how one intimidating opportunity can become the moment that changes how you see yourself and how the world sees your expertise.Use where you are to build where you’re going.Stephen’s story shows how your current job, role, or environment can become the place where you develop the exact skills you’ll later use to build your own business.🧠 Memorable Moments“Your environment and the experiences that you've had in the past do affect who you are right now, but the future in so many ways is for you to decide.” — Nate Hebbert“That small decision just to help a friend and try something changed everything for me.” — Drew Dorenfest“It gave me the confidence that I had something to offer in a way that I never had it before.” — Janice Kephart“I learned how to make videos that engaged people and educated them and most importantly caused them to act.” — Stephen Custer🚀 Action Steps For Wantrepreneurs and EntrepreneursWrite down one goal you want to grow into and keep it somewhere you’ll see it often.Find one person or business you can help this week to create real-world proof of your skills.Say yes to one opportunity that scares you but could stretch your credibility.Look at your current job, project, or environment and ask: “What skill can I develop here that my future business will need?”Stop waiting for the huge breakthrough and identify the tiny decision you can make today.
Transcribe →1482: My biggest and most personal announcement ever.
2w ago00:19:18Tap to summarizeIn this very special Solo Sunday episode, Brian shares his biggest and most personal announcement ever. After a decade of sharing his entrepreneurial journey on the show, he’s opening up about a life-changing milestone that is already profoundly shifting his perspective on business, priorities, and success. He ties this beautiful moment back to the single most important element of any business strategy: making it about someone other than yourself. If your motivation ever fades or you find it easy to pause when life gets hectic, this episode reveals the ultimate key to creating unstoppable momentum and accountability in your business.✨ Why This Matters for YouBuilding your strategy around others isn't just a feel-good idea; it's a powerful business advantage:It provides an unshakable purpose that fuels you through the toughest challenges.It transforms your business from a self-centered project into a meaningful mission.It creates built-in accountability, making it much harder to quit on your goals.It forces you to think about service and value first, which naturally leads to greater success.It gives you a reason to get creative and find solutions, even when you feel like pausing.📝 Key TakeawaysYour Strategy Needs a "Who." A powerful strategy isn’t just about your "why" — it’s about who you are doing it for. When you build your goals around serving and uplifting others, your motivation becomes infinite.A "Me-Focused" Strategy Is Fragile. When your business is only about you, it’s easy to quit, pause, or disappear when things get hard. There's no one else to answer to.People Create Accountability. Whether it’s your family, your team, your clients, or the people you hope to inspire, making them part of your strategy ensures you show up consistently.Service Is the Ultimate Motivator. Brian shares how his commitment to the podcast listeners is what drove him to find creative solutions to keep the show going during a hectic personal time, rather than stopping like he might have in the past.Success Becomes a Shared Reward. Growing a business becomes infinitely more fulfilling when you see it as a vehicle to support your team, delight your customers, and be an example for your community.🚀 Put It Into ActionThis week, take a moment to redefine your strategy around people:Who, besides yourself, are you building this business for? Write their names down or visualize them.Is it for your family? To make your parents proud? For the friend who never believed in themselves? For the community that looks up to you?The next time you feel like quitting or procrastinating, look at that list. Let your commitment to them be the fuel that drives your next action.🔗 Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the show so you never miss an episodeConnect with Brian on Instagram @imetbrianShare this episode with a fellow entrepreneur who needs a powerful reminder of who they're fighting for
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