The First Customer
Ever wondered how to use your experience to start or grow a business?
The First Customer intimately dissects successful entrepreneurs journeys to their first customer. Learn from practical real-life examples of regular people transforming into superheroes by starting their own business.
Buckle up … the rocket is taking off!
Episodes
202 episodes
The First Customer - How to Stick with Your Vision and Resilience with Co-founder and CEO Dori Yona
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Dori Yona, Co-founder and CEO of Simple Closure.Dori shares his entrepreneurial journey, which began with a childhood influenced by his entrepreneur parents and a deep connection to Silico...
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Season 1
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Episode 203
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20:57
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The First Customer – Mistakes, Mentors, and a Maverick Mindset with CEO Mark Wormgoor
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Mark Wormgoor, CEO and tech coach at The Maverick CTO.Mark shares that despite a successful 25-year corporate career in IT, he felt unfulfilled after reaching his long-term goal early and ...
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Season 1
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Episode 202
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24:34
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The First Customer - What Most Startups Miss About Lead Gen with Founder and CEO Bert TerHart
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bert TerHart, CEO and Founder of LeadBrain AI. Bert shares how his upbringing in a small Canadian town and the work ethic of his entrepreneurial father shaped his approach to busines...
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Season 1
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Episode 201
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20:20
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The First Customer - Scaling Internal Talent and Building from Within with CEO Bridgette Ferraro
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Bridgette Ferraro, CEO of iCopy Legal.Bridgette shares her unexpected journey from studying human services at Purdue to leading a legal document retrieval company. She recounts how a bold ...
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Season 1
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Episode 200
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22:41
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The First Customer - Why Networking is a Developer's Best Friend with Codingscape CTO Jimmy Jacobson
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jimmy Jacobson, CTO of Codingscape. Jimmy discovered programming through his father's university lab computer, unaware it could be a career. He later pursued computer science, freelancing...
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Season 1
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Episode 199
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23:59
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The First Customer - Breaking into the Birmingham Tech Scene with Co-founder Will Blackburn
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Will Blackburn, co-founder of DevClarity.Will shares he's from Birmingham, Alabama, where he still resides. Although he moved to Atlanta, thinking Birmingham lacked a tech ecosystem, he re...
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Season 1
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Episode 198
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26:24
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The First Customer - Embracing Open-Mindedness and Independence with CEO Tatsiana Kirimava
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Tatsiana Kirimava, CEO and co-founder of Orangesoft.Tatsiana shares that she grew up in various countries, including Poland, Belarus, and the U.S. She attributes her open-mindedness and i...
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Season 1
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Episode 197
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23:02
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The First Customer - How IT Pros Thrived by Choosing the Right Clients with Founder T Brad Kielinski
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview T. Brad Kielinski, Founder of IT Pros.Brad shared his journey from growing up in Plymouth Meeting near Germantown Academy to becoming a successful tech recruiter in Philadelphia. Inspired...
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Season 1
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Episode 196
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23:02
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The First Customer - How To Avoid The Pain of Missed Opportunities with Founder Charles Sims
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Charles Sims, CEO and founder of Investimate.Charles shares how he grew up around innovation and leadership inspired him to build and scale ventures, starting with a paintball supply comp...
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Season 1
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Episode 195
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23:22
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The First Customer - The Path from Real Estate Mogul to Wealth Tech Innovator with CEO David Snider
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview David Snider, founder and CEO of Harness Wealth. Growing up in Boston, David's early exposure to financial services and an interest in problem-solving shaped his career. After co-foun...
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Season 1
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Episode 194
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22:43
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The First Customer - Marketing, Momentum, and Making It Work with CEO and Founder Jason Shafton
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jason Shafton, CEO and founder of Winston Francois.Jason shares his journey from growing up in a family of entrepreneurs in Chicago to becoming a growth and marketing consultant for tech ...
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Season 1
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Episode 193
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19:23
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The First Customer - Empowering Tech Founders to Build Successful Companies with Vladimir Baranov
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Vladimir Baranov, CEO and founder of Human Interfaces.Vladimir had early exposure to the turbulent Russian business climate, which made him cautious about entrepreneurship, but his experie...
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Season 1
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Episode 192
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20:28
The First Customer - Why Niching Down is the Fast Track to Product-Market Fit with CEO Peter Bonney
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Peter Bonney, CEO and founder of Fastbreak RFP.Peter shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his childhood in a small town in Massachusetts. Growing up with a father who ran sho...
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Season 1
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Episode 191
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20:16
The First Customer - What Risk-Taking Looks Like When You Have a Plan with CEO Shae Feltz
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Shae Feltz, CEO and founder of NOTICS, an IT service provider based in Minneapolis. Shae delves into his humble beginnings in Brainerd, Minnesota, where he learned early on that work...
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Season 1
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Episode 190
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25:53
The First Customer - From Supply Chain Snags to Seamless Solutions with Founder and CEO Brian Glick
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Brian Glick, CEO and founder of Chain.io Brian traced his inspiration to a family background in leadership and entrepreneurship, coupled with firsthand experience in customs brokerag...
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Season 1
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Episode 189
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20:48
The First Customer - Paving a Path from Rocks to a Dynamic Creative Agency with CEO Jon Wise
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jon Wise, the founder and CEO of Jon Wise Creative (JWC). Jon started his childhood in suburban Atlanta, where his father ran a local software store. Jon recalls his earliest entrepr...
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Season 1
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Episode 188
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22:01
The First Customer - Creating Relational Ecosystems for Leaders and Teams with CEO Etienne de Bruin
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Etienne de Bruin, Founder and CEO of 7CTOs.Etienne shares his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his upbringing in South Africa to founding his organization that supports technology l...
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Season 1
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Episode 187
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36:08
The First Customer - The Role of Personalized Nutrition in Holistic Wellness with CEO Rachel Sanders
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Rachel Sanders, CEO and Co-Founder of Rootine.Rachel shares the transformative journey behind her health and wellness brand. Rootine’s mission is to empower individuals with personalized,...
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Season 1
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Episode 186
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23:20
The First Customer - Demystifying Backend Development with Founders Hunter Fortuin and Tom Carmona
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Hunter Fortuin and Tom Carmona, co-founders of Wolfjaw Studios. Based in Troy, New York, Wolfjaw specializes in backend development for online gaming services, tackling the complex s...
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Season 1
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Episode 185
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30:10
The First Customer - The Three To Twelve Month Rule in Personal Branding with CEO Jason Barnard
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jason Barnard, CEO of Kalicube.Jason recounts his beginnings in the music industry, where he started a record label after failing to secure a deal for his band. This led him to his first ...
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Season 1
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Episode 184
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22:49
The First Customer - The Power of Community in Building A Successful Consultancy with Dave Reinhold
In this episode, I was very, very lucky enough to interview my former boss, Dave Reinhold, Founder of VentureCPO. Growing up in New York, Dave recounts his first “business” selling bubble gum and fans to classmates, reflecting a lifelon...
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Season 1
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Episode 183
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22:52
The First Customer - The Secret Sauce For Success in Cybersecurity with Co-Founder Deanna Sheward
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Deanna Sheward, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Capablanca.Deanna shares her unique journey from academia to entrepreneurship. She recounts how her background in art, architecture...
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Season 1
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Episode 182
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24:05
The First Customer - The Quiet Wins: The Formula for Progress with Founder and CEO Sean Languedoc
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Sean Languedoc, Founder and CEO of Outforce AI.Sean recounts his unconventional start in business, inspired by advice to "learn by doing" instead of pursuing an MBA. He shares his experie...
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Season 1
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Episode 181
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25:23
The First Customer - Pioneering Solutions for an Inclusive Future with Founder Jordan Saunders
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Jordan Saunders, founder and CEO of NextLink Labs.Jordan reflects on his entrepreneurial journey, starting from his early days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, building computers at age 12. H...
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Season 1
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Episode 180
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22:46
The First Customer - Aligning People, Purpose, and Progress with Co-Founder Alex Levin
In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview Alex Levin, Co-Founder and CEO of Regal.io.Alex grew up in Manhattan with a father who ran a steel service business. Alex absorbed early lessons about business operations and efficiency. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 179
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21:12
