About the show
As we hear The Startup Story of some of the most successful companies in the world our focus is singular…
To give you the belief and courage to Start Your Story.
Every successful startup began with a single decision. It’s not about the dream, it’s not about the vision, it’s about having the courage to take that very first step -- to start.
How did UBER grow to $50 billion? How did Spanx become massively successful without one dime of venture capital? The stories are out there. But The Startup Story goes even deeper. What exactly did they do to go from idea to launch? What was that first step and how did they decide to take it?
Each week, hear from the courageous founders behind some of the most successful brands in the world as they share their Startup Story. We’ll unpack the early beginnings, and uncover those first steps that ultimately led them to where they are today.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur who’s in the thick of it and not making much progress, or feeling stuck in the fear of failure, not sure if you have what it takes, this podcast was created for you.
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Episode List
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Founder's Depression
August 13th, 2019 | Season 1 | 13 mins 2 secs
This week instead of featuring a founder’s story, we are going to focus on part of a story that many founders go through — founder depression. Yes, founders can get depressed, very much so, and yet not too many talk openly about it.
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Brian Burke, founder of Sell Your Mac
August 6th, 2019 | Season 1 | 49 mins 48 secs
Brian Burke is the founder of SellYourMac.com, a website that helps you to sell your Apple products in a way that ensures you receive top dollar. Brian recently received an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year nomination. Ernst & Young is one of the largest firms in the world and since Brian’s firm was nominated, I definitely wanted to invite him to unpack his story on this podcast.
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Michael Littig, co-founder of the Zuckerberg Institute
July 30th, 2019 | Season 1 | 1 hr 3 mins
Meet Michael Littig, Co-founder of the Zuckerberg Institute. And yes, the Institute is kind of associated with the infamous “Facebook Zuckerberg,” it’s actually co-founded by Mark’s sister, Randi. Their mission is to establish a community of entrepreneurs that encourage and inspire other entrepreneurs as they build their business or start their next venture. Sound familiar? It should because that's what I am hoping to build with this podcast, too.
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Danielle Salinas, founder of Maison de Papillon
July 23rd, 2019 | Season 1 | 57 mins 54 secs
I’d like you to meet Danielle Salinas, Co-founder of Maison de Papillon. Maison de Papillon is Danielle’s 2nd venture and it started when she lost her sleep mask during her trip at the London Olympics. Yes, you read that correctly and that is what I love about The Startup Story. Our businesses are birthed out of a need in our lives, yet pivot as we learn more about where the opportunities really lie.
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James Fratzke, co-founder of Fratzke Media
July 16th, 2019 | Season 1 | 52 mins 39 secs
Our guest today is James Fratzke, co-founder of Fratzke Media. Fratzke Media is a digital marketing consultancy based in Southern California. What piqued my interest in Fratzke Media was that James and his brother are identical twins. That said…it was not long into our conversation that I realized James’s startup story is much deeper than the fact that his co-founder is his twin.
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Paige Robinson, founder of Will Reed
July 9th, 2019 | Season 1 | 54 mins 14 secs
This week’s featured founder is Paige Robinson, founder of Will Reed. Will Reed is a recruiting firm that partners with innovative tech companies and VC-backed startups to scale sales organizations and actualize growth strategies. In other words, they hire the best people to help the best people find the best jobs. It became very apparent that her startup story was going to shake up many preset ideas within our entrepreneurial audience and even within me.
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Josh Stine, founder of Seat Insiders
July 2nd, 2019 | Season 1 | 1 hr 6 mins
Our guest this week is Josh Stine, CEO and co-founder of Seat Insiders. Seat Insiders is a concierge ticketing firm that makes ticket buying for sporting events, theater, or concerts unbelievably easy and cost-effective. Josh’s story was compelling because when you think of ticketing you immediately think of Ticketmaster and StubHub. And one has to wonder why you would want to take on those monsters of industry? But that’s the interesting part, Josh isn’t taking them on, he is filling a gap that those companies cannot address, the human aspect of ticketing.
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Catherine Stiles, founder of Barbecue Wife
June 25th, 2019 | Season 1 | 51 mins 55 secs
Our guest this week is Catherine Stiles, founder of Barbecue Wife. Barbecue Wife is a cocktail mixer brand that began as a platform to tell the unique stories of some amazing women within the barbeque industry. Barbecue Wife has grown to be a well-recognized cocktail mixer within the state of Texas. After researching the barbecue industry and the beverage industry, I became incredibly intrigued by Catherine’s story and knew it would make for a great episode!
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Meghan Asha, founder of FOUNDERMADE
June 18th, 2019 | Season 1 | 52 mins 54 secs
This week on the podcast my guest is Meghan Asha, founder of FOUNDERMADE. Meghan and the FOUNDERMADE team are focused on bringing consumer brand companies together with some of the largest retail buyers in the world. Meghan has helped hundreds of startups in the consumer product space elevate their brand. She also has a real passion for connecting the right people together for mutual value. I love what this can do for startups in this space and I loved hearing Meghan’s personal startup story.
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Chad Phillips, co-founder of Highpoint Brewing Co.
June 11th, 2019 | Season 1 | 46 mins 44 secs
This week’s featured founder is Chad Phillips, co-founder of Highpoint Brewing Company in San Dimas, California. This episode combines a few things that I love dearly, small business and creativity. When it comes to beer and brewing, I don’t think many people would have thought about the creative side of it all. Chad will discuss just how personal beer making is to him and how his beers are a personal expression of his creativity.
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Michael Alvarez Jr., founder of Vision Media
June 4th, 2019 | Season 1 | 48 mins 27 secs
I’d like to introduce you to Michael Alvarez Jr., founder of Vision Media. Vision Media is a fulfillment and logistics company that services movie studios and television networks. In fact, if you walk into almost any movie theater today, I am confident that all marketing collateral you see has come through one of Michael’s warehouses. Vision Media has experienced some tremendous success, but Michael’s journey in bringing it to its current state was not without incredible trials.
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Zack Swire, founder of Good Grains
May 28th, 2019 | Season 1 | 1 hr 10 mins
This week I welcome Zack Swire, founder and CEO of Good Grains, to the show. Good Grains delivers better cereal, better coffee, and better gear for a happier and healthier day. As you’ve heard in this podcast from numerous founders, there are some aspects of their journey that are similar. And yet, there are others unique to their story. For Zack, his entrepreneurial mindset started at a young age. In fact, by the time he was 16, he already had his second business. Zack’s story is one underlined by familial motivations and aspirations.
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Eva Gerrits, founder of Energetek
May 21st, 2019 | Season 1 | 47 mins 56 secs
This week I would like to introduce you to the co-founder and CEO of Energetek, Eva Gerrits. Energetek is an energy brokerage and consultant company that is also focused on renewable alternatives. If you are unaware of the commercial and industrial industry space then know that Eva is paving a way for other female entrepreneurs and leadership as this industry is heavily dominated by males.
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Ladan Davia, founder of Beeya
May 14th, 2019 | Season 1 | 51 mins 48 secs
This week’s featured founder is Ladan Davia of Beeya. Beeya is a company that is changing the way recruiters and job searchers are connecting. Improving the job search process has been attempted numerous times, it’s true. But so has online dating and that never stopped innovation. Beeya is the real deal and so is its founder, Ladan Davia.
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Mia Plecic, founder of Her Organics
May 7th, 2019 | Season 1 | 1 hr 11 mins
Our guest this week is Mia Plecic. Mia is 27 years old and has started 6 companies all leading her towards her current startup, Her Organics Australia. Her Organics is a subscription service through which women can sign up to have tampons delivered automatically each month. The company, Her Organics, is Mia’s 6th startup and her 5th e-commerce startup. In fact, when she was just 22 years old she launched her first e-commerce product and reached $30,000 in daily revenue within 6 months! However, that success did not come without some very serious challenges, which we discussed in this fascinating episode.
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Jon Verlee, founder of Breeze
April 30th, 2019 | Season 1 | 51 mins 31 secs
Jon Verlee is the founder of Breeze Church Management Software. I was given Jon’s name from a friend who was emphatic about Jon’s story being told. Part of her enthusiasm for Jon’s story is that it is one that so many people can look to as a potential template for their journey.