Episodes

In this episode, Ryan Sneddon shares his journey of starting a successful local email newsletter business. He discusses how he came up with the idea, experimented with different business models, and eventually found success with his current business. Ryan explains the process of monetizing the newsletter through advertising and the importance of targeting the right advertisers. He also shares his plans for scaling the business and partnering with others to expand into different cities. Ryan emph...

In this episode, Neel sits down with Jon Matzner about his entrepreneurial journey and the launch of Sagan Passport. Jon emphasizes the importance of iterative experimentation and finding variations on a theme. He shares his mindset when testing new ideas and the value of being flexible and adaptable. Jon also explains the concept of Sagan Passport, which offers a suite of hard and soft benefits for hiring global talent. Neel and Jon discuss: Iterative experimentation and finding variations...

In this episode, Neel chats with Khe, a former finance professional who quit his high-paying job to pursue a more fulfilling life. They discuss Khe's background, his career journey, and the midlife crisis that led him to reevaluate his priorities. They also explore the concept of lifestyle creep and how Kay managed his spending habits. The conversation delves into the psychological hurdles and money beliefs that often hold people back from making significant life changes. They touch on genera...

In this episode, Neel chats with Aaron Harper, CEO of Rolling Suds, about his journey in the franchise industry. Aaron shares his background in the film industry and his transition to entrepreneurship. He explains his approach to acquiring Rolling Suds and turning it into a franchise. Aaron discusses the importance of building a strong franchise system and the support provided to franchisees. He also emphasizes the need for commitment and effort from franchisees and the challenges of part-ti...

In this episode, Neel sits down with Connor Loftus from Mike's Fences and dive into his entrepreneurial journey, exploring the fusion of passion, family influence, and market opportunity that led to the creation of his company. Takeaways: Entrepreneurship often involves seizing opportunities where one's passion aligns with market demand. The journey to building a successful business may involve trial and error, but perseverance and adaptability are essential. Embracing uncertainty and taking...

In this episode, Neel Parekh interviews Cole Simpson, owner of a roofing company, about his journey in entrepreneurship. Cole shares his background and how he got into the roofing business. He discusses the challenges and lessons he learned along the way, including his experience with franchising and acquisitions. Cole shares his motivations and goals, and how he approaches business as a game. Takeaways Entrepreneurship requires risk mitigation and the ability to make asymmetrical bets. Exp...

In this episode Neel sits down for the second time with Stephen Heiner, who previously appeared on episode 108, when he had just newly moved into a Catholic seminary after having been location independent for a decade. This was Neel's "6 month checkup" on Stephen. Neel and Stephen discuss: - Stephen's frame for freedom, i.e. discipline = freedom, and how stability has given him productivity, but also another way to do what it is he wants to do - how much the Four Hour Work Week influenced Ste...

In this episode Neel sits down with Logan Robison who just quit his job in the last few weeks to go full-time on his business. Neel and Logan discuss: - a side hustle he started in February 2020: a photo booth which he made 5X on upon exit despite starting the month before Covid hit - how a big project at his full-time job forced a crisis and a niche move in his then rapidly-growing cleaning business...and just how hard it was to turn down jobs as a result - how a text message autoresponder ...

In this episode Neel sits down with Martijn Reintjes, who is currently three months into a 7-month trip with his wife and three kids. And this isn't the first time he's done this, either. Neel and Martijn discuss: - how they had to fiscally exit the Netherlands, their home base, so that they wouldn't be fined for homeschooling their kids on the road - how much richer the education is for his kids on the road, not just for experiences and food, but for languages too - how Martijn used geoarbi...

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In this episode Neel sits down with Danny Miranda of the Danny Miranda Podcast. Danny is currently a full-time podcaster and is one of the few that managed to bag a dream guest, Gary Vee, through a viral social media thread. Neel and Danny discuss: - what a big role meditation plays in his life; Danny says that his life is divided in two: before he began meditating and after - why he used to do 5-10 hours of research per guest...and why he currently does zero - his love of the journey and b...

See you guys in the new year with a fresh look!

In this episode Neel chats with Renee Aafjes of Organized Garage, a company that helps people upgrade their garages to make them look and function better. Neel and Renee discuss: - the unique (and supportive) environment America offers in building businesses from the ground up (and how New Zealand, where Renee hails from, deals with Tall Poppy Syndrome by contrast) - Renee's entrepreneurial journey, which included an injury which forced him to change into a business that didn't require as muc...

In this episode Neel sits down with Paul Tran, owner of 11 Halal Guys stores in the Orange County, California area. Neel and Paul discuss: - how what you don't know can really be a secret weapon in entrepreneurship - what sort of people make good franchisees (and who can sometimes come with baggage) - how Paul's personal love for the brand led him to jump back into the restaurant space after sitting on the sidelines for a decade If you want to start your own MaidThis Franchise in your marke...

In this episode Neel and sits down with Walker Drewett of NuBrakes, a mobile brake-repair business that grew out of a mobile car detailing business he started while going to school. Neel and Walker discuss: - not sitting on your laurels: despite growing the car detailing business to $1M in revenue, Walker found out customers really wanted help with maintenance and service, so he pivoted accordingly - why it is nerve-wracking to trust employees with company vehicles they can take home, but tha...

In this episode Neel and sits down with Chris Schwab of Think Maids (remote cleaning business) and Inova Local (a virtual assistant company). Chris originally wanted to get to Japan to be with his long-distance girlfriend and realized starting a business was the only way he could do that. That paved the way for everything else. Neel and Chris discuss: - the cleaning "revenue valley of despair" in which you are bringing in a lot of revenue but are not yet profitable enough to hire full-time he...

In this episode Neel speaks with Ben Davis of The Gents Place (which he describes as speakeasy meets barber shop meets country club) and Rascal Man about his journey from the corporate life to being a remote local business franchisor. Neel and Ben discuss: - how he chose what kind of business to start, which included asking "where could I work 80 a week and still love it." - why someone would choose a $600 annual membership to The Gents Place instead of just paying $30 each time he needs a ha...

In this episode Neel chats with Brian Leubben, host of the Action Academy Podcast and author of the forthcoming book From Passive to Passionate: How to Quit Your Job, Grow Your Wealth, & Turn Your Passions into Profits. Neel and Brian discuss: - his entrepreneurial path which started as a college DJ, then to corporate sales, then to creating a Vivid Vision for this future. - how "house hacking" brought him $4k a month in passive income, until he discovered affiliate income, which added anothe...

In this episode Neel chats with Seonaid Beckwith of Perfect English Grammar, a very popular website that helps non-native English speakers improve to whatever level they want, for personal or professional reasons. Neel and Seonaid discuss: - how what started as a resource for her in-person students became a side hustle and then eventually allowed her to quit her job. - how she just kept learning what she didn't know to give options to the people who were coming to the site (which now nu...

In this episode Neel and sits down with ⁠Costa Kapothanasis of Costa 10 Minute Oil Change. Costa has scaled an oil change franchise to 100+ locations. Neel and Costa talk about: - how working in family-owned restaurants gave him a sense of the importance of not having single points of failure in a business and how that helped him have the right mindset to build a remote local company. - his journey from buying a single oil change shop on a 100% seller-financed note (and getting...

In this episode Neel and sits down with Katrin Krakovich of Lahav Media. Neel and Katrin discuss: - the power of blogging for local services business (here's a blog she wrote about it if you want to learn more) - what she would do if she was starting a local services business today as far as keyword research - what are the most important aspects of GMB (Google My Business) that every business owner needs to handle If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to reach out to Katrin on Li...

In this episode Neel and sits down with Robby McClung of McClumsy.com to talk about how you sometimes have to pivot several times to find yourself going the right way in business. Neel and Robby discuss: - how Robby first got started in entrepreneurship, which was through training as a sommelier and learning that some of his colleagues did cellar management for restaurants - creating an event in an isolated area, then growing in a large way because of the success of it -...

In this short episode, Neel takes a look at four businesses you should be nowhere near this year. The list includes: - Amazon FBA (though he does offer you an alternative platform should you really want to sell products) - Faddy franchises like Crumbl (which are for sale everywhere these days after franchisees realized this was a fad) - Pool routes (though Neel does offer a tweak that could make this work) Neel's all for starting businesses...he just prefers the tried and true, th...

In this episode Neel and David sit down with Derek Dodds and have a leisurely conversation about how Derek found his calling. Derek currently runs ⁠WaveTribe⁠, an ecological surf company, has an interest in ⁠Naked Armor⁠, a wet shaving company, and serves an advisor to a publishing company he co-founded, ⁠2 Seas Agency⁠. The path he took to get to those projects is anything but conventional. Derek also shares: Going from having a gun in his hand at the age of 5 and being a hunter to be...