In this episode, we dive deep into the power of data, technology, and accountability with Adam Serlin, founder of Independent Variable. Adam’s journey from working with at-risk youth in the justice system to leading a data-driven consulting firm is nothing short of inspiring. What started as a passion for improving community-based programs led him to develop cutting-edge data collection and analytics solutions that help nonprofits and government organizations measure impact and drive change.

But this episode isn’t just about data—it’s about challenging the status quo, questioning impact, and making informed decisions that actually lead to better outcomes. If you want to learn how data can revolutionize your business or cause, this one’s for you!

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

🚀 Why accountability is the missing piece in many industries—and how to build it into your business
📊 How data storytelling can drive action, funding, and change in mission-driven businesses
💡 The biggest mistakes organizations make when tracking and analyzing their impact
⚙️ How to create affordable, scalable tech solutions without massive budgets
🤝 Why collaboration and collective intelligence are the future of tech and social innovation
💰 The problem with traditional SaaS models and how Adam is disrupting the industry with more accessible solutions
🧠 How to separate effort from impact in your entrepreneurial journey

📝 About Adam Serlin

Adam Serlin is a performance management and innovation professional with nearly two decades of experience designing strategies for public good. After spending over a decade managing award-winning community programs for justice-involved youth and gun violence reduction, Adam became concerned with the lack of accountability in his contract work.

This led him to develop software for better outcome analysis, launching his mission to deliver collaborative technology and data analytics to those addressing tough social problems in environments not built for transparency.

Following a three-year Stoneleigh Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Center for Government Excellence, where he enhanced data-informed performance management in juvenile justice systems, Adam founded Independent Variable in 2020. Today, he leads a team of software developers and implementation specialists spreading his brand of social innovation nationwide, helping organizations leverage data to increase effectiveness and accountability in their service delivery.

🎯 Adam’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs

“Don’t confuse effort with impact.”

📢 Memorable Quotes

“We don’t just need more effort—we need better accountability.” – Adam Serlin
“Technology should empower people, not extract value from them.” – Adam Serlin
“If the people you serve had a choice, would they still choose you? That’s the real test of impact.” – Adam Serlin

💡 Actionable Takeaways

✅ Implement simple, trackable metrics to measure success in your business
✅ Don’t just celebrate wins—analyze failures and improve based on data
✅ Look for collaborative business models that create win-win solutions
✅ Ensure your business solves a real problem—not just one that looks good on paper

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Independent Variable’s Website
• Follow Independent Variable on LinkedIn
• Connect with Adam on LinkedIn

What if entrepreneurship could be a tool for preserving cultural heritage? That’s exactly what Nadine Zaza, founder of Culture Crate, is doing. With a background in architecture, human-centered design, and cultural strategy, Nadine has built a mission-driven business that brings intangible cultural heritage to life through experiential learning kits.

In this episode, Nadine shares her journey from working with refugee educators to building a business that safeguards cultural traditions—all while successfully launching a crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign. Whether you’re passionate about mission-driven business, crowdfunding, or education, you’ll walk away inspired by her insights on building a purpose-driven brand that makes a lasting impact.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

🔹 How to turn your passion for social impact into a business model
🔹 What it takes to run a successful Kickstarter campaign (and why it validates your idea)
🔹 The power of human-centered design in product creation and how to use it
🔹 Why storytelling is your most valuable marketing asset (and how Nadine leveraged it)
🔹 How to ethically source materials and build a values-aligned supply chain
🔹 The importance of co-designing with the communities you serve

📝 About Nadine Zaza

Nadine Zaza is a designer, entrepreneur, and cultural strategist dedicated to preserving and celebrating global heritage through experiential learning. She founded Culture Crate in 2021, drawing from her experiences working with refugees, using design as a tool for social and cultural engagement, and her time at MIT, where she earned a Master of Science in Engineering and Management with a focus on human-centered design, entrepreneurship, and cultural preservation. With a background in Architecture and Design from RISD, she merges design thinking, storytelling, and business strategy to create impactful ways for people to engage with intangible cultural heritage. As an MIT-trained entrepreneur, she has built a mission-driven business, secured funding, and navigated the complexities of launching a social enterprise. She has pitched Culture Crate at SXSW EDU and successfully reached her Kickstarter funding goal, further solidifying her vision of making cultural traditions more accessible, interactive, and sustainable for future generations.

🎯 Nadine’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs

"The greatest power and impact you can have is through listening. Put your product down, put your vision down, and just listen."

📢 Memorable Quotes

🗣️ “Mission-driven entrepreneurship isn’t just a buzzword—it’s about co-designing with the communities you serve.” – Nadine Zaza

🗣️ “Education and tradition can coexist—our role as entrepreneurs is to make that connection tangible and accessible.” – Nadine Zaza

🗣️ “We don’t want to wait until cultural traditions are extinct to start preserving them.” – Nadine Zaza

💡 Actionable Takeaways

✅ Thinking of launching a product? Crowdfunding is a powerful way to validate market demand
✅ Want to build a mission-driven brand? Co-create with the communities you serve
✅ Struggling with marketing? Use storytelling to make your mission resonate
✅ Looking to make an impact? Find ways to make tradition relevant and accessible for modern audiences

🔗 Links & Resources

• Make a Pledge for Culture Crate in Kickstarter
• Follow Culture Crate on Instagram
• Visit Culture Crate’s Website

In this episode, we dive into the future of wellness technology with Moses Kasozi, founder of Mulongo Inc. and the creator of Oseer, a groundbreaking wellness digital twin platform. Moses has a background in statistical analysis at the Federal Reserve Bank and deep experience in product management in the identity authentication and wearable tech spaces.

Now, he’s leveraging AI and digital twin technology to help people optimize their health and wellness like never before. From his experience scaling startups to the lessons he learned after being fired (and how that pushed him into entrepreneurship), this episode is packed with insights you can apply to your own business journey.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

🚀 How being let go from a job became the fuel for Moses’ entrepreneurial journey
🤖 What a “digital twin” is & how this technology is revolutionizing health and wellness
💰 Why wearable tech is exploding—and how entrepreneurs can capitalize on this growing market
📊 How to validate your idea by talking to real users before launching
🛠️ The role of AI in hyper-personalized wellness and how it can drive better decision-making
📈 Why storytelling is one of the most underrated entrepreneurial skills (and how it helped Moses land investors)
⏳ How to balance short-term execution with long-term vision when launching a startup

📝 About Moses Kasozi

Moses Kasozi is the founder of Mulongo Inc., a company building digital twin solutions to help users improve the utility of their prized assets. His latest product, Oseer, is a wellness digital twin platform that integrates AI and wearable data to give people real-time insights and personalized recommendations for improving their health.

Before founding his company, Moses worked as a statistical analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank and later held key roles in product management for identity authentication and wearable tech. His diverse background and global perspective (originally from Uganda, now based in Colorado) have shaped his unique approach to problem-solving, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

🎯 Moses’ BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs & Entrepreneurs

"If you have an idea—even if it will only make two people’s lives better—just start. Execution is everything."

💡 Key Takeaways from Moses’ Advice:
✔ Don’t overthink it—start small and iterate as you go
✔ Talking to users is more valuable than any market research report
✔ Entrepreneurship is hard, but if your idea solves a real problem, it’s worth pursuing

📢 Memorable Quotes

🗣️ "At the end of the day, entrepreneurship is all about solving problems. If you can make someone's life better, go for it." – Moses Kasozi
🗣️ "Storytelling is key—if you can't explain your vision in a conversation, you're going to struggle to get investors, partners, and customers on board." – Moses Kasozi
🗣️ "The best businesses don’t just track data; they make it actionable and meaningful for users." – Moses Kasozi

💡 Actionable Takeaways

✅ If you're building a product, engage with your potential users early and often—get real feedback!
✅ Think about how AI can enhance personalization in your business, not just automate tasks
✅ When pitching your business, focus on storytelling—not just stats and numbers
✅ Stay ahead of market trends—wearable tech and AI-driven wellness are exploding

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Oseer’s Website
• Follow Oseer on Instagram
• Find Oseer on X
• Connect with Moses on LinkedIn

If you think business growth is just about making small tweaks, think again. Eli Glanz, founder of Workflow Architects, isn’t in the business of process improvement—he’s in the business of process reimagination. In this episode, Eli shares how he helps companies move from inefficient workflows to scalable, tech-powered growth systems. His unique first principles thinking and automation expertise challenge the way businesses operate, ensuring they’re not just optimized for today but built to scale for the future.

This episode will change the way you think about automation, AI, and scaling your business.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

🚀 Why small optimizations won’t cut it—and how to rethink your business from the ground up
🛠️ How automation can 20x efficiency and eliminate bottlenecks (without unnecessary complexity)
🤖 The truth about AI in business—is it a feature or a product?
💡 The one-question framework Eli uses to uncover inefficiencies in any business
🏗️ How your business foundation determines your ability to scale
🧠 Why reimagining from scratch (instead of improving) can lead to breakthrough growth

📝 About Eli Glanz

Eli Glanz is the Founder and Process Engineer at Workflow Architects, where he pioneers the fusion of deep-tech automation with business strategy. With a relentless focus on solving hard problems at scale, Eli architects operational systems that allow companies to move from scattered inefficiencies to streamlined, tech-powered growth. His work challenges the status quo, ensuring that businesses not only run more effectively today but are structurally designed to thrive in the long run. By applying first-principles thinking to workflow automation, Eli is redefining how organizations approach scale, efficiency, and operational intelligence.

🎯 Eli’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs

"You can’t have multiple priorities. There’s only one priority."

💡 Key Takeaways from Eli’s Advice:
✔️ The word "priorities" didn’t exist before the 1900s—it was always singular
✔️ Trying to juggle multiple priorities? You’re diluting your impact
✔️ Success comes from focus. Define your one priority and execute relentlessly

📢 Memorable Quotes

💡 Actionable Takeaways

✅ Want to scale? Eliminate inefficiencies before adding complexity
✅ Don’t start with automation—start by questioning your workflows
✅ Use AI as a feature, not a standalone product
✅ If you feel stuck in your business, wipe the slate clean and rethink from scratch

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Workflow Architects’ Website
• Follow Workflow Architects on LinkedIn
• Connect with Eli on LinkedIn

Marcus Blair, founder of Omega Business Solutions, joins us to dive deep into how entrepreneurs can use tech intelligently to scale. From custom AI deployments to process optimization, Marcus isn't just chasing shiny objects—he’s solving real business problems with tailored digital solutions. His story of launching a business during COVID, combined with his grounded approach to technology, offers a playbook for future-focused entrepreneurs. If you're overwhelmed by AI or tech trends, this episode brings clarity, strategy, and next steps.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

• 🔍 Why identifying symptoms isn't enough—and how to find the real root of your business problems
• ⚒️ Why technology is only as good as the process behind it (and how to evaluate yours)
• 🤖 The hidden risk of overusing AI—and how it can quietly erode your business’s uniqueness
• 📉 How AI search is changing SEO (and how to actually get cited by AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT)
• 🧠 How custom AI deployments will give businesses a competitive edge—yes, even small ones
• 💡 The importance of starting at the voice of the customer before building tech solutions
• 🔁 Why relying on dashboards isn't enough—and how AI can give you real insights into customer retention and churn

📝 About Marcus Blair
Marcus Blair is the founder of Omega Business Solutions, a consultancy that helps medium-sized businesses align their operations with the right technologies. His company installs and supports tailored solutions—not one-size-fits-all software. With a background in Six Sigma and theory of constraints, Marcus blends deep operational expertise with a passion for helping businesses thrive in a tech-first world. He’s also a leader in conversations around AI’s evolving role in business strategy and execution.

🎯 Marcus's BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs

Marcus urges aspiring entrepreneurs not to hide behind delegation. You can’t effectively lead what you haven’t done. Know your processes. Set expectations. Get your hands dirty.

📢 Memorable Quotes

💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Diagnose the root cause before choosing tools—avoid the "shiny object" trap
✅ Use AI to augment, not replace, your voice in content creation
✅ Go after long-tail keywords and specific customer queries in your SEO/content
✅ Explore custom AI tools tailored to your CRM, accounting, and customer insights
✅ Start at the end—with your customers’ needs—and work backward into solutions

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Omega Business Solutions’ Website
• Follow Omega Business Solutions on LinkedIn
• Find Omega Business Solutions on Facebook
• Subscribe to Omega Business Solutions’ YouTube Channel
• Connect with Marcus on LinkedIn

What if investing wasn’t confusing or intimidating, and instead it was simple, smart, and accessible? Eugene Yashin is on a mission to make that a reality through Holistico, a revolutionary platform that brings Wall Street-grade financial tools and AI insights to everyday investors. With over 20 years of experience as a portfolio manager and the founder of Signet Financial (a $1B+ advisory firm), Eugene shares his journey from managing billions to building technology that empowers individuals to build wealth with confidence.

In this episode, Eugene reveals how AI is transforming finance, the psychology behind smart investing, and why long-term wealth building beats chasing quick wins – especially for entrepreneurs.

💡 What You’ll Take Away For YOUR Business

• 📈 Why financial literacy is a non-negotiable for entrepreneurs—and how to build it
• 🧠 How to avoid emotional investing and make smarter money decisions
• 🤖 How Holistico uses AI to simplify complex investing strategies (even for non-finance people)
• 💼 Why long-term wealth building is essential (and often overlooked) for entrepreneurs
• 💡 What the “Magnificent Seven” stocks can teach us about diversification & risk
• 🔧 How to use tech & data to spot red flags in your business (or portfolio)
• 📊 The power of forecasting, tonality analysis, and behavioral cues in financial decision-making

📝 About the Guest

Eugene Yashin is a veteran portfolio manager, fintech founder, and the brains behind Holistico—a cutting-edge AI-powered wealth-building platform for individuals and advisors. With over two decades in the investment industry and leadership of a $1B+ advisory firm, Eugene combines deep financial expertise with an entrepreneurial spirit. His passion lies in translating complex financial models into simple, actionable insights for everyday people—bringing Wall Street to Main Street.

🎯 Guest’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs

“Follow your passion, do what you’re good at—and most importantly, enjoy what you’re doing.”

💡 Key Takeaways:

• ✅ You’re already choosing independence by being an entrepreneur—lean into work that excites you
• ✅ Passion fuels perseverance through the highs and lows of building a business
• ✅ Sustainable success comes from alignment between what you love and what you’re building

📢 Memorable Quotes

💡 Actionable Takeaways

• ✅ Start investing early—even a small percentage of your business profits can build serious wealth
• ✅ Use tools like Holistico to remove emotion from your investment decisions
• ✅ Don’t fall for hype—evaluate investments through long-term fundamentals, not FOMO
• ✅ Rein in risk: diversify your wealth beyond your business or startup
• ✅ Ask better financial questions, and let AI tools like Holi give you clearer answers

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Holistico’s Website
• Connect with Eugene on LinkedIn

In this episode, Eddie Yi, founder of Ditans Group, shares how he blends marketing strategy, business psychology, and operational infrastructure to help businesses grow smarter. With a background in healthcare operations and a deep understanding of digital marketing, Eddie walks us through the frameworks he uses to diagnose business bottlenecks and scale efficiently. He also unveils powerful automations, AI-driven call tracking tools, and his signature organizational model that optimizes every aspect of business performance. Whether you're struggling with lead generation, fulfillment, or internal systems, this episode is packed with insights that will help you tighten your operations and supercharge your marketing ROI.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

• 🧠 Why business psychology holds the key to sustainable growth and smarter decisions
• 🛠 How to structure your business into 3 core divisions to maximize efficiency
• 📞 How AI-powered call tracking reveals hidden leaks in your customer journey
• 🎯 The exact way Eddie ties marketing strategy directly to revenue metrics
• 💬 How to train your staff using call data and automated quality control reports
• 🚦 How to avoid the “sales-first” trap and build fulfillment-ready operations
• 🔍 Why visibility on local search is mission-critical for brick-and-mortar businesses

📝 About the Guest
Eddie Yi is a business strategist, marketing consultant, and founder of Ditans Group. With a background in business psychology and over a decade of experience in healthcare operations and digital marketing, Eddie helps companies improve their marketing performance and internal workflows to maximize growth. He’s worked with everything from dental practices to staffing firms to cannabis brands, blending tech and psychology to drive smart, measurable results.

🎯 Eddie’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
“Study the market first—don’t start a business just because you want to. Start one because the market has a real need.”

💡 Key takeaways:
✔ Identify real gaps in the market before launching your business
✔ Customers pay for solutions, not ideas that just sound cool
✔ Great marketing only works if it promotes something people actually need

📢 Memorable Quotes
“Marketing is just a way of telling the world you exist—but only if you have a real solution to offer.” – Eddie Yi
“You can’t fix business problems with more sales. Structure and operations matter just as much.” – Eddie Yi
“Visibility means everything. If you’re not part of the local 3-pack on Google, your customers are going to someone who is.” – Eddie Yi

💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Audit your business using Eddie’s 3-division model: External, Fulfillment, Internal
✅ Use call tracking to determine which marketing efforts actually convert
✅ Set SMART goals for your marketing outcomes—then build operations to match
✅ Monitor your local SEO visibility using real-time grid scans for search rankings
✅ Apply business psychology principles to improve organizational efficiency

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit Ditans Group’s Website
• Connect with Eddie on LinkedIn

In this episode, we dive into the world of strategic planning with Adam Wolford and Sophia Shaw, the co-founders of PlanPerfect—a technology-driven platform making strategic planning accessible and actionable for nonprofits. With deep expertise in both nonprofit leadership and tech innovation, Adam and Sophia share how they’re bridging the gap between traditional strategic planning and cutting-edge AI-powered solutions.

Whether you’re running a business or a nonprofit, this episode will help you understand why having a clear roadmap is essential for success—and how to ensure you actually execute on it. They also share the realities of transitioning from traditional careers to entrepreneurship, the power of partnerships, and the importance of just getting started.

💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business

🚀 Why strategic planning isn’t just about having a plan—it’s about execution
🛠️ How technology and AI can simplify strategic planning for any business
💰 How nonprofits and for-profits can adopt the same growth principles
⚡ Why removing ego is the key to getting teams aligned
📊 The #1 mistake businesses make in strategic execution (and how to avoid it)
👥 The power of co-founder partnerships—and how to find the right one
⏳ Why speed and iteration beat over-planning in entrepreneurship

📝 About Adam Wolford & Sophia Shaw

Adam Wolford has over a decade of experience in technology development, strategy, and operations, with a focus on helping organizations scale and operate more efficiently. He began his career at Accenture and Deloitte before transitioning into the startup world, where he led a product team at a Series A tech company. In addition to his work in technology, Adam has been actively involved in the nonprofit sector, serving on boards and volunteering. He is particularly interested in the intersection of technology, strategy, and impact—helping teams leverage the right tools and strategies to drive meaningful growth and results.

Sophia Shaw is an accomplished nonprofit leader and board governance expert with over 30 years of experience and a deep passion for mission-driven impact. As the former CEO of the Chicago Botanic Garden, trustee, board president, donor, volunteer, consultant, and professor of social impact at the Kellogg School of Management, she brings deep experience in organizational strategy, board leadership, and philanthropy.

🎯 Adam & Sophia’s BEST Piece of Advice for Entrepreneurs

"Stop overthinking and just start. The best way to learn is by doing."

💡 Key takeaways from their advice:
✔ You don’t need everything figured out—the roadmap will evolve as you go
✔ Failure isn’t fatal—iterating quickly is more important than getting it right the first time
✔ Execution is everything—a plan that isn’t acted upon is just a document

💡 Actionable Takeaways

✅ Write down your vision—if your team can’t clearly articulate it, execution will fail
✅ Test your ideas quickly—waiting for the “perfect plan” is a waste of time
✅ Embrace technology—strategic planning tools like Plan Perfect can help you move faster
✅ Find a partner you trust—a strong co-founder relationship can make or break your success
✅ Make strategic planning a habit—don’t just plan once; revisit and adjust regularly

🔗 Links & Resources

• Visit PlanPerfect’s Website
• Connect with Sophia on LinkedIn
• Connect with Adam on LinkedIn