Entrepreneur's Enigma

Melissa Davis is a Foundational Clarity Coach and founder of Humanity Inc., where she helps impact-driven entrepreneurs align their values, unlock clarity, and build meaningful, collaborative businesses. She’s also the founder and co-leader of the Collaborative Entrepreneurship Incubator - a playful, trust-led incubator where entrepreneurs reimagine what’s possible when they create intentional partnerships for greater individual and collective prosperity, resilience, & impact. Key Moments [04:10] Startup Culture and Vision Divergence [07:44] Discovering Self-Values After Layoff [10:46] Foundational Clarity in Business [14:17] Embrace Collaboration Over Self-Sufficiency [17:56] Entrepreneurial Concerns [22:05] "Incubator Update: LinkedIn Insights" Find Melissa Online https://www.humanityinc.world https://www.humanityinc.world/incubator https://www.humanityinc.world/lab https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-heisley-davis/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-collaborative-entrepreneurship-incubator https://www.instagram.com/collaborate4impact/ If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alexandra McGauley is a visionary leader and one of the youngest female L8 executives in Amazon’s history, achieving the rank at just 27. As an Auburn University Supply Chain Management graduate, she spent eight years at Amazon leading thousands of employees across operations, learning, finance, safety, HR, IT, loss prevention, maintenance, and engineering. In 2020, she built Amazon’s pandemic training support team from the ground up, supporting the onboarding of over 150,000 essential workers. Prior to leaving Amazon, she directly led a total org size of about 100+ salaried leaders, 2800 hourly employees, and a network initiative to improve on-time customer deliveries by ~40% YoY across 33 sites.After Amazon, she led at startup unicorn, Scale AI where she designed and scaled a data labeling workforce that generated millions in ARR in less than 4 months. Alexandra then took a leap to confront systemic gaps in dataset diversity and quality by founding Erud AI. Erud AI is fully bootstrapped and profitable in under a year of operations. Erud AI is startup based in Austin, Texas, and specializes in niche fields, expert fields, and multimodal data creation for AI applications. As a business process outsourcing partner, Erud AI handles the heavy operational lift of sourcing, employing, and training AI data teams. Clients appreciate Erud AI's focus on customer service and quality. Separately, Alexandra takes on a limited number of clients as a Fractional COO to boost organization efficiency, productivity, and profitability.Alexandra is passionate about fostering diverse talent and embedding ethical frameworks into AI development across industries and applications. Listeners will value her expertise in scaling high-performing teams, operational excellence, grit and tenacity, and responsible AI data practices. Key Moments [06:06] Ethical Data Sourcing Mission [09:35] Leaving Amazon to Build My Vision [10:54] Managing Payroll for Contractors [15:31] Value of Business Cards Find Alexandra Onlinehttps://erud.ai/newsletterhttps://linkedin.com/in/amcgauleyhttps://alexandramcgauley.com If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaac Saul is the Founder of Tangle, an independent, nonpartisan newsletter that presents a breakdown of the biggest news stories of the day, from both sides of the political aisle, to 125K+ subscribers in 55+ countries. As an ambitious but broke political reporter, Issac was struggling with countless job rejections and uncertainty over his path in life when he decided to turn his passion for open-minded political discourse into a mission-driven business. In 2019, he bootstrapped Tangle. In 5 years, Tangle has hit $1M in annual revenue through reader subscriptions alone and draws a wide audience on the Tangle podcast and YouTube. Its success landed Isaac on Forbes’ Next 1000 list in 2021 among other “upstart entrepreneurs redefining the American dream”. Tangle’s credibility today as one of the most reliable and least biased news sources on the internet is matched by Isaac’s standing as a seasoned political news voice. He has written for TIME Magazine, Vox, HuffPost, and other leading publications. - Recognized by notables like Dan Carlin, Elon Musk, Chris Anderson, Paul Graham for his viral analysis on the Israel-Hamas conflict, which had 20M+ views on X. - Cited by Fox News, The New York Times, and The Washington Post for his reports. - Delivered a TED Talk on how language shapes politics and ideas to communicate beyond the political divide in 2024. - Named by Yahoo News as one of 16 people whose writing shaped the 2016 election. Key Moments 04:28 Building a News Team Experience 07:48 "Why Not Try?" 10:06 Accidental Entrepreneurial Journey 15:09 Team Families and Responsibilities Find Out More About Isaac https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-saul/https://www.readtangle.com/https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tangle/id1538788132https://www.youtube.com/@tanglenewshttps://www.forbes.com/next1000/https://adfontesmedia.com/tangle-bias-and-reliability/https://www.allsides.com/news-source/tangle-media-biashttps://www.isaacsaul.org/my-work.htmlhttps://x.com/Ike_Saul/status/1711780282725011520https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=543mYKKh1EEhttps://www.yahoo.com/news/16-people-who-shaped-the-2016-election-isaac-saul-175336283.html If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Feinman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Viral Ideas, a Philadelphia-based productized video-editing agency on a mission to make creativity simple, impactful, and scalable. Over the past decade he has directed, produced, and edited thousands of videos for brands such as eBay and Johnson & Johnson—proving that great storytelling can be both artful and repeatable. David’s entrepreneurial journey began with launching The Zombie Run, one of the first nationwide 5K obstacle races that gamified fitness by immersing runners in a post-apocalyptic chase. The event’s viral success taught him how to blend memorable experiences with smart marketing—principles he now scales for clients every day. Under his leadership, Viral Ideas has become a seven-figure operation powered by a global team of editors, project managers, and AI-enhanced workflows that turn raw footage into scroll-stopping content at speed. Beyond steering daily operations, David hosts the “What It Takes” podcast, advises creative-service founders on systematizing their businesses, and is actively acquiring complementary agencies to expand Viral Ideas’ reach. A lifelong Philadelphian, marathon runner, and champion of continuous learning, David pairs human imagination with cutting-edge technology so that big ideas spread faster and farther than ever before. Key Moments [04:10] "The Power of Specialization" [10:12] Entrepreneurship: A Self-Improvement Journey [12:29] Entrepreneurs' Common Sleep Disruptors [14:46] Evolving Business Structure Find David Online www.viralideamarketing.com If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michele Novack’s story has always centered on helping others through inspiration, sharing free knowledge, and encouraging others to live their best lives. With a career spanning over 30 years in leadership roles within the financial sector and cybersecurity, Michele is the founder of CardinalsByte, a Cybersecurity Risk Management company. CardinalsByte specializes in helping small businesses understand compliance requirements, breaking down complex information into layman’s terms rather than overwhelming legal jargon. Her journey is a powerful testament to transformation, where shifting her mindset has led to a life filled with gratitude, abundance, and success. Michele is the inspiring author of "Shifting Your Mindset to 21 Days of Abundance & Overcoming The FEAR OF Entrepreneur & Solo-Preneurship – Transform to A Game Changer!" Known for her innovation and willingness to take risks, she firmly believes that anyone can achieve their goals through determination and hard work. Michele has always strived to live fully, not just to survive. Her unique perspective is rooted in resilience and determination, both as a mother, friend, and mentor. Michele inspires others to push through challenges and embrace new approaches to life’s obstacles with hope and faith. She greets each day as an opportunity to seek growth and expand her inner and spiritual knowledge. Key Moments [04:59] Cybersecurity Risk Management Explained[10:29] "Test Before Launching a Business[11:37] "Embracing What You Know"[14:24] "Importance of Cybersecurity Education" Find Michele Online https://www.linkedin.com/company/cardinalsbyte/https://www.facebook.com/people/Cardinalsbyte/61571054412796/https://www.cardinalsbytes.com/cyber-ebook If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Sims, is a distinguished business person with over 15 years of experience turned tech evangelist and investor. Charles has spearheaded more than $1.5 billion in acquisitions, navigating some of the most complex deals in the sports and entertainment industries. As well as the CTO of the LA Clippers basketball team. He is a master storyteller with a wealth of experiences that go far beyond what a single dinner conversation can contain. Charles seamlessly blends the worlds of technology and business, illuminating the value of even the most intricate technical scenarios, regardless of the audience's background. Key Moments [03:30] Clippers IT Challenges and Innovations [08:28] Bridging Tech-Leadership Communication Gaps [12:43] AI-Driven Startup Accelerator Platform [13:46] "Creative Incubator Process" [19:38] "Entrepreneurship: Reap What You Sow" [22:36] "Key VC Roles: Execute, Commercialize" [25:39] Tech Vision: Collaborative Storytelling Find Charles Online https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlessims/ https://www.HurricaneCTO.com If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colin Hirdman started his first company a week after graduating from college, and has been an entrepreneur ever since. He's building businesses through Monkey Island Ventures a company he co-founded with two of his best friends. Monkey Island Ventures is named after a park they played at since they were 5 years old. Over the years the trio has built over a dozen software and service businesses and want to help create as many successful entrepreneurs as they can by sharing what they know. Colin is now focused on their newest business, Rainmaker. He helps people in sales roles build their network, leads, and sales through LinkedIn… and turn LinkedIn into their favorite sales tool. Key Moments [05:24] Business Partnership Core Values [08:09] Entrepreneurship Stress and Perseverance [12:20] Scaling Businesses: CEO Insights [14:34] Hope as Carry-On Luggage Find Colin Online https://www.rainmakergrows.com https://wrappt.aihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhirdman/https://app.rainmakergrows.com/ If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Villari is the Co-Founder, Secure Virtual Solutions (SVS) Born and raised in Holland, PA, Michael Villari is a proud graduate of LaSalle College High School and a lifelong athlete who played baseball through college and beyond. After college, he began his professional journey with the Faulkner Organization — a role he still looks back on as his favorite job for its leadership, culture, and operational excellence. However, the demanding hours took him away from what mattered most: family. Seeking more balance, Michael transitioned into the financial services industry but quickly realized that selling insurance wasn’t aligned with his passion or purpose. That clarity led to something greater. Drawing from his operational background and alongside his wife Becky — whose expertise in offshoring and workforce strategy shaped the vision — the two launched Secure Virtual Solutions (SVS). Today, SVS helps small businesses streamline operations and reclaim their time by integrating skilled, professionally managed virtual assistants into their teams. Michael is fueled by the belief that business owners should be able to grow without sacrificing their sanity — or their weekends. Key Moments 05:28 Struggles with Insurance Sales Ethics 08:38 "Beyond Virtual Assistance" 10:26 Virtual Assistants for Back Office Help 13:38 "Providing Financial Stability Abroad" 18:20 Impromptu Networking Interviews Find Michael Online WeAreSVS.comGetWellDesk.co, If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bullied almost every day as a shy, small-built expat kid in London, Ash quickly realized that survival wasn’t about being the loudest in the room, it was about finding your people. The lack of connection in those early years made one thing painfully clear: community isn’t a luxury, it’s oxygen. Ash powered through adversity, earning degrees from MIT and Oxford, not just collecting certificates, but building a mind sharpened by code and a heart tuned to human behavior. He went on to lead major tech projects for the BBC, HMRC, and the UK Government, impacting millions of lives — but something was missing. That "something" became Odd Circles, his bold answer to a quiet crisis: coaches, mentors, and solo experts stuck in isolation, overbooked and underpaid, struggling to grow in a world demanding scale. With Odd Circles, Ash built more than a SaaS platform — he built a movement, helping coaches turn one-way content into two-way conversations, followers into paying members, and burnout into belonging. Today, thousands of creators and experts use Odd Circles to build communities that 3x their income, but more importantly, they build circles where no one feels like the odd one out. Key Moments [03:52] "School Fest Drama Breakthrough" [08:29] Corporate Travel Burnout Reflection [13:11] Entrepreneurs: Unique Journeys and Wins [14:15] Founder with User-Centric Approach Find Ash Online https://www.linkedin.com/in/ash-l-odd-circles/https://www.oddcircles.com/ If you’re enjoying Entrepreneur’s Enigma, please give me a review on the podcast directory of your choice. The show is on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. iTunes: https://gmwd.us/itunes Podchaser: https://gmwd.us/podchaser TrueFans: https://gmwd.us/truefans Also, if you’re getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee or support me on TrueFans.fm → https://gmwd.us/truefans. Follow Seth Online: Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/sethmgoldstein Seth On Mastodon: https://indieweb.social/@phillycodehound Seth's Marketing Junto Newsletter: https://MarketingJunto.com Leave The Show A Voicemail: https://voiceline.app/ee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices