Built from Scratch

Built from Scratch

Welcome to Built from Scratch, a podcast hosted by Erik Libby, CEO and founder of the To-Do Dudes. On this show, Erik shares key lessons from his entrepreneurial journey and highlights the stories of entrepreneurs and business professionals who are all under 30. Built from Scratch is dedicated to spotlighting the next generation of leaders ready to change the world.

Episodes

August 4, 2025 17 mins

Do you ever finish an interview and still wonder, “Should I hire them?”

I’ve been confident one moment, second-guessing the next.

In this episode, I walk through the 5-step process we now follow at To-Do Dudes to confidently choose the right team members. Starting from application and going all the way through their first week on the job.

You’ll learn:

  • How to evaluate candidates before the interview starts
  • Our exact 4-part interview...
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In this episode, I walk through the real-world framework I use to build and launch internal systems from scratch.

We’re covering:

  • Defining the actual goal (and not doing too much at once)
  • Creating without scope creep
  • Testing before delegating
  • How to document clearly
  • Why delegation ≠ abdication

If you're building anything that involves people, process, or automation, this will save you time, energy, and a lot of rework.

Find B...

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July 21, 2025 45 mins

Andrew is an Ohio native and the founder of dcdx, a branding agency he went all‑in on in 2020 when his senior‑year internship at Vanderbilt was canceled.

In the five years since, he’s helped build magnetic, Gen Z‑focused brands for Spotify, Chipotle, Crocs, Eventbrite and more. He made Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, was an Ad Age Gen Zers to Watch in 2025, and was even featured in FastCompany publication.

I got to interview Andrew after...

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July 14, 2025 13 mins

I finally did it! After nearly two months of late nights, caffeine runs, and endless tabs, our “holy grail” data sheet is live. In this episode, I pull back the curtain on how I wrestled scattered spreadsheets, CRMs, and support tickets into one single, living dashboard and the three “N”s that made it all click.

  • Niching: I used to believe we had to be everything to everyone. But once we focused in on what actually moved the need...
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July 7, 2025 32 mins

In this episode, I share raw entrepreneurial reflections from memos I kept in April, May, and June. You’ll hear unfiltered thoughts on:

  • How coffee has surprisingly affected me
  • Choosing between logical and emotional decisions
  • Why authoritarian leadership can diminish buy-in
  • Pushing through moments when you’re on the verge of tears

Entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. My hope is that these lessons, even if small, give a boost to ...

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June 30, 2025 52 mins

Originally from St. Pete, Florida, Cole is the founder of Opal, a mental health AI platform built to support therapists and patients. He began his career in machine learning after earning a Master’s in Computer Science from NYU. From there, he joined Morgan Stanley, then moved to Asapp, where he led the core AI team focused on improving communication efficiency for call centers.

That experience set the stage for his next chapter. In...

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June 23, 2025 8 mins

“You gave a great pitch… but did anyone actually buy?”

After 22 live presentations in just 6 months, I realized there’s a big difference between presenting and converting.

In this episode of Built From Scratch, I’m sharing 5 adjustments I’ve made to my pitch that helped me gain more traction — whether I’m in front of real estate agents, potential partners, or a room full of prospects.

From cutting the fluff to closing with a clear CTA...

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June 16, 2025 11 mins

After five mentor sessions, I committed to morning deep-work sprints and uncovered three key insights:

  • It always takes longer than you plan (Hofstadter’s Law in action)
  • A cleared calendar is the fastest route to focus
  • Big projects demand big time blocks

Plus a look at how a trusted team lets you disappear into focus work without everything else falling apart. No fluff—just practical steps to carve out uninterrupted time and ta...

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June 9, 2025 11 mins

How blocking full days for deep work—like my ongoing Excel sprint—beats endless multitasking.

How Adam Grant, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Jobs eliminated distractions and embraced the process.

I’ll share my Wednesday deep-focus routine, kitchen-timer sprints, and the prep (sleep, nutrition, team updates) that makes it all possible.

Ready to move your “big rock” forward?

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June 2, 2025 35 mins

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Leo’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2020 when he co-founded a nonprofit called Notzr while still in high school. During that time, he scaled to over 50 classes internationally and brought the platform into 20 schools.

In 2024, Leo joined Enttor as an unpaid intern and quickly rose to become its co-founder and CTO. He dropped out of UCLA to go all in, helping close their first enterprise deal for $...

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May 26, 2025 44 mins

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Charles began his entrepreneurial journey in 2020 when he founded a platform for buying and selling crypto mining hardware—just two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

His interest in crypto mining started in 2016, when a friend introduced him to the Ethereum and Bitcoin. Four years later, Charles turned that curiosity into a Asic Jungle that has since grossed over eight figures in revenue, grow...

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May 19, 2025 19 mins

The To-Do Dudes has officially turned five. What started out as yard work for my grandmother has turned into an operation with 36 team members, over 3,000 homeowners served, 7,000+ projects completed, and more than 500 five-star reviews on Google.

Hitting this milestone has given me a chance to reflect on the journey. While we’ve had plenty of wins our team is proud of, there have also been many mistakes and lessons along the way.

In...

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May 12, 2025 38 mins

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Sharuka’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2020, when she and her sister Navina turned a sewing machine and a passion for self-care into First Love—a brand rooted in fashion, wellness, and advocacy.

What started with handmade silk scrunchies evolved into Everything Oil, a multipurpose hair and skin product Sharuka invested $20,000 of her own savings into. First Love has since been featured in Vogue t...

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From hiring friends to building scorecards and screening 120+ applicants — here’s how our hiring and onboarding process evolved across field and admin roles. What we got wrong, what we fixed, and what you can steal to make your next hire your best one yet. 

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This episode is for the entrepreneur at day one. After reflecting on my own journey, I’ve identified 7 key steps that helped me finally gain traction and move from idea to action. It took me a long time to figure things out — but my hope is that this episode can help you start stronger, avoid the stalls, and get your venture off the ground faster. 

Find Built From Scratch updates on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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April 21, 2025 46 mins

Originally from Massachusetts, Matt dreamed of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.

He started hustling early, launching a car detailing business at 13, proving his sales skills at 14 by selling a record-breaking 88 football booster cards, and leading an initiative as a 17 year old to raise $175,000 for cancer research in one night.

His company Storage Scholars started in 2017 with $18,000, and has now grown into a $7 million in top-line ...

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April 14, 2025 17 mins

We're currently experiencing a period of growth at The To-Do Dudes as we begin expanding into new markets. With that, the challenges of project management have become more complex. What worked last year will not continue to work this year.

In this episode, I share what we used to do and how our approach has evolved today.

Leila Hormozi Podcast Reference: https://open.spotify.com/show/5LMPzKk2ylmz0nccR2HNK5

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April 7, 2025 18 mins

In this episode, I talk about going from zero customers to a few customers during our Daytona Beach expansion. Using Alex Hormozi’s strategy of his “Core Four” to get customers, I show how we have adopted this for our customer acquisition strategy. This episode is for those that are just starting a company, looking for more customers, or expanding into a new territory. 

Find Built From Scratch updates on Instagram, Facebook, and Lin...

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March 31, 2025 11 mins

This episode is a bit different. As I reflect on Q1 of 2025, I’ve pulled together unfiltered audio memos and videos from throughout the quarter. To keep things raw and authentic, I only removed pauses to make your listening experience smoother.

In this episode, I dive into:

  • Why not fixing something that’s broken might actually be a good thing
  • Why kids may hate school
  • Why we should push even harder when we’re finding success
  • How Jesu...
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March 27, 2025 19 mins

In this video I will talk about goal setting that took us from a failing company losing money, to hitting our first profitable year in 2024 with an even better outlook for 2025. 

Find Built From Scratch updates on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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