Life of a Founder

Life of a Founder

Welcome to Life of a Founder where we get the inside scoop from small business owners on what it takes to start, operate and grow a business from the ground up. We believe that one of the best ways to learn is by hearing the stories of others, so if you are a current or future entrepreneur, we are confident that you will learn something new from each episode. Listen to how they got started, tips and tricks, and where they are now. Hosted by Matthew Sumpter

Episodes

August 4, 2024 3 mins

Is this the end? Maybe. Maybe not.

Mark as Played

Father Justin Mathews is a leader in the Social Venture arena in the Kansas City Area. Currently serving as the CEO of Reconciliation Services and spearheading the creation of Thelma's Kitchen pay-it-forward restaurant and catering company, he has blurred the lines between capitalism and charity.

https://www.thelmaskitchen.org/

https://www.rs3101.org/


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Mark as Played
May 5, 2024 27 mins

After moving to the US from Brazil to play basketball in college, Thiago eventually started working in lawn care. After losing his job, his family made the decision to start their own business. His company New Lawn is less than a year old. Hear how he started and what he is doing to grow his new business.


https://newlawnkc.com/

https://www.instagram.com/new.lawn/


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Mark as Played
April 21, 2024 49 mins

After spending years as a plumber working for someone else, the opportunity arose for him to go out on his own. After 18 months in a van on his own , he began growing his team. Just a few short years later, he's running a team of around 24 employees and beginning to expand into other regions across the country.

The first logo: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI0q6I0JE9n/

https://iplumbkc.com/

https://www.facebook.com/iplumbkc

...

Mark as Played
March 25, 2024 23 mins

Corey is only 30 years old, and in 3 years he has grown a healthcare company that employs 50 people and is beginning to expand into new states through acquisition.

Listen to his piece of advice for someone starting a business and what skills he thinks it takes to be successful.

https://www.monarchmidwest.org/

Monarch Hospice on Facebook

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Mark as Played
March 17, 2024 45 mins

After dipping his toes into academia, Josh decided to join the small family mailing business and over the years has helped transform it into a full service marketing and fulfillment firm. Listen to his story.

https://eromg.com/

https://candsmailing.com/

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Mark as Played

Chris started real estate on his own as a side-gig, transitioning into a team to learn the skills he needed to eventually create his own team. His team now does around $60 million in sales per year and he has begun to expand into rental real estate.

https://www.austinhometeam.com/

https://www.instagram.com/austinhometeamkc/

https://www.facebook.com/AustinHomeTeam

https://linktr.ee/austinhometeam

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://...

Mark as Played
February 25, 2024 35 mins

I continue my conversation with Alex. We discuss how he calculates COGS (Cost of Goods Sold), how he measures success in his business, how the pandemic affected his sales and how he pivoted to survive.

https://mudgear.com/

⁠https://f3gear.com/

⁠https://fiagear.com/⁠

https://seatshield.com/⁠

https://gripsocks.com/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/mudgear/⁠

Visit us on the web:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://lifeofafounder.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www....

Mark as Played
February 18, 2024 33 mins

Alex saw a need in the obstacle racing community and decided to take a chance on creating a new product. It paid off and has blossomed into a thriving business with 14 employees and several different product lines. Listen to how he got his start and where the company is now.

https://mudgear.com/
https://f3gear.com/
https://fiagear.com/
https://seatshield.com/
https://gripsocks.com/

https://www.instagram.com/mudgear/

V...

Mark as Played
February 10, 2024 37 mins

Abby got the original spark in her mind to become a wedding planner when she was only 11 years old. Listen to where she is now and what her plans are for the future. She explains what it takes to manage a couple's most important day of their lives.

https://www.aweddingcometrue.com/

A Wedding Come True on Facebook

A Wedding Come True on Instagram


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⁠⁠⁠https://lifeofafounder.com/⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook...

Mark as Played

Listen to the mistake that I made this week and why this is not an interview with Rick Boxx of Unconventional Business Network. If you're interested in running your business with integrity and faith, you'll want to check them out.

https://unconventionalbusiness.org



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⁠⁠⁠https://lifeofafounder.com

⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠https://twitte...

Mark as Played

I continue my conversation with Jeremy as we discuss other business ideas and the time that he met a jolly fat fellow in the place that you'd most expect to. Part 2 of 2.


⁠https://www.kcsweep.com/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/fluesbrothers/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/fluesbrothers⁠


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⁠⁠https://lifeofafounder.com/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL⁠⁠

⁠⁠http...

Mark as Played

Listen to hear how Jeremy went from flipping pancakes to running a company of 15 employees without any debt. Fluesbrothers was just voted Kansas City's best chimney sweep for 2023. Part 1 of 2.


https://www.kcsweep.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fluesbrothers/

https://www.facebook.com/fluesbrothers


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⁠https://lifeofafounder.com/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=Z...

Mark as Played

Dev took the leap from a 9 to 5 job to owning his own business. He bartended at night while he built his clientele to the point that his business could support him. Listen to the most surprising discovery that he ever made in a house.


Golden Home Inspections: https://goldenhomeinspections.com/

https://www.instagram.com/goldenhomeinspections/

https://www.facebook.com/GoldenHomeInspections


Visit us on the web:

https://lif...

Mark as Played
October 30, 2023 27 mins

Abe went from printing t-shirts as a side hustle in his cousin's basement to launching and running a successful floor coating business. Now he's developing the next steps to grow his company nationally.


https://www.etekcustomcoatings.com/


Visit us on the web:

https://lifeofafounder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://twitter.com/LifeOfAFounder

https://www.instag...

Mark as Played
October 19, 2023 40 mins

Listen to how Ibrahim is helping creators land deals with brands and automating that process. Also find out about his unusual hobby. https://www.getmovig.com/

Visit us on the web:

https://lifeofafounder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://twitter.com/LifeOfAFounder

https://www.instagram.com/lifeofafounderpodcast/


Mark as Played
October 5, 2023 19 mins

Listen to how Mark helps businesses use data to make smart decisions and how his company operates under a partnership structure. Learn how he handles large projects as the sole employee in his business.


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mckelveydata/


Visit us on the web:

https://lifeofafounder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://twitter.com/LifeOfAFounder

https://w...

Mark as Played
September 19, 2023 17 mins

Alexa Curtis has spent most of her life as an entrepreneur, starting at the age of 12 when she started her first blog! Hear about how she went from those first steps to hosting a radio show with Disney and now running live summits for young professionals who are looking to be fearless.


Instagram: @Alexa_Curtis

TikTok: @alexacurtisunfiltered

Website: https://www.befearlesssummit.org/

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podc...

Mark as Played
September 10, 2023 39 mins

Chris started his career as an attorney and realized that it wasn't his passion. Learn the tactics he is now using to obtain millions of dollars in financing to open multiple restaurants in the coming years.

If you'd like to contact Chris for advice or just to chat about his business, you can e-mail him at chrisrosshoward@gmail.com.

Visit us on the web:

https://lifeofafounder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1...

Mark as Played
September 3, 2023 41 mins

Will Mears is the founder of Mears Lawn and Landscape (https://mearslawn.com/). Listen to how he has turned his childhood job into a company with over 30 employees.


Visit us on the web:

https://lifeofafounder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091545357028&mibextid=ZbWKwL

https://twitter.com/LifeOfAFounder

https://www.instagram.com/lifeofafounderpodcast/


Intro Music: Whip by Praz Khanal (https://linktr.ee/...

Mark as Played

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