Ryan Basnaw
Ryan Basnaw believes that the best solutions come from solving real problems. That mindset has guided his journey from a young engineering student to CEO of Axsus Civil Development Company…
Interview
More conversations with founders. Different format, same honesty. These interviews dig into the messy middle of building something. The part between the big idea and the press coverage that most people skip over. Spoiler: that’s where all the interesting stuff happens.
The founders here share what actually fills their days. Not the Instagram version. The real one. With the early mornings, the difficult conversations, and the moments of genuine doubt that somehow coexist with genuine excitement. It’s a weird combination. Ask any founder.
What makes these conversations worth reading is the specificity. Not vague advice like “follow your passion” or “think outside the box.” Actual details. How they got their first customer. What they’d do differently. The habits that keep them from losing their minds.
Some of these founders run companies you’ve heard of. Most of them you haven’t. Yet. That’s kind of the point. The best insights often come from people who are still in the trenches, not the ones writing memoirs about trenches they left years ago. Browse through. Find someone in your space. Or don’t. Sometimes the best perspective comes from a completely different industry.
Alex Cecola
Alex Cecola is the Founder of Vincere Portfolios, a trading technology company focused on making institutional-grade systematic trading tools more accessible to individual investors. Based in Chicago, Illinois, he has…
Dillon Robert Haines
Dillon Robert Haines is an Executive Chef based in West Hartford, Connecticut. His career has been shaped by a simple belief: good food should bring people together. Growing up in…
Michael Mikulec
Michael Mikulec is a brand strategist, designer, and creative director. For over two decades, he has built identities for networks, teams, and institutions — ESPN, Fenway Park, The CW, NBC’s…
Ryan Zarnowski
Ryan Zarnowski grew up in Columbia, Missouri, the middle of three children. His father fixed diesel engines, and his mother kept books for a farm supply store. Summers on his…
Michal Voldiner
Michal Voldiner, PharmD, is the founder and CEO of Ultimate Care Rx, a long-term care pharmacy based in Burbank, California, serving skilled nursing, assisted living, board and care, and residential…
Greg DeShields
Gregory L. DeShields is a nationally recognized tourism executive, certified hospitality educator, consultant, and nonprofit leader whose career spans more than three decades. His work has centered on inclusive workforce…
John Pellitteri
John Pellitteri boasts over 20 years of extensive experience within the moving industry. Assuming the role of Vice President at Colonial Van Lines in 2013, he has been instrumental in…
Pedro Morales-Llanos
Pedro Morales-Llanos has built a career around helping organizations lead through change and solve complex problems. Born in Puerto Rico, he grew up in a military family that lived in…
Shahriar James Ekbatani
Shahriar James Ekbatani is an entrepreneur, commercial real estate developer, and nonprofit leader whose career has been defined by building organizations and projects that create lasting value. His professional journey…
Sadie Nardini
Sadie Nardini has spent her career helping women rethink what healthy aging can look like. Long before Face HIIT became a global facial fitness movement, she was studying anatomy, movement,…
Diego Lepage
Diego Lepage is a senior executive and attorney with more than 25 years of experience in corporate management, banking, financial services, investment advisory, and complex commercial transactions. Throughout his career,…