Shows
myNEXT Startup EdgeStrategic Serendipity - You Can’t Predict Luck, But You Can Design ItThis is Episode 13 of the myNEXT Startup Edge Podcast. Thirteen? Isn’t that the unlucky number? Exactly — and that’s where we begin.Because: you can't predict luck, but you can design it. This is what I call Strategic Serendipity. Strategic Serendipity can help you become sucessful — in your startup, in your business within a larger organization, in your own wealth journey, and in your personal life.There’s a strange tension in the startup world. On one end, we glorify the grind — we analyze markets, define strategies, build roadmaps. Success, we’re told, is all about flaw...2025-07-0108 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeGlomar Explorer - Lessons for Commercializing Innovation from a Cold War Spy StoryToday, we’re diving into one of the most bizarre - and instructive - business case studies you’ve probably never heard about. It’s a Cold War spy story. It’s a billion-dollar engineering feat. And it’s also a cautionary tale about innovation, market strategy, and the fatal mistake of copying your competition.In the early 1970s, Hughes Industries unveiled the Glomar Explorer, a futuristic ship supposedly built to mine manganese nodules from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The world watched. And some of the biggest companies - Lockheed, INCO, Royal Dutch Shell - scrambled...2025-05-0307 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeUnstuck Your Business - Featuring Jamie SchneidermanWhat if the reason your startup isn’t scaling isn’t execution... but misalignment? In this episode of the myNEXT Startup Edge podcast, I sit down with Jamie Schneiderman, founder of Unstuck Your Business, to unpack one of the most dangerous blind spots for founders: thinking you’ve got product-market fit when you're actually solving the wrong problem. "It's amazing how many startups have traction, raised money, and still hit a wall - and don’t realize they’re solving the wrong problem.”Jamie’s approach is refreshingly practical - and fast. He helps founders get back on track in ju...2025-04-1851 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeUnleashing Momentum: The Startup Velocity SystemToday we’re diving into something game-changing: the myNEXT Startup Velocity System. This isn’t some dusty playbook - it’s a hands-on, no-BS framework to get your startup moving fast, staying focused, and getting funded. Passage of time kills every startup. Momentum wins! Momentum is motion – but only motion in the right direction matters. So, what is the “right direction” for my startup? Glad you asked. That’s where the Startup Velocity System comes to the rescue. It’s a proven framework that guides you in transforming bold ideas into scalable businesses. It’s a system of 7 miles...2025-03-2809 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeThe Silent Startup Killer: Avoiding the COI TrapToday, I want to talk about something that most startup founders rarely consider, but it’s one of the biggest reasons why startups fail. Everyone talks about ROI - Return on Investment - as the key metric for making decisions. It’s what your CFO look for. It’s what founders obsess over. But very few talk about COI - the Cost of Inaction - which, in my experience, is just as important, if not more so. What exactly is COI? Think of it as an invisible tax that you pay every time you hesitate or delay a key decisi...2025-03-0313 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeFirst Principles Thinking Applied: Elon Musk with Audrey and NickLet me ask you: who comes to your mind as the most prominent entrepreneur and innovator who repeatedly brought breakthrough products to live - products that disrupted or created entire industries - and did so by questioning long-held beliefs and ignored industry standards and practices that seemed to be cast in stone? If I had asked you this question ten years ago, the unanimous answer would have been Steve Jobs. And while Steve’s legacy still looms large over the industries that Apple created and dominated, there is a new challenger for the title, and that person is Elon Mu...2025-02-1416 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeFirst Principles Thinking Applied: Spotify with Audrey and NickDo you remember buying CDs? Or buying an album or individual tracks on iTunes? When was the last time you did this? Exactly! So, what happened? Let me tell you what happened: Spotify came along and completely changed the way we access and consume music. They changed how we discover music. They changed how artists and labels are compensated. But how did they come up with such groundbreaking changes that completely disrupted the music industry? The answer is: they applied First Principles Thinking. And today, we’re having Audrey and Nick explore what happened when the...2025-02-1113 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeFirst Principles Thinking Applied: Apple's iPhone with Audrey and NickToday, we’re having Audrey and Nick dive deep into one of the most amazing examples of applying First Principles Thinking: the iPhone. This is what happened when Steve Jobs and the iPhone teams at Apple asked themselves this one fundamental question: "If I started from scratch, what would I create?"2025-02-0914 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeHow to Design Innovative Products – Use First Principles ThinkingToday, we’re diving into one of the most powerful mindsets in business: First Principles Thinking. This approach is what separates the companies that lead markets from those that constantly play catch-up. So, you are in for a special episode today. We’ll start by exploring what first principles thinking is and why it is the best, if not the only, way of coming up with truly innovative solutions for big problems. We’ll then look at case studies of how Apple, Spotify, Tesla, and SpaceX transformed their industries through first principles thinking. And finally, and most import...2025-02-0136 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeWhat is the Most Important Question for Every Startup with Audrey and NickAudrey and Nick discuss Dirk's premise from Episode 3 that the most foundational question for every startup is: "What problem are you solving?". Whether you are pitching your startup to an investor, energizing your team, or trying to land a business deal. Audrey and Nick dive deep into the "why and how" of this fundamental iquestion and add additional perspective to Dirk's discussion in the previous episode.2025-01-1809 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeWhat Problem are YOU Solving?Picture this: you are pitching your startup to a room full of investors. The energy is high, and you’ve just finished showcasing your breakthrough technology. You’ve talked about the billion-dollar market, the brilliance of your founding team, and even showed a sleek prototype demo. Then someone asks: "What problem are you solving?". And suddenly, the room goes quiet.As a startup you must be able to answer many questions. Questions about your product, your customer, your market, your team, and about many other aspects of you building a new business. BUT there is only ONE foun...2025-01-1307 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeDon't Make New Year's Resolutions with Audrey and NickAudrey and Nick discuss Dirk's recommendation from Episode 1 to NOT make New Year's resolutions. If Dirk's recommendation left you puzzled since it goes against all conventional wisdom and traditions, listen as Audrey and Nick further explain why New Year's resolutions are not only ineffective but actually counterproductive and what you should do instead.2025-01-0210 min
myNEXT Startup EdgeMake a Resolution - Break a ResolutionMake a Resolution - Break a Resolution or why you shouldn’t make New Year’s resolutions. Today’s topic might surprise you. It’s a bit unconventional, but I promise it’s powerful. We’re going to talk about why you should not make New Year’s resolutions. Yes, you heard that right. Stop making them! Instead, I will share a much better approach that will transform how you set goals and drive progress in both your personal and professional life. Are you ready? Let’s dive in.2025-01-0107 min