Shows
Building Great ExperiencesQuitting corporate to start a company - Interview w/ John Espey (Part 2)Overview:Welcome to Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX.This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology.Episode Details:In this two-part episode, Drew interviews John Espey, Founder at CEO at Defiance Digital. They discuss the critical role of infrastructure in shaping user experiences and the evolution of technology over the past two decades. John shares his journey through various tech companies, highlighting the importance of us...
2024-11-1825 minBuilding Great ExperiencesBuilding a strong UX infrastructure - Interview w/ John Espey (Part 1)Overview:Welcome to Building Great Experiences podcast, with your host Drew Burdick a 15-year veteran in Customer Experience and Managing Partner at StealthX.This is a show dedicated to sharing how brands are bringing insanely great human-centered experiences to life with strategy, design & technology.Episode Details:In this two-part episode, Drew interviews John Espey, Founder at CEO at Defiance Digital. They discuss the critical role of infrastructure in shaping user experiences and the evolution of technology over the past two decades. John shares his journey through various tech companies, highl...
2024-11-1136 min
The Charlotte Ledger PodcastUnderstanding Charlotte's tech sector, with John EspeyHow does Charlotte's tech sector stack up nationally, and where does it go from here? Veteran local tech entrepreneur John Espey, CEO of Defiance Ventures, assesses Charlotte's strengths and weaknesses in tech, tells what he looks for in making tech investments, discusses the sector's recent challenges and offers an outlook for crypto, artificial intelligence and more.For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks. This is a public episode. If you'd like...
2022-11-2730 min
Papi and Holman Sports LabEpisode 5: Happy New Year! Our New Year Special!We get back at it after taking Christmas eve off. Little NBA talk to start off the episode and jump right into the madness of the NFL. Rest easy John Madden, a true NFL legend. Talk about college bowl games and of course end with our laughable moments. We have some good ones this week! Thank you for listening! Please like and share and remember to ask us questions on our socials @papiandholmansl for our mailbag.
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/papiandholmansportslab/message
2021-12-311h 11
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#83-Christian Giordano, Mancini DuffyWhen Christian Giordano joined Mancini Duffy, he was attracted to working with a well established architecture firm with a top shelf list of customers and a stellar reputation. He would eventually take a majority ownership stake and help the company transform the industry by embracing technology. Christian hosts The Anti-Architect podcast. He and John discuss all of this and more in this episode.
2021-09-1556 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#82 - Jeff Wickersham, The Morning FireJeff is a podcast host and executive coach who focuses on helping executives perform better by improving their daily habits. In this episode Jeff tells his story of a life changing event that made him walk away from a successful corporate career to figure out how to improve his own health and effectiveness. He ultimately turned that into a business and a podcast.
Oxygen Advantage
Jeff's book
YouTube Channel
2021-08-0346 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#81 - Amy Buckner Chowdry, AnswerLabAmy is the founder and CEO of AnswerLab, a design strategy firm that she started after working with a design-focused startup in Japan. In this episode she talks about starting and scaling AnswerLab. She discusses challenges that female founders face and also talks about her ongoing efforts to support diversity and inclusion. Amy created The Human-Centered Work Project in order to help companies embrace diversity and inclusion.
2021-08-0354 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#80 - Mac Lackey, 6 Exit FounderMac has started multiple successful business in industries ranging from apparel to internet software to soccer agency and many others. He has six total exits and in this episode tells the story of how his career has shaped up. He also talks about his interest in blockchain, what role soccer has played in his life, and what he is currently working on.
2021-07-201h 08The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#79 - Grant Ingersoll, LucidworksGrant is one of the founder of Lucidworks, a leading search engine platform. In this episode he and John discuss the evolution of search and big data, starting a business with a group of friends, scaling that business and raising money, contributing to and starting new Apache open source projects, and becoming the CTO of Wikimedia and some of the unique challenges they face. Grant is an author and also hosts a podcast that explores careers in technology.
2021-07-2053 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#78 - Laura Smailes, Ventureprise (UNCC)Laura is the Assistant Director at Ventureprise, an entrepreneurship center at UNCC. In this episode she discusses working on a radio show, creating a radio program for NASCAR, joining a startup, and eventually joining Ventureprise after working closely with it at her startup. She discusses entrepreneurship in Charlotte, building an ecoSystem, and shares lots of knowledge after years of working with students and founders.
2021-07-091h 14The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#77 - Aaron Bock, OpkallaAaron is one of the founders of Opkalla, an IT services company based in Charlotte. In this episode Aaron talks about going out on his own, surviving a pandemic, and scaling a business in a rapidly changing IT landscape.
2021-07-071h 29
Influencing EntrepreneursEpisode 208 - John Espey [Lobby CRE]Learn how failing a few times can put you on the path to becoming a serial entrepreneurs. John tells the story of when it time to seize the opportunity and when you it's equally important to move on. John describes the stress and pressure that comes with being a CEO in a fast growing company. This success has let John learn how to give back to the entrepreneurial community with his involvement with several start-up ventures and his podcast "Defiance".
2021-07-0635 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#76 - Jonathan Kite, Rent ReadyIn this episode John talks with co-founder and CEO of Rent Ready, Jonathan Kite. Rent Ready is a turnkey solution for multi-family real estate owners. Jonathan discusses the origin story of the company, when he and two friends with very complementary skillsets came up with the concept and turned it into a reality. He discusses raising angel and VC capital and scaling a business during a global pandemic.
2021-06-301h 26The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#75-Lee Arthur, Blenheim ChalcotBlenheim Chalcot is the UK's leading venture builder and much of the inspiration for Defiance Ventures. In this episode Lee Arthur gives an overview of several of BC's portfolio companies. He also talks about what it takes to make it in early stage companies.
2021-06-0440 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#74-William Bissett, Portus Wealth Advisors, Charlotte Angel ConnectionWilliam hosts one of the most popular early stage investment podcasts in the SouthEast. In this episode he and John discuss angel investing in Charlotte, entrepreneurship broadly, and how the Charlotte early stage community has changed through the years.
2021-06-041h 01The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#73 - Desmond Wiggan, BatteryXchangeBatteryXchange is a Charlotte-based startup that provides portable charging solutions for mobile devices in popular venues. Desmond is the founder and CEO. In this episode he describes the process that led him to create the company. He talks about building a supply chain in China, raising money, and the challenges that minority founders face throughout the process.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/batteryxchange_/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/batteryxchangetech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/batteryxchange/
In the news: https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/inno/stories/new...
2021-05-191h 04
Anything But Typical038: Taking Tech Firms From Startup to ExitJohn Espey was working in a mailroom when a coworker was complaining about a coding issue. John was able to solve the problem. The next day, the head of IT told him that he would no longer be working in the mailroom and would be coding instead.
Fast forward to today and John just had an exit from a company he co-founded, Levvel, has a plethora of C-suite and advisory experience, and is the CEO & Co-Founder at Defiance Ventures. John also hosts the Defiance Ventures podcast.
John may be a long ways removed from the m...
2021-05-181h 24The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#72 - Matteo Collina, NearForm, Creator of Fastify, and Node.js Steering Committee MemberMatteo is a JavaScript expert, having created and maintained multiple open source frameworks including Pino and Fastify. Matteo is also a Technical Director at NearForm, a leading application development consultancy that focuses on JavaScript and Node.js in particular. In this episode Matteo talks about the popularity of JavaScript, speaking at conferences, and building open source frameworks. Matteo also talks about his popular newsletter, Adventures in Nodeland.
LinkedIn
Twitter
2021-05-1752 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#71 - Juston Burris, Carolina Panthers, Real Estate InvestorJuston Burris talks in this episode with John about making it in the NFL and planning for the future. Juston purchases and up-fits homes in towns that he knows and turns them into income producing short term rentals.
2021-05-1342 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#70 - Cassmer Ward, Nexagy, Intelligent DesignCassmer is the founder of multiple companies throughout his career. He is also a professor at Queens University and hosts a popular entrepreneurship video series. He also has written a book on cost accounting.
2021-05-061h 23
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#69 - Chris Shipferling, Global Wired AdvisorsChris is one of the founders of Global Wired Advisors, an investment bank with a particular focus on e-commerce. In this episode Chris discusses starting Global Wired Advisors with partners, watching COVID unfold and the incredible effects it had on his clients, and he talks about growing, scaling, and exiting an e-commerce business.
2021-05-031h 05
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#68 - Farhan Hussain, Axcelinno, Open Source ArchitectsFarhan is the founder and general manager at Axcelinno, a software consulting shop based in Dallas and Charlotte. In this episode he and John discuss the growth of open source, the disruption of public and hybrid clouds, OpenShift, and the Red Hat/IBM acquisition.
2021-04-301h 01
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#67 - C-TraxC-Trax is a cannabis POS solution developed by the founding team of Sean and Kiah Tolliver and Michael Clinton. In this interview, the team talks about weed legalization, social justice, raising money as minority founders, and the future of legalization in this country and globally
2021-04-271h 27
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#66-Steve Amedio TKXS, All In to Fight CancerSteve has founded, invested in, run, and exited multiple companies through the years. He is the founder of All-In to Fight Cancer. In this episode he talks about his philosophy on business, work life balance, fitness, and especially on the progress being made against cancer.
2021-04-221h 11
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#65 - Duncan LittlefieldDuncan operates multiple companies related to marketing and sales. In this episode he explains how he started each company and where he is taking them.
2021-04-191h 30
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#64, Tony Mecia, Charlotte LedgerTony decided to build a subscription news service focused hyper-locally on Charlotte. In this episode he talks about new business models in media enabled by Substack. He talks about creating a free service and converting it into paid. And the two discuss the changing landscape of tech and media broadly.
2021-04-151h 19
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#63 - Meggie Williams, SkipTownMeggie joins John for her second appearance to talk about pivoting during a pandemic and having to dig deep. She also talks about the various stages of fundraising as the company has matured. She also discusses growth strategy as we come out of lockdown.
2021-04-131h 14The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#62 - Solosode - Health HacksJohn discusses the various ways he seeks to improve his health. This includes a fairly extensive list of supplements, self quantification devices and tests, dietary approaches, mindfulness, and hormetic stressors.
2021-04-0846 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#61 - Joseph E. Pizzorno, ND - Bastyr University, ICMJ, Institute for Functional MedicineDr Pizzorno is a Naturopathic Doctor and the founder and director of Bastyr University, founder and director of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and editor in chief of PubMed Indexed IMCJ. He has authored 13 books as well. In this episode he and John discuss functional medicine (also known as naturopathic medicine) and its history in the United States. They talk about detoxification and why it is so important to health.
The Toxin Solution
2021-04-081h 10
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#60 - Solosode, Get in the GameIn this episode John discusses how it is often more important to "get in the game" than to figure out every detail and wait for perfection.
2021-04-0506 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#59 - Kyle Hepp, BoxmagicIn this episode John interviews Kyle Hepp, founder of Boxmagic, the leading gym management software platform in Latin America. John and Kyle discuss starting a gym in Chile as an American female and then starting a software business to support gyms. They also discuss handling the business in a pandemic when gyms were forced to shut down.
2021-04-051h 18
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#58 - Jeff Wanner, PairPEOJeff is the founder of PairPEO, a PEO brokerage that helps clients save money on health and dental benefits. In this episode he explains how PEOs work and why they are so popular, and he talks about scaling a business through building his network meticulously.
2021-04-011h 28
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#57 - Bobby Robinson, IntellyDocBobby is the founder of IntellyDoc, a contract management system. He also is an attorney with a history in M&A and a current focus on social media influencers. In this episode he gives the background on building IntellyDoc and selling it to Defiance. He also talks about challenges minorities face in law and entrepreneurship and how to turn those challenges into opportunities. He also discusses emerging legal issues related to social media influencers.
2021-03-291h 31
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#56 - 2ULaundry, Dan D'Aquisto and Alex SmereczniakThe founders of 2ULaundry came back to the studio to chat about a pivot, managing during a crisis, how their board of directors helped them react to COVID, and the future of laundry.
2021-03-191h 05
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#55 - Stu Brauer, WTF GymTalk, UrbanMvmntIn this episode John sits down with Stu Brauer, his first guest on the show and now his first repeat guest. They cover a wide range of topics including workout modalities, using workouts to mentally prep for a tough day, franchising vs licensing, the changes at CrossFit HQ in 2020, and a host of other topics. Stu also talks about navigating the pandemic while also balancing three different pillars of his fitness empire.
2021-03-121h 41
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#54 - Jim Roberts, WALE and NEWJim has been involved in and started numerous organizations throughout the Southeastern United States. He currently runs an entrepreneurial network and an angel fund in Wilmington, NC. In this episode Jim talks about starting eco-systems, the wild success Wilmington is currently having, early stage funding, and gives his thoughts on how NC cities can collaborate better. He also talks about a lot of great resources for founders.
Here are a few of his favorites:
NC Tech Association
NC IDEA
RIOT
Dig South
CED...
2021-03-071h 13
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#53 - West Kept SecretWest Kept Secret is a boutique gym that combines cardio with pilates and strength training in a High Intensity Interval (HIIT) format. In this interview John interviews Marissa West and Heidi Hillman. They discuss how Marissa parlayed her experience as a Panthers cheerleader into doing personal training and then partnering with Heidi as a client. The two talk about why they work well together and how they've scaled the business. They also dig into specific fitness and nutritional advice. They discuss opening a gym in a pandemic and how the pandemic forced them to rethink digital/virtual/streaming.
2021-02-151h 11
The Power of DesignThe Design of a Tech Business with John EspeyJohn Espey is a trailblazer. Having started and exited multiple technology companies he is currently the CEO and co-Founder of Defiance Ventures a company that is building the future by partnering with investors and founders to create tech companies that focus on breakthrough digital services. I learned so much talking to John, His worldview and capacity to make things happening are amazing and inspiring. We talked about nutrition, building strong businesses, technology, and the future of design. Spotify Apple Podcast Amazon Music YouTube Podcast Page Podcast Instagram Jack...
2020-10-0458 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#52 - Sureyya (Sy) Ciliv, KuikaKuika is an innovative low code suite of tools that allow enterprises and divisions to build better, faster software. In this episode John is joined by Sy Ciliv, owner of Kuika. They discuss the industry, the biggest challenges large companies face, building an international business, and how Sy was able to leverage his experiences leading some of the biggest teams and companies in the world.
Sy mentioned Boys in the Boat as a very good read for any leader.
2020-10-0253 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#51 - Gower Smith, SwyftGower is a serial entrepreneur. He has founded multiple companies in the US, New Zealand, and Australia. Defiance Ventures led an investment round in Swyft, his most recent creation. Swyft is the global leader in unattended retail. In this article he and John discuss what it takes to start multiple companies, modern trends in retail, growing an international business, and many other related topics.
Gower often gifts this book about William H Pickering.
2020-10-0255 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#50 - Yigit Ihlamur, Vela PartnersYigit is the founder of Vela Partners, a Bay Area based Venture Capital fund focusing on AI and machine learning. It has developed very interesting AI technology to help it find the best investment opportunities in the space. Yigit tells his story about joining Google early on and how he parlayed that into building a world class VC fund.
2020-10-021h 18The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#49 - Emir Dukic, RabbuEmir Dukic owns Rabbu, a short term rental commercial real estate startup in Charlotte. In this episode John and Emir discuss going out on his own, the short term rental market, being flexible in the COVID-19 era, and working with AirBNB.
2020-09-1450 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#48 - Ramy Serageldin, HoneyFiHoneyFi is a couple's financial planning platform. In this episode John interviews its CEO and founder, Ramy Serageldin. Ramy talks about starting a company after learning from a high flying fintech success story from very early on. He shares insights into the payments industry and gives indispensable guidance to any would be startup founder.
2020-09-071h 12
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#47-Jack Ossa, Power of Design Podcast and Ossa StudioJack Ossa owns Ossa Studio which designs commercial real estate projects and has branched into marketing services and even software development. He also hosts the Power of Design Podcast. In this episode John and Jack dig into his business, how he got started, and where he wants to take it.
2020-09-041h 43
The Hive Life: Storytelling & EntrepreneurshipA Serial Entrepreneur's TakeJohn Espey is no stranger to starting a company. He has done it multiple times with his latest creation being Defiance Ventures. John shares his take on the important connection between brand and culture as well as what fuels his entrepreneurial mindset.
2020-08-2820 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#46 - Mike Privette Interviews JohnMike is a technologist who has been working at big banks and recently started his own consultancy where he advises startups on partnering with banks and on cyber security. In this episode he interviews John about his history and what he's doing with Defiance. They discuss what makes products successful and what things entrepreneurs need to be able to do in order to be successful.
2020-08-2652 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#45 - Ivan Barajas Vargas, MuukTestIvan Barajas Vargas is the founder of MuukTest, a TechStars 2020 company that provides a comprehensive automated software testing solution. In this episode John and Ivan talk about lessons learned working for one of the biggest enterprise software companies in the world and building a product and company to solve problems encountered along the way.
2020-08-2055 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#44 - JP Conklin, Pensford and LoanBossIn this episode John interviews JP Conklin, founder of Pensford and LoanBoss. Pensford was his first company and it is a financial services company providing derivatives for commercial real estate owners. From what he learned in building and scaling Pensford JP identified a set of software tools that were not supported well by existing PropTech vendors. This lead to the creation of LoanBoss, a software platform that helps commercial real estate owners leverage their data to make better loan decisions.
JP talks about building a software product without a technical background, trends in commercial real estate, what th...
2020-08-041h 24The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#43 - David Wells, New Years Revolutionary PodcastIn this episode John is interviewed by David Wells, founder of the New Years Revolutionary Podcast. The sound volume level is a little low as this was the first episode recorded in the Defiance Ventures studio since COVID, but David asks John about his history and philosophy on building scalable businesses.
2020-08-0435 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#42 - Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel - Haberdish, Crepe Cellar, et alIn this episode John interviews the couple behind popular NoDa restaurants Haberdish, Crepe Cellar, Growlers, and Reigning Donuts. In this episode Jeff and Jamie discuss starting a restaurant during a recession and financial crisis, growing into multiple restaurants, driving innovation on both the culinary and mixology in one of Charlotte's top neighborhoods, and then opening a new concept in a new neighborhood (Supperland in Plaza Midwood) during a global pandemic and local shutdown.
Jamie and Jeff mentioned finding inspiration and guidance from Setting the Table and You are a Badass.
2020-07-131h 11
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#41 - Derek Holt, K4ConnectIn this episode John interviews Derek Holt, president of K4Connect, a tech company that is transforming the way nursing homes and assisted living communities serve their customers. Derek covers a lot of ground ranging from transitioning from IBM to a startup community to actual startups. He also talks about scaling a business during the COVID pandemic.
Books that Derek likes:
Challenger Sales Model
Measure What Matters
2020-07-031h 46
The Dino H Carter PodcastPivoting During COVID19 Successfully | The Monthly Drink ClubHey people good to have you here. Before we start, if you like this podcast please share it with your friends.
Last month I started The Monthly Drink Club with my friend serial entrepreneur John Espey where we talk about business, tech, marketing, and of course having a drink or two.
In this month's episode we are hosting Rachael Green, a cocktail teacher and master mixologist who pivoted her business during COVID19.
If you need some motivation for your side hustle or for pivoting your business, if you lost your job due to c...
2020-06-2724 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#38, Chris Elmore, AvidxchangeAvidxchange is one of the most well known startups in Charlotte. It has been recognized for many awards and has raised over $1 billion of capital. In this episode John interviews Chris Elmore, one of Avid's first employees. Chris talks about the early days at Avid, scaling it, raising multiple rounds of capital from big name investors across the US, keys to sales success, and also talks about the classes he teaches in NC.
John talked about Jeff Bezos's day one letter
Chris likes the How I Built This podcast
Chris also...
2020-06-102h 04
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#40 - Nina Barnett, GrooopNina is an impressive young entrepreneur who created a safety app while in under grad to address a problem that she and her friends could not find a good solution for. She talks about building an app without a technical background through a partnership and what she had to do to figure out how to build a company around it. Her company Grooop is an app that makes it easy to let friends and family know when a person is safe versus in transit and to discretely notify others when one might be in danger. It strikes a delicate bal...
2020-06-061h 22The Dino H Carter PodcastThe Monthly Drink Club May Edition: Joe Rogan and The Spotify Deal, Fortnite and The MetauniverseI decided to start a new tradition, well only time will say if it's a tradition but I'm going to try - once a month John Espey and myself will get a drink (you are all invited to send us your best bourbon) and talk about tech, startups, business, branding, marketing, and who knows what else.
This time we talk about the exclusivity deal Spotify closed with Joe Rogan, and are we going to live in a meta-universe soon as virtual worlds such as Fortnite are growing and maintaining a life of their own..
2020-06-0214 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#39 - Neeta Kirpalani, Consultant, Healthtech WomenJohn interviews Neeta Kirpalani. Neeta left a successful career in healthcare to become an independent consultant and her practice has thrived. She also invests her time in Healthtech Women and Springboard Enterprise's Women's Health Tech Hub. Neeta talks about building a branding strategy, building a team to support her efforts and scale, and moving from a career in non profits to healthcare. She also talks about the value of an MBA to an entrepreneur.
Resources that Neeta likes:
Carolina Health Innovators
Society of Physician Entrepreneurs
HIMSS
Boot...
2020-05-2658 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#37, Lauren McAbee, Chakti Yoga, Essential ThriveIn this episode John interviews Lauren McAbee, founder of Essential Thrive, a holistic health company focusing on essential oils and Chakti Yoga, a yoga form she created that combines dancing moves with Yoga. Lauren talks about the health benefits of Yoga, why she created her own form, and also about going virtual and actually increasing revenue. She discusses thinking about going virtual and COVID-19 forcing her hand and she also talks about how much more scalable the business model is. Lauren also talked about her personal regimen including sauna, drinking mineral water from springs, and also talks about being a v...
2020-05-231h 27The Dino H Carter PodcastStartups, Entrepreneurs, And Marketing In Times Of COVID19 | John EspeyJohn Espey is a serial entrepreneur out of North Carolina, he is the Co-founder of Levvel and Defiance
On the first days of the #COVIDLOCKDOWN we sat to talk about tech, marketing, branding, and the future of life as we know them.
This is a long episode with many interesting thoughts about doing business, invent stuff, running a successful startup, and so on.
Take a listen.
2020-05-1945 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#36-Jordan Schindler, nufabrxJordan started and runs a company that infuses vitamins and other transdermal products into fabrics. His business recently was featured on Fox News resulting in a massive increase in sales of anti-microbial copper infused surgical masks. In this episode he talks about starting the business while at the University of Washington, moving the business to North Carolina, and the massive scaling required when the business took off because of the COVID crisis.
Jordan came to North Carolina for the Manufacturing Solutions Center in Conover, NC
John mentioned the recent Andreesen article on bui...
2020-05-011h 04The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#35, Linda Nash, WellcomeMDIn this episode John interview Linda Nash, a serial entrepreneur from Richmond, VA. Linda discusses starting and exiting three businesses prior to starting WellcomeMD, she explains proactive vs reactive medicine, she talks about concierge and executive medicine, and she goes into how the medical industry has changed through the past two decades.
John and Linda also discuss some of the challenges that women face in finding female mentors. Linda gives some very interesting statistics about how VCs and PE funds treat women founders differently, and she talks about what men can do to help ove...
2020-04-171h 13The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#34, Dino H Carter, D BrandingDino Carter, a brand and marketing consultant, interviews John in this episode for a video series he hosts. They talk a lot about running a business and raising money during a pandemic and also cover technological and business changes that may come out of the current COVID crisis. They also talk about the startup scene in North Carolina.
2020-04-0850 min
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#33 - Dain Dulaney, Bishop Dulaney, JoynerIn this episode John interviews Dain Dulaney, partner at Bishop Dulaney Joyner. Dain is an attorney focusing on startups in Charlotte. In this episode he discusses legal mistakes founders make, investing in companies, raising capital, selling companies, legal entity selection, the key to writing a good Operating Agreement, and many other interesting topics related to the legal side of startups. He also gives great advice on hiring the right law firm.
2020-04-0455 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#32, Jason Tuttle, Nova CapitalIn this episode, Jason Tuttle of Nova Capital Partners, a commercial real estate investor shares with John how he started and runs his business. He explains various strategies for creating value for investors. He also talks about re-development opportunities and the local markets in Charlotte, Jacksonville, and elsewhere.
2020-03-121h 31
CuriositynessDeLorean Motor Company: Still Going Strong! | James Espey, Vice President at DMCYou’ve seen the DeLorean car in Back to the Future and may even remember when it was released in 1981. But, as you’ll find out in this episode, production of the car only lasted until 1983! Tune in to hear the incredible story of John DeLorean, the ups and downs of the DeLorean Motor Company, and the truth about the cocaine bust that bankrupted DMC. Plus, learn about the company today (it still exists!) and discover the new DeLorean's that may be rolling off the production line soon... To learn more about the DeLor...
2020-03-0357 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#31, Dave Dalton, GMIDave Dalton is a long time Charlotte business person. He is the CEO of General Microcircuits Incorporated (GMI) which he sold it to East West Manufacturing. GMI is an EMS (electronics manufacturing services) company that builds electronic boards for manufacturers. In this episode Dave discusses the business, how he got involved in it, how his dad instilled certain values in him, giving back to the community, and how Charlotte has changed during his decades here. He also talks about building a global supply chain and growing a company to over $80 million in annual revenue.
Acqui...
2020-02-131h 10The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#30, Dualboot PartnersDualboot Partners is a software development shop in Charlotte with an offshore delivery model. In this episode John interviews the four founders, Daniel, Ben, and Todd. They go through the history of Dual Boot and talk about growth strategies and giving back to the community. They also talk about what makes a tech startup more likely to succeed and how to support the entrepreneurial community. The guys gave a virtual class on quality control and being successful with offshore software delivery.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dualbootpartners/
Instagram: https...
2020-02-131h 59
Next Level MindsContent Series W/John Espey | The Reality of Being of An EntrepreneurThis is part of a content series on topics requested by all of my followers. On this episode of Next Level Minds, I had the opportunity to sit down with serial entrepreneur, John Espey. John has an incredible story of grit and determination and has founded numerous successful companies in the South East. We walk through his story of how he built them and the lessons he learned along the way!
John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnespey/
John's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-defiance-ventures-podcast/id1460400766
2020-01-201h 24The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#29, Wil Brawley, ScheduleflySchedulefly is a technology that restaurants use for employee scheduling. In this wide-ranging interview John sits down with founder Wil Brawley. They talk startup philosophy, starting a company with friends, and building a growing AND sustainable business.
2020-01-161h 47The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#28, Lenny Pham, Citrrus/YextIn this episode John interviews Lenny Pham, a former co-worker and founder of Citrrus, a firm he and his friend Jason sold to Yext, a tech unicorn. They cover moving from app dev to design and mobile. They also discuss selling to a much bigger and faster growing firm, embracing mobile, and learning how to grow out of a comfort zone.
2019-12-141h 31The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#27, Samantha Smith, VishionIn this episode, John interviews Sam Smith, founder of Vishion, a color search engine for interior designers. In this episode John and Sam discuss starting a company based on a personal frustration, growing the business, partnering with other companies, building an entrepreneurial eco-system in a second tier city (Charlotte), and joining a tech accelerator.
https://instagram.com/vishionco
https://instagram.com/samazonsmith
https://vishion.co/
2019-11-232h 01The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#26, Micah Minarik, Kingsmen SoftwareKingsmen Software is a fast growth software development shop in Charlotte. In this episode, founder Micah Minarik and John discuss starting a software company after a successful career in banking. They discuss building products vs services, scaling a services business, and leveraging a career in finance to start a company.
2019-11-091h 01The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#25, Philip Wegner, SecurEdge NetworksSecurEdge is WiFi service provider that Philip Wegner started 13 years ago. In this excellent episode, Philip talks about going out on his own, building software without a background in application development, and creating a much more compelling product by combining hardware with services, software, and financing.
2019-11-071h 08The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#24, Zoe Shook, Tribe SalonZoe Shook is the owner of Tribe Salon Studio. In this episode she talks about taking over a failing business and turning it around and then realizing that she needed to start a new company with a blank slate to truly create the company she wanted to work for. She talks about investing in commercial real estate especially in up and coming neighborhoods.
Tribe on Instagram: https://instagram.com/tribesalon
More detailed show notes coming soon.......
2019-10-211h 07
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#23, Alex Smereczniak, 2ULaundryAlex is one of the founders of 2ULaundry, one of the hottest startups in Charlotte that just raised a large round of funding successfully. In this episode John and Alex discuss leaving a successful consulting job to start a company based on an experience in under grad. Alex tells the story of starting a company at 24 and growing it quickly and beating a couple of much more well-funded Silicon Valley companies.
00:01:30-00:08:40 Alex explains 2U’s brand and mission-“To create the first nationally recognized brand in laundry and dry cleaning.” Alex wal...
2019-10-022h 02The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#22, Gretchen Kittleberger, International Functional Fitness Federation (IF3)Gretchen is the founder of IF3, the International Functional Fitness Federation. IF3 aims to get functional fitness (CrossFit being the most well known functional fitness brand) into the Olympics. Gretchen was an elite D1 gymnast at the University of Maryland and also stood on the podium in one CrossFit games and competed in four of them. She is a level 3 certified coach and worked for CrossFit HQ.
TIME: 00:00:55-00:07:00
Gretchen explains iF3, functional fitness as a competitive sport and the ultimate goal of getting it into the Olympics.
LINKS:
https://functionalfitness.sport/about/
2019-09-241h 25The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#21, Jeff LaTulippe, DIRT Eat CleanDIRT recently opened its fourth location, and it's one of the hottest new eateries in the DC area. In this episode Jeff LaTulippe, co-founder, talks about leaving a career in finance to pursue his passion for healthy eating. He details the challenges in scaling to multiple locations, selecting a new city, perfecting operations while also growing fast, growing both organically and through M&A, and many other interesting challenges he and his partners have encountered along the way.
https://dirteatclean.com
https://instagram.com/dirteatclean
https://twitter.com/DirtEatClean
...
2019-09-121h 27
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#20, Juan Garzón, Start Charlotte and Pitch BreakfastJuan Garzon runs Pitch Breakfast, one of the most popular startup events in Charlotte. He is the founder of Start Charlotte, which he recently sold to American Inno. In this episode Juan and John talk about the history of Start Charlotte and Pitch Breakfast. They also talk about branding through story telling, startup eco systems in general, and some of the best resources in the Charlotte and NC local communities.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcgarzon/
https://twitter.com/PitchBreakfast
https://twitter.com/jcgarzon
https://twitter.com/CLTInno
...
2019-09-021h 19The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#19, Dan Roselli - Packard Place and QC FintechDan is the founder of Packard Place and Queen City Fintech. These two activities put him squarely in the middle of Charlotte and even the Southeast's entrepreneurial eco-system. He and John cover a lot of ground quickly in this podcast:
Time: 1:50-4:39
-Dan's background and references of his Linkedin profile opening sentence:
"I know more about M&Ms and Tequila than anyone you have ever met in your life."
-Dan's history on Tequila
Time: 5:17-8:05
-Dan on what being an entrepreneur me...
2019-08-211h 00
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#18, Igor Jablokov, Yap (Alexa) and PryonIgor Jablokov is the founder of Pryon, Inc, an enterprise AI company that recently completed a $20 million round of funding. Igor previously founded Yap, which he sold to Amazon and it became the foundation of Alexa. He also worked on the Watson team at IBM. In this episode John and Igor talk about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, building two successful startups, raising money, selling a company, and the tech scene in smaller cities like Raleigh or Charlotte.
7:30 - 9:05 - Igor talks about trying to get IBM to put a microphone on...
2019-08-161h 56The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#17, Britton McCorkle, Bottle Cap GroupBottle Cap Group operates 15 highly popular restaurant/bar concepts in the southeast. Britton is their high energy and highly connected founder. In this episode he shares his history, talks about what makes a great brand, and gives overall great advice on managing a growing restaurant empire.
Time: 3:05-8:19
-Britton's background and his grandfather's restaurant-'Dowd Road Soda Shoppe'
-Tom Wicker being Britton's step-father and a major influencer in Britton's life
-How Vinnies Raw Bar started by Britton
-Links:
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/food-drink/article223877245.html
https://www.bottlecapgroup.co...
2019-08-061h 18The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#16, Taylor Hayden, Blackstone Shooting SportsTaylor Hayden started and runs Blackstone Shooting Sports, a shooting range and firearms retailer in Charlotte. In this interview he talks about leaving a great corporate job to go out on his own. He learned a lot through bumps and bruises along the way and shares a lot of wisdom gained along the way.
Taylor
Time: 5:15-9:48
-Taylor's lessons learned and challenges from Blackstone
-Taylor's quote, "When running a company on paper thin margins, if you don't
run it well you aren't staying in...
2019-07-261h 35
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#15, Garth Moulton, JigsawGarth Moulton is one of the founders of Jigsaw, a contact data provider acquired by Salesforce in 2010. In this episode John and Garth discuss the Jigsaw journey, starting a business in Charlotte vs starting one in San Francisco, advising early stage companies, mistakes founders make, shutting down a startup, and many other aspects of startup life.
Time: 1:19-6:17
-Garth explains his start in technology and how Jigsaw was created
"I was a sales mercenary. I went from company to company looking for
which one was going to make me a millionaire."
-Links:
ht...
2019-07-171h 34
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#14, Andy Johnston, 7 Mile AdvisorsAndy is one of the founders of 7 Mile Advisors, an investment bank headquartered in Charlotte, NC. John and Andy discuss the business of investment banking, selling a company, starting a bank during an economic downturn, and raising capital. 7 Mile has helped entrepreneurs sell over 100 companies.
2019-07-022h 04The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#13, Randy Baggesen, M.D. - Executive Health GroupDr Randy Baggesen left a successful career in investment banking to become a medical doctor. His unconventional approach to combating cardiovascular disease is saving lives at his practice. In this thought provoking interview he discusses why conventional medicine is horribly equipped to save humans from their modern lifestyle. He covers blood testing, diet, mediation, stress management, and exercise steps that people can take to extend their lives and be happier.
Dr B sends this book to each patient and it covers much of his approach to preventing CVD: https://amzn.to/2LfiED...
2019-06-251h 35
The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#12, Greg Brown, Charlotte Angel Fund - Full EpisodeGreg Brown runs the Charlotte Angel Fund (http://www.cltangelfund.com/) which invests in early stage, mostly tech companies. Greg explains angel investing, how his fund is organized, thinking about valuation and other considerations that entrepreneurs looking to raise capital should consider. Greg and John also discuss HQ2, HB2, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and the local startup scene.
Greg also owns Cardinal Finance (http://www.cardinalfinance.net/), a fractional CFO company in Charlotte that works with many smaller businesses and helps with finance and strategy work. Greg discusses some of the mistakes that smal...
2019-06-132h 04The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#11, Solosode #1 Review of first 10 interviewsJohn reflects on the first 10 episodes of the podcast.
Video here: https://youtu.be/mPrDUZN7SNU
2019-06-0610 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#10 - Ben Harrison, DealCloud, TrailerBen is one of the founders of DealCloud, a SaaS company that grew quickly and was sold to Intapp. Ben tells John about parlaying a career as an analyst in private equity and banking into building the top FSI CRM company on the market.
2019-06-0113 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#10 - Ben Harrison, DealCloud - Full EpisodeBen is one of the founders of DealCloud, a SaaS company that grew quickly and was sold to Intapp. Ben tells John about parlaying a career as an analyst in private equity and banking into building the top FSI CRM company on the market.
2019-05-311h 28The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#9 - Scott Lien from GrandPad - Full EpisodeScott Lien started GrandPad, the leading communication solution for 8o years and older adults. 5 years after starting the company it is now available at Target and Best Buy and has been advertised on cable TV. Scott discusses the experience, how his corporate career prepared him for success, and shares his philosophy on product development.
https://www.grandpad.net/
Twitter: @grandpad_social https://twitter.com/grandpad_social
Instagram: @grandpad_social https://www.instagram.com/grandpad_social/
Scott mentioned Dan Norman:
Don Norman and the problems with most designs today: https://www.fastcomp...
2019-05-302h 31The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#9 - Trailer - Scott Lien from GrandPadScott Lien started GrandPad, the leading communication solution for 8o years and older adults. 5 years after starting the company it is now available at Target and Best Buy and has been advertised on cable TV. Scott discusses the experience, how his corporate career prepared him for success, and shares his philosophy on product development.
https://www.grandpad.net/
Twitter: @grandpad_social https://twitter.com/grandpad_social
Instagram: @grandpad_social https://www.instagram.com/grandpad_social/
Scott mentioned Dan Norman:
Don Norman and the problems with most designs today: https://www.fastcomp...
2019-05-3021 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#8 Trailer - Chad Stachowicz, CloverHoundChad Stachowicz is the founder and CEO of Cloverhound, a leading Cisco professional services firm. John and Chad discuss failure, rising from the ashes, running a consulting business, and balancing it with a running a campaign for local government.
2019-05-2621 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#8 - Chad Stachowicz, CloverHoundChad Stachowicz is the founder and CEO of Cloverhound, a leading Cisco professional services firm. John and Chad discuss failure, rising from the ashes, running a consulting business, and balancing it with a running a campaign for local government.
2019-05-262h 23The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#7 - Austin Rosenfeld TrailerAustin Rosenfeld tells his story of leaving a well paying consulting job to create his own consulting company and building it into a 150 person shop. He also talks about his days as an early employee at Appian and the lessons he's learned along the entire journey. This trailer highlights five or six interesting bits from the full interview: https://anchor.fm/defiance-ventures/episodes/Episode-7---Austin-Rosenfeld-Full-Interview-e44gc7
2019-05-2311 minThe Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#7 - Austin Rosenfeld Full Interview, MacedonAustin Rosenfeld tells his story of leaving a well paying consulting job to create his own consulting company and building it into a 150 person shop. He also talks about his days as an early employee at Appian and the lessons he's learned along the entire journey.
2019-05-231h 44The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#6 - Ben Simon from Windsor JewelersJohn interviews Ben Simon, owner of Windsor Jewelers. Windsor is an upscale two location jewelry seller that offers some of the top watch and jewelry brands in the world. John and Ben discuss working in a family business, building culture across multiple locations, balancing the needs of your own brand while also selling literally some of the top brands in the world, cross selling, sales excellence, and a host of other topics. Ben also indulges John on sharing his personal thoughts on watches, going to Basel World, and Porsche vs BMW.
Ben mentioned the Tudo...
2019-05-092h 18The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#5 - Bryan Bellamy, RefineryHausJohn interviews Bryan Bellamy, founder and CEO of The Refinery Haus (https://therefineryhaus.com/). John and Bryan cover a range of topics, including starting a company while in college and selling it to FourSquare, starting multiple companies and pivoting, growing a digital agency and consulting practice under the same roof, investing in other startups, and Bryan's car collection.
2019-05-072h 12The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#4 - David Watkins, AbbeydaleJohn interviews David Watkins, founder of Abbeydale, an upscale mens clothing shop in Charlotte, NC. They discuss starting the business, growing it, some difficult decisions along the way, branding, building a global supply chain, and leveraging CRM and marketing automation to better serve customers. They also get into a detailed conversation about how men should build their wardrobe to maximize their presence.
https://www.houseofabbeydale.com/
https://www.instagram.com/houseofabbeydale/
https://twitter.com/ABBEYDALE_
https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Presence-Transforming-Personal-Through/dp/1497484634
2019-05-031h 33The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#3 - Derek Wang, StratifydJohn interviews Derek Wang, founder and CEO of Stratifyd, a machine learning and artificial intelligence startup that is achieving escape velocity just 4 years into its existence. Derek discusses finalizing four rounds of funding (including a recent $30 million round led by Georgian Partners), being an immigrant founder, the history of ML/AI, the future of tech, China vs Europe vs the US, women in tech, and many other fascinating topics.
2019-04-301h 20The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#2 - Meggie Williams, SkipperJohn interviews Meggie Williams from the Hygge podcast studio in Charlotte. Meggie is the founder and CEO of startup Skipper, a dog walking service operating out of multiple US cities. John and Meggie discuss fundraising, transitioning from IBM to a scrappy tech startup, building software without a technical background, starting a company with a spouse, being a woman in tech, and much much more.
2019-04-291h 28The Defiance_ Ventures Podcast#1-Stu Brauer-UrbanMvmnt and WTF Gym TalkIn the first episode of the Defiance Podcast, John interviews Stu Brauer, owner of Urban Mvmnt and WTFGymTalk. John and Stu discuss fitness, Crossfit, and the future of micro gyms. For anyone looking to start a business based on their passion, Stu is an inspirational story and someone they should follow on social media:
WTF Gym Talk: www: https://www.wtfgymtalk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtfgymtalk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WTFGYMTALK/
Urban MVMNT: www: https://www.urbanmvmnt.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanmvm...
2019-04-191h 49