Saba Sedighi is a Marketing Strategist and Video Content Creator. She takes on an innovative approach towards social selling to connect brands with their audience. Tech savvy, with a broad understanding of social media, influencer and email marketing, Saba is focused on leveraging her expertise in digital marketing combined with strategic insights.
Founder of iStream Social, she consults and collaborates with up-and-coming SMBs to help them establish, grow and manage their social presence, profile and audience on live/replay channels. iStream specializes in developing highly effective, real-world, clever strategies for Blab, Periscope, and Meerkat. They design and implement content strategies which yield maximum engagement and train companies to fully leverage multiple live stream channels.
Saba is also currently co-hosting 3 popular shows on Blab.im, regularly attracting a total of 1300+ viewers on a weekly basis.
Saba’s Challenge; Go on YouTube and google a topic you are interested in and watch 3 videos about it.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 88 with Sunny Lenarduzzi where we discuss Snapchat and YouTube.
There is one mistake I consistently see people making on Snapchat. It was happening 2 years ago, and it continues to happen today. Be considerate, understand your context, and practice good Snap etiquette.
Thanks to Ashley for helping! Follow her;
Snapchat = ahh_chuu
Instagram = achu739
Adam Haritan is the founder of Learn Your Land, as well as a wild food enthusiast, researcher, and forager. He learned the value of wild food foraging while studying nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh, where he discovered just how beneficial wild foods could be in optimizing human health.
Wild plants, on average, are more nutritious than their cultivated counterparts (i.e. wild blueberries vs. domesticated blueberries, wild lettuce vs. iceberg lettuce). The wild food diet is the diet that we, as Homo sapiens, have been consuming for the majority of our time on this planet, and it is the diet that we are most adapted to. Today, very few Americans consume any wild foods, and instead subsist on nutrient-deficient products that scarcely resemble anything real or natural. It’s no wonder that degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, and chronic inflammation are so prevalent. We have abandoned our natural diet and are suffering as a result.
This realization has led Adam to pursue a lifestyle of wild food foraging while unearthing the forgotten knowledge we once cherished. It is Adam’s hope to share the enthusiasm and passion he has for wild foods with you!
Adam’s Challenge; Attend a nature walk where someone is going to teach you about the natural world.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 37 with Jennifer Pharr Davis where we discuss her record-setting hiking career.
Jake Voelker is the driving force behind Voodoo Brewery’s expansion into Pittsburgh and opening of the Homestead location. Following the purchase and extensive renovation of the oldest fire and police building in Allegheny County, Jake has continued expanding Voodoo’s visibility, market share, and profitability in the Pittsburgh area market while providing oversight of Voelker Contracting’s operations. Voelker Contracting is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Company that maintains contracts with the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies and various other private companies.
Following his college graduation, Jake was commissioned as an officer in the US Army and subsequently deployed in support of combat operations in Afghanistan. Jake separated from the US Army in 2010 at the rank of Captain. Directly following his time in the US Army Jake moved to Pittsburgh, got married, and obtained his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
Jake mentors many veterans returning from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan in personal and professional life. He can also be seen as a regular cast member of the podcast “Veterans on Fire”.
Jake’s Challenge; Take the opportunity to go outside and do a new physical activity or challenge.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 68 with Wes Shonk where we discuss whiskey and digital brand building.
Dennis is the CEO and Founder of x.ai, whose artificial intelligence driven personal assistant lets people schedule meetings using plain English and nothing more than a CC to amy@x.ai. Founded in 2014, x.ai is backed by blue chip investors, including IA Ventures, Firstmark, and Two Sigma Ventures, and located in New York City.
Dennis is a pioneer and expert in the analytics, optimization and big data space and has been since its inception – he is also a fully-fledged entrepreneur and successfully delivered a number of company exits. He’s an accredited Associate Analytics Instructor at the University of British Columbia, the Author of Data Driven Insights from Wiley and a frequent speaker on the subject of Analytics and Data. A native of Denmark, Mortensen currently calls New York City his home.
Dennis’s Challenge; Take public transportation far away from home and walk back. Leave your phone at home so you can be alone with your mind.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 85 with Sean Ammirati where we discuss startups, exponential growth, and being LinkedIn’s first acquisition.
When I explain to people what I do, this is always one of the first questions out of their mouth. It’s not hard, you just have to start looking in new places.
Aaron’s Challenge; Make yourself an AngelList profile.
Check out AngelList.
As an entrepreneur, Phil Laboon started his first company in my parent’s basement back in 2001. Back then, no one was thinking about SEO. 15 years later, SEO is one of the most sought after inbound marketing services, and his basement company is one of the leading digital marketing agencies in the country. His company, Eyeflow Internet Marketing provides clients with consulting and digital marketing services that help their business stand up and be heard by audiences both on and off the web.
Additionally, Phil hosts Pittsburgh Tech Talk, an online show that brings attention to some of the city’s biggest names and companies in tech. He speak publicly and offers consulting services to help show startups how to be successful in the fast-paced world of technology. Phil also invests in several startups as a way to help them hit the ground running and build their business.
Phil’s Challenge; Reach out to five high-status individuals in a creative way. Do something other than just sending an email or a tweet.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 12 with Scott Rogerson where we discuss twisting career arcs, entrepreneurship, and investing.
Brad Kriel wants construction firms and Do-it-yourselfers to get projects done more efficiently. His company is dedicated to leveraging modern technology to help save builders time.
At Velocity Robotics he used lean startup methods, developed an MVP application, hired graphic designers to optimize UI and UX of mobile apps and website, and managed legal and accounting team to handle company formation and complexities of bringing in initial startup capital.
In this episode, we discuss finding product-market fit and Brad’s core values.
Brad’s Challenge; Set a date and finish one of your incomplete projects.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 8 with Jason Miller where we discuss developing a website as his side hustle.
Aaron Martinez is a Snapchat storyteller, YouTube personality, and professional voice actor. A lot of people know him as "AaronFPS" or "That Snapchat Guy from YouTube" and he has been blowing up recently.
He has been on YouTube scene for almost 5 years now and focuses on keeping his audience up to date with everything in the technology world! Be it social media like Snapchat, unboxings/reviews on technology, or different giveaways, Aaron brings it.
He has recently risen to prominence as a Snapchat influencer and you need to be following him if you are serious about learning this social media platform.
Aaron’s Challenge; Experiment with Snapchat. Watch “How to Use Snapchat” on Aaron’s channel.
Connect with Aaron on Snapchat; Aaronfps
Add me on Snapchat; aaron_watson
If you liked this interview, check out episode 88 with Sunny Lenarduzzi where we discuss why she loves Snapchat, how she built a YouTube audience, and social media development.
Sunny works with entrepreneurs, personal brands, and corporations to help them bring their business online through social media and video marketing. After reporting at the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, she had an ‘a-ha’ moment and followed her heart into starting a business that serves people who desperately want to live life on their own terms.
She has a decade of experience as a video, social media, and brand strategist. She has created video campaigns for Hootsuite and made history with Applebee’s – earning over 1 billion impressions in 1 day. She has been featured on national radio, television and online platforms like Entrepreneur.com and The Huffington Post.
Sunny’s Challenge; Write down 5 things in a journal every night that your are grateful for.
Connect with Sunny on Snapchat at; sunnylenarduzzi
If you liked this interview, check out episode 84 with Todd Tresidder where we discuss building an online brand and reinventing your business.
Pay attention, because Snapchat is going mainstream. The former sexting app is coming straight for Twitter, Facebook,andInstagram.
I've got two huge interviews coming this week where we will be talking Snapchat and how to make moves on this new platform.
Add me on Snapchat; aaron_watson
Chris Hill is a podcast host at the Motley Fool. One of his shows, Motley Fool Money, airs every week on radio stations across America, including top-10 markets Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Boston and Washington, DC. Its companion podcast is consistently ranked as one of the top business & investing shows on iTunes.
Chris joined the Motley fool in 1997 and has helped the company build out their podcast network.
Chris’s Challenge; Find time to get space from business and social media to be alone with your thoughts. You can figure things out in the quiet of your own mind.
Connect with Chris
If you liked this interview, check out episode 55 with Morgan Housel where we discuss investing philosophy and cognitive biases.
Sean Ammirati joined Birchmere Ventures in 2012 to as the partner leading Birchmere Labs, a seed and studio fund focused on community driven commerce start-ups. Prior to that, he had over 12 years founding, building and selling businesses in the media and software industries. Sean was previously Chief Operating Officer of ReadWriteWeb, one of the most influential sites about the future of technology and innovation. In December 2011, the company was acquired by SAY Media to strengthen its technology channel. Sean was previously co-founder and CEO of mSpoke, which was the first acquisition of LinkedIn.
Sean is currently an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University. He also was a founding advisor to Innovation Works’ AlphaLab accelerator. He holds a B.S. in computer information systems from Grove City College and was a research fellow at Carnegie Mellon’s Sloan Software Industry Center.
Check out his new book about how lean startups can find growth; The Science of Growth: How Facebook Beat Friendster--and How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust
Sean’s Challenge; We need to do a better job conditioning ourselves to understand that failure is not as scary as we tend to think it is.
Connect with Sean
If you liked this interview, check out episode 16 with Zach Malone where we discuss raising venture capital and the Pittsburgh startups scene.
Todd Tresidder got a B.A. in Economics from University of California at Davis and is a member of the Economics Honors Society and Dean’s List. A serial entrepreneur since childhood, Todd has built many businesses and retiring at age 35 from his position as a Hedge Fund Investment Manager responsible for a 20+ million dollar portfolio.
Through hard work, Todd raised his net worth from less than zero at age 23 to self-made millionaire 12 years later by using the same personal finance and investment strategies taught on his web site. He has been financially independent since age 35 through investing – not marketing – unlike many other financial gurus who made their money through marketing courses and books.
His mission now is to teach personal finance and investing based on real experience.
Todd’s Challenge; Embrace the adventure. Go out and live it.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 65 with James Osborne where we discuss the future of financial services.
Kristi is the Creative Environments Lead at Maya Design consultancy and innovation lab. She pulls together interdisciplinary teams to think deeply about the interaction between physical and virtual space, and explores the widest possible definition of “environment” in service of our client’s desired outcome.
Prior to joining MAYA, Kristi worked in Washington, DC as a management consultant, facilitating culture change tied to physical change for federal agencies. She has worked in California and Arizona as a behavioral strategist creating the workplace, mixed use development, and hospitality strategies. Kristi was also the CEO of her own firm that provided consultative services for architecture, interiors, FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment), and construction.
Additionally, she was on the faculty at Arizona State University teaching in both the Colleges of Architecture and Business, with research focused on the impact physical environment has on human behavior.
You can also find her speaking about workplace, culture, community, and the future of work at conferences across the country.
Kristi’s Challenge; The boundaries of your potential are drawn in your own mind. Ask yourself Is there more? Aim higher. Advice from Christopher Dorris.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 74 with John Beck where we discuss product design and the internet of things.
Russ Roberts has taught at George Mason University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Rochester, Stanford University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a regular commentator on business and economics for National Public Radio's Morning Edition and has written for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Roberts also blogs at Cafe Hayek with Donald J. Boudreaux at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia. He published the novel The Invisible Heart which conveys economic ideas in the context of a narrative. In 2008, Roberts released another novel, The Price of Everything, which addresses concepts such as spontaneous order, price gouging, and market economics in crisis situations.
Roberts’ podcast EconTalk is carried by The Library of Economics and Liberty and is a weekly talk show features one-on-one discussions with an eclectic mix of authors, professors, Nobel Laureates, entrepreneurs, leaders of charities and businesses, and people on the street. The emphases are on using topical books and the news to illustrate economic principles. Exploring how economics emerges in practice is a primary theme.
Russ’s Challenges; Try to think about your own biases and be aware of what you’re doing subconsciously. AND realize economics is not about money. Economics is about flourishing, choices and resources.
Book Recommendations
Individualism and Economic Order by F.A. Hayek
Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman
The Path to Power by Robert A. Caro
Referenced Media
Jonathan Haidt-Tyler Cowen Conversation
Connect with Russ
russroberts@gmail.com
If you liked this interview, check out episode 77 with Steve Patterson where we discuss philosophy and breaking away from academic institutions.
Have you ever wanted to get into real estate? Jason Hartman thinks that’s a great idea.
Jason Hartman is the Founder and CEO of Platinum Properties Investor Network, The Hartman Media Company and The Jason Hartman Foundation. Starting with very little, Jason, while still in college at the age of 19, embarked on a career in real estate while brokering properties for clients, he was investing in he own portfolio along the way. Through creativity, persistence and hard work, he soon joined the ranks of the top one-percent of Realtors in the U.S..
Hartman is a self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur, author, investor, lender and developer. He has owned properties in 11 states, had hundreds of tenants and been involved in several thousand real estate transactions. He is the host of 20 podcasts with about 3,000 episodes where he shares powerful strategies for business, investing and living the good life.
He has visited 78 countries, enjoys adventure, fitness and lifelong learning.
Jason’s Challenge; Give something away without any expectation of getting anything back. If you give things away, you are teaching your subconscious that the world is abundant.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 55 with Morgan Housel where we discuss personal investment philosophy and financial decision-making.
Chris Guillebeau is a New York Times bestselling author and modern-day explorer. During a lifetime of self-employment that included a four-year commitment as a volunteer executive in West Africa, he visited every country in the world (193 in total) before his 35th birthday. Since then he has modeled the proven definition of an entrepreneur: “Someone who will work 24 hours a day for themselves to avoid working one hour a day for someone else.”
Chris’s first book, The Art of Non-Conformity, was translated into more than twenty languages. His second book, The $100 Startup, was a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, selling more than 300,000 copies worldwide. His latest book, The Happiness of Pursuit, was published in September 2014 and was also a New York Times bestseller.
Every summer in Portland, Oregon, Chris hosts the World Domination Summit, a gathering of creative, remarkable people with thousands in attendance. Chris is also the founder of Pioneer Nation, Unconventional Guides, the Travel Hacking Cartel, and numerous other projects.
Chris’s Challenge; Create a measurable metric for some form of creative output and execute on it. Example; write 1,000 words per day for 6 days per week.
Check out Chris’ Books
Connect with Chris
Jonathan Abrams is an award-winning journalist who has covered the NBA for ESPN’s Grantland, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California.
His first book, Boys Among Men, chronicles the generation of NBA players that jumped directly to the pros from high school and the struggles they faced along the way.
Jonathan’s Challenge; Buy Shea Serrano’s book, The Rap Yearbook.
Check out Abrams’ book; Boys Among Men
Steve Patterson is a rationalist philosopher and author who works outside of the academic establishment. He believes the internet is revolutionizing every industry, including the world of ideas and that the future of intellectual progress belongs to independent scholars, not ivory tower professors.
He also believes truth can be discovered through a deep enough understanding of anything, as every pursuit ultimately points back to philosophy. He laments that the culture is stuck in an era of irrationalism, which glorifies blurry thinking and imprecise theories and his work is trying to change that.
Steve’s Challenge; Go out and try to break apart your worldview.
Steve’s Suggestion
If you liked this interview, check out episode 46 with Taylor Pearson where we discuss the decline of traditional jobs around the economy and rise of small entrepreneurs.
Neil’s site, Above Avalon, originated from a Tumblr blog about Apple in 2010. At the time, he was a Wall Street analyst focused on the financial sector, while all things related to Apple and technology were his evening and weekend projects. After being disappointed with the lack of relevant Apple analysis from both a financial and business point of view, he decided to begin building a new kind of Apple analysis site based on his financial background and critical thinking skills. By examining Apple from both a Wall Street and Silicon Valley perspective, he has positioned Above Avalon to provide unique insight into how Apple functions and its worldview.
Along with weekly Above Avalon posts and podcast episodes, Neil publishes exclusive daily updates for Above Avalon members. Members range from Wall Street experts to weekend hobbyists.
Neil’s Challenge; Try saying “No” to things that you can’t put your whole self into. No one has enough time to do everything.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 47 with Avi Geller where we discuss technology and the future of hearable tech.
Jessica Strong was engaged in the world of freelance work for years. She knew all about the never-ending to-do list of client requests, paperwork, social media updates, billing, tracking down receipts, fighting with WordPress plug-ins, and answering a million emails.
So she founded Whetstone Workgroup to help freelancers, consultants, and “mompreneurs” succeed in three specific ways. She created a physical space where freelancers can work more efficiently, with drop-in daycare available for attention-craving children. She also provides administrative services and software so Whetstone members can get through their monster to-do list more easily. And finally she offers consultations, trainings and workshops so her members can keep learning and growing as professionals.
Jessica’s Challenge; Create a cross section of things you are good at and things you enjoy doing. Execute on the things that qualify for both.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 28 with Emily and Kate from Propelle, where we discuss masterminds and the challenges mompreneurs face.
John Beck leads the development of TrueFit’s human-centered design methodology and his team’s design research, information design, product interaction, and user interface design. Through John’s leadership, Truefit helps clients create innovative web, mobile, social media and commercial software products that have positive practical impact.
John is part of Truefit's business development team and is skilled at helping clients understand the impact of good user experience and the best practices for success drawn from years of experience working with several of the world’s most distinguished health and technology brands including Samsung, Precor, Rolls-Royce, Kodak, and BodyMedia.
Prior to joining Truefit, John served as a Co-Founder and President of Gist Design, acquired by Truefit in 2013. John has also served as a Senior Interaction Designer at wearable body monitoring pioneer, BodyMedia, which was recently acquired by Jawbone.
John’s work has been cited in many industry and commercial publications including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Wired Magazine, Business Week, and Engadget. John’s work has won numerous design and innovation awards including the IDEA Gold Medal sponsored by Businessweek and the Industrial Designers Society of America. He also serves as occasional lecturer and teacher.
John’s Challenge; Challenge yourself to practice design-thinking by carefully examining someone completing a task.
Mike Dariano is a writer, an educator, and a creator. He writes about productivity and better work at Productivityist and edits the site 27GoodThings.com which features good things to read, watch, and use. He also writes at The Waiter’s Pad – a blog that shares in depth notes from podcast interviews around the web.
He has written a few books including; My Meditations: What a Roman Emperor Taught me About Parenting, Read More Books: Hijack your Habits, Tame your Time, and Find Better Tools for Reading More Books, and Children’s Poems for the Couch on a Sunday Afternoon.
Mike’s Challenge; Read more books.
Mentioned Media
Gary Vaynerchuk on Rich Roll podcast
Venkatesh Rao on the Tropical MBA podcast
Check out Mike’s Book; 28 Lessons from Startups that Failed
If you liked this interview, check out episode 46 with Taylor Pearson where we discuss entrepreneurship and the future of the economy.
Robert P. Seawright is the Chief Investment & Information Officer for Madison Avenue Securities, a boutique broker-dealer and investment advisory firm headquartered in San Diego, California. At Madison, Bob’s role is a thought leader for the firm’s independent advisors, providing counsel and guidance with respect to the latest industry trends, research and best practices. In September of 2014, The Wall Street Journal published a list of fifteen smart people for investors to follow that included Bob, along with Warren Buffett, Howard Marks, William Bernstein and the CFA Institute.
Bob is a columnist for Research magazine, a Contributing Editor at Portfolioist as well as a contributor to the Financial Times, The Big Picture, The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, Pragmatic Capitalism, and ThinkAdvisor. Bob’s blog, Above the Market, has received “best of” recognition from a wide variety of sources, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Planning, the CFA Institute, Insider Monkey, Financial Social Media, and Investment News. He also speaks regularly to a variety of audiences on topics related to finance, investing and the markets.
Bob’s Challenge; Sit down and think of a few examples of mistakes you are making.
If you liked this interview, check out episode 55 with Morgan Housel, where we discuss finance writing and cognitive biases.