Founder Views - Conversations that matter to you

Gladys Jeannette is a real estate investor and Broker in El Salvador. I've been wanting to speak to someone on the ground in El Salvador for quite some time, and Gladys is the perfect person to get an insider's look into the changes happening in the country.

We dive deep into the life in El Salvador, real estate investing in the country, including which areas to keep an eye out for, how bitcoin is driving change, safety, and the way of life in the country.

If you've been keeping an eye on El Salvador, curious about the changes happening in the country, real estate, or bitcoin, this is the perfect episode for you.

Adam Niman (BSc, CLU) is a seasoned life insurance professional with over a decade of experience in the field. His focus is exclusively on insurance, and he advocates for keeping insurance and investments separate.

I first heard Adam on one of my favourite podcasts (see link below), talking about why the infinite banking concept is flawed. He raised some pretty eye-opening concerns and perspectives that stirred up some waves in the infinite banking circles.

Since first hearing Adam on that podcast, we've since had several conversations, and wanted to have him on the podcast. I definitely think his insights and message is worth sharing.

If you're familiar with infinite banking, have a policy, or thinking about getting setup, this is an episode you definitely want to hear.

Download Adam's ebook "Fortune or Fiction" here: https://fortuneorfiction.ca/

➡️ The most important lessons from growing and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, from a non-technical entrepreneur: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/ (use HUSTLE40 for 40% off).

Matheus Riolfi is the founder and CEO of tint.ai, a company that provides embeddable insurance to tech platforms and marketplaces.

Unlike most founders I speak to that are bootstrapped - Matheus followed a different journey. Launching in 2018, Matheus led his company through YC (Y Combinator), and most recently closed a $25 million Series A round.

We cover several topics, including:

- Why he chose to get funding, rather than bootstrap
- How Tint maintains a positive workplace culture as a fully remote team
- How his role as CEO continues to evolve
- The most important skills a new founder should possess
- Much more

Follow Matheus Riolfi on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mriolfi/
Check out Tint: https://www.tint.ai/

** The most important lessons from growing and selling a bootstrapped SaaS company, from a non-technical entrepreneur: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/ (use HUSTLE40 for 40% off).

Stefan Smulders is one of the best marketers I've spoken to. In 2019, he founded expandio.io, and was able to generate $1 million in run rate in the first six months after launch!

Continuing to leverage creative and effective marketing strategies on social media, Stefan is leading Expandi to hit $10 million in revenue by the end of 2023.

This was a fascinating conversation, and I encourage any startup founder or anyone in marketing to give it a listen. We touch on several topics, including:

- Learning and growing from past business failures
- How Expandi hit $1 million run-rate in the first six months
- Leveraging your personal brand to grow your business
- The psychology of sales
- Effective growth channels used to reach $10 million revenue
- Much more

Follow Stefan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SmuldersStefan

Download the e-book "From Zero to SaaS Hero: https://expandi.io/from-zero-to-saas-hero-ebook/

The person I credit to introducing me to the Infinite Banking Concept, is none other than Chris Naugle.

After hearing this episode, you'll quickly understand why Chris is considered "America's # 1 Money Mentor". He is truly a master of money.

Chris has built and owned 19 companies, with his businesses being featured in Forbes, ABC, House Hunters, and his very own HGTV pilot in 2018. He is currently founder of The Money School™, and Money Mentor for The Money Multiplier.

We dive into so many important money and financial topics, including:

- The reasons why Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and other banks are collapsing
- Financial opportunities that everyone can be taking advantage of today
- How to become your own banker (literally) using the Infinite Banking Concept
- How Chris is personally leveraging his Infinite Banking Policies to make investments and earn income
- Ways to protect yourself from financial collapse
- How to be free and independent from a corrupted financial system

Follow Chris on YouTube: @TheChrisNaugle
Learn more about Chris: https://www.chrisnaugle.com/

This was a fun conversation. Two bootstrapped entrepreneurs talking shop, growth and business - unfiltered.

Hoyin Cheung is the founder and CEO of Remo.co, a company that helps teams build and grow relationships, virtually.

I've been eager to learn more about the virtual reality space, and how invested companies actually are in implementing this technology. So when the opportunity arose to speak to Hoyin, I jumped on it.

Very impressively, as a solo founder, Hoyin bootstrapped Remo to over $4M+ in revenue, with a team of 25 people. Some of the biggest organizations in the world have used Remo, including Harvard University, IBM and Shopify.

We touch on several topics in this episode including:

- Connecting with team members working remotely
- How companies are leveraging virtual reality
- Trends in the VR space
- The social behaviour challenge to VR adoption
- Tactical ways Remo has been able to scale
- Challenges of growing a company during times of high inflation and economic uncertainty
- Future of VR

Check out Remo: https://remo.co/
Follow Hoyin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hoyincheung/

** Get 40% of my video content series with code HUSTLE40: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/

Adam is the founder and CEO of Bitcoin Well, a publicly traded Canadian company that allows people to buy and sell bitcoin.

My goal with this episode was to educate the average person about everything they need to know about buying and storing bitcoin. Although we did cover that in a lot of detail, we naturally got into other topics as well, including:

- The custody of money
- How Adam deals with getting banned from having bank accounts
- Threats and concerns for bitcoin companies
- Freedom and sovereignty

This was the second time having Adam on the podcast, and certainly not the last. Check out our first conversation here: https://youtu.be/VSwaAZtCp8c

The safest and fastest way to buy bitcoin in Canada: bitcoinwell.com/app/signup?referral=kostapana

Follow Adam on Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamobrien_

Recently, I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about the economy, bitcoin, and the history of monetary systems.

After stumbling on one of Julian’s informative 60 second videos on Modern Monetary Theory, it was only fitting that I reach out him to chat on the podcast. 

Julian Figueroa is a Canadian entrepreneur, filmmaker and bitcoin investor.

This was one of the most fun, engaging and insightful conversations I’ve had in a while. Although the conversation could have lasted a lot longer, we covered several topics, including:

• The creation of the existing monetary systems and its problems
• The dilemma which the US faces as the global reserve currency
• Whether the USD is actually a “safe haven” asset
• How money scarcity could be a positive for societies around the world 
• What has to occur for a bitcoin standard to take shape
• CBDC’s and the risk they pose to freedom
• Why Julian purchased 5 acres on an island off Vancouver, off the grid 

Follow Julian on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KineticFinance

Follow Julian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kinetic_finance

Ever since I learned about the Infinite Banking Concept, I've been trying to inform as many people as possible about it.

No matter what your financial situation is, every single person can benefit from this concept.

I spoke with Hayden Padalino, an Authorized IBC Practitioner from Ontario, Canada. My goal was to touch on the fundamentals of the Infinite Banking Concept, and hopefully encourage people to look into it further.

Some topics of discussion include:

- How your money is not in your control if it's in the bank
- How to use IBC during tax time
- Alternatives to RRSP contributions
- Why whole life policies are a safe way to store your money
- How to access money from your policy
- Practical ways to use your policy in every day life

Learn more about IBCanada Group here: https://ibcanadagroup.com/

I was very pleased to have the opportunity to speak with Senator Leo Housakos. Leo was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in 2008.

Leo is Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, which is overseeing Bill C-11, a very controversial act that will grant the federal government overreaching power and control over the online content that Canadians consume.

We talk in great detail about the concerns of Bill C-11, and the impacts it would have on Canadians, as well as the following other topics:

- The reasons why C-11 is flawed and dangerous for all Canadians
- Dangers of censoring voices with C-11
- Why government leaders are purposely creating more division between Canadians
- The $54 million ArriveCan disaster, and wasted spending in government
- Why it's time for new leadership in Canada

Follow Senator Leo Housakos on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SenatorHousakos

Matthew Diemer is a former Democratic Congressional Nominee, in Ohio’s 7th district. Other than being involved in politics, he’s also an advocate and proponent for bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology.

I commend Matthew for having such an open and transparent dialogue about many important topics that many people in politics usually shy away from.

There are several topics we discuss in detail, including:

- How blockchain technology can help improve online privacy
- Ideas on how bitcoin should be regulated
- Government control and the monetary supply
- How bitcoin could be a solution to this unsustainable monetary system
- The dangers of CBDC in society
- Why people should not take freedoms for granted
- Growing division in society and potential solutions

Learn more about Matthew Diemer: diemerforcongress.com

This is a conversation with Charles Fry, a software-focused entrepreneur who has launched and grown successful companies in e-commerce, logistics and IT services. He owns Code Éxitos, a resource-based service that helps entrepreneurs develop software and other tech products.

I'm currently in the process of developing my second SaaS startup as a non-technical founder. However, this is the first time being directly involved in the entire development process, from start to finish.

So, in this conversation, I pick the brain of Charles about everything a non-technical founder needs to know and understand about developing a SaaS product, including:

- What's required after you've mapped out your idea
- The first hires you need to make to start building your product
- The pros/cons of Specialized Developers vs Full-Stack Developers
- The most popular languages developers are using today
- How to think about server infrastructure and what to consider
- Recommendations and suggestions on how to hire developers

Learn more about Code Éxitos: https://codexitos.com/

Get access to Hard Knock SaaS here: https://www.hardknocksaas.com/

For those who know, I’m in the process of building up my second bootstrapped SaaS (first one was recently acquired). Although I’m still relatively early in the process, I’ve been thinking about future tools and apps to run the business. This is where I stumbled on Outseta.

Outseta is an all-in-one software that combines all of the fundamental and necessary tools to run a SaaS company - payment processing, CRM, email marketing and customer support.

I thought the product looked great and sounded extremely valuable to new SaaS companies, so I reached out to Geoff Roberts, one of the founders.

This was a really fun, open and transparent conversation. Anyone running a SaaS startup will find this extremely valuable. We covered several topics, including:

- The struggles and grind in the first years of growing Outseta
- How Outseta got it’s first 100 clients
- The difficulties of marketing a product that can serve a broad audience
- The fundamental tools that every SaaS company requires to operate
- How Outseta operates with zero sales reps or support reps
- Why Outseta is okay sacrificing growth to run a lean and profitable business

Learn more about Outseta here: https://www.outseta.com/

Follow Geoff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeoffTRoberts

The Infinite Banking Concept (IBC) is one of the very few subjects that I’m eager to share with as many people as possible.

This was a very all-encompassing conversation with Michael Sidhu, a veteran with 26 years in the financial industry, and an IBC Practitioner.

If you’re concerned about the monetary system, debasement of currencies, and believe you should be in control of your wealth, this will be a great conversation listen to.

We speak about several topics pertaining to IBC and the economy, including:

- What’s wrong with the current monetary system
- How IBC mitigates your exposure to inflation and uncertain market conditions
- The difference between insurance companies and banks
- How insurance companies invest their capital
- Why bitcoin is a good hedge against the debasement of currency
- How individuals and businesses can leverage their policies for tax advantages

Learn more about the Infinite Banking Concept at https://ibcanadagroup.com/

Benjamin J. Dichter was the official spokesperson and one of the organizers for the Freedom Convoy, a movement that shook up the entire world in the winter of 2022.

The Freedom Convoy was a protest organized by truckers in Canada, and morphed into a global movement of millions of people around the world, fighting back against overreaching government mandates.

BJ is the author of “Honking for Freedom”, a book that provides an inside look into what really happened inside the Freedom Convoy.

In this conversation, we cover topics including:

- The motivations to get involved in the Freedom Convoy
- Dealing with the global spotlight and mainstream media
- Reasons for increased desire in government control
- Central Bank Digital Currencies, and the impacts
- How the people can take back control from bureaucrats 

Order “Honking for Freedom”: https://honkingforfreedom.com/

Follow BJ on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BJdichter

I met Callum Webber on a mentor call on Growth Mentor (I'm a mentor on the platform, link is below for more details).

On our call, we spoke about several business topics, including a program he is building out that helps men in their 20's live a freedom lifestyle, through health, wellness and productivity.

For the last little while, I've been thinking more and more about ways to optimize my own self for maximize productivity and energy thought my days. So when I spoke to Callum, I thought I'd have him on the podcast to speak about this.

Callum is one of those people with an amazing attitude, great energy, and a ton of passion in what he does, which is very inspiring.

He provided some great practical tips about energy that anyone can implement in their lives right away. Some of which I will be trying as well.

Check out Growth Mentor: https://www.growthmentor.com/?ref=kosta

Callum's Podcast (Freedom Lifestyle): https://open.spotify.com/show/34iyUuLGk6Ms7uLLky1GMP?si=d4a566757e0543e0

Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos is an Orthodox Priest in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

Speaking with Fr Ted is always very insightful and grounding, to say the least. Given everything that’s  happening in the world right now, I felt a need to have a conversation with him.

We spoke about a wide-range of topics, including:

- Tools that people are missing in their lives to help with depression and every day stresses
- How parents should instil the right values in their children 
- Why more couples are getting divorced, and how they can prevent that
- The attack on religion in a growing secular society

I also wanted to hear Fr Ted’s views on several controversial bills and legislation currently in, or being proposed, in Canada:

- Bill C-11 and how it could impact the church and religion
- Bill 89 and the growing sexualization of children in society
- The issues with Bill C-4 from a religious and moral context
- MAID (medical assistance in dying) and the relation to hedonism

Genuine and authentic - these are two adjectives I would use to describe Julia Hanna, which seem to be pretty rare in politics nowadays.

Julia Hanna is running for Mayor of Oakville, Ontario, one of the most prominent and sought-after cities in all of Canada.

As a resident of Oakville, I was eager to have a conversation with (potentially) the future Mayor, to discuss many pressing issues, concerns and opportunities the city faces.

In this very open and transparent conversation, we discussed:

- Housing affordability in Oakville and wealth from real estate
- What she would have done differently as Mayor during Covid
- The impossible challenges of satisfying everyone
- How she plans to earn the trust back from the people
- The lack of accountability in government
- The fiscal waste currently happening in Oakville

Learn more about Julia Hanna: https://www.juliahanna.ca/

I've been on the hunt to learn as much about short-term rentals and Airbnb investing as possible. After getting connected with Spencer and Ashley, I immediately knew there were no better people to learn from.

Since 2018, they have accumulated 6 Airbnb properties, both in the Niagara region and in the US. They also manage over 60 properties for other Airbnb investors across the country.

Their top grossing property in Niagara does $180-$200k per year, which nets them about $60k per year.

I tried to get into their detailed processes and criteria from evaluating properties to purchase, and everything in between to get them listed.

We discuss many topics, including:

- The specific criteria they look for in properties
- How they differentiate their properties
- The importance of focusing on top-notch guest experience
- By-laws in Niagara that investors should be mindful of
- The costs involved to furnish an Airbnb property
- How much profit they make on their properties
- What's required to purchase properties in the US

Follow Spencer & Ashley on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerandashley/

Spencer & Ashley's Airbnb Property Management company: https://www.instagram.com/travelluxepropertymanagement/

This is a conversation I was very excited to have, and more importantly, share with everyone. Andrew Lawton is a well-respected Journalist and Broadcaster in Canada. I caught notice of Andrew's work during the freedom convoy protests in Ottawa. He was one of my main sources of accurate information about what was going on, and have been following his work ever since.

I was eager to speak to Andrew about:

- The bias in media that people are consuming, and how it affects his work
- How journalists and people can be more objective
- The impacts of private and government censorship
- The potential consequences of new bills proposed in Canada, including controversial bill C-11
- The future of Canada
- Alternative views and differences of opinion in society
- Andrew's list of favourite and most objective journalists

Follow Andrew on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndrewLawton

Andrew on Substack: https://andrewlawton.substack.com/

True North: https://tnc.news/