nick castner

Nick and Kaitlyn are taking the week off from interviews. Before signing off for the weekend, we wanted to give thanks to our listeners and let everyone know our plans for the holidays! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ben McDougal is a Startup Ecosystem Builder from Des Moines, Iowa. He joins the show to discuss his work welcoming diverse communities to his startup ecosystem and provides an overview of the startup scene is Des Moines.

Connect with Ben here.

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Nathan Preheim is a Nebraska ecosystem builder, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. He joins the Ecosystem Builder Podcast to share his journey as an entrepreneur and the systematic flaws he plans to fix with his new VC firm.

Connect with Nathan here.

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Angie Jordan is an Ecosystem Builder from Iowa City, Iowa. She joins the show to share her own journey as an entrepreneur and the way Iowa City's community is ensuring every entrepreneur has the chance to succeed.

Read more from Mug.News here.

Maddy Fisher joins the show for this episode as an ecosystem builder from Rochester, Minnesota. She talks with Kaitlyn about technology in agriculture creating the next wave of jobs in the midwest and the work she does to help small businesses flourish in Minnesota. Kaitlyn and Abby also chat about their favorite coffee shops in the area.

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Nick and Kaitlyn link up to share recent updates with Mug.News and chat about their personal creative projects. Read more from Mug.News here.

Alejandro Santiago, an ecosystem builder from Saint Louis, Missouri, joins the show to share how he best advocates for entrepreneurs within his own community. Don't forget to stick around for the end of the episode to hear Kaitlyn and Nick share their biggest takeaways from this conversation!

Connect with Alejandro here.

Read more from Mug.News here.

The Editor-In-Chief of Startland News, Tommy Felts, is our guest for this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast. Startland News is a non-profit news organization that is devoted to telling stories of startups within the Kansas City community. We discuss the impact startup storytelling has had on the Kansas City ecosystem.

Connect with Tommy on LinkedIn here.

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In this episode, our co-host Kaitlyn chats with Melissa Grizzle to discuss building entrepreneurial education programming in Saint Louis, Missouri. Melissa gives an overview of her local startup ecosystem while providing tactics to apply to any community across the midwest.

Connect with Melissa here.

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On today’s episode, our Host Kaitlyn chats with Amanda Lewan to discuss the startup ecosystem in Detroit, Michigan. They overview the booming industry of cyber security and highlight the other well-functioning areas of their community.

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Jake Joraanstad is an Ecosystem Builder from Fargo, North Dakota. He joins the show to give an overview of his local ecosystem while highlighting the importance of learning from failures, also known as "Flearning."

Connect with Jake on Twitter here.

Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick & Kaitlyn have now created more than forty episodes of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast without ever being in the same room. Kaitlyn and Nick finally met up in person to record this podcast together, in person.

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On this episode of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast, we have Angie Jordan, Marlén Joanne Mendoza, and Tasha Lard. The group of professionals organized Iowa City's first Diversity Market. Their event builds community and offers support amongst marginalized entrepreneurs in their ecosystem. They join the show to discuss how the event came together and the tactics other organizers can take to replicate their success elsewhere.

Follow the South District Neighborhood Association in Iowa City on Facebook here.

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Hunter Bergman is an ecosystem builder and student at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. He joins to show to discuss building a collegiate startup community and the tactics his team implemented to engage those students with local entrepreneurs.

Connect with Hunter here.

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Jamie Sundsbak is an ecosystem builder in Rochester, Minnesota. He joins the show to discuss the partnership between the startup community in Rochester and the Mayo Clinic. Jamie also highlights the different tactics his organization has implemented to allow the Rochester startup community to flourish.

Learn more about Jamie's nonprofit, Collider, here.

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Nick and Kaitlyn take an episode to discuss their biggest learnings on ecosystem building after almost a year of creating the show. They also touch base on their projects outside of this podcast and preview other Mug.News content.

Watch the first episode of Coffe Grinds, hosted by Kaitlyn Claeys, here.

Help your local donut shop win our Gold Donut Competition here.

Blazin A Trail podcast welcomes Nick Castner to the studio! Nick Castner is a creative, an internet personality, Runza fanatic, co-creator of The CommonWealth Podcast, Promoter of Hurrdat Media, aka a renaissance man, Nick has worked with the Discovery Channel, Disney, Crayola, X-Games, ESPN, Mellow Mushroom, Buzzfeed, and other local businesses.

Our host and Nick speak about his past growing up in a family that was entrepreneurial. They discuss how he got introduced to podcasting. They talk tips for new podcasters and especially those who want to do video podcasts and how to book high-profile guests.

Topics that are covered: growing a team, networking, tips for those wanting to find places to record, equipment, and much more! Join us as we BLAZE A TRAIL!

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: 

BLAZIN A TRAIL PODCAST: https://www.instagram.com/blazinatrailpodcast/

K1NGTUT: https://www.instagram.com/k1ngtut11/ 

Nick Castner Website: www.nickcastner.com

Nick Castner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.castner.75

Nick Castner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickcastner/

CommonWealth Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCommonwealthMedia

The CommonWealth Podcast Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/commonwealth_media/

Jack Buchanan (Tech/Multimedia): https://www.instagram.com/buchanan_jack/

Nelson King (Camera/Multimedia): https://www.instagram.com/nelsonkingphotography/ 

YATO Clothing: www.yato.life/links

YATO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yatobrand/ 

Time Stamps:

00:00 - Welcome

00:14 - Intro

00:33 - Housekeeping Notes

01:02 - Introducing Nick Castner

02:58 - Where were you born?

03:40 - What were you certain that you were going to do as an adult in middle school and how did that change in high school?

06:10 - Can you remember a time when you did something entrepreneurial in your younger years but didn't know you had the entrepreneurial spirit?

07:08 - What is something you wish you would’ve done in high school now since hindsight is 20/20?

08:38 - What did you end up doing after high school?

09:54 - What is something you would’ve done differently in college?

10:47 - K1 explains his family history and pressure to go to college

14:13 - What led you to be the host of The CommonWealth Podcast?

17:20 - Tips for people wanting to start a video podcast? Should they be super prepared before they go? Should they get the best equipment?

19:12 - Did you do everything at the beginning? Buying the equipment, making social media content, producing clips, editing the audio, etc.?D

22:59 - When did you know you needed more people on the team?

25:30 - What were some pitfalls at the beginning of your podcast?

27:47 - What is your strategy to land high-profile guests?

32:00 - How do you find places to record for your podcast?

34:39 - What are some things Blazin A Trail podcast can work on?

41:39 - Tips for people who want to be a digital content creator?

43:39 - How has been an entrepreneur affect your family life and social life?

45:36 - What key activities would you recommend to young entrepreneurs?

50:09 - What motivates you?

51:38 - Who are the three most influential people in your growth?

53:36 - What is your daily routine?

1:07:51 - What kind of music can we find in your playlist right now?

1:09:23 - What are three things we should know about you that we didn’t touch on?

1:13:13 - Rapid Fire questions!

1:19:45 - Where can people find you?

1:20:21 - Outro

Janet McRae is an ecosystem builder from Miami County, Kansas. She joins to show to discuss the way Miami County has pulled in tourists from nearby Kansas City, Kansas while positioning itself as a remote work location in the post-COVID era.

Read more from Mug.News here.

Nick Castner and Kaitlyn Claeys link up to discuss their biggest learnings from the first ten episodes of the Ecosystem Builder Podcast and what they hope to accomplish with the show in 2020.

Check out more entrepreneurship content on Mug.News!