How to Stop Being a "Time-Poor" Founder | George Rivera & Jimmy Ralph

The $1.7 Trillion Retail Mistake | Jabeen Zaidi & Andrew Pierce | BA EP 168

Most brands are still shouting into the void with more ads, more screens, and more generic product pages, then wondering why customers tune out. We sit down with Jabbeen Zadie of Spring AI to talk about a different path: treat experience as the real product, and use AI to make it personal, fast, and measurable. We unpack Glass, Spring AI’s “phygital” experience layer that lets shoppers generate an AI version of themselves using the product in a real-world context. That sounds playful, but it targets serious business problems: attention, engagement, and conversion. Jabbeen shares why personalization is no longer optional, how customization can drive 4.2x higher conversion, and why the buying moment is really about aspirational identity. If customers can see themselves as the character inside the brand story, confidence goes up and hesitation drops. Then we follow the money: missed experiences that don’t convert, add-on sales unlocked by showing the full look, and the hidden margin killer that rarely gets enough airtime: returns. We talk about how interactive experiences can make customers far less likely to return items, how smart sizing reduces friction, and why retail teams often hesitate to adopt new tools even when the upside is obvious. We close on how brands can start small, run a trial, and use analytics to keep optimizing the experience over time. If you care about retail innovation, AI personalization, virtual try-on, and real conversion lift, subscribe, share this with a retail leader, and leave a quick review telling us what brand experience actually won your loyalty. About Board of Advisors Board of Advisors is an invite-only community of entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, and executives dedicated to helping one another grow personally and professionally. Through quarterly events, strategic introductions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a culture built on giving first, BA creates an environment where leaders can solve problems faster, build meaningful relationships, and unlock new opportunities. When you're in the right room, anything is possible. Subscribe for more conversations with members of the Board of Advisors community as we continue releasing exclusive interviews recorded live from our Q2 Dallas event. #BAPodcast #BoardOfAdvisors #BACommunity #Entrepreneurship

Why "Sales Cures All" is a Lie | Cruz Gamboa & Kris Dehnert

If your revenue is climbing but your bank account feels tighter every month, the problem usually isn’t hustle, it’s math you can’t see yet. From the Board of Advisors Q2 Summit near Dallas, I sit down with Cruz Gamboa to talk about the one skill that instantly exposes what’s real in a business: understanding the numbers in context, not just staring at reports. We get into the uncomfortable truth behind “sales cure all.” Selling more can actually make a cash crunch worse when working capital gets out of control. Cruz breaks down how accounts receivable, accounts payable, and inventory quietly drain cash even when the P&L looks fine, and why one bad ops month or a runaway ad spend can tip a fast-growing company into desperation. Then we zoom in on unit economics and the metrics that matter to owners and investors alike: CAC, LTV, AOV, ROAS, and the efficiency gains that show up when the equation works at scale. We also draw a hard line between growth and scaling. Growth is revenue up. Scaling is revenue up while profit expands faster, supported by better fundamentals, clearer accountability, and a financial model you can actually run the business from. Finally, we tackle AI in finance: where automation helps, why asking the right questions still wins, and why the best CFOs become more powerful when AI handles the busywork and humans deliver judgment, strategy, and translation. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with a founder who needs better cash flow clarity, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. About Board of Advisors Board of Advisors is an invite-only community of entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, and executives dedicated to helping one another grow personally and professionally. Through quarterly events, strategic introductions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a culture built on giving first, BA creates an environment where leaders can solve problems faster, build meaningful relationships, and unlock new opportunities. When you're in the right room, anything is possible. Subscribe for more conversations with members of the Board of Advisors community as we continue releasing exclusive interviews recorded live from our Q2 Dallas event. #BAPodcast #BoardOfAdvisors #BACommunity #Entrepreneurship

Building A PR Career That Lasts | Cheryl Snapp Conner & Hugo Jimenez

A PR career can look glamorous from the outside, but the real story is usually built out of sharp pivots, hard boundaries, and a lot of grit. From the BAQ2 convention near Dallas, we sit down with Cheryl Snap Connor, founder of SnapConnor PR, to unpack how a love of writing turns into a front-row seat in tech, then into a 20-year run building communications for startups and growth companies. Along the way, she shares the moment she leaves a corporate role and triples her income overnight, plus the mindset shift that makes that leap possible.  We also dig into what founders rarely say out loud: partnerships can be the biggest accelerator or the biggest threat. Cheryl walks us through a painful share buyout scenario and the lesson her attorney gave her that still holds up today: “There is no contract on earth that is stronger than human nature.” We talk about toxic dynamics, why collaboration becomes her leadership brand, and how those experiences shape the way she protects her team and designs a better path forward.  On the practical side, Cheryl explains how her agency has evolved into a fractional communications team supporting a small number of key accounts, with equity stakes that change the economics beyond hourly PR work. She shares how remote leadership became possible after the pandemic, why Boise and Utah can both work when the team is strong, and what succession planning looks like when you actually care about the people who helped you build the business. If you’re navigating PR strategy, founder leadership, equity compensation, or an agency transition, this conversation delivers real-world clarity.  If this resonates, subscribe for more founder stories, share the episode with a business owner who needs it, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. What part of Cheryl’s journey hits closest to home for you? About Board of Advisors Board of Advisors is an invite-only community of entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, and executives dedicated to helping one another grow personally and professionally. Through quarterly events, strategic introductions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a culture built on giving first, BA creates an environment where leaders can solve problems faster, build meaningful relationships, and unlock new opportunities. When you're in the right room, anything is possible. Subscribe for more conversations with members of the Board of Advisors community as we continue releasing exclusive interviews recorded live from our Q2 Dallas event. #BAPodcast #BoardOfAdvisors #BACommunity #Entrepreneurship

The Dangerous AI Mistake Fundraisers Make | Jeff Luzzi & Dillon England

If you think raising capital is a quick sprint, this conversation will challenge that fast. We’re joined by Jeff Luzi of Terra Rosa Family Office, an operator-turned-investor who helps connect investors with opportunities and helps emerging managers build funds the right way. Jeff shares what it takes to bring technology and better systems into alternative investments, and why first-time fund managers can actually become less risky when they’re structured with discipline and transparency. We get practical about fundraising strategy and investor relations. Jeff breaks down why capital raising is often a 14 to 18 month process, why the first investor is the hardest to land, and how momentum can disappear if you’re not ready at the exact moment an investor becomes liquid. We also dig into what “planning ahead” really means, including a pristine data room with legal documents, projections, pitch materials, and diligence responses that signal credibility in minutes, even if investors only skim it. Then we zoom out to what investors are looking for right now: strong returns paired with real risk mitigation, plus the comfort of investing alongside people they trust. Jeff also gives a clear-eyed take on AI in fundraising and fund formation, from lowering the cost of drafting baseline documents to the serious risk of losing attorney client privilege if you feed sensitive information into AI tools. If you’re building a company, launching a fund, or trying to raise capital in today’s market, you’ll leave with a sharper process and fewer blind spots. Subscribe, share this with a founder who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest fundraising question. About Board of Advisors Board of Advisors is an invite-only community of entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, and executives dedicated to helping one another grow personally and professionally. Through quarterly events, strategic introductions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a culture built on giving first, BA creates an environment where leaders can solve problems faster, build meaningful relationships, and unlock new opportunities. When you're in the right room, anything is possible. Subscribe for more conversations with members of the Board of Advisors community as we continue releasing exclusive interviews recorded live from our Q2 Dallas event. #BAPodcast #BoardOfAdvisors #BACommunity #Entrepreneurship

How to Stop Being a "Time-Poor" Founder | George Rivera & Jimmy Ralph

Your calendar can look “successful” and still be a quiet disaster at home. From our Board of Advisors meeting at the Ritz-Carlton in Las Colinas, we sit down with founder and author George Rivera for a conversation that hits both the heart and the operations playbook: how do you build a real business without becoming a stranger to your own kids? George starts with the line that changed his life, spoken by his dad just before he passed: “Don’t miss Leo’s games. I missed too many of yours.” That regret forced George to see the pattern repeating and to confront what so many high performers normalize: being cash-rich and time-poor, giving your family only the stressed leftovers. We talk through the breaking point, the mindset shift, and what it actually took to move from 90-hour weeks to a semi-retired schedule while doubling income. Then we get practical. George shares the Time Liberation Trifecta for founders and entrepreneurs: eliminate what doesn’t move the needle, automate what repeats, and delegate with ownership, not just tasks. We also dig into the deeper reasons founders stay stuck, from “hero” identity to approval seeking, and how empowering your team with clear guardrails frees your time and makes you a better leader. Finally, we zoom out to the “18 Summers” reality check and the hard truth behind George’s book Before They Stop Asking: kids don’t keep asking for your attention forever, and missed moments add up in tiny ways. If you know you need to change, this is your nudge and your roadmap. Subscribe, share this with a founder parent who needs it, and leave a review, then tell us: what’s one commitment you’re making this week to buy back time? About Board of Advisors Board of Advisors is an invite-only community of entrepreneurs, CEOs, investors, and executives dedicated to helping one another grow personally and professionally. Through quarterly events, strategic introductions, peer-to-peer mentoring, and a culture built on giving first, BA creates an environment where leaders can solve problems faster, build meaningful relationships, and unlock new opportunities. When you're in the right room, anything is possible. Subscribe for more conversations with members of the Board of Advisors community as we continue releasing exclusive interviews recorded live from our Q2 Dallas event. #BAPodcast #BoardOfAdvisors #BACommunity #Entrepreneurship