Parallel Entrepreneur with Mark Cleveland

Why Great Businesses Need Stewardship, Not Just Capital | Douglas Song

What happens when an entrepreneur spends decades helping founders transition, scale, and protect the businesses they’ve built? In this episode of The Parallel Entrepreneur, Mark Cleveland sits down with Douglas Song, founder and CEO of Protos Capital, for a wide-ranging conversation on independent sponsors, lower middle market acquisitions, leadership, succession planning, AI, uncertainty, and what founders often overlook when preparing for growth or exit. Doug shares lessons from dozens of transactions across multiple industries, including how he evaluates leadership teams, why organic growth still matters more than acquisition rollups, and what makes a business resilient in a world filled with constant disruption. But this conversation also becomes deeply personal. Doug reflects on immigrating to the United States from South Korea as a child, watching his parents build a life through entrepreneurship, and how that experience shaped the way he thinks about people, stewardship, and long-term value creation. The conversation also explores: • The rise of the independent sponsor model • Why succession planning is becoming urgent for founder-led businesses • AI adoption in lower middle market companies • How great operators handle black swan events • Why culture and people matter more than spreadsheets • Building blue-collar entrepreneurship pathways for the next generation • The difference between growing fast and growing well • Legacy, learning, and designing a life with intention Whether you’re building, scaling, buying, selling, or simply trying to lead well through uncertainty, this episode offers a rare combination of strategic insight and lived experience. Subscribe for more conversations with founders, operators, creators, and visionaries building in parallel. About the Host Mark Cleveland is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor who works at the intersection of multiple ventures. As the voice behind The Parallel Entrepreneur, he explores how founders build aligned businesses, strong teams, and sustainable momentum—without forcing themselves into a single path. https://www.linkedin.com/in/macleveland/ About the Guest Douglas Song is the Founder and CEO of Protos Capital, an independent sponsor firm focused on lower middle market businesses. For more than 25 years, he has worked alongside founders and management teams to help businesses grow, transition, and navigate acquisitions with a people-first approach centered on long-term value, stewardship, and community. https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglas-song-9415045/ Links & Resources 👉 Join the Parallel Entrepreneur Network: https://www.parallelentrepreneur.com/#about-me 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders building aligned systems across business, education, and community. 👍 If this episode resonated, leave a comment or share it with someone shaping the future of leadership. Key Moments 00:00 Why founders need transition plans, not just exits 00:47 Introducing Douglas Song and Protos Capital 01:30 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) explained 03:00 Independent sponsors vs. traditional operators 05:00 Why operators matter more than dealmakers 06:01 The coming succession wave for founder-led businesses 08:15 What “another bite at the apple” really means 11:50 How Protos measures investment success 12:40 Defining the lower middle market 13:50 AI adoption in family-owned businesses 16:30 Using AI during due diligence 17:20 What founders overlook before a transaction 20:00 Growth by acquisition vs. organic growth 23:40 Why organic growth still wins with buyers 24:38 Evaluating leadership teams under pressure 27:40 Black swan events and constant uncertainty 31:35 Managing leverage and protecting downside risk 35:22 Is Douglas Song a parallel entrepreneur? 37:20 Lessons learned across multiple portfolio companies 41:15 Why flexibility matters more than fixed timelines 44:20 Different types of capital partners 46:35 What makes founders great partners 49:27 Mentoring the next generation of independent sponsors 52:25 Why community matters in business 53:48 Protecting culture after acquisition 55:08 Doug’s immigrant family story and entrepreneurial roots 57:20 Building blue-collar entrepreneurship pathways 01:01:45 AI, uncertainty, and creating opportunities for young people 01:06:05 Books, learning, and the concept of flow 01:10:12 Writing letters to his children 01:11:40 Advice for navigating uncertainty 01:13:40 Restoration, creativity, and balance 01:15:45 Formula 1, Monaco, and memorable experiences 01:17:18 Doug’s long-term life plan and legacy goals 01:20:14 Final reflections and closing thoughts #ParallelEntrepreneur #DouglasSong #PrivateEquity #Entrepreneurship #MergersAndAcquisitions #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #IndependentSponsor #AI #FounderJourney

Stop Planning. Start Building. (His Rule Will Challenge You) | Daniel Innovaté

There’s a new kind of builder emerging. Not slower. Not more careful. Just… faster, sharper, and a little harder to categorize. In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Innovaté, product designer, creative entrepreneur, and one of the most naturally adaptive builders you’ll come across. Daniel doesn’t just talk about ideas. He turns them into real, working products, sometimes in minutes. We explore what it actually looks like to build in this new era: - Creating apps in 15 minutes instead of 6 months - Using AI as a collaborator, not a threat - Managing 10+ parallel projects without losing direction - Why being a generalist might be the real advantage now - And how speed is changing the way we think, build, and solve problems At one point, Daniel shares how he built a fully functional app for his dog… on a plane… before landing. It sounds trivial. It’s not. Because underneath that story is something bigger: We’re entering a moment where ideas don’t have to sit in notebooks anymore. They can come to life instantly. But speed comes with tradeoffs. We also get into: - The tension between creativity and AI - Why most people resist new tools (and what that really means) - The shift from centralized platforms back to community-driven systems - And why nature—not technology—might be the real counterbalance This conversation isn’t about doing more. It’s about seeing what’s possible when friction disappears. About Daniel Innovaté Daniel is a product designer, builder, and creative entrepreneur known for turning messy, early-stage ideas into polished, live experiences with unusual speed and clarity. He operates across multiple ventures, blending design, technology, and creativity to build platforms that solve real problems, fast. https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielinnovate/ https://ideafactory.agency/danielinnovate About the Host Mark Cleveland is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor who works at the intersection of multiple ventures. As the voice behind The Parallel Entrepreneur, he explores how founders build aligned businesses, strong teams, and sustainable momentum, without forcing themselves into a single path. https://www.linkedin.com/in/macleveland/ ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Building 20+ revenue streams at once 01:20 Welcome to The Parallel Entrepreneur 01:50 Introducing Daniel Innovaté 03:00 How we met (and why it stuck) 04:30 From Soviet refugee to builder 06:30 The mindset of a parallel entrepreneur 08:30 Why generalists win in today’s world 08:50 AI vs creativity (what surprised Daniel most) 10:45 Collaborating with AI as a creative 12:30 The speed of AI (and why it’s hard to keep up) 13:40 “AGI already happened” — Daniel’s perspective 14:05 How he chooses what to build next 15:45 “Just build it yourself” — the new playbook 16:50 The magic of building ideas instantly 17:00 The 15-minute app story (for his dog 🐶) 18:25 What “parallel entrepreneur” really means 19:05 Are younger builders embracing AI? 20:40 Why experts resist AI tools 21:30 Don’t start a company for every idea 22:25 What inspires Daniel to create 23:40 Turning ideas into real products overnight 24:00 Inside ecom.ai (automating product catalogs) 27:45 What happens when AI removes busywork 28:30 What we’ll do with all this extra time 29:20 From 1,000 lines of code to 250,000+ 30:00 Why older frameworks of thinking are breaking 31:30 Speed vs quality (and finding the balance) 32:30 AI as a creative collaborator 33:20 The shift away from centralized platforms 35:00 Identity, expression, and building something personal 36:05 Trust, relationships, and the next currency 36:50 The reality of modern dating (unfiltered) 38:30 The case for slowing down 40:15 Nature vs technology 41:10 Reinventing lending (Folio Capital) 44:05 Turning images into video (render.realestate) 46:10 Protecting ideas in a fast-moving world 48:20 Building feedback loops into products 49:00 Raising capital + building in public 50:05 Reverse mentorship (learning both ways) 51:30 When mentorship backfires 52:40 Protecting your energy as a builder 53:20 Closing thoughts

What It Really Takes to Build a Brand People Love | Andy Marshall

Most people think they’re building a business. But every now and then, you meet someone who’s building something deeper, something rooted in people, place, and community. In this episode of The Parallel Entrepreneur, Mark sits down with Andy Marshall, Founder & CEO of A. Marshall Hospitality and the driving force behind Puckett’s. From his early days in the grocery business to transforming a small market with two gas pumps into a destination known for food, music, and connection, Andy’s journey doesn’t follow a typical path, it evolves with purpose. Puckett’s didn’t grow because of a playbook. It grew because it meant something to people. And over time, that approach hasn’t just worked, it’s scaled, without losing what made it matter in the first place. Now, Andy is stepping into a new chapter, running for Mayor of Williamson County. Not as a career politician, but as a builder shaped by decades of leading teams, serving communities, and creating places people care about. This conversation explores what that kind of leadership looks like:   • How Puckett’s became more than a restaurant, it became a community staple   • The discipline behind long-term growth   • Why community isn’t a byproduct, it’s the foundation   • What it means to lead beyond your business   • And why stepping into public service felt like the next right move This isn’t just about hospitality. It’s about building with intention, and carrying that into leadership at a different level. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: https://www.puckettsrestaurant.com/ https://www.voteandymarshall.com/ https://www.voteandymarshall.com/about https://www.facebook.com/voteandymarshall/ About the Host Mark Cleveland is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor who works at the intersection of multiple ventures. As the voice behind The Parallel Entrepreneur, he explores how founders build aligned businesses, strong teams, and sustainable momentum—without forcing themselves into a single path. https://www.linkedin.com/in/macleveland/ About the Guest Andy Marshall is an entrepreneur who built his career the long way, starting in the grocery business before transforming a small-town market into what is now Puckett’s, one of the most recognized hospitality brands in the region. As Founder and CEO of A. Marshall Hospitality, he’s spent years scaling a business without losing its identity, focusing on experience, consistency, and community. His work reflects a belief that great businesses aren’t just built to grow—they’re built to matter.

Why Mentorship Is Broken (And How to Fix It) | Eve Peeterson

There’s a moment in every founder’s journey where the question shifts. Not “What am I building?” But “Who am I becoming?” In this conversation, Mark sits down with Eve Peeterson, an Estonian strategy and transformation leader who has led across private industry, government innovation, and national startup ecosystems. From working her way up in hospitality… To leading Estonia’s startup strategy… To now building a global mentorship platform… This is a conversation about reinvention, leadership, and what it actually takes to build ecosystems that work. They explore the real differences between US and European startup cultures, why mentorship is misunderstood, and how the best leaders keep learning, especially when they’re the ones teaching. And maybe most importantly… Why your next evolution doesn’t require starting over. Just saying yes. What You’ll Learn: - Why “perfect before launch” is holding founders back - The real difference between US and European startup thinking - How mentorship should actually work (and why it usually doesn’t) - Why leadership is the root of culture — whether you like it or not - How to keep reinventing yourself without losing who you are About the Host Mark Cleveland is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor who works at the intersection of multiple ventures. As the voice behind The Parallel Entrepreneur, he explores how founders build aligned businesses, strong teams, and sustainable momentum—without forcing themselves into a single path. https://www.linkedin.com/in/macleveland/ About the Guest Eve Peeterson is an Estonian strategy and transformation leader with over 20 years of experience across hospitality, creative industries, and national innovation. From leading Startup Estonia to building cross-border initiatives like Nordic Tech Valley, she now focuses on leadership development as the founder of Leadrs.online, a mentorship platform designed to make better leadership more accessible. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eve-peeterson/ ⏱️ Key Moments 00:00 – If you’re the smartest in the room… 02:10 – Why she came to the U.S. (and what she got wrong) 05:10 – Mentorship: Europe vs U.S. 07:03 – The mistake founders make: waiting too long to sell 08:51 – Reinventing yourself (again and again) 14:24 – “Maybe I am an entrepreneur” 18:56 – Why Estonia punches above its weight 26:40 – Starting over when nobody knows you 28:22 – Why teaching is the best way to learn 31:14 – The biggest hiring mistake founders make 32:43 – Leadership sets the culture 40:04 – The decision that changed Estonia’s future 43:38 – What innovation actually means 49:47 – What she’s taking from this experience Links & Resources 👉 Join the Parallel Entrepreneur Network: https://www.parallelentrepreneur.com/#about-me 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders building aligned systems across business, education, and community. 👍 If this episode resonated, leave a comment or share it with someone shaping the future of leadership.

Why Founders Don’t Succeed Alone | Dakota Simpson

In this episode of the Parallel Entrepreneur – Innovation Series, Mark Cleveland and Johnny Anderson sit down with Dakota Simpson, Chief Program Officer at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. Dakota is focused on a simple idea: founders don’t succeed in isolation. They succeed when the right systems, support, and structure are in place around them. At the NEC, he leads the strategy and execution behind accelerator programs and founder development, helping entrepreneurs access the resources, networks, and guidance needed to grow. But this conversation goes deeper. It’s about what actually drives founder success beyond the idea. They cover: • Why ecosystems matter more than individual effort • The role of structure in startup success • What founders actually need at different stages • Aligning programs, people, and outcomes • Building more inclusive pathways to growth Short, practical, and grounded in real experience. Links  - https://www.boringcompany.com/ - https://technologycouncil.com/ - https://nashvillechamber.com/ - https://ec.co/ - https://williamsonchamber.com/ About the Guest Dakota Simpson is Chief Program Officer at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, where he leads startup accelerators and founder programming. With a background in government and nonprofit leadership, he focuses on building systems that improve access, strengthen execution, and help entrepreneurs grow with clarity and support. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dakota-simpson-566358306/ About the Hosts Mark A. Cleveland Managing Director at Kensington Park Capital, entrepreneur, M&A advisor, and host of the Parallel Entrepreneur Network https://www.linkedin.com/in/macleveland/ Johnny Anderson Nashville tech leader, GNTC board member, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, and host of The Impodsters™ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnnyonbrand/ Links & Resources 👉 Learn more about the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center (EIC): https://www.wcs.edu/secondary/entrepreneurship-innovation-center-eic 👉 Join the Parallel Entrepreneur Network: https://www.parallelentrepreneur.com/#about-me 👉 Subscribe for more conversations with leaders building aligned systems across business, education, and community. 👍 If this episode resonated, leave a comment or share it with someone shaping the future of leadership. Chapters 00:00:00 Speed to market and why it matters 00:00:50 Meet Dakota Simpson + role overview 00:01:54 What innovation actually means 00:02:40 Building a founder support system 00:03:42 The current surge in entrepreneurship 00:05:02 Growth in founder demand and programs 00:06:14 Shifts in founder demographics 00:07:46 Younger founders entering earlier 00:09:08 The rise of the parallel entrepreneur 00:10:32 Lower barriers and earlier risk-taking 00:11:05 Entrepreneurship by acquisition 00:11:37 AI’s impact on founders 00:12:30 What AI means for SaaS and business models 00:13:55 Speed of change and access to knowledge 00:15:00 What founders actually need to succeed 00:17:30 Building systems that support growth 00:19:30 Final thoughts on supporting entrepreneurs 00:21:00 Episode close