The Business of Building Businesses: Shermin Lahka | Born To Build Ep. 1

The Art of Seeing Potential: Duncan Smith | Born To Build Ep. 2

Duncan Smith built more than a following. He built a career around seeing potential where other people see waste. Known online as Trash Boy, Duncan has built an audience by transforming discarded furniture, forgotten objects, and New York City street finds into pieces with a second life. With a background in art, filmmaking, and production, his work goes far beyond upcycling. Through a combination of craftsmanship, creativity, storytelling, and an unmistakable eye for possibility, he's built a platform that not only reimagines objects, but allows viewers to experience the transformation alongside him. In Episode 2 of Born to Build, Sarafina Mancuso sits down with Duncan Smith to discuss moving from the UK to New York, building a life around creativity, navigating the realities of the creator economy, balancing artistic integrity with monetization, and trusting your instincts when the path forward doesn't always make sense on paper. The conversation explores potential, adaptability, visibility, social media, creative identity, risk, entrepreneurship, and what it means to keep building when success isn't always reflected in real time. 00:00 Intro 00:49 Meet Duncan Smith 01:27 What Trash Boy NYC is really about 02:34 Seeing potential in discarded things 05:20 Moving to New York and shopping secondhand 06:36 Creating the magic in transformation videos 08:06 Duncan’s background in art, film, and production 10:37 Going from behind the camera to in front of it 12:13 Learning by doing 14:32 Home, identity, and different versions of yourself 16:32 Why New York encourages big swings 18:15 Were you born to build? 20:03 Chasing ideas and trusting instinct 21:26 Delusional confidence and figuring it out 23:08 Everyone thinks you’re crazy until it works 24:06 Growing from zero followers to full-time creator 25:40 The first Trash Boy video 28:31 Hulu, Good Morning America, and social media pressure 29:04 When the algorithm changes 32:43 How creators make money 35:16 Brand deals and building a unique style 37:08 Raw content vs polished production 38:42 That Thrifting Show and building under pressure 41:16 Taking opportunities before you feel ready 43:23 Building from an apartment to a workshop 45:51 Investing in the business 47:33 The loneliness of building something new 49:44 Scaling Trash Boy NYC 51:51 What’s next for Duncan 54:46 Sharing, teaching, and not gatekeeping 56:29 The skill of trying 57:17 Rebuilding when the blueprint stops working 1:00:45 Were you born to build? 1:01:00 Closing thoughts Guest:Duncan Smith @TrashBoyNYC Listen & Subscribe: Borntobuildpodcast.com Follow: @borntobuildpodcast Music: https://tinyurl.com/3pepwnc

The Business of Building Businesses: Shermin Lahka | Born To Build Ep. 1

Shermin Lakha built more than a law firm. She built visibility around a traditionally transactional industry and turned relationships into the foundation of a multi-dimensional business ecosystem.In Episode 1 of Born to Build, Sarafina Mancuso sits down with the founder of LVLUP Legal to discuss building a modern legal brand through social media, creating visibility in a traditionally buttoned-up profession, scaling teams, building founder relationships, and what it takes to continuously evolve as both an operator and public-facing brand. The conversation explores discernment, proximity, community, business development, visibility, risk, and the realities of building businesses rooted in trust and connection in real time.Guest:Shermin Lakha @shermin.lahka [https://www.instagram.com/shermin.lakha/]LVLUP Legal @lvluplegal [https://www.instagram.com/lvluplegal/]Listen & Subscribe:Website [borntobuildpodcast.com] Youtube [https://youtu.be/OppT1yXjihw]Apple Podcasts [https://tr.ee/1HcLXID7Ht]Follow Born to Build:Instagram @borntobuildpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/sarafinamancuso]TikTok @borntobuildpodcast [https://www.tiktok.com/@borntobuildpodcast]Music: https://tinyurl.com/3pepwnc

Born To Build | Official Trailer

Born to Build is a podcast exploring how founders, operators, and creatives think, decide, and build. Through candid conversations, the show goes beyond surface-level success stories to unpack intuition, discernment, risk, ambition, and the realities of creating something meaningful in real time. Hosted by Sarafina Mancuso, each episode offers an honest look at the people behind the brands, businesses, and ideas shaping culture today.