Founder-Led

Why Every Brand Needs a Music Strategy ft. Jesse Kirshbaum

In this episode, we sit down with Jesse Kirshbaum, Founder & CEO of Nue Agency, to unpack why music is the most underused channel in modern marketing and how brands can build real cultural leverage by working with artists. Before Nue's pivot into brand work, Jesse spent his early career as a talent agent, signing artists like Mike Posner, Chiddy Bang, J Cole, Big Sean, and Logic, and helped shape the digital era of music discovery. What we cover: ➜ Why music is undervalued as a marketing and brand channel ➜ Jesse's 18 year arc from talent agent to brand strategist ➜ How signing emerging artists shaped his thesis on culture ➜ The Sour Patch Kids campaign that took a candy brand to number one ➜ Why every brand should have a music strategy in some form ➜ How to measure ROI when you're shifting culture, not just clicks ➜ Why musicians are the sherpas of culture for new technology ➜ How AI music is reshaping the creator economy and brand work ➜ Why music can change consumer behavior on a physiological level * (00:01) - - Welcome to Founder-Led Podcast * (00:08) - - Sponsored by Frontier Content Studio * (00:33) - - Introduction to Jesse Kirshbaum * (01:10) - - Jesse's Origin Story in Music * (02:59) - - Transition to New Agency * (06:34) - - Leveraging Music in Brand Strategy * (09:18) - - Importance of Music Strategy for Brands * (12:27) - - Measuring Music's Impact on Marketing * (13:56) - - Case Study: Sour Patch Kids Campaign * (17:56) - - Benefits for B2B Brands with Music * (19:04) - - Threshold for Investing in Music Strategy * (20:41) - - Closing the Loop on Event ROI * (22:04) - - Music's Role in Enhancing Experiences * (23:13) - - AI's Impact on Music and Marketing * (27:17) - - Parting Message for Brand Builders * (28:43) - - Where to Find Jesse's Newsletter If you're a founder, CMO, or brand builder trying to break through in a saturated market, this conversation will give you a fresh playbook for using music to build affinity, attention, and lasting cultural relevance. Recommended Resources: ➜ Jesse Kirshbaum: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessekirshbaum/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessekirshbaum/] Connect with Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran]

Why 'Doing Things That Don't Scale' Can Drive Real Revenue with Nick Stagge

In this episode, we sit down with Nick Stagge, Founder of The Grounded Company, to unpack why doing things that don't scale is still the highest leverage move and how he built a multi company creative portfolio entirely through relationships and referrals. Before founding The Grounded Company at nearly 40, Nick spent years as a marketer at Skullcandy, GoPro, and Zumiez, then built creative work for brands like Dixxon Flannel, the Chicago Cubs, and Vans Warped Tour. What we cover: ➜ Why doing things that don't scale beats every shortcut ➜ The podcast that generated 1 million in sales without launching most episodes ➜ How a magazine column landed Nick three CMO offers ➜ Why specialty agencies are winning over generalists again ➜ The Venn diagram model behind his portfolio of companies ➜ Why you should sell the service before you start the business ➜ How to find world class talent without ever posting a job ➜ Why how you offboard people matters more than how you onboard ➜ Why fast creative with soul outperforms overpolished AI output * (00:01) - - Welcome to Founder Lead * (00:08) - - Episode Sponsored by Frontier Studios * (00:32) - - Introduction of Nick Stagge * (01:08) - - Importance of Non-Scalable Actions * (01:29) - - Personal Stories of Building Relationships * (03:11) - - Podcasting for Connection, Not Promotion * (05:29) - - The Value of Meaningful Conversations * (10:05) - - Building a Multi-Company Structure * (14:00) - - The Role of Trust in Partnerships * (18:43) - - Specialization in Business * (24:00) - - Identifying and Nurturing Talent * (29:01) - - Empowering Team Members for Growth * (35:27) - - Speed vs. Quality in Creative Work * (39:17) - - Accelerating Experience Through Exposure * (40:32) - - Key Message on Self-Acceptance * (41:50) - - Closing Remarks and Connect with Nick If you're a founder, marketer, or agency owner trying to grow through real relationships rather than ad spend, this conversation will give you a refreshingly human playbook for finding clients, building a team, and stacking complementary businesses. Recommended Resources: ➜ Nick Stagge: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbstagge/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nbstagge/] Connect with Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran]

Trusting AI for Travel: Insights from Scott Persinger of BizTrip

In this episode, we sit down with Scott Persinger, Co-founder & CTO of BizTrip.ai, to unpack why corporate travel is still painfully broken and what it takes to build an AI agent that travelers actually trust to book on their behalf. Before BizTrip, Scott built systems that scale at Heroku, Stripe, and Tartary, leading engineering teams across fintech and developer infrastructure before going deep on agent based AI architecture. What we cover: ➜ Why corporate travel UX has barely changed in 15 years ➜ How the 40 year old AI travel agent dream is finally real ➜ Why legacy travel tech must be integrated, not replaced ➜ How an LLM can read a corporate travel policy and apply it ➜ The personalization breakthrough that road warriors are waiting for ➜ Why corporate travel is fundamentally different from leisure ➜ How BizTrip is reclaiming 5 hours of lost productivity per trip ➜ The trust journey from show me everything to just book it ➜ Why even AI first products still need a seat map UI * (00:01) - - Welcome to Founder-Led * (00:08) - - Episode Sponsored by Frontier Studios * (00:32) - - Introducing Scott Persinger * (00:48) - - The Problem with Corporate Travel * (02:00) - - Scott's Journey to BizTrip * (03:32) - - User Experience in Travel Tech * (05:39) - - Near Term Pain Points in Travel * (06:31) - - Integrating AI with Corporate Travel * (09:03) - - Comparing AI Innovations in Other Industries * (10:12) - - Current Experience of Business Travelers * (12:03) - - Reimagining Travel with AI * (15:29) - - Reducing Time Spent on Travel Planning * (17:17) - - Positive Reception from Corporate Customers * (19:58) - - Building Trust in AI Travel Agents * (22:18) - - Visual Elements in Travel Booking * (26:13) - - Where to Learn More about BizTrip * (27:44) - - The Future of Corporate Travel If you're a founder, operator, or travel manager tired of the friction in business travel, this conversation will change how you think about agent based products, the real shape of trust between humans and AI, and what infrastructure is finally ready to disrupt. Recommended Resources: ➜ Scott Persinger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpersinger/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottpersinger/] Connect with Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran]

Why Your Biggest Competitor Might Be Your Client: Insights from Sonya Locke

In this episode, we sit down with Sonya Locke, CEO and Founder of EDS Service Solutions, to unpack how she built a 7,000 person workforce organization across 150 locations and rebuilt it after losing 95 percent of revenue overnight during Covid. Before scaling EDS, Sonya won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award and built a workforce model that supports aviation, hospitality, transportation, and automotive operations across the country with a four pillar foundation. What we cover: ➜ How EDS came back from 27 million to 100 million in 18 months ➜ The four pillars that anchor every workforce engagement ➜ Why your biggest competitor is the client doing it themselves ➜ How saying no to underpaid jobs protects long term partnerships ➜ Why proactive multiple touchpoints beat one account manager ➜ How to lead through transparency, ownership, and shared bonuses ➜ Why hiring your replacement is the path to your own growth ➜ How AI can accelerate back office work without replacing the human touch ➜ Why empathy is her unfair advantage as a CEO * (00:01) - - Introduction to Founder-Led Podcast * (00:07) - - Episode Sponsor: Frontier Studios * (00:38) - - Introducing Sonya Locke * (01:36) - - Sonya's Entrepreneurial Journey * (02:28) - - Key Pillars of Success * (03:41) - - Surviving the COVID Impact * (06:09) - - Importance of Communication in Operations * (07:12) - - Balancing Value and Customer Growth * (08:38) - - Choosing the Right Clients * (10:11) - - Empowering Team Ownership * (11:17) - - Learning from Mistakes * (13:09) - - Navigating Technological Change * (15:00) - - AI's Role in Business Operations * (18:25) - - Rapid Fire Questions Begin * (18:30) - - Important Habit for CEOs * (19:03) - - Cultivating Ambitious Leaders * (21:10) - - Biggest Workforce Mistake to Avoid * (22:40) - - Key Metrics for CEOs to Watch * (24:07) - - Leadership Traits Under Pressure * (25:40) - - Empathy in Leadership * (29:08) - - Billboard Message: Empowering Excellence * (30:07) - - Closing Remarks and Resources If you're a founder, operator, or workforce leader scaling a service business across multiple locations, this conversation will reset how you think about culture, retention, and the operational systems that hold up under real pressure. Recommended Resources: ➜ Sonya Locke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyalocke/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonyalocke/] Connect with Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran]

The Next Generation of CRM: How AI is Changing the Game with Christopher O'Donnell

In this episode, we sit down with Christopher O’Donnell, Founder & CEO of Day AI and former Chief Product Officer at HubSpot, to unpack why CRM is being rebuilt from the ground up for the AI era. Before starting Day AI, Christopher helped build HubSpot CRM, co-founded ProfitWell, and spent years thinking about how software can better serve sales, marketing, and customer teams. What we cover: ➜ Why legacy CRM has become a system of delay ➜ What HubSpot taught Christopher about category creation ➜ Why AI-native software starts with workflows, not databases ➜ How founders can use AI agents to multiply output ➜ Why customer memory is the missing layer for agents ➜ The trust curve between humans and AI ➜ Why agents need context before they can take action ➜ How Day AI is reimagining CRM as a system of understanding ➜ Why small, nimble companies may have the biggest AI advantage * (00:01) - - Introduction to Founder-Led Podcast * (00:08) - - Sponsored by Frontier Content Studio * (00:33) - - Guest Introduction: Christopher O'Donnell * (01:40) - - Christopher's Journey Through Tech * (03:04) - - Learning from HubSpot CRM Development * (06:37) - - Transitioning to Day AI * (07:00) - - Reimagining CRM for SMEs * (09:32) - - The Role of AI in Business Growth * (11:10) - - Workflow Automation for Founders * (12:25) - - AI's Impact on Sales Processes * (15:10) - - Personalizing Sales Outreach with AI * (18:06) - - Building Trust in AI Interactions * (21:45) - - The Future of AI and Human Collaboration * (24:47) - - Time to Value with Day AI * (30:08) - - The Role of Professional Services * (34:39) - - Final Thoughts and Future Outlook * (35:55) - - How to Connect with Christopher If you’re a founder, operator, or GTM leader trying to understand how AI will reshape sales, CRM, and customer relationships — this conversation will change how you think about your tech stack. Recommended Resources: ➜ Christopher O'Donnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markitecht/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/markitecht/] ➜ Day AI: https://day.ai [https://day.ai] Connect with Rohan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohankarunakaran]