UD Students Won $276K to Fix a Problem That Causes 440,000 Deaths Per Year

He Quit His Job to Fix the Broken Staffing Industry (Now CEOs Call Him)

“Most staffing agencies throw 30 resumes at you and hope one sticks. That’s broken.” Meet Nick Ford, who left corporate recruiting to build Transparent Staffing - where he only sends 3 perfect candidates 🎯THE TRANSPARENT DIFFERENCE: 📊 Only sends 3 candidates per role (not 30) 🏆 Former D1 pitcher who knows about competition 🤝 “Professional connector” not just recruiter 💼 Specializes in clinical & revenue-generating rolesTRUTH BOMBS IN THIS EPISODE: ✅ Why throwing resumes is killing the industry ✅ Building a business while having 3 kids ✅ The sales secret that changed everything ✅ Why listening beats pitching every time ✅ From side hustle to full-time in 6 months ✅ “Sales is just problem-solving”MONEY MOVES: ✅ BEST: Started investing early (10% in 401k) ❌ WORST: Uber Eats addiction ($50 dinners = lost investments)His advice: “Stop sitting on the fence. Just try it.”

UD Students Won $276K to Fix a Problem That Causes 440,000 Deaths Per Year

When Brayden Shepard watched NFL helmets flying off during games, he knew there was a problem. Now at 22, he and his partner have $276,000 in funding to solve it with Saturn Sports 🏈THE SHOCKING STATS: ☠️ 440,000 casualties per year linked to improper chin strap use 🏈 NFL helmets coming off “nonstop” 🏍️ 18 US states don’t require motorcycle helmets 💡 Licensed patent from the US ArmyTHE SATURN SPORTS JOURNEY: 🎓 Started at University of Dayton (Go Flyers!) 💰 Won largest Flyer Pitch prize ever: $76,000 🚀 Second attempt at state grant: $200,000 WIN 🏍️ Pivoting from football to motorcycle market ENTREPRENEURIAL WISDOM: • Started with BAMs (neighborhood kid business) • From finance major to entrepreneurship • UD Street Science - selling dorm street signs • “Failure just breeds new opportunities” • Reading addiction = entrepreneurial superpower • Why 18-25 is the BEST time to take risksMONEY MOVES: ❌ WORST: Lost big on Bitcoin leveraging ✅ BEST: Shooting for the moon on grants

19-Year-Old Won $80K to Detect What You Can’t See

What started as a space station research project turned into $80,000 in competition wins. Meet Hannah Myers, the Ohio State sophomore who’s making invisible contamination visible with PathoTrace 🔬THE JOURNEY: 🚀 Started: NASA ISS contamination challenge 💡 Problem: No easy way to detect mold/bacteria at home 🏆 Solution: Color-changing strips that anyone can use 💰 $80K won in startup competitionsTHE PATHOTRACE INNOVATION: ✅ Place strip anywhere (under sink, near vents) ✅ Changes color when contamination detected ✅ Red → Yellow (current prototype) ✅ Blue → Pink (future version) 📱 App scans strip for numerical results 🧬 Patent protection in progressHER MONEY MOVES: ✅ BEST: Got first credit card at 19 (building credit!) ❌ WORST: Too much GrubHub (“It’s just so tempting”) 😰 FEAR: Investing (“I’m scared of uncertainty”)

20-Year-Old Says “DON’T Start a Business”

“Don’t do it. It’s 10x harder than you think.” That’s Morgan Miller’s advice about starting a business. She should know - she’s been building Rush Power pre-workout gummies since age 18 💪 This isn’t your typical “follow your dreams” entrepreneur story. Morgan gets REAL about the struggles, failures, and why she tells most people NOT to start companies. THE RUSH POWER STORY: 🏃‍♀️ Division 1 track athlete tired of chalky pre-workout 💡 Created the first legit pre-workout gummy 😰 “Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong” 💪 Still pushing forward at USF BRUTAL TRUTHS IN THIS EPISODE: ✅ Why she tells people NOT to be entrepreneurs ✅ How fear never actually goes away ✅ The constant failures nobody talks about ✅ Being too young for businesses to take seriously ✅ Why side hustles ≠ running a company ✅ Her serial entrepreneur dreams despite it all ABOUT MORGAN: 📍 USF Student, Tampa 🏃‍♀️ Former D1 Track Athlete 💊 Rush Power Founder 🎯 Future Serial Entrepreneur This is the most honest entrepreneur interview you’ll watch this year. #RealTalk #StartupStruggles #USF #Entrepreneurship #WomenInBusiness

Wada Feeling! How Dominique became a Founder.

Dominique transformed vacation vibes into a $100K+ mobile Italian ice empire. Learn how Newell’s Water Ice dominates Cincinnati summers through community connection, strategic authenticity, and unstoppable faith—plus her blueprint for seasonal business success. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Todd Romer and the episode 00:40 Meet Dominique and her business background 01:05 The inspiration behind Newell's Water Ice 01:42 Starting the business after a trip to California 02:56 Dominique's entrepreneurial mindset and family influence 03:51 Research and initial steps in creating Italian ice 05:06 Transition from wholesale to making her own ice 06:42 Old-school methods and recipe development 07:27 Mobile business growth and community outreach 08:52 Expanding through events and referrals 10:11 Profitability, margins, and future plans 10:42 Market landscape and competition 11:20 Family involvement and youth entrepreneurship 12:44 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs 14:33 Handling doubts and fears with faith 16:15 Future expansion and storefront plans 17:56 The importance of authenticity and community presence 18:46 The 'Smile Test' and authentic customer engagement 21:17 Transitioning to credit union banking 22:42 Words of wisdom for side hustle starters 23:11 Closing remarks and inspiration