Allen Cates’ entrepreneurial journey has taken him across countries, industries, and some incredibly difficult business lessons. Growing up in Canada, Australia, England, and the United States taught him how to adapt quickly, appreciate different perspectives, and become comfortable entering unfamiliar environments.

In this episode of Anything But Typical, Allen shares how his career in banking prepared him to purchase and operate a small business—and why he eventually knew it was time to move on. He also opens up about investing with a trusted business leader who was later discovered to be forging financial records. That experience forced Allen to confront failure, forgive himself, strengthen his approach to due diligence, and rebuild his confidence.

Allen also explains the mission behind Kilo Reserve and how the company gives investors access to physical industrial metals. The conversation explores copper’s role in electrical infrastructure, electric vehicles, AI data centers, and the power grid, along with the differences between owning physical metal and investing through mining stocks, ETFs, or futures.

• How an international childhood shaped Allen’s adaptability and leadership

• Why every piece of feedback deserves consideration

• The value of learning “on someone else’s dime”

• What Allen learned from buying and selling a small business

• Why entrepreneurs must become comfortable with failure

• Recovering emotionally after betrayal by a trusted business partner

• The importance of understanding the asset behind an investment

• How Kilo Reserve makes physical industrial metals more accessible

• Why following the process matters more than one final result

Failure does not have to become your identity. Allen’s story demonstrates the importance of acknowledging what happened, learning from it, forgiving yourself, and carrying those lessons into the next opportunity.

• Kilo Reserve: Official website

• Allen Cates on LinkedIn

• Kilo Reserve on LinkedIn

• BizBuySell: Explore businesses available for purchase

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Brief Summary

Kari Warberg Block joins Gary Frey and Ben McDonald to share her anything-but-typical journey from growing up in an entrepreneurial family to founding EarthKind, a nationally recognized plant-based pest-prevention company.

Kari discusses the near-death experience that changed the direction of her life, the challenges of creating a new product category, and why she temporarily removed her products from major retailers to protect customer trust. She also shares how she learned to release control, build a diverse leadership team, and transition out of the CEO role without selling her company.

• EarthKind
• Kari Warberg Block
• Plant-based pest prevention
• Regenerative and organic agriculture
• Environmental Protection Agency

• Learn more about EarthKind: earthkind.com
• Connect with Kari Warberg Block: kariwarbergblock.com
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• Like, share, and send this episode to a business owner or founder.

Alex Harris — explorer, mountaineer, speaker, entrepreneur, endurance athlete, and creator of The Munga, a 700-mile nonstop bike race across South Africa.

In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben sit down with Alex Harris, a South African explorer whose life has been shaped by curiosity, risk, faith, and the pursuit of what most people would call impossible. Alex shares how a childhood dream of becoming a Jedi and astronaut eventually led him into mountaineering, Everest expeditions, entrepreneurship, ultra-endurance racing, and the creation of The Munga.

From surviving the deadly 1996 Everest season to hearing God speak in a tent at 22,000 feet, Alex’s story is about more than adventure. It is about learning when to push forward, when to turn around, how failure forms us, and why the greatest exploration may be discovering how God uniquely made you.

Book Alex Harris as a speaker: Alex Harris – Texas Speakers Bureau

Learn more about The Munga: The Munga MTB

Follow The Munga on social media: Instagram – @mungamtb Facebook – The Munga YouTube – The Munga MTB Race