In this episode of Bullseye Breakdown, host Dustin Weaver chats with Robert Burnett, Director of Startup Banking at Grasshopper Bank. Together, they explore the real-world challenges of startup funding, how to find the right banking partners, and the hard-won truths about scaling a business.

👉 Here’s what you’ll hear:
✅ Why most startup pitches fall flat and how to fix them
✅ The 3 ways to fund your business: venture capital, bank loans, or bootstrapping
✅ The scaling mindset: sales, operations, and breaking bottlenecks
✅ How Grasshopper Bank bridges the gap between traditional banking and modern fintech
✅ The best (and worst) advice Robert’s ever received—and how it’s shaped his journey
✅ Actionable takeaways for entrepreneurs at every stage

💡 Key Quote:

"If you’re waiting for it to get easy, it’s not gonna happen. Because even when you raise that $5 million, that’s just the starting line."

🎙️ Who this episode is for:

• Founders and entrepreneurs seeking clarity on funding

• Early-stage startups looking for growth insights

• Anyone curious about how banking for startups is evolving

🎯 Subscribe to Bullseye Breakdown and join us each week as we unpack real strategies and real stories from the world of entrepreneurship.

In this episode of Bullseye Breakdown, Ezra Menaged — CEO of HomeTalk and a key leader at VerticalScope — shares the raw, behind-the-scenes story of saving a digital platform on the brink.

⚡ A $200K/month revenue collapse.
⚡ COVID-19 gut-punch.
⚡ Layoffs, pivots, and a complete reinvention.

Ezra didn’t just survive — he led a turnaround that turned HomeTalk into a thriving newsletter-first business. If you're building, scaling, or navigating chaos, this one’s for you.

🎯 What we cover:

• How to pivot from failure without losing your team

• What makes great newsletters actually work

• Why lean teams win during platform turbulence

• The truth about CEO doubt, imposter syndrome & gut instinct

• Lessons in execution, adaptability, and content strategy

🧠 Insight-packed. No fluff. Just real talk from the trenches of leadership.

• HomeTalk → https://www.hometalk.com

• VerticalScope → https://www.verticalscope.com

Bullseye Breakdown is hosted by Dustin Weaver — founder, entrepreneur, and brand builder. Each week, we go deep with business operators and visionaries to break down the real strategies behind growth, resilience, and leadership.

💥 New episodes weekly. Subscribe & leave a review if this hit the mark.

🔗 Links & Resources:🎙 About the Show:

This week on Bullseye Breakdown, we’re joined by Tim Stewart—former touring pro and co-founder of Golf House Academy, a game-changing indoor golf facility in Atlanta.

We dive into:

• What it’s really like chasing the pro golf dream

• The moment Tim knew he had to pivot

• How Golf House Academy scaled from a backyard setup to an 8,000 sq ft operation

• Why 3D tech might change golf coaching forever

• Tim’s best (and worst) advice for entrepreneurs

If you’ve ever faced a pivot in your business or life, this episode is for you.

Hit that follow button and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it.

🎯 Learn more at golfhouseacademy.com

What if cancer could be treated using your own supercharged immune cells?

In this episode of Bullseye Breakdown, host Dustin Weaver sits down with Brian Feth, CEO of Xcellbio, to unpack the future of cancer treatment through immune cell therapy, AI-driven potency testing, and scalable biotech manufacturing.

We cover:

• How CAR-T therapies are shifting from “last resort” to front-line treatment

• Why scaling biotech is like surgery — not software

• How AI and impedance readers are changing the way we measure cancer-fighting potency

• Building a platform that helps cure patients and generate revenue before FDA approval

• The emotional toll of biotech — and how to lead through it

Brian also shares the worst advice he ever received, and how his team has built a company that’s saving lives — and scaling with grit.

If you care about cancer research, biotech startups, or what it takes to grow a mission-driven business in a brutal industry, this one’s a must-listen.

🎯 Follow Bullseye Breakdown for unfiltered founder stories that aim higher.

What happens when you lose your job and bet everything on building something better? Dave Shine, CEO and co-founder of dBMEDx, joins Bullseye Breakdown to share the raw, honest story of how a medtech startup bootstrapped its way to disrupting hospitals across the country.We talk about building in obscurity, surviving a brutal sales cycle, competing with industry giants, and leading with empathy. Dave breaks down how they built a fully automatic bladder scanner that’s transforming post-op care—and how their culture-first approach helped them scale without losing their soul.Whether you’re a founder, operator, or just obsessed with how businesses grow from grit, this one is full of powerful takeaways.🎯 In this episode:0:00 – Dave Shine Intro7:01 – The Pressure Test: Competing Against Giants27:52 – Scaling Secrets: Growing a MedTech Company43:56 – The Market Edge: Trends in Healthcare Tech48:21 – Hitting the Mark: Building a Simpler, Smarter Product53:00 – Best Bad Advice55:27 – The Takeaway Shot🔥 What You’ll Learn:Why hospitals are the hardest customersHow to win without undercutting your valuesWhat culture really looks like in a manufacturing companyHow to scale without selling outThe mental shift that happens the moment you decide to bet on yourself👤 Guest:Dave ShineCEO & Co-Founder, dBMEDx👋 Hosted by:Dustin WeaverFounder of Brand Builder | Host of Bullseye BreakdownSubscribe for weekly breakdowns of high-performance founders, operators, and problem-solvers.

From the streets of the Bronx to the shelves of the Grammys, Tony Vitale’s journey is anything but typical. Now the CEO of Vertical Grooves, he’s taken a floundering company and built a design-forward audio brand that’s redefining how we see—and hear—vinyl.

In this episode, Tony and I dive deep into:

• Why vinyl is more than nostalgia—it’s a movement

• The tough calls behind scaling a product with soul

• Avoiding the biggest mistake in manufacturing

• How to create something people love, not just like

• And what it really takes to bring art, story, and sound together

🔥 Plus: his wild take on NFTs (without saying “NFT”)

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💡 Whether you’re an audiophile, a builder, or a brand obsessive, this one will hit home.

📦 Check out Tony’s work → verticalgrooves.com

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🔔 Follow Bullseye Breakdown for weekly conversations with founders, creatives, and the people making cool sh*t happen.

#BullseyeBreakdown #TonyVitale #Vinyl #VerticalGrooves #AnalogIsBack #CreativeFounders #ProductDesign #AudiophileLife

What happens when you lose control of your own company… then come back and build it stronger than ever?In this episode, Dorian Ayres, founder of DYLN, opens up about the personal tragedy that sparked his journey, the battle to protect a patented hydration product, and the bold pivot that saved the company after getting pushed out by his own investor.

We cover:

• The loss of his brother Dylan and how it inspired the brand 💧
• Engineering a patented bottle that enhances hydration
• The manufacturing chess match across Asia
• Being replaced as CEO—and the moment he bought his company back
• Ditching B2B for D2C and TikTok Shop
• The launch of a universal diffuser with huge market upside
• Why hydrogen water is the next big wave in wellness

If you’re building something, scaling something, or fighting to take it back—this one’s for you.

💧 CHECK OUT DYLN

🛒 Amazon → http://bit.ly/4jc5UKG

🛍️ TikTok Shop → Search “DYLN Bottle” (buy from their official store)

🌐 Website → https://dyln.co

📈 Invest in DYLN → https://wefunder.com/dyln⏱️

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Welcome to Bullseye Breakdown

01:31 – The Tragedy Behind DYLN’s Origin

03:47 – From Grief to Product Innovation

06:53 – Patents, Product Design & Building the Diffuser

09:21 – Manufacturing in Asia & Protecting IP

14:02 – 💥 The Pressure Test: Losing the CEO Role

17:55 – The Buyback & The Biggest Pivot

21:07 – Cutting OPEX & Scaling With Intention

28:24 – TikTok Shop, Facebook Ads & New Growth Channels

32:30 – Launching the Universal Diffuser

37:27 – The Market Edge: Hydrogen Water Is Booming

42:30 – 🎯 Bullseye Breakdown: What Problem Does DYLN Solve?

48:20 – The Takeaway Shot: Don’t Wait. Build It.

52:05 – How to Buy or Invest in DYLN

53:29 – Final Thoughts + Next Episode Tease

👍 Enjoyed this episode?Like, subscribe, and share it with a founder or creator who’s deep in the grind.

🧠 This is Bullseye Breakdown—where builders break down what it really takes. No fluff. Just the truth.

#dyln #startuplife #founderstory #hydration #bullseyebreakdown #tiktokshop #entrepreneurmindset #ecommercegrowth #scaleyourbusiness

🎯 Fractional CFOs, Scaling Smart, and the Poker Mindset | Kyle Smith – Bullseye BreakdownEver feel like you’re making business decisions in the dark?In this episode of Bullseye Breakdown, I sit down with Kyle Smith, co-founder and managing partner of Strata Cloud Accountants, to break down the real financial moves behind healthy, scalable businesses.Kyle’s story is wild: professional poker player turned CPA turned fractional CFO. Now he and his team are helping founders step out of the weeds, take control of their numbers, and build businesses that actually scale — without burning out or hiring a full-time C-suite.We get into:🎯 What a fractional CFO actually does — and when your business needs one💸 The mistakes most founders make with bookkeeping and financials🔁 How to build recurring, scalable systems instead of one-off fixes🤖 The real way AI is changing accounting (yes, even for SMBs)🧠 Why poker made Kyle a better operator — and how to apply “risk-reward thinking” in your business🧩 Why outcomes matter more than deliverables — and how Kyle flipped the client-service model to make it workThis isn’t about spreadsheets — it’s about making smarter decisions. If you’re scaling a business, building a back office, or trying to make your company more profitable, this one’s a must-listen.👇 CHAPTERS00:00 – Intro00:41 – Kyle’s path: Poker to CPA06:12 – Launching Strata Cloud & the early business model11:26 – Finding the right talent (including Kyle’s recruiting playbook)18:56 – When a business needs a CFO21:25 – 🎯 The Pressure Test: Hardest decisions in Kyle’s journey29:56 – ⚙️ Scaling with Tech & AI37:35 – 💥 The Market Edge: What sets Strata Cloud apart40:36 – 🔭 Bullseye Breakdown: Where the industry is heading45:46 – 🧠 The Takeaway Shot: Kyle’s advice to founders🔗 Learn more about Strata Cloud Accountants:https://stratacloudaccountants.com/Connect with Kyle on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-smith-cpa/🔥 Subscribe for weekly episodes with founders, operators, and real builders:https://www.youtube.com/@bullseyebreakdown👍 If you got value from this, hit the like button — it helps more people find the show.💬 Drop your takeaways or questions in the comments. Kyle or I will respond.🎙️ About the ShowBullseye Breakdown is where founders, operators, and builders get into the real stories behind scaling a business. No fluff. No pitch decks. Just the hard-won lessons, mindset shifts, and tactical breakdowns that actually move the needle.Host: Dustin Weaver (@dustinweaver)