Christene Marie shares why entrepreneurial excellence is not about chasing growth, tactics, or outside validation, but about vertical alignment—living and leading from an ideal you consciously choose, not from everyone else’s opinions. She explains why misalignment is so costly, how leaders lose their way when they constantly chase the next strategy, and why the real work begins when you are willing to face uncomfortable truths, especially when the data, the mirror, or your team is telling you something you do not want to hear.

Christene is the CEO and founder of The Knowing Group and a thought leader in empathy-driven branding, measurement marketing, and audience psychology. Her agency has worked with global brands such as Toyota, Amazon, and Fortune 50 healthcare companies to clarify identity, understand audiences, and build emotional resonance that drives real business results. She is also part of a 100-plus-year family business, giving her a grounded perspective on legacy, long-term relevance, and what sustains brands across generations.

In this episode, Christene breaks down why emotional intelligence is the missing layer behind many leadership and team problems, how brand is really the emotional expectation of an experience, and why the strongest advantage in today’s market is knowing who you are, what you stand for, and how you want people to feel. She also shares practical clarity practices—like writing your eulogy, removing external inputs, and creating daily “no-noise” time—so leaders can stop living horizontally and start leading from their own internal compass.

Key Topics

• Defining entrepreneurial excellence through vertical alignment

• Why misalignment is expensive in leadership, business, and life

• Emotional intelligence as a core leadership skill, not a soft one

• Brand as the emotional expectation of an experience

• Building trust through experience, not just marketing spend

• Why clarity of identity is your true competitive advantage

• Creating daily space for courage, focus, and real creation

03:08 What Entrepreneurial Excellence Really Means

04:41 Horizontal Living vs Vertical Alignment

05:51 Why Misalignment Is So Costly

09:48 The Mirror Moment Leaders Avoid

10:54 Emotional Intelligence as the Missing Skill

15:43 Legacy Is Built Daily, Not Just Financially

16:57 The Eulogy Exercise for Clarity

20:21 Becoming the Author of Your Own Life

31:52 Psychological Safety and High-Performance Teams

36:53 Brand Defined as Emotional Expectation

50:33 The CEO Habit of Creating Space

1:06:18 The Work Is Not Glamorous, But It Is Real

1:16:12 The One Practice Leaders Need Every Day

Connect with Christene Marie

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christenemarie

Website: theknowingagency.com

Personal Site: christenemarie.com

Connect with Entrepreneurial Excellence Podcast

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

YouTube: youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok: tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website: levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

Lisa Carmen Wang shares how entrepreneurial excellence isn’t about winning early, but about holding a big vision and continuing when failure, rejection, and doubt show up again and again. She opens up about the moments when success still didn’t feel like enough, and why resilience, not talent or credentials, is what actually sustains long-term growth.

Lisa is a founder, investor, author, and creator of Bad Bitch Empire, a global brand and movement built to challenge the invisible rules that keep women playing small. With a background spanning elite athletics, Wall Street, venture capital, and now music, she brings a rare perspective on identity, confidence, and what it really takes to build something bold without losing yourself in the process.

In this episode, she breaks down how good girl conditioning quietly shapes ambition, why women are judged on past proof while men are rewarded for future vision, and how fear can become a compass instead of a stop sign.

Key Topics:

-Build entrepreneurial excellence through vision, resilience, and repeated failure

-Break free from good girl conditioning that limits confidence and ambition

-Redefine confidence by separating self-worth from outcomes and perfection

-Use fear and discomfort as signals for growth and expansion

-Create impact by aligning your work with identity, values, and truth

01:55 The Question That Instantly Reveals True Entrepreneurial Excellence

02:04 Big Vision With No Quit Even After Repeated Failure

03:31 The Realization She Was Still Playing by Patriarchal Rules

04:22 The 2 Percent Funding Reality That Women Are Expected to Accept

04:35 Good Girl Brainwashing and the Silent Rules That Keep Women Small

06:52 Why Women Are Asked About Past Proof While Men Are Asked About Future Vision

08:24 The Moment She Stopped Chasing Approval From People Who Didn’t Understand Her

11:05 After the Exit Why Success Still Didn’t Feel Like Enough

12:00 The One Question That Redefined Her Identity and Confidence

15:09 Why She Actively Chooses Discomfort as a Growth Strategy

22:11 The Truth Behind Confidence Fear, Breakdowns, and Doing It Anyway

24:15 How She Rewired Her Inner Critic Into a Cheerleader

27:26 The Hard Truth Your Greatest Freedom Is Past Your Deepest Fear

31:22 Why Being Loud, Proud, and Assertive Is Still Punished in Women

1:12:50 The One Line That Defines Entrepreneurial Excellence Focus on Who You’re Becoming

Connect with - Lisa Carmen Wang:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/lisacarmenwang

Website: https://www.lisawang.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisacarmenwang/

Instagram: @lisacarmenwang

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

Jonathan Shroyer shares why most “10x ideas” fail in practice, how founders get stuck by protecting ego instead of adapting, and why the biggest growth lever is often customer experience, not more features or funding.

Jonathan Troyer is a multi-time founder and customer experience leader in gaming innovation. He’s built and scaled companies across gaming and e-commerce, including Officium Labs, and he’s known for turning CX into a revenue engine through systems, empathy, and smart use of AI.

In this episode, he breaks down how to validate a 10x value idea through testing and iteration, what it really takes to build a moat in an AI-first world, and the mindset that separates winners from everyone else, know who you are, stay flexible, and don’t quit.

Key Topics:

-Build 10x value by solving real problems, not ego

-Test fast, iterate, get traction before scaling

-Build an AI moat with clear switching value and the right segment

-Make CX a revenue driver through speed and issue resolution

-Scale with grit, strong systems, and protect 10x work

Connect with - Jonathan Shroyer:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/chiefcxofficer

Website: foresiteads.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

AJ Cassata shares how resilience gets built through real rejection, why most founders stall because they quit too early or keep switching directions, and how a predictable funnel only works when the messaging, offer, and follow-up are disciplined.

AJ Cassata is the founder of Revenue Boost, an outbound agency that helps B2B businesses validate their positioning, generate qualified leads, and turn cold outreach into consistent sales calls without relying on ads or algorithms.

In this episode, he breaks down the modern outbound stack, where AI personalization actually fits, why close rates collapse when objections stay hidden, and the one principle that ties everything together, you can’t fail if you don’t quit.

Key Topics:

-Lead Flow Is the First Domino in Any Business

-The Messaging Fix That Makes Outbound Finally Work

-Why AI Personalization Replaced “Spray and Pray” Outreach

-The Close Rate Problem Is Usually an Unasked Objection

-Consistency Wins, Quitting Just Looks Like “Pivoting”

01:25 Defining Entrepreneurial Excellence as “Problem-Solving Without Quitting”

03:34 Resilience Isn’t a Trait, It’s a Muscle

04:31 Motivation Comes From “Why” Plus Daily Habits

05:52 Lead Flow Is the First Domino in Business

08:29 Why Having Leads Beats Having a Perfect Product With No Attention

09:22 Messaging Is Half The Battle in Outbound

10:52 Segment First, Then Craft Specific Pain-Point Messaging

13:06 AI-Enabled SDRs and Personalization at Scale

16:18 The Hidden Cost of Hiring Isn’t Salary

17:40 When SDRs Still Make Sense in an AI World

21:20 Fixing a Weak Close Rate Starts With Funnel Truth

23:18 Sales Is Detective Work, Invite The Objection

24:25 Founder-Led Sales Is Non-Negotiable Early

26:06 Getting Better Fast With Coaches and AI Call Review

28:32 Sales Methodologies Share the Same Four Pillars

30:11 Speed and Follow-Up Signal Customer Experience

32:25 Why AJ Started Door-to-Door and Dropped Out

37:49 The Pivot Into Digital Marketing and First Clients

38:29 Building an Agency From a Sprinter Van

39:24 The Vietnam Move and Making Remote Work Sustainable

42:03 Constraints Breed Creativity in Remote Hiring and Selling

46:02 Marketing Fundamentals Before Channels

47:41 The Three Online Lead Engines Explained

50:33 Minimum Viable Online Presence for Trust

52:10 Outbound Now, Inbound Next for Compounding

54:09 The Growth Ceiling Is Usually Operations

56:38 The One Outbound Tool AJ Would Keep

57:12 Cold Email Isn’t Dead, Bad Cold Email Is

58:03 Cold Calling Still Works, Maybe Better Now

59:35 The One Book Every Founder Should Read on Offers

01:00:42 The Single Metric AJ Tracks Closest to Revenue

01:01:06 Advice to His 19-Year-Old Self

01:02:07 The One Rule That Ties It All Together

Connect with -AJ Cassata:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ajcassata

Website: revenueboost.net/

facebook.com/groups/b2bsalesandmarketingsecrets

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

Nick Mehta breaks down how committing to a real problem before a category exists can shape an entire industry, why founders get stuck at scale, and the mindset shifts required to build something that lasts.

Nick Mehta is the Co-Founder and CEO of Gainsight, one of the companies that helped define Customer Success as a core business function. In this episode, he shares hard-earned lessons on founder growth, hiring beyond yourself, stepping back at the right time, and why entrepreneurial excellence has nothing to do with hype and everything to do with long-term conviction.

Key Topics:

- Why Most Founders Never Reach Real Excellence

-The Risky Bet That Built a Category From Nothing

-When Stepping Back as CEO Is the Smartest Move

-The Hiring Mistake That Quietly Kills Scale

-Why Passion Comes After Mastery, Not Before

01:14 Defining Entrepreneurial Excellence Beyond Exits and Valuations

02:38 Why Putting Your Whole Heart In Matters More Than Outcomes

03:39 The Litmus Test That Reveals Who’s Truly Committed

05:18 How Great Founders Stay Sane Without Losing Intensity

06:32 Burnout, Dopamine, and Why Stepping Away Makes You Better

08:17 Why Market Choice Matters More Than Culture or Work Ethic

How picking the right space quietly determines long-term success.

09:41 The “10-Year Overnight Success” Myth Explained

10:11 Why Nick Joined a No-Revenue Company in a Non-Existent Category

11:09 How Customer Success Became a Category, Not a Feature

The early insight that turned churn into a board-level priority.

13:00 Why Founders Stepping Back Can Be a Strength, Not a Failure

15:00 From Extreme Shyness to CEO Presence

18:01 Why Childhood Patterns Shape Leadership Style

20:08 Self-Awareness, Coaching, and the Enneagram for CEOs

23:06 What Investors Optimize For vs. What Founders Should

25:29 How to Filter Advice Without Getting Starstruck

27:47 Why Nick Chose Operating Over Venture Capital

29:35 Why “Follow Your Passion” Is Often Bad Advice

32:05 How Getting Good at Something Creates Passion Over Time

34:09 How Family Sacrifice and Regret Shaped Entrepreneurial Drive

36:28 Choosing the Wrong Path First—and Correcting It

38:09 How Gainsight Built a Category Through Community First

39:41 The Accidental Meetup That Sparked a Movement

42:30 Why Community Became a Durable Competitive Advantage

43:22 Why Founders Shouldn’t “Scale Themselves Out” Too Early

44:57 Being a “Micro-Learner,” Not a Micromanager

46:25 The One Decision That Kills Companies Quietly

48:40 How to Avoid Shiny Object Syndrome as a CEO

50:34 What Real Company Culture Actually Is

53:27 “Human First” as a Competitive Advantage

54:23 Why Speed Is the New Differentiator in SaaS

56:21 The Hidden Cost of Over-Protecting Employees

58:03 When CEO Involvement Becomes a Bottleneck

59:20 Where Founders Should Actually Micromanage

01:00:22 Why Delegation Isn’t About Time, It’s About Context

01:02:03 The Brewery Lesson Every Founder Should Learn

01:03:25 What a “Founder-Only” Company Really Looks Like

01:05:36 Why Hiring Is More Expensive Than Founders Think

01:07:02 Why Investor Advice Often Doesn’t Apply

Connect with - Nick Mehta:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/nickmehta

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

In this episode, Scott Kelly, Founder and CEO of Black Dog Ventures, shares what actually separates founders who build real companies from those who stay stuck chasing capital. He talks openly about why fundraising is often mistaken for progress, why execution beats ideas every time, and why many startups fail not because of the market—but because founders don’t know when to let go, delegate, and lead.

Scott breaks down what investors really look for, how trust is built long before money is involved, and why consistent momentum matters more than a perfect plan. He explains how strong teams are formed, why most founders underestimate the cost of doing everything themselves, and how small wins every two weeks compound into real traction.

As technology makes it easier for anyone to build, Scott shares what still creates a true edge: relationships, credibility, and the willingness to keep moving forward when the answer is “no.”

This conversation pulls back the curtain on venture, leadership, and what entrepreneurial excellence really looks like when the cameras are off.

Key Topics:

- Fundraising as a false signal of entrepreneurial success

- Execution and delegation as the real drivers of scale

- Trust and relationships as the foundation of venture outcomes

- Traction over storytelling in winning investor confidence

- Leadership built on humility, learning, and momentum

Quote From The Episode:

“Most entrepreneurs shouldn’t be raising money. They should be building their business.”

- Scott Kelly

Timestamp:

[00:20] Fundraising Is a Vanity Metric—and Most Founders Get Excellence Wrong

[11:09] Real Founders Let the Market Decide Instead of Scaling Too Early or Chasing Capital

[20:58] How Relationship Capital Turns Simple Coffee Meetings Into Eight-Figure Deals

[29:58] Trust Is the Ultimate Advantage in Venture—and the Fastest Way to Control Deal Flow

[40:12] Winning Investors Without Raising Money: The Power of Relentless Progress Updates

[50:18] The Founders Who Win Every Two Weeks Obsess Over Time, Delegation, and Speed

[1:01:24] Building Defensible Moats in a World Where AI Makes Everyone Equal

[1:13:25] Outro

Connect with - Scott Kelly:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/blackdogceo

Websites -blackdogventurepartners.com facebook.com/blackdogventurepartners/

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

In this episode, we sit down with a leader who walked away from a $7B role to start again in a kitchen with two young founders. He shares the raw truth about what makes great founders win, why most people who “work hard” never achieve real outcomes, and how to see the world differently when the stakes are high.

We go deep into the moments that shaped billion-dollar fintech moves — including the split-second choice that saved $700M during the SVB meltdown, and the internal mistake that triggered one of the toughest days of his life.

You’ll hear how he recruits top talent without relying only on money, why curiosity matters only when aimed at the right things, and what it means to truly understand the details that run a business. He also shares the childhood lesson that shaped his leadership style and gave him the courage to ask the questions others avoid.

Tune in to hear the thinking, the risks, and the uncommon moves behind true entrepreneurial excellence.

Key Topics:

- The hidden traits that separate great founders from everyone else

- Real meaning of hard work and why most people get it wrong

- Decisions that saved Brex during high-stakes crisis moments

- Truth about recruiting A players B players and building the right team

- Mindset shift needed to grow fast and lead through massive change

Quote From The Episode:

“When something doesn’t make sense, a lot of people are afraid to ask. I don’t have that fear.”

- Michael B. Tannenbaum

Timestamp:

[00:20] Why a $7B CRO Walked Away to Start in a Kitchen — And What He Learned About Founders Who Win

[11:04] The Harsh Truth About “Hard Work” — And Why Most People Never Produce Real Outcomes

[20:05] How Brex Survived the SVB Meltdown—And the One Decision That Saved $700 Million

[30:41] Inside the Decision That Nearly Broke Brex—And the Leadership Blind Spot No One Saw Coming

[41:28] The Childhood Lesson That Turned a CFO’s Son Into One of FinTech’s Boldest Leaders

[52:50] Outro

Connect with - Michael B. Tannenbaum:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/michaeltannenbaum

Website - www.figure.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence

In this episode, we sit down with Tyler Wagner, a college dropout who built an eight-figure business by doing the opposite of what most founders do. From risking everything at 20 years old to helping nearly 5,000 authors turn their ideas into influence, Tyler shares the raw truth behind failure, focus, partnerships, and the real value of writing a book in the AI age.

Tyler opens up about the mindset shift that changed his life, why he ran toward failure instead of avoiding it, and how he turned one book into a multi-million-dollar company. He talks about ego, legacy, freedom, and the lonely part of reaching “success” that no one prepares you for.

He also breaks down why partnerships beat ads, why most entrepreneurs quit too early, and why many founders still fear writing their first book.

Tune in to learn the shifts that helped Tyler turn one book into an empire—and how you can shift your journey too.

Key Topics:

-The mindset shift that turns failure into a pathway to success

-How writing a book becomes a real tool for influence and credibility

-Why partnerships outperform ads for long-term business growth

-The hidden challenges of reaching time freedom as an entrepreneur

-The ego, legacy, and emotional drivers behind why founders publish books

Quote From The Episode:

“I actually like failure, because the more I fail, the closer I know I am to succeeding.”

- Tyler Wagner

Timestamp:

[00:20] The Mindset Shift That Turns Dropouts Into Industry Leaders

[12:15] How a 20-Year-Old Bestseller Exposed the Secret Value of Publishing

[23:13] How Entrepreneurs Turn a $50K Book Into a Seven-Figure Funnel

[34:40] How a College Dropout Scaled to Eight Figures by Doing the Opposite of Everyone Else

[45:59] Conferences vs. Digital: The Surprising Truth About Where Real Relationships Are Built Today

[56:38] How AI Is Quietly Killing Ghostwriting as We Know It

[1:08:34] Why Partnerships Beat Ads, Content, and Virality—Every. Single. Time.

[1:14:30] Outro

Connect with - Tyler Wagner:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/tylerbwagner

Website - authorsunite.com/

partnerprofits.io

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.levy.company/entrepreneurial-excellence