In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Dale Jarosz, co-founder of Bschool Travel, a company that designs immersive international learning experiences for MBA and university students.

Dale’s journey started in mechanical engineering, took him to Caterpillar designing hydraulic valves, and eventually led him to business school at Michigan—where travel, entrepreneurship, and frustration with the status quo planted the seeds for a new kind of company.

What began as a scrappy startup run out of a student apartment—with a Wix website and a $5 logo from Fiverr—has grown into a trusted partner for top business schools around the world. Along the way, Dale and his co-founder weathered a global pandemic, redefined what a student travel program could be, and built a company that now serves over 40 universities.

We talk about:

✅ Why business school was the perfect time to start a company
✅ How a few bad travel experiences sparked a bigger idea
✅ The real story behind “faking it until you make it”
✅ What universities, students, and global partners really care about
✅ How brand, trust, and scrappiness helped them scale post-COVID

If you’ve ever thought about starting a service business—or if you’re in the education or travel space—this episode is full of lessons about testing demand, building credibility, and growing the right way.

About Bschool Travel:

Bschool Travel partners with top MBA programs and universities to design high-quality, academically driven international experiences. They coordinate logistics, manage risk, and help students connect with global business leaders for unforgettable learning opportunities.

👉 Learn more at: https://www.bschooltravel.com

👉 Connect with Dale on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-jarosz/

About Dan and Third Act Marketing:

I'm Dan Ritzke, founder of Third Act Marketing. I work with founders and growing businesses to help them get clear on their brand, build smart marketing strategies, and turn big ideas into real momentum.

If the conversations on Founders in Full got you thinking about your own marketing — your story, your positioning, your growth strategy — let’s connect.

👉 Learn more at: https://www.thirdactmarketing.com

👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritzke

Want to be on the podcast — or know a Founder with a story to tell and insights to share?

Founders in Full features real, honest conversations with founders about the highs, lows, and lessons of building a business. If you’d be a great guest (or know someone with a story worth sharing), I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Nominate a guest or apply to be on the show at https://www.thirdactmarketing.com/podcast

In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Chris Borek, co-founder of Spira Farms, a Chicago-area vertical farm growing nutrient-dense microgreens for restaurants, grocery stores, and health-conscious consumers.

Chris’s journey started in a condo during grad school, growing greens for his family while researching sustainability and nutrition. After his mother’s cancer diagnosis, what began as a personal health project quickly turned into a purpose-driven business rooted in freshness, local food systems, and the power of microgreens like broccoli, arugula, and mustard.

Today, Spira Farms has scaled from basement racks to a climate-controlled warehouse, supplying chefs, distributors, and stores with living trays of microgreens and experimenting with in-house tech solutions to run a modern farm efficiently.

We talk about:

✅ Why microgreens are nutritional powerhouses
✅ The hard lessons learned from direct-to-consumer delivery, and why Spira pivoted
✅ What it takes to build custom farm management software (as a non-technical founder)
✅ The difference between selling to chefs vs. grocery stores—and how to adapt your pitch
✅ How his family background shaped his scrappy, figure-it-out approach to entrepreneurship

If you're building a purpose-driven product—or just trying to get smarter about sustainability, local food, or farm-to-table business models—this episode is for you.

About Spira Farms:
Spira Farms is a vertical farming company based in the Chicago area that grows fresh, local microgreens year-round. With a focus on nutrition, sustainability, and freshness, they supply high-quality microgreens to restaurants, retailers, distributors, and local customers.

👉 Learn more at: https://www.spirafarms.com

About Dan and Third Act Marketing:

I'm Dan Ritzke, founder of Third Act Marketing. I work with founders and growing businesses to help them get clear on their brand, build smart marketing strategies, and turn big ideas into real momentum.

If the conversations on Founders in Full got you thinking about your own marketing — your story, your positioning, your growth strategy — let’s connect.

👉 Learn more at: https://www.thirdactmarketing.com

👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritzke

Want to be on the podcast — or know a Founder with a story to tell and insights to share?

Founders in Full features real, honest conversations with founders about the highs, lows, and lessons of building a business. If you’d be a great guest (or know someone with a story worth sharing), I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Nominate a guest or apply to be on the show at https://www.thirdactmarketing.com/podcast

In this episode of Founders in Full, I talk with Lauren Cain, founder of Elm Dirt, a company reinventing the way we care for lawns, gardens, and soil health—using the power of microbes, composting worms, and a lot of trial and error.

Lauren’s path started in chemical engineering, took her through a high-pressure career at ExxonMobil, and eventually led to launching an e-commerce business with her husband. After years of freelancing and experimenting with product ideas, it was a dirt-loving toddler—and the desire for a safer, chemical-free backyard—that sparked the idea for Elm Dirt.

What started as a small Etsy shop during the early days of the pandemic has now grown into a rapidly scaling business with patented fertilizer formulas, a national customer base, and B2B partnerships with landscapers, retailers, and farmers.

We dive into:

✔️ How a backyard problem turned into a product with wide market appeal
✔️ What it takes to develop and scale a microbe-based fertilizer (hint: a lot of exploding bottles)
✔️ The transition from DTC to retail—and what they had to unlearn along the way
✔️ What happened when they outsourced fulfillment—and how it nearly broke the business
✔️ The marketing message evolution that helped them stand out in a crowded space

If you’re building a product-led brand, navigating early-stage growth, or trying to make organic products that actually work, this episode is for you.

About Elm Dirt:

Elm Dirt is a family-owned company creating natural, microbe-rich fertilizers and soil products made from worm castings. With a mission to make backyards safer and gardens more vibrant, Elm Dirt is helping customers rethink what healthy soil looks like—one plant at a time.

👉 Learn more about Elm Dirt: https://www.elmdirt.com

👉 Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenkcain/

About Dan and Third Act Marketing:

I'm Dan Ritzke, founder of Third Act Marketing. I work with founders and growing businesses to help them get clear on their brand, build smart marketing strategies, and turn big ideas into real momentum.

If the conversations on Founders in Full got you thinking about your own marketing — your story, your positioning, your growth strategy — let’s connect.

👉 Learn more at: https://www.thirdactmarketing.com

👉 Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ritzke

Want to be on the podcast — or know a Founder with a story to tell and insights to share?

Founders in Full features real, honest conversations with founders about the highs, lows, and lessons of building a business. If you’d be a great guest (or know someone with a story worth sharing), I’d love to hear from you.

👉 Nominate a guest or apply to be on the show at https://www.thirdactmarketing.com/podcast