What happens when you sell your house to bet on a travel business idea, survive the world's longest COVID lockdown, and still come out building a multi-seven-figure empire? In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Lisa Pagotto, founder of Crooked Compass, an immersive travel company specializing in off-the-beaten-path destinations and experiences for fragile and emerging communities. Lisa is also a keynote speaker on leadership under pressure and a two-time Entrepreneur of the Year winner who gained national attention after appearing on Shark Tank Australia.

Lisa walks through her surprising journey from corporate travel employee to founder, starting with a travel blog that built a loyal following before it ever became a business. She opens up about selling her house with her then-husband to fund Crooked Compass, her surreal 18-month journey to filming Shark Tank Australia, and how a 12-minute segment aired nearly two years later completely transformed her business overnight, even though she walked away with no deal and full ownership of her company.

• How a "no deal" on Shark Tank still led to massive exposure, mentorship, and business growth

• Why selling everything to bet on yourself isn't for everyone, but conviction and gut instinct matter.

• How Lisa rebuilt her business by launching private plane tours across Australia during the COVID lockdowns, after her original tourism business came to a complete halt.

• Why recognizing you're "stuck" is often the first step toward meaningful change

• The importance of taking small, actionable steps to build momentum instead of waiting for a perfect plan

• Why compartmentalizing personal hardship (divorce, financial stress, single parenthood) while staying professional is a skill entrepreneurs have to learn

• How intuition and gut feeling have shaped major turning points in her business

• Why paying it forward and helping other entrepreneurs is part of the culture Lisa values most

About Lisa Pagotto

Lisa Pagotto is the founder of Crooked Compass, an Australian travel company specializing in immersive tours to off-the-beaten-path destinations. She's also a keynote speaker on leadership under pressure and has built multiple seven-figure businesses. Lisa gained national attention on Shark Tank Australia, and though she walked away without a deal, the exposure sent her business into rapid growth. During Australia's COVID-19 lockdowns, she pivoted and launched a second business offering private plane tours. Since then, the business has expanded to bring American travelers to Australia for unique travel experiences. She has also been named Entrepreneur of the Year twice.

Connect with Lisa Pagotto.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisa-pagotto?originalSubdomain=au

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisapagotto

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Subscribe to From Underdog to Entrepreneur: Building Dreams with Pat Miller for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories, lessons, failures, and successes behind building thriving businesses. If you're passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, business growth, entertainment, and personal development, this podcast is designed to help you build your dream.

New episodes are released regularly.

From a same-day CBD delivery service to manufacturing over a million gummies a month, this is a business story most people never hear about.

In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller sits down with Steven Brown, founder and CEO of Nothing But Canna (formerly Nothing But Hemp), one of the first hemp dispensaries in the Midwest. Steven's path to cannabis wasn't a straight line; he served in the Marine Corps, worked in health and nutrition at GNC, climbed the ranks at T-Mobile, and worked in negotiation for aerospace and defense before launching his own marketing company at 28, where a client in the cannabis space opened the door to an entirely new industry.

Steven shares how his now-wife's success using CBD for migraines convinced him hemp products could genuinely help people and how that belief turned into a business that has weathered credit card shutdowns, COVID furloughs, state regulatory attacks, and a looming federal hemp ban. Along the way, he helped pass Minnesota's first low-dose THC bill legislation that unintentionally sparked the nationwide THC beverage boom now found in liquor stores across the country.

• The real difference between CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids and why "street weed" today is nothing like it was decades ago

• How a small hemp business ended up shaping THC beverage laws now used nationwide

• Why the hemp industry is facing a federal shutdown and what that means for small operators

• The role lobbying, big pharma, alcohol, and marijuana industries play in hemp regulation

• Why product testing and safety standards matter in a largely unregulated space

• The costly lesson Steven learned expanding into the beverage industry and why he stepped back from it

• Why bad business partnerships can derail a company, and how to know when to walk away

• Why fear of failure holds most entrepreneurs back, and how embracing it leads to growth

Steven Brown is the founder and CEO of Nothing But Canna (formerly Nothing But Hemp), one of the first hemp dispensaries in the Midwest, specializing in compliant cannabinoid formulations and manufacturing over 1.3 million gummies a month. Before entering the cannabis industry, Steven had a varied career path; he served in the Marine Corps, worked in health and nutrition at General Nutrition Centers (GNC), spent six years moving up the ranks at T-Mobile in the wireless industry, and worked with a negotiation firm in aerospace and defense. He got into cannabis after starting his own marketing company at 28 and taking on a client in the industry, which led him to launch a same-day CBD delivery service in Minnesota in 2018. Steven and his team went on to help pass Minnesota's first low-dose THC bill, legislation that helped spark the nationwide THC beverage trend now found in liquor stores across the country. Under his leadership, the company grew from one dispensary to eleven nationwide in a single year.

Website: https://www.nothingbutcanna.net/pages/team

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/socialthis/

Connect with Pat Miller

Follow Pat Miller for more conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories behind building successful businesses.

Website: https://patmiller.net/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thepatmiller11

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepatmiller11/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepatmiller11/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePatMiller11/

Subscribe to From Underdog to Entrepreneur: Building Dreams with Pat Miller for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories, lessons, failures, and successes behind building thriving businesses. If you're passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, business growth, entertainment, and personal development, this podcast is designed to help you build your dream.

New episodes are released regularly.

Not every great career story starts with owning the company. In this episode of From Underdog to Entrepreneur, Pat Miller switches things up to spotlight the other side of the journey building a name for yourself while working for someone else. Her guest is Nicholas Verzicco, who runs the construction management staffing division for New Jersey at Actalent (formerly Aerotech), placing hundreds of professionals with general contractors, subcontractors, and AEC firms. A five-time President's Club winner, Nicholas shares how a chance conversation with a former college classmate led him into an industry he never studied for recruiting and how he's built a thriving career in construction staffing just seven years out of college.

Nicholas opens up about his path from Monmouth University, where he studied finance through the Educational Opportunity Fund program, to landing his first staffing role through a simple breakfast conversation and a willingness to take a chance on something unfamiliar. He and Pat dig into networking, mentorship, and what it really takes for young professionals to stand out in a competitive industry like construction.

• Why networking and relationships can completely redirect your career path

• How AI is being used (and not used) in construction staffing and estimating and why human trust still matters

• Why "blue collar" skills remain valuable and future-proof, even in an AI-driven world

• The importance of mentorship for the next generation entering the workforce

• Why energy, effort, and enthusiasm can set you apart in any role

• How giving back through mentorship programs and organizations like Professional Women in Construction (PWC) helps open doors for the next generation

• Why staying true to yourself and tuning out critics is essential to long-term success

Nicholas Verzicco runs the construction management staffing division for New Jersey at Actalent, where he places professionals including project managers, superintendents, assistant project managers, and estimators with general contractors, subcontractors, and AEC firms. He has placed hundreds of people in the industry and has won the President's Club for five consecutive years. Nicholas is originally from Mays Landing, New Jersey, and attended Monmouth University through the Educational Opportunity Fund program, earning a degree in finance while serving as president of his Student Government Association, senior class president, and president of the club lacrosse team. He entered the staffing industry through a college connection and has spent close to seven years building his career at Actalent. Outside of work, Nicholas is involved in mentorship, participating in a program for high school students through the Lena Harris Foundation and supporting organizations like Professional Women in Construction (PWC).

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-verzicco-76a404151/

Follow Pat Miller for more entrepreneurial insights, business strategies, and inspiring conversations with successful founders and business leaders.

Website: https://patmiller.net/

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Subscribe to From Underdog to Entrepreneur: Building Dreams with Pat Miller for weekly conversations with entrepreneurs and professionals who share the real stories, lessons, failures, and successes behind building thriving careers and businesses. If you're passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, career growth, and personal development, this podcast is designed to help you build your dream.

New episodes are released regularly.