"Treat every human different—and build your frameworks from there." - Amos Schwartzfarb

In this episode of Tech Scenes, Jeff James Martin sits down with Amos Schwartzfarb, former managing Director of Techstars Austin and author of Sell More Faster and Levers, to explore what it really takes to scale a startup from founder-led sales to full-blown success.

Amos shares stories from his own wild entrepreneurial journey—from packing boxes for one of the first e-commerce companies to becoming one of Texas’s most active early-stage investors. The conversation dives deep into frameworks for sales, metrics that matter, and how to balance hard data with human nuance when building teams. They also talk about the joy of coaching, the discovery process, and how music—and leadership—are both about learning to harmonize.

Key Takeaways:

• Strong opinions, loosely held are crucial to evolving as a leader and operator.

• Coaching and mentorship create value far beyond tactical execution.

• Discovery never stops—you’re always figuring things out.

• Founder-led sales matter early on—nobody sells like the founder.

• Sales frameworks and metrics help teams build predictability and scale.

• OKRs build capability, while KPIs measure current state—they serve different purposes.

• Every person is different, and great leaders build around individuality, not uniformity.

• High-performing teams learn together—learning is a shared core behavior.

• The journey of entrepreneurship is personal, iterative, and often musical.

Chapters:

00:00 – Embracing Flexibility in Opinions
01:10 – The Joy of Coaching and Mentorship
02:52 – Frameworks for Business Success
04:47 – The Discovery Process in Startups
06:20 – Reflecting on Career Paths
07:50 – The Evolution of Business Plans
10:12 – Learning Through Business Planning
12:09 – The Importance of a Holistic View
13:31 – Metrics and Predictability in Sales
16:57 – Founder-Led Sales Strategies
20:12 – Understanding Sales Metrics
22:34 – Hiring the Right Sales Profiles
24:05 – Learning as a Core Team Behavior
24:52 – Journey to Techstars: A New Beginning
27:31 – Lessons from Mentoring Startups
30:00 – The Importance of Individuality in Teams
33:48 – Frameworks for Team Success
36:31 – Understanding OKRs vs. KPIs
40:39 – The Future Hippies of Punk: A Musical Journey

Resources:
Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-backed Companies 🔗 https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

Visit Collective Genius™ to Build Your Venture-backed Team with the Peak Operating System™ 🔗 https://www.collective-genius.com/

Music by Andrew Applepie 🔗 https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie

#TechScenes #AmosSchwartzfarb #SellMoreFaster #LeversBook #Techstars #StartupMentorship #FounderLedSales #OKRs #KPIs #VentureCapital #Startups #Entrepreneurship #JeffJamesMartin #CollectiveGenius™ #PeakOperatingSystem™ #Leadership #TeamAlignment #SalesStrategy #AustinTech

"They have no real way to know what’s selling—we’re here to fix that." - Jason Vego, CEO and Co-founder of Bevz

In this episode of Tech Scenes Studio City, Jeff James Martin sits down with Jason Vego, CEO and Co-founder of Bevz, to explore how one startup is transforming the $650B convenience store industry. Jason shares the Bevz origin story—how a fragmented, analog market inspired him to create the first-ever SaaS platform built specifically for corner stores, helping owners make smarter decisions using data, streamline inventory, and survive in a rapidly digitizing world.

The conversation dives into the emotional journey of a founder, including lessons learned from early product failures, the challenge of finding product-market fit, and the importance of saying no to stay focused. Jason opens up about the realities of serving underserved business owners, the human side of startup life, and what it really takes to build a company that supports the people behind the counter.

Key Takeaways:

Convenience stores face massive inventory management issues due to a lack of real-time data and tools.

Bevz brings modern tech, data, and partnerships to small stores often overlooked by Silicon Valley.

The pandemic accelerated digitization, forcing many stores to rethink how they do business.

Retail success depends on data-driven decisions and understanding product velocity at a hyperlocal level.

Small business owners carry emotional weight, and startups need to build empathy into their solutions.

Product-market fit is a winding journey, often paved with wrong assumptions and tough pivots.

Work-life balance is hard but essential, especially for founders scaling fast.

The best teams win through collaboration, clarity, and ruthless prioritization.

YouTube Chapters

00:00 – The Challenge of Predicting Inventory Needs

02:57 – Bevz: Revolutionizing Convenience Store Operations

05:57 – Navigating the Pandemic: A Pivot in Strategy

09:06 – Understanding Retailer Needs: The Importance of Inventory Management

12:04 – Data-Driven Decisions: Capturing Market Trends

14:56 – The Complexity of Convenience Store Inventory

18:07 – The Struggles of Small Business Owners

21:11 – The Journey of a Founder: Finding Product-Market Fit

23:53 – Balancing Work and Personal Life as a Founder

27:08 – The Importance of Team Collaboration and Focus

29:59 – The Power of Saying No: Prioritizing Goals

33:01 – Final Thoughts: Music and Reflection

Resources

Learn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-backed Companies https://a.co/d/hp5Jtnu

Visit Collective Genius™ to Build Your Venture-backed Team with the Peak Operating System™ https://www.collective-genius.com/

Music by Andrew Applepie https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie

#TechScenes #Bevz #ConvenienceStoreTech #RetailInnovation #InventoryManagement #JasonVego #SmallBusinessSupport #StartupLeadership #CollectiveGenius™ #PeakOperatingSystem™ #JeffJamesMartin #RetailTech #SaaS #ProductMarketFit #StartupGrowth #FoundersJourney #StudioCity #CStoreTech

"We’re building the digital Ellis Island—for the modern immigrant journey." - Amir HemmatIn this episode of Tech Scenes Santa Monica, Jeff James Martin sits down with Amir Hemmat, CEO and Co-Founder of Welcome Tech, to explore how technology, data, and deep cultural insight are transforming the immigrant experience in the United States. Welcome Tech, through its SABEResPODER® platform, serves over 9 million Hispanic immigrants annually—providing trusted information, services, and tools to help families thrive in a new country.Amir shares the inspiration behind the company’s mission, the challenges of building a scalable platform for underserved communities, and how data plays a pivotal role in delivering personalized, high-impact products. From venture capital realities to the responsibility of being a community-first business, the conversation provides a candid look at what it takes to turn purpose into platform—and why empathy and commitment are foundational to long-term success.Key Takeaways:Welcome Tech is building the infrastructure for immigrant households, starting with the Hispanic community in the U.S.The immigrant journey is too often left to chance—technology and data can provide needed structure and opportunity.Understanding cultural context is essential for creating trusted services.Listening to the community informs product design and ensures relevance.Not every startup should chase VC funding—mission clarity must come first.Flexibility and commitment are necessary to scale a purpose-driven platform.Data is at the core of service delivery, enabling more personalized, impactful support.Community-first thinking leads to stronger engagement and long-term value.Chapters:00:00 – Building the Future of Immigration12:02 – Understanding the Immigrant Experience24:08 – Data-Driven Solutions for Immigrants36:06 – The Vision for the Future38:51 – Personal Insights and ReflectionsResourcesLearn more about the book Peak Teams – Mastering the Habit of Unstoppable Venture-backed Companies https://a.co/d/hp5JtnuVisit Collective Genius™ to Build Your Venture-backed Team with the Peak Operating System™ https://www.collective-genius.com/Music by Andrew Applepie https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie#TechScenes #WelcomeTech #ImmigrationTech #SocialImpact #AmirHemmat #SABEResPODER #HispanicCommunity #DigitalInclusion #PurposeDrivenBusiness #StartupLeadership #CollectiveGenius #PeakOperatingSystem #VentureBacked #DataDriven #ImmigrantExperience #JeffJamesMartin