Most entrepreneurs think success comes from having the perfect idea. Sam Eitzen believes it comes from something far less glamorous: learning to adapt before you have to.

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Sam Eitzen, Co-Founder and CEO of Snapbar, to discuss how a simple photo booth business evolved into an AI-powered experiential marketing platform serving more than 10,000 brands, including Microsoft, Google, and Toyota.

Sam shares the unfiltered story of building a bootstrapped company for more than a decade, surviving the collapse of the live events industry during COVID-19, making difficult pivots that nearly cost the company everything, and ultimately betting on artificial intelligence to build the next chapter of Snapbar.

Along the way, Mark and Sam explore why trust has become one of the most valuable currencies in business, how curiosity creates better leaders, what founders consistently get wrong about AI, and why the companies that embrace change will outperform those trying to preserve the past.

If you're an entrepreneur, business owner, founder, or leader navigating uncertainty, this conversation offers practical lessons on resilience, innovation, leadership, and building a company that's prepared for whatever comes next.

In this episode:

• Why Snapbar pivoted from photo booths to AI-powered experiences

• The brutal leadership lessons learned during COVID

• Why trust is your greatest competitive advantage

• How curiosity leads to better entrepreneurs

• The biggest misconceptions about artificial intelligence

• How to build a company culture that embraces change

• Why adaptability beats certainty in today's business landscape

• What non-tech companies need to understand about AI

• Leadership lessons from fourteen years of entrepreneurship

• Why playing the long game almost always wins

👍 Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and innovators who share the real stories behind building successful businesses.

📌 Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod
X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167

📌 Find Out More About Sam Eitzen & Snapbar:
www.snapbar.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-eitzen/

Most people think successful investors spend their time chasing the next big opportunity. Jacob Vanderslice believes the best investors do the exact opposite; they spend more time thinking about what could go wrong.

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Jacob Vanderslice, Principal and Co-Founder of VanWest Partners, to discuss the mindset, discipline, and decision-making behind successful real estate investing and long-term wealth creation.

Jacob shares how his career evolved from residential fix-and-flips to commercial real estate investing, why profitability always matters more than growth, and the framework his team uses to evaluate risk before investing millions of dollars.

The conversation explores everything from downside protection and responsible leverage to raising capital, market cycles, commercial real estate, AI-powered deal analysis, and the questions every investor should ask before writing a check.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, business owner, real estate investor, or someone looking to build wealth over time, this episode offers practical lessons on protecting capital, evaluating opportunities, and making smarter financial decisions.

In this episode:

• Why profitability beats growth every time

• The biggest mistakes investors make during good markets

• How professional investors evaluate risk before returns

• The transition from fix-and-flips to commercial real estate

• Why storage facilities became an attractive investment class

• Responsible leverage and debt management

• Cash flow versus IRR, and which matters more

• How AI is changing commercial real estate underwriting

• Why market cycles create opportunity for disciplined investors

• Building long-term wealth through conservative investing

If you're serious about entrepreneurship, investing, financial freedom, and building lasting wealth, this conversation is packed with practical insights you can apply immediately.

👍 Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, and innovators who share the real stories behind building successful businesses.

📌 Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod
X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167

📌 Find Out More About Jacob Vanderslice & VanWest Partners:
https://www.vanwestpartners.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-vanderslice-02905b16b/

Most entrepreneurs don't fail because they lack great ideas. They fail because they spend too much time working in their business instead of on it.

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Adam Spector, Founder and CEO of Chore, to discuss why delegation, hiring, communication, and leveraging AI have become essential skills for entrepreneurs who want to build companies that scale.

Adam shares lessons learned from building Chore, a business operations platform designed to help founders eliminate administrative bottlenecks and focus on high-value work. He explains why so many business owners become trapped by everyday tasks, how outsourcing can often outperform hiring, and why effective leadership begins with understanding your own strengths and weaknesses.

Mark and Adam also explore the rapidly changing role of artificial intelligence in business, practical ways entrepreneurs can integrate AI into their daily operations, and why the future belongs to founders who embrace technology rather than fear it.

Whether you're launching your first startup, growing a small business, or leading an established company, this conversation offers practical strategies for hiring smarter, communicating more effectively, and building systems that create long-term growth instead of constant overwhelm.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why founders get trapped doing low-value work
• The difference between hiring employees and outsourcing strategically
• How AI is transforming entrepreneurship and business operations
• Why communication is one of the most overlooked leadership skills
• Hiring slow, firing fast, and avoiding expensive hiring mistakes
• How successful entrepreneurs continue learning and adapting
• Why coaching can accelerate business growth
• The mindset required to build a scalable company
• Practical ways to automate repetitive business tasks
• Leadership lessons every entrepreneur should know before scaling

If you're an entrepreneur, founder, business owner, startup leader, or executive looking to build a business that doesn't depend entirely on you, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can implement immediately.

Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs, founders, CEOs, innovators, and business leaders who are building companies, creating jobs, and sharing the lessons they've learned along the way.

📌 Connect With Us:
Website: https://www.thenecessaryentrepreneur.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thenecessaryentrepreneur
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenecessaryentrepreneur/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryEntrepreneurPod
X (Formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/MPerkinsTNE
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tnepod/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tneclips
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6xhGUE1yzy2N0AemUOlJPx?si=d1c5c316af404f15
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/the-necessary-entrepreneur/id1547181167

📌 Find Out More About Adam Spector & Chore:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamspector2/
https://www.hirechore.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hirechore/