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In this episode of The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur, host Juming Delmas takes on a leadership label that is often treated like an insult: being a “hard ass.”

Juming argues that demanding people are not always cruel, unreasonable, or impossible to work with. In many high-performance environments, the person who refuses to lower the standard may be the same person pushing a team, athlete, employee, or entrepreneur toward a level they would not have reached on their own.

The conversation explores what a healthy hard ass actually looks like. According to Juming, strong leaders hold the line when excuses, discomfort, and temporary emotions threaten the bigger goal. They care enough to correct people, expect follow-through, and remain willing to be disliked in the moment when the long-term result is growth.

But the episode also draws a necessary line between demanding leadership and toxic behavior. A healthy hard ass pushes people because they believe in their potential and care about the outcome. A toxic hard ass uses pressure to control, embarrass, dominate, or break people down. Juming makes it clear that being demanding does not require constant yelling, public humiliation, disrespect, or emotional coldness.

Using Kobe Bryant and the “Mamba Mentality” as a central example, Juming examines how elite standards can sharpen the people around a high performer. Bryant’s intensity forced teammates to confront whether they were truly committed to the goal or simply attracted to the idea of success. His approach was not comfortable, but comfort was never the standard.

The episode also looks at what people can gain from learning to function under demanding leadership. Those who can receive correction without collapsing often develop thicker skin, greater discipline, better emotional control, and the ability to perform when pressure is high. In that sense, hard leaders naturally separate people who are serious about growth from those who only want encouragement without accountability.

For leaders, the final lesson is not to become softer or abandon high standards. It is to sharpen the way those standards are communicated. Strong leadership should challenge people without degrading them, build resilience without destroying confidence, and create better performers rather than frightened followers.

This episode is for entrepreneurs, coaches, managers, athletes, and anyone trying to understand the difference between accountability and control. It asks a hard but important question: are demanding people holding you back, or are they refusing to let you remain below your potential?

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In this episode of The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur, host Juming Delmas sits down with Cidney Green, an author, phone sex operator, trainer, and adult-industry entrepreneur, for a candid conversation about making money in unconventional spaces, building a business from lived experience, and challenging the social rules many people take for granted.

Cidney shares how she entered the world of professional phone sex at 21 and eventually turned her experience into a training and certification business for others interested in the industry. She discusses the business side of phone-based adult entertainment, including income potential, customer psychology, performance, character work, and why she sees the industry as more resilient than many traditional career paths.

The conversation also explores the performance aspect of the work, including Cidney’s use of a “secret voice” and character-based interactions with clients. Juming and Cidney discuss how fantasy, confidence, communication, and emotional intelligence all play a role in what outsiders may misunderstand as a simple or one-dimensional business.

From there, the episode moves into a deeper philosophical conversation about monogamy, polyamory, religion, emotional regulation, and human nature. Cidney challenges the idea that monogamy is the natural default for everyone, arguing that many relationship structures are shaped by history, culture, and social expectations. She also explains her view of polyamory, “organic monogamy,” and why nontraditional relationships require a high level of honesty, vulnerability, and communication.

Juming and Cidney also debate whether people can control their feelings. While they acknowledge that emotional reactions can be automatic, Cidney makes the case that people can do the inner work needed to understand triggers, regulate themselves, and change long-term emotional patterns.

This episode is a bold, unconventional conversation about adult-industry entrepreneurship, personal freedom, relationship structures, trauma, communication, and what it really means to build a business outside the lines.

Listener discretion advised: this episode includes mature themes and adult-industry discussion.

Connect with Cidney Green on Instagram at @CidneyGreen or visit allthreeandme.com.
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In this episode of The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur Podcast, host Juming Delmas sits down with Leah Williams, a pitch deck strategist and designer, for a real conversation about what it actually takes to pitch investors.

This episode strips away the glamor around venture capital and angel investing and gets into the harder truth: investors are not funding dreams, ideas, or excitement alone. They want proof. Leah breaks down why founders need traction, paying customers, a working beta, and a clear understanding of their business before approaching serious capital.

Juming and Leah also explore the different types of pitch decks entrepreneurs need to understand, including teaser decks, reading decks, and presentation decks. Leah explains how each one serves a different purpose, from getting the first meeting to supporting a deeper investor review to guiding a live pitch. For founders who think one generic deck is enough, this episode delivers a much-needed wake-up call.

The conversation also gets practical about the cost of creating a professional pitch deck. Leah explains why founders should expect to invest real money into the process, with professional decks ranging from around $1,500 to $12,500 depending on the startup’s stage, complexity, and funding goals. The episode also touches on the importance of speaking the language investors expect, including financial structure, market opportunity, growth potential, and the kind of clarity venture capitalists are trained to look for.

Another major theme is timing. Leah and Juming discuss why early-stage founders should not rush into investor conversations before they are ready. Instead, they talk about when to bootstrap, when to rely on friends and family, and how accelerators, incubators, and local support programs can help founders prepare for larger funding opportunities.

This episode is a blueprint for entrepreneurs who want to raise capital the right way. Whether you are building your first startup, preparing for a seed round, or trying to understand what investors actually want to see, this conversation gives founders a clearer picture of the mud, pressure, preparation, and discipline behind pitching for funding.

Connect with Leah Williams at leahcatherine.com.
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In this episode of The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur, Juming Delmas sits down with Dr. Matthew Zaideman for a candid conversation about business ownership, masculinity, grit, and what it really takes to lead when pressure hits.

Dr. Zaideman shares that his path into ownership was never random or rushed. Rather than starting from scratch, he spent five years working inside the practice he would eventually buy, intentionally studying both the clinical side and the operational side so he could learn what worked, what did not, and what mistakes he wanted to avoid when the business became his. That long-term mindset set the stage for a transition into ownership that was strategic, patient, and deeply intentional.

The episode goes beyond business mechanics. Shortly before buying the practice in 2017, Dr. Zaideman’s son was diagnosed with autism, and that moment transformed his motivation. What had once been a goal of ownership became something much bigger — a mission. He talks about how that diagnosis reshaped the way he saw his work, his future, and the type of foundation he wanted to build, not just for his business, but for his family and the people he hoped to help.

Juming and Dr. Zaideman also dig into what separates true entrepreneurs from people who panic when circumstances shift. They talk about the “automatic” instinct that business owners need — the ability to adapt, survive, and problem-solve without freezing when something goes wrong. Dr. Zaideman reflects on how that mindset helped him navigate the uncertainty of 2020, when he quickly pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering antibody testing after his normal chiropractic schedule dropped off. It becomes one of the clearest examples in the episode of what entrepreneurial grit looks like in real time.

A major focus of the conversation is the evolution from being the business to actually building a business. Dr. Zaideman explains how he worked to stop being “the product” by expanding services beyond himself, bringing in massage therapy and health coaching so the company could continue operating and serving clients even when he was not physically present. That leads into a broader discussion about the role of a CEO — not as the star player doing everything alone, but as the strategist who builds the team, sees the whole field, and empowers the right people to do their jobs well.

The episode also offers strong insight into hiring, accountability, and leadership. Dr. Zaideman speaks honestly about the cost of holding on to underperforming employees and why avoiding difficult decisions can hurt the entire team.

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Oprah signed a nine-figure deal with Amazon. Joe Rogan crossed $250 million. Alex Cooper closed $125 million. And you're still calling your podcast a hobby.

Juming Delmas gets on the mic and says what most business coaches won't. Your podcast isn't failing because of your gear, your budget, or your schedule. It's failing because you're using all three as reasons not to start. Perfectionism isn't a standard. It's fear with a better PR team.

Here's what nobody wants to admit: podcasting is the new website, the new email list, the new cold call except it scales, builds trust while you sleep, and the biggest names in media are already cashing in. They didn't wait until it felt right. They built something and let the results do the talking.

Stop recording content. Start building a show. Get a team. Have a plan. Treat your podcast like the business asset it actually is, or keep watching other people cash the checks you could have had.

The perfect time was last year. The second best time is now.

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In this episode of The Untraditional Entrepreneur, the conversation gets unusually candid as Juming Delmas sits down with entrepreneur Calvin Beauford, founder of Freakypreneur Cigars, for a discussion that blends business strategy, personal controversy, branding, and lifestyle choices. Calvin shares the story behind building his cigar company, which has been operating for about a year, and explains his focus on small-batch, boutique, hand-rolled, Black-owned branded cigars as he works toward launching the brand’s online store.

A major part of the episode centers on the tension between personal identity and business image. Calvin defends the name Freakypreneur as a bold, memorable hybrid brand that sparks curiosity and stands out, while the host questions whether the name could limit the company’s reach or turn off potential customers who do not connect with that image. That back-and-forth turns into a broader conversation about what founders should build around: mass-market appeal, or a brand voice that feels true to who they really are.

The episode also gets deeply personal as Calvin talks about his marijuana use and the role it has played in his life after stepping away from heavy alcohol consumption. He explains that after being diagnosed with severe fatty liver and possible cirrhosis, he increased his marijuana use as part of moving away from drinking. That makes this episode less of a standard founder interview and more of a raw discussion about coping, health decisions, entrepreneurship, and the messy ways personal habits can shape business identity.

Taken together, the conversation becomes an honest look at how entrepreneurs make sense of controversial choices while still trying to grow something meaningful. It is about risk, reinvention, public perception, and whether a founder’s personal reality should be separated from the brand or fully woven into it. For listeners interested in startup culture, niche products, founder branding, and unfiltered entrepreneurship conversations, this episode definitely gives plenty to think about.

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In this episode of The Un-Traditional Entrepreneur, Juming Delmas sits down with entrepreneur Kenneth Alexander for a thoughtful and sometimes intense conversation about business, personal success, and the mindset it takes to keep evolving. Kenneth shares his journey from working in corporate America while building multiple side businesses to owning ventures that ranged from a hair salon and an award-winning restaurant to his current barbecue food truck, catering business, and work as an author, writer, and speaker.

Kenneth opens up about the hard lessons that came with entrepreneurship, including why he shut down a hair care brand after taking controlling interest in it and how a product line that was too broad made it difficult to compete with major beauty companies without serious capital. He also explains why he sees some of his closed businesses as successes, not failures, because they fulfilled the deeper purpose he had for them — from helping family members to creating opportunities and experience for the next generation.

A major theme of this episode is how entrepreneurs define success for themselves. Kenneth challenges the idea that every business must be judged only by growth, scale, or longevity. He talks about intentionally stepping away from a thriving restaurant because he no longer wanted the full-time demands of brick-and-mortar ownership, and why shifting to a barbecue food truck and prepaid catering model gave him better margins, lower overhead, and more control over his time.

The episode also dives into a bigger philosophical debate: is competition natural, or is it something society teaches us? Kenneth argues that too many entrepreneurs operate from a scarcity mindset, while Juming pushes the view that competition is built into human nature. The result is a compelling conversation about business identity, innovation, ego, and what “healthy competition” really looks like in entrepreneurship.

This episode is for entrepreneurs, side hustlers, creators, and business owners trying to figure out how to build something meaningful on their own terms — and how to know when a pivot is not a loss, but the next right move.

#Entrepreneurship #SideHustle #SmallBusiness #FoodTruckBusiness #CateringBusiness #BusinessStrategy #EntrepreneurMindset #AbundanceMindset #Competition #BusinessGrowth

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