From Spark to New Venture
From Spark to New Venture is a student-driven podcast from the University of Mary Washington (UMW), where undergraduates share the stories of entrepreneurs and their journeys from idea to venture. Each episode uncovers the sparks of inspiration, the challenges they faced, and the mindsets that helped them overcome obstacles in their journey. The goal of this podcast is to inspire students to learn entrepreneurial mindsets and bring them into everyday lives, taking action and learning from every step along the way.
Episodes
35 episodes
Mariah Corkhill - The Freedom from Corporate to Entrepreneur
This episode explores Mariah Corkhill’s journey as an entrepreneur and the experiences that shaped her approach to building a business. Throughout the conversation, Mariah discusses what motivated her to pursue entrepreneurship, the challenges ...
Henry Ford - From Dirt to Drive
Before Henry Ford changed how the world builds things, he failed twice. This episode follows Ford from a Michigan farm boy who took watches apart to see how they worked to the engineer whose first two car companies fell apart. On his third try ...
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Charlotte Fandey-- Do It Like Only You Can
In this podcast episode I speak with Charlotte Fandey, co-owner of Feeling Better Together (FBT). First, we discuss what her company does, and how it stands out in the healthcare market, both in terms of their range of offerings and in their tr...
Max Sieplinga-From a College Dorm Room Side Hustle to All 32 NHL Locker Rooms
In this episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Max Sieplinga, the founder and CEO of Howies Hockey Tape. During his time playing collegiate hockey at Calvin University, Max grew constantly frustrated by low-quality tape that peeled ...
Elon Musk-From PayPal Success to Revolutionizing Tesla and SpaceX
In this raw episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Elon Musk and how he became one of the most influential figures in technology and business. We discuss his early success with companies like Zip2 and PayPal, which helped fund his f...
Raed Hammad-From busboy to CEO
In this podcast, we sit down with Raed Hammad to explore the journey behind his career and the creation of MAGNUS. Raed shares his experiences as an entrepreneur, the challenges he faced while building his company, and the lessons that shaped h...
Phil Knight - The chaotic rise of Nike
Before Nike ever achieved its worldwide success, it was a chaotic and messy enterprise founded by an accountant who was in way too deep. In 1962, Phil Knight, an ex-track runner from the University of Oregon, finessed his way into a deal with O...
Devin Robinson-Sentenced at 18, self made by 25
Devin Robinson went to prison at 18 and served five years. He came home with no degree, no capital, and a record. Today he runs two marketing agencies: RevvedPro, serving auto shops in the window tint and paint protection film space, and RYZN S...
Bill Gates- From College Student to Building Microsoft
In this episode, I talk about Bill Gates and how he went from being a college student who loved computers to becoming the co-founder of Microsoft. I explain how he and Paul Allen saw an opportunity when personal computers were starting to becom...
Ladwyina "Lady" Walls- A Business Built on Strength, Trust, and Pixie Dust
LaDwyina “Lady” Walls is the founder and executive director of Lady’s Care Solutions LLC, a faith-based, non-medical personal care agency. With a bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration and extensive leadership experience, Walls created ...
Tim Keough - Beyond One Business
Our podcast explores the entrepreneurial journey of Tim Keough, a multi-business owner with a strong focus on the technology industry. In this episode, Tim discusses his background, the businesses he has built, and what it takes to turn an idea...
Karen Laughlin--From Client Side Marketer to CEO of LMO Advertising
In this episode, hosts Sadie and Ava explore the career journey of Karen Laughlin, CEO of LMO Advertising, a full service marketing and communications agency based in Arlington, Virginia known for its purpose-driven work in military recruiting,...
Deandre Burnette--From Apprentice to Entrepreneur
In this episode, I talk about the entrepreneurial journey of Deandre “Dre” Burnette, who owns a Design Pro Remodeling franchise in Northern Virginia. Dre explains how working as an apprentice under “Papa George” helped him learn not only how to...
Jensen Huang--From Denny’s to the AI Revolution
In this podcast, Alex and Tyler explore the life and career of Jensen Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA. Born in Taiwan, Huang came to the United States as a child and eventually studied electrical engineering before helping start NVIDIA ...
Steve Jobs--The Rise of Steve Jobs and Apple
In this episode, I will be talking about Steve Jobs and his journey as an entrepreneur. Steve Jobs is known for co-founding Apple and helping create products that changed the technology industry. I chose his story because I think it shows how h...
Walt Disney--Drawings come to Life
In this episode of Dream, Believe, Create, Lucas and Miguel explore the inspiring entrepreneurial journey of Walt Disney, from his early passion for drawing and storytelling to the creation of one of the world's most influential entertainment c...
JV Skinner-All about Buzz
In this episode of our podcast, we interview JV Skinner, the owner of It’s All About the Buzz, a small honey bee business. JV explains how beekeeping started as a hobby and eventually became a successful side business after he retired from a 28...
Valetta Bertrand: From Opportunity to Multiple Business Ventures
This episode explores the entrepreneurial journey of Valetta Bertrand. Valetta is a family member of mine and the current CEO of Diamonds Management Group, a Black and Woman-owned construction support company. In this conversation, she shares h...
Jeff Bezos: From Wall Street to Worldwide
In this episode, we explore the entrepreneurial journey of Jeff Bezos and how he turned a simple idea into Amazon, one of the most influential companies in the world. Starting with a stable job on Wall Street, Bezos took a major risk after reco...
Alex Hormozi: The $200M Man Who Makes Millionares
Join us as hosts Emmanuel Yibass, Michael Insetta, and Michael Alvarez dive into another entrepreneurs’ upbringing, life, and businesses, and in this podcast episode. Today, we dive deep into the story of the popular and wildly successful entre...
Jimmy Donaldson: The rise to fame of Mr. Beast
MrBeast didn't blow up overnight. This episode breaks down exactly how Jimmy Donaldson grinded his way from nobody to the biggest creator on YouTube. Years of testing, failing, scrapping ideas, and going again. No luck. No shortcuts. Just obses...
James Beazley: The Making of Magic Tint
This episode is about the solopreneur James Beazley, and how he was able to start and manage his own tinting business. In this episode we discussed how to approach a business with an entrepreneurial mindset and how to truly enjoy yourself in th...
Eder Garcia: Building Guapos Cutz from Skill to Business
This episode features a conversation with Eder Garcia, the entrepreneur behind Guapos Cutz, who shares how he got started in the barbering industry and built his business over time. He explains the importance of consistency, improving skills, a...
Ralph Lauren : Rags to Riches
Born Ralph Lifshitz in a working-class Bronx apartment, Ralph Lauren grew up sharing a bedroom with his two brothers and escaping poverty through movie theater fantasies of Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. Bullied for his immigrant name, he changed ...
