No Trade Secrets
Everyone sees the most visible part of a founder’s journey: the outcome. But the truth is that few understand the mindset, pressure, and discipline behind it.
This podcast explores the deeper system behind business and life. The beliefs, habits, and decisions that shape growth long before the numbers appear.
Through thoughtful conversations, Jarome McKenzie sits down with founders, operators, and thinkers who have built meaningful things. Together they explore the moments that shaped them, the pressure that forged their discipline, and the mindset behind their success.
Jarome approaches each episode as both a builder and a student. He learns alongside the audience while weaving each guest’s insights into the frameworks he uses with founders and leaders.
The result is an honest exploration of business, leadership, and intentional living. A look at how great builders think, make decisions, and design lives that matter.
Episodes
62 episodes
From Karachi to CEO: The Power of Partnership and AI w/ Umer Khan - Ep. 59
What does it take to leave a cushy job at Uber and build an AI company from the ground up with your childhood friends? For Umer Khan, it started with the “figure it out” mindset forged as an 18-year-old immigrant from Pakistan. He unpacks the r...
Fixing Toxic Culture, Hiring for Keeps, and Leading the 95% w/ Kyle Patrick Smith - Ep. 58
Is HR just the principal's office for adults? Kyle Patrick Smith, a 25-year HR veteran, is here to dismantle that myth. He reveals why culture isn't about mission statements on a wall but a direct reflection of leadership’s true attitude toward...
Forging Mental Calluses, Exposing Industry Lies, and Winning the Long Game w/ Joe Wagner - Ep. 57
What does finishing a 30-mile Spartan Ultra race have in common with building a multi-million-dollar business? According to Joe Wagner, everything. Joe unpacks the raw, "excuseless" mindset required to push past the "inner bitch" that tells you...
How to Engage All 3 Brains and Master Your Second Act w/ Joya Dass - Ep. 56
From a 27-year career as a TV news anchor on the floor of the NYSE to leading storytelling immersions abroad, Joya Dass has mastered the art of captivating an audience. In this episode, Joya unpacks why our attention spans have plummeted to jus...
Building a Dog Paradise and Why Humans Need Training Too w/ Aaron Wurth - Ep. 55
What can dog training teach you about leadership? Aaron Wurth, founder of All Dogs Unleashed KC, turned his passion into a "dog paradise" by rejecting cold commercial properties and building a business on trust and intention. He reveals how a d...
Selling an Experience (Not Just a Cake) and The Power of Pivoting w/ Andrea Reed - Ep. 54
What happens when you're faced with choosing between a demanding medical career and being present for your family? Andrea Reed, founder of SweetCakes, chose to turn her passion into a luxury wedding cake business built on an unforgettable custo...
How to Franchise a Mission-Driven Business and Bet on Yourself w/ Alex DeBiase - Ep. 53
What does it take to walk away from a successful 20-year corporate career and bet on yourself? Alex DeBiase did just that, leaving the “golden handcuffs” of medical sales to help franchise his wife’s mobile children’s fitness business. In this ...
Leaders Eat Last: The Franchise Growth Model Built on Internal Promotion w/ Carlos Lopez (Part 2) - Ep. 52
Welcome back to the playbook! We’re diving back in with Carlos Lopez, the visionary leader behind the rapidly expanding Tropical Juice Bar. In PART ONE, Carlos shared his powerful immigrant story and the foundational principles that got the bus...
The Immigrant's Drive, Starting with a Single Blender, and Leading Yourself First w/ Carlos Lopez (Part 1) - Ep. 51
Carlos Lopez, co-founder of Tropical Juice Bar, arrived in the US from the Dominican Republic at age 12, trading his familiar bubble for the "bright lights" of the unknown. That foundational experience forged a fearlessness that he and his brot...
Scaling a New Education Model & Mastering Communication w/ Malekai Mischke (Part 2) - Ep. 50
Welcome back to the playbook! We’re diving back in with Malekai Mischke, founder of Texas Sports Academy. In PART ONE, Malekai broke down the mission to fuse elite athletics with AI-powered academics. In PART TWO, we shift from the ‘why’ to the...
The 2-Hour School Day & Building an AI-Powered Sports Academy w/ Malekai Mischke (Part 1) - Ep. 49
What if students could achieve twice the learning in just two hours a day, freeing them up to pursue their athletic passions at an elite level? That’s not a hypothetical—it’s the reality Malekai Mischke is building as the co-founder of Texas Sp...
How World-Class Hardware Gets Built & Why Your Word is Your Bond w/ Michael De Santis (Part 2) - Ep. 48
Welcome back to No Trade Secrets! We're jumping back in with product visionary Michael De Santis. In PART ONE, Michael unpacked the current state of product development and the mindset required to build what’s next.In PART TWO, we're tur...
Why Generalists Win, Deconstructing Great Ideas, and Building Hardware in the Age of AI w/ Michael De Santis (Part 1) - Ep. 47
What does it take to go from Chief of Staff to CEO in just a few years? And in a world being eaten by AI, where is the real, defensible opportunity for builders? We’re joined by Michael De Santis, CEO of the product development and incubation s...
What Season Are You In? - Ep. 46
So much of a founder's frustration stems from a fundamental misalignment: expecting a harvest when you're in a planting season. In this debrief, Jarome unpacks the critical system of "seasons" in business and life, revealing that every period h...
Why Your Best Ideas Happen Outside of Work w/ Michael Casciello (Part 2) - Ep. 46
Welcome back to No Trade Secrets! We're thrilled to have entrepreneur Michael C. back in the studio. In PART ONE, Michael laid the foundation of his private chef empire, detailing the "why" behind his vision. In PART TWO, we shift from the 'why...
From Produce Stand to Tech Platform: Scaling a Hospitality Revolution w/ Michael Casciello (Part 1) - Ep. 45
From a rinky-dink produce stand at age 14 to building a nationwide chef platform, Michael Casciello’s journey was fueled by a simple desire: to create a better way. After experiencing the brutal hours and physical toll of the traditional restau...
From House Flips to a 7-Figure Agency: The Power of Action and Asymmetrical Bets w/ Bill Hynes (Part 3) - Ep. 44
Welcome back to the finale with Bill Hynes, the visionary CEO of Think Loud Studios. In PART THREE, we pivot from the foundational mindset shifts of the past to the hard-hitting mechanics of execution. While the first two parts laid the groundw...
A Hand Up, Not a Handout: Building Multi-Generational Success and a Bulletproof Team w/ Bill Hynes (Part 2) - Ep. 43
Welcome back to another installment with the unstoppable force, Bill Hynes. While PART ONE laid the foundation of the mindset that fuels his relentless drive, PART TWO shifts from principles to practice. We're getting into the mechanics of buil...
Letting Your Vision Unfold: Why "Just Get to Tomorrow" Beats Any 5-Year Plan w/ Bill Hynes (Part 1) - Ep. 42
Bill Hynes is a professional race car driver, entrepreneur, investor, and Army veteran who lives life at full throttle. But his journey didn’t start in the fast lane—it began in poverty, fueled by a relentless drive to simply make it to the nex...
My Journey: A Special Episode - Ep. 42
Most founders' stories focus on the business, but what about the internal system that shapes the founder? In this special solo episode, Jarome McKenzie pulls back the curtain on his own unconventional path, from a spontaneous move from New Zeal...
The Founder's Two Minds: Balancing Irrational Fuel and Rational Decisions w/ Oscar Rachmansky (Part 3) - Ep. 41
Welcome back to the finale of our series with Oscar Rachmansky, the 24-year-old founder of a $60M wholesale empire. In PART THREE, we pivot from the tactical foundation of building a massive business to the deep, internal work required to lead ...
The Shopify + Amazon for Wholesale: Vision, Execution, and Bootstrapped Growth w/ Oscar Rachmansky (Part 2) - Ep. 40
Welcome back to the "No Trade Secrets" playbook for PART TWO with Oscar Rachmansky, founder of a nearly $60 million bootstrapped powerhouse. In PART ONE, we unpacked the mindset needed to survive the early days. In PART TWO, we shift from the f...
From Sneaker Flips to a $60M Empire: The Bootstrapper's Playbook w/ Oscar Rachmansky (Part 1) - Ep. 39
What starts as a teenage side hustle flipping sneakers on Instagram rarely turns into a $60 million, bootstrapped enterprise. But for Oscar Rachmansky, founder of OS Group, that's exactly what happened. He saw the chaotic, under-the-hood B2B wo...
Intentionality Beats Convenience - Ep. 38
The easiest decision is rarely the right one, yet countless founders allow convenience to become their default strategy. Inspired by a conversation on the misaligned incentives of food delivery platforms, this debrief explores the dangerous tra...
Your Why is Your Freedom: Building a Business Around Your Life, Not the Other Way Around w/ Andrew Martino (Part 3) - Ep. 37
Welcome back to the powerful conclusion of our deep dive with Andrew Martino. In PART THREE, we shift from the tactical frameworks of building a new-wave hospitality business to the deep, personal "why" that fuels the entire entrepreneurial eng...
