Welcome to The Founder Factor, where we’ll take you behind the scenes with South Carolina's most impactful entrepreneurs so that you can discover the strategies, ideas, and mindsets you need to unlock your next business breakthrough. Brought to you by Designli (South Carolina's top-rated app development firm) and Word of Web (your partner in website strategy and design ..read more

"We will never sacrifice a person for a dollar." Geoff Wasserman has lived by these words at The Brand Leader for over 24 years. In today's episode, Geoff shares his biggest inside tip to being a sucessful leader: stop guarding the door. For Geoff, this meant being financially tranparent with his staff and giving them permission to make mistakes, change roles, and leave when they are ready. Improving quality of life for a diverse staff community at work ultimately contributed to The Brand Leader's long standing success ..read more

Love and business aren't often mentioned in the same sentence. In this episode, Marty Osborn breaks down this stereotype, expressing the love he has for his employees, customers, and company. He reveals that cultivating a caring and considerate culture in the workplace is what ultimately drove the financial sucess of his businesses. In this episode, discover how stepping up as a successful, entrepreneurial leader means understanding who your employees are as individuals, and relinquishing control to let them grow ..read more

Some people are destined for jobs they never expected to have. With an accounting background, Brandy Amidon never thought she would be a co-president of a creative agency. But year after year, as the company grew, her skillset was just what it needed to adapt to an ever changing market. Amidon discusses her opinion on what being a leader means, how to stay calm and focused during times of change, and how to rely on others to make the whole team better ..read more

Many people unconsciously think about startups as a company selling a product... but what if you are selling your time and knowledge? Scaling a service company looks different than commodifying a product. Josh Tucker & Keith Shields of Designli chat through the pros, cons, and paths to growth they experienced while growing their software development business ..read more

When Nicole Johnson and her husband co-founded Boyd Cycling back in 2009, they had no idea it would become as successful as it is today. In this episode, Nicole dives into the importance of leveraging your network, the art of creating a work environment that people enjoy, and the resilience required to navigate big business challenges ..read more

Kenzie Biggins and her business, WorxBee, are living proof that not every company has to be a tech company to be successful and scale. In this episode, Kenzie shares her experiences with raising money as a services business and navigating the double standards she's faced as a black female founder. Additionally, she opens up about learning to leverage her dyslexia as a superpower and getting comfortable sitting in discomfort ..read more

Having worked with dozens of entrepreneurs throughout his career, Peter Micali has seen all of the peaks and valleys they experience. He even felt a few of them himself as the co-founder of a nutrition company in Boston. In today's episode, Peter offers advice on some of the most common challenges entrepreneurs experience – like finding the right mentors, overcoming imposter syndrome, and learning how to leverage your personal story ..read more

As one of the few women in venture-backed tech, Paige McPheely has worked hard to figure out how to stay authentic to who she is and what she cares about while also 'playing the game' effectively. In today's episode, we dig into how Paige has built her remote executive assistant business, Base, in a way that prioritizes 'being human' first. Plus, she offers some tips on fundraising and how to weather a potential recession ..read more

Scott Millwood knows his way around entrepreneurship: from founding several companies of his own to mentoring up-and-coming entrepreneurs through NEXT. Join us as we dig into Scott's perspective on what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and learn his tips on how to plug into South Carolina's entrepreneurial support network ..read more