Episodes
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Charting Success & Navigating the Tides of Entrepreneurship with Robert Johnstone
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Thursday Jul 06, 2023
Welcome to The En Factor! Today, I am privileged to host a true maverick, Robert "Bob" Johnstone. Bob’s journey isn’t just a tale of sailing or business, but the story of an entrepreneurial spirit that's guided him across the seas and through the realms of innovation. From learning to sail at two years old, to co-founding the internationally recognized J/Boats and MJM Yachts, he’s always had an unyielding desire to chart new territories.
These entrepreneurial waters led him to pen "Maverick Marketer", a captivating memoir fusing together tales of sailing, love, and entrepreneurship. Through the lens of his entrepreneurial mindset, Bob shares how passion and persistence can lead to incredible breakthroughs. The lessons he's learned from building over 14,000 boats, earning 20+ 'Boat of the Year' awards, and being inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame are truly invaluable.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, an avid sailor, or just someone who loves a good success story, Bob is here to inspire and encourage you to navigate your own entrepreneurial journey with confidence. Let's set sail into the conversation!
Keywords: Boating, Sailing, Innovating, Vision, Consumer Research, Value, Distribution, Networking
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Shifting Your Mission with Andres Klaric
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
Thursday Jun 29, 2023
My guest on today’s episode of The En Factor is Andres Klaric. Andres is the co-founder of Fuse Finance, a next-generation loan origination software that builds custom workflows and integrations without compromising scalability and security. Prior to starting Fuse Finance with his former Harvard Business School MBA classmate, Andres worked as an analyst, associate, and VP for Murdrick Capital, Crescent Capital Group, and H.I.G. Capital. Timing and experience played a significant role in creating the opportunity for Andreas to take the leap from the corporate finance world to business founder and pursue his mission of creating value for others. In our conversation, Andres shares how working in auto sales as a teenager, the pandemic, the economy, and listening to feedback from the market came together to provide his pathway to entrepreneurship.
Keywords: Sales, Finance, B2C, B2B, Mission, Empathy, Rejection, Trust, Respect, Mentor
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Ira Kaganovsky Green, is the founder and owner of Free Brands Inc. Inspired by her 3 friends who were diagnosed with breast cancer and were told to switch to natural products, Ira got to work in her kitchen to create a line of natural cosmetics for her friends. Since then, the brand grew significantly and is now offered in over 300 spas across the United States.
Key Words: Opportunity Recognition, Sales, Pivoting, Parenting as an Entrepreneur.
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Thursday Jun 15, 2023
Sandy Yawn is best known as Captain Sandy. Sandy is a renowned superyacht captain with over 30 years of international maritime experience. In addition to being an established and respected captain, she is also the series lead on Bravo’s hit show, Below Deck Mediterranean. Sandy is one of only a handful of female leaders in her industry and is paving the way for women in the boating space. Throughout her life, Sandy has displayed incredible resilience and excellence as she became a female role model and rose to the top of her industry.
Key Words - Leadership, women in leadership, maritime industry, resilience, brand building
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Always Take the Meeting with Executive Director of Tampa Bay Tech, Meghan O’Keefe
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Thursday Jun 08, 2023
Welcome to The En Factor, conversations with entrepreneurs. I’m Rebecca White and my guest on today’s episode is Executive Director of Tampa Bay Tech, Meghan O’Keefe. Meghan graduated with a B.A. in Communications from John Carroll University, where she played competitive soccer all four years. Since then, she has worked in a variety of industries before joining the non-profit sector at Tampa Bay Tech, whose mission is to radically connect the tech community in Tampa Bay. On top of all that Meghan enjoys spending time with organizations like Where Love Grows, Truth North Society and Masterminds Tampa Bay. We can’t wait to hear her entrepreneurial journey on The En Factor.
Keywords: Innovative Thinking, Tech Community, Tech Ecosystem, Talent, Women, Failures, Networking
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
There’s No Safe Journey in Entrepreneurship with Brooke Evans
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Thursday Jun 01, 2023
Welcome to The En Factor, conversations with entrepreneurs. I’m Rebecca White and my guest on today’s episode is Brooke Evans. After graduating from Florida State University, Brooke began her career in public accounting. Since then, has amassed about 20 years of progressive financial management experience. She is committed to the Tampa community and serves on a variety of organizations including the Florida Funders Investment Committee, ACG Tampa Bay’s Board of Directors, and previously as the Chairperson of Tampa Bay Technology Forum (TBTF). Brooke is driven by her desire to help others around her succeed and applies her knowledge and vast experience as the CEO of CFO Alliance, an outsourced CFO and professional consulting firm, where they believe, “it takes an entrepreneur to understand one.” We can’t wait to hear her entrepreneurial journey on The En Factor.
Keywords: Accounting, Spouse, Support, Resilience, Servant-Mentality, Sales, Serendipity, Valuation
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Mastering Public Speaking with Brenden Kumarasamy
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Brenden is a public speaking coach, the founder and president of MasterTalk, and is passionate about helping people build confidence through the development of public speaking skills. Leaning into his mission to serve others, Brenden developed a track record that proved critical to his ability to launch MasterTalk as a corporate training company. Listen in to hear how serendipity and an industry expert, who later became his mentor and business partner, helped him recognize the opportunity to turn his side hustle into a successful business.
Keywords: Public Speaking, Born Entrepreprenur, Culture, Trust, Coaching, 520 Rule, QIT, Fear
Thursday May 18, 2023
Diving into the Boating Industry with Veteran Matthew Nauss
Thursday May 18, 2023
Thursday May 18, 2023
Welcome to The En Factor, conversations with entrepreneurs. I’m Rebecca White and my guest on today’s episode is Matthew Nauss. Matthew has a B.S. in Entrepreneurship from the University of Tampa where he started fostering his entrepreneurial mindset right here in the Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. Since then, he has founded companies such as Hussar Yachts, Dolomites Consulting, My City Co-work and is currently the marketing director at GNP development partners LLC. He lends his expertise and continues to help businesses build their brands for over a decade. We can’t wait to hear his stumbles, struggles, and successes on this episode of The En Factor.
Keywords- Boating, Entrepreneur Center, Network, Pandemic, Yachts, Boat-Shows, Supply Chain, Army
Thursday May 11, 2023
From Risk-Taking to Resilience with Enrico Casati
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Welcome to the En Factor, conversations with entrepreneurs who started, stumbled, and succeeded. I’m Rebecca White and today I am talking with Italian entrepreneur, Enrico Casati. Enrico studied at top business schools in Milan, Shanghai, and the United States. However, in 2012, Enrico and his partner embarked on an ambitious entrepreneurial journey with the in founding of Velasca, a high-quality men’s shoe brand, that in his words, ended up teaching him most of his professional and personal life lessons. Today, the company has evolved from building an online men’s shoe brand to adding high-end fashions for men and shoes and accessories for women sold online and in retail stores throughout Italy and in major cities around the world, including New York. In this episode, Enrico shares valuable lessons about building, funding, and staying the course on this amazing 10-year journey from startup to successful fashion house.
Keywords: Startup, Fashion, Partner, Values, Investors, Connections, Risk, Covid-19, Reflection
Thursday May 04, 2023
Innovative Opportunity in a Traditional Industry with Jonathan Tavarez
Thursday May 04, 2023
Thursday May 04, 2023
Welcome to the En Factor, conversations with entrepreneurs. I’m Rebecca White and my guest on today’s episode is Jonathan Tavarez. Having graduated from the University of South Florida, with a B.S. in management and marketing, Jonathan is now a staple in the business community in the greater Tampa Bay area. He is the founder of several companies such as Pro-Housekeepers, Harmony by Pro-Housekeeprs, and Germaphobix. Jonathan is also the co-founder of Masterminds Tampa Bay, a group for founders and marketers with the intention of bringing like minds and go-getters together in a laid-back community, compared to more traditional and formal styles of networking. We can’t wait to hear more about his journey into entrepreneurship on this episode of The En Factor.
Keywords- Contractor, Talent, High quality, Challenges, Pandemic, Business Model, Patience, AI, Learning