Fervent Four

Hosted by Zack Miller, Tim Ryan

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325

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Fervent Four goes inside the decisions, risks, failures and breakthroughs behind the people building what's next. Each week, Zack Miller and Tim Ryan sit down with entrepreneurs, executives, investors and industry leaders to unpack how businesses are built, how big bets get made and what it really takes to lead through uncertainty. From billion-dollar companies and emerging technologies to AI, healthcare, consumer brands, manufacturing and more, Fervent Four finds the business stories worth knowing — and the lessons behind them. New episodes every Tuesday.

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60 recent

June 2, 202655 min

How to Build a Business That Lasts for Decades

What does it really take to build a business that lasts for decades? Building an agency or service-based business is not just about landing the first client. It is about hiring the right people, delivering consistently, earning trust, surviving hard seasons, and making decisions that protect the company long after the excitement of launch wears off. In this episode of the Fervent Four Show, Tony Cortinas, president and cofounder of Marathon Consulting, shares what he has learned from building a Hampton Roads technology consulting company that has lasted 20 years. The conversation covers Marathon's early leap of faith, the story behind the company's name, the discipline it took to grow without sacrificing quality, and why people, culture, and client relationships have remained central to the company's success. Marathon Consulting was also named to the first group of 20 companies selected for the IHR200, Innovate Hampton Roads' curated list of the 200 most important privately owned, growth-scalable businesses in the region. https://marathonus.com/ Watch the full conversation to hear what building a lasting business really looks like, and why endurance may be one of the most underrated forms of business success. Learn more about the Fervent Four Show: https://www.innovate757.org/ferventfour/ (0:00) Building relationships, starting the business, and launching before the Great Recession (2:04) Managing time between company building and client work (2:43) History and background of Metro Information Services and Keene (4:52) Phased approach to launching the company (7:04) Initial funding and relationship with Town Bank (7:29) Company growth and employee numbers (10:17) Origin of the Marathon name and logo (13:49) Community involvement and support (18:06) Influence of Metro and Keene on company culture (19:26) Multi-step interview process and hiring standards (22:13) Key qualities sought in potential hires (23:48) Transitioning from client-facing roles and rewriting old systems (25:32) The impact of AI and automation on consulting (29:57) Predictions on AI's effect on jobs and consulting (32:50) Evolution of Marathon Consulting's partnership structure (38:28) Opening an office in Richmond: Challenges and strategies (44:47) Future plans for geographic expansion and service offerings (46:37) Overcoming growth plateaus and breaking through employee milestones (48:27) Scaling challenges with growing teams (49:35) Transition from small to large team dynamics (50:10) The importance of food in company culture (51:34) Returning to the office post-pandemic (52:10) Reflecting on two decades of business growth (53:18) Employee retention and long-term staff (54:16) Future branding and company milestones (55:16) Episode wrap-up and final thoughts

May 19, 202659 min

Former Navy SEAL on Why Starting a Business Was Harder Than SEAL Training

Former Navy SEAL and Neptune Shield CEO Nicholas Rocha joins The Fervent Four Show to talk about military service, entrepreneurship, veteran transition, mental health, and why building a company can be harder than elite military training. After 26 years in the Navy, nine combat deployments, and a career inside one of the most demanding communities in the world, Rocha found himself facing a different kind of challenge: figuring out life after service. In this conversation, he shares how veterans can find a new mission through business, why the right team and support system matter, and how entrepreneurship can give former service members purpose, structure, and a reason to keep going. Rocha also opens up about veteran suicide, his own moment of crisis, the "Quick Reaction Friends" concept, and why asking for help can be one of the strongest things a person can do. This episode is for veterans, founders, military families, entrepreneurs, and anyone trying to build something meaningful after a major life transition. https://neptuneshield.com/ 0:00 Intro, giving veterans a new mission 1:22 How Nick first connected with Virginia Cup 2:17 Failing eighth grade, ADHD, and finding structure 4:07 Catching up in school and discovering the Navy 6:20 Seeing Navy SEALs for the first time 7:47 How Nick entered the SEAL pipeline 11:19 Why SEAL culture used to stay quiet 14:00 SEAL books, public stories, and what not to reveal 17:20 Why "team" matters more than "SEAL" 19:18 What was harder, Neptune Shield or the SEAL teams? 22:00 Why so many startups fail 23:57 Starting a CBD company to help his daughter 28:02 Transitioning after 26 years in the Navy 30:22 The crisis veterans face after service 32:30 The cost of training a Navy SEAL 33:30 "Everybody dies, but not everybody truly lives" 34:44 Helping veterans understand the new battlefield 35:30 Nick opens up about his own crisis 38:15 Quick Reaction Friends and suicide prevention 42:42 How the same framework applies to business 44:46 Why veterans need tools, resources, and a plan 46:16 Why founders have to ask for help 47:44 Showing up and doing the work 53:20 Could Neptune Shield expand to other cities? 54:38 Validating technology with operators 56:05 What's next for Neptune Shield 58:01 The food of Hampton Roads 59:42 Closing thoughts The Fervent Four Show Where Hampton Roads entrepreneurs tell their stories. Since 2020, The Fervent Four Show has been the weekly conversation connecting the entrepreneurs, innovators, and community builders shaping the future of Hampton Roads, Virginia. Each Thursday at 11 a.m. EST, hosts Tim Ryan and Zack Miller sit down with founders, CEOs, investors, and ecosystem leaders to explore the real stories behind regional growth — from bold startups and 757 trailblazers to nationally recognized brands born right here. Whether you're launching your first venture or scaling your next big idea, these candid, conversational episodes deliver insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, and business growth that will keep you fired up long after the mics go off. Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fervent-four/id1596516837 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7egTPUyiUEZF4QACNKBYI6?si=704d8e723f3842f5 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Innovate757?sub_confirmation=1

May 12, 20261 hr 6 min

From Wall Street to Building 757 Angels

Organized startup capital has been one of the biggest challenges for cities across the country, and Hampton Roads struggled with it for decades. That started to change in 2015 when Monique Adams helped launch 757 Angels, building one of the region's first organized angel investment networks focused on backing high-growth startups and entrepreneurs. After surviving the pressure of Wall Street investment banking in New York, Adams brought that experience to Hampton Roads and helped shape a new era of startup investing in the region. In this episode of The Fervent Four Show, Adams reflects on what it really took to build 757 Angels, from investor skepticism and startup risk to the pressure of creating systems, relationships, and infrastructure for a startup ecosystem that was still finding its footing. The Fervent Four Show is where Hampton Roads entrepreneurs tell their stories. New episodes every Tuesday at 6AM. Explore more: Innovate Hampton Roads https://www.innovate757.org/ferventfour/ 0:00 Why Startup Capital Was a Problem in Hampton Roads 1:41 Meeting Monique Adams and the Origins of 757 Angels 5:12 Surviving Wall Street Investment Banking 12:29 Leaving New York for Hampton Roads 17:12 The Reputation That Followed Monique Into Virginia 21:48 The Lunch That Changed Everything 23:24 The Self Doubt Behind Building 757 Angels 29:37 "There's No Way This Is Part Time" 35:35 The Biggest Problem With Angel Investing 41:20 Why 757 Angels Never Became a Fund 49:00 The Real Mission Behind 757 Angels 50:48 Building the Startup Pipeline in Hampton Roads 52:45 "Hard Things Are My Middle Name" 56:14 Handling Pressure While Building an Ecosystem 58:13 The People Who Helped Shape Monique's Career 1:00:25 Learning the "Power of the Pause" 1:02:26 Why She's Going to Meet the Dalai Lama 1:04:13 What Founders Still Need Most 1:06:25 Final Thoughts

May 5, 20261 hr 5 min

"Your Baby's Ugly" — The Truth Most Agencies Won't Tell You

Most marketing doesn't fail because of bad ads. It fails because the foundation is broken. In this episode of The Fervent Four Show, Nicole Newsome, CEO of Qantm Creative, breaks down what she calls "radical honesty" — the willingness to tell clients the truth, even when they don't want to hear it. From firing toxic clients to rebuilding broken brands before spending a dollar on ads, this is a conversation about doing the hard work first and building businesses that actually last. If you've ever wondered why your marketing isn't working, this is probably why. 00:00 Intro 02:20 Nicole's background in sales and startups 05:45 What "radical honesty" really means 08:50 "Your baby's ugly" and fixing broken businesses 12:40 Why most marketing fails before it starts 16:30 Firing clients and protecting your team 20:40 Building a culture of trust and transparency 25:10 Radical honesty in personal relationships 29:30 Compensation, leadership, and trust 34:10 Side hustles and the modern workforce 38:30 AI in marketing, threat or advantage 43:10 SEO vs AEO and the future of search 47:30 Showing up in the 757 ecosystem 51:00 Building better businesses in Hampton Roads https://qantmcreative.com/

April 28, 20261 hr 11 min

The Hidden Business Value of Comments (Most Companies Ignore This Data)

Most companies already have the data they need—they're just ignoring it. In this episode, we break down how comments expose customer intent, fix your messaging, and drive smarter decisions, featuring insights from Marc Weinberg of YourComments.AI. 0:00 Why negative comments stick more than positive ones 3:49 Intro to Marc Weinberg and YourComments.AI 6:28 The core problem, too many comments to actually use 7:57 How companies like Tesla use customer feedback at scale 10:07 Why most people ignore comments, and why that's a mistake 11:36 Comments as a business intelligence tool beyond social media 13:12 The role of bots, spam, and platform limitations 16:28 Why big platforms don't solve the problem 18:16 Real time comment insights and future use cases 21:05 Understanding sentiment and customer perception 23:14 The psychology of feedback and decision making 29:12 Comments as signals, not noise 33:17 Filtering data, positive, negative, and patterns 35:03 The real challenge, what to do with the data 38:00 Using AI to uncover trends, intent, and patterns 41:10 The risk of audience capture when listening too closely 43:08 Using repeated questions to improve messaging and products 46:09 How creators and companies use comments to build new products 49:45 Why some content wins, and what comments reveal about it 56:18 The shift from social connection to algorithm driven content 58:04 Cutting out noise and focusing on signal 1:00:17 The mental cost of ignoring how comments affect you 1:02:47 Building better teams and communication through feedback

April 21, 20261 hr 4 min

Why This Coworking Model Keeps Selling Out

Most coworking spaces struggle. This one doesn't. In this episode of Fervent Four, we break down the model behind a business hub that keeps filling up, not because of flashy marketing, but because it actually works for the people inside it. Gene Granger, Managing Director of The IncuHub, shares how a community-first approach, flexible memberships, and relentless visibility across the region have turned a simple workspace into a growth engine for entrepreneurs. From HUBZone strategy to word-of-mouth referrals and what they call "return on collision," this is a real look at what happens when you build for business owners instead of just renting desks. If you're building a business, or thinking about where and how to do it, this is worth your time. 00:00 Intro and trophy banter 02:00 Meet the guest behind the growth 03:10 From one location to rapid expansion 07:30 The real strategy behind networking 11:40 Why no event is too small 15:00 What a HUBZone actually is 18:45 Expansion into a new market 22:45 Why this model is outperforming others 29:50 The power of community and "collisions" 30:00 Who this actually works for 31:45 How location strategy plays a role 37:20 Daily routines and discipline 41:00 Culture vs typical coworking 46:20 How people are getting in early 49:00 Behind the scenes of building it 52:30 Office culture and real conversations 56:00 Why this market is heating up 58:40 Startup World Cup and big ideas 59:40 Why this region is undervalued 1:02:00 Presidents? https://theincuhub.com/

April 14, 20261 hr 4 min

The Silicon Valley of Water Is Being Built in Virginia

Most people think it's just another utility bill. They're wrong. The organization behind it is responsible for cleaning millions of gallons of wastewater, protecting our waterways, and now, turning that same water back into drinking water. In this episode of The Fervent Four Show, Jay Bernas breaks down how Hampton Roads is becoming the Silicon Valley of water technology, from recycling wastewater into drinking water, to reversing land subsidence, to building a sustainable water supply that could impact millions. This isn't theory. It's happening right now. And chances are, you had no idea. 00:18 The moment it became more than "just a bill" 01:08 The "Silicon Valley of Water Tech" idea 03:03 Why people think they pick up trash 04:02 The wild origin story (oysters + raw sewage crisis) 05:17 The SWIFT program explained 06:00 The aquifer problem no one is talking about 07:30 Why Hampton Roads is sinking 09:01 Can we actually reverse sea level impact? 10:11 You're drinking 30–40,000-year-old water 11:18 The economic impact (billions saved) 14:01 The truth about where water comes from 15:26 Would you drink recycled water? 18:20 The vision: Silicon Valley of water 22:13 Tech impacting millions globally 24:32 The $400M innovation breakthrough 26:19 AI + water (this is where it gets crazy) 28:30 The future of fully automated plants 31:13 What happens to jobs? 34:54 The jobs nobody wants (and why that matters) 36:13 Clean water is the most important invention ever 39:09 Inside the culture 42:38 What the aquifer actually looks like 46:36 Where your toilet water actually goes 48:47 Clean water for a penny per gallon 50:53 Why nobody knows this story Learn more about HRSD: https://www.hrsd.com/

April 7, 20261 hr 5 min

She Got "Shellacked"… Then Built a Company to Fix a Problem Everyone Ignores

Everyone has sat at a railroad crossing wondering how long they'll be stuck. Most people accept it. Andria McClellan didn't. After years in local government hearing complaints about blocked roads, delayed emergency response, and daily frustration, she realized something shocking: "There's no data. You don't have any data on how many times the train has blocked your road." Now, as CEO of Oculus Rail, she's building a system to track, measure, and ultimately solve one of the most overlooked infrastructure problems in the country. This is a story about failure, resilience, and seeing opportunity where everyone else sees inconvenience. From getting "shellacked" in elections to building a company rooted in real-world problems, Andria breaks down what it actually takes to build something that matters. 00:00 Startup mindset and campaigns 03:39 Naming Oculus Rail and building a brand 07:01 Space, region, and innovation context 09:36 The real problem, trains blocking roads 11:28 Past startup experience and early career 14:39 Failure, shutdowns, and lessons learned 16:00 Running for office like building a startup 18:38 Losing campaigns and resilience 19:17 Becoming a problem solver again 23:23 What railroads actually know and don't 25:02 Rail industry, data, and disruption 28:43 Selling to government and AI hesitation 32:40 Building the tech and partnerships 36:20 Why prediction is hard 40:48 Managing people and leadership struggles 42:16 The hardest part, selling into government 45:51 Data as the real product 47:38 Why this problem still exists 51:15 Expansion and scaling Oculus Rail https://oculusrail.com/

March 31, 20261 hr 5 min

Why Most Founders Actually Fail (It's Not Money)

Most people think startups fail because they run out of money. That's not what actually happens. In this episode of The Fervent Four Show, Ryan Dean, founder of Dreamer Made, breaks down what really causes businesses to stall, why early momentum fades, and how founders end up quitting long before they run out of options. From buying a bus on a whim to rebuilding his company with a sharper focus, Ryan shares the reality behind startup energy, AI shortcuts, and the difference between ideas that start and businesses that last. If you're building something, this is the part no one talks about. Listen now. Timestamps 00:00 Intro and opening banter 02:30 The unicorn story and standing out early 05:30 What Dreamer Made originally was 09:00 Why early ideas lack structure 12:30 Shutting it down and lessons learned 16:00 Restarting Dreamer Made with a new approach 19:30 AI, roadmaps, and building clarity 23:00 Why AI isn't the shortcut people think 27:00 The importance of human expertise 31:00 Where most founders go wrong early 35:00 Why businesses fail from energy, not money 39:00 The reality of expectations vs execution 43:00 The problem with "easy button" thinking 47:00 Customer validation and the "mom effect" 51:00 Why chasing "yes" is dangerous 55:00 Learning to value negative feedback 58:30 Final thoughts and closing More info on dreamermade: https://dreamermade.com/

March 24, 20261 hr 8 min

Hiring Veterans Is Broken. AI Might Fix It.

The hiring system isn't broken because of a lack of talent. It's broken because companies don't understand it. Tim Best, CEO of RecruitMilitary, breaks down why thousands of highly trained service members struggle to translate their experience into civilian jobs, and how AI might finally bridge that gap. From retention challenges in Hampton Roads to the future of agent-driven hiring, this conversation explores where recruiting is heading, and what both job seekers and employers are getting wrong. 00:00 Why hiring veterans is still misunderstood 04:50 Hampton Roads retention vs other markets 08:00 The real reason veterans leave Virginia 12:00 Recruitment vs retention problem 23:40 Why veterans struggle to translate skills 27:30 How RecruitMilitary connects talent and employers 33:00 AI enters recruiting, what changes 38:50 The rise of agent-based hiring 44:40 Why candidates never hear back 49:10 Real example of skills mismatch 56:30 The danger of AI bias in hiring 1:02:00 Could AI create a better workplace? 1:06:30 The 757's unexpected "signature food" About RecruitMilitary: RecruitMilitary connects veterans and transitioning service members with employers nationwide, helping translate military experience into civilian careers through events, technology, and recruiting tools. https://recruitmilitary.com About Innovate Hampton Roads: Innovate Hampton Roads is the 757's hub for startups, innovation, and business growth, connecting entrepreneurs, companies, and resources to build a stronger regional economy. https://www.innovate757.org