Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey

Hosted by Lindsay Miller & Annette Quick

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

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Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Journey takes you behind the scenes with small and mid-sized business owners who open up about the real highs and lows of their entrepreneurial journey. From the challenges that tested them to the lessons that shaped them, each story is filled with insights you can take back to your own business. Along the way, the Reverie team shares practical strategies and proven best practices to help you spark momentum, build impact, and lead with confidence.

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46 recent

August 11, 2026Episode 1431 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Joe Salemi Owner/President of JMOC Services

What would you do if you had “nothing to lose”? For Joe Salemi, it meant betting on himself. At 21, Joe quit his job and turned a summer side gig into a thriving business. What started with garbage bin cleaning has grown into JMOC Services - with 2 trucks, 3 trailers, 8 team members, and a growing list of services. Power washing. Soft washing. Windows. Gutters. Gutter guards. Christmas lights. Snow removal. And he’s built it all while attending the University of Wisconsin - Madison as a full-time student. Being 21 hasn’t always been an advantage. Joe has had to overcome the credibility hurdle that comes with being young. But he’s also leveraged his age to his advantage - especially when it comes to technology. He’s willing to try new platforms, experiment, and move on when something doesn’t work. That mindset has helped him streamline the backend of his business and create efficiencies that allow him to keep growing while balancing college. But there’s one thing Joe says technology should never replace: The human element. And his advice to anyone thinking about starting a business? Just get started. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sometimes the biggest risk isn’t betting on yourself. It’s never taking the chance. 🎙️ Hear Joe’s story on the latest episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Journey.

July 14, 2026Episode 136 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast - When Accountability Isn't Enough: Episode 3 of a 3-part Leadership Series

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive. What happens when you've had the conversation, provided the coaching, followed the process and nothing changes? In the final episode of our three-part management series, Annette and Lindsay explore one of the most challenging realities of leadership: knowing when accountability alone isn't enough. They introduce three powerful questions that help leaders evaluate performance challenges with greater clarity: Can they? Will they? Should they? From identifying skill gaps to addressing commitment issues and evaluating role fit, this episode provides a practical framework for making thoughtful leadership decisions that serve both the individual and the organization. Because great leadership isn't measured by how long you avoid difficult decisions. It's measured by how thoughtfully you navigate them.

July 14, 2026Episode 129 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast - Accountability Is a Conversation: Episode 2 of a 3-part Leadership Series

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive. Having a difficult conversation doesn't have to feel difficult. In this episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast , Annette and Lindsay share a simple framework that helps leaders approach accountability with confidence and clarity. Through the Four C's: Clarify, Coach, Commit, and Check Back, they explore how accountability becomes less about confrontation and more about coaching, trust, and shared ownership. Whether you're addressing performance, aligning expectations, or helping someone grow, this conversation offers practical tools you can put into practice immediately. Because accountability isn't something you do to people. It's something you do for them.

July 14, 2026Episode 118 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast - Nice Isn't Leadership: Episode 1 of a 3-part Leadership Series

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive. In this first episode of a 3-part leadership series, Annette and Lindsay explore why empathy without accountability often leads to avoidance, how delayed conversations impact team culture, and why your highest performers are always watching. They discuss why accountability isn't punishment; it's clarity, coaching, and one of the kindest things a leader can offer. If you've ever hesitated to have a difficult conversation with an employee, this episode will help you rethink what great leadership really looks like and prepare you for our next episode, where we'll share practical strategies for having those conversations effectively.

June 4, 2026Episode 1038 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Viktor Popovic, Founder & President of Avendo

What does it take to start a second, completely different business and succeed again? On the latest episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey, we sit down with Viktor Popovic, founder of Avendo, whose story is one of resilience, reinvention, and intentional entrepreneurship. After escaping the former Yugoslavia and building a new life in the United States, Viktor built his first company, Ultimate Washer, from the ground up into a successful eCommerce business. After selling the company, he faced a question many entrepreneurs never get the chance to answer: "Did I build a successful business by luck, or can I do it again?" That question led him to launch Avendo, a fintech SaaS company designed to bring transparency and competition to credit card processing - an industry where many business owners simply accept fees and rates without knowing if they're truly getting the best deal. In this conversation, Viktor shares lessons every entrepreneur can learn from: ✔️ Why growth alone doesn't make a business strong ✔️ "Founder memory is not a system" ✔️ How founders can unintentionally become the biggest bottleneck in their organizations ✔️ The importance of documenting processes, creating scalable systems, and being financially intelligent ✔️ Why recognition, trust, and empowering employees drive better results than control ✔️ How to educate yourself without letting perfectionism prevent action ✔️ Why successful leaders learn to trust the process, make mistakes, and delegate Whether you're building your first business, or your second, Viktor's journey is a powerful reminder that sustainable success comes from creating systems that can thrive beyond the founder.

May 1, 2026Episode 935 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Lin Boatwright, Founder of Innovative Inspections, LLC

After 28 years in real estate, Lin Boatwright took a leap and launched Innovative Inspections, LLC - proof that sometimes the best next step is building within what you already know. Lin didn’t overcomplicate it. He leaned into his experience, trusted his network, and got started because waiting for “perfect” can keep you stuck. His advice for anyone thinking about making a move: Stay focused. Stay confident. Leverage your relationships. And most importantly - just show up. Simple, but powerful.

April 1, 2026Episode 85 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast - Recurring Revenue, Reimagined

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive. At Reverie, we believe every business has its own unique journey, and along the way, there are lessons, tools, and ideas that can make a real difference. Join us as we share practical tips and thoughtful conversations designed to help you create impact and momentum in your business. This episode's topic: Recurring Revenue, Reimagined. We’re talking about a concept that gets talked about a lot in tech, but not nearly enough in service businesses - recurring revenue. This episode is about why predictable, repeatable revenue models matter in every industry.

April 1, 2026Episode 739 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Natasha Walstra, Founder of NearPoint Strategies

Most people think success in sales is about volume. More calls. More meetings. More noise. But for Natasha Walstra, founder of NearPoint Strategies, it started differently. As a self-proclaimed introvert, her first role required 100+ cold calls a day - measured purely by how many appointments she could book. And while others chased numbers, Natasha leaned into something that felt more natural: relationships. She booked fewer meetings, but the ones she booked actually showed up. That was her first signal: her way worked. A mentor saw it too, and doubled down on her approach. Long before LinkedIn was what it is today, Natasha was building genuine connections first, then turning them into conversations. That belief—and what she calls “borrowed confidence” from her mentor changed everything. Her business? It started at 3 am after someone asked for help with LinkedIn strategy. And like many entrepreneurial journeys, it wasn’t linear. After the premature birth of her son and a battle with postpartum depression, everything paused. It was her husband - and later a coach -who reminded her: you built this once, you can build it again. And she did. ✨ Her biggest lessons: – Success comes from doing the right things consistently – Focus on productive activity, not just busy work – Be authentically you - every comment, every post is a “trust deposit” Because the real growth strategy? It’s not louder. It’s more human. 🎧 Tune in to this episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Podcast to hear how Natasha built a business rooted in relationships and resilience.

March 9, 2026Episode 631 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey with Peter Moulton, Founder of Ultradian Partners

A new episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Journey is out! Patience isn’t flashy. Consistency doesn’t trend. But according to the founder of Ultradian Partners, they’re the real strategy. On this episode of Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur’s Journey, Pete shares lessons from nearly three decades of working alongside entrepreneurs - and the personal turning point that shaped everything: getting sober in 1991. That experience taught him something many founders resist hearing: motivation is unreliable. What actually works is ruthless consistency - showing up every day and doing the next right thing in service of your business' vision. In our conversation we also explore: • Why grind culture is a cancer for entrepreneurs • How the distraction economy is quietly draining our focus • The power of commitment by showing up regardless of circumstances • And how working with your brain’s natural ultradian rhythms can help you work smarter, not harder If you’ve ever felt pulled between the pressure to hustle and the desire to build something sustainable, this episode will challenge how you think about productivity, focus, and execution.

March 2, 2026Episode 55 min

Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast - Profit Sharing & Purpose

Welcome to Finding Reverie: An Entrepreneur's Journey Micro Podcast. These short, but sweet (and definitely informative) podcasts will feature the Reverie team diving into strategies, insights, and best practices that help founder-led businesses grow and thrive. At Reverie, we believe every business has its own unique journey, and along the way, there are lessons, tools, and ideas that can make a real difference. Join us as we share practical tips and thoughtful conversations designed to help you create impact and momentum in your business. This episode's topic: Profit Sharing & Purpose. We're diving into how to reward your team in a way that actually builds ownership. And, not just performance or output, but real care for the business. It's about rethinking incentive structures that look good on paper, but don’t always work in real life.