Join Nicholas Kuhne in Norway, as he delves deep into the realms of digital marketing, branding, and entrepreneurship. Explore the global perspectives of industry titans. In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, this podcast is your reliable compass. A journey into the heart of digital marketing and branding. 🌐🎤🇳🇴
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60 recent
May 21, 202622 min
Most SaaS Companies Lose Millions at Exit Because of Weak Branding
00:00 – Intro & Jed’s welcome
01:20 – How Backstory Branding was born from client feedback
02:33 – Jed’s non-traditional background vs. the usual MBA crowd
04:52 – Why founders struggle to accept bold brand strategy
06:50 – Branding is not a crap shoot
08:26 – How strong brands multiply SaaS exit value
12:13 – The four phases of the Backstory Brand Wheel
13:46 – The DemoChimp → Consensus rebrand story ($110M raise)
16:36 – Jed’s IDEO days, patents & human-centred design
20:10 – Why marketing leadership churn destroys brand equity
23:27 – Final thoughts & where to find Jed
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 19, 202619 min
He Made $65k in One Summer at 17 — Now His AI Platform Is Saving America’s Jobs
Follow Emil on LinkedIn & Twitter (X)
Learn more about FlashPass: flashpass.com (or search FlashPass upskilling)
00:00 FlashPass: Upskilling for the AI Era
02:08 From Dorm Room to Millions: Emil's Origin Story
03:47 The $65K Summer: Tennis, COVID & Finding His Lane
07:01 What Is FlashPass? Upskilling America for the AI Era
10:27 AI Won't Just Take Jobs — It's a Feature of Progress
12:40 How FlashPass Works: Intake, Upskill, Match
14:44 Bipartisan Support & Scaling to 20% of America
15:29 Building Courses with Industry Partners
16:49 Working with Government & What's Next
18:30 Where to Find Emil
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 13, 202621 min
Why Email Is Your Most Powerful Brand-Building Channel in 2026
With 13+ years of experience, she reveals why buying lists destroys your brand reputation, how to create irresistible lead magnets that feel on-brand, and the smart automations and segmentation that make every subscriber feel personally known. From welcome series tailored to signup source to connecting email seamlessly with your wider brand strategy, this episode gives you the playbook to stop treating email as an afterthought and start using it as a core Wunderbrand asset.
The Value Right Now
Email still delivers a 35:1 ROI and is the quiet channel where real brand relationships are built and protected — especially when every other platform changes algorithms overnight.
Guest Links
Website: bylorengene.com
LinkedIn: Lauren Luedeke
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 8, 202628 min
Why Most SaaS Founders Get Pricing Completely Wrong (And How to Fix It)
Links & Socials:
Product Tranquility: https://producttranquility.com
Dan Balcauski on LinkedIn: search “Dan Balcauski”
SaaS CEO Pricing Scorecard (free): producttranquility.com
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps:
00:00 – Volcano chat & intro
01:30 – Is pricing art or science?
04:45 – Why founders delay pricing decisions
05:30 – ChatGPT’s pricing evolution explained
09:30 – Why freemium can actually work for OpenAI
12:30 – Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) reality check
16:45 – Pricing brand-new AI SaaS products
20:00 – You must earn the right to monetise
23:30 – Microsoft Copilot pricing lesson
26:30 – Where to find Dan & the free scorecard
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
May 5, 202621 min
Community Over Cash: How to Build a Patagonia-Level Brand That Actually Lasts
We're joined by Daniel Frankavilla, an experienced brand strategist and entrepreneur who excels at turning purpose into real-world traction. His journey, from founding a nonprofit organization at 17 to building and selling a creative agency, showcases his deep understanding of marketing and business. Daniel's ventures consistently help others achieve tangible results, embodying the spirit of effective entrepreneurship and personal branding. Connect with me on:
All my links
Become a guest
Sign up for Riverside
Get Descript
#DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights
#SocialMediaStrategy
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com
for information about our collection and use of personal data for
advertising.
April 30, 202636 min
The $100M Mistake: Why Scientists Can't Translate Ideas to Market
From CFO/CEO roles to running Boston Market Strategies (reviewing 450+ products), to re-engineering clinical trials at places like Penn and Drexel, Curtis has spent 38+ years bridging academia, industry, and investors. In 2009 he launched Eureka Connect, a behavioural science powerhouse that uses validated assessments to reveal exactly why you do what you do — your hardwired drives, ego, discipline, social skills, and more.
The core value right now? Leadership is the bottleneck in biotech translation. Curtis shows how understanding behavioural mechanisms of action lets you build teams that don’t just survive but actually deliver cures, close funding rounds, and scale without the usual ego explosions.
Guest Links
Eureka Connect: https://eurekaconnect.com
Institute for Biomedical Entrepreneurship: https://ibeinc.org
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq
Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps
00:00 – Introduction & Curtis Sprouse’s background
02:30 – What Eureka Connect actually does (behavioural mechanism of action)
06:45 – Why 30 minutes reveals more than you expect
09:30 – Building real trust and social skills in teams
11:45 – Why the Institute for Biomedical Entrepreneurship exists
14:00 – The knowledge gap vs funding gap in translation
17:30 – Real success stories and the power of the 1500-person network
20:15 – US reshoring, investment climate, and global collaboration
25:00 – What Curtis’s year as CEO actually looks like
28:30 – Integrating AI into a 13-year-tenured team
32:45 – Behavioural science vs finance – where the real excitement is
35:30 – When to take the assessment (high school to C-suite)
37:45 – How to get involved with Eureka Connect and IBE
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
April 29, 202624 min
What is a Serial Integrator and Why Every Entrepreneur Needs One to Scale
In this episode you’ll discover why most “masterminds” are really just group coaching, how to stop choosing between business success and family presence, and why being a serial integrator might be the highest-leverage role in any company.
Guest Links
• Gathering the Kings: https://gatheringthekings.com
• Driven to Win Podcast (Jake’s show) – link in description
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & Jake Isaacs introduction
01:00 – The serial integrator explained (Gino Wickman Traction reference)
03:45 – Why fulfilment comes from execution, not likes
05:10 – The power of true mastermind communities vs group coaching
07:30 – Legacy beyond money: being present for your family
09:45 – Real success story: landscaping owner adds $2M while running 100-mile ultras
12:30 – The lie of work-life “balance” – obsession in both arenas instead
15:20 – Jake’s personal story: two divorces, hospitality fixer days, and the phone-off transformation
19:00 – Daily boundaries and protecting your time
21:00 – Who Gathering the Kings is for: “grateful but not done” entrepreneurs
23:30 – Final thoughts and call to connect
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
April 28, 202621 min
Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics: How to Build a High-Value LinkedIn Network That Actually Makes Money
Guest Links
Website & Resources: alfon.com
Daniel’s LinkedIn: Search Daniel Alfon (profile with 1,893 followers and serious results)
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome and Daniel’s 20+ years on LinkedIn
01:50 – Why only 1,893 followers after two decades
03:30 – Best connected vs most connected
05:10 – Why clients come to him (no cold outreach)
07:00 – Natural engagement instead of spammy messages
09:00 – His training offers and keeping the fire after all these years
11:30 – What he’d fix if he ran LinkedIn
14:40 – Advice for new grads entering the workforce
16:20 – Podcasting as the new Wild West
20:30 – Where to find Daniel’s resources
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
April 27, 202634 min
Why 250 B2B Launches Taught Grady Teske That Founders Are Selling Wrong
Guest Links
Rising Tides Marketing: https://risingtides.io
Grady’s YouTube: [link to be added]
Book “Building Distribution” (coming Q3/Q4 2025)
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome & Grady’s wild background
01:30 – Why 250 launches cost him his hair
02:45 – What “Building Distribution” really means
05:20 – Why most founders fail at customer acquisition
07:40 – The brutal focus conversation every founder needs
09:15 – Finding your first 100 ideal customers
12:00 – How to stop being everything to everyone
14:30 – Building marketing systems that actually work
20:45 – Rising Tides team model explained
26:30 – Making the hand-off to in-house teams easy
31:00 – The real mentality behind building distribution
33:20 – Final advice on killing founder dissonance
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
April 7, 202620 min
How to Build a Business That Serves Your Life – Jake Smolarek’s 3 Proven Frameworks
High-performance coach and entrepreneur Jake Smolarek has spent over 20 years helping ambitious people scale fast, build smarter, and create businesses that serve their lives instead of consuming them. Today he reveals his battle-tested coaching frameworks that turn big dreams into reality without the burnout.
The Journey:
From arriving in the UK at 19 with just £150 in his pocket to building multiple businesses (and failing along the way), Jake learned the hard way that success demands persistence, delegation, and a refusal to quit. His frameworks were forged from two decades of coaching clients and studying icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elon Musk, and Steve Jobs.
The Value:
If you’re stuck drifting without direction or constantly starting over, Jake’s three signature frameworks give you the exact structure to build unbreakable momentum, believe in your own success, and make daily progress that actually compounds. Perfect for entrepreneurs who are done with quick-fix hype and ready for real, sustainable growth.
Links & Socials:
Jake’s website: https://jakesmolarek.com
Find Jake on LinkedIn and Google “Jake Smolarek”
Edit your podcasts like a pro:https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey:https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne
Timestamps:
00:00 – Jake Smolarek on never giving up and the crazy factor in success
01:00 – Kite surfing lessons: why you must learn to delegate early
03:00 – The origin of Jake’s coaching frameworks
04:30 – Vision GPS explained (the four ingredients)
08:00 – Why most people stop dreaming and how to restart
10:30 – The power of “Just do it” and the importance of discipline over motivation
12:00 – Jake’s personal vision and how it evolved
14:00 – Three Steps to Win Your Gold Medal
16:30 – No Zero Days + the 1% rule (Kaizen in action)
19:30 – How to get in touch with Jake Smolarek
Connect with me on:All my linksBecome a guestSign up for RiversideGet Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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