Founder Unfiltered - What Founders Think But Never Say

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Formerly Six Figure Secrets of Fractional Experts, Founder Unfiltered is the show about the stuff founders don't talk about: the identity crisis when you go from operator to leader, the weird shame of self-promotion, the gap between who you are and who your business needs you to be. Hosted by Bradley Jacobs, founder of Mylance — a LinkedIn thought leadership platform for B2B founders — this show gets into the psychology, the patterns, and the honest conversations that actually move the needle. No hacks. No hype. Just the raw truth about what's really holding you back.

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June 11, 2026Episode 11932 min

"Nobody Cares About You" | Mark Samuel on Failure, Pivots & Founder Health

I sat down with Mark Samuel for an episode that pushed back on a lot of startup gospel. Mark's a serial CPG entrepreneur. He built Iwon Organics into thousands of retail doors before licensing it, had a global brand in Fitmark that was acquired, and he's now building MARK'S, a better-for-you snack company. He also hosts the Let's Eat podcast, where he's interviewed over 250 CPG founders and operators.We got into why getting onto the shelf is the easy part and why velocity in the door is the metric that actually matters. Mark challenged my own belief that winners are simply the ones who never quit. His reframe: "keep going" means keep moving your feet, not keep pushing a product that's clearly not working. We talked about how to tell a real pivot from a sunk cost, the emotional weight of carrying private investors' money, and why he puts his own health ahead of family and work, in that order.It's an honest, unfiltered conversation about identity, failure, and starting over. No books or external resources were mentioned in this episode.Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.coConnect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/Connect with Mark Samuel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markalansamuel/00:00 Welcome + meet Mark Samuel00:48 Iwon Organics: scaled then licensed03:00 Getting in the door is the easy part04:51 The emotional weight of investor money07:02 The numbers speak for themselves11:13 Marks' go-to-market: Amazon + DSD09:25 Pushback: do winners just never quit?09:46 "Keep going" means move your feet16:36 How to know: pivot or move on15:58 The Poppy outlier story21:00 Health, family, work — in that order24:53 Marks as a health & wellness platform25:25 Discipline over motivation25:45 On resilience27:00 What drives him now + brand position31:13 "Nobody cares about you" — the takeaway31:43 Where to find Mark

June 4, 2026Episode 11815 min

Why Founders Stay Small | Fear, AI, and Taking Action

In this episode — part two of my four-part series, AI and the Founder Opportunity — I get into the real stuff that keeps founders stuck. Not the tactics, not the tools. The fear.After talking with thousands of founders, I keep seeing the same patterns. Fear of judgment and rejection. Not knowing which move to make next. And that subtle, quiet thing where you're going through the motions but never quite giving it everything you've got — leaving yourself a back door just in case it doesn't work out.I talk about why action is the only thing that actually moves the needle on these blocks. Not therapy, not journaling (though those have their place) — but taking small, uncomfortable steps forward anyway. I share how I work with my own business coach, and why if you can't afford one, buying a smart friend tacos once a week might be the best investment you can make.I also get into why this moment — with AI making it easier than ever to build, test, and launch — is a massive opportunity for founders who are willing to stop waiting for the perfect idea, the right co-founder, or one more dollar in the bank. The riches are in the niches, and the tools to go after them have never been more accessible.No books or external resources were mentioned in this episode beyond a brief reference to 10x Is Easier Than 2x (highly recommended by Bradley).Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.co Connect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/

May 28, 2026Episode 11535 min

Are You Playing to Win, or Playing Not to Lose in Your Business? with Dr. Angela Kerek

Most founders I talk to already know what they need to do — they just aren't doing it. In this episode, I find out why.Dr. Angela Kerek is a former professional tennis player, big law finance partner, and now founder of Active Giving — and her framework for sustainable performance completely reframed how I think about fear, self-sabotage, and what it actually means to give your all.We talked about the difference between playing to win versus playing to avoid losing, and how that same psychology that showed up on the tennis court follows us into every pitch, every client call, and every revenue goal we set. Angela shared how she realized she'd never truly given 100% in her entire career — not because she couldn't, but because if she gave everything and still lost, she'd have no excuse left. We dug into how to build a value system that's truly your own, why movement is one of the most underrated tools for mental resilience, and what it really looks like to live a sustainable, high-performing life without burning out. No books or external resources were mentioned in this episode. Find Angela and Active Giving at angelakeriek.com and activegiving.de.Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.co Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/ Connect with Angela Kerek: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelakerek/00:00 Welcome & guest intro00:44 Angela's background02:39 Learning to succeed without losing yourself06:38 Winning in business vs. winning in sport07:35 Defining success on your own terms11:04 Process focus & planning the night before12:48 We know what to do — so why don't we?13:59 Self-sabotage: the fear beneath the avoidance14:53 Playing to win vs. playing not to lose19:58 Fear of giving your all — and still failing20:14 What we can and can't control21:23 What to actually do about it23:27 Building your own universe25:00 Blocking out the noise — from everyone26:27 Training the mind to come back to itself29:42 Why building a business is so hard30:16 Uncertainty and the hardest part of founding32:02 Closing thoughts & last advice32:18 Never stop following your dreams34:10 Where to find Angela & Active Giving34:49 Wrap-up

May 21, 2026Episode 11615 min

AI and the Founder Opportunity (Pt 1 of 4): The Macro, the Opportunity, and the Fear

The AI revolution isn't coming — it's already here. Bradley Jacobs breaks down what the wave of tech layoffs actually signals and why he sees it as a massive opening for founders and solo entrepreneurs.With the cost and complexity of building software plummeting, Bradley argues that anyone with niche expertise can now create tailored solutions for underserved audiences that big companies will never touch. A focused, one- or two-person business serving a specific audience? More viable today than it has ever been — and getting more so by the month.But the real barrier isn't technical or financial. It's mindset. Bradley gets honest about fear, imposter syndrome, and the habit of playing small — drawing on quotes from Lady Gaga and Emma Watson to show that self-doubt is universal. The people who break through aren't fearless; they just act anyway. This episode sets the stage for a four-part series exploring the opportunity in front of every founder right now.Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.coConnect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Welcome & episode overview01:15 Big tech layoffs & what they signal03:30 AI is still in its infancy05:00 The niche founder opportunity07:45 Custom solutions for underserved audiences10:00 Why being miserable at work isn't required12:30 What really holds founders back: fear15:00 Imposter syndrome — Lady Gaga & Emma Watson17:30 Playing big despite the fear19:45 Bradley's personal fear of playing big21:30 Miniseries roadmap: episodes 2, 3 & 423:00 DM Bradley & Mylance CTA

May 14, 2026Episode 11529 min

Take the Blame, Give the Credit: The Leadership Mindset That Scales with Asim Khaliq

Most founders start their companies with a clear vision — and then accidentally become the biggest obstacle to that vision. Asim Khaliq has built seven companies and generated over $800 million in revenue, and he's seen this pattern play out over and over again.Bradley sits down with Asim to unpack why the founder mindset that launches a company is often the very thing that stalls it. Asim breaks down the difference between delegation and true decision design — and why most founders who think they're delegating are still bottlenecking everything. He also shares his framework for failure: fail often, fail cheap, fail fast. It's not about avoiding failure — it's about making sure each one only costs you $500, not $50,000.They also get into what's actually changing in e-commerce and business right now. Asim's take on AI is refreshingly practical: stop chasing every new tool, and figure out how AI fits your operations. And on the question of passion? Asim gives a honest answer — most great businesses are boring, and accepting that is part of what makes you a great founder.Learn More: Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.co Connect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Introduction & Asim's background00:51 Why the founder is the problem02:53 Delegation vs. decision design04:57 Staying close to your customer06:20 Humility and the best founders07:39 Key founder skills: culture, resilience, listening10:46 Fail often, fail cheap, fail fast13:23 Taking blame, giving credit15:23 How Asim builds personal resilience17:37 What's working (and not) in the market19:45 Practical AI use cases for e-commerce21:42 How to choose AI tools without overwhelm22:39 Claude vs. ChatGPT as strategic advisors23:47 Building a business that can survive AI25:55 Passion in entrepreneurship — the honest take27:51 Why great businesses are boring28:54 Where to find Asim

May 7, 2026Episode 11415 min

The Original Idea for Mylance Was a Fool’s Errand

What if the biggest threat to your consulting business isn't competition — it's you trying to solve too many problems at once? Bradley Jacobs, founder and CEO of Mylance, shares the real story behind building Mylance from scratch: the bloated first pitch, the advisors who never called him out, and the cycle of adding products instead of cutting them.From a coaching program to bookkeeping to a custom outbound software tool to a done-for-you content agency — Bradley kept stacking solutions on top of solutions, all while drifting further from what actually worked. It took stripping everything back down to a no-code MVP built in Notion and Google Sheets to find real traction. The lesson: going deep on one problem for one customer beats going wide on ten.If you're a founder or independent consultant wondering why your business feels scattered, this episode will help you see the pattern — and give you the clarity to cut what's not working.Learn More:Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.coConnect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Welcome & Mylance intro00:45 The original Mylance pitch (Jan 2020)02:10 "HR for Freelancers" — the full vision03:30 Year one: coaching program takes off04:45 Adding bookkeeping to the mix05:30 Raising money, hiring a CTO, building software06:45 The core mistake: solving too much07:30 Advisors who couldn't spot the problem08:45 Emotional attachment to what you've built09:50 Shutting down coaching, pivoting to lead gen11:00 ZoomInfo-style software + done-for-you agency12:00 Repeating the mistake with content creation13:00 The AI reset — starting from scratch13:45 Back to user interviews: LinkedIn clarity14:20 The no-code MVP that actually worked14:50 One sentence rule & wrap-up

April 30, 2026Episode 11333 min

How AI is Reshaping the Founder Journey (From the Inside Out) with Manuj Aggarwal

Most founders are using AI wrong — and it's quietly burning them out. I sat down with Manuj Aggarwal, founder and Chief Innovation Officer at TetraNoodle Technologies, who has been working in AI since 2005 and now sits at the crossroads of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and psychology. His central argument: unfiltered AI output is like crude oil for the mind — it overwhelms, it bypasses your values, and it makes you busier without making you better.Manuj walks us through his seven-pillar AI Merge framework, designed to help founders engage with AI in a way that's actually aligned with who they are — their purpose, identity, relationships, creativity, time, peace of mind, and embodiment. He references the Japanese concept of ikigai as a practical starting point for purpose discovery, and explains why the founders who truly win in this era will be the ones who know themselves deeply first. He also shares the story of how he literally fired himself as CEO of his own company, replacing that role with an AI-powered digital twin — and why it's working better than he expected.If you're overwhelmed by AI noise, canceling plans to stay home and "just work," or chasing every new tool without a clear reason — this conversation will reframe everything. Manuj's message is counterintuitive but powerful: slow down, go outside, talk to real people, and use AI as a precision instrument rather than a crutch.Learn More: Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.co Connect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Welcome & intro: Manuj Aggarwal00:41 Manuj's background & origin story02:23 20 years in AI before ChatGPT03:09 AI's real impact on the founder mind06:56 Outsourcing decisions to AI: the risk07:08 Why AI doesn't know your values09:17 How to use AI the right way09:31 The 7-pillar AI Merge framework13:44 Breaking the addiction of working from home14:37 The evolutionary shift happening right now16:40 AI as the "middle 50%" of the past17:12 What is a digital twin for founders?20:24 How well does it actually work?21:32 Too many AI tools — how to choose22:11 Focus on problems, not tools24:05 Can you clone Elon Musk or Steve Jobs?24:40 Why someone else's nervous system won't help you26:46 How do you actually find your purpose?26:56 Ikigai, purpose, and the new economy

April 23, 2026Episode 11214 min

The Post That Got 22 Inbound Leads (And What It Taught Me About Trust)

Most people think the problem with their LinkedIn content is time — but the real issue is fear. In this solo episode, Bradley Jacobs breaks down why generic, AI-generated posts destroy trust with potential clients, and what to do instead. Using a real story from his time on the Uber launch team in Raleigh — a post that earned 700,000 impressions and 22 inbound leads — Bradley shows exactly what makes LinkedIn content actually work: firsthand experience, specific detail, and a narrative that only you could tell.Bradley also walks through the framework behind effective LinkedIn positioning: defining your ideal customer, identifying their pain points, and building content pillars that make your presence consistent and credible over time. Whether you're a fractional executive, independent consultant, or B2B founder, this episode gives you a clear-eyed look at why your uniqueness is your biggest competitive advantage — and how to stop leaving it on the table.Build your founder brand with Mylance: https://mylance.coConnect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Intro & Mylance overview01:10 The webinar that sparked this episode02:05 Why LinkedIn content feels cringy03:00 The Uber vs. Lyft Raleigh story05:10 What made the post go viral06:30 Wins, losses & why both build trust07:45 What destroys trust on LinkedIn08:30 Fear is the real barrier, not time09:45 Positioning & content pillars framework11:20 Marrying personal stories with professionalism12:40 The 22 inbound leads lesson13:30 Wrap-up & Mylance free version CTA

April 16, 2026Episode 11134 min

The Advantages of Self-Doubt with Jamie Sylvian

Bradley Jacobs sits down with Jamie Sylvian — a 30-year international communications consultant, author of the Executive Nomad Operating System, and founder of Executive Nomad. Jamie has worked with clients ranging from British Gas and global publishing houses to the British Royal Family, all while calling 13 countries home. He's built a business that sold for $200 million and survived a complete collapse in 2008.The conversation digs into the emotional reality of the founder journey — how to get back up after a deal falls apart, why stepping away from the business (rather than over-analyzing) is often the fastest path to clarity, and how Jamie's "Remarkable Wednesday" routine has grounded him for over two decades.Jamie reframes self-doubt not as a weakness, but as a productive tool. He shares how questioning whether Executive Nomad would resonate with anyone actually pushed him to validate the market, invest in learning AI, and sharpen his positioning. He also unpacks the moment Executive Nomad was born — a spontaneous conversation in a Greek harbor town with a recently made-redundant 54-year-old — and how it revealed that his decades of lived experience were far more valuable than he'd realized.For any fractional executive or independent consultant navigating identity, confidence, and the leap from corporate life, this conversation delivers honest, hard-won perspective.Referenced: Executive Nomad Operating System by Jamie SylvianLearn More: Elevate your voice: https://mylance.co Connect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Introduction & Jamie's background00:51 Biggest lesson from 30 years in business01:51 Staying true to your word — with others and yourself03:04 How Jamie recovers from major setbacks04:28 The power of stepping away: city walks & coffee07:06 Remarkable Wednesday: his 20-year weekly ritual09:00 What "Remarkable Wednesday" actually looks like09:39 How Executive Nomad was born in Greece12:15 Author of your life vs. victim mindset13:08 Using self-doubt productively14:22 Why saying no builds credibility16:48 Imposter syndrome & the confidence gap17:28 Learning from personality clashes21:02 Self-doubt as a research and validation tool21:51 Helping corporate execs find their second act23:34 "The Advantages of Self-Doubt"24:48 Separating your identity from your business26:36 Closing million-dollar deals on your own terms

April 9, 2026Episode 11016 min

The Mistake I Made at Uber That Taught Me Everything About Sales

Most founders and fractional executives struggle with sales — not because they lack skills, but because they're leading with the wrong message. Bradley Jacobs breaks down how he learned this the hard way, sharing stories from his time at Uber that fundamentally shaped his approach to selling.It started with a rejection. After a successful Uber Eats launch in Miami, Bradley was turned down for a GM role and kept hitting walls when pitching for other positions internally. The problem? He was making it all about himself. The shift came when he reframed his pitch around what the company actually needed — launch expertise for a global Uber Eats rollout — and suddenly got a one-way ticket to Amsterdam.That mindset carried into his first consulting engagement, where he landed a $25K/month fractional role with a Series A startup by focusing entirely on their problem, not his credentials. No hard sell. Just a clear solution to a high-stakes challenge they were already facing.Bradley connects these lessons to content strategy and LinkedIn, arguing that value-first content works the same way: give generously, ask strategically, and when you do ask, make the ask itself a value exchange. The formula is simple — solve real problems, ask good questions, and share everything you know.Learn More: Elevate your voice: https://mylance.co Connect with Bradley Jacobs: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradley-r-jacobs/00:00 Introduction and Mylance overview00:34 Learning to sell through mistakes00:56 The Uber Eats Miami launch story01:45 Hitting walls with internal pitches02:46 Lesson 1: Make it about them, not you03:41 Reframing the pitch around Uber's goals04:35 Getting the yes — a ticket to Amsterdam05:24 Fast forward: going fractional after Uber06:02 Reaching out to 12 companies cold06:44 Finding the problem worth solving07:19 Building the $25K/month proposal07:56 Landing the first consulting client08:50 Three core lessons from that win09:41 How content works like a proposal10:28 Sharing mistakes as value-add content11:01 One takeaway: always add value12:15 The give/give/give, then ask model12:37 How good questions create value13:41 Value-first content strategy explained14:17 The 90/10 rule: give vs. ask15:07 Summary and closing thoughts15:36 Check out Mylance