Anything But Typical

When venture capital takes over your family business, you can do everything right — and still lose. Randy Golenberg lived it. He spent 14 years in his family's caulk manufacturing business before private equity involvement triggered its collapse into bankruptcy. That bankruptcy became the catalyst for his next chapter: building Spark Your Brand from scratch, running it for 25 years, and ultimately selling it to AdCom Group. In this episode, Randy shares the unfiltered story — from sweeping floors in his dad's factory to negotiating a multi-million dollar exit. No hype. Real lessons on resilience, knowing when to sell, and why "you don't control outcomes, you only control actions." Randy GolenbergRandy Golenberg is an entrepreneur, brand strategist, and business leader based in Cleveland, Ohio. After rebuilding from the collapse of his family business, Randy founded and grew Spark Your Brand over 25 years. Today, he is part of the AdCom Group, where he focuses on business development, integrated brand strategy, and helping clients create meaningful return on their investment. Connect with Randy LinkedIn: Randy GolenbergInstagram: @JewInThePewCompany: AdCom Group

“I like to solve problems, & I never give up.” – Martin Kenneth LopezMost founders talk tough. Kenneth grew up in a place that required it.Lima, Peru — beautiful on the surface, unforgiving underneath. Corruption. Precarity. An environment built to break entrepreneurs.There’s no help desk in a place like that. You either solve problems… or you get swallowed.That wiring became his operating system.So, when he launched his first company in his early 20s, he didn’t seek the easy path — he sought a bigger arena.“Forget local,” he said. “I’m building for the U.S.”No connections. No warm introductions.Just hunger, a laptop, & LinkedIn.And his pitch wasn’t polite — it was legendary: “Give me the project nobody wants. The ugly, neglected, impossible one. If I don’t deliver, you don’t pay me.”All the risk on him. All the upside for them.That’s how a kid from Lima ended up solving Perl script nightmares for Bank of America… & earning a reputation as the one-man A-team you call when everyone else slinks away.Today at Equals 11, the stakes are higher — Salesforce chaos, global teams, stalled initiatives — but Kenneth’s ethos hasn’t budged:Run toward the hard. De-risk it for the client. Solve — don’t whine.If you’re the kind of person who gets stronger when the work gets messy, this episode is for you. Connect with him through Equals 11.Kenneth doesn’t quote Churchill — he proves him right: “Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”

“Entrepreneurship is scary as well as compelling in a weird way.” – Shay ProsserThat’s the quiet admission of someone who’s lived the tension of building something that matters—between fear & purpose, risk & reward—and kept moving anyway.Shay started in chaos: a newborn on the floor, the economy unraveling, & a business idea that couldn’t wait for permission.It wasn’t perfect timing; it was purpose knocking early.When her one-to-one financial coaching couldn’t reach enough people, she rebuilt the model—bringing financial education into workplaces & later onto military bases with the USO.That pivot became her pattern: find the gap, build the bridge.So when business owners began coming to her not just for answers but for direction, she created spaces to think differently—to set bold goals, make smart moves, & scale with clarity, courage, & connection.Today, she helps business owners do what she’s always done—move forward, even when the path isn’t clear.Not with ten-year dreams, but ninety-day wins.Progress, not perfection.Because growth doesn’t come from having it all together—it comes from showing up anyway.To learn more, connect with her through North 12 Partners or Birthing of Giants.Shay reminds us what Amelia Earhart said best: “The most effective way to do it is to do it.”

“I don’t take no for an answer, & I’m kind of a warrior for kids in foster care.” – Susanna KavanaughThat line doesn’t come from a podium. It comes from a mom who’s loved, lost, & chosen to love again.At 18, Susanna placed a child for adoption, a wound so deep it could have ended her story.Instead, it fueled her purpose—to shoulder the ache of kids in broken systems & fight to change their stories.Years later, she & her husband fostered a little boy, loved him for nine months—then watched him leave. The heartbreak dimmed her fire, & she swore she’d never do it again.But conviction has a way of roaring back.And when it did, Susanna swung the door wide open.From babysitting “just for a weekend” to launching Least of These Carolinas, she kept saying yes. Yes to heartbreak. Yes to risk. Yes to kids who need more than a trash bag to carry their lives in.She hasn’t just built a nonprofit. She’s built a movement—by refusing to stay quiet when the system says no, & by relentlessly saying yes to kids who just need a champion.Get involved at LOTCarolinas.com.Susanna proves what Albert Schweitzer said:“Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even the smallest act of caring has the potential to turn a life around.”

“I am staying.” – Jack BarskyThree words on a dirt road. Three words that ended one life & cemented another. Three words that turned a mission into a calling.Because by the time Moscow ordered this KGB agent home, Jack wasn’t just a spy with a cover story. He was a college valedictorian, a successful corporate executive, a father raising a little girl who’d stolen his heart.Piece by piece, he had built a life in America. Not perfect. Not easy. But real. A life that didn’t come from forged documents or coded radio signals. One built like any other—by late nights, failed ventures, second chances, & love discovered.So, when the KGB told him to run, he stayed. He chose the life he’d built over the life he’d been assigned.And that’s the real story here. Jack’s tales of espionage may make headlines, but it’s the everyday work of building something that lasts — a business, a family, a future — that defines his legacy.And it’s exactly what defines yours.To stay—to keep building, to redefine yourself again & again—that’s what sets you apart as an individual & an entrepreneur.Ready for more? Connect with him at JackBarsky.com.Jack proves what C.S. Lewis said best: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

"I thought my calling was to be a Catholic priest." – Ryan Monk It wasn’t a whim. Ryan devoted years — undergrad, master’s, a year of theology in seminary — to answering what he believed was his life’s purpose.But somewhere along the way, a quiet unease began to grow. His head said priesthood but his heart whispered his gifts might belong in a different kind of service — one with a family at the center & a new way of walking alongside people in their most important moments.So, he traded vestments for brick dust, late-night restaurant shifts, & finally, law school — chasing a career that could both provide for his young family & serve others.Then 2008 hit.The economy tanked. A Big Law offer disappeared. And that mortgage, those babies… they were staring him down.Ryan took one last leap of faith — starting from a borrowed desk in a warehouse. Little by little, he built his own law firm on three values you can’t fake: humility, gratitude, & joy — the kind that shows up in grief, uncertainty, recessions, pandemics, & all the moments in between.If you’ve ever wondered whether changing course can bring you closer to your true calling…Connect at monklegal.comJoseph Campbell said it best of journeys like Ryan’s: “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”

“It’s me just wanting freedom… freedom to make my own choices & live life on my terms.” - Ron WeatherlyRon didn’t start his waterproofing company, Dry Pro Foundation and Crawlspace Specialists, with a business plan, angel investors, or even a clue how to fix a foundation. He started with a crawlspace, raw knees, whatever tools he could scrounge, & a spark of rebellion.Because he knew what he didn’t want…Another layoff. Another week waiting on a paycheck. Another life ruled by someone else’s calendar.So, he built something of his own.He gave up his salary to hire his first manager. Went back into sales when the numbers didn’t add up. Grew the business past $29 million—and walked away when the values lined up, not just the dollars.That’s not luck. That’s freedom built on purpose.Today, he’s not stuck in meetings. He’s mentoring founders, investing in people he believes in, & home by 3:30—because that’s the life his business was built to protect.If you’re growing fast but feel trapped, maybe it’s time to ask: what am I really building?Connect with him at ronweatherly.comChris Brogan said it best: “The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your terms.”