Startup Ignition Podcast Podcast Por John & Tyler Richards arte de portada

Startup Ignition Podcast

Startup Ignition Podcast

De: John & Tyler Richards
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Father and son team John and Tyler Richards — veteran entrepreneurs, venture investors, mentors, and educators — discuss all things entrepreneurship and venture capital.Startup Ignition Academy, Inc. Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo Liderazgo
Episodios
  • Startup War Stories That Will Save Your Company | Equity Splits, Bad Investors, Hiring

    Startup War Stories That Will Save Your Company | Equity Splits, Bad Investors, Hiring
    Oct 2 2025
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, hosts John and Tyler Richards dive into the most popular part of their boot camp: the war stories. They share real-world, personal experiences to illustrate fundamental startup principles. The episode kicks off with a rapid-fire icebreaker, translating common venture capital terminology into plain English. From there, they tackle the critical mistakes entrepreneurs often make, sharing cautionary tales about why 50/50 equity splits are a recipe for disaster, the dangers of partnering with misaligned investors, the fallacy of hiring a "white knight" salesperson too early, and the catastrophic cost of building a product based on an unvalidated idea.

    (00:00:00) The student with the "single worst idea" who became a multi-millionaire
    (00:03:40) Icebreaker: Translating VC terminology into plain English
    (00:11:16) Principle 1: Never split equity 50/50
    (00:14:38) War Story: How a 50/50 split led to a founder losing her own company
    (00:19:52) War Story: An investor's hidden terms killed a startup's biggest deal
    (00:23:32) Principle 2: The danger of hiring a "white knight" to save your company
    (00:25:16) War Story: The Chief Revenue Officer who generated less than 5% of sales in 18 months
    (00:29:04) War Story: Why Quibi failed after raising $1.8 billion
    (00:31:07) Principle 3: Startups must be problem-driven, not idea-driven
    (00:33:23) War Story: How validating an idea with the target market saved a student from failure
    (00:36:38) War Story: The doctor who spent $385,000 building a product nobody wanted
    (00:38:25) Why acting on assumptions is the most expensive mistake you can make
    (00:41:02) Final thoughts and how to hear more war stories


    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
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    #StartupAdvice
    #FounderStories
    #WarStories
    #Entrepreneurship
    #StartupMistakes
    #VentureCapital
    #LeanStartup
    #BusinessLessons
    #FounderJourney
    #MarketValidation
    #Equity
    #StartupFunding
    #EarlyStage
    #Bootstrapping
    #TechStartups
    #BusinessPodcast
    #StartupTips
    #JohnRichards
    #TylerRichards
    #StartupIgnition
    Más Menos
    43 m
  • Ben Knell: Building a $100M+ Sales Engine, Family & Leadership, FBI, Pest Control, Business

    Ben Knell: Building a $100M+ Sales Engine, Family & Leadership, FBI, Pest Control, Business
    Sep 25 2025
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, hosts John and Tyler Richards are joined by Ben, the founder and CEO of BK Marketing. Ben shares his incredible entrepreneurial journey, from his early days in door-to-door alarm sales to revolutionizing the pest control industry. He details the creation of his unique business model, which focuses on building elite, outsourced sales teams for pest control companies nationwide. Ben opens up about the significant challenges he's overcome, including a business partner's FBI investigation, losing over a million dollars in bad investments, and the industry pushback he received for offering unprecedentedly high commissions. He also discusses the importance of work-life balance, the power of focusing on your strengths, and his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: "Why not you?"

    (00:00:00) Ben's shocking call from the FBI
    (00:02:23) Introducing Ben, CEO of BK Marketing
    (00:04:35) Icebreaker: A fun "this or that" session
    (00:10:05) How Ben got his start in door-to-door sales
    (00:16:05) Launching his first pest control company with no experience
    (00:19:30) A partner's $51 million fraud investigation puts everything at risk
    (00:23:45) The pivot: Creating a new business model for sales
    (00:25:44) How a life coach helped Ben 10x his productivity
    (00:29:13) The personal cost of an 80-hour work week and finding balance
    (00:31:47) The business mechanics of paying higher commissions
    (00:36:19) How private equity transformed the pest control industry
    (00:40:21) The biggest scars: Losing $1.4 million and the lesson learned
    (00:45:04) Ben's two biggest pieces of advice for early-stage founders
    (00:46:31) Why the Utah pest control industry pushed back against his model
    (00:48:26) What to look for (and what to avoid) when recruiting salespeople
    (00:51:21) Favorite podcast and the importance of "the becoming process"
    (00:54:17) What keeps Ben motivated today
    (00:56:55) Final advice to his 20-year-old self: "Why not you?"

    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/startupignition/

    #Entrepreneurship
    #Sales
    #PestControl
    #StartupStory
    #BusinessGrowth
    #DoorToDoor
    #UtahBusiness
    #FounderJourney
    #SalesTeam
    #Marketing
    #StartupAdvice
    #WorkLifeBalance
    #Scaling
    #Recruiting
    #BusinessStrategy
    #CEO
    #Innovation
    #Leadership
    #Grit
    #Resilience
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    1 h y 1 m
  • Jeff Burningham: From Real Estate Tycoon to VC, Startups, Becoming Wise in the Age of AI

    Jeff Burningham: From Real Estate Tycoon to VC, Startups, Becoming Wise in the Age of AI
    Sep 18 2025
    In this episode of the Startup Ignition Podcast, hosts John and Tyler Richards sit down with Jeff Burningham, a seasoned entrepreneur, prolific investor, and now, author. Jeff shares insights from his incredible journey, from launching his first tech company in college and co-founding the multi-billion dollar real estate firm Peak Capital Partners, to shaping Utah's tech scene with Peak Ventures (now Element Ventures). The conversation dives deep into the themes of his new book, "The Last Book Written by a Human," exploring how we can become wiser in the age of AI. Jeff also opens up about his run for governor, the lessons he learned about politics and leadership, and the importance of purpose-driven entrepreneurship. This is a must-listen for any founder seeking to build a meaningful company and a fulfilling life.

    (00:00:52) Welcoming Jeff Burningham: Entrepreneur, Investor, Author
    (00:05:00) The Million Dollar Question: When Did Jeff Make His First Million?
    (00:06:08) Icebreaker: Humans vs. Machines "This or That"
    (00:13:43) Investing: Trusting Your Gut vs. AI and Machine Learning
    (00:16:16) The Single Most Important Trait for Successful Founders
    (00:20:30) Does the Entrepreneurial Grind Serve You Well in Life?
    (00:23:17) Why AI Will Be a "Crucible for Humanity"
    (00:28:35) Jeff's Origin Story: From College Startup to Real Estate Tycoon
    (00:30:30) Navigating the 2008 Financial Crisis with Peak Capital
    (00:34:49) The Genesis of Peak Ventures and Fueling Utah's Startup Ecosystem
    (00:41:05) The Real Reason Jeff Burningham Ran for Governor
    (00:47:26) What Running for Office Taught Jeff About Politics vs. Leadership
    (00:50:31) Proposing a New Political Movement Focused on Human Flourishing
    (00:54:39) A Key to a Fulfilling Life: Prioritizing "Being" Over "Doing"
    (00:58:38) A Personal Story About the Importance of Being Present
    (01:03:14) Jeff's Two Most Important Tips for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs
    (01:06:35) Where to Find Jeff and His New Book

    Learn more about us:
    https://startupignition.com/links

    Apply to be a guest on the pod:
    https://startup-ignition-podcast.paperform.co/

    Follow John & Tyler:
    https://x.com/trich_
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrichards/

    Subscribe on YouTube:
    https://www.youtube.com/@StartupIgnition

    Follow on X:
    https://x.com/startupignition

    Follow on Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/startupignition/

    Follow on TikTok:
    https://www.tiktok.com/@startupignition

    Follow on LinkedIn:
    https://www.linkedin.com/school/6458758/admin/dashboard/

    Follow on Facebook:
    https://www.facebook.com/startupignition/

    #JeffBurningham
    #StartupIgnition
    #AI
    #ArtificialIntelligence
    #Entrepreneurship
    #VentureCapital
    #UtahBusiness
    #PeakCapital
    #ElementVentures
    #Politics
    #UtahPolitics
    #HumanFlourishing
    #PurposeDriven
    #FounderAdvice
    #ProductMarketFit
    #AngelInvesting
    #UtahTech
    #SiliconSlopes
    #Leadership
    #StartupPodcast
    Más Menos
    1 h y 7 m
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