Ever wonder how small businesses actually get funded when the bank says "no"? Meet Oz Konar, an international speaker, best-selling author, and the man responsible for helping hundreds of entrepreneurs tap into the trillion-dollar alternative lending industry. As the founder of the Business Lending Blueprint, Oz has revolutionized how people enter the finance world. Today, he’s sharing his ethical, consultative process for building a profitable funding business from scratch.

Guest Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oz-konar/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz7miT0ZlET8dHI6SAvZ7lQ

Website: https://businesslendingblueprint.com/masterclass?el=youtube

Podcast Links:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In this episode, host Mateo Hernandez sits down with Caitlin O. Bigelow, CMO of Blazel, the AI-powered marketing platform that's revolutionizing how executives build their online presence. With Blazel hitting $10M ARR by leveraging LinkedIn for authentic content creation, Caitlin shares her insider playbook on turning founders into industry thought leaders.

Dive into practical insights on:

- Growing Your Audience: How to use AI-assisted content to consistently post high-quality material that resonates, drawing from Caitlin's experience scaling Blazel's reach and her own 8,000+ followers on LinkedIn.

- Building Trust: Strategies for crafting genuine narratives that foster credibility, including blending personal stories with expert insights to create loyal communities—without the "AI slop" that plagues generic posts.

- Converting Clients: Proven tactics to turn visibility into pipeline, from optimizing profiles and targeting ideal audiences to using data-driven posts that drive real business results, like fundraising, hiring, or sales.

Whether you're a startup founder juggling limited time or an executive looking to own your industry, Caitlin's knowledge will equip you with actionable steps to amplify your voice on LinkedIn. Tune in for a conversation packed with real-world examples, including how Blazel's hybrid AI-human approach helped bootstrap their growth from stealth mode to a $10.3M pre-seed raise.

Listen now and start transforming your personal brand into a growth engine! Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.

Caitlin Social Links:

Blazel LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/blazelai/posts/?feedView=all

Blazel Website:

https://www.blazel.com/

Caitlin LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinbigelow/

Podcast Links:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠⁠⁠⁠

IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In this episode, Mateo dives into the inspiring journey of Carolin Gallardo Hanson, a visionary strategist who turned personal resilience into a global force for sustainable change. Starting from humble beginnings as a full-time real estate investor and educator, Carolin pioneered innovative methods to acquire and manage over $18 million in property assets with minimal upfront capital, all while overcoming significant challenges. Through her Creative Real Estate Academy, she empowered aspiring investors with practical tools and a mindset-focused approach to building wealth.

But Carolin's story doesn't stop there. Driven by a deeper mission, she founded the Green Nation Collective, uniting eco-innovators, developers, and change-makers to create heart-centered projects that blend environmental sustainability, social accountability, and economic prosperity. From incubating world-changing ideas to fostering communities that heal the planet, discover how her roots in social work, public speaking, and writing fueled a philosophy of breaking limitations and aligning personal dreams with collective impact.

Join us as Carolin shares actionable insights on resilience, innovation, and profitable purpose—perfect for entrepreneurs ready to transform their ventures into legacies that last.

Guest Social Links:

Seattle Impact & Innovation Summit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattle-impact-innovation-summit-tickets-1983266796376?aff=carolin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolin-gallardo-hanson-55b20138a/

Green Nation Collective: https://www.greennationcollective.com

Podcast Social Links Below:

Substack: ⁠⁠⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠⁠⁠

IG: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In this episode of the Mateo Hernandez Podcast, I sit down with Cooper Mirich—a true operations powerhouse who's helped scale SaaS and tech companies through smart automation, AI, and relentless process optimization.

We unpack how forward-thinking leaders are using AI agents and automation to eliminate repetitive tasks, build data-driven systems, and turn operations from a cost center into a massive growth engine. Cooper shares battle-tested strategies from his work as a VP of Operations—implementing SaaS tools, bridging marketing, engineering, and data teams, and driving efficiency that actually moves the needle on revenue and scale.

Whether you're a founder grinding to 10x your business, an operator drowning in manual work, or just someone fascinated by the AI revolution in the back office, this conversation delivers practical, no-fluff insights you can apply immediately.

Cooper Mirich Social Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cooper-mirich/

Synaxis Operation: https://www.linkedin.com/company/synaxis-operations-consulting/

Social Links Below:

Substack: ⁠⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠⁠

X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠⁠

IG: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

Episode 23 of The Mateo Hernandez Podcast marks the powerful finale of our three-part deep dive into interest rates — the single most important force shaping modern business and capital allocation.

In this concluding episode, we connect all the dots: how sustained high (or low) interest rates fundamentally reshape corporate capital structure, crush or supercharge startups, alter M&A activity, drive private equity behavior, and ultimately determine which industries live or die.

This is the definitive breakdown every founder, operator, and investor needs before placing their next bet in the current rate regime. We close the series with actionable frameworks for navigating any interest rate environment and clear predictions on who wins and who gets wiped out in the years ahead. This isn’t theory — this is the final analysis.

Social Links Below:

Substack: ⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠

IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠

Tiktok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In episode twenty-two of The Mateo Podcast, Mateo unpacks the tangled web of interest rates and their ripple effects on startups and broader business landscapes. Rising rates squeeze funding for fledgling companies, making loans costlier and venture capital scarcer, while established firms face tighter margins on debt. We dive into how central bank policies shape everything from hiring trends to innovation cycles, offering practical insights for entrepreneurs navigating this economic tightrope. Tune in for a clear, no-nonsense breakdown of how to adapt and thrive.

Social Links Below:

Substack: ⁠https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips⁠

X: ⁠https://x.com/hernandez2055⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/⁠

Youtube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez⁠

IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/⁠

Tiktok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In this must-listen episode of the Mateo Hernandez Podcast, host Mateo Hernandez dives deep into the current interest-rate environment and pulls back the curtain on how it’s reshaping the U.S. and global economy right now.

Mateo breaks down the Federal Reserve’s latest moves, why rates have stayed higher for longer, and what the most recent inflation, jobs, and consumer data are actually telling us. He walks listeners through the real-world consequences of today’s borrowing costs—everything from skyrocketing mortgage rates and credit-card balances to business investment decisions and housing market freezes.

Social Links Below:

Substack: https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

X: https://x.com/hernandez2055

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/106366527/admin/dashboard/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@realmateohernandez

IG: https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

In this powerful episode, Mateo sat down with Mike Miller, a seasoned entrepreneur and business advisor with over 45 years of experience in private equity, startups, and franchise development.

As President of American Wealth Strategist and the creator of the revolutionary OWN IT Planning System™, Mike has helped hundreds of mid-career professionals break free from the corporate grind and build thriving businesses that truly align with their goals, values, and lifestyle.

Mike shares his proven strategies for first-time entrepreneurs looking to start a business from scratch, acquire an existing one, or invest in the perfect franchise.

If you're tired of climbing someone else's ladder and ready to take control of your financial future, this conversation will inspire and equip you with the blueprint to make it happen. Because, as Mike says, Success Starts When You Own It™.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why mid-career professionals are perfectly positioned to become successful business owners
• The three main paths to ownership: starting, buying, or franchising—and how to choose the right one
• How to avoid common pitfalls that derail new entrepreneurs
• Real stories of professionals who've successfully transitioned to business ownership
• The power of the OWN IT: The Business Builder Program™ and personalized clarity sessions

Whether you're contemplating a career pivot or simply dreaming of financial independence, this episode is your wake-up call to stop waiting and start owning.

Mike Miller Links ↓

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/americanwealthstrategist/

Website: https://www.americanwealthstrategist.com/

Mateo Hernandez Links ↓

Substack: https://mhpodcast.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mateo-hernandeza1234/

X: https://x.com/hernandez2055

IG: https://www.instagram.com/realmateohernandez/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realmateohernandez

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@realmateohernandez