Olivier Roth shares why one of the most overlooked assets in business is the network you already have. Not just the people you know, but the relationships you have built over time and the trust behind them. For him, entrepreneurial excellence is not just about execution. It is about building trust that compounds and learning how to turn relationships into real opportunities.

Olivier is the co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of The Swarm, a platform that helps companies map and activate their networks for growth. Before that, he bootstrapped TimeLapse into a seven-figure agency working with startups and brands like Rakuten, Lyft, and Stanford Research Park. His experience gives him a practical view of growth, networking, and what it really takes to build something that lasts.

In this episode, Olivier talks about why giving before you ask matters so much, why warm introductions are still one of the most underused growth channels, and how founders can get more value from the network they already have. They also talk about lessons from building and closing an agency, the difference between audience and real relationships, and why AI will make human connection even more important.

Key Topics:

-Why Your Network Might Be Your Biggest Untapped Growth Channel

-What Most Founders Still Get Wrong About Networking

-Why Warm Intros Still Beat Cold Outreach

-How Great Founders Turn Relationships Into Revenue

-What Burnout Taught Him About Building the Wrong Way

-Why AI Will Make Human Connection Even More Valuable

Timestamps:

04:14 What a Real Network Actually Looks Like

05:12 The Untapped Potential Around Every Entrepreneur

06:08 Give Before You Ask Is the Real Networking Advantage

07:28 Your Audience Is Not the Same as Your Network

08:55 How to Map Your Network Using Real Relationship Data

10:30 How Great Founders Create Value for Their Network First

12:09 How Network-Driven Founders Win in Fundraising, Sales, and Hiring

14:02 How Much Time Founders Should Spend Nurturing Their Network

15:01 How Olivier Bootstrapped TimeLapse from Scratch

18:17 Burnout, Key Hires Leaving, and the Beginning of the End

19:47 Why He Walked Away to Build Something More Scalable

20:33 Why a Co-Founder Could Have Changed Everything

22:55 If He Did It Again, He Would Niche Down Much Earlier

23:28 What The Swarm Actually Does for Companies

25:07 Warm Intros Are Still the Most Underused Growth Channel

26:02 Why Building an Owned Audience Still Compounds

26:43 AI Can Speed Up Content, But Messaging Must Stay Human

28:23 Why AI Noise Will Make Human Relationships More Valuable

29:45 Warm Intros Are Just the Beginning of Network Influence

30:51 Olivier’s Best Advice for Early-Stage Founders

31:51 Why Co-Founder Fit Can Make or Break the Company

Connect with - Olivier Roth:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/olivier-roth

Website: theswarm.com

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

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Andrew D’Souza breaks down what actually defines entrepreneurial excellence today, and it is not hustle, scale, or chasing legacy. It comes down to doing the work only you can do, finding what feels natural to you but valuable to others, and having the self-awareness to step aside when you are no longer the right person for the job. He explains why most founders focus too much on being remembered, and not enough on creating real impact, even if it starts with just one person.

Andrew is the co-founder of Clearco, one of the fastest growing fintech companies that pioneered revenue-based financing for founders. Now, as the founder of Boardy, he is building an AI-powered super connector designed to match people with the exact opportunities, relationships, and resources they need at the right moment. His work sits at the intersection of technology, human judgment, and how the future economy will operate.

In this episode, Andrew talks about why skill stacking can make you impossible to compete with, how being underestimated can become your biggest advantage, and why conviction matters more than consensus. They also discuss how AI will reshape work, why smaller and more fragmented companies will dominate, and how founders should think about building in a world where intelligence is everywhere.

Key Topics:

-The best founders focus on work only they can do

-Being underestimated can become your biggest advantage

-Conviction matters most when the path is still unclear

-AI will replace routine work, but not human judgment

-Boardy, an AI that connects the right people at the right time

Timestamps:

03:22 Chasing Legacy Is the Wrong Founder Goal

04:10 Great Companies Start by Changing One Life

06:14 Why He Left Clearco to Build Bordy

06:42 The Mission to Back People Everyone Else Misses

07:33 How Bordy Finds What Makes You Different

09:00 Trust Still Runs the Entire Economy

10:41 The Founder Bet He Could Not Explain

13:18 The Moment He Knew It Was Time to Let Go

15:13 The Question Every Founder Has to Face

17:06 Would You Still Hire Yourself as CEO

19:28 Skill Stacking Beats Being Best at One Thing

24:30 Why Being Underestimated Became His Edge

26:28 How Long Can You Survive Looking Crazy

27:47 Founders Need a Clear View of the Future

31:27 Why the Next Era Will Create 100x More Founders

32:45 The Future Belongs to Smaller, Faster Companies

34:44 AI Will Replace More Work Than Most People Think

35:24 The Human Advantage AI Still Cannot Copy

39:12 Most VCs Are Using AI Completely Wrong

41:40 The Best Investors Think Like Future Builders

45:40 Chatbots Are Not the End Game

47:40 When AI Stops Assisting and Starts Deciding

53:12 How Clearco Mistook Momentum for Product Market Fit

55:42 The Moment You Know the Market Is Pulling You

59:23 Great Culture Must Match the Customer

01:00:27 If It Matters, Why Are You Waiting

01:05:14 Why Curiosity Now Matters More Than Experience

01:10:45 The Goal Is a Company That Gets Better Without You

01:11:50 Build the Role Only You Can Fill

01:17:45 The Biggest Breakthroughs Happen Across Worlds

01:20:52 Stop Trying to Build Like Someone Else

01:21:51 Find What Feels Easy to You but Valuable to Others

Connect with - Andrew D'Souza:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/andrewdsouza

X - @andrewdsouza

Website: https://www.boardy.ai/

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

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Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast

Eric Bahn breaks down what actually drives startup success today, and it is not pattern recognition or polished ideas. It comes down to how fast you move, how you think when things are unclear, and your ability to keep building while others are still trying to figure it out. He shares why the biggest outcomes often start from ideas that do not make sense at first, and why execution speed is becoming the real edge in a world shaped by AI.

Eric is the co-founder and general partner at Hustle Fund, a pre-seed venture firm focused on backing early-stage founders. Before investing, he built and exited a company and later worked at Instagram. Today, he looks for founders who move quickly, learn fast, and show real progress over time, not just strong narratives or well-crafted pitches.

In this episode, Eric talks about how mission-driven founders think differently, why long-term thinking matters more than short-term wins, and how AI is changing what it means to build and compete. They also discuss why smaller teams can outperform larger ones, how hiring should focus on adaptability, and why the best founders keep building toward what comes next instead of staying attached to one outcome.

Key Topics:

-Great founders look wrong early, that is often the signal you are onto something

-Mission beats money, the strongest builders are driven by something deeper

-Speed of execution is now the real advantage, not ideas or resources

-The best founders are playing long-term games, not chasing short-term wins

-AI raised the bar for everyone, now anyone can build but few can stand out

Timestamps:

03:13 The Founder Trait That Beats Chasing Money

06:55 When Money No Longer Motivates You, What Is Left

10:54 You Do Not Need to Destroy Your Life to Win Big

12:19 Stop Counting Hours, Start Measuring This Instead

15:14 Why Founders See the Future Before Investors Do

16:31 Big Wins Start by Betting Against the Obvious

17:02 The Real Thing Investors Are Betting On

18:20 The Startups That Look Dumb First Can Win Biggest

22:00 AI Just Made Startup Investing Way Harder

24:52 Why Early-Stage Startup Investing Is Not for Most People

28:31 Great Founders Think Bigger Than One Company

31:38 The Best Builders Are Always Building Toward the Next Thing

34:32 For Some Founders, Startups Are Their Art Form

38:00 AI Is Not Ending Work, It Is Raising the Bar

39:48 In This New Era, Speed Beats Almost Everything

42:52 In 2026, You Have No Excuse to Not Ship

44:25 The Founder Skillset Has Officially Changed

50:47 The Next Great Founders Will Need More Than Technical Skills

58:28 As AI Grows, Real-Life Connection Becomes More Valuable

01:00:42 Why Lean Teams May Crush Bigger Companies

01:03:31 Teams Win Bigger When Greed Is Not in the Room

01:05:59 Why Playing Long-Term Games Changes Everything

01:10:38 The Leadership Rule That Makes Hard Decisions Easier

01:21:45 Every Human Being Matters, And That Changes How You Build

Connect with - Eric Bahn:

LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/ericbahn

X - @ericbahn

Website: https://www.hustlefund.vc/team

Connect to Entrepreneurial-Excellence Podcast:

LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-excellence-podcast⁠

Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/@EntrepreneurialExcellencePod

TikTok - ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@eepodcast24⁠Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570329516959

Website - https://www.hirechore.com/resources/podcast