Jeff Bednar, founder of Profound Foods, returns to the podcast to discuss the evolution of his farming business, from starting with $2.6$ acres in North Texas to pivoting his model. Initially driven by a personal health journey, Profound Foods grew into a collaborative food hub to help small local farmers and ranchers overcome the high costs of distribution and marketing. Bednar details the transition from aquaponics to hydroponics for greater consistency and viability, and the strategic decision to close the expensive greenhouse operation to focus on the profitable food hub, commercial kitchens, and event space. He shares valuable business lessons, emphasizing the importance of partnerships, cutting losses early, and seeking guidance from business mentors, including his mother, who is a business coach. Bednar also provides practical advice for aspiring farmers, highlighting the crucial need to establish a market and sales channel before growing a product.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this third interview, host Ronnie Spellman and chef John Coletta, founding chef and partner at Cortina restaurant, delve deeply into the philosophy of quality eating, nutrition, and its connection to overall well-being. Coletta champions the use of superior, natural ingredients, arguing that prioritizing product integrity over immediate profitability leads to business success. The discussion covers how eating high-quality food can help manage issues like obesity, the importance of sourcing fundamental ingredients like olive oil and rice with integrity, and the universal appeal of approachable Italian cuisine. The conversation concludes with Coletta's leadership philosophy, emphasizing hiring "A-players," making oneself replaceable, and treating both staff and customers with care to create a loyal, positive business culture.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this interview, Ronnie Spellman speaks with Anisha Holla, founder and CEO of Foodify, an automated matchmaking platform connecting small, local restaurants with food influencers. Holla explains that her business was founded on the principle of determining who she wanted to become, leading her away from pre-med and politics. Foodify addresses a crucial marketing need for small businesses by facilitating consistent, paid opportunities for local influencers at discounted rates, leveraging volume to benefit both parties. The platform vets influencers based on follower size, geographic fit, and engagement rate, ensuring local traffic for restaurants. Holla emphasizes that her success is rooted in finding the intersection of passion and income, and she shares business decoded tips for entrepreneurs, stressing consistency, listening to dissatisfied customers, and the need to be highly adaptive, as every day in entrepreneurship brings a new challenge.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this interview, Ronnie Spellman and Ken Malcolmson, President and CEO of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, discuss the chamber's strategy for driving regional prosperity and effective leadership. Malcolmson details how the chamber, which prefers to call its members "stakeholders," focuses on the entire Dallas region, working to address economic imbalances like the funding disparity between North and South Dallas. He highlights major, high-engagement events, such as the annual bus tour of the southern sector and the Transportation Crossroads conference. A central theme is collaboration among regional chambers and business organizations to amplify advocacy efforts on critical issues like infrastructure and quality of life. Malcolmson also shares leadership wisdom, emphasizing the power of showing up, building relationships, and the distinction between a mentor and a sponsor. He concludes by celebrating the richness of life derived from community engagement, not just financial wealth.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this second interview with Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission, the conversation focuses on the monumental effort to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Texas. Paul details the successful bid, which leveraged the region's strong infrastructure, corporate base, and central location. The discussion highlights the massive economic impact, now projected between $1.5 to $2.1 billion, and the intricate planning across numerous working groups, addressing everything from security and logistics to cultural awareness and local business engagement. Paul emphasizes the event's importance in elevating Dallas's global profile beyond traditional Western stereotypes and creating a lasting legacy, including the potential for a future Women's World Cup bid.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this Business Decoded episode, host Ronnie Spellman interviews Brittany Huber, Director of Collaboratives at Philanthropy Southwest, to explore the vital intersection of business, government, and the nonprofit sector. Drawing on her extensive experience in university development and her recent Master's in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University, Huber discusses the evolution of philanthropy, reframing it as universal "generosity" that transcends monetary donations to include time and talent. She shares insights into global philanthropic trends, the critical role of organizations like Philanthropy Southwest in shaping policy and fostering collaboration, and the importance of passion in fundraising. The conversation also delves into practical advice for entrepreneurs, highlighting the universal principle that "people give to people," a concept as true for startups seeking investment as it is for nonprofits seeking donations.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this episode of the Business Decoded podcast, host Ronnie Spellman sits down with Steve Reed, founder of Steve Reed Solutions, a life and executive coach with over 30 years of experience. Steve delves into the practical applications of the DISC personality assessment for business leaders, explaining how understanding the four temperaments—Dominant, Inspirational, Supportive, and Compliant—can revolutionize team management, sales strategies, and communication. The conversation extends beyond the boardroom, exploring how these same principles, along with concepts like the "Five Love Languages," can improve personal relationships and foster a healthy work-life balance. Steve shares powerful anecdotes and practical tips, from strengthening your core abilities to effectively separating work stress from home life, providing a holistic guide for leaders aiming to grow both professionally and personally.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Dave Copps, co-founder and CEO of Worlds and an internationally renowned futurist, explores his decades-long journey pioneering the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, including his past companies, Ingenium Corporation and Brain Space. Copps, who embraces risk and curiosity as guiding forces, emphasizes that entrepreneurs should "fall in love with the problem," not the solution, and strive to create a "market of one". His current venture, Worlds, is an end-to-end platform for "physical AI" that creates machines which can "see and sense the world like people do, but at a scale that's not humanly possible". Copps details Worlds' innovation in AI training, which automates a process that previously took months into minutes or hours, with real-world applications in safety (like steel manufacturing) and leak detection (in energy). He concludes by discussing the coming cognitive revolution accelerated by AI, stressing the importance of developing "meta skills" and fostering a company culture built on the Swahili concept of "Ubuntu"—where failure is recast as "iteration" and impossible goals are used to summon the "greatness of people".For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Kevin Richardson, a veteran of the film and video game industries, traces his career from sharpening pencils for Sesame Street in high school to producing games for Mattel and pitching films to major studios like Netflix and Warner Brothers. Richardson details his early technical roles at major studios, including Industrial Light and Magic for Return of the Jedi and the core pre-production team for The Brave Little Toaster, and provides unique insight into the business of Hollywood. He emphasizes the need for creatives to focus on telling real, well-executed human stories, especially given the threat of AI taking over jobs and "coming for your imagination" by making slick, cheap content. Richardson breaks down the challenging film pitch process, which begins with an "ironic logline" (a two-sentence summary containing irony) to secure interest, and discusses the importance of securing production partners and having a rough film facsimile before entering the high-stakes meeting.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Andrea Bednar, founder of AndreaBednar.com and a master integral coach, delves into her unique "backdoor" approach to helping businesses achieve discontinuous breakthroughs. Bednar's philosophy centers on the idea that people are often resistant to change despite professing a desire for it. Her work involves thought partnering and using systems thinking to guide clients out of their current mindset by asking simple, profound questions and exploring multiple future scenarios, including ones where things go unexpectedly well. A central tenet of her methodology is "conscious doing," which marries "being" and "doing" by making one's actions and habits more present and less automatic. Bednar details her journey of starting her own business out of necessity and the critical role her network played in her survival, stressing the importance of asking for help, especially for male entrepreneurs. She also discusses her book, Doing, and the Conscious Doing Cards—a tool designed to democratize leadership development by providing a year-long, affordable program in a pouch.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

This episode features an interview with Megan Fenton, Center Manager for the Richardson Gymnastics Center. Fenton, a former elite gymnast and UCLA alumna who achieved a perfect ten on the uneven bars, discusses the unique nature of her city-run, high-quality gymnastics facility and the immense value of youth sports in developing successful adults. She shares her coaching philosophy, which focuses on a "longer game" approach to training that prioritizes health and deep understanding of skills to prevent burnout and fear, contrasting it with the early-peaking elite track. Fenton, who holds a degree in math and economics, emphasizes that the discipline, time management, goal-setting, and ability to accept criticism learned in competitive athletics are directly transferable and highly valuable skills in the business world, making student-athletes highly sought-after employees.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

This interview with Paul Morinville, Executive Director of Spark US Innovation, focuses on the critical degradation of the U.S. patent system and its profound negative impact on entrepreneurship, national security, and global technology leadership. Morinville, an inventor himself, details how two major changes—the 2006 eBay v. Merc Exchange case, which made injunctions against infringers nearly impossible for startups, and the 2011 America Invents Act, which created the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) with an 84% patent invalidation rate—have stripped patents of their value as collateral for investment. He argues this has created an environment where large corporations are incentivized to steal from small inventors, causing the U.S. to rapidly lose its technological edge to countries like China, whose patent system is now superior. Morinville stresses the urgent need for legislative reform to restore strong patent rights, asserting that a fix could reverse the U.S.'s declining status in critical technologies within a decade.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Steve Haro, founder of Haro Solutions, offers an inside look at the world of government affairs and lobbying. Haro, a veteran with 25 years of experience across politics, policy, and media, explains that his firm acts as a bridge between businesses and government. He emphasizes that effective lobbying is about education: helping businesses understand government and vice versa. Haro highlights the law of unintended consequences, noting that well-intentioned policies can adversely affect businesses and that his role is to help policymakers understand these impacts. His value proposition lies in his diverse career experience, which includes working on political campaigns, as a congressional staffer, and as an executive at a major corporation. This unique background allows him to serve as a "fractional executive," translating the needs of a business to government officials and vice versa. Haro also shares insights on the nature of political campaigns as "venture-backed businesses" and discusses the impact of social media and AI on political operations. The conversation underscores the importance of proactive engagement and relationship-building with government officials to solve problems before they escalate.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Jonathan Marques, founder of Driving Academy and JM Growth, provides a comprehensive look at his unconventional and highly successful journey as a serial entrepreneur. Starting as a college student and D1 athlete, Marques learned valuable, albeit harsh, lessons from his first venture, a restaurant business that grew to 14 locations before 13 of them failed. This experience taught him the critical difference between profit and cash flow, the importance of a strong business foundation, and the necessity of delegation without sacrificing oversight. Inspired by his hard-working but over-operational father, Marques set out to build a business that could run independently, not one that he was a slave to. He then applied these principles to the Driving Academy, creating a unique and successful model that addresses customer fears about time, money, and risk through flexible scheduling, a "pay-as-you-go" payment plan, and lifetime job placement. He emphasizes the power of social media marketing, particularly YouTube, as a search engine to build brand authority and trust by consistently providing value. The interview concludes with a discussion of his new venture, JM Growth, which aims to simplify business concepts for other entrepreneurs and help them transition from being tired operators to wealthy owners by building and leveraging solid systems.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this episode of the Business Decoded podcast, guest Rick Hopper, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Readerest, shares his remarkable life and business story. The interview traces his journey from a career in construction and a battle with drug addiction to becoming a successful inventor and appearing on Shark Tank. Hopper emphasizes that his path was not linear, marked by both personal struggle and business failures, but was ultimately defined by a strong sense of purpose, self-discipline, and faith. He explains the origin of his magnetic eyeglass holder, Readerest, and details his strategic approach to market testing and pricing before pitching his product. Hopper’s story highlights the importance of resilience, learning from past experiences, and maintaining unwavering self-belief, ultimately leading to a successful business and a platform to help others.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The podcast interview with Anisha Holla, a Gen Z entrepreneur, delves into her journey of creating FoodiFy, a business that acts as a "matchmaking app" connecting local restaurants with food influencers. Holla, a University of Texas at Dallas graduate, started as a food influencer herself, observing the immense impact a single post could have on a small business's traffic and sales. Driven by the desire to provide a consistent solution for small business owners who lack the resources and knowledge for modern marketing, she founded FoodiFy. The discussion highlights the shift in advertising from traditional media to short-form, attention-grabbing content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which Gen Z naturally leverages. Holla's entrepreneurial path was significantly shaped by a mentor who advised her to focus on "who she wanted to be" rather than "what she wanted to be," leading to a change in her career path. She emphasizes the importance of bootstrapping, staying true to her core values of helping small businesses, and the crucial role of customer discovery and self-belief in turning an idea into a successful, profitable business, as evidenced by her company's nearly $1 million in ad revenue in its first year without external investment.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Samantha Mills, a Gen Z entrepreneur, provides a fascinating look into the creation and purpose behind her company, Clover Edge Creative. Samantha, the founder and president, discusses how her background as a graphic designer and her deep-seated involvement with the Rotary Club inspired her to merge her professional skills with her passion for helping others. She highlights the specific challenges faced by non-profits and local service organizations, such as outdated branding, lack of social media presence, and limited budgets. A key theme of the conversation is the importance of purpose-driven work and the power of networking, as she shares her journey from college to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the role her connections and mentors played in her development.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

In this interview, Rabbi Shaya Fox, the CEO of the Dallas Area Torah Association (DATA), discusses his unique journey from a secular entrepreneurial background to leading a spiritual non-profit organization. He shares how his upbringing in a family with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with his willingness to seek guidance, prepared him for a leadership role he initially felt underqualified for. Rabbi Fox explains the mission of DATA, which is to inspire and help Jews in the Dallas area deepen their connection to their faith through various programs and a non-judgmental approach. He emphasizes the importance of spiritual health alongside physical and mental well-being. The conversation also touches on the challenges of leading a legacy organization, balancing respect for founders with the need for change, and the personal sacrifices he made for a career path driven by mission and purpose rather than financial gain.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

The interview with Jeff Bednar, the founder of Profound Foods, offers an insightful look into his pivot from a career in real estate and car washes to sustainable farming. His journey was sparked by a personal health scare and a desire to build a business that was "additive" to the community, rather than "extractive". Jeff discusses the substantial challenges of launching a local farm, including the high startup costs for land and equipment, and the constant threat of unpredictable weather and pests. He explains how diversifying crops was key to mitigating risks and how agritourism, such as hosting farm-to-table dinners and tours, became a more profitable revenue stream than farming alone. The conversation also highlights the critical role of a previously secured grant and business infrastructure, which allowed his company to make a successful pivot to a direct-to-consumer home delivery model during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff’s story underscores the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset, resilience, and adaptability in overcoming business challenges.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com

This podcast interview with Ollie Chandhok, President and Publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, covers the journal's role in the North Texas business community, its evolution beyond print, the region's dynamic economic landscape, and career advice. Chandhok emphasizes the Dallas Business Journal's commitment to informing and connecting business leaders through various platforms, including digital content and events. He highlights the robust and diverse industries in North Texas, particularly the booming financial services and aerospace sectors. The discussion also delves into the importance of community engagement for business professionals and the value of authentic leadership.For a summary and to connect with the guest, please visit https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-decoded-podcastProduced by www.andycostafilms.com