In this inspiring conversation, Jamie Seeker sits down with Derek Taussig — Army veteran, ultra-marathoner, and CEO of Taussig Landscape — to unpack what it really means to build a business with heart. Derek shares how mowing lawns as a teen evolved into running a full-service landscaping company with a powerful mission: enriching lives through the outdoors.

From battlefield lessons in leadership to business systems and employee development, Derek walks us through the gritty and transformative path of entrepreneurship. He opens up about the emotional weight of being a business owner, how he stepped out of the “it only works if I’m in it” mindset, and the three pillars that helped him grow: trust, training, and hiring.

• Early Roots: Derek talks about how his entrepreneurial drive started with a desire for a new bike and turned into a lawn-mowing business — with help and encouragement from his parents.
• Military Mindset: His service as a U.S. Army combat medic shaped not just his discipline, but his deep understanding of team dynamics and leadership — including what not to do.
• Business Evolution: Derek describes how he scaled from a solo operator to leading multiple teams by responding to demand and building a culture that values excellence.
• Stepping Out (Sort of): He shares the moment he thought he was out of the business — only to realize he was just in a different role. A local executive development course became a turning point.
• Building Systems: Derek emphasizes solving problems permanently through systems, handbooks, and clear expectations so the business doesn’t rely solely on him.
• Project Flow: We get a peek into the logistics of running a landscape design-build company, and how Derek’s team manages the entire process using specific software and defined job roles.
• Key Growth Lessons: The move from “everyone does everything” to hiring for specific skill sets was critical to sustainable growth.
• Leadership Philosophy: Derek breaks down his core principles: hire the right person, train them well, and build trust by giving them ownership — even when mistakes happen.
• Real Talk: Derek gets honest about burnout, doubt, and the emotional toll of business ownership — and why grit kept him going when things got tough.

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Óscar Rubio, Founder and CEO of Lodgerin, a Madrid- and Miami-based proptech company redefining international mobility.

What started as Óscar’s personal struggle to find housing in the UK evolved into a global digital ecosystem that now manages over 90,000 rental units worldwide — connecting universities, companies, and property owners with tenants seeking mid-term housing across continents.

Óscar shares how early mistakes and manual work paved the way for Lodgerin’s smart automation and process excellence. From digitalizing relocation management to centralizing complex systems across multiple countries, he reveals how building strong processes — and a caring culture — became the backbone of his company’s success.

This conversation dives into the process behind the growth, the balance between tech and human touch, and what it really takes to be an all-in founder in a global business.

• 💡 Start with the problem you’ve lived: Óscar’s journey began from personal frustration — he experienced the housing challenge first-hand, which gave him deep empathy for his customers.
• ⚙️ Process is power: Lodgerin’s success came from systemizing every manual process — from PDF proposals to a fully digital, automated ecosystem.
• 🧠 Automation + Empathy: True innovation lies in combining digital tools with proactive human support.
• 🌍 Global doesn’t mean generic: Despite operating across Spain, Dubai, and the U.S., Óscar says relocation needs are universal — the key challenge is building the right supply and partnerships.
• ❤️ “We Do Care” as a business model: Caring isn’t just for customers — it’s how Lodgerin treats its employees, partners, and shareholders too.
• 🚀 Trust and delegation: Scaling requires building a team you trust — people who combine skill with commitment to the vision.
• 🕰️ All-in commitment: Entrepreneurship demands complete alignment between your business, family, and life — or it simply doesn’t work.

• Website: www.lodgerin.com
• LinkedIn: Óscar Rubio
• Locations: Madrid, Spain 🇪🇸 | Miami, USA 🇺🇸 | Dubai, UAE 🇦🇪

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, host Jamie Seeker sits down with Dina Shanowitz, mother of five and founder/CEO of Zomee, a maternity and baby care brand based in Florida.

Dina shares how her difficult first breastfeeding journey — exclusively pumping for a NICU baby with an outdated, inconvenient pump — inspired her to design a better solution. Zomee was born from that mission to create customizable, hospital-grade pumps and products that put moms’ needs first.

She walks us through the courage it took to order her first shipment of pumps right after giving birth to her second child, the sleepless nights and fears she faced, and the determination to push forward when failure wasn’t an option.

The conversation dives deep into process management and strategy, highlighting the systems Dina built to scale from a one-woman show to a global brand, while keeping empathy and innovation at the heart of Zomee’s operations.

• From Pain to Purpose: Dina’s own challenges with breastfeeding turned into a business idea.
• Innovation with Empathy: Pumps designed with customizable features (alternate mode technology, nipple correction, customizable suction patterns, perfect fit sizing).
• Process Management:
• Learning to delegate and trust a team.
• Building specialized teams (customer service staffed by moms for moms).
• Scaling through systems so she could focus on innovation.
• Strategy in Growth:
• Leveraging personal insights + lactation consultant feedback.
• Insurance coverage for pumps — a huge strategic win.
• Ongoing product improvement: e.g., first cooling + warming lactation massager.
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: Dina stresses courage, persistence, and determination as the foundation of success.
• Mission Beyond Products: Zomee supports moms emotionally as well as practically, through their community and services.

• “Success doesn’t come from comfort — it comes from courage.”
• “Moms’ bodies are not the same. Pant sizes are not the same. The same comes with a pump.”
• “More milk, less time — that was always the goal.”
• “I looked at my husband when that first container arrived and thought, what did I just do? But I knew I couldn’t fail.”
• “Breasts are not twins; they’re more like sisters.”
• “As an entrepreneur, you have to take that jump. Sometimes things don’t make sense, but you have to believe and move forward.”
• “Building a business is not glamorous — it takes persistence through all the hiccups.”

• Emphasize process + courage as the core episode takeaway.
• Highlight Dina’s mom-to-founder transformation — relatable for listeners who start with personal pain points.
• Use her bold quotes (“Success doesn’t come from comfort, it comes from courage”) for episode graphics, audiograms, or pull quotes.
• Mention Florida roots + global reach of Zomee for personal + professional credibility.
• This episode is strong for female founder inspiration, strategy-focused entrepreneurs, and health/wellness product builders.

In this episode, Tom Nassr dives into how business owners can think differently about process management, workflow design, and automation — not just for efficiency, but to unlock their team’s creativity and focus. Tom shares his evolution from philosophy major to design agency founder to automation strategist. With practical stories and frameworks, he offers a refreshing, human-first take on how to streamline operations without losing your soul to tech.

• Tom’s roots are in philosophy, which shaped his curiosity and systems thinking.
• Founded Checkmate.Digital, a design agency, with no formal training — his first gig was a $500 website.
• Sold the agency in 2019 and launched XRay.Tech in 2021, after realizing how underutilized most software tools were.
• XRay.Tech’s mission: Free humans from repetitive work so they can focus on creative, meaningful contributions.

1. Start with the End in Mind

• Define what a “good result” looks like before building or automating a process.
• Don't try to automate processes that haven’t been done well manually yet.

2. Avoid Automating Chaos

• Automation should serve clarity, not complexity.
• Before introducing AI or workflows, ensure the process is consistent and measurable.

3. Design the Happy Path — but Plan for Exceptions

• Build workflows for the ideal scenario, but design clear fallback actions when things deviate.
• Empower humans to step in where nuance is needed.

4. Empower People, Don’t Replace Them

• Automation isn’t about removing humans — it’s about enhancing their capacity and giving them more fulfilling work.

5. Flexibility vs. Structure

• Structure provides repeatability; flexibility comes from how you handle non-standard situations.
• Build systems that adapt, not ones that try to control every possible edge case.

• XRay.Tech helped a medical manufacturing company streamline a massive inventory and pricing spreadsheet.
• Built a workflow with Airtable + automation tools to help them serve global labs during COVID.

• Tom emphasized humility, resilience, and a willingness to iterate as crucial traits.
• Recognize that perfection is a moving target — progress and persistence matter more.

In this episode of Business Owner Tell All: What It Takes host Jamie Seeker sits down with Dr. Connor Glass, Founder & CEO of Phantom Neuro, based in Austin, Texas. Connor shares his journey from aspiring military officer to medical researcher to startup founder, ultimately creating a neurotechnology company that’s revolutionizing how prosthetics connect with the human body.

With Phantom Neuro’s recent $19 million Series A raise, Connor opens up about the strategies, pivots, and process decisions behind building a company at the cutting edge of science. From learning to “translate science into business” to choosing the right partners and investors, Connor tells all about what it really takes to survive and thrive in deep tech entrepreneurship.

• The Origin Story: From ROTC to Johns Hopkins research to founding Phantom Neuro.
• From Lab to Market: The difference between academic “proof of concept” and a real business model.
• Process vs. Passion: How Connor balances chaotic startup life with regulatory demands.
• Building the Right Circle: The role of family, friends, and strategic advisors in shaping his path.
• Fundraising & Strategy: Lessons from raising nearly $30M in venture capital.
• Partnerships & Credibility: Why aligning with organizations like Ottobock and Johns Hopkins was crucial.
• Process Management: How Phantom Neuro thrives in the chaos by prioritizing people and adaptability.
• The Founder Mindset: Why survival and relentless belief are the essence of entrepreneurship.

• “What we were really seeing in those flashy YouTube videos was proof of concept, not commercial reality. Creating a product takes an entirely different mindset.”
• “So much amazing innovation just sits on the shelf in academia because nobody takes the risk to commercialize it.”
• “At the end of the day, it’s just sheer grit, trial and error, and waiting for something good to happen—getting a whole lot of no’s before you get a single yes.”
• “Neurotech is hard to explain—you can’t just give someone a slice of bread like my brother did with his startup.”
• “You are who you surround yourself with. I’ve abided by that fully in building this company.”
• “Wherever there’s red tape and process, I try to optimize it to keep the company alive while still pushing forward.”
• “What it takes is a relentless belief in what you’re doing—a desire to rather die than not succeed.”
• “There’s no playbook. It’s about staying alive long enough for something good to happen.”
• “In order to survive, you have to sprint faster toward death.” (quote from his rocket-founder friend that Connor lives by)

• Transitioning from research to entrepreneurship requires shifting mindset from academic validation to scalable business.
• Early processes should focus less on rigid operations and more on surrounding yourself with aligned people.
• In highly regulated industries, strategy means navigating process without being crushed by it—relationships matter as much as rules.
• Success in startups often comes down to grit, resilience, and embracing chaos rather than perfect plans.
• Investors and partners buy into the vision and founder as much as the product.

In this episode, Jamie Seeker talks with Dr. Damodar “Damo” Sahu, a global tech leader and philanthropist who’s turning AI into a force for good. Based in Northville, Michigan, Data Safeguard Inc. is an AI-powered data privacy and synthetic fraud prevention company helping enterprises protect digital identities before cybercriminals can exploit them.

Dr. Sahu shares his journey — from growing up in a small town in Odisha, India, to leading digital transformation at Wipro, to co-founding a company built on responsible and ethical AI. He explains why privacy is the first line of defense, how process management fuels rapid innovation, and why partnerships are key to long-term growth.

The conversation covers the staggering global cost of cybercrime, the danger of synthetic fraud, and the mindset it takes to run a business that’s driven by both mission and impact. Along the way, Dr. Sahu drops wisdom on aligning your “why” before your “what,” treating every stakeholder as a partner, and leading with purpose.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Purpose to Privacy: Dr. Sahu’s personal and professional journey into AI-driven data protection.
• The founding of Data Safeguard and the vision for AI with a conscience.
• Why privacy matters more than ever in preventing fraud and protecting identities.
• The role of process management and strategy in scaling innovation in a fast-moving tech space.
• How privacy can shift from a “checkbox” to a business enabler that builds trust.
• The importance of aligning diverse teams and partners around a mission.
• The partner ecosystem approach — why building with intent matters more than selling quickly.
• The staggering financial cost of cybercrime and the silent threat of synthetic fraud.
• Future goals: scaling to a $1B valuation, advancing fraud prevention tools, and establishing a global center for ethical AI.
• Signature Question: What it really takes to be a business owner.

Resources & Links:

• Website: www.datasafeguard.ai
• LinkedIn: Dr. Damodar Sahu
• Instagram: @dr.damodarsahu (dance videos included!)

"Privacy is the first line of defense. Security comes later."

"From purpose to privacy — that’s my journey. And I want privacy to be a global mission, not just a product feature."

"The moment you look at everyone — investors, customers, colleagues — as a partner, the game changes."

"We want enterprises to see privacy not as a cost, but as an enabler for growth."

"Why before what — that’s how you align people to a mission that matters."

"Even if a breach happens, our goal is to make that data useless to the fraudster."

"Building with intent is more important than chasing ambition."

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker speaks with Seth Kamens, founder of Kamens & Associates, a full-service accounting and consulting firm based in Livingston, NJ, just 30 minutes outside New York City.

Seth’s career path wasn’t straightforward—after stints in Washington, D.C., recovering from a serious illness, and working at powerhouse firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Deloitte, and Cohn, he realized he hated working for others in environments that didn’t value people. In 2012, he launched Kamens & Associates with just six clients, a partner, and a small office. Today, the firm serves clients worldwide, from billionaires to solopreneurs.

In this candid conversation, Seth shares why CPAs should be more than tax preparers—they should be proactive strategic partners. He unpacks why regular check-ins, process simplification, and realistic growth planning are essential for entrepreneurs who want to avoid costly mistakes and scale successfully. He also highlights the emotional and professional support business owners need to thrive.

• Proactive > Reactive – Meeting with your CPA twice a year can save you from costly missteps in taxes, entity structure, and cash flow.
• Relationships Over Transactions – People remember responsiveness and respect, not page 120 of a tax return.
• Process Simplification Matters – Basic systems (QuickBooks, separate accounts, monthly check-ins) prevent financial chaos.
• Growth Requires Strategy – The bigger the goal, the more you need back-office and advisory support.
• Emotional Support is Critical – Confidence from partners, family, and peers can carry you through the hardest early years.

1. "No one’s going to know what’s on page 120 of a tax return. They’re going to know if you call them back."
2. "I’m not going to bill you for a 5-minute phone call—it just creates a negative connotation."
3. "If you want to go from $100K to $500K in three years, you’re going to need help."
4. "The idea is not to be perfect—it’s to get you in the ballpark."
5. "I see myself as an entrepreneur who happens to be a CPA."
6. "You need three or four people you intuitively trust, who will tell you no."
7. "You need guts, emotional support, and a basic business background to succeed."

• Seth’s unconventional path into accounting, including his illness and early challenges.
• The Facebook and LinkedIn outreach campaign that landed his first six clients.
• Why he targets underserved solopreneurs and startups.
• The cautionary tale of a client who jumped from $125K to $400K without proper tax planning—and ended up $60K in the hole.
• The importance of having trusted advisors outside your industry who can push back.
• Why incremental growth and controlled expansion have been keys to his firm’s success.