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Cut The Tie Podcast with Nathan Strum

What if artificial intelligence didn’t replace people—but helped them grow? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Nathan Strum, CEO of Abby Connect, to talk about how a twenty-year-old live receptionist company is redefining success by blending human connection with AI innovation.

From cutting the tie to “doing everything for everyone” to leading his team through one of the biggest technological shifts in business, Nathan shares how focus, courage, and empathy drive sustainable growth. His approach proves that AI doesn’t have to eliminate jobs—it can elevate people into new, higher-value roles.

About Nathan Strum

Nathan Strum is the CEO of Abby Connect, a Las Vegas–based company helping small businesses capture every opportunity through a hybrid of live and AI receptionists. Under Nathan’s leadership, Abby Connect has become one of the most trusted names in client communication, known for balancing technology with a people-first philosophy. He’s passionate about building cultures where employees rise, clients feel heard, and innovation serves humans—not the other way around.

In this episode, Thomas and Nathan discuss:

• Why AI isn’t taking jobs—it’s transforming them
  Nathan explains how new technology is upskilling employees and opening career paths that didn’t exist before.
• Cutting the tie to “doing everything for everyone”
  How Abby Connect learned to focus on its best customers and say no to distractions that dilute value.
• Listening to clients the right way
  The difference between gathering feedback and asking the questions that actually drive business growth.
• Turning a service company into a product company
  The challenge of shifting from live services to software while staying true to the company’s human DNA.
• The tie he’s still cutting: building less to build better
  Why focus and simplicity matter most when developing new AI tools and customer solutions.

Key Takeaways

• AI creates more jobs than it replaces
  The future belongs to businesses that use technology to empower people, not eliminate them.
• Success is when your people feel successful
  Leadership is measured by how much you elevate others.
• You can’t please everyone
  Focus on the customers who align with your strengths and values.
• Fail fast, fail forward
  Every mistake is a data point for growth.
• Stop listening to influencers—start trusting yourself
  Your best business instincts come from experience, not noise.

Connect with Nathan Strum

🌐 Website: https://www.abby.com
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanstrum

Connect with Thomas Helfrich

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀 https://www.instantlyrelevant.com

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What if kids could launch their first business before high school? In this episode of Cut The Tie, Thomas Helfrich sits down with Krystal Popov, entrepreneur, real estate investor, and founder of FuturePreneur, a company that helps kids and teens ages six to sixteen build and launch their first business.

From corporate engineer to network marketing to commercial real estate and now youth entrepreneurship, Krystal’s story is about breaking cycles of fear, redefining success, and teaching freedom through ownership. She shares the ties she had to cut—control, fear of judgment, and the illusion of “safety” in corporate life—to build a business and a family that thrive on choice and impact.

About Krystal Popov
Krystal Popov is the founder and CEO of FuturePreneur, a hands-on program that teaches kids how to start real businesses from home. Based in Tucson, Arizona, Krystal is also a commercial real estate entrepreneur who operates over 20,000 square feet of coworking and retail office space. A former engineer turned business owner, she’s passionate about empowering the next generation to build confidence, creativity, and financial independence through entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Thomas and Krystal discuss:

• Teaching kids how to own their future
  How FuturePreneur helps kids and teens launch real businesses with guided video modules, business plans, and peer-led lessons.
• Why corporate “success” left her unfulfilled
  Krystal recalls sitting in a quarterly review meeting and realizing, “I’m climbing this ladder and I don’t even like the top.”
• How network marketing built her confidence
  Despite early failures and judgment, it taught her the most valuable lesson: You can’t sell if you don’t talk—and you can’t care what people think.
• Building real estate that buys her time
  Krystal explains how her coworking business gives her the freedom to start new ventures, travel, and raise her family without losing control of her time.

Key Takeaways

• Entrepreneurship breeds happiness
  Studies and real life both show it: business owners report more fulfillment and autonomy than employees.
• Failure is feedback, not final
  Every failed venture, from MLM to downtown coworking, became the data behind her success.
• Debt can be a tool, not a trap
  Smart, asset-backed debt fuels growth—don’t fear leverage, understand it.
• If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no
  The advice that reshaped how Krystal manages time, business decisions, and priorities.

Connect with Krystal Popov

🌐 Website: https://www.futurepreneur.com
🎁 Free Resource: Teach Your Kids to Dream (Check the website)
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystalpopov
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystalpopov

Connect with Thomas Helfrich

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀

Support the show

Serious about LinkedIn Lead Generation? Stop Guessing what to do on LinkedIn and ignite revenue from relevance with Instantly Relevant Lead System

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Cut The Tie Podcast with Jason Vana

Most business owners think branding is about colors, fonts, and logos—but that’s only the surface. In this episode of Cut The Tie, host Thomas Helfrich sits down with Jason Vana, founder and CEO of Shft Agency, to uncover what brand strategy really means—and why most companies get it wrong.

Jason shares how a side hustle turned into a thriving agency, what it means to truly understand your ideal customer, and how cutting the wrong assumptions can unlock business growth. With over 20 years of experience helping B2B service firms build brands that drive revenue, Jason breaks down how to create a brand that not only looks good—but sells better.

About Jason Vana

Jason Vana is the founder and CEO of Shft Agency, a B2B brand positioning firm that helps service companies uncover their unique market value and turn it into strategy that drives sales, marketing, and growth. Based in the Chicago suburbs, Jason brings two decades of hands-on experience in branding, marketing, and leadership. He’s known for helping businesses simplify complexity, focus on differentiation, and build brands that make selling easier.

In this episode, Thomas and Jason discuss:

• Cutting ties with the myth of “branding equals design”
  Why your logo, color palette, and fonts are just the tip of the iceberg—and what really defines your brand.
• From accidental agency to intentional success
  How Jason built Shift Agency from LinkedIn DMs while working full-time—and turned it into a leading B2B brand strategy firm.
• The partner that almost broke the business
  Why the belief that “I need a co-founder to succeed” nearly stalled his growth—and how buying out his partner unlocked real momentum.
• The freedom formula
  Jason shares how defining success as time freedom changed his decisions, leadership style, and agency model.
• How to find your true differentiator
  The practical framework for discovering what makes your company truly unique—and how to use it to build an entire strategy.

Key Takeaways

• Your brand is the customer-facing side of your business strategy
  If it doesn’t connect to real business goals, it’s just decoration.
• Challenge your assumptions early
  The wrong belief can hold your company back for years.
• Know who you serve—and who you don’t
  Focus on the ideal customers who stay longer, pay more, and trust you deeper.
• Don’t fix weaknesses—amplify strengths
  Hire or outsource for what you can’t do, and double down on what you do best.
• You can’t scale a brand that depends on you
  Build systems and IP that outlive the founder.

Connect with Jason Vana

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonvana
🌐 Website: https://www.shift.agency

Connect with Thomas Helfrich

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: t@instantlyrelevant.com
🚀 https://www.instantlyrelevant.com

Support the show

Serious about LinkedIn Lead Generation? Stop Guessing what to do on LinkedIn and ignite revenue from relevance with Instantly Relevant Lead System