Vlad Ivanov, Founder and CEO of Limitless Moving & Storage, joins us to talk about the power of networking to build a business from the ground up.

About Vlad and Limitless Moving & Storage:

Vlad is Owner & Founder of Limitless Moving & Storage located in Walpole, Ma.
He is a United States Army Veteran.

Limitless Moving & Storage did it’s very first moving job in early 2017. The company’s founder, Vlad Ivanov, started the company back then after successfully running Boston Small Moves with just a 1999 Ford Econoline van. Vlad found a niche for single-item moving job such as moving furniture like couches, dressers, beds, and pieces of artwork from one location to another.

As a founder of the two moving companies, Vlad and his team immediately realized that personal and attentive customer service typical led to a lot of referrals. Business soon grew so fast that just the Ford Econoline and a small staff of well trained and capable movers needed to expand.

Today, Limitless Moving and Storage focuses on moving, packing, delivery and even donation delivery. Boston Small Moves handles smaller moves. Both companies serve all of Greater Boston, MA and beyond.

Both teams of movers are carefully vetted and really know how to pay attention to every detail, including listening and responding to customer needs.

Vlad is humbled to lead both businesses. He sure knows how to work hard and pay attention to customers. He often personally goes on moving jobs to hear what customers needs and makes sure he and his team deliver, literally.

Links:
linkedin.com/in/vlad-ivanov-367190128/
limitlessmoving.com/

Dina Baker of Chief Outsiders joins the Wicked Connected crew to talk about networking as marketing yourself.

Dina's Message:
"Throughout my journey in marketing, referrals have played a critical role in business development. The most effective referral strategies focus on intentionality and ease. The key is to create win-win scenarios where both parties benefit."

Dina's Bio

As an area managing partner at Chief Outsiders, Dina Wolfman Baker ensures that mid-market CEOs have the perfect fractional executive for gowth on their teams, along with the execution and process capacity to make an impact at speed. Dina is an expert in brand management, industry-disruptive differentiation, high-performance team development, and effective go-to-market strategies.

Gary Kaufman of ABI-LAB joins the Wicked Connected crew to talk about the challenges of the current funding environment in biotech and the role networking plays.

Gary's Message:

Work in an environment where you are passionate and you will always be networking

Gary's Bio:
Mr. Kaufman serves as Chief Operating Officer at ABI-LAB. Along with his partners at ABI-LAB Mr. Kaufman is an angel investor in a multitude of biotech ventures, and he is currently in the process of creating an investment vehicle to fund an additional two to four companies a year. For over 30 years he has been a successful entrepreneur, with expertise in consumer-related businesses ranging from residential and commercial real estate to automotive and consumer vending. Mr. Kaufman is the president of Shelby Enterprises Inc., a commercial and residential real estate firm. In addition to his real estate background, Mr. Kaufman has played a significant role in the Metrowest startup community as co-founder and vice chairman of the Metrowest Life Sciences Network, an organization whose mission is to foster awareness of and promote professional networking opportunities among the regions scientific and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Metrowest region. He has a BS in Management Science from Bridgewater State College with advanced studies at Tel Aviv University and Harvard University.

Links:
www.linkedin.com/in/abi-lab
abi-lab.com

Karol Mendoza and Jeralmi Canela join the Wicked Connected crew to talk about their experience as networkers in the early days of their careers.

About Karol:

Hi! I am Karol Mendoza, and I am a second-year journalism student at Northeastern University, minoring in International Affairs. I originally came from Colombia and moved to Boston some years ago. Initially, my English proficiency was limited; however, through dedication and practice, I graduated as valedictorian of Excel High School in May 2024. The BUILD program has been crucial in enhancing my storytelling and public speaking abilities. Currently, I am a Development and Communications intern at BUILD and a Fellow in the BUILD Youth Fellowship. I aspire to travel the world, connect with diverse cultures, and engage with unfamiliar narratives!

About Jeralmi:

Jeralmi Canela is a computer science student at Northampton Community College, a BUILD alum and a Communications & Development Intern at BUILD Boston. Raised in the Dominican Republic and later Boston, his interest in games began by secretly playing Brick Breaker on his aunt’s phone. Years later, a middle school programming class using Scratch connected the dots and he’s been hooked on game development ever since. Today, he’s focused on creating and releasing original titles.

Links:
build.org/boston/

Jashin Lin of Growbie joins the Wicked Connected crew to share thoughts on the ins and outs of networking for 1st generation immigrants in Boston.

Jashin's Message:
"Always be networking and use LinkedIn effectively to achieve your goals"

Jashin's Bio:

A dynamic leader and trailblazer, Jashin stands at the forefront of social entrepreneurship, community building, and career education. As the founder and CEO of Growbie, the first career development platform focused on networking skills and community-building for first-generation immigrants, she is dedicated to addressing the challenges of cultural differences and fostering career readiness. Highly regarded as a speaker, Jashin shares strategies to navigate the unique hurdles faced by first-generation immigrants at over 40 corporations, conferences, and universities worldwide.

In addition to Growbie, Jashin currently teaches Career Toolkit at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, where she has been ranked the top instructor for four consecutive semesters by over 200 students, recognized for her energy, empathy, and career expertise. Prior to Growbie, she was an early employee at ByteDance, helping TikTok expand into more than 30 countries, a management consultant at GEP working with Fortune 500 companies to improve their bottom line, and an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. Jashin holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business.

Links:
www.linkedin.com/in/jashinlin/
www.growbie.com

Cole Young of Woodward Cass joins the Wicked Connected crew to talk about the importance defining who you are and the niche you serve in order to network effectively.

Cole's Message:

Know your product/service and act accordingly. If you're super specialized - say you're the only equestrian lawyer in town - make that known to the world and work that. If you're more of a generalist, like me, you need to be someone who can connect other people. Let that be known and work that.

Cole's Bio:
Originally from Detroit, my wife and I moved to Boston on a whim. Truly. We are “city people,’ and after living in several great cities, we wanted to try a new one. My first visit to Boston was in a moving van, moving all of our meager possessions, in 2011. I can now think of nowhere I would rather live. We love this city. Professionally, as a civil engineer and attorney, I love all things real estate, construction and development. I work with real estate companies, developers and property management companies mostly in Boston, but also throughout the United States and several European and Asian countries. We have two kids and an adorable boxer puppy named Lucy Pickles.

Monique Richards joins the Wicked Connected podcast to talk about the power of networking to build not only business but also friendships.

Monique's Message:

Networking is not just for building business connections, there is a social side of networking as well.

About Monique:

With an undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology and a Master's from Yale in Molecular and Cellular Biology, as well as business development experience in the life sciences, Monique brings a unique and valuable perspective to networking as a business and social skill.

Barry Braunstein of Barry Braunstein Photography joins the Wicked Connected crew to share his thoughts on how networking fits into a effective marketing plan.

Barry's Message:

"Networking is fundamental to growing any small business - and it takes time. Don't expect instant results, you need to be in it for the long term. And there are different types of networking groups, each with their own pluses and minuses."

Barry's Bio:

"After a long, successful career in high technology marketing and sales, I decided to start a new career following a passion I've had since high school. I studied with some of the leading photographers in the industry to enhance my skills in areas such as lighting, posing, and facial expression coaching, and continue to learn by exploring new techniques, looks from other work I come across."

Links:
linkedin.com/in/barrybraunstein
www.barrybraunsteinphotography.com