Episodes

Have you ever heard of analyst relations? In this episode, Matt and Matt sat with one of the managing partners of Spotlight Analyst Relations, Andrew Hsu. Spotlight is one of Hsu's first attempts at building a name for himself through the market of analyst relations. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://gigb.co/l/YEh5 This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io Learn more about Spotlight Analyst Relations: https://spotlightar.com/ Fast forward to Matt & Matt’s most popular S...

In this episode, Matt and Matt sit down with Neal Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of DEG. The trio discusses the right time to sell your startup. Sharma advises listeners on the right timing based on his experience when he sold DEG to Dentsu Aegis Network for roughly $150 million. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/startuphustle This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io Learn more about DEG: https://www.degdigital.com/ Fast forward to Matt & Matt’s most popular Star...

The 21st Century opened a lot of possibilities for women and women-identifying individuals alike. In this era of women empowerment, InnovateHER KC creates a community of women of many professions: politicians, educators, doctors, designers and community leaders, both at a micro and macro level. In this episode, Matt DeCoursey and Matt Watson are joined by Lauren Conaway, CEO, and founder of InnovateHER KC. InnovateHER KC aims to enrich the circle of influence among women to create a greater impa...

In this second installment of the Business Failure series, Jake Randall is back to continue his story of how he was able to counter business failure and learn from the harsh experiences. Listen for some dose of inspiration on how he overcame the loss of his business and the lessons he learned in the process. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/startuphustle This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io Replay Matt & Matt’s previous episode in the Business Failure se...

It’s pretty common for new businesses to fail, so it is essential to learn how to counter failure. In today’s episode, Matt DeCoursey welcomes guest co-host Jake Randall as they talk about how Randall bounced back to success after a major failure. Listen and learn how to emerge from failure straight from Randall himself. Find Startup Hustle Everywhere: https://linktr.ee/startuphustle This episode is sponsored by Full Scale: https://fullscale.io Want to hear the rest of Randall's roller coaster o...

Technology has the highest dropout level for women compared to any other industry. Matt and Matt are accompanied by the lead angular developer at Bitovi, founder, and president of Kansas City Women in Technology, Jennifer Wadella. Kansas City Women in Technology is a grassroots organization with the aim of increasing the number of women in the technology industry in Kansas City. It was founded in 2013 and provides 3 primary ways to support women who are curious about careers in technology. The f...

Do you have a brilliant idea sitting on the shelf? An idea that is just waiting for a chance to shine in the spotlight? This podcast will inspire you to take the first step toward turning that idea into a reality. In today’s Startup Hustle episode, Matt and Matt are joined by Kilee Nickels, a fashion blogger and the founder of an up-and-coming accessories and apparel company, Nickel & Suede. Starting a company from scratch is no walk in the park, and has many in's and out's. The trio discusses s...

From former lawyer to sports agent to adjunct professor at William Jewell College, Tyler Prochnow, CEO of Subscription Ink, Co., and KC Arena Sports & Entertainment, LLC, seems to be able to do it all. Tyler Prochnow takes a seat with Matt and Matt to talk about the rodeo that has been his career. Prochnow talks about his experiences and how they have helped him find success. Subscription Ink, Co. provides customer service for subscription-based products. They focus on creating an individualized...

Entrepreneurs are constantly innovating and creating in order to make their product stand on top of the rest. Sometimes these pushes for innovation can lead to developing neighborhoods into creative powerhouses such as Silicon Valley. In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt are joined by the CEO of Keystone Community Corporation, Kevin McGinnis. Keystone Community Corporation is pursuing an Innovation District in Kansas City, which could mean more innovation and educational and occu...

Some say learning music at a young age is beneficial and critically important to a child's growth. Meyer Music has provided musical equipment to schools in the Kansas City area for over 60 years. Matt and Matt sit down with Mike Meyer, 2nd generation owner of Meyer Music, to talk about the struggles of maintaining a music retail store. Listen as Decoursey reminisces about his past involvement in the music industry. Meyer elaborates on the ever-changing environment in the music retail industry be...

Nest, Google Home, and Amazon Echo are all key components to making your house smarter but how can a house be smart? In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt are joined by the founder and CEO of Homebase.ai , Blake Miller. Miller addresses the problems of IoT, or the Internet of Things, for startups and what kind of companies should use IoT. An Internet of Things is a network of interrelated devices that are able to communicate with each other without the need for human interaction. ...

How do you raise capital for your startup? Who should you ask for money? Where can you find people willing to invest? In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt sit down with the CEO and co-founder of Venture360 and LIQUIFI, Rachael Qualls. Qualls is an accomplished entrepreneur and investor, who has an eye for innovation. Her company, Venture360, provides multiple forms of management services such as portfolio and fund management. LIQUIFI is Venture360's newest product. It allows clie...

Small businesses with a great potential need all the help they can get to succeed and a good place to start is by looking for venture capital. In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt sit down with Thad Langford, a founding partner in Flyover Capital. They discuss the do's and don'ts of venture capital and what you need to know in order to help your business succeed in its early stages. Flyover Capital provides early-stage investment for businesses with great potential. Flyover Capit...

Athletes have a certain drive that pushes them to go above and beyond and reach astonishing goals. This passion is an invaluable tool that helps them achieve their dreams but that same drive can also tear them down. Matt and Matt are joined by Chris Smith, founder of Athlete Network, to talk about the struggles of being an athlete, who is transitioning into a post-athletic world. Listen in as they discuss what tools Athletes have at their disposal to thrive in this world. Smith founded Athlete N...

The level of competition for startups is fierce and you need all the help you can get in order to come out on top. Accelerators are one way for you to launch your product off the ground. Matt and Matt sit down with Don Peterson, founder and former CEO of Infusion Express, and Jim Malle, business development officer at Economic Development Corporation Kansas City, to talk about LaunchKC, an accelerator program for fintech, cleantech and healthcare businesses. Once on the accelerator program with ...

Is Chipotle a franchise or just a string of businesses owned by one company? Co-owner of The Smoothie Shop and Supplements and the co-founder and CEO of Diffactory, Kevin Oldham sits down with Matt and Matt to discuss the successes and struggles of being a franchise. Starting a franchise must always start with the burning question: Is my franchise worthy? Oldham talks about the most common mistakes that people make when they want to start a franchise and he starts off by dispelling the myths sur...

Classic analytics answers many questions regarding consumers, but it often fails to answer the question: why do consumers buy what they buy? Matt and Matt get a chance to sit down with the CEO of Proof Positioning, Grant Gooding. Proof Positioning dives deeper than classical analytics by using neuroscience to discover the emotional data behind consumer decision making. Gooding explains the problems with traditional business analytics and how they can improve in order to keep up with the ever-cha...

In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Luke Thompson, owner of KC Soda Co. and Mass Street Soda, accompanies Matt and Matt to talk about the history behind his sodapop shop. In 2014, Thompson opened Mass Street Soda in Lawrence, Kansas because he was inspired by a craft soda store in California and another one in Oklahoma. Although he initially began working in E-Commerce and Finance, he has had a long history with craft sodas, which has helped him see the potential in selling specialty retail s...

Do you ever remember being in a class in high school and thinking: when will I ever use this? In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Corey Mohn, executive director of Blue Valley CAPS, joins Matt and Matt to talk about providing the best education possible to all students regardless of how they learn. CAPS is a new approach to teaching at the high school level that has been recognized on the national level. It is for high school juniors and seniors, who are looking for hands-on experience in the...

In this episode of Startup Hustle, CEO and Founder of Custom Trailer Pros, Justin Prestidge, accompany Matt and Matt to talk about the difficulties of starting and running a food truck. Okay, let's be real. Who doesn't like food trucks? They are literal meals that move on wheels. That said, statistically speaking, most restaurants fail within the first 3 years of being open. Custom Trailer Pros aims to provide the best service it can by crafting a trailer for any company's specific needs. Howeve...

In this episode of Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt are joined by the managing director at Fountain City Fintech, Zach Anderson Pettit, in an interesting discussion on the purpose of being a partnership accelerator rather than just an accelerator. Banks don't always understand the needs of most startups. So, when NBKC bank went from only offering partnerships to having a full-on accelerator program, you could imagine the opportunities that opened up. NBKC bank's program is unique in that it is the ...

A couple of years ago, the idea of CBD stores being everywhere was an idea many seemed to shutter at. Now, the stigma has lessened and many have become more comfortable with the idea of these stores. Matt and Matt sit down the founders of HempHaven, Jay Humfeld and Danielle Friedrich, in this episode of the Startup Hustle and listen in as they discuss how they got started and what they are planning on for the future. In the CBD industry, there are only 3 FTC compliant franchise systems and one o...

In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Matt and Matt are accompanied by Co-Founders of Growth Acceleration Services, Doug Burris and Dan O'Reilly. Growth Acceleration Services operates on the idea of accelerating the revenue growth of early-stage technology companies. They also provide sales consulting and recruiting services. Starting a business from the ground up is difficult and can often take longer to make a sizeable profit than you'd like. Listen up as they discuss the importance of unders...

In this episode of the Startup Hustle, Foutch addresses the challenges that he encountered while trying to begin renovations on the former Kemper Arena. He also answers the "cost" question and what the point of buying an arena is. He explains that there are tons of venues across North America that are sadly withering away because of the lack of use. The Foutch Brothers decided to tackle this issue by repurposing the Kemper Arena and turn it into a state-of-the-art sports hub, which can accommoda...