Founders' Forum
Great business stories and great people come together on Marc Bernstein’s Founders’ Forum! Marc Bernstein sits down with business founders across the country to discuss their lives, successes, lessons, and their vision for the future. It’s all about the success they’ve earned and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. These are American success stories and they’re not done yet! Your Host, Marc Bernstein Marc Bernstein is an entrepreneur, author, and consultant. He helps high performing entrepreneurs and business owners create a vision for the future, accomplish their business and personal goals, financial and otherwise, and on helping them to see through on their intentions. Marc recently co-founded March, a forward-looking company with a unique approach to wealth management. He captured his philosophy in his #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Fiscal Therapy Solution 1.0. Marc is also the founder of the Forward Focus Forum, a suite of resources tailored specifically to educate and connect high performing entrepreneurs, and helping them realize their vision of true financial independence. Find out more about Marc and connect with him at marcjbernstein.com. Are you a visionary founder with a compelling success story that deserves to be shared with our audience? We're on the lookout for accomplished business leaders like you to be featured on the Founders' Forum Radio Show and Podcast. If you've surmounted challenges, reached significant milestones, or have an exciting vision for the future, we'd be honored to have you as a guest on our show. Your experiences and insights can inspire and enlighten others in the business world. If you're eager to share your journey and the invaluable lessons you've learned along the way, we invite you to apply here. Connect with us, and let's discuss the possibility of featuring you in an upcoming episode. Join us in celebrating your success and contributing to the legacy of the Founders' Forum!
Episodes
She was babysitting to pay rent while building a business. But that 27-year-old had something her 44-year-old self admires—fearless grit.
Renee Patrone Rhinehart, founder and CEO of Events by Renee and Party Host Helpers, started event planning in 2007 when the economy crashed. Working part-time jobs for eight years, she went full-time in 2015. When clients kept asking for bartenders and servers, Renee launched Party Host Helpers in...
What if a cup of coffee could do more than wake you up? Matt Ramsay, founder and co-owner of Denim Coffee, shares how a late-night campus job sparked a mission to build cafés that are about people first, not transactions.
While working 11 PM shifts, Matt noticed students weren’t coming in just for drinks—they were lonely. With over 40% of college students experiencing extreme loneliness, he saw coffee shops as modern “third spaces” ...
The son of a serial entrepreneur never planned to start a business. Then 21 years in the Marine Corps, intelligence community, and U.S. Cyber Command taught him something powerful—service isn't just a mission, it's a mindset.
Kevin Hyde, President of Layer 8 Security, went from defending American interests against cyber threats at the NSA to co-founding a cybersecurity firm that helps businesses stay protected and complian...
Retirement? That's not in Ray Loewe's vocabulary. At an age when most slow down, Ray's launching his most meaningful venture yet.
Ray Loewe, founder of The Luckiest Guy in the World, LLC and host of Changing the Rules podcast, has spent decades helping people design lives on their terms. After selling his financial planning business and running a podcast for six years with 200+ episodes, Ray discovered something power...
What if your next customer never touches a search results page? That's the reality David Sonn spotted early—and it's transforming digital marketing.
David Sonn, Founder and President of Arc Intermedia, launched one of Philadelphia's first digital-only customer acquisition agencies in 2010. People now learn about brands inside AI assistants, asking longer questions and trusting comprehensive answers over traditional se...
Starting a business in 2017 meant navigating COVID supply chain nightmares and now tariff challenges. But for Nik Mondo, bootstrapping through chaos became the ultimate test of creativity and integrity.
Nikolas Mondo, founder and CEO of Mondo Media Solutions, built a thriving commercial AV and technology integration company from the ground up—no private equity, no shortcuts, just grit and word-of-mouth growth. From his early days wo...
No college degree. Dyslexia. A childhood spent tinkering with code on AOL. None of it stopped Todd R. Kueny, Jr. from building AI solutions that are transforming how pharmaceutical companies navigate FDA compliance.
Todd R. Kueny, Jr., Co-founder and CTO of PatientWing and Claris AI, shares his unconventional journey from childhood coding on AOL to leading cutting-edge AI solutions in life sciences. With no formal college degree, To...
What happens when parents can't find safe, dignified housing for their adult child with autism? They build it themselves—and create a blueprint for communities nationwide.
Jim and Nancy Richardson are changing the future of neuro-inclusive housing in America. As parents of a 31-year-old son with autism, they faced a heartbreaking reality: no housing options existed that would keep Michael safe, independent, and connected after ...
A foundation in hospitality can teach lessons that last a lifetime — especially when it comes to building businesses rooted in people and purpose. In this episode of Founders' Forum, co-hosted by Armon Vincent, Founding Partner of Catalyst Technology Partners, Gray Brandeis, Founder and CEO of Scholar Hotels LLC, shares how his background in hospitality has shaped his approach to building authentic, human-centered brands.
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What does it take to overcome life’s toughest obstacles and build a successful business? Thomas J. Knox, Chairman and CEO of Pinpoint Health Benefits, shares an entrepreneurial journey that’s a true testament to perseverance, lifelong learning, and seizing opportunities in the face of adversity.
Tom’s story begins in public housing, where he sold newspapers, caddied, and started working from a young age. After serving in the U.S. Na...
What happens when life throws you off course? For Coach Malcolm Allison Hairston, CEO of Raku Products LLC and inventor of The Hipsetter, those moments became the training ground for greatness.
In this episode of Founders' Forum, Marc talks with Coach Malcolm—a leader, educator, and motivator—about how he turned personal and professional challenges into a blueprint for success. Drawing from his experiences in sports and coachin...
What if scaling your business wasn’t about doing more, but choosing better? In this inspiring Founders’ Forum episode, host Marc Bernstein talks with Shikha Miglani, co-founder of Saarthee, a global strategy, analytics, and AI firm helping enterprises across telecom, media, retail, banking, and healthcare make smarter, fairer decisions with data.
From being the only woman engineer on India’s factory floor to leading a respected AI c...
Jim Logue didn’t start ThermOmegaTech, he reinvented it. When he stepped in, the company was overly reliant on one industry and struggling with culture. Today, it’s a $35M business with nearly 150 employees, serving sectors from aerospace to railroads—and even space.
In this conversation, host Marc Bernstein and returning guest Branden Moyer, founder of Buzz Brands, talk with Jim about the “four pillars” that guided the turnaround: ...
Entrepreneurship is never a straight line—it’s full of zigzags, ups and downs, and lessons learned along the way. In this episode of Founders' Forum, Marc Bernstein sits down with Tatiana Barakshina, PhD, MBA, Managing Partner at Bazis Americas LLC, to explore her remarkable journey from Russia to the U.S. and her path to co-founding a successful healthcare market research firm.
Tatiana shares how her educational journey, from ...
How do you turn setbacks into fuel for impact? Valecia “Dr. V” Dunbar has made a career out of answering that question.
In this episode of Founders' Forum, Dr. V shares her journey as a founder, strategist, and visionary leader. From overcoming personal and professional challenges to creating spaces where leadership and innovation can thrive, she shows us what it means to transform adversity into opportunity. With her unique pe...
What if the key to business success is simply letting go? In this episode of Founders' Forum, Justin Currie, Owner of Thema Home Care, founder of Masters of Home Care, and Inc. 5000-recognized entrepreneur, shares how embracing the “Let Them Theory” transformed not only his mindset but also his business.
Justin’s entrepreneurial journey took him from the oil fields of Saskatchewan to launching a thriving senior care business in...
What does it take to spot an opportunity before the world even has a name for it? For Scott Reuter, Principal at Product Data Command, the answer lies in curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to reinvent when the market shifts.
From launching a computer products buying group in the 1980s, to pioneering one of the first product information management (PIM) systems in the 1990s, to today’s AI-powered solutions at Product Data Comm...
What does it take to step into a family business, honor its legacy, and still make it your own?
Marc Bernstein welcomes Karla Trotman, President & CEO of Electro Soft Incorporated, to share her remarkable story. From the company’s humble beginnings on her family’s kitchen table to becoming a trusted manufacturer for the defense, aviation, and transit industries, Karla has guided Electro Soft through challenges and growth with vi...
From growing up on a dairy farm to leading a successful packaging machinery company, Dick DeNenno’s story is one of faith, resilience, and entrepreneurship. As founder and president of Reliant Packaging Machinery, Dick has spent 35+ years in the industry and built a reputation for being knowledgeable, attentive, reliable, and likable.
In this episode of Founders’ Forum, Marc Bernstein talks with Dick about his unexpected journey—fro...
From Disney custodian to bold brand strategist, Branden Moyer’s journey proves that knowing your story can transform your business. In this episode of Founders’ Forum, Marc Bernstein talks with Branden, founder of Buzz Brands, about creating unforgettable, story-driven identities and why authentic branding starts with self-awareness.
Branden shares how his time at Disney shaped his approach to customer experience, how a cleaning com...
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