What Didn't Kill You? with Michael Silverman

By: Michael Silverman
  • Summary

  • “Out of Life’s School of War - What does not kill me makes me stronger” - Friedrich Nietzsche 


    Society lionizes the successful and celebrates the courageous, but the failures and adverse circumstances that inform the basis of future triumph and foundational viewpoints aren't always explored in sufficient detail. In this interview-driven series hosted by Michael Silverman we explore inspiring human and organizational stories while searching for philosophies, principles, and strategies for embracing each of our own unique paths - obstacles and all.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Michael Silverman
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Episodes
  • Making Sense of our Lives & Entrepreneurial Hardships with Justin Perkins
    Aug 10 2021
    For many entrepreneurs, it is hard to maintain objectivity when dealing with the issues of their business because they are emotionally tied to their companies and what they do.In his coaching sessions and thanks to his experience, Justin Perkins helps entrepreneurs from falling into traps like this.Justin Perkins is the Founder of New Edge Advisors. He provides deep Executive Coaching conversations for those interested in understanding how the mind works to reach their goals more efficiently while enjoying the ride. Justin has worked in several different industries over the years, with a focus on organizations that benefit society, like Care2, where he worked for 14 years. Justin was also founder of Olomomo Nut Company, his last venture before starting New Edge Advisors.In this episode, we talk about Justin's journey of entrepreneurship, and his numerous endeavors, successes, and failures. Justin shared bits of his background and experiences with venture capital, his thinking process behind the decisions that led Olomomo to a challenging end, and the valuable lessons he gained from that experience . We also talk about how coaching helped him to understand himself better and how powerful it was for him to realize he could, thanks to his adventures, prevent other entrepreneurs from committing the same mistakes he made. Some Questions I Ask:I would love to just hear a bit of your background, what you're doing now and what your mission is (1:13)What made you want to start a company? (4:12)It sounds like, ultimately, you were really the one doing the fundraising, and you were the one people were investing in, is that fair to say? (16:23)How did you think about the possibility of chasing after positive cash flow versus top-line sales goals? (25:20)How do you help entrepreneurs navigate their emotional attachment to their companies? (45:19)In This Episode, You Will Learn:A bit of Justin's entrepreneurial spirit origins ( 6:21)Justin's first experiences with money-raising and how quick the cash he gathered evaporated (11:27)Investment is intimate. Some lessons learned about investments and relationships (15:36)Entrepreneurs must have the ability to suspend reality (30:19)How the world of coaching changed Justin perspective (38:34)Resources:New Edge Advisors websiteBook: Jim Paul - What I Learned Losing a Million DollarsBook: Paulo Coelho - The AlchemistBook: Yuval Noah Harari - Sapiens: A Brief History of HumankindConnect with Justin:LinkedInE-mail: justin@newedgeadvisors.com Important info: What Didn't Kill You - InstagramWhat Didn't Kill You - LinkedInWhat Didn't Kill You - WebsiteWhat Didn't Kill You - E-mail ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    57 mins
  • Custom Dreams with Mike McCabe
    Jun 29 2021

    Mike McCabe spent his early teen years up to his 20s around CAD-CAM and tooling work, removing heavy aluminum parts and replacing them with carbon fiber in his first full-time job. Always a hands-on person, he was building homes through his college years while skiing professionally in Freeride Competitions. So he knows a thing or two about hard work...and breaking skis.


    Mike McCabe is the co-founder, CEO, and Master Builder of Folsom Custom Skis. Turns out that jumping off cliffs in Freeride Competitions for many years while weighing in at 6'2" and 200lbs results in lots of broken skis. This lead Mike on a journey to create hand-built, innovative, and exceptionally durable customized skis that can work for the hardest skiing pro or the most casual skier. Folsom is now one of only two companies in the US that creates a truly custom ski in which every component is hand made and the raw materials sourced internally.


    In this episode, we had an inspiring conversation about Mike's journey into entrepreneurship, his business model, and how it is for a small organization to put its foot through the door in such a competitive industry. We also talked about his company's principles on how they operate and its unique approach to business that lead him through . Finally, Mike shared the incredible story of how his company had to pivot during COVID and how hard it was for him to be on the verge of losing his company. 


    Some Questions I Ask:

    • We'd love to hear how you got into the ski products business. (1:52)
    • When you started making skis, did you know immediately, like, this is what I want to do? (8:02)
    • How did the improvements you made in the skis translated to the maybe average or even higher-end ski demographic? (13:17)
    • You mentioned running lean. How did you develop the principles for operating that way? (24:10)
    • Does the seasonality of your business ever make you want to think about expanding into summer sports? (35:47)


    In This Episode, You Will Learn:

    • How Mike decided to focus on the product side of skiing (7:16)
    • Quality over quantity approach. Mike's business model and its possibilities (11:15)
    • How hard it was for Folsom Skis to get into the market (17:23)
    • Reinventing the wheel once a year. Mike's constant effort in rebuilding their system and making it more effective (34:48)
    • An emergency pivot. How did Mike's company adjust to the new reality during the pandemic (37:21)


    Resources:

    • Folsom Custom Skis website
    • Folsom Custom Skis Instagram


    Connect with Mike:

    • LinkedIn
    • Email: mike@folsomskis.com 


    Let's connect:

    • What Didn't Kill You - Instagram
    • What Didn't Kill You - LinkedIn
    • What Didn't Kill You - Website
    • What Didn't Kill You - E-mail 


    ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    54 mins
  • A Hero's Journey. Ups and Downs in Douglas Raggio's life
    May 11 2021

    Having massive financial success and driving a Bentley a couple of years after graduating from college can be a little confusing without the proper guidance. Douglas Raggio was doing great the first six years after college. Jumping from helicopters to boats every weekend and spending recklessly, he felt he would make that amount of money for a long time. But that is not what happened. Business went wrong. He traveled without scales from living a luxurious life into a humbling experience that led to almost a decade of a painful and self-destructive existence. 


    Today, I'm joined by Douglas Raggio - a serial entrepreneur, a Food & Beverage Investor, and Founder. Douglas is the Founder of Pass The Honey and Bias & Blind Spots. He is also a Forbes Contributor, Steering Committee Member at Naturally San Diego, an Advisor at SOS Hydration Inc, and a Member & Advisor at COMMON LLC. 


    In this episode, we talk about Douglas' journey from having it all to being in debt, to finding success again. He shared what he felt going through the most challenging times of his life and how the myopic perspective of focusing on making it to the next day made it harder to get out of that place. He also talked about the close call that awoke him from almost ten years of a destructive and hopeless lifestyle. We also talked about his new life as a food company owner, the paralyzing decisions, and his new purpose-driven life. 


    Tune in to learn a lot about life and a lot about honey business!


    Some Questions I Ask:

    • I'd love to start by asking you a bit of your background before becoming an entrepreneur and investor in CPG (1:15)
    • You mentioned your childhood. How did your childhood experience play into your professional and adult life later on? (9:41)
    • It seems like you've gained a tremendous amount of perspective. What kind of work have you put in to get that perspective, if any? (16:42)
    • How have your experiences and your hardships contributed to the entrepreneur and advisor that you are today? (19:04)
    • What's that feel like to have this incredible sort of drive with this one goal versus spending a lot of time, as you described, rudderless? (39:28)


    In This Episode, You Will Learn:

    • Fueling the ego. Living a luxury life (3:09)
    • How things from our childhood can stick with us (10:30)
    • A close call that changed everything (12:46)
    • What kind of financial advisor Douglas became after his experiences (19:10)
    • Finding a new purpose in the purest, unadulterated honey (24:01)
    • How it feels to come from rock-bottom to general peace (39:47)


    Resources:

    • Pass The Honey website
    • Pass The Honey Instagram
    • Pass The Honey Facebook


    Connect with Douglas:

    • LinkedIn


    Let's connect:

    • What Didn't Kill You - Instagram
    • What Didn't Kill You - LinkedIn
    • What Didn't Kill You - Website
    • What Didn't Kill You - E-mail 


    ©️ 2021 Michael Silverman. All rights reserved.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    48 mins

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