Episodes

What does it take to build real, lasting wealth in industries most people don’t understand? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Beau Turner, Co-Founder and CEO of Abundant Mines, to explore how entrepreneurs can think differently about opportunity, risk, and long-term value creation. Beau breaks down the realities of the mining industry, one of the most misunderstood sectors in business, and explains how strategic thinking, patience, and disciplined ...

What if the biggest growth lever in your business isn’t sales, marketing, or operations but communication? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Joshua Altman, Managing Director of Beltway Media, to break down how entrepreneurs can use strategic communication to build trust, shape perception, and accelerate growth. Joshua explains why communication is not a support function. It is a core business function. He expands the definition of PR beyond media c...

What does it look like to build a business and a life over decades with real intention? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Ron Rubin, CEO of The Republic of Tea, entrepreneur, educator, and author of Gold in Your Backyard. Ron has spent more than 40 years studying, building, and refining what actually works in business. He has read over 1,500 business books and, more importantly, applied those lessons in the real world. This conversation is not about the...

What does it actually mean to build a business that lasts? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Jonathan Bates, founder of Patriot Growth Capital, to break down the principles behind building durable value, leading with purpose, and creating long-term impact through entrepreneurship. Jonathan brings a unique perspective shaped by military experience, capital markets, and hands-on work with veteran entrepreneurs. This conversation goes beyond tactics and in...

What if AI could think with you, not just work for you? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with David Asarnow, Founder and CEO of Business Nitrogen, to break down how entrepreneurs are actually using AI to grow faster, make better decisions, and create real leverage inside their businesses. David is not speaking in theory. He works directly with founders and leadership teams to integrate AI into daily operations. This conversation shows what is working right ...

What if the most valuable asset in your business isn’t your product, your network, or your strategy… but your story? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Bill Blankschaen, founder of StoryBuilders and author of Your Story Advantage, to break down how entrepreneurs can turn their lived experiences into a powerful leadership and business tool. Bill shares why most entrepreneurs are sitting on untapped influence, how to overcome the internal barriers tha...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with artist, entrepreneur, and author Tim Packer to explore what it really takes to turn creativity into a profitable business. After leaving a career in law enforcement, Tim built a globally recognized art brand and has helped thousands of artists learn how to market, price, and sell their work. Tim shares the mindset shifts that separate hobbyists from entrepreneurs and explains why talent alone is rarely enough to bui...

What actually drives high performance in business and leadership? On this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Curtis Sprouse, Founder & CEO of EurekaConnect, LLC, to explore the science behind how humans perform, make decisions, and lead effectively. Drawing from behavioral science, neuroscience, and decades of leadership experience, Curtis explains why self-awareness, environment, and genetics all play a role in shaping how individuals and organizations per...

What if entrepreneurship is simply about getting on the right train, and staying on long enough to reach the next opportunity? On this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Skye Banks, COO of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), for a global conversation about small business, leadership, and what he calls the “Opportunity Train.” Operating in more than 80 countries, ICSB connects policymakers, educators, researchers, and entrepreneurs to strengt...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Justin Giuffrida, founder and CEO of Citizens All Day, to explore what it really takes to scale a hospitality brand while staying true to culture, community, and purpose. Justin shares his journey from Australia to the United States and how he built Citizens from a single New York City café into a multi-state, fast-growing lifestyle brand with ambitious national expansion plans. Along the way, he reveals the leaders...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with international bestselling author and long-term investing expert Robert Rolih to unpack the hidden realities of wealth creation that most entrepreneurs never learn. After building significant success as an entrepreneur, Robert lost much of his wealth by trusting traditional financial advisors and so-called experts. That painful experience launched him on a seven-year research journey into how the financial industry a...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Russell Breuer, CEO and founder of Spot & Tango, to discuss what it really takes to build and scale a direct-to-consumer brand in a competitive market. Russell shares the entrepreneurial mindset behind launching a premium pet food company and the realities of navigating the complex world of DTC growth, customer acquisition costs, retention metrics, and operational challenges. He explains why successful founders must...

In this powerful episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Karen Ann Canham, founder of Karen Ann Wellness, to explore a topic most entrepreneurs ignore until it becomes unavoidable: mental and emotional capacity. Karen shares how nervous system regulation, trauma awareness, and body-based healing directly impact leadership, decision-making, and business growth. This conversation goes beyond traditional mindset talk and dives into the physiological realities behind...

What does it really take to build a business that lasts, especially in a highly competitive, high-stakes industry? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Michael McCready, Founder and Principal of McCready Law, to unpack the mindset, discipline, and leadership required to grow a successful firm while staying grounded in purpose and client care. Michael shares his entrepreneurial journey of building a personal injury law firm from the ground up, emphasiz...

What if the business you worked so hard to build is the very thing stealing your time, energy, and joy? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Michael Walsh, President of the Walsh Business Growth Institute and author of the 2025 book Freedom By Design: The Established Business Owner’s Guide to Grow, Make an Impact, and Find Joy Again. Michael has spent decades helping established entrepreneurs break free from chaos, overwork, and stagnation by installi...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Walter Green, founder of the Say It Now Movement and author of the new book The Gratitude Express, for a deep and reflective conversation on human connection, leadership, and the power of asking better questions. Rather than focusing on tactics or traditional business frameworks, this episode explores what actually shapes meaningful lives and organizations. Walter shares why questions, not answers, are often the mos...

Dinakara Nagalla, technologist, Human-Centered AI Architect, and author of Becoming Human: Embracing Imperfection and Finding Purpose, joins Mark Perkins on The Necessary Entrepreneur for a thoughtful conversation about technology, humanity, and what gets lost when progress moves faster than understanding. Dinakara breaks down what human-centered AI really means, and why intelligence without context, empathy, and responsibility often creates more problems than it solves. Drawing on ideas from B...

Udo Erasmus, founder of Udo’s Choice and a longtime thinker on health and human nature, joins Mark Perkins on The Necessary Entrepreneur for a reflective conversation about pain, purpose, and understanding how we’re wired as human beings. Udo explains why pain often forces change, but why pursuing a clear vision is far more powerful and sustainable. Drawing from decades of observation and experience, he outlines his framework for understanding the six parts of human nature and why most people s...

Rebecca Matchett, co-founder of the Synchrony App, joins Mark Perkins on The Necessary Entrepreneur for a real-world conversation about building a startup before you fully know what you’re getting into, and why that can actually work in your favor. Rebecca shares what she learned launching her first company, the mistakes founders only recognize in hindsight, and the hard-earned lessons that now shape how she builds. They dig into early product decisions, marketing and branding at the startup st...

Mike and Kass Lazerow return to The Necessary Entrepreneur for their second appearance with host Mark Perkins, delivering another candid, no-BS conversation about the realities of entrepreneurship, leadership, and long-term success. As serial entrepreneurs, investors, and co-founders of Buddy Media, acquired by Salesforce, Mike and Kass bring hard-earned perspective from decades of building, scaling, and enduring inside high-stakes businesses. In this episode, they expand on the themes from the...

In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, Mark Perkins sits down with Patrick Rogers, Partner at Elkridge Advisors, for an in-depth conversation on wealth management for entrepreneurs, financial decision-making, and building long-term financial clarity as a business owner. Patrick advises founders, executives, and high-earning entrepreneurs on financial planning, investing, and capital strategy, especially during periods of growth, liquidity events, and business transitions. In this episod...

What does it really take to build a scalable company in an unglamorous, operationally intense industry? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Tyler Dunagin, Founder and CEO of Turnserv, to unpack what it actually looks like to build a high-growth business in the vacation rental and hospitality space, where execution, reliability, and trust matter more than hype. Tyler shares the real story behind founding Turnserv, a platform built to solve one of the ...

What does it really take to bring order to chaos inside a growing business? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with Val Coin, Founder and CEO of VIA Technology, to unpack how systems, process, and operational clarity become the hidden advantage for scaling companies, especially in manufacturing and complex organizations. Born in Italy and now based in Australia, Val shares his unconventional entrepreneurial journey, from early exposure to disciplined Eur...

How do you build a people-first business that actually scales, without bloated bureaucracy, misaligned incentives, or empty culture talk? In this episode of The Necessary Entrepreneur, host Mark Perkins sits down with William Spengler, founder and principal of Frederick Fox, a high-growth, equity-driven recruiting firm redefining how staffing agencies operate. William shares the real-world lessons he’s learned scaling Frederick Fox to nearly $10 million in revenue, growing a national team of re...