In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Melissa Lay.

Melissa shares how she started her unique clothing company, her experience when she found her product in Target stores nationwide, being on Shark Tank, and growing her national lifestyle brand.

Learn more at www.sandilakeclothing.com

In this episode Derek Champagne, CEO of The Artist Evolution, interviews Peter Winick.

Peter Winick is the Founder and CEO of Thought Leadership Leverage, a company that helps thought leaders turn foundational ideas into thriving businesses. He is an entrepreneurial-minded director who leverages the power of internal and external relationships, accelerating the growth
of aspiring thought leaders and exponentially increasing the value of their intellectual property. For over twenty years, Peter has worked with thought leaders to monetize their content by developing products and solutions applicable to large enterprises. Further, his accomplishments with start-ups, turnarounds, and M&A (in the b2b services sector) have equipped him with the ability to drive results using practical strategy, focused execution, and a disciplined method of cost control.

As an information junkie and avid reader of business books, he is capable of taking great content and creating a platform to best support it through a combination of art, science, logic, focus, passion and creativity.

Peter knows that visionaries, whether speakers, authors, corporate leaders, or just really smart people, need help with moving beyond one-book-one-gig. He’s here to bring you solutions.

Learn more at www.thoughtleadershipleverage.com

Derek talks with Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas. Jesse helps companies stand out by thinking different, creating attention and creating fans for life.

Jesse Cole, also known as “the guy in the yellow tuxedo” is the founder of Fans First Entertainment and the owner of the world-famous Savannah Bananas as well as the Party Animals and Firefighters.

With the mantra “Fans First. Entertain Always”, the Bananas are on a mission to Make Baseball Fun by creating the Greatest Show in Sports.

The team has sold out every game since their inaugural season in Savannah and has since grown a ticket waitlist of more than 2 million fans from all over the world.

With more than 15 million social media followers and features on such outlets as The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO Real Sports and Access Hollywood in addition to Bananaland, a five-part documentary original series on ESPN+, the Savannah Bananas are just getting started.

Jesse is the proud inventor of the fastest and most entertaining game of baseball, Banana Ball. Banana Ball puts a fun twist on traditional baseball with new rules featuring a two-hour time limit, no walks, no bunting, no stepping out of the box, no mound visits and best of all, fans can catch a foul ball for an out.

He is the not-so-proud promoter of the Grandma Beauty Pageant, the Human Horse Race, the Living Pinata, and Flatulence Fun Night.

In addition to the wildly successful Banana Ball, Jesse continues to create raving fans all over the world as a best-selling author of “Fans First, Find Your Yellow Tux”, and as a highly sought-after international keynote speaker for some of the world’s largest and most respected organizations.

Most of all, Jesse is a raving fan of his wife, Emily, his 3 kids, and peerless promoters like Walt Disney and PT Barnum.

Derek Champagne talks with David Lane, entrepreneur and CEO of Lunatix. David shares his entrepreneurial journey. He shares valuable advice about recognizing warning signs, knowing when to pivot, recognizing key opportunities within what you are already doing, and removing blinders.

Lunatix is the first ticket site where sports fans can buy the regular season and get the post season. They can buy concert or theatre tickets and get the post season.

Lunatix description: We are diehards, loyal, fanatical about our teams. We have to be at the biggest games... We are all Lunatix!

Lane’s professional experience includes twenty years of C-level experience and leading business units with a number of well-known sports and media businesses such as FanDuel, TouchTunes, and Outfront (Formerly CBS Outdoor).

David has been featured in several publications and is considered an expert in the sports ticketing industry frequently speaking on industry related topics and trends.

Learn more at https://lunatix.com/

Derek Champagne chats with Michael Dweck. Michael, the co-founder of Basic Outfitters, was recently named to Forbes 30 under 30 list and has appeared on the ABC hit t.v. show Shark Tank. He talks with Derek about his entrepreneurial journey, defining success, and his experience in "the tank".

In 2014, Basic Outfitters co-founders Laura and Michael Dweck married and moved into a cozy apartment in NYC. It was quickly obvious whose clothing collection would take precedence in their precious and limited closet space. Michael’s eclectic and long-time accumulated sock and underwear assortment would have to go and be replaced by a fresh, new and curated collection of basics.

When it came time to refill his drawers, Michael was faced with the choice of expensive designer products or cheap, generic and poorly made basics, both of which would entail a stressful shopping experience. Michael and Laura recognized the overwhelming need for superior and affordable men’s essentials offered to customers in a convenient, easy-to-use way. And thus, Basic Outfitters was born.

Learn more at www.basicoutfitters.com

In this episode Derek Champagne interviews Shark Tank veteran Evan Delahanty. Evan is the Founder and Lead for Peaceful Fruits LLC, a social good startup that produces premium dried fruit snacks from sustainably-sourced acai. Evan shares his entrepreneurial journey, his approach to community engagement, and his experience on the hit ABC television show Shark Tank.

Learn more at www.peacefulfruits.com

We spoke to Beau Oyler, Shark Tank Veteran and Entrepreneur recently. Beau talks with Derek about his experience on Shark Tank, building a successful company, and some valuable lessons he has learned along the way.
Having founded Enlisted Design and Urbio, he has created rich product and brand experiences for fortune 500’s and small startups. He pioneered the design cooperative movement and has a unique ability to truly collaborate with his partners. His designs have received every major design award including Red Dot, Spark, IDEA, GOOD Design, TheDieline, Wired Editor’s Choice and Best of Show at Dwell on Design.
Highlights:
- San Francisco Business Times “40 Under 40”
- Diablo Magazine “40 Under 40” San Francisco Business Times
- “Fastest Growing Private Companies in the SF Bay Area”
- Led the Honey Can Do acquisition of Urbio
- Enlisted named Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine

When not at Enlisted, you’ll find him cycling, surfing, hiking and exploring with his wife and two adventurous kids.
Learn more at www.enlisteddesign.com

Sramana Mitra is the founder and CEO of One Million by One Million (1Mby1M), the world’s first and only global virtual incubator/accelerator. Its goal is to help a million entrepreneurs globally reach a million dollars in annual revenue, build a trillion dollars in global GDP, and create 10 million jobs.

Since its founding in 2010, 1Mby1M has become a powerful platform for democratization of entrepreneurship acceleration.

Sramana also developed 1Mby1M’s Incubator-in-a-Box methodology for Corporate Incubation that is used by enterprises to manage internal and external innovation endeavors.

In 2015, LinkedIn named Sramana one of their Top 10 Influencers alongside Bill Gates and Richard Branson.

Sramana has been an entrepreneur and a strategy consultant in Silicon Valley since 1994. Her fields of experience span from hardcore technology disciplines like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing and Semiconductors, to sophisticated consumer marketing industries including e-commerce, fashion and education.

As an entrepreneur CEO, Sramana founded three companies: Dais (off-shore software services), Intarka (sales lead generation and qualification software using Artificial Intelligence algorithms; VC: NEA) and Uuma (online personalized store for selling clothes using Expert Systems software; VC: Redwood). Two of these were acquired, while the third received an acquisition offer from Ralph Lauren which the company did not accept.

As strategy consultant, Sramana has consulted with over 80 companies, including public companies such as SAP, Cadence Design Systems, Webex, KLA-Tencor, Best Buy, MercadoLibre and Tessera among others. Her work has also included numerous startups and VCs.

Sramana has a Masters degree in EECS from MIT and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science and Economics from Smith College.

From 2000 to 2004, Sramana chaired the MIT Club of Northern California’s entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley.

Learn more at www.1Mby1M.com