In this episode, Mehmet Gonullu sits down with Will Spengler, Founder and Principal of Frederick Fox, to explore how hiring, entrepreneurship, and scaling professional services businesses are evolving in the age of AI.

Will shares his journey from working in staffing firms to building a 70-person company organically, without venture capital. The conversation dives deep into the realities of scaling a services business, the importance of relationships as a competitive moat, and why AI, despite its capabilities, still cannot replace the human element in hiring.

They also discuss how founders should think about hiring finance talent, common mistakes in early-stage hiring, and the leadership lessons learned from building a business from the ground up.

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👤 About the Guest

Will Spengler is the Founder and Principal of Frederick Fox, a staffing and recruiting firm specializing in accounting, finance, technology, and sales roles. Since launching in 2019, Will has grown the company to nearly 70 employees, scaling organically without venture capital or private equity funding.

Frederick Fox focuses on building long-term partnerships with both clients and candidates, with a strong emphasis on human relationships and performance-driven culture.

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🚀 Key Takeaways

• AI is transforming sourcing and data analysis, but human relationships remain critical in hiring

• Bootstrapping a business forces discipline, clarity, and strong execution

• The real moat in professional services is trust and long-term relationships

• Hiring finance talent requires matching both industry and company stage

• Over-hiring or hiring from large companies can hurt early-stage startups

• Scaling requires a clear vision, strong leadership, and people management skills

• Entrepreneurship comes with significant personal and family trade-offs

• Learning in business comes primarily from failure and iteration, not theory

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🎯 What You’ll Learn

• Why AI cannot fully replace recruiters or human interaction in hiring

• How to scale a professional services business without external funding

• The right way to hire your first accountant, controller, or CFO

• Common hiring mistakes founders make in early-stage companies

• How to build a culture of ownership and performance

• Why relationships are becoming more important in an AI-driven world

• What it really takes to build and lead a growing company

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⏱️ Episode Chapters

00:00 Introduction and guest background

01:00 Building Frederick Fox and early journey

03:00 Identifying the opportunity in staffing

05:00 Scaling a business without venture capital

07:00 The importance of vision and planning

09:00 Hiring finance talent in startups

13:00 Where to find top accounting and finance talent

15:00 AI’s impact on recruiting and hiring

19:00 Human relationships as a competitive advantage

22:00 Building internal tools and automation

25:00 Creating ownership through equity

28:00 Leadership lessons and personal growth

32:00 Learning through failure in business

35:00 The reality of entrepreneurship

39:00 Closing thoughts and where to connect

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Frederick Fox: https://www.frederickfox.com

• Will Spengler on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wspengler/

In this conversation, Mehmet sits down with Amos Bar-Joseph, Founder and CEO of Swan AI, to unpack what it really means to build an autonomous company.

Amos shares how he moved away from the traditional “growth at all costs” startup model toward a lean, intelligence-driven approach powered by human-AI collaboration.

Together, they discuss:

• Why headcount is no longer the main growth lever

• How founders can become “100x operators” with AI

• The future of GTM in an agentic world

• Why autonomy beats bureaucracy

• How to scale without losing culture

This is a deep dive into the next-generation startup playbook.

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👤 About the Guest

Amos Bar-Joseph is the Founder and CEO of Swan AI.

A serial entrepreneur with two prior exits, Amos is building one of the first truly autonomous businesses. His work focuses on human-AI collaboration, agentic workflows, and redefining how modern companies scale.

He is also the author of The Big Shift newsletter and a leading voice on AI-native organizations.

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🎯 Key Takeaways

• Startups can scale with intelligence, not headcount

• AI should amplify human “zones of genius,” not replace them

• GTM success depends on how buyers want to buy, not how founders want to sell

• Context engineering is becoming a core GTM skill

• Flat, autonomous teams require stronger leadership, not less

• Decision velocity is the biggest startup advantage

• Capital matters, but leverage matters more

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📚 What You’ll Learn

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn:

✅ How to design an autonomous business model

✅ Where humans should stay in the loop with AI

✅ How to use agents to accelerate product-market fit

✅ Why relevance beats personalization in outreach

✅ How to build scalable GTM systems

✅ How leadership changes in flat organizations

✅ How to preserve culture while scaling

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⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & Amos’ background

02:00 – Why the traditional startup model is broken

04:30 – Building with three people and AI

07:00 – Zone of Genius + AI amplification

09:30 – Human-in-the-loop GTM strategy

12:00 – Choosing the right growth model

15:00 – Selling with empathy

18:00 – Personalization vs relevance

21:00 – Context engineering in GTM

24:00 – AI and product-market fit

27:00 – Decision velocity as a startup advantage

31:00 – Autonomous leadership challenges

35:00 – Culture without hierarchy

38:00 – Fundraising in an AI-native world

41:00 – The “Swan” philosophy vs unicorns

44:00 – Future vision for Swan AI

46:00 – Where to follow Amos

47:00 – Closing remarks

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Swan AI Platform: https://getswan.com/

• Amos Bar-Joseph on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-bar-joseph/

• Autonomous GPT (ChatGPT Store): https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6800e20892b8819181df24a31ccdbf96-autonamos

In this deep and thought-provoking episode, Mehmet sits down with Alessandro Grampa, Founder of Whole Grain Wisdom, to explore what it truly means to be a “Quantum Founder” in the age of AI, hyper-growth, and burnout.

From panic attacks and founder stress to meditation, neuroscience, ancient wisdom, and artificial intelligence, Alessandro shares his personal transformation and the framework he now uses to help high performers reconnect with purpose, resilience, and inner coherence.

This is not a typical startup conversation. It is a masterclass on conscious leadership, mental resilience, and building meaningful companies without losing yourself in the process.

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👤 About the Guest: Alessandro Grampa

Alessandro Grampa is the Founder of Whole Grain Wisdom, a platform that bridges modern science with ancient wisdom to help entrepreneurs and high performers unlock their highest potential.

With over 13 years of entrepreneurial experience, Alessandro transitioned from hustle-driven burnout to becoming a guide for founders seeking balance, clarity, and purpose. His work integrates neuroscience, meditation, biohacking, quantum physics, and spiritual practices.

Today, he works with select founders through deep transformation programs focused on mind, body, and consciousness alignment.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-grampa/

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🎯 Key Takeaways

• Why 3 out of 4 founders struggle with mental and emotional health

• How external validation drives burnout in entrepreneurship

• What “Quantum Founder” really means

• The hidden role of meditation and retreats among elite founders

• Why consistency alone is not enough for real growth

• How AI can amplify self-awareness and consciousness

• The link between neuroscience, ancient wisdom, and leadership

• How founders can rewire their mindset for long-term success

• Why purpose matters more than ever in the AI era

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📚 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

By listening to this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to manage founder stress and prevent burnout

• Why many successful entrepreneurs still feel “empty”

• How to develop inner clarity in high-pressure environments

• The difference between hustle culture and conscious growth

• How top founders use meditation, retreats, and reflection

• How to use AI as a tool for self-development

• Why consciousness is becoming a leadership advantage

• How to reconnect with your original purpose as a founder

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⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction and Alessandro’s journey

02:10 – From panic attacks to meditation

05:30 – Discovering Eastern philosophy and biohacking

08:40 – Why most founders hide mental struggles

11:50 – External validation vs inner coherence

15:20 – What is a “Quantum Founder”?

18:30 – How elite founders use meditation retreats

22:10 – Recognition vs repetition in personal growth

26:40 – Science meets ancient wisdom

30:50 – Consciousness and reality perception

35:10 – AI as a tool for self-awareness

38:45 – The future of leadership in the AI era

42:30 – When is the right time to start inner work?

45:10 – How to work with Alessandro

47:00 – Final reflections and closing

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🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Whole Grain Wisdom: https://wholegrainwisdom.com