Careen Matthews, co-founder of Humaneer, shares her journey from a rich HR background to creating a transformative platform for HR professionals. She discusses the importance of community feedback, innovation, and strategic leadership in the HR space, emphasizing the need for authenticity and connection among industry leaders. Kareem also highlights the future of Humaneer, including technological advancements and a focus on empowering HR teams, while offering valuable advice for aspiring founders.
In this conversation, Matthew Haynes, founder of the Design Conference (TDC), shares his journey from a sports background to creating a unique platform for designers and creatives. He discusses the importance of vulnerability, storytelling, and representation in the conference experience, emphasizing the need for authenticity and connection among attendees and speakers. Matthew also highlights the future of TDC, including technological advancements and a focus on community building, while offering valuable advice for aspiring founders.
Connect with Matt:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-haynes-tdc/
Website: https://www.thedesignconference.com.au/
Discover more founder journeys and insights:
Watch the full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgnqbQTWjtNybpmpungnpY-e2XRs_x5g4&feature=shared
Hone your product, brand, and site with sprints that cut true and deep.
Book a call with Johan and the team at Tension Studio:
https://www.tension.studio/
In this conversation, Kenny discusses the transformative potential of AI in business, the importance of streamlining operations, and his journey from project management to automation. He emphasizes the need for businesses to prepare their systems before integrating AI and shares insights on niching down to better serve clients. Additionally, he explores the concept of gamification in business, aiming to make work more engaging and enjoyable.
Takeaways
- AI is powerful but requires proper implementation.
- Many businesses struggle with chaos in their operations.
- Narrowing focus can lead to more effective solutions.
- Gamification can enhance user experience in business.
- Clean systems are essential for effective AI integration.
- Understanding client needs is crucial for service businesses.
- Lead generation is a key focus for business growth.
- Automation can simplify complex processes.
- Mindset shifts are necessary for business transformation.
- Creating engaging business environments can improve productivity.
Chapters
00:00 The AI Revolution: Promise vs. Reality
02:41 Kenny's Journey: From Project Management to Automation
13:00 Preparing Businesses for AI Integration
18:26 Narrowing Focus: The Importance of Niching Down
20:44 Gamification in Business: Making Work Engaging
Connect with Kenny:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kennyalami/
Website: https://notoperations.com/
Hone your product, brand, and site with sprints that cut true and deep.
Book a call with Johan and the team at Tension Studio:
https://www.tension.studio/
In this episode, Johan chats with Anebi Agbo, founder and investor at Icon Labs and Chief Joy Officer at Shipman Cleaning Company. Anebi shares what it’s really like to go from running a tech agency to buying and growing a local service business. He talks about the loneliness of being a founder, the value of having a support network, and how tech skills can help you level up in “boring” businesses.
The conversation covers what it’s like to buy a business, how to find joy in work, using AI for operations, and why optimism needs practical limits. Anebi also gives straightforward advice for new founders and talks about what’s changed and what hasn’t since making the switch from agency work to Main Street businesses.
Takeaways:
- The founder journey can be lonely. Support networks matter.
- Tech and agency skills transfer to service businesses, but expectations need to shift.
- Operational fixes like better CRM and websites can help local businesses grow.
- AI can save time on repetitive tasks, but it is not a magic solution.
- Pragmatic optimism helps founders balance hope with reality.
- Set clear metrics and know when it is time to change direction.
- Finding joy is important for both customers and teams.
Connect with Anebi:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anebiagbo/
Website: https://shipmancleaningco.com/
Discover more founder journeys and insights:
Watch the full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgnqbQTWjtNybpmpungnpY-e2XRs_x5g4&feature=shared
Want to level up your brand or website?
Book a call with Johan and the team at Tension Studio: https://www.tension.studio/
In this episode, Johan speaks with Angela Catalan, co-founder of Shepherd, a platform helping startups hire fractional talent without the bloat. What started as a way to support new mums returning to work quickly turned into a broader mission to reshape how modern teams scale.
Angela shares how she bootstrapped Shepherd while freelancing, built the prototype herself on Webflow, and ditched time-wasting proposals in favour of async video intros. The conversation touches on AI, scrappy execution, and the challenge of balancing vision with action—especially when you're also raising a kid.
It’s a real look into what it takes to build something meaningful without a roadmap—and how staying open, scrappy, and persistent can pay off.
Find out more about Shepard at www.heyshepherd.com
Connect with Angela on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/angcatalan
In this conversation, Johan interviews Alex Solo, co-founder of Sprintlaw, a legal tech company focused on making legal services accessible and affordable for small businesses. Alex shares the origin story of Sprint Law, the challenges faced by small businesses in accessing legal services, and how technology, particularly AI, is transforming the legal landscape. The discussion covers the importance of agile development, customer feedback, and prioritising tasks to enhance product offerings.
Alex also reflects on the lessons learned from scaling the business and shares insights on maintaining creativity amidst the demands of entrepreneurship.
