Todd Heyden has always been a huge sports fan being an athlete from a young age all the way through college. He never thought he could incorporate his love for sports with his entrepreneurial spirit inspired by his grandfather and father who were both entrepreneurs themselves. He always pictured himself graduating college and someday climbing the ladder of a Fortune 500 company. After six years of working for the largest equipment and supply dealer in the food industry, Todd felt that he wasn’t growing in his position and really wanted to challenge himself. He ended up working for a 7-person start-up company for a year and then at Groupon helping them launch Groupon Goods. During this time, he and his best friend were working on developing an app that would revolutionize the fantasy sports world. Sportslock was the customizable and mobile solution to fantasy sports and took three years to develop from a dream among two friends to a team that includes 12 engineers on staff.
Secret Entourage Academy
Secret Academy Episode – Grant Baldwin
Grant Baldwin was a budding entrepreneur at a young age mowing lawns, starting an eBay store in high school, and selling odds and ends where he could to make a buck. He liked the idea of being in control of the status of his life rather than leaving the outcome to outside sources. A youth pastor at the church he attended made a great impression on Grant and led him down the path to becoming a youth pastor himself. He went to bible college, became a youth pastor at a local church, and discovered his love for speaking and communicating to other people. After his wife became pregnant with their first child, Grant decided to leave his position as a youth pastor to pursue a different career. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do right away, but eventually realized that his love for speaking could be made into a legitimate business. Today, he has spoken to over 400,000 people at over 500 events across the country and hosts The Speaker Lab, a podcast that educates people on speaking, and getting paid for it.
Secret Academy Episode – Erik Bentley
While working at a warehouse packing boxes, Erik Bentley noticed a chassis dyno being moved into a building across the street. His curiosity and love for cars prompted him to walk over and find out more details of the move, which led him to discover the opening of a performance shop. He ended up going there every night during his free time to learn everything there was to know about running a performance shop. Seeing the freedom and monetary rewards his boss had at his warehouse job pushed him towards his lifelong dream of opening his own business. Erik sold his car and saved up all his pennies to invest in his own domestic automotive shop specializing in performance modifications. Today, Lashway Motorsports is a thriving business generating over $1 million in sales annually and is expanding with a body shop slated to open sometime this year.
Secret Academy Episode – Colin Hatzmann
Like many entrepreneurs, Colin Hatzmann started out his working career with a corporate 9-5 job. He had a great government job as a financial examiner, but deep down he always wanted to start his own business even though he had zero experience or knowledge of entrepreneurship. When life dealt him a troubled hand, his government job looked like it might be in jeopardy. Instead of waiting around to see what would happen, he decided to take matter into his own hands. Why not take the leap and start his own business like he had always dreamed of doing? The idea came from his English Bulldog; he noticed that his dog would tear through toys effortlessly and wasn’t able to find any toys on the market specifically tailored towards power chewing dogs. This revelation and his lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur gave birth to Bullymake, a subscription box filled with toys and treats suited for dogs that would normally tear through treats and toys easily.
Secret Academy Episode – David and Jamie Orr
Jamie and David Orr come from science education and business development backgrounds respectfully, but they decided to make the move to Lake Tahoe to pursue their own business. Lake Tahoe was a frequent vacationing spot for them, and they fell in love with the small yet diverse community there. Jamie and David noticed a lack of cohesiveness in the professional community of South Lake Tahoe and thus set out to find a solution. Having experience working from home, they wanted to create an environment where business professionals of all sectors could come together and collaborate. Tahoe Mountain Lab was their solution: an office space for individuals wanting to rent out just a desk or private office to work in with amenities such as a conference room, internet, printer, scanner, snacks, and refreshments. Being a shared workspace, people can interact with other professionals and bounce ideas off one another. Tahoe Mountain Lab was founded in February of 2014 and boasts an 80-100% occupancy rate year round.
Secret Academy Episode – Austin Netzley
Austin Netzley wanted what many Americans dream of: a college education followed by a stable and high-salary career in the corporate sector. Not only did he achieve that by earning an engineering degree and securing a job at a large oil company in Houston, but he also accumulated over $72,000 debt in student loans. Coming from a middle class family, he learned the importance of being frugal and was able to pay off all his loans within 3 short years. After initially wanting to further his education with a master’s degree while working, he realized that he didn’t want to be a part of “the system” in the corporate world. He started day trading on the side, and a few years later was able to quit his corporate job to pursue his own business. Austin started a blog and podcast to teach others to take their money and mindset to the next level, and wrote a book using information he had learned from other entrepreneurs. Today, he helps publish and sell books for clients through his business, Epic Launch.
Secret Academy Episode – Helen Roe
Helen Roe earned her degree in business studies and was able to land a job at Coca-Cola right out of college. She then spent 15 years working in the corporate world for companies such as Nivea and Colgate Palmolive working on million dollar campaigns and traveling all over Europe. After having two children, she decided that the corporate world was not for her and wanted to start her own business. Using her many years of experience and observation, she was able to carve out a niche for herself in the realm of marketing towards women. Today, Helen is a business coach helping other entrepreneurs learn skills in marketing, sales, and business development. She is also a writer for Huffington Post and other leading Australian publications on how to market towards women.