Taking the Leap

April Zeilinger is helping to keep her husband’s family legacy alive in the challenging arena of American textiles. She is not only the Vice President of Operations but also the heart and soul behind the Brand Awareness and Marketing for the company. April is the creator of Foodie Yarn, a fun yarn line that is dyed the colors of food and launched it during the pandemic. Zeilinger Wool Company is a fourth generation fiber mill producing thousands of pounds of natural fibers per week into yarn, socks and other items enjoyed within the craft and wool lovers market. April worked 20 years in financial institutions before leaving everything that was comfortable around her, for half of her salary and took the risk to join her husband Jon in his family business. The business had no presence on social media and a twelve year old website to start her entrepreneurial journey. She is a self-taught business gal who never wants to stop learning with a certificate in leadership from Great Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Insti

Joe & Laura Darkangelo left corporate America in 2005 and haven’t looked back. Most of their days consisted of reaching someone else’s goals and dreams, and they found little time for each other or for their children. With Joe in the sales department for a large distributor and Laura in the airline industry AND owning their own pizza franchises at the same time, they were spent. With exhaustion and an unfulfilling life, they started their entrepreneurial journey. Today, they’re entrepreneurial giants leading teams in Bonvera. In this episode, they recount their personal journey to entrepreneurship, and they hash out the dreams, the struggles, and the victories.Key Learnings: Stress is one thing; entrepreneurial stress is another. We justify a job rather than taking a leap to entrepreneurship. I noticed a lot of people in entrepreneurship, and they had better marriages, were always learning, and had good relationships. I learned more in entrepreneurship more than I ever did in college.Negative motivation d

“Discipline is really about doing what you don’t want to do until you often find joy in what you do.” - Anne BeilerAnne Beiler is the creator and founder behind the world-renowned franchise, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Most wouldn’t know this about her, but she started this incredible company with no business plan, no capital, and no education. Growing up in an Amish community, she only received up to an eighth-grade education and got married when she was 19 years old. Years of baking cakes and breads for her large family taught her how to make some of the world’s tastiest pretzels, and what started out as a small business and dream grew to be a global sensation.In part 2 of this interview series, Anne shares her professional experience learning and growing from a founder and creator to a manager and business woman. She shares her keys to success and her biggest takeaways from managing a global enterprise of tasty pretzels. Quotes:Overcoming personal challenges helped me to know I could overcome other obstacles I

“With faith and hard work, all things are possible. That’s what truly makes you successful.” - Anne BeilerAnne Beiler is the creator and founder behind the world renowned franchise, Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Most wouldn’t know this about her, but she started this incredible company with no business plan, no capital, and no education. Growing up in an Amish community, she only received up to an eighth grade education and got married when she was 19 years old. Years of baking cakes and breads for her large family taught her how to make some of the world’s tastiest pretzels, and what started out as a small business and dream grew to be a global sensation.But her story of entrepreneurship and professionalism grew from experiences she was going through personally and spiritually. She overcame so much trauma, suffering, and pain in order to become the person she is today. Having sold Auntie Anne’s, she now shares her personal experiences and testimony to help others overcome their own obstacles and challenges with ho

“I always think there is so much more to see. I’m so excited to be alive, and there is always potential to be cultivated.” - Reggie Leonard Reggie Leonard is an education, tech, and learning fanatic. He’s a young millennial leader influencing the way we think about education, technology, AI, and the entire learning process. Reggie received his undergraduate degree from Bowie State University where he was the treasurer and founding member of the men’s soccer club. He attended Liberty University following, and he got his Master’s degree in Counseling. Today, he works at the University of Virginia, and he serves as the Associate Director for Career Connections and Community Engagement for the School of Data Science and Engineering.Bob and Reggie don’t waste a minute as they dive right into the heart of education and how it’s changing especially with the onset of COVID-19. They discuss the paradigms of education and learning, and they have an interesting dialogue about how it’s changing and what the future could

“The number one reason you’re going to succeed is because of your passion.” - Gino Wickman Gino Wickman has been an entrepreneur since age 21, and even at an early age, he’s had an obsession for learning what makes businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. At 25, he took over the family business, which was deeply in debt and in need of help. After turning the company around and running it for seven years, he and his partners successfully sold the company. He then set out to help entrepreneurs and leaders get what they want from their businesses. Based on his years of real-world experience, he created the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a practical method for helping companies achieve greatness. He has personally delivered more than 1,900 full-day sessions for more than 135 companies, helping them implement EOS. He’s also the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Traction: Get a Grip On Your Business, as well as Get a Grip, Rocket Fuel, How to Be a Great Boss, and What the Heck is EOS?, which have

“There are no crops without both the sunshine and the rain.” - Bill & Jann Newton Bill & Jann Newton are a dynamo duo as Bonvera co-founders and leaders. Married for 44 years and with 33 years in the relationship building business, they know a thing or two about working together and overcoming trials and tribulations. Both from Kansas, they met when they were in high school and stayed together through their university days at Texas A & M. Bill was an all star javelin thrower in college, and he was bound for the Olympics. Yet, he and Jann started their journey together and were called to help the family farm in Kansas. Together and with their family, they grew their farm equipment business to a hugely successful venture. In 1980, they were one of the largest tractor dealers in America, and a year later, they were the largest combine dealer in America. Today, they’re speakers, sought after mentors, teammates, and leaders to one of Bonvera’s largest Kansas teams, VIP United. They’ve got sage wisdom a

“Someone said you’re a pyromaniac at heart. I said, it just depends on what we’re burning. We try to take anything creative for clients and burn it up and make it light up the sky for them.” - Mark SullivanMark Sullivan has an interesting bio to say the least. Mark is the founder and Creative Director of Lime Biscuit Creative (@limebiscuit1), one of the Atlanta area’s fastest growing branding and design agencies. Currently, Mark also serves as a Lieutenant with the Douglas County Fire Department, where he has been for over two decades. Mark is also co-owner of Toxic Suppression, a company specializing in post-fire decontamination for firefighters. On top of all that, Mark served as the host and emcee for the Love Worth Fighting For Marriage Tour with actor Kirk Cameron and Warren Barfield. In the past, Mark worked with talent from History Channel, A&E, and other major networks. When not working, which is rare, Mark loves to attend concerts and sporting events. Mark has been married to Sherry for 22 years,

“I wasn’t scared to try.” - Nicole Porter Nicole Porter is a business owner, entrepreneur, leader, speaker, mother, and wife. She builds teams, builds businesses, and connects with others for a living as a part of Bonvera. She and her husband also run multiple other businesses in the education, technology, and realty sectors. (And they were guests on Episode #9 inside their store, MacDaddy’s). Formerly a dental hygienist, she left that industry to start her own businesses and dictate her own freedoms. Today, with 14 years in the industry, she joins us to talk about how to build a home-based business in a socially distanced world. In this episode, Bob and Nicole recount her journey from full-time employee to full-time business owner. They discuss trends in the industry of household purchasers, the part-time gig economy, building communities online, and connecting with others.  Notes and Quotes: -Over 80% of participants in the home-based business are females. In most American households, the CFO is generally t

“Don’t get weary in well doing. Communicate and think about others. Don’t fall into woe is me. We can’t change what has happened, but we can change our actions towards what is going to happen.” - Jim & Dolores MartinIn part two of this episode, Jim and Dolores note the unique circumstances that COVID-19 and the global pandemic present -- an opportunity to be leaders and inspire hope in others. At the same time, Jim and Dolores talk about how to structure your time and implement daily disciplines into your rhythms. The episode concludes with a few rapid fire questions from this power couple.Notes and Quotes:  -I did learn one major thing to set my priorities to be in this order:  my God, my husband, my children, my business. To do that then, I need to structure my time that way. If I have to make phone calls, I have to clear the time before I do it. I communicated that to my kids, so they knew that they mattered. -You don’t want to make them feel like you’re putting them on a shelf, and you’re going to com

“Every reason not to do something is the reason to do it. We have the right opportunity at the right time with the right people, and we want to help people succeed. This quarantine time is just time for real community. Facebook isn’t the same as a phone call. Stay connected to people. Everybody matters.” - Jim & Dolores Martin From sunny Florida, Jim and Dolores Martin are top industry leaders in the relationship business. With 18 + years of experience in the industry, they partnered up with a team of men and women to found Bonvera, a business built on entrepreneurship and community. In another life, Jim was a master plumber who owned his own business for many years, but his life was spent working about 70 - 90 hours a week running his business. Dolores was in the banking and insurance industry as well as running an in-home daycare business. After they got past their own excuses, the rest was history. Today as co-founders of Bonvera, they are building teams of authentic community leaders who serve and sup

“I always start with the basics. Basics of handwashing have been effective. This virus is surrounded by a lipid membrane, which means it’s a fat. That means that anything that cuts grease is going to destroy this virus. Simple soap and handwashing is extremely effective. Practice basic hygiene."Dr. Jeff Davis is a practicing doctor of family medicine, functional, and integrative health. He’s the owner of Prairie Health and Wellness in Wichita, Kansas, and he serves as Bonvera’s Medical Director of the Phyzix MD product line. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, and he is an advanced fellow in regenerative and functional medicine through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. As for his schooling, he completed his residency in Family Medicine through University of Kansas at Via Christi Hospital in Wichita, Kansas and earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in clinical gerontology f

“For me, I wouldn’t go back and change anything. It’s been a great ride. I’ve gotten to do things, learn things, and experience life in a way I don’t think I would have otherwise. ” - Kelly Fletcher Kelly Fletcher (@fletcherpr) is a powerhouse leader, CEO, speaker, author, podcast host, marketer, and former Miss North Carolina. She graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina with a degree in Music, Vocal Performance, and Communications. All through her twenties, she was aspiring to be a singer and lived in New York. She’d tell you, “I worked a lot, but I didn’t make a lot of money.” Up until she was 29, she sang with the National Opera Company as a cover, which is similar to an understudy, for two years, she worked odd jobs to make ends meet, and she toured with music companies. When she left New York, she decided to pivot to a career in communications as well as start a family of her own. At age 40, she started her own marketing and PR firm, and let’s just say she’s killing it. She not only re

“I would rather take the chance of being able to work harder, put in more time, and push for a different outcome rather than having someone else control my future.” - Kelly Fletcher Kelly Fletcher (@fletcherpr) is a powerhouse leader, CEO, speaker, author, podcast host, marketer, and former Miss North Carolina. She graduated from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina with a degree in Music, Vocal Performance, and Communications. All through her twenties, she was aspiring to be a singer and lived in New York. She’d tell you, “I worked a lot, but I didn’t make a lot of money.” Up until she was 29, she sang with the National Opera Company as a cover, which is similar to an understudy, for two years, she worked odd jobs to make ends meet, and she toured with music companies. When she left New York, she decided to pivot to a career in communications as well as start a family of her own. At age 40, she started her own marketing and PR firm, and let’s just say she’s killing it. She not only reinvented herself,

“Everyone has something different and unique to share, but yet there are similarities amongst them all. Everyone has a unique story; everyone has a unique journey. We can learn something from everyone.” - Bob DickieIn this episode, we walk back through the past few months of podcasting together. We highlight the guests who have been on this show and the guests we’re thinking of having in the future. Additionally, we discuss some of the key learnings and observations we’ve seen in our guests and their insights. Amongst all of the guests, there is a common thread -- we can all learn from mistakes and failures. We set the stage in this recap episode for highlights and insights to come in 2020.Notes and Quotes: -You expect a highlight reel from people, but that’s not often what we actually get when we sit down and connect with people. We get the realness and rawness of lessons learned which were the greatest factors to success for our guests. -Be a great questioner. Be someone who genuinely wants to learn and kno

“You get that exhilarating feeling of like, ‘Oh, man, I could get out of this place.’ And that's really where I was. I was very hungry to learn. I was very hungry for different results. And so even though it took time, a lot of people think it's going to be easy too when they take that leap. Like, ‘Oh, I'll just make this decision, everything's going to be easy.’ You got to be willing to stick it out. You've got to be willing to do the hard things to be able to get where you want to go. And so even though we made the decision that we were going to do something different, it took time to begin to work hard and to switch that from being an employee to jumping over into entrepreneurship.” - Kirk & Nicole PorterKirk & Nicole Porter (@Kirkporter and @Nicole_insights) hail from Dallas, Texas where they fell in love, started their careers, had their boys, and pivoted to multiple different ventures, including their current venture as Bonvera entrepreneurs. Before becoming entrepreneurs, they were comfortable

"If work is going to be that consuming and that integratable into life, it better be something you’re interested in. I keep making these pivots because of A.) self-awareness and B). what I am interested in. If I’m going to put in lots of hours, I want to be interested in it. [So I ask myself,] is it something I’m interested in? Is it something that leads to more opportunities?" -- Drayton Wade Drayton Wade (@draytonwade) is a millennial entrepreneur, start-up veteran, Clemson grad, Knoxville Fellow, and graduate of London School of Economics. As one of the youngest delegates at the Christian Economic Forum, Drayton has worked at multiple start-ups and is currently working at a start-up in the area of technology and automation at UiPath. His passions include counterterrorism, economics, automation, artificial intelligence, nonprofit work, and sales.Drayton joins Bob in this podcast to talk about his unique passions and how they helped him pivot in his atypical career path from his college studies that started

"I had a win, and it told me that I could do it. I had that piece of me that kept reminding me of that win saying 'You can do it. Remember?’" -- Mark & Raquel Williams Mark and Raquel Williams (@mdub50 and @RRWilliams_) are a couple of entrepreneurs partnered up with Bonvera. Both from different backgrounds, these two are humble but incredibly successful on their own and together in their respective industries. Mark comes to the table with a background in law enforcement, detective work, SWAT team, and kicking butt, while Raquel comes from a background of recruiting, staffing, and sales. Coming together, they’ve brought their expertise and grit to be business partners, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals in their own ventures, including an ice cream shop and a Bonvera business. Mark and Raquel reside in California where they manage a big family, multiple businesses, and several teams of entrepreneurs.They join Bob in this podcast episode to talk about how to win. Raquel personalizes her story about

“It's really just realizing 'look on my own, I don't have what it takes to be successful or perform at a high level.' I need other people to come alongside of me and help me." -- Grant Webster Grant Webster (@grantwebster) is the CEO and Founder of Launch Thought, an investor in several startups, Silicon Valley consultant. Grant gravitated toward learning while being homeschooled as a kid, even checking out classic business books from the library. While still in college Grant started his own software and web development firm. The combined busyness of getting married and the growth of his business led him to drop out of school and continue his career without a formal degree. Despite this nontraditional path, Grant’s career has continued to flourish. Today, Grant is able to spend the majority of his time serving other entrepreneurs and leaders who are advancing God-inspired solutions to the world’s greatest challenges through his work in the Christian Economic Forum.He joins Bob in this podcast episode to talk

"The race you are starting, I've finished. I survived. You can take your life experiences that are personal to you and you can open yourself up. There are people at the starting point of the race you've finished. The social media lens we have into people's lives is unfair. All you see is their best picture on vacation or their perfect cup of coffee with their devotion. You don't see the chaos on either side of the phone. It's the same thing with entrepreneurship. You compare yourself to the highlight reel of all of these companies, and that's not fair. It's not real. If you can peel back the onion, maybe 10 layers back, you'll see they were where you were at at some point too." -- Tymber Lee Tymber Lee (@tlee3232) is an investor, board member, former professional baseball pitcher, and commercial real estate investor and developer. Tymber is a get-after-it use every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears kind of entrepreneur and business owner. With entrepreneurialism in his blood, he’s been involved in various busi