I Mean Business Podcast

“How would you explain your business for the first time?”

Asked at the beginning of the interview to establish a clear elevator pitch for the audience.

“Where did your passion for this space begin?”

Probes the guest's personal motivations and backstory before the business was founded.

“What was the pivotal experience that led to this idea?”

Seeks to identify the specific 'aha' moment or turning point in the founder's journey.

“How did your university environment help you get started?”

Explores the role of the college ecosystem, including programs and competitions, in a venture's early days.

“What tips do you have for judging if a business idea is viable?”

Designed to extract a practical framework for the student audience to apply to their own ideas.

“For a high schooler, is it better to find peers who can code or hire a company?”

Translates the guest's experience into a specific, relatable scenario for the target audience.

“How did you get your very first customer to say yes?”

Focuses on the critical, often difficult, early-stage sales process and overcoming initial rejection.

“Did you have a team or mentors to lean on, and how did you build that network?”

Investigates the importance of a support system and how a young founder can create one.

“Did you build the original product yourself or hire a developer?”

Addresses the common technical hurdle faced by non-technical founders.

“Could you give an overview of the impact your company has had?”

Used to quantify the company's success in concrete, measurable terms.