Dar Stormson has built and sold three companies. He also thinks 9 out of 10 businesses fail. And that the ones that don't fail often end up somewhere worse: the lukewarm zone where they don't quite fail and don't quite succeed and just slowly eat away at the owner until they burn out or give up.

Dar is the founder of Størmson Consulting and Stormson Capital. He started his first company at 14, got kicked out of school for 52% absence, then ended up teaching his own class. Since then he's built, scaled and sold multiple companies including Kaplock, the encrypted coat-lock startup that scaled from an attic in Breda to millions in funding.

In this conversation we get into the actual playbook that the top 10% follow, which almost nobody else knows. We talk about why you should stay in bed instead of writing code, the "four gear wheels" that turn a startup into a self-running organization, how it actually feels to exit a company for millions, the day he chose to reinvest every single euro to save his team, and why he thinks the biggest tragedy in business is entrepreneurs who don't know when to quit.

In this episode:

- Why 9 out of 10 businesses fail (and the sadder fate of the ones that survive)

- The counterintuitive way to find a million dollar idea without writing a single line of code

- The story of getting kicked out of school at 14 and building his first company

- The 4 gear wheels of a scalable organization: goals, processes, teams, dashboards

- What "collective intelligence" is and why Silicon Valley uses it

- How it actually feels to exit a company (and why the first one didn't feel real)

- The negotiation tactics every founder should know before signing anything

- Stormson Capital: his new fund and community for entrepreneurs

- What 15 years of entrepreneurship has actually cost him

- What he'd tell 16 year old Dar if he walked in the room today

Chapters:

00:00 Why 9 out of 10 businesses fail

04:00 Inner Academy: getting kicked out of school at 14

14:00 The counterintuitive way to find a million dollar idea

19:00 Kaplock: from stolen jackets to a scaled business

28:00 The 4 gear wheels of a scalable organization

36:00 The Silicon Valley method: collective intelligence

51:00 How exiting a company actually feels

54:00 The day he chose team over cash

1:00:00 Negotiation tactics every founder should know

1:06:00 Stormson Capital: his new fund and community

1:12:00 What entrepreneurship really costs you

1:19:00 How to deal with failure and stress

1:24:00 What he'd tell 16 year old Dar

1:27:50 The final SMS: "Give it a try"

Follow Dar:

https://www.instagram.com/darstormson/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

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James Galligan is 22 years old. In 18 months he built A Players Club from zero to more than 160 members. His best month was €185,000 in cash. He could have scaled it to €700K a month if he wanted to. He chose not to.

James is an Irish entrepreneur, one of Iman Gadzhi's early sales stars (setter, then top closer, then team lead), and now the founder of A Players Club, Europe's most exclusive private founder network. In this conversation we get into why he thinks reputation matters more than revenue, what he actually had to unlearn from Iman, why he stopped posting Instagram Reels on purpose, and the "gap" he believes every entrepreneur eventually has to sprint through.

We talk about the philosophy his mentors gave him (exit in ten years, not scale next month), the day he decided anyone can be a millionaire but only true entrepreneurs get to €10 million, why he defends Iman against the "scam" allegations, and the vision he has for the next five years that includes physical locations for entrepreneurs around the world.

Chapters:

00:00 Anyone can be a millionaire, but €10M is the real test

00:33 The last 18 months of A Players Club

03:00 What "the gap" actually is

06:00 Turning down €700K a month

08:00 Setting the record straight on Iman Gadzhi

12:00 Founders Podcast as a team culture hack

15:00 What he had to unlearn from Iman

19:00 Culture over speed in hiring

21:00 Not 10,000 millionaires. A thousand people worth $10M plus

23:00 Where the drive actually comes from

25:00 Wealth in relationships, not material things

34:00 Business as art

40:00 Hiring for access, not just skills

44:00 The 1:30am text and what it actually means

46:00 Steve Jobs versus quality of life

48:00 Trust from a distance

51:00 Why he stopped posting Instagram Reels

55:00 Path of Discovery: the German boat story

59:00 Building software for in-person events

1:03:00 What most people get wrong about community

1:08:00 The vision for the next five years

1:11:00 Rapid fire and "The Gap"

Follow James:

https://www.instagram.com/jamesgalligann/

https://www.theaplayersclub.com/

https://www.instagram.com/aplayersclub/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories!

Olivier Momma didn't pay Messi's €1.5 million endorsement fee. He found the back door. In this conversation we get into how he actually landed one of the most unreachable people on earth, then went on to land Steven Bartlett and Diary of a CEO for the 1% TravelPack. Both without the standard playbook.

Olivier is the founder of Ekster, the Amsterdam brand that started as a Kickstarter smart wallet in 2016 and now heads past $50 million a year across wallets, travel gear, and accessories. In this episode he breaks down the exact story of how Ekster landed Messi (through a broken merch website), how the Bartlett deal came together (starting with a single high risk podcast sponsorship), and the 1% mindset that's been baked into every Ekster product for a decade.

We also get into why life is still chaos after ten years, what he'd tell any founder starting today, why he still hasn't felt the "I made it" moment, what home actually means to someone who moved every three years, and the SMS he'd send to every phone in the world.

In this episode:

• The full Messi story, including the broken web store back door
• How the Steven Bartlett and Diary of a CEO collaboration actually happened
• Designing the 1% TravelPack with the DOAC team
• Why the modular wallet decision was the marginal gain that changed everything
• The Hong Kong 2016 QR code moment that started Ekster
• His sister's €500 Kickstarter video that raised $350,000
• The failed first venture (Delhi Scouts) nobody hears about
• The secret sauce for building a brand in 2026
• Why he's still not settled, and what home actually means to him

Chapters:

00:00 The Messi backdoor (cold open) 00:30 How the Steven Bartlett collaboration actually happened 06:00 Designing the 1% TravelPack together 10:00 The 1% mindset has always been Ekster 13:00 The modular wallet decision that changed everything 15:00 Hong Kong 2016: the QR code moment 17:00 Kickstarter, his sister's video, and the first $350K 21:00 What he misses about the early days 24:00 The secret sauce for starting a brand today 30:00 The storytelling framework every brand should steal 35:00 Why life is still chaos after ten years 39:00 Behind the scenes versus the Instagram life 50:00 The full Messi story: how the deal actually closed 57:00 The World Cup viral moment 1:00:00 What home means when you've moved every three years 1:02:00 The price of the entrepreneur life 1:03:15 How he finally learned to switch off in Cape Town 1:05:47 Rapid fire: Own the Unknown

We're losing the art of conversation. That's at least what Hannah Rinne thinks and she says the reason isn't social media exactly. It's that we've become too entertained by ourselves to need anyone else.

Hannah is the founder of the Conversation Club, a movement in Amsterdam that pulls strangers together in person to talk about the things social media won't let us slow down for. Is having a boyfriend embarrassing? Is social media ruining our lives? Is love harder to find today? She's also a co-founder of Social Capital, a radio host on the Conversation Club show, a Rocycle instructor with 1,500 classes under her belt, and a self-described "cultural curator."

In this episode we get into why she thinks our phones are quietly draining the substance out of our lives, and what she's actually doing in Amsterdam to bring it back.

We talk about the moment on a beach in Australia where she sketched out the Conversation Club while getting her nails done. The first event at the Hoxton, where she capped it at 15 people and ended up staying until 10pm. Why "friction maxxing" might be the most important wellness trend of the next five years.

In this episode:

- Why the real problem isn't social media, it's that we're too entertained by ourselves

- How the Conversation Club went from a beach idea to a sold-out movement in Amsterdam

- Why our IQ dropped for the first time last year, and what that signals about the next decade

- The sauna conversation Hannah will never forget with two strangers

- Why she chose to be a "cultural curator" instead of picking one lane

- The lost art of observation, boredom, and waiting in line without your phone

- "Friction maxxing": why deliberate discomfort might save us

What she'd send to every phone on earth if she could send one SMS

Chapters:

00:00 The attention crisis: why nobody talks anymore

01:00 Hannah's portfolio life: cellist, gymnast, entrepreneur

03:00 The family that wasn't supposed to produce a founder

05:00 Why fewer women say yes to podcasts

09:00 How the Conversation Club was born on a beach in Australia

13:00 Are we losing critical thinking? IQ went down for the first time

18:30 The first event: 15 strangers, four hours of conversation

22:00 The best conversations Hannah has ever had

26:30 "We're too entertained by ourselves"

36:00 From corporate burnout to "cultural curator"

44:00 Sauna culture, friction maxxing, and the lost art of being bored

53:00 The nostalgia for a pre-phone world

1:00:00 Get off your phone: Hannah's message to the world

Follow Hannah Rinne:

https://www.instagram.com/hannahrinn/

https://www.instagram.com/conversationclubb/

https://www.instagram.com/socialcapital.studio/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories!

Ron Simpson doesn't pitch. He didn't pitch BYD, the first client at his new agency WinWin. He didn't pitch Bacardi or The Good Roll either. They came to him because the network already knew what he was building.

In this conversation, Ron walks us through how he built a micro marketing agency on a "triangle system" where the brand, the creator, and the agency all win in the same deal. He breaks down why he turned down the AI influencer trend everyone else is chasing, what he actually hates about AI in marketing, and his creative process where he hunts problems instead of dreaming up solutions.

We also go places Ron usually doesn't go in interviews. The restaurant concept he had to say goodbye to two days before this recording. What fifteen years of entrepreneurship has actually cost him and the one thing he wishes he had started earlier.

In this episode:

- Why "Ron Simpson only has something to prove to himself" is still true in 2026

- How Win Win works, and why it could have been called Win Win Win

- The BYD launch story: 150 micro influencers, no pitch deck, one phone call

- Why Ron bet on real humans when the rest of the market bet on AI influencers

- What he hates about AI in marketing (and what he actually loves about it)

- His creative process, his night owl hours, and why he chases problems not solutions

- The restaurant concept he lost two days before this recording

- What fifteen years of entrepreneurship has actually cost him

- His advice to 22 year olds who DM him about building a brand

- The name Ron gives this chapter of his life

Chapters:

00:00 Cold open

00:45 Is "Ron only has to prove something to himself" still true in 2026?

04:00 Pick a fight to win: the Win Win philosophy and the triangle system

10:30 The BYD launch: 150 micro influencers, no pitch deck

17:00 Real UGC, brand freedom, and why authenticity wins

22:30 Why Ron bet on real humans, not AI influencers

25:30 What Ron loves and hates about AI in marketing

33:00 The Terminator vision creative process: hunting problems, not solutions

41:00 Losing: the restaurant concept he closed two days before this recording

44:00 Burnout and being "too close to the glass"

49:00 The real price of fifteen years of entrepreneurship

52:30 Advice to 22 year olds building a brand

56:30 The Moment: three quick fire questions to close

Follow Ron Simpson:

https://www.instagram.com/ronsimpson/

https://ronsimpson.com/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories!

He arrived in the Netherlands at age 8 with nothing but a violin. Three refugee camps later, he taught himself Photoshop from forums, started freelancing at 15, and ended up directing visuals for Chris Brown, G-Eazy and Riff Raff, working alongside Sam Feldt and Ed Sheeran.

Besides his celebrity client list, his pink glitter basketball ended up on Times Square and later got bought from Drake's father. He calls this chapter of his life "the beginning."

This is the story of Dzanar Abbas-Zade.

We get into how he went from grinding behind a computer to becoming the secret weapon behind some of the biggest names in the industry. How he got his first big break by offering to work for free. How a rare condition where he sees colors and shapes when he hears music became his creative superpower and why he walked away from the A-list client work to launch his own art.

And if you stick around until the end he also shares one one underrated trick he says most creatives completely overlook when trying to work with bigger names.

This is a conversation about obsession, timing, courage, and what it actually takes to get in the room.

TIMESTAMPS

(00:00) The most underrated trick in the creative industry

(02:43) From refugee camp to VIP parties

(07:21) Arriving in the Netherlands with nothing

(08:21) Teaching himself everything from a computer

(10:22) How obsession turns into a career

(14:22) First music videos and the EDM scene

(17:41) What made his work different from everyone else

(19:21) Working with Sanfeldt before he was famous

(21:43) Should creatives work for free?

(23:55) His rare condition: seeing colors when hearing music

(26:47) How he approaches a creative project

(27:48) Why creativity loves silence

(34:15) His favorite project: G-Eazy NFT collection

(36:18) What it's like collaborating with A-list artists

(38:13) The shift from client work to his own art

(39:09) Launching his first exhibition during COVID

(40:06) His pink glitter basketball on Times Square

(43:39) The most underrated trick: study the art of language

(45:35) It's not luck. It's timing.

(46:31) Advice for young creatives

(47:50) Three final questions

Connect with Dzanar:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dzanar/

Website: https://dzanar.com/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories!

Today we speak with Sophie-Anne Onland, about the challenges and opportunity for disability representation. Born with a limb difference, Sophie shares her personal journey of growing up with a disability, the challenges she faced, and how she overcame them to become a voice for change.

Key Topics Discussed:

- Sophie's early life and the role her parents played in encouraging her to live without limits.

- The lack of representation of people with disabilities in media and how it affected her self-esteem.

- The pivotal moment that led Sophie to embrace her disability and become more open about it.

- The importance of good representation and how it can impact individuals' self-worth and societal inclusion.

-Sophie's transition from hiding her disability to becoming a public speaker and advocate.

-The founding of her Agency Ninety-nine aimed at increasing the visibility and representation of people with disabilities in media and advertising.

- Practical advice for brands on how to authentically represent people with disabilities.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:38 - The importance of representation

01:51 - Growing up without role models

04:12 - Sophie's early life and family support

06:00 - Teenage years and growing insecurities

07:51 - The energy spent on hiding and adjusting

10:43 - Nature vs. nurture: Sophie's positive mindset

13:13 - The impact of disability on personal growth

17:47 - The societal approach to disabilities

21:14 - Acceptance and self-worth

23:22 - Sophie's journey to self-acceptance

28:45 - The role of social media and finding role models

33:07 - Sophie's content journey and mission

36:43 - Founding the agency Ninety-Nine

42:03 - What brands get wrong about representation

47:03 - The future of disability representation in media

Connect with Sophie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophieonland/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-anne-onland-27978449/

Agency: https://www.instagram.com/ninetynine_agency/

Follow Me:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themarcusengel/

Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories!

#DisabilityRepresentation #Inclusion #Podcast #Inspiration #Sophie #RepresentationMatters #Diversity #Acceptance #SelfWorth #MediaRepresentation