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Episode 16: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Jan Barlow (https://www.linkedin.com/in/janbarlow/) about how her holistic approach helps marginalized groups, including veterans, foster care alumni, and formerly incarcerated individuals, find meaningful employment and purpose.

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Jan Barlow founded Better JobFit with a mission that stemmed from her own tumultuous career journey. After rising to success in the pharmaceutical industry, Jan faced an unexpected job restructure that led to personal and professional turmoil. She lost her home, her health, and her marriage, prompting her to reevaluate her path and ultimately inspire her to create Better JobFit.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Overview
• 00:33 Jan’s Origin Story and the Creation of Better Job Fit
• 06:07 Matching People by Strengths, Not Background
• 10:14 Custom Job Matching and Employer Trust
• 27:52 Advice for Entrepreneurs and Taking the Risk

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 15: Ben Deckey (https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-deckey/) talks to Ayad Mirjan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayadmirjan/) about his journey of building Orange Bag Laundry from a residential service to a nationwide B2B logistics and laundry company. They discuss insights on automation, hiring, scaling, and maintaining quality in a competitive industry.

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Ayad Mirjan is the owner of Orange Bag Laundry, which he founded in 2019, although his journey in the laundry industry began in 2017. Initially starting as a residential laundry service, Ayad’s business has pivoted to focus predominantly on commercial laundry services, catering to hotels, spas, and gyms across the United States.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and guest background
• 05:24 Investing in automation and scaling operations
• 07:42 Hiring and team management strategies
• 13:54 Automation and AI in laundry processing
• 17:33 Growth plans and national expansion
• 22:14 Work-life balance and personal insights

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 14: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Cornel Armariei (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelamariei/) about revolutionizing mobility for the visually impaired through advanced AI and robotics.

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Cornell's journey to founding .Lumen began in a family where everyone except him lived with a disability. Growing up, he developed a deep understanding of the daily mobility challenges faced by people who are blind, inspiring him to build a more accessible alternative to guide dogs. Today, .Lumen has developed AI-powered smart glasses that use self-driving technology and haptic feedback to help users safely navigate their surroundings.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
• 05:31 Personal Journey and Family Inspiration
• 08:00 Innovative Solutions for the Visually Impaired
• 10:36Team Structure and Collaboration
• 13:21 Challenges and Resilience in Entrepreneurship
• 16:02 The Role of AI in Business
• 21:13 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 13: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Sailesh Pattnaik (https://www.linkedin.com/in/saileshpattnaik/) about his journey from personal tragedy to healthcare innovation with AI, the challenges of building AI solutions in healthcare, team setup, and future plans for global expansion.

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After losing his brother to hospital negligence during COVID-19, Sailesh Pattnaik founded RxGPT, an AI platform helping hospitals reduce operational failures and save lives. Today, he leads the company's vision to transform healthcare with AI while advising startups on growth, go-to-market strategy, and digital transformation. With more than 20 years of experience and over 300 startups consulted, he's helping shape the future of AI-powered healthcare.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
• 05:30 How RxGPT Helps Hospitals Reduce Operational Inefficiencies
• 09:00 Using AI to Solve Healthcare Operations Challenges
• 15:18 Biggest operational challenges
• 25:52 Building RxGPT to Save Lives
• 31:35 Founder Insights: Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 12: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Dellyn Lee (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dellyn-lee/) about his journey from in-house recruiting to building his own brand, Dylan Digital, blending gaming and career coaching, innovative strategies for job hunting, the role of AI, and how to balance multiple ventures effectively.

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Dellyn Lee is a recruiter with 10+ years of experience who blends career coaching with gaming-inspired content to make job hunting more engaging and practical. He runs a solo coaching business focused on resumes, LinkedIn optimization, interview prep, and job search strategy, while also creating YouTube content, live streams, and digital products. Beyond that, he volunteers in recruiting and gaming-related spaces, and works full-time in recruiting, giving him a broad, hands-on view of the job market. His overall mission is to help job seekers level up their careers in a tough market by making the process more accessible, educational, and human.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Dylan Digital: Merging Gaming with Job Hunting
• 06:58 Navigating the Job Market Challenges
• 09:47 The Role of AI in Recruitment
• 18:17 Future of Job Hunting and Networking
• 32:41 Job Search Strategies and Motivation
• 36:34 Taking the Leap: Starting Your Own Business

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 11: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Liz Rivas (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rivaselizabeth/) about building meaningful connections in a digital world, overcoming loneliness through community, and turning a personal challenge into a global platform for women travelers.

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Liz Rivas is the Founder and CEO of RoamCircle, a women-first community and friendship app designed to help solo female travelers, digital nomads, expats, and remote workers find authentic friendships and safe communities around the world. Inspired by her own experiences traveling alone across 13 countries, Liz created RoamCircle to help women connect, belong, and build lasting relationships wherever life takes them. Before launching RoamCircle, she spent over a decade leading enterprise marketing initiatives for global technology companies and is passionate about empowering women through travel, friendship, and community.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to RoamCircle and Its Purpose
• 09:37 How RoamCircle Works and Its Features
• 15:06 AI's Impact on Human Connection and Community
• 16:31 The Power of Vulnerability in Content Creation
• 25:07 Building a Supportive Team
• 29:21 Future Goals for RoamCircle

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 10: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Brendan Lebitsch (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanlebitsch/) about his entrepreneurial journey, insights into manufacturing and sourcing in China, and how AI tools are transforming his business operations.

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Brendan Lebitsch founded High Life Tech at just 18 years old, starting with custom phone cases that allowed customers to print their designs. Over time, the company evolved, expanding its product range to include keychains, lanyards, and more.
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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Brendan Lebitsch and His Ventures
• 07:57 Operational Challenges in Merchandise Development
• 09:49 Leveraging Technology and AI for Efficiency
• 18:21 The Role of AI in Business and Creativity
• 21:36 Rebranding to Off Menu: The New Direction
• 24:06 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 9: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Tyler Raciti (https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciti/ about his unconventional journey from public policy and nonprofit advocacy to the frontier of artificial intelligence. Tyler shares how his passion for solving large-scale societal challenges led him through politics, consulting, emerging technology strategy, and ultimately entrepreneurship.

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Tyler Raciti is the founder and CEO of Volumes, a New York-based, venture-backed startup focused on helping world models work with 3D and 4D spatial data. Prior to founding Volumes, he worked as a Physical AI Strategist at Monitor Deloitte, advising organizations across robotics, autonomous systems, aerospace, smart cities, and emerging technologies. Tyler is also the founder of PRO-NEO, a nonprofit organization that successfully helped shape New York State opioid overdose prevention policy impacting millions of students. His career spans public service, consulting, nonprofit leadership, and entrepreneurship, all driven by a passion for tackling complex problems with meaningful real-world impact.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
• 06:19 Revolutionizing AI with Physical Data
• 12:09 Building a Team and Overcoming Challenges)
• 38:03 Personal Journey and Final Thoughts

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Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.