What does it take to turn world-class academic research into a real, revenue-generating company? In this episode of Owner’s Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Jack Nicholas, Co-Founder and CTO of Qdot Technology, to unpack his journey from Oxford University’s labs to the front lines of clean aviation.

Jack shares how his Ph.D. research in cooling nuclear fusion reactors became the foundation for a deep-tech startup tackling one of aviation’s hardest problems: thermal management for zero-emissions flight. Along the way, he opens up about the realities of spinning a company out of a university, the costly mistake of leading with technology instead of customer problems, and why he ultimately stepped aside as CEO to put the right leader in place.

This is a candid conversation about the long timelines of deep tech, raising capital in tougher markets, navigating VC relationships, and why finding the right people may be the hardest and most important challenge of all.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• The hidden challenges of spinning a company out of a top university
• Why starting with “great technology” instead of a clear problem can slow growth
• When founders should step out of the CEO role
• How investor expectations have shifted from vision to early revenue
• Practical advice for raising capital and pitching VCs
• Why recruitment is harder (and more critical) than most founders expect

About Jack Nicholas

Jack Nicholas is the Co-Founder and CTO of Qdot Technology, a deep-tech company advancing thermal management solutions for clean aviation. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford, where his research focused on cooling technologies for nuclear fusion reactors. After completing his doctorate, Jack led the design of a £1M industrial test facility for next-generation gas turbine materials in collaboration with aerospace partners. Today, he applies that expertise to solving the thermal challenges standing in the way of zero-emissions flight.

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Looking for Tools & Support Growing and Managing Your Business?

Book a free consultation today: https://calendly.com/jmclarty-focalpointcoaching/30min

Contact Jeff McLarty:

• Website: FocalPointEdmonton.com
• Linkedin: Jeff McLarty
  
  

Contact Jack Nicholas:

• Website: Qdot Technology
• LinkedIn: Jack Nicholas
• LinkedIn: Qdot Technology
  
  

What if the thing everyone else throws away is the foundation of your next business?

In this episode of Owner’s Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Tyson Christiansen, founder of Maverick Metal, to unpack a gritty, real-world entrepreneurial journey built on follow-through, sales grit, and the ability to see value where others see waste.

Tyson’s path didn’t start with a polished plan. It started at a tire shop, then behind the counter of a scrapyard, where he unknowingly received one of the best entrepreneurship educations possible. By helping others turn scrap into income, Tyson learned how businesses really work, how middlemen get cut out, and why execution always beats perfection. That early experience led to the creation of Maverick Metal, where Tyson began buying and selling oilfield pipe, eventually realizing that the real opportunity wasn’t brokering, but manufacturing.

This episode is a masterclass in doing the work, trusting momentum over certainty, and building something durable by moving forward before everything is figured out. If you’ve ever waited for the “perfect plan” before starting, this conversation will challenge you to just get going.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why brokering businesses are fragile and how to escape the middleman trap
• Why perfection is the enemy of completion
• How differentiation protects margins in manufacturing
• Why customers don’t care about price; they care about value
• The role of fear, urgency, and sales volume in business survival
• How making the calls beats waiting for the phone to ring
• Why having the right partner at home can be a massive competitive advantage

About Tyson Christiansen

Tyson Christiansen is the founder of Maverick Metal, a manufacturing and materials company focused on repurposing end-of-life oilfield pipe into durable, high-value livestock fencing products. With a background rooted in sales, scrap recovery, and industrial brokering, Tyson built Maverick Metal by identifying overlooked opportunities and executing relentlessly. Known for confidence action and follow-through, Tyson has grown his business across borders, operating in both Canada and the United States, while continuing to scale manufacturing capacity and material sourcing.

Looking for Tools & Support Growing and Managing Your Business?

• Book a free consultation today: https://calendly.com/jmclarty-focalpointcoaching/30min

Contact Jeff McLarty

• Website: FocalPointEdmonton.com
• LinkedIn: Jeff McLarty

Contact Tyson Christiansen

• Website
• LinkedIn
• Facebook

What does it take to build a business that survives economic collapse, a global pandemic, and a literal flood?

In this episode of Owner’s Roundtable, Jeff McLarty sits down with Rafael Krug, founder of Zero-Defect, one of Brazil’s leading software quality assurance firms. They unpack a two-decade entrepreneurial journey that spans continents, and more than a few hard resets.

From fixing Y2K bugs in Brazilian banks to scaling into a 70-person QA firm, navigating the 2008 financial crisis, surviving COVID shutdowns, and then rebuilding after catastrophic flooding in Porto Alegre, Rafael’s story is a wonder of resilience, adaptability, and long-term vision.

Now based in Canada and loving the Canadian business landscape, Rafael shares why he chose to rebuild yet again, but this time with a global, product-driven future in mind.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How a Y2K internship led to a lifelong career in software quality assurance
• How HP became Zero-Defect’s first major client
• The real challenges behind scaling from 3 people to 70
• What it’s like to lose half your company during an economic collapse
• How COVID forced a full operational reset
• What happens when your entire office is submerged under two meters of floodwater
• Why Rafael believes people — not infrastructure — are the real asset
• Key differences between doing business in Brazil vs. Canada
• Why Zero-Defect is shifting from a services model to product-led growth
• Advice for entrepreneurs facing setbacks that feel impossible to recover from

About Rafael Krug

Rafael Krug is the founder of Zero-Defect, a software quality assurance company specializing in functional, performance, security, and automated testing. Founded in Brazil in 2004, Zero-Defect grew into one of the country’s leading QA firms, supporting mission-critical systems for enterprise clients.

Now based in Edmonton, Canada, Rafael is leading Zero-Defect’s expansion into North America while launching AI-driven testing tools designed to modernize how software quality is delivered globally.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Start-up Visa Program (Canada)
• Caldeira / Instituto Caldeira (Porto Alegre innovation hub)

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Looking for Tools & Support Growing and Managing Your Business?

Book a free consultation today: https://calendly.com/jmclarty-focalpointcoaching/30min

Contact Jeff McLarty:

• Website: FocalPointEdmonton.com
• Linkedin: Jeff McLarty
  
  

Contact Rafael Krug:

• Website: Zero-Defect
• LinkedIn: Rafael Krug
• LinkedIn: Zero-Defect
  
  

Every successful business has a story that never made the press release: messy beginnings, painful mistakes, near collapses, and game-changing decisions that shaped the journey. In Owner’s Roundtable, host Jeff McLarty has real conversations with real business owners who’ve built, scaled, stumbled, and fought their way forward.

This podcast isn’t about polished highlight reels or corporate marketing stories. It’s about lessons learned the hard way from builders who’ve been in the arena. It shows why stories from the trenches really matter and gives us a seat at the table with operators who tell us how it really works.

About Host Jeff McLarty:

Jeff is a seasoned entrepreneur with diverse experience working in and with organisations both large and small, family businesses, mid-sized corporations, not-for-profits and governments. He has worked with leaders in aerospace, AI, manufacturing, IT, and construction just to name a few.

His own journey to the owner's table has covered a diverse range of work and ownership experiences, including working in the trades, sales, financial planning, Deputy Director of a museum, and as an Executive Director of a major not-for-profit before becoming an owner/operator of a family business in retail. He also has extensive volunteer experience, which he credits with developing the broad skill set he needed to begin operating a business at a relatively young age (35). Together with his wife and business partner Stephanie, they scaled a small family-owned business into a multi-segment tourism and food services operation with 25 staff and a province-wide reputation.

Following the sale of the retail side of the operations, Jeff and his family moved to Edmonton, Alberta, where he began contract work for a UK-based aerospace startup, eventually serving as interim COO. He is currently a consulting partner in several venture startups and works as an Executive Coach and Business Trainer.

Jeff is passionate about the journey to entrepreneurship and what it takes to keep a seat at the Owners Round Table, Listen in as he explores with fellow founders, how they earned their seats and share the wisdom of years spent building a business in the hopes that you can learn from their tough experiences.

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Looking for Tools & Support Growing and Managing Your Business.

Book a free consultation today: https://calendly.com/jmclarty-focalpointcoaching/30min

Contact Jeff McLarty:

• Website: FocalPointEdmonton.com
• Linkedin: Jeff McLarty