The Foureva Podcast
Welcome to The Foureva Podcast, where we break barriers and redefine success!
Join host Jamar Jones, a dynamic entrepreneur, national speaker, and author of "Change Your Circle, Change Your Life," as he takes you on an extraordinary journey of inspiration and motivation.
In each episode, we bring you an impressive lineup of star-studded guests, each with a unique voice and a wealth of insights to share. From industry leaders to renowned experts, we uncover their secrets to success in personal, business, and marketing domains. Prepare to be captivated by their stories, strategies, and experiences that will empower you to reach new heights.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a marketing professional, or simply seeking fresh perspectives on life and business, The Foureva Podcast is your ultimate destination. Discover the transformative power of changing your circle and unlocking your full potential. With each episode, we delve into the minds of the most influential voices in the industry, providing you with the tools and inspiration you need to overcome obstacles and achieve greatness.
Don't miss out on this dynamic podcast that will fuel your ambition, challenge your limits, and propel you toward success. Tune in to The Foureva Podcast and join a community of driven individuals who are ready to make an impact. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and 'foureva' transformed!
The Foureva Podcast
Think your business is ready for investment? Watch this first
Want to understand what investors really look for in startups, and how to position your business to secure funding and scale fast? In this episode, Jim R. Jones sits down with Mitchell Harounian, venture capital investor at Talent Resources Ventures and founder of The Venture Reel, to share essential insights for entrepreneurs and founders.
Mitchell reveals what separates investable startups from those that get overlooked, how to build a team that can actually scale, and why mindset, honesty, and a clear value proposition matter more than ever. As a passionate advocate for growth-stage founders, Mitchell has reviewed countless pitches, invested in dozens of companies, and helps entrepreneurs bring their big ideas to life.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ The key factors that VCs look for in early-stage companies
✅ Why understanding your strengths and weaknesses can make or break your business
✅ How to pitch your vision, build credibility, and attract top talent (even on a budget)
✅ How to navigate growth and scale without burning out—or burning bridges
✅ The truth about due diligence, product-market fit, and the role of customer feedback
✅ Why having a clear “problem” and “solution” story is non-negotiable
Mitchell also shares his journey from being part of a close-knit Jewish Persian community to becoming a sought-after investor, his personal approach to mental health and gratitude, and why a growth mindset is essential for any entrepreneur seeking venture capital.
🚀 Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a founder, or just curious about the VC world, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you raise money, build momentum, and lead with confidence.
🔔 Don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and turn on notifications for more expert interviews on business growth, entrepreneurship, mindset, and funding strategies!
Yo, yo. What's going on everybody? Welcome back to another killer episode of the Forever Podcast. My name is Jamar Jones. I am the founder of Forever Media, national keynote speaker and author of the book Change your Circle, change your Life, and we're about to do that again today. Oh, my goodness man, we got Mitchell in the building and we're going to get into some amazing, amazing conversation. But this podcast is all for entrepreneurs growing and scaling their business, especially on the marketing, sales and branding side. But we bring incredible people here onto the show, and Mitchell is no exception. Mitchell, how are you doing? Welcome to the podcast, man.
Speaker 2:Jamar, thank you so, so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. I appreciate you taking the time. I'm happy we were both able to find the time to talk and I'm really excited to get into this conversation and talk more about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man. So what is a day in the life of mitchell? Like we just, we just need give the audience a snapshot, man, of a day in the life, of what you got going on for sure.
Speaker 2:uh, you know it's a funny question because, like narrowing down day in the life as a vc investor is difficult because every day is different. I would, I would honestly, take it week by week, because there are days where I'm dedicated to just sourcing deal flow. There are days where I'm committed to performing due diligence on the deals that I sourced earlier that week, and then there are days where companies and founders that we've invested in call me and they're like Mitch, you know we need help from you in XYZ way. You know what are your opinions and thoughts on this and do you know someone who can, you know, help us integrate into this industry that we're trying to tackle now? And then sometimes they're calling me to be their therapist and I'm obviously always there for that. Yeah, and like the day in the life honestly is, I'm a big believer in waking up early. I mean, I'm not like waking up crazy, like that TikTok guy, but I'm waking up, you know, with the blue water bottle.
Speaker 1:Are you dumping your face in the water and and like going from 4 am to 4 405 and like doing a completely different thing?
Speaker 2:I'm not. I'm not rubbing banana peels on my face either, but it's. You know. It's important, I think, to have a great start to the day. You know, every day is a blessing, and it's even more of a blessing for me to have found something that I love to do. So you just got to take advantage. So every day, you know, I try to wake up early either, you know go to the gym earlier or in the afternoon.
Speaker 2:Big on exercising, it's not really like a personality trait, it's more of like it really helps me build good habits, uh, on a schedule, and it really helps my mental. Uh, honestly, I don't really care about how I look and you know, obviously I look in the mirror but it's more about my mental, it's more about when I have difficult, bad days and how much that helps me. And then, day to day, it's always just trying to grow and learn or be my week at least. So I honestly live by the motto of staying a good person, uh, being consistent at working hard and being humble at that. And if I can really just do that week and week out, day by day, um, you know, you take a look back and you're like, wow, can I curse on this podcast?
Speaker 1:yeah, yeah you go.
Speaker 2:I could say like oh, holy shit, like you know, I just I just like you know ran a mile and you can look back a year from now and be like I was so innocent a year from now. So that's really what I like to look at. I only compare myself to my past self, not to others. So that's really like what I am week by week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's a great, great answer. How did you get this growth mindset? You know, because I talk to entrepreneurs every single day, right, and some of them it's hard to like. You know, there's usually like a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and some of them have fixed mindsets where everything's a challenge, everything is tough. You know what was me, why me? And it sounds like, with what you just described, everything in your mind is from a growth mindset and you're thinking about how to, ways to improve, like you said. Hey, I'm looking to learn, I'm looking to get better, I'm looking to look, you know, fast forward and all seem like you blink. You're like, oh man, okay, stay inconsistent, there is some changes. How did you get that? Like, where did that come from? Did it come from somebody? Something, a moment in your life like, where did that growth mindset come from? It's a great question.
Speaker 2:Um, I haven't really thought much about, like where it came from. Um, I'm just a very positive person. I like to say, and I think I didn't know we we're getting into a little bit of a psychology talk, but I'll be honest with you, I think mindset and psychology, especially when it comes to early stage investing and evaluating you know companies early on. You know it's always like market versus people or team and team versus market and uh, really, is team really early on, and who are you and who are you bringing in as individuals to help scale and solve whatever problem you might be solving?
Speaker 2:whether that be a product or service, and and having a positive mindset, I think really really helps. You know, obviously I'm not here to, you know, say, every day is butterflies and rainbows, but, um, yeah, just trying to look at things from again, being, I think, being grateful is step number one, like you have to understand, you know. You know every day you get to wake up and go to the office. Um, as cheesy as it might sound, um, that's really how I look at things. I get to tackle the day and take advantage of today. Um, and how am I positive?
Speaker 2:I'm a fairly religious person in a way, um, so I think that helps sometimes. And, um, you know, I'm jewish, so sometimes I rap tefillin and it's it's not trying to get into religious talk, but to get into more of a spiritual talk. For me, that's like a little bit of like some like my source of meditation in a way, and to be grateful and to go tackle the day, and that's sort of where it came from me. But you've got to think good and you got to stay positive because you know, you probably hear, like all these stories, that if you have that lens, you'll start seeing good things and you'll start taking advantage of the awesome opportunities in front of you. So yeah, I mean that's really how it happened and it doesn't hurt when, again, I love what I'm doing. Like I'm very, very grateful that somewhat early in my career I was able to figure that out and I mean I'm sure you can allude to good and just to you know kind of package it for people.
Speaker 1:So one is is gratitude, um just being thankful for the small things, right, I mean, it's small things that are actually big things. Waking up every morning is a pretty big thing, but everybody takes it, takes it for granted. Um surrendering to, you know, to something that's bigger than you, um, wherever that may be, um just having something to as an anchor. I think, as an entrepreneur like you, putting it all on yourself it's tough, you know.
Speaker 1:But having that anchor and having something that balances you, um, whatever that may be for for you, um, you need. You need it because if you're really in entrepreneurship or you're really going through the motions of things, you're going to be in a moment where you're going to need something bigger than yourself and, trust me 100% 100%.
Speaker 2:I also have.
Speaker 2:I've created this like term that I really love to go back to, and it's called good pressure.
Speaker 2:That's something that I look for in entrepreneurs and I and I say it, and what I mean by that is I mean a lot of things by that, an example I can put in, and good pressure is the good pressure I'm currently facing today. No, I'm recently married and, you know, god willing, I want to start a family with, with you know, god willing, I want to start a family with you know, with my wife one day. You know it's not only I'm not only responsible for myself, I'm also responsible for my spouse. And you know, when you want to have a family, start a family, you know there are a lot of moving parts that you know help you be prepared. I know you'll never be prepared for a kid, but even financially speaking, mentally speaking, like it's like all right, I'm holding myself accountable and holding myself to a set in. You know, a new set of standards come from a Jewish Persian community where I was born and raised, and I'm not saying everyone from that community made it and became millionaires, and this this and that.
Speaker 2:But I was born, and grateful enough to be born, in a community where, like you just gotta try, you know and it's like people.
Speaker 2:People like ask me what I do for a living and stuff, and sometimes that I'm really not, like I sit down to go into detail might not be the right. You know time or place. I'm just like, listen, I'm trying like I'm hustling just as much as you might be as an entrepreneur, um, and we can get into it. But I think there are a lot of similarities between a VC and an entrepreneur. Yeah, there really are, and that's why you know, I think some of the best investors are able to, you know, recognize and find the best entrepreneurs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, one said you can just believe in their work ethic and their love for what they do is a big measurement of mine. Like, if you love what you do again, like, those difficult days will be a little bit easier and your work ethic will be there. Standard, where you're saying you know, I truly to my core believe that I'm going to scale this company to a billion dollar plus company. Right, that's what you're looking for, right, and it's. It's like that confidence. It's another analogy I use and sent to my my, even some of my current portfolio companies on first call. As I say, you know, it's like hitting on a girl. You know you can't hit on a girl and think that you're not going to get her number, you're not going to be able to go out with her right.
Speaker 2:No, you're hitting on a girl, you're going to say I am going to get her number, and it's that confidence factor that plays a huge role. And I think you know, know, I just said a bunch of stuff between confidence, between loving what you do, between staying positive, um, it really all ties together for me and those are things that I truly look for when it comes to entrepreneurs, especially again in the early stages of things yeah, yeah, yeah, no, this is good, we're gonna, we're gonna get into uh, because I mean, we kind of got connected through the uh nucleus network, right.
Speaker 1:Uh, shout out, jake shout out, um, the axe man, um, and you know, like you, you know, when I looked at uh, I think you sent me a link and you're like, hey you. You know, when I looked at uh, I think you had sent me a link and you're like, hey, man, this is a portfolio companies and there's a ton of them, you know, a ton of uh companies in there. So I want to, I want to kind of talk about um. So what are you? What do you guys look for? You know, when you guys are trying to engage with an entrepreneur that has an idea, that has a business, and they just need some fuel to their fire, right, and to kind of pour some gasoline on it whether that be a startup or whether that be a company that's been running for a little bit, but they kind of need that extra gas Maybe it's a strategic partner, I mean, it could be a various amounts of things what do you guys look for to get added, you know, as actually on the list as one of your portfolio companies?
Speaker 2:Oh, it's a great question. Just so people know, I've been an associate for now three and a half years at Talent Resources Ventures. Talent Resources Ventures is the venture branch of a company called Talent Resources where they have a celebrity athlete marketing agency as well as a PR and social media arms of the firm. Answer your question we like to get involved and just so everyone knows our thesis c to series a, um, nothing pre-product, pre-launch.
Speaker 2:But what we really look for and we're industry agnostic is weight investing in companies that we can help beyond our capital investment. Right, we try to be smart money and that's a win for both the portfolio company and us ourselves. So with the portfolio company, you know we're smart money, we're not just cash. We're able to help beyond our capital investment. Again, whether it's, you know, we're not talent, so we can't promise anything, but whether it's bringing a talent involved or whether it's helping and utilizing our PR services to help make noise in your respective market, our PR team is awesome and for us we're providing value for you beyond capital. And then, internally, it's like we're hedging our bet in a way, because we're betting on our network, we're betting on our services, because we've known and we've seen it scale Before I even joined TR. They've done it for companies like WeBaps, which is publicly traded now.
Speaker 2:We don't have to talk about the public stock, but that was a really big win for talent resources, ventures, who, chocolate, which was acquired by Mondelez. Those were big ones. So what we're looking for and I know I alluded to you know who the entrepreneur is and what we're looking for in that but it's also we're looking to be smart money and that way it's a win-win for everyone across the board to be smart money and that way, it's a win-win for everyone, uh, across the board.
Speaker 2:Um, so yeah, that's, that's a, that's a very, you know, big, big determining factor. Another thing I will quickly say is with the fire and juice and all that that you mentioned it's very important for founders to be, very important for founders to be intellectually honest with themselves about their strengths and weaknesses.
Speaker 2:Talk about that. Yeah, yeah it's. It's very important, you know, because sometimes ego gets in the way and they believe they can continue help scaling it. Sometimes they they hire the wrong people that might be too similar and share the same strengths as them. But to be able to say, you know, I'm not great at product development but I am great at you know I'm not great at product development but I am great at you know marketing and and pushing our narrative about what our product or service is. And I am great at you know finding big key, you know enterprise partners for our company that can help scale revenue to 10 million, you know, in arr uh, which will change our company early on. Yeah, and being able to recognize strengths and weaknesses is, again, just like really important. It seems obvious, but, again, you know you never want ego to be the reason why something doesn't work early on, because that's just a shame.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so so you're saying we got to put our ego to the side, our pride to the side, um, to actually scale our business. The right way is what you're is what you're saying, I mean cause you're looking for you know, like you can't, you can't work with somebody. That is just totally like. And also that that's definitely hard for, I think, people in general to put that ego aside. But I know, especially for men, that's especially hard because, like, if we're starting something and we want to, like, prove it or stick it to whoever, and it's like, yeah, we can do all these things, but, in truth, to scale and to have somebody interested in investing in you, not just by cash but by other resources as well, but to invest into something, you have to put your ego aside because you need, because you can't be the only one that's doing everything right. You have to scale at some point and you got to bring in the right people to be able to get to where you're trying to go.
Speaker 1:And this is something that a lot of people struggle with when it comes down to the ego side, especially in the early stages, though I could see you guys getting into this conversation a lot, because now, if they already know, you know, then it's a little easier. You know they can bring that to the table they look at. But I'm not great at the marketing thing, but I'm like the brains I created this thing. I know the, the products, the recipes, like I can keep cranking out like great products. Okay, so you need help with making that noise. Okay, you got the pr resource, like, but if they don't know that you may have to have so and like hey, I didn't know we were going to get into psychology. The truth of the matter is is that a lot of this stuff is psychology.
Speaker 1:Because, you've got to like. You're probably having these conversations where it's like dude, you know, you're not great at everything. You can't be Like you can't be like you.
Speaker 2:You literally, yeah, yeah and with and then with that, it goes with like hiring the right person you know for each role and building that team again early on. Building a team is super, super important. Um and, and maybe you know, ego can mean many things. It could be you know I'm the toughest and I'm the best, but it could be you know I'm the toughest and I'm the best. But it could also mean like just like being a little blind to it maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah that's true and it's like it's hard. Listen, I'm not saying every founder shouldn't go ahead and be the CEO of their companies. I'm not saying that. But you know there are so many incredible founders that did arguably one of the hardest parts, which is making an idea into a reality, and that takes blood, sweat, tears, life savings, you know, risk, ambition, all those things and all those real life sacrifices, real life sacrifices.
Speaker 2:And then to like, get there and to try to scale the company but realize after a year and a half, like shit, we've been sort of stagnant, we haven't been growing, like that's where you have to look and into yourself and say what do we need to change? And maybe I'm not the right person to be ceo I can still be majority shareholder of the company but maybe I should go work for you know again, working with enterprise partnerships or whatever it might be, or maybe working on, you know, the packaging of the product or anything else. Uh, that that might be your strength, um, and then it. This also opens up a whole other can of worms, if you don't mind me talking about it, but it's like hiring the right people to come join you.
Speaker 2:And it's really difficult to do that. And it's because you want to hire the best people, right, you want to hire incredible people. But you're a startup and you are on a serious budget restriction and you don't have all the money in the world to pay that. So you have to convince someone. If you're a beverage company or, let's just say, a CPG product, that is, that you know you have to convince the head of sales at Red Bull to come join your company when that person might be making six figures and you know high six figures when they're not going to be probably be making that. So what you have to do is sell them on your story, sell them on the big picture, sell them on your belief of what you together could build. And then obviously, I'm sure there's some equity compensation in there too, because that's how you're going to be able to really upscale early on and bring in the right people.
Speaker 2:And that's really hard, but that's also something I'm just letting you know like a huge green flag. When you're talking to an entrepreneur, it's like, yeah, we just brought in XYZ person from. You know, that is a master in. You know we're a FinTech company that is a master in you know these financial services and work that Square hosts, right, and they know XYZ and have relationships and can really help scale the company um, and we were able to get them bought in on our story and take a fraction of a salary to come work for us because they believe in what we are building.
Speaker 2:That goes to show a lot about who you know you are as an entrepreneur.
Speaker 2:To get people sold but, also what you're going to go build and, and it's it shows a lot. It shows that you are a great salesman or saleswoman and maybe it shows that it'd be easier for someone like you to go and raise capital, um, because of that um, and you know, you never want to be the only one invested in the company and have them not raise the rest of the round and run out of you know, run out of cash and have no runway. So, yeah, I mean there are a lot of pieces, there are a lot of moving parts, but that is another thing to consider.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the key there, too, is like this goes for a lot of people, but you know, if you can sell your vision, your story to somebody else, it makes it a lot easier for other people to come in and be a part of that journey. It's always hard for the first one. I always, oftentimes say this, even with, like, sponsorships. A lot of people ask me cause I've accumulated a lot of sponsorships, you know, throughout the years. And people are like how are you doing this? Well, the key is first you got to get one. You need to get one, because once you get one, you say, oh well, so-and-so company's involved. That makes it a little easier to go through the door and sell it to people. And this is also for kind of go through the door and kind of sell it to people, right, and this is also for for VCs, I'm sure, even from building that team aspect of like, hey, I got, I grabbed this person from this company, I grabbed this person, this and this person has this great skills skillset. I've been able to build this team already and they're sold on the vision and the and the story and the idea of where this thing's going to go, and they gave up some of their you know their guarantees that they had forced this so that, as a VC, that makes it way easier, at least gives them like another step closer to figuring out hey, is there something here?
Speaker 1:So, for everybody listening, think about that, cause if you just got an idea right and you haven't even put it to paper, you can't even articulate it. You know it's hard for anybody to invest in you and not even, like, even buy your stuff. You know it's really hard for people to do anything with your stuff If you can't articulate the idea and that story to somebody else. And I always am on here like preaching about, like the clarity of your message. You know like you need to have a clear message and a way to articulate something for other people to receive it and know how to do something with it. So I want to, I want to ask you how you know, just to make this more of a relevant, also a relevant topic too.
Speaker 1:So, like Shark Tank, I feel like people can relate. You know, when they think about VCs, they think about, you know, investing. That's the first thing you know, because it's, it's literally like the biggest platform when it comes to that. Um, how, how real. Is that to you like? If you, is that something that you're looking at, saying like, hey, this is how it goes. Obviously it's fed up. Um, it's you know what. What can we take from that experience that we're seeing on tv versus what you guys are doing in the and also in the real world?
Speaker 2:it's I, I wouldn't say it's not the most real. Um, what I do, like that shark tank does, is each, and going back to a I think I touched on this point they, the sharks, like to invest in companies. They think they can scale on their own through their network, through their business. That help make them you know billionaires, multi, multi hundred millionaires, to be on that show. So that is something that I always thought like, okay, that makes complete sense Because you know you can maybe again, let's just say, one of the sharks might be a huge can manufacturer, right, and you can help cut margins and you on on.
Speaker 2:You know manufacturing, you know cans for beverages, right and not only that, because of that, you also have great relationships with distributors and with distributors that can get you into whole foods and number one retail stores and across the country. Right that you got involved. So that is what I really admire. Out of shark tank um, the language um is not as direct. When it comes to venture, you know they're in dc, they're a lot more like you know you do notes or safe rounds and stuff like that, where, um you know it's hard to set a certain valuation and a share and a share price in a company when it's that early on um.
Speaker 2:So safes and notes really help complement that um, and they do it in terms of percent ownership. Yes, vc, you're also looking in terms of percent ownership. But it's really like you know, the companies are coming to you and saying these are the terms you know our lead investor set we're raising, you know, 10 million dollar round and we're raising, you know, two million dollars at a 10 million dollar valuation, post money. That's really what you're looking at and and you know, if you invest the two million you know right off the bat, then you can talk about the percentage you know, yeah, yeah, yeah, it's it, that's something, uh, it's so.
Speaker 1:another question to that is and I, so you guys say that you don't really look at things pre-revenue, right, typically, no, typically. So how much proof of concept do you need to kind of go into something, into a situation so like, what's more important? Is it the revenue that they can generate? Is it the monthly revenue? Is it just showing like, hey, we've acquired X amount of customers or clients?
Speaker 1:and this period of time Like what? What's the metric that you guys are looking for, so that way we can give the audience of like, a little sneak peek of what. What do they got to build towards?
Speaker 2:It's a great question. The first metric I look at is is there truly a problem here? Um, with that, like, honestly, it's, it's, it's, you have to be sure there's a problem, like I know it sounds so dumb when you say it out loud and sounds so obvious, but but it's true. Sometimes people are building something and that's why they get into team like teams pivot right, like you always hear about teams pivoting and making the right adjustments. And you know this company started out, you know doing, you know solving X, but they realized X was already solved, so now they pivoted to Y. So that's the first thing Is there a problem? And then, are you actually solving it? First thing, um, is there a problem? And then, are you actually solving it? And yes, obviously, if you have a lot of repeat customers, obviously, if you have, you know, customers under retainer for you know multiple months and they're happy it that shows that you are solving it.
Speaker 2:To be honest with you, I sometimes ask for, or companies that we're in due diligence with, can we speak to a customer or client of yours? I truly do, and sometimes, let me tell you, when they're really early customers and clients, actually the ones that are really blown away and they're like, oh my gosh, what you are doing is helping this industry so much it will revolutionize it. Let me invest. And when you've got a customer in on the cap table, I don't think it's smart to ever approach your customers and ask them to be on the cap table. If a customer comes to you and is like this is truly revolutionary and we love what this does for us.
Speaker 2:We want to get our foot in the door, like from an investment perspective, by all means. I mean, that's like the biggest green light ever. Um, you know, I'm obviously looking at I do month over month growth for a lot of cG companies. Trying to do 20 to 25% is really healthy month over month growth I also. I also do this like I like something like a stupid idea I created, but it's really the triangle trade of due diligence in a way, and a lot of investors will be like yeah, I do this too, but I'm just putting a name on it and it's you have a company.
Speaker 2:Um, let's say you have, you came across a company that is trying to, you know a recruiting company, right. Right, they use AI to help match resumes or whatever to the best potential candidate for recruiting, right? I'm going to take that company and I'm going to go to my friend who works for a recruiting company and I'm going to say yo, would you and your team genuinely use this technology? Please let me know, please use it. Please use it for a week. Use this technology, please let me know, please use it. Please use it for a week, for a month and let me know.
Speaker 1:And I'll get it to you for free.
Speaker 2:I'll get it to you for free. Use it for a week or a month, Let me know how you like it, Demo it, Try it out. I go to the company and I say listen, I know someone who works at you know again, works in this industry. I'm going to give them your tech If they genuinely like it. Guess what? I just brought you a customer and they just helped with my due diligence, because they're your target audience and if your target audience is down to start paying for you, then guess what?
Speaker 2:There was a problem in that industry and you are solving and with that I can go and say thank you for doing a good chunk of my due diligence in this and I'm going to go invest in the company and for the startup, I just brought you a customer. It's all a triangle trade. For the startup, I just brought you a customer and they did my do the the. You know, my buddy just did the due diligence for me and then and then for for my buddy guess what? I just made your job easier. I just helped you and your firm or your company out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that's something I always like to do and and maybe sometimes I am that target audience and I do with the diligence, or maybe there's a cosmetic company that it's a you know, an organic lotion or cream that that can really help with people who have really sensitive skin, who and I'm gonna go give that to to my wife or someone else or a girl, right, cosmetic stuff. So why am I the one to perform the due diligence in that? So that's really, really what I like, uh, what I do to help evaluate, uh, when it comes to cpg food and beverage, or CPG, really anything does it taste good? Like that's my determination.
Speaker 2:Like that's the first thing because I'm going to come back if it tastes good. I get, if it's healthy and all this stuff. But even if it's healthy, I'm not going to come back and purchase it again if I don't think it tastes good. That's like basic rule number one for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's actually a ton of insight for for people. Um, it just I was cracking up when you said, like is there actually a problem here? Because people will spend a lot of time, you know, just on a certain idea, uh, but it's like and even back to the shark tank thing, you kind of see it and you're like man, this there's like a market that's like this small, you know, for for somebody. That's like putting all this money, like how much are you invested in this? And they're just like it's like so much money on the problem. That's like this small, that's more of like a convenience thing, and it's not even really something that really is impactful or scalable. And so I think that's a great.
Speaker 1:Two things that you start off with. I was laughing more of just of how simple it was, but it's more. It's so real though. It is so real like is there a problem and are you actually solving it? Um, and so what? So I'm sure you guys get pitched all the time you know to. So I'm sure you guys get pitched all the time you know to. Hey, look at my business you know of am I investable? Is this something that you guys would be interested in taking a look and I think we already got like a little bit of a snapshot of maybe how to come to you guys correctly, if you know, to see if there's any real interest to helping your business. So what are some other things that people need to come to you with as far as to be prepared so that way you get even to that due diligence conversation.
Speaker 2:Because I hear you guys hit up all the time.
Speaker 1:It's a fantastic question.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, getting deal flow has never been an issue.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure, every day.
Speaker 2:It's a very good question. You know, when I'm on the initial call, I explain. You know who we are, what we do, everything we can potentially provide for you even beyond capital. Yeah, provide for you even beyond capital. And yeah, I also got into. You know we have 65 plus portfolio companies, 13 exits to date and I asked the question. I actually make it very. Sometimes it's awkward, you know, have you taken a look at our portfolio? Because that is such a key indicator for me. Sometimes I try not to let it bother me if they say no, but it bothers me so much if they say no and I'll explain to you why. Because you're coming to me for money, right? You're coming to Talent Resources Venture. You're coming to us and asking us to put money and partner and be a true business partner with you, right? How are you not going to do your research on who we are and what we do?
Speaker 2:and what we invest in. It makes me like, it gets me upset because it's so obvious, right, but if you're not going to do that for me, how do I know you're not going to do that for the other investors you're going towards and seeking capital from, how do I know you're not going to do that for your business? And ask and look at what customers are saying, um, in terms of reviews for your product and service. Right, you got to listen to your customers and how do I know you're not going to do your homework with that? So, yeah, it's such a red flag for me, or orange flag, or yellow flag, whatever you want to call it for me, but it's do your, do a little bit of your digging, do a little bit of your homework, um, and make sure you're prepared, you know uh yeah, on on our, our thesis at least.
Speaker 2:I mean, you can have questions, but at least take a look at it. You know our investment portfolio. It's the best. When a founder says you know we I actually know xyz founder from your portfolio very well, that goes to show they have some network. But also they actually looked at our portfolio and they wanted to befriend me a little bit. They want it's not as transactional. You know they're, they're, they're having an organic conversation.
Speaker 1:So so, having so doing your research ahead of time, obviously having a proof of concept right for your business, of concept right for your business, and also having real case studies on does your product actually solve a problem? And you could probably do it in a lot of different ways. You know, if it's video, if it's photos written, I mean there's probably a ton of different ways data to show like, hey, this is the before and um is. Is there anything else that people need to to bring to the table for you guys to be like, at least get to getting a meeting with you, um because getting a meeting is my job is to be a yes man, like yeah, to get a meeting.
Speaker 2:Look at my, look at, look at our website. My email is there. There's a clear area like yeah, to get a meeting. Look at my, look at, look at our website. My email is there.
Speaker 2:There's a clear area like how to contact us, and if you contact us, we'll answer. Um, yeah, my job is to be a yes man, um, but you gotta also like, sometimes I always tell people like sorry, might be too early, um, or maybe you know we don't lead around, so maybe they haven't found a lead investor and they haven't set terms. But I'm like, keep me updated, because a big measurement for us is, you know, since our first conversation, what have you done since? Right, ah, yeah, it's a huge measurement for us and it's, you know, interesting. Maybe you didn't raise any dollars and guess what, in six months, we actually raised a million and a half dollars and our sales increased, you know, 30% from last quarter or something.
Speaker 1:Last time that we talked. Yeah, you know, we actually developed a lot.
Speaker 2:So I'm measuring are you a doer or do you just sit, you know, on your hands or are you actually getting your hands dirty? And being a doer is such a key measurement and time is a key component to measuring that, what you do in the amount of time that, since we that, that since we last spoke, um, that is definitely a huge matrix, that that we consider oh, that's good I you know it's so funny about what you just said.
Speaker 1:Is that so? Because I am a creator and I love to, uh, bring things to life right, and I've done it in a lot of different ways. People are constantly bringing me ideas and I'm not an investor, you know. They're just bringing me ideas because they see that I can execute things. So there's like oh, I got this idea. You know, would you like to be a part of this? Do you want to help?
Speaker 1:You know, all the time the number one thing that I look for just to piggyback what you just said is like if you just have an idea and it's not written down, like, you can't send me your idea. I don't even look at, I don't even. I'm like cool, sounds good, let me know how it goes, because I'm not even going to. If you didn't take the time to your point to do, to actually like if it's just floating around up here like what makes you think I'm going to take all my energy and time to figure out whatever is up here, you didn't even take the time to put this on paper like is there a website? Is there definitely? What things have you done to even make me interested in? So that's like my number one thing, like if you ain't got that 100, it may be the best idea in the world. I I won't even take it even to the next time. And I got a great network and I'm like hey, because they're also asking me, like hey, what do you know?
Speaker 2:I'm not taking that to somebody.
Speaker 1:I'm like, hey, bitch, right, man, I got, I got this guy, he's got a company, it's in his head. I'm not gonna waste to waste that on. You know this relationship, like, are you kidding me?
Speaker 1:Literally Great point, it's true, it's true, yeah, but I'm sure you get that a lot too. But yeah, so guys, everybody that's listening, watching this is great information of just how to make yourself presentable and investable, you know, for other people. And that's why I love that you guys are not pre-revenue. I just feel like pre-revenue is like yeah, you might get lucky, you know, on a free revenue, but like it's about doing it and getting real, you know, some traction, some results to show that the thing actually works. Because there's ideas are cheap, ideas are free, you know, and and everybody can have an idea Everybody, like you know, with chat, gbt and other things, like people can set up ideas quickly, but how does it test in the marketplace and how is it actually?
Speaker 1:Like, how are people going to receive it? And customer feedback is crazy. Like you can get some real, like you know some real uh nuggets from your customers because they're using your product or service and you need that stuff ahead of time. And that's why, like people come to these ideas, I'm like how about you actually just start getting customers? Like you don't need an investor to go and or that's this early. Like get some customers, get the feedback. I mean, I can't remember how many things. I've started and I'm like, oh, I think it's all going to work out this way. And you get into the marketplace and you're like, oh, I didn't realize that I could just trim like probably 90% of this thing. And people just want this, this 10% thing. That I didn't think was very significant, but that's all they want. So let's just double down on that. You know like it's. It makes it very simple if you just test the market.
Speaker 2:It's 100 and it it's. It's obvious when you say it out loud again, but, like you know, sometimes again I I do give like benefit of the doubt that like it is a bit tunnel vision. You did commit a lot to trying, you know, to create something. Now Slack I don't know if anyone who's here listening is aware of the Slack story, but Slack actually started as a video game and in the video game they had a little chat box and no one was really interested in the video game. The chat box is doing really well and communicating really well and that they just doubled down on that 10% that was wanted. Right, the stupid little chat box, that isn't really a stupid little chat box. It it's a multi-billion dollar idea. So that's what I, you know. Going back to, earlier we talked about pivoting like is an example of that and I'm sure you know there are many others just like that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my God, no, I didn't know that. I got to look up that story now. I did not know about Slack that started off as a video game. I got to look up that story now. I did not know about Slack that started off as a video game. I got to look that up. So I got two quick, quick questions for you. So, and I know you, you also on this side have the Venture Reel, so I want to, I want to kind of talk about that really quick. What made you want to get that going as far as to to launch the Venture Reel? And you know I've been, I uh, uh, following just the page of just the content and everything that you're doing on on social. So what was kind of the, the thought process in starting that um, and where would you like to take that um?
Speaker 2:yeah, um, you know I started the venture real because there was no account out there like it. Honestly, I don't want to be an influencer. That's why I didn't do it through my personal account and instead I created a separate account as a channel. You know, there was nothing out there showing today what currently entrepreneurs are building. On my feed and I'm sure, on many other people's feeds, listening, it's like this person became a billionaire doing this and it's the end result. But there is no channel on Instagram and TikTok at least showing what today, current entrepreneurs are building. You know what types of risks they're taking today, what you know what they're trying to solve as of right now, and that's what I wanted to build. There's trade in BC, but they talk about, like you know, once a fund closes or once you know startup closes, their you know a round or seed round or whatever round it might be.
Speaker 2:But there's nothing talking about the today and the way I look at the venture real is, again, it's a side hustle. Um, it's really just. Uh, it's really just a news, a modern day newsletter. I tend to really stop truly reading my email newsletters. This might not just be me, I don't think it's just me, but you know, I skimmed through them. Some of them I just click and mark as read in my email and I find myself scrolling through my phone a lot through today.
Speaker 2:So I thought why not just, you know, make clips about current you know companies, startup companies that entrepreneurs are building today, and just put them in a little video clip? Now I also sort of adjusted the thesis a little bit. I talk a lot about, you know, the business behind venture capital as a whole, the market, startup industries and then also some private businesses that I genuinely love, like restaurants throughout Manhattan, and I talk about their business model and why I think it's so smart and successful, their operations, but also other companies, like the O'Walla water bottle is my most recent post that everyone has and a lot of people can resonate to. But again, talking all about it from the business perspective and from the story behind the business of these companies and startup companies and venture capital as a whole, so um it's been great, I mean anyone has a startup that they think you know I should feature?
Speaker 2:I mean, first, does anyone have a startup that you think talent, resources and us we could invest in? Um, but also happy to sort of be a marketing channel for startup companies and that's really what it essentially does. But again, it's really for anyone trying to tap into the venture capital space, the startup space, and whether that's from an entrepreneur's perspective or you know, you're in college and trying to crack, you know crack into a gig or something like that, I think that account could be super beneficial.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's awesome and I think it's just a way of your your creating something that's different and unique because the times have changed, right. Then it reminds me of a guy that I know named Steve Glenn, and he he created because everybody, you know, everybody's doing podcasts, everybody's doing that stuff. But he kind of created these like bite-sized clips of like not bite-sized well bite-sized podcasts that's like five to seven minutes long and it's just on a particular topic, and so it's more bite-sized, where people can quickly listen in on what's going on, instead of like a whole hour long podcast. Um, for people, like you know, because there's a little bit more, that goes into a whole hour, you know, to of time yeah but I think people are just more in that speed.
Speaker 1:So just to your point, like the newsletter it's like, yeah, does newsletters probably still work? Yes, you know, like people it's it's still actively being used, but people's time time is definitely a lot more crunched down right now. So having something that can be quickly, you know, just looking at a bunch of news and scrolling is a lot easier and it's more entertaining than a newsletter could ever be, you know, and so I think, yeah, fantastic idea.
Speaker 1:I know I probably have some people that I can shoot over your way that have awesome startups, and even just places that have communities of startups too that probably have maybe some good intros. Last question is because we've been trying to do something a little bit fun on the podcast at the end what is your top three favorite movies? We want a little insight of like what should we be watching, man? Is there some heat? Is there a diamond in the rough that we should be checking out?
Speaker 2:I'll try to give different genres within my top three favorite movies. Blades of Glory might be my favorite, like comedy, like Will Ferrell, like classic like comedy, like definitely up there. The Prestige is definitely up there too. It's more thriller um, okay, hugh jackman, christian bale, um. And then for third very good question, I might have to go prisoners. Another thriller, thriller with hugh jackman. Okay, I love that one. I'm definitely a big thrillers guy, big comedy guy. Yeah, that's definitely up there.
Speaker 1:What are your three?
Speaker 2:favorite movies.
Speaker 1:Oh man, I'm big into action, you know, so like, my favorite movie of all time is V for Vendetta. It's my absolute favorite favorite movie all time is V for Vendetta is my absolute favorite favorite movie, the story. I've watched it probably 70, over 70 times, you know. Another one is Interstellar Absolute masterpiece movie. I love those like they mess with your brain, like those kind of exactly of those like they mess with your brain, like those kind of exactly, um. And then, uh, I think I just because I'm a huge comic book fan is is dark knight. I just think it's so well done, um, unbelievable, yeah, unbelievable movie, um. And then there's some movies that I have, even my top 10 that I'll never watch again, like saving private private ryan. I'll never watch it again, it's just still it's, but it's a, it's a masterpiece, it's a beautiful like it's.
Speaker 1:Just it's too, it's too much for me to watch oh my god, but yeah mine is definitely more action or like sci-fi, superhero that type of stuff, but I love the ones that mess with your brain, like get you thinking you know um of all things so no, yeah, we, we like to, we, we definitely wanted to just to end the podcast on something fun.
Speaker 1:Um, so that people like I mean, I'm definitely going to check out some of these movies too um, I know a lot of them are a little bit older not like super old, but a little bit older that I just need to see again. I just haven't know, haven't seen it for a while. So, like I just rewatched Inception on the plane to Milwaukee, Amazing movie.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it keeps you entertained on that different scene, yeah.
Speaker 1:Before you know it you're landed, you know. It was a quick. It was a quick thing, but I haven't seen that movie for so long and it's just like it was like oh my god, it's still good, it's still good. But thank you so much, mitch, for being on the podcast. Man, and where can people get connected with you? We're going to have stuff in the show notes when we release this thing out, but where can people get connected to you if they, uh, if they're interested?
Speaker 2:Um, if you're interested at the venture real on Instagram, real spelled R E E L Uh, you can see it on the hat I've been wearing email for business inquiries. I mean just check out the talent resources venture site. It's also in my bio in the Venture Reel. My email is there and everything. And if you just happen to be a big Knicks or Drake fan, my Twitter is pretty crazy. I might get canceled.
Speaker 2:So I don't even know why I mentioned that, but I'm not going to give you my handle, but you can go find it. But yeah, I mean that that's where you can find me. Jamar, you are the man. Thank you so, so much for having me on. It was an absolute blast and pleasure. Um, thank you, thank you, thank you, and uh, hopefully we can run it back again, again oh, yeah, yeah, 100 man and guys, everybody please like, comment, subscribe to the episode.
Speaker 1:And don't forget guys, please reach out to Mitchell. I mean, he's an incredible guy, but come correct, guys. If you guys have got your business, you're trying to get funded. Just please come correct. I mean especially if you're like, hey, I listen to Robert's podcast, Jabari, blah, blah, blah. Don't use my name in the podcast if you guys ain't coming correct. All right, and don't forget guys, if you could change your circle, you could change your life and we will see you on the next episode. Peace, Thank you.
