Ron Brumbarger is one of Indiana’s most recognized technology and education entrepreneurs. In 1992, Ron co-founded BitWise Solutions, Inc. and continues to serve as the company’s president and CEO. Ron’s foray into education started in 2006 when Governor Mitch Daniels requested he launch Indiana’s first statewide, virtual charter school (now known as the Hoosier Academies). In 2013, Ron founded Apprentice University ® - an award-winning proficiency college serving motivated high-school graduates eager to accomplish more than a traditional college degree. In 2016, Ron published his first book, “You’re Always Being Interviewed.” Ron and his wife, Cindy, enjoy traveling and spending time with their two sons, Tanner and Hudson.
I learned so much in this episode. Ron comes across to me as a very humble and a somewhat reserved person...those kinds of people almost always have loads of wisdom to share when they are asked the right questions...Ron was no exception. Here are just some of the things we talked about:
Patrick started his first company RED Alerts at age 17. It was a software platform to ease and enhance event scheduling and communications at schools, churches, and governments. A few years later he co-founded Phone2Action where he builds tools that help profit and non-profit companies activate and engage their supporters to be part of the civic process.
Patrick is a great example of someone who started building solutions to problems at an early age. Remember, solving problems is the essence of entrepreneurship. Since Patrick built the RED Alerts software platform in high school and started generating a user base and interest in that so early on, he had two feet to stand on when he decided to drop out of college. Great example of why it's never too early to start building things...even while you are still in school.
Tam is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He’s built and managed online and in-person communities with Mixergy, The Hustle, 500 Startups, Lean Startup, and also under James Altucher. He teaches a course with Andrew Warner on how to create messenger bots to grow your business. And He’s also written two books: The 1st of which is about teaching people how to network. And the 2nd book is about teaching college students how to land their dream internship.
This episode was a blast. Tam gives great advice on how to talk to your parents about dropping out, he also talks about the most important things to keep in mind when starting your first business, we talk about messenger bots, breadth versus depth of knowledge, and we thoroughly answer the question, "is a college degree worth it?".
Michael is co-founder and CEO of Epic Playground, Inc. He is a veteran entrepreneur with a specific focus on Web-based software and services. Michael considers helping people understand and leverage technology his life's work. In addition to creating companies and running Epic Playground, Michael is heavily involved in the Dallas, Texas startup community, building on the lessons from the Boulder and Denver community – where he spent seven years. He is a mentor to several other individual startups, and he is debt free, including his house!
Guys I absolutely loved this episode. Michael will probably be on again in the future. In this episode we talk about questioning your belief systems, virtual reality, how Michael's daughter is "unschooled", how Michael quit smoking in 1 day, how he lost 40 pounds by eating mindfully, how he became debt free and why he sold a new car in favor of a $1700 junker. Lots of great stories that will challenge you to think differently!
"A lot of times in life, the most fun things you can possibly do and the most value you can get out of life is to experiment and tinker with what your belief systems are. Question everything, constantly." - Michael