Shows / Futureproof Founder Podcast
Futureproof Founder Podcast
Futureproof Founder is the podcast for founders and executive leaders scaling companies from startup to $30M and beyond. Hosted by five-time founder Jeff Mains, each episode delivers real-world leadership insights, hard-earned lessons, and practical strategies for navigating growth. Tuesdays feature candid founder stories. Thursdays bring actionable playbooks from top operators and experts on AI, go-to-market, team building, leadership, and more. Real stories. Real decisions. Practical…
Episodes
Futureproof Founder Podcast436 | The Founder's Guide to SaaS Pricing in the AI Era: Seat-Based, Usage-Based, or Hybrid? | Roee Hartuv
AI didn’t just change the product. It changed the cost structure underneath it. Classical SaaS could run at 85% to 95% gross margins because serving the next…
Futureproof Founder Podcast435 | The VC Incentives Every Founder Must Understand Before Taking Institutional Money | Calvin Cooper
Most founders don’t realize what changes when venture capital enters the business. A $5 million check returning $50 million may sound like a win, but for a…
Futureproof Founder Podcast434 | Founder Identity Crisis: How to Let Go, Scale, and Build a Legacy That Outlasts You | Hanna Bauer
Seventy percent of digital transformations fail, and the software usually isn’t the problem. The people, processes, and culture weren’t ready for the change…
Futureproof Founder Podcast433 | How to Disrupt a Dinosaur Industry: Gun Storage, Creative Conflict, and the Band of Misfits | Tom Kubiniec
What do you do when your revenue disappears completely? After eight months without a single order, Tom Kubiniec was preparing to sell his house to keep the…
Futureproof Founder Podcast432 | How Cross-Functional Alignment Prevents Costly Project Failures | Deborah Kaminetzky
A software implementation can be delivered on time and on budget, then fail the moment people refuse to use it. In this episode, Jeff Mains talks with Deborah…
Futureproof Founder Podcast431 | The Hidden Work Behind Cross-Border Supply Chains | Daman Grewal
Daman Grewal grew a logistics company from $1 million to $24 million in four years, working across dispatch, safety, accounts receivable, and sales before he…
Futureproof Founder Podcast430 | Revenue Per Employee, Capital Efficiency, and the Future of Startup Growth | Lindsey Mignano
Are you raising venture capital because your business needs it—or because getting funded feels like proof you’ve made it? In this episode of Futureproof…
Futureproof Founder Podcast429 | AI, Education, and the Decline of Independent Thinking | Jonathan Schaeffer
Are you using AI to make better decisions—or letting a confident answer do your thinking for you? In this episode of Futureproof Founder, Jeff Mains sits down…
Futureproof Founder Podcast428 | Intellectual Property for Founders: Trademarks, Patents, Copyright, and Trade Secrets | James Gourley
Jeff Mains sits down with James Gourley, a patent attorney and IP litigator who has spent 20 years on both sides of intellectual property disputes — from…
Futureproof Founder Podcast427 | Customer Outcomes, AI Adoption, and the New Software Economy | Carl Lenocker
Jeff Mains sits down with Carl Lenocker, a 30-year enterprise software veteran who started in Silicon Valley in the '80s, survived the dot-com bust, and now…
Futureproof Founder Podcast426 | How Founders Can Turn AI Whiplash Into Strategic Focus | David Fung
David Fung spent 15 years at Salesforce as a Senior Director before walking away from unvested RSUs to launch Coachful Coaching. He now coaches CTOs and tech…
Futureproof Founder Podcast425 | Product-Market Fit Starts with Understanding the User | Erin Rollenhagen
Erin Rollenhagen learned the most expensive lesson in product development the hard way: she spent years building software without ever talking to a single end…
Futureproof Founder Podcast424 | The Truth About B2B Marketing - Why Sales Needs Content | Shiv Narayanan
Jeff Mains sits down with Shiv Narayanan, founder of How to SaaS, fractional CMO, and advisor to private equity firms, to unpack a fundamental shift in how B2B…
Futureproof Founder Podcast423 | How I Built A 7-Figure Business From Scratch | Matthew Whyatt
In this episode of Future Proof Founder, Jeff Mains explores what it takes to build a sales engine that creates predictable growth. The conversation covers why…
Futureproof Founder Podcast422 | The Leadership Operating System - Scale Faster With Trust | Jurgen Dauk
Jeff Mains sits down with Jurgen Dauk to unpack why the org chart that got a company to its first 50 people is often the exact thing choking it at 500. Jurgen…
Futureproof Founder Podcast421 | Why Emotional Intelligence is Your Biggest AI Advantage | Tamara Laine
Tamara Laine — Emmy-winning investigative journalist turned fintech founder — joins Jeff Mains to unpack how she built Empower, the first policy-bound agentic…
Futureproof Founder Podcast420 | Why Wisdom Is Your Last Competitive Advantage in the Age of AI | Pete Sacco
Pete Sacco has spent 30 years building the physical infrastructure — data centers, power systems, and hardware — that AI runs on. In this conversation, he…
Futureproof Founder Podcast419 | Why Cold Outreach Is Dead and Events Are the New Pipeline | Asaf Katz
Jeff Mains sits down with Asaf Katz — founder of LinkedOtter, host of the Risk Takers show, and a veteran of taking a company public on the ASX, building an…
Futureproof Founder Podcast418 | Why Your Sales Team Is Failing: The Mental Gap | Scott Miller
Jeff Mains sits down with Scott Miller — a former truck driver turned top-ranked GE Capital salesperson, "Master of Sales," and founder of M2 Wealth Ventures /…
Futureproof Founder Podcast417 | Stop Making Investing Boring: The Future of Crowdfunding | Elie Shmuel Bouzaglou
Jeff Mains sits down with Elie Bouzaglou, founder of Fish Tank, a video-first crowdfunding platform built for a generation that discovered entrepreneurship on…
Futureproof Founder Podcast416 | Why Strategic Silence Is Your Best PR Tool in 2026 | Joshua Altman
Joshua Altman, founder of Beltway Media and former multimedia journalist at The Hill, joins Jeff Mains to unpack why "volume isn't a strategy" in PR and…
Futureproof Founder Podcast415 | Why 65% of Startups Fail: The People Problem | Logan Yonavjak
Jeff Mains sits down with Logan Yonavjak, a nearly two-decade veteran of impact investing and venture capital, who built the Founder Readiness Institute after…
Futureproof Founder Podcast414 | How to Sell in the Age of AI: A Founder's Guide | Bob Kocis
Jeff Mains sits down with Bob Kocis, former President & COO of Aptean and former CRO of Continuum Managed Services, and author of The President's Club Mindset…
Futureproof Founder Podcast413 | How to Enter Flow State for Peak Performance | Steven Puri
Steven Puri has produced Academy Award-winning visual effects on films like Independence Day, Braveheart, and Se7en, climbed the executive ladder at DreamWorks…
Futureproof Founder Podcast412 | Are AI Agents Ruining Customer Experience? | Vanitha Swaminathan
Vanitha is a marketing professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Director of their Center for Branding, and author of Hyper Digital Marketing: Six Pillars of…
Futureproof Founder Podcast411 | Physical Mail: Your Best Sales Weapon in 2026 | Neal Goyal
In a world where 21,883 software companies are all chasing the same narrow pool of buyers, automation isn't a competitive edge — it's the noise. Neal Goyal…
Futureproof Founder Podcast410 | 5 SaaS Onboarding Mistakes Killing Your Growth | Claire Heginbotham
Claire has spent nearly a decade writing emails, fixing onboarding flows, and tightening messaging for enterprise AI security, LiDAR tech, and competitive SaaS…
Futureproof Founder Podcast409 | Can AI Replace Your Accountant? | Sai Dhanak
In this episode, Sai breaks down why he deliberately chose a services business over pure SaaS, how a human-in-the-loop model creates a defensible moat in a…
Futureproof Founder Podcast408 | 95% of AI Projects Fail: Here's the Fix | Ben Tasker
Ben Tasker joins Jeff Mains to break down the real reason most AI rollouts fail: it's almost never the technology. From his time as Dean of AI at Southern New…
Futureproof Founder Podcast407 | The SaaSpocalypse: Why Startups Fail in 2026 | Brian Herr
The SaaS world is in the middle of a brutal reckoning. Products that looked innovative 18 months ago are quietly becoming redundant — not because markets…
Futureproof Founder Podcast406 | How We Raised $2.8M With a Digital Marketing Funnel | Jason Fishman
Most founders treat fundraising like a necessary evil — something to endure, survive, and move past so they can get back to building. Jason Fishman, founder…
Futureproof Founder Podcast405 | Building a Billion-Dollar Company With One Person | Joel Brewer
Joel Brewer, founder and CEO of Brewer Digital, joins Jeff Mains on Future Proof Founder to cut through the AI hype and get practical about what it actually…
Futureproof Founder Podcast404 | Stop Being A "Button Pusher" - How To Future-Proof Your Career | Preston Zeller
In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Preston Zeller—SaaS operator, award-winning documentary filmmaker, and founder of Psalm Log—on what it actually…
Futureproof Founder Podcast403 | Vibe Coding vs. Real Engineering: What Founders Miss & How to Fix | Justin Watt
Most operational pain isn’t a tech stack issue—it’s the invisible chaos your company normalizes as “just how we do things.” In this episode, Justin Watt, CEO…
Futureproof Founder Podcast402 | Stop Fixing Broken Employees - Hire Elite Talent Instead | Chris Hallberg
What’s the real cost of letting a C-player stay on your team? Chris Hallberg—military veteran, entrepreneur, and Inc. Magazine top 10 leadership expert—joins…
Futureproof Founder Podcast401 | Your Moat Just Changed and You're Already Behind | Jeff Mains
On this special solo episode, Jeff Mains sets a new agenda for the founder-led audience: futureproofing your company in an AI-driven, fast-changing landscape…
Futureproof Founder Podcast5 Reasons Your Cold Emails Are Getting Ignored in 2026| Mohan Muthoo | 400
This milestone 400th—and final—episode of SaaS Fuel brings clarity to what’s broken with outbound, why most companies blend into the noise, and how founders…
Futureproof Founder Podcast7 Lessons On Scaling A Business Without Burning Out | Robin Sims-Allen | 399
In this episode, Robin Sims Allen—agile consultant, founder of Phoenix Marcus, and creator of Total Her—joins the show for a direct conversation on why speed…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow SaaS Companies Escape the “Messy Middle” of Growth | Corinne Cavanaugh | 398
Most SaaS founders in the messy middle are making the same expensive mistake — building first and validating never. In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with…
Futureproof Founder PodcastWhat Founders Get Wrong About AI, Cybersecurity & Market Shifts | Mike Armistead | 397
Mike Armistead has been in the room for almost every major technology wave of the past 30 years — from client-server computing, to the early internet at Lycos…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow Founders Can Use AI Without Creating More Chaos | Jenna Nelson | 396
Most founders are on one of two extremes when it comes to AI: either completely overwhelmed and frozen, or trying to bolt AI onto everything at once. Neither…
Futureproof Founder PodcastWhy the Best Financial Advisors Focus on Trust, Timing & Data | Rylan Folts | 395
Rylan Foltz went from JP Morgan analyst to independent wealth advisor to co-founding WealthFeed — a marketing and prospecting platform helping financial…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow Modern Companies Scale Through Operational Automation | Garrett Fritz | 394
Most growing companies are held together by spreadsheets that nobody fully understands — built by someone who left three jobs ago, maintained by someone who…
Futureproof Founder PodcastThe Hyperscaler Playbook: Co-Selling, AI & Ecosystem Growth | Chaitra Vedullapalli | 393
What does it actually take to partner with Microsoft, Google, or Amazon — and turn that relationship into real revenue? In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow Great Leaders Build Trust, Loyalty & Accountability | William Davis | 392
In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with William Davis — leadership expert, speaker, mentor, and author with four decades of senior leadership experience…
Futureproof Founder PodcastThe Future of Sales: Intent Data, AI & Smarter Outreach | Tal Peretz | 391
Most sales teams are reactive — waiting for buyers to fill out a form, book a demo, or respond to an email. Tal Peretz, co-founder and CEO of OnFire AI, is…
Futureproof Founder PodcastThe SaaS Growth Playbook: PLG, Self-Service & Activation | Sanjay Sarathy | 390
If your SaaS product delivers genuine value fast, growth takes care of itself. That's the core thesis Sanjay Sarathy has spent 8+ years proving at Cloudinary…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow to Build Authority Through Podcasting and Storytelling | Harry Duran | 389
Harry Duran, founder of Fullcast and creator of Podisphere, joins Jeff Mains to explore what it really takes to build a sustainable podcast, grow a content…
Futureproof Founder PodcastFuture-Proof Your Career | AI Upskilling Guide | Justin Trombold | 388
Most companies aren't failing at AI because of bad tools — they're failing because they skip the fundamentals. In this episode, host Jeff Mains sits down with…
Futureproof Founder PodcastAI vs Human Customer Service: What Works Best for Customer Experience in 2026 | Rick DeLisi | 387
Most SaaS leaders are asking the wrong question. They obsess over NPS and CSAT scores, celebrate high satisfaction ratings, and then watch customers quietly…
Futureproof Founder PodcastEscape Debt & Build Wealth: The Business Owner's Way | Jimmy Rios | 386
Most founders know they need capital — but few understand how to build the financial infrastructure to sustain it. In this episode of SaaS Fuel, host Jeff…
Futureproof Founder PodcastFounder Leadership: How to Balance Confidence, Humility, and Growth | Ben Perreau | 385
Ben Perreau, founder and CEO of Parafoil, joins Jeff Mains to explore what he calls "leadership intelligence" — a new category using AI and cognitive science…
Futureproof Founder PodcastOvercoming Fear in Sales and Entrepreneurship: How to Build Confidence and Take Action | Jim Effner | 384
Jeff Mains sits down with Jim Effner, founder of P2P Group and a 36-year veteran of Northwestern Mutual, where he grew a firm from 63 to 127 financial advisors…
Futureproof Founder PodcastThe Future of Legacy: How AI Can Preserve Your Story Forever | Brian Will | 383
Brian Will — Wall Street Journal bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, and founder/CEO of Living Forever AI — joins host Jeff Mains for a wide-ranging…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow to Use AI Effectively: Smarter Ways to Work and Scale Your Business | Steve Wunker | 382
What if AI isn't just a tool to plug into your business — but a reason to redesign the entire thing? In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Steven Wunker…
Futureproof Founder PodcastNew Competitive Moats in AI: Why Trust and Relationships Matter More Than Ever | Nikki Barua | 381
Nikki Barua — immigrant, serial entrepreneur, and CEO of Flip Work — joins Jeff Mains for a conversation on what it truly takes to build something outsized in…
Futureproof Founder PodcastShip, Learn, Repeat: The Real Growth Strategy for Startup Founders | Mike Collins | 380
Mike Collins is a serial entrepreneur turned venture capitalist who has spent his career at the intersection of technology, innovation, and investing. Starting…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow to Turn Customers into Brand Advocates and Drive Word-of-Mouth Growth | Ken Rapp | 379
Most SaaS founders obsess over acquisition — but what happens after the sale is where loyalty is either built or silently lost. In this episode, Jeff Mains…
Futureproof Founder PodcastHow Tech Professionals Can Avoid Concentration Risk and Build Financial Freedom | Stanley Leong | 378
In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with Stanley Leong — former IBM/Agilent engineer turned bestselling author and private wealth advisor — to explore what…
Futureproof Founder PodcastAI and Emotional Intelligence: Finding the Balance in Modern Research | James Warren | 377
What if the most valuable data in your company isn't in a dashboard — it's buried in stories no one is asking for? In this episode, Jeff Mains sits down with…