In this thoughtful and grounding episode of On The Fly!, host Joan Kaup sits down with Joe Vallo, one of Flywheel’s longest-serving subject matter experts and a trusted guide for founders navigating the world of finance.

With decades of experience spanning Big Eight consulting firms, startup leadership, and independent advisory work, Joe brings clarity to a topic many entrepreneurs avoid: money. But as he explains, finance isn’t just about spreadsheets—it’s about operations, customers, and asking the right questions at the right time.

Together, Joan and Joe explore the holistic nature of entrepreneurship and why financial models are really just operational stories told with numbers.

💡 Listen to hear more about:

• Why your customer—not your product—should dictate how you build your business
• How financial models reveal operational blind spots
• Common red flags Joe sees when founders first share their spreadsheets
• Why “everyone is your customer” is almost always the wrong answer
• How iteration, failure, and erasing the whiteboard are part of healthy growth
• The surprising similarities between nonprofit and for-profit financial management
• Why coaching founders has been one of the most rewarding chapters of Joe’s career

Joe also shares why Flywheel’s coaching model works so well—and why experienced business leaders should consider giving back as coaches, mentors, and supporters of social enterprise.

This episode is a must-listen for founders who want to feel more confident about money, coaches who want to ask better questions, and anyone who believes business is as much about listening as it is about leading.

At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we bring together founders, coaches, and subject matter experts to help social enterprises build strong, sustainable businesses. Learn how Flywheel supports entrepreneurs and strengthens Cincinnati’s impact ecosystem at flywheelcincinnati.org.

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of On The Fly! host Joan Kaup sits down with Valda Freeman-Karmo, electrical engineer, mother, and social entrepreneur whose company, AARON Wearable Tech, was born from love, urgency, and lived experience.

Inspired by her sons with cognitive disabilities and the realities families face during interactions with first responders, Valda set out to design technology that could save lives. The result is a wearable system—part hardware, part software—that uses GPS and communication tools to help first responders quickly understand when someone has a cognitive disability or mental health challenge.

Together, Joan and Valda unpack:

• How personal experience sparked a mission-driven tech startup
• Why AARON Wearable Tech operates at the intersection of SaaS and social impact
• The realities of funding a company through grants, bootstrapping, and sheer persistence
• What makes funding tech startups different from funding social enterprises
• How Flywheel’s milestone-based grants helped turn an idea into a viable product
• Why accelerators, advisors, and community are essential for founders building complex solutions

Valda also shares candid insights on patience, humility, and why hearing the basics over and over again—from different perspectives—can be the key to long-term success.

This episode is a must-listen for founders navigating funding, caregivers advocating for safer systems, and anyone interested in how technology can be designed with dignity, empathy, and purpose at its core.

At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we support founders who build solutions where purpose meets profit. Learn how Flywheel coaches entrepreneurs, funds early milestones, and helps social impact ventures grow at flywheelcincinnati.org.

On The Fly! is sponsored by First Financial Bank
Learn More at bankatfirst.com

In this high-energy episode of On The Fly!, host Joan Kaup brings back to the pod two globally minded founders whose paths collided inside Flywheel’s accelerator — and sparked a collaboration grounded in sustainability, product innovation, and a shared history of building businesses across Asia.

Flywheel is excited to welcome back Andrew Bliss, and Lucas Williamson, for a bonus conversation with both amazing founders.

Andrew is the founder of EcoShell, who turn discarded eggshells into breakthrough materials used in plastics, packaging, footwear, and more. Lucas is the founder of Product Refinery, he is the design and engineering mind behind hundreds of consumer products brought from sketch to shelf.

Though their companies are different, their values align: design with intention, build sustainably, fail forward, and always tell the truth about what it takes to create physical products that last.

Their work spans continents — from Cincinnati to Asia and back — transforming discarded materials into sustainable plastics and turning bold product ideas into market-ready reality.

💡 Listen to hear more about:

• The unexpected ways Taiwan and China shaped their careers
• What founders get wrong about manufacturing and supply chains
• Why sustainability is a design challenge—not just a materials challenge
• The power of advisory boards, mentors, and diverse support networks
• How Flywheel creates collisions that turn founders into collaborators
• Why Cincinnati is one of the most supportive environments for social entrepreneurs

This episode is a masterclass in global entrepreneurship, product innovation, and the gritty reality of building things that matter.

Learn more at EcoShell.eco and Product Refinery.co!

📣 Call to Action:
At Flywheel Social Enterprise Hub, we believe in founders who build for both profit and purpose. Explore how we support entrepreneurs, connect coaches, and help social impact ideas grow at flywheelcincinnati.org.

On The Fly! is sponsored by First Financial Bank
Learn More at bankatfirst.com