Wemimo Abbey immigrated from Lagos, Nigeria at 17. When he and his mother tried to borrow money, they were turned away by a major bank and sent to a payday lender charging over 400% interest. His mother sold his father's wedding ring to get them started in America.

That experience became the foundation for Esusu, a fintech platform that reports rental payment data to credit bureaus—helping millions establish or improve credit scores. Before Esusu, less than 3% of the $1.4 trillion renters pay annually showed up on credit reports.

Wemimo shares how he and co-founder faced 326 rejections, got kicked out of a Denny's for being $100,000 in credit card debt, and still pushed forward. They created a win-win-win model: landlords get more on-time payments, renters build credit, and lenders can better assess risk. The result? Over $50 billion unlocked in economic activity, bipartisan support in Congress, and partnerships with Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Zillow.

What you'll learn:

• Why timing matters more than originality when launching an idea
• How to create win-win-win scenarios for all stakeholders
• The power of stakeholder mapping: finding your entry point
• The co-CEO model: why sharing leadership can be a strength
• How to turn customer rejection into your biggest relationship

Wemimo:
"Life is too short to work on win-lose. I am just not interested. It doesn't get me out of bed. Money does not motivate me. Impact gets me on a high."

"We always say think outside the box, but we never let people outside the box engage. That tells you how lopsided access to capital really is."

"Be caught trying. In life, you're gonna be knocked down. People will tell you no. Your ideas won't work. You're gonna have heartache in life. You just gotta show up and be caught trying."

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
• Follow Wemimo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wemimoabbey
• Learn more about Esusu: esusurent.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Timestamps:
01:50 – Early Life and Education in Nigeria
04:05 – Entrepreneurial Beginnings and Early Ventures
08:10 – Corporate America and the Birth of Esusu
11:25 – The Power of Rental Data in Credit Scoring
17:15 –Scaling and Impact of Esusu
21:25 – The Importance of Win-Win-Win Scenarios
22:35 – Overcoming Challenges and Rejections
27:30 – The Co-CEO Structure at Esusu
30:00 – Partnerships and Customer Focus

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andre Johnson has worked everywhere—music A&R, gaming (he got Steven Spielberg's approval for a Jurassic Park VR game), hospitality, and now as EVP at Magic Johnson Enterprises. What connects it all? Vision. And the ability to get people rowing in the same direction without using fear.

Andre breaks down how MJE evaluates partners (it starts with how they treat their people), where the next sports investment opportunities are hiding, and why the gaming industry's customer feedback loop should be required learning for every entrepreneur.

What you'll learn:

• How to get your team aligned when they can't see your vision yet
• Why fear-based leadership produces short-term wins but long-term failure
• How to evaluate potential partners by watching how they treat subordinates

Andre:
"If I can get the people involved to buy into the importance of their role and take us from here to there, and really understand it—if I can help you only be successful at what you do and not ask you to step into somebody else's shoes—then I find that the process is easier."

"Fear-based culture doesn't work. I don't care how much success somebody has had. The team behind them will tell you it's not that way."

"Gaming's not gonna slow down. You think about all the studios and people who have IP, they're now trying to get the gaming audience. The more that we can help young people see a pathway along those things, then we will start to see some of the great inventors of tomorrow."

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
• Follow Andre on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andre-johnson-31a8587
• Learn more about Magic Johnson Enterprises: magicjohnsonenterprises.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com
• Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Timestamps:
00:30 – Introduction to Andre Johnson and Magic Johnson Enterprises
02:00 – Andre's Journey from Music to Business Development
03:30 – Transitioning from Music to Gaming
07:00 – Asset Management and Hospitality Ventures
08:05 – Working at Magic Johnson Enterprises
09:55 – Leadership and Vision in Business
13:00 – Community Empowerment and Partnerships
16:05 – Navigating Partnerships and Investments
18:55 – WNBA's Growth and Excitement
22:10 – Opportunities in STEM and Gaming
25:25 – Location Matters in Investments
27:15 – Leading Through Change
31:00 – The Importance of Customer Feedback
32:55 – Paying Attention to the Details

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Azurá Stevens is a power forward for the WNBA, but her understanding of business runs deep. Watching her dad start a food truck business, she learned that preparation, persistence, and authenticity matter as much in business as they do on the court.

In this episode, Azurá gets real about the parallels between professional sports and entrepreneurship—the intensity of high-pressure moments, the discipline of showing up daily without seeing immediate results, and why authenticity is the only strategy that works for building lasting partnerships.

What you'll learn:

• Why daily habits matter more than quick wins in sports and business
• How to build brand partnerships that actually align with your values
• Why now is the time for businesses to invest in women's sports

Azurá:

"There's a lot of parallels between on the court and business—discipline, putting in daily habits and not always seeing the results immediately, but eventually those coming to fruition."

"Just stick with it. Even seeing my dad start the food truck, there were so many unknowns, but things tend to work out the way that they need to."

"I always take a step back and ask: what am I learning right now? What is this situation trying to teach me?"

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
• Follow Azurá on Instagram: @azura_stevens
• Same O Dame O's Shrimp, Fish & Grits: @sameoshrimps
• Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Timestamps:
01:00 - Career Priorities and Quality of Life
01:44 - Basketball Journey and Future Aspirations
02:44 - International vs. Homeland Basketball Experience
04:19 - College Basketball Experiences
07:50 - Pro Athlete Mindset and Challenges
08:50 - Hopes for the Future of Women's Basketball
11:29 - Supporting Small Businesses
12:26 - Intensity in Business and Sports
13:22 - Building a Personal Brand
15:39 - Community Involvement and Awards
16:53 - Advice for Business Owners

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Brian Smith sold UGG boots out of a van at Malibu. His first year? Twenty-eight pairs. For five years, he worked construction jobs while sales barely hit $30,000 annually.

Then a group of 12-year-old surfers called his ads "so fake." That brutal feedback changed everything. He switched to authentic athlete sponsorships, and sales jumped from $30,000 to $220,000 in one season.

Brian gets honest about the realities of building a product business—the profitless prosperity trap, running out of capital right when you're gaining traction, and why he gave away 150 pairs of boots in his most effective marketing campaign ever.

What you'll learn:

• Why "profitless prosperity" kills more businesses than failure
• The pricing mistake that cost him seven years of profits
• How to know when your marketing is completely missing the mark
• Why your first five years will probably suck (even Nike's did)

If you're grinding through the early stages or wondering if you should give up, this is what you need to hear.

Brian:

“There's a certain amount of ignorance you have to have. Because if you knew what was about to happen, you’d never start.”

“You can’t give birth to adults. Every business starts as an infant. And most die in infancy—not because they’re bad ideas, but because people give up.”

“Profitless prosperity—it’s when you grow fast but can’t afford to keep going. Margins matter more than momentum.”

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
• Follow Brian on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/briansmithuggfounder
• Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Timestamps:
01:52 - The Birth of UGG: From Australia to California
04:13 - Early Struggles and Marketing Lessons
08:08 - Breakthrough and Growth Strategies
13:15 - Perseverance and Entrepreneurial Wisdom
19:08 - Empathy and Encouragement for Small Businesses
22:17 - The Birth of Ugg: From Concept to Reality
26:13 - Advice for New Product Companies
31:40 - Navigating Product Pricing and Margins
37:48 - Reflecting on the Journey
38:54 - Future Plans and Closing Thoughts

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

NASA to Silicon Valley CEO? That's Robert Green's unconventional path to launching Dizzion, Inc., a secure virtual desktop company that's changing how we think about cloud computing.

But here's what makes Robert different: he brings a scientist's mindset to the busy world of entrepreneurship. Robert and Everett dig into why great products still need brilliant marketing, how to raise money without losing your soul, and why being honest with your team (even when it hurts) builds the kind of culture that actually lasts.

Robert:
“Science is really just a framework for solving problems—and leadership can be broken down in the same way.”

“A great product doesn’t sell itself. Without marketing, messaging, and value, even the best ideas can die on the shelf.”

“Resilience means owning your mistakes, being accountable, and never running away.”

Links & Resources:

• Connect with Everett: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
• Connect with Robert: linkedin.com/in/rjgreen
• Continue the conversation at smallbusinessunscripted.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Timestamps:
01:00 – Career, compensation, or quality of life?
01:55 – From NASA to Silicon Valley
04:05 – Science of leadership
5:40 – Career highlights and lessons learned
9:00 – Founding Dizzion
11:30 – Building a successful team
15:50 – Overcoming setbacks and building resilience
18:30 – Lessons from customers
23:00 – Staying ahead in the tech landscape
25:20 – Advice to younger self

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

David Yeom knows success—from high-growth roles at Honest Company, eBay, and startups to buying and reinventing Evite. But if you ask David what makes him successful, he’ll start by telling you about his failures.

That’s exactly what David and host Everett Sands dig into in this debut episode of Small Business Unscripted: how failures turn into the most valuable lessons. David shares why it all starts with finding what makes you “tick,” and breaks down the strategic moves that led Evite to profitability for the first time in a decade—and set the stage for international growth.

Whether you're a small business owner, thinking about launching something new, or just figuring out what drives you, this episode is packed with real-world insights on perseverance, product instinct, and building a business you love.

David:
“I absolutely believe everyone is designed to love something and be good at something. Once you find that, everything else—career, quality of life, even compensation—falls into place.”

Links & Resources:

Connect with Everett: linkedin.com/in/everettksands
Connect with David: linkedin.com/in/davidyeom
Continue the conversation at smallbusinessunscripted.com
Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Timestamps:
01:15 –  David’s Origin Story
02:20 – Startup Experience and Success
11:10 – Marketing Insights & Product Strategy
21:40 – Evite’s Turnaround Story
29:45 – Overcoming Initial Failures
35:20 – Global Expansion & Future Plans

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Anyone who’s built a business knows it never goes exactly according to plan. Every entrepreneur has a different story and their own stack of hard-won lessons. This is the show that takes you behind the scenes of building and scaling a successful business.

Join host Everett Sands, CEO of Lendistry, as he and a diverse set of entrepreneurs and leaders throw out the usual questions and get real about the motivations, secrets, and strategies that brought them where they are today.

Through triumphs and disruptions, there is no script - there’s only the story.

This is Small Business Unscripted with Everett Sands.

Brought to you by the team at Lendistry.

Links:

• Follow Everett
• Learn more about Lendistry
• Join the conversation at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.