ROI Podcast™ — the #1 Entrepreneurial Business meets Comedy podcast hosted by Law Smith + Eric Readinger cover art

ROI Podcast™ — the #1 Entrepreneurial Business meets Comedy podcast hosted by Law Smith + Eric Readinger

ROI Podcast™ — the #1 Entrepreneurial Business meets Comedy podcast hosted by Law Smith + Eric Readinger

Written by: ROI Podcast™
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 ROI Podcast™ — the podcast formerly known as Sweat Equity - THE #1 BUSINESS / ENTREPRENEURSHIP + COMEDY PODCAST ON EARFF. Hosted by Producer, Head of Media & Mr. Manager, Eric Readinger, and President at Tocobaga**, Fractional CMO, Stand Up Comedian Law Smith... a robot wrote our description below. ROI Podcast™ — the podcast formerly known as Sweat Equity - is your go-to audio guide for realistic advice and actionable strategies to launch, grow, and scale your small business or startup. Join hosts Law Smith, a seasoned entrepreneur and fractional CMO with a background in stand-up comedy, and Eric Readinger, a marketing veteran and data-driven strategist, as they dissect the latest trends, interview successful founders, and unpack the hard-won lessons that fuel real business success. What You'll Get: - No fluff, just actionable insights: Ditch the empty platitudes and get practical advice you can implement right away. - Authentic conversations with real entrepreneurs: Hear unfiltered stories, failures, and triumphs from the people who've been in the trenches. - Humor meets strategy: Laugh while you learn, with Law's witty banter and Eric's data-backed insights. - Wide range of topics: From marketing and sales to leadership and funding, girthy podcast® - the podcast formerly known as Sweat Equity - covers it all. - Inspiring community: Join a network of like-minded entrepreneurs and learn from each other's experiences. **Tocobaga - B2B, B2C SMB Strategic Advisory & Omnichannel, Integrated Marketing AgencyROI Podcast™ Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How To Raise Capital | Chris Van Dusen Embraces Discomfort With ROI #507

    How To Raise Capital | Chris Van Dusen Embraces Discomfort With ROI #507
    Apr 16 2026
    Getting rich isn't about working harder. It's about playing a different game entirely. In this episode of ROI Podcast™, Chris Van Dusen, Senior Partner at Solyco Capital, breaks down how wealth is actually built behind the curtain… not the version you see on TikTok. We talk about: What private equity really does (without the jargon) Why most founders fail before they ever had a chance The difference between wealth preservation and wealth creation How high-net-worth investors think about risk and returns Why doing hard things on purpose is the only real edge Chris went from getting laid off 75 days into a new life… to building and selling multiple companies and now deploying capital at scale. This episode is part strategy, part reality check, and part "you're not working as hard as you think you are." If you want to understand money, business, and how deals actually happen… press play. Chris Van Dusen isn't your typical finance guy who memorized a few buzzwords and now cosplays as an investor on LinkedIn. He's the guy who got punched in the face by real life, got back up, and decided to start building instead of complaining. After graduating from the College of William & Mary with a degree in economics, Chris entered the world of finance through real estate investment banking. Then the market did what markets do best… and nuked his job. Just 75 days after moving to California, he was unemployed. That's not a pivot. That's a shove. Instead of retreating, he became what he calls an "accidental entrepreneur." Over the next decade, he built, scaled, and exited multiple companies, including selling three businesses across 2019 and 2021. He also raised funds in emerging sectors like cannabis, helped grow media companies, and worked directly with founders trying to not implode under pressure. Today, Chris is a Senior Partner at Solyco Capital, a vertically integrated private investment firm focused on capital solutions for growth-stage companies. His role is simple to explain but hard to execute: find great companies, structure capital around them, and deliver meaningful returns for investors. Translation: he's betting on jockeys, not just horses. Chris works closely with high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and institutional investors, helping them deploy capital into alternative assets and private deals with asymmetric upside potential. The kind of deals most people don't even know exist. Beyond finance, Chris brings a discipline-first mindset shaped by his background as a former Division I pitcher and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. His philosophy is blunt: do hard things on purpose, or life will pick hard things for you anyway. Whether it's grinding through entrepreneurship, surviving market cycles, or getting choked out on a mat for 10 years straight, Chris has built a reputation for embracing discomfort instead of avoiding it. And that mindset shows up in everything he does. Episode sponsored... 💦 by ZUPYAK - The first search optimized AI writer. https://www.Zupyak.com → promo code → SWEAT 💦 Flodesk email marketing - you get 50% off by hitting this link https://flodesk.com/c/AL83FF 💦 Incogni remove you personal data from public websites 50% off https://get.incogni.io/SH3ve 💦 by SQUARESPACE website builder → https://squarespacecircleus.pxf.io/sweatequity 💦 by CALL RAIL call tracking → https://bit.ly/sweatequitycallrail 💦 by LINKEDIN PREMIUM - 2 months free! → https://bit.ly/sweatequity-linkedin-premium 💦 by OTTER.ai → https://otter.ai/referrals/AVPIT85N Hosts' Eric Readinger & Law Smith 🔗s - https://www.LawSmithWorks.com - https://www.Tocoba.ga Getting fired might be the best thing that ever happens to you. Not emotionally. Financially. In Episode 507 of ROI Podcast™, we sit down with Chris Van Dusen, Senior Partner at Solyco Capital, to break down what actually separates people who build wealth… from people who just talk about it on Instagram. We get into: - Why most startups fail (hint: it's not the idea) - How private equity actually evaluates founders - The real difference between rich people and everyone else - Why "sitting in the suck" is the only competitive advantage that matters - How to invest like someone who already has money Chris also explains how ultra-wealthy investors think about risk, why alternative assets exist, and how normal people misunderstand capital allocation entirely. Plus: - NIL deals and why most athletes won't see real money - Jiu-jitsu as the ultimate ego killer - Burnout, seasons of life, and why balance is a myth If you've ever wondered how deals actually get done behind the scenes… this is the episode. 🎯 Watch. Learn. Then go do something uncomfortable. ---
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    34 mins
  • How to Buy Back Your Time - George Rivera's Formula For Ditching Hustle Culture and Delegating Like a Pro | ROI Podcast™ ep. 506

    How to Buy Back Your Time - George Rivera's Formula For Ditching Hustle Culture and Delegating Like a Pro | ROI Podcast™ ep. 506
    Mar 30 2026
    Think of this episode as your comedy‑infused blueprint for escaping the founder prison." Host Law Smith sits down with serial entrepreneur George Rivera, the man behind the Buy Back Time Formula, who built multiple seven‑, eight‑ and nine‑figure companies before realizing he'd accidentally locked himself in a golden cage. He recounts how his father's dying words ("don't miss Leo's games") forced him to tear down a $200M business that looked great on paper but left him exhausted and absent. Together they shred hustle culture, debate whether a hot dog is a sandwich and unpack why most productivity porn is just that—porn. Rivera explains the four‑burner theory and shares how a simple daily scorecard can calm your nerves and keep profits up while you take a two‑week vacation. He also invites listeners to his Founder Dad Dinners and reminds us we only get 18 summers with our kids. This episode blends practical tactics (delegate, automate, build systems) with laugh‑out‑loud moments and heartfelt stories. If you're a cash‑rich, time‑poor founder who hates glossy bro‑marketing, this irreverent chat will show you how to reclaim your time, scale your business and be present for what truly matters. George Rivera is the founder of the Buy Back Time Formula, a movement designed to help overworked founders reclaim their lives by creating leverage in their businesses. After three decades as an entrepreneur, Rivera knows what it's like to build companies that look like success but feel like a prison. In the mid‑1990s he started a direct‑response business while still in high school and over the next 30 years he built multiple 7‑, 8‑ and 9‑figure ventures, including a supplement brand that surpassed $200 million in sales. With offices, teams and sales numbers most entrepreneurs dream about, Rivera appeared to "have it all." Yet he was miserable, overloaded and on the verge of walking away. The turning point came when his father, dying of cancer, told him: "Don't miss Leo's games – I missed too many of yours." Those words hit Rivera like a punch in the gut and pushed him to rebuild his business and personal life around what really matters. Rivera recognized that his success had cost him quality time with his family and joy with his son Leo. He stepped out from behind the scenes of his companies and began teaching other entrepreneurs how to eliminate, automate and delegate the work that keeps them chained to their desks. Today he guides high‑performing founders to escape the "job with overhead" trap, reclaim 15‑30+ hours per week and design businesses that run without them. His philosophy is simple: freedom comes from structure, not stamina. Instead of hustling 100‑hour weeks, he teaches systems like the daily scorecard that give owners a snapshot of the metrics that matter so they can make data‑driven decisions and sleep better. Rivera also hosts Founder Dad Dinners in Austin and online roundtables to help "cash‑rich, time‑poor" entrepreneurs build community and be present with their children, because, as he reminds us, we only get 18 summers with our kids. By helping leaders build structure, hire proactively and document processes, he shows that you can scale profits and show up for the moments that matter most. Rivera's story resonates because he's walked through founder prison and lived to tell the tale. https://buybacktimeformula.com/ https://buybacktimeformula.com/media https://buybacktimeformula.com/book-266179 https://buybacktimeformula.com/ytbook https://buybacktimeformula.com/speaking https://18summersroundtable.com/ https://founderdaddinners.com/ https://www.georgerivera.com/ https://www.facebook.com/georgerivera77/ https://www.instagram.com/georgerivera1977/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-rivera-53b3296/ https://x.com/GeorgeR76991 https://www.youtube.com/@buybacktimeformula https://www.tiktok.com/@buybacktimeformula https://leointerviews.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@Leo_interviews
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    30 mins
  • How To Scrabble Challenge Harbert Magazine, the Auburn University business school alumni quarterly | ROI Podcast™ ep. 505 | Law Smith @LawSmithWorks + Eric Readinger -

    How To Scrabble Challenge Harbert Magazine, the Auburn University business school alumni quarterly | ROI Podcast™ ep. 505 | Law Smith @LawSmithWorks + Eric Readinger -
    Mar 19 2026
    Law Smith and Eric Readinger turn ROI Podcast® episode 505 into a very stupid, very specific, very competitive Scrabble-adjacent bloodsport. After confessing that his viral Iron Cross video was a high-tech fake, Law pulls out the Auburn business school alumni magazine and sends the conversation into full Scrabble challenge mode. Not because Auburn deserves shade, because Auburn gave the boys something smart, polished, and weirdly irresistible to obsess over. Harbert Magazine becomes the launch point for a lovingly unhinged breakdown of racks, bingos, bonus squares, tile counts, point values, premium squares, board layout logic, and the kind of word-nerd challenge behavior only true dictionary goblins can deliver. The hosts brag about being Scrabble wizards, revisit their best-of-99 war, and treat the whole thing like a beautiful Auburn-sanctioned opening play. Of course, this episode does not stay neatly on the board. Law explains how he used AI to fake gym stunts, Eric starts slapping down conspiracy-theory tiles about Epstein emails and NFL rigging, and First Earth Battalion talk, remote viewing, and psychic-soldier madness. Somewhere between vowel dumps, hooks, stems, swaps, tile tracking, leave management, board vision, endgame strategy, and a verbal shuffle that never stops moving, Episode 505 turns into a high-scoring mess in the best possible way. Auburn comes out looking like the classy institution in the room, while the hosts do what they do best: make education sound dirty, make nonsense sound strategic, and turn one Harbert Magazine spiral into podcast gold along with Scrabble fail, Auburn business school, Harbert Magazine, podcast comedy, ROI Podcast episode 505, Iron Cross video, AI generated content, Florida man stories, conspiracy theories, Epstein emails, NFL rigging, First Earth Battalion, remote viewing, dad wagon rebuild, Scrabble strategy, alumni magazine mistakes, Auburn vs Harvard, stand-up comedy podcast, men's mental health, veteran entrepreneur, John Krotec guest, Harbert College of Business, and more. #AI #entrepreneurship #ecommercebusiness #productbasedbusiness #brandbuilding #businesspodcast #startupstories #scalingbusiness #directtoconsumer #manufacturingbusiness #corporategifting #smallbusinessgrowth #founderjourney #roi #ROIpodcast #Scrabble #Auburn #HarbertMagazine #BusinessSchool #IronCross #AIGenerated #ConspiracyTheories #EpsteinEmails #NFLRigging #FirstEarthBattalion #RemoteViewing #PodcastComedy #VeteranVoices #FloridaMan #PoeticHuman #MentalHealth #TraumaRecovery #StandUpComedy 02:00 – Is the Iron Cross video real or AI? Law admits his viral stunt was created with AI and explains his method. 07:36 – How can you rebuild a "dad wagon" on a budget? Law debates buying a new motor versus hunting for a cheap used one with a warranty. 09:28 – What is the First Earth Battalion manual? Eric and John discuss the military's psychic‑warrior handbook from The Men Who Stare at Goats. 13:15 – Why drop the Epstein emails now? The hosts argue the release is a distraction and question the timing. 33:31 – What's wrong with the Scrabble board on Auburn's alumni magazine? Law and Eric analyze the Harbert Magazine cover's eight‑letter rack, impossible bingos and other Scrabble sins. 💦 by ZUPYAK - The first search optimized AI writer. https://www.Zupyak.com → promo code → SWEAT
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    37 mins
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