logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
34m 53s

Stick to Your Vision: Nerdwax

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

When Don Hejny toured with big country artists, he had a sweaty problem: his glasses would not stay put on his nose. Annoyed at constantly having to adjust them, he took matters into his own hands. He found inspiration from a childhood tool - surf wax - and after three years of tinkering, NerdWax was born. He took his idea to Kickstarter, then to Shark Tank, then finally to Instagram, when he nearly lost all of his sales to an iOS Update.

 

Join Ben and Kathleen Griffith as they chat with Don about finding inspiration everywhere, how he was his own best product tester, and how he leveraged his appearance on Shark Tank even though he didn’t take the deal. These are The Unshakeables.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Jun 2025
Storm Tested: re:3D
Samantha Snabes never set out to build a typical company. As co-founder of re:3D and a member of the Air Force National Guard, she launched an open-source 3D printing company that prioritizes access over exclusivity. But when back-to-back hurricanes hit both her team in Houston a ... Show More
32m 24s
Jun 2025
Called to Serve: Mercy Chefs
When Hurricane Katrina hit, Gary LeBlanc did what he knew best—he showed up to cook. But what he found on the ground was far from comforting. The food being served to survivors wasn't physically or spiritually nourishing. That moment sparked the idea for Mercy Chefs, a faith-base ... Show More
32m 2s
May 2025
BONUS: Boost Your Resilience At Work
What can we do to cultivate more resilience at work? Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of The Unshakeables podcast, thinks about this question a lot. In today’s mini episode, Ben joins Maya to talk about the unique challenges faced by America’s small business owners— ... Show More
12m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
UNTUCKit: Chris Riccobono
On a trip to Las Vegas, Chris Riccobono found himself wearing the same J.Crew shirt over and over; it was the only dress shirt he had that looked good untucked. All of his other button-downs were too long and looked sloppy. His buddies all said they had the same problem, so Chris ... Show More
1h 13m
Jun 2025
Deep Dive with Hank Green on Making
Hank Green has spent his career making complex ideas accessible to millions - from creating Crash Course educational videos to co-founding the Nerdfighters community with his brother, novelist John Green. However, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, he discovered an un ... Show More
58m 7s
Dec 2024
How David Lieb Turned A Failed Startup Into Google Photos | Backstory
YC General Partner David Lieb’s story is all about perseverance. In 2008 he co-founded Bump, one of the hottest startups of the early iPhone era. But even with 150 million users, he couldn’t find a way to create a sustainable business. For many founders, that would be the end of ... Show More
19m 32s
Jul 22
DAVID GANDY: HOW EMBRACING IMPOSTER SYNDROME CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
I’ve sadly never been heralded for my fashion sense but one man who definitely has, is David Gandy. He’s one of the most successful international male models, standing out in an industry where very few men have reached his level of fame and house-hold recognition. David didn’t pl ... Show More
1h 1m
Oct 2024
Shut It Down or Double Down: Nathan Barry’s Road to $45M with Kit (ConvertKit)
Nathan Barry, the creator behind ConvertKit (now rebranded as Kit) came to visit my Inner Circle and gave a very special presentation. Nathan’s journey from a designer to building a software empire fascinated me. He originally tried to solve his frustrations with MailChimp and, i ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 2022
Creating a Business That Makes Money While Surfing, with Brenton Ford
It’s Organic October and in this episode of Art of Online Business, I’m sharing a case study with you that I think is going to really inspire you. I sat down with Brenton Ford who has built a wildly successful business using primarily organic marketing strategies.  ‍‍Cut your lea ... Show More
40m 5s
Aug 2024
Ade Adepitan - ‘At 16 I’d seen more violence than anyone should ever see’
TW: contains references to racist abuse and racially-aggravated violence. This is probably one of my favourite episodes of all time, and I don’t say that lightly. The former championship wheelchair basketball star turned TV presenter, Ade Adepitan, came into the How To Fail studi ... Show More
54m 26s
Mar 2024
MI334: Confessions of an Entrepreneurial Addict w/ Chris Koerner
In this week’s episode, Patrick Donley (@JPatrickDonley) sits down with serial entrepreneur, Chris Koerner to talk about his holding company, Cofounders and the unique way he launches new entrepreneurial ventures. You’ll also hear what it was like for Chris to be a missionary for ... Show More
1 h
Apr 2014
Adam Elmakias FRO VS No FRO: RAWtalk Photography Episode #083
This week I had Adam Elmakias into the loft to sit down for an interview.  If you are not familiar with Adam he is the guy behind the original lens bracelet and a touring music photographer.  He has built a huge following on Intagram and Twitter and he sat down with me to share s ... Show More
1h 54m
Mar 2025
MO GILLIGAN: WHY WE FEEL SO LOST IN OUR 20s
Mo Gilligan is a very funny man - he’s one of the biggest comedians in the UK, he’s hosted the BRITs, numerous TV shows and is currently on a world tour. He’s hugely successful, but what happens when you achieve all your dreams? Do you feel fulfilled? Or lost without that directi ... Show More
56m 33s