Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 43: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Dani Kaplan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-kaplan/) about building lasting business relationships through trust and integrity.

---

Dani Kaplan is an author, photographer, and bombing survivor with over 50 years of experience in the computer and software industry. He founded SMC Data Systems in 1980, a technology and consulting company specializing in ERP and warehouse management solutions.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 09:16 How bad inventory data costs customers and sales
• 14:11 SMC Data Systems and hands-on implementation
• 18:19 Why business relationships feel more transactional
• 19:03 AI magnifies bad data instead of fixing it
• 23:06 Relationships can solve business problems
• 26:06 Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 42: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Mooly Beeri (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mooly-beeri/) about building a consulting business through trusted professional relationships, identifying the operational bottlenecks that hold companies back, and using AI strategically to improve performance without sacrificing quality.

---

Mooly Beeri, founder of Better Software, draws on nearly 30 years of professional software experience, including leadership roles at Microsoft, Philips, and Aptiv, to help engineering organizations improve software quality, reduce costs, and accelerate delivery.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 05:18 Journey into Software Development
• 12:25 Founding Better Software.dev
• 17:24 Challenges in Engineering Transformations
• 21:54 Identifying Critical Paths for Improvement
• 37:11 The Role of AI in Software Development
• 48:02 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 41: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Don Davis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dondavis/) about the importance of structured processes in business growth, the challenges of lead conversion, and the transformative role of AI in enhancing business visibility.

---

Don Davis is the CEO and founder of D3 Digital Media that helps businesses build effective client acquisition systems and turn online visibility into leads. With a background in corporate operations, consulting, and entrepreneurship, he has helped scale a business from $10 million to over $350 million in closed sales and now focuses on combining AI, marketing, and scalable business processes to drive growth.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 04:26 The Birth of D3 Digital Media
• 07:20 Challenges in Lead Conversion
• 08:50 Building a Client Acquisition System
• 12:30 AI's Impact on Business Discovery
• 22:47 The Value of Offshore Hiring
• 32:25 Maximizing Time and Resources
• 36:10 Insights for Aspiring Founders

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 40: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Phillip Stucki about turning a personal passion into a business, balancing entrepreneurship and family, building systems for sustainable growth.
---

Phillip Stucki was a former Adidas employee who spent the last 10 years transforming building his fitness coaching business full-time. He is the founder of Proving Grounds and content creator of FitDad Phil.

Chapters

• 00:00 Background and Introduction
• 06:50 Challenges of Entrepreneurship
• 08:45 Understanding Client Goals
• 11:29 Balancing Family and Fitness
• 18:37 Working with an Appointment Setter
• 24:00 Final Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 39: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Cecilia Arbelaez Perez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaarbelaez87/) about what sales really looks like when you take the pressure, ego and stereotypes out of the equation.


---

Cecilia Arbeláez Perez is a co-founder of Pulse Level Up, a fractional revenue enablement firm helping companies bridge the gap between sales strategy and day-to-day execution.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Cecilia Arvelaez Perez
• 06:40 Challenges in Sales
• 23:42 Cultural Perspectives on Sales
• 25:34 Common Misconceptions in Sales
• 31:14 Integrating AI in Sales Processes
• 36:21 Team Structure and Specialization
• 46:00 Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 38: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Vitalis Mutwiri (https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitalismutwiri/) about building an early-stage education technology startup, navigating limited resources, assembling a team, engaging education stakeholders, and finding the balance between AI and human reasoning.

---

Vitalis Mutwiri is a Kenyan entrepreneur and co-founder of Eduyetu, an AI-powered EdTech platform using 3D models and augmented reality to make STEM education more visual, interactive, and accessible.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Business Overview
• 06:30 Business Goals and Hiring Models
• 23:03 Education Technology and STEM Concepts
• 27:06 AI and Education

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald ) talks to Tom Simic (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-simic-66b897a0/ ) about building a business from the ground up, the financial strategies that drive profitability, scaling a virtual CFO firm, and the lessons learned from hiring and managing remote talent.

---

Tom Simic is the founder of Simic Financial, a virtual CFO advisory business helping startups and ambitious businesses improve profitability, cash flow, and financial clarity.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Evolution of Simic Financial
• 24:11 Building a Network and Setting Goals
• 27:36 Expanding the Team and Operational Setup
• 28:57 Challenges of Offshore Hiring and Team Building
• 35:14 Training and Marketing Challenges

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.

Hire amazing offshore staff: https://cherryassistant.com
Work with South African talent: https://hirenile.com

Episode 36: Carmen Dörwald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmendoerwald/) talks to Iain Cahill ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/gewardzhealth/) about using AI to transform productivity, building businesses around customer needs, and strategically using offshore talent to scale during a critical growth phase

---

Ian Cahill is the founder of Gewardz Health and the soon-to-launch digital healthcare platform ViscaCare, a digital health membership and workplace GP access based in Ireland.

---

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 11:06 Challenges of Healthcare Accessibility
• 21:35 Personal Journey Before Gewardz Health
• 21:49 The Entrepreneurial Journey
• 26:30 The Impact of AI on Businesses

--

Behind the Founder is a Cherry Assistant Original Podcast // Brought to you by Cherry Assistant.