Selling online feels simple... until taxes quietly start working against you.

In this episode of How to Ride a Roller Coaster, host David Ezell sits down with Jared Smithson, Founder of RJM Tax Exemption and one of the leading experts in U.S. e-commerce tax compliance. Jared has helped over 5,000 businesses navigate sales tax, multi-state nexus, and regulatory landmines that most founders don’t realize they’ve stepped on until it’s too late.

You’ll learn:

• The most common sales tax mistakes e-commerce founders make (including the “one-click” Shopify error)

• Why revenue growth can be fake growth if compliance isn’t handled correctly

• How economic nexus actually works (and why $100K isn’t the only number that matters)

• Why collected sales tax isn’t “your money”—and how it can block an exit

• What’s changing next for digital products and services taxation

• When to DIY vs. when to bring in experts (without wasting money)

Whether you’re selling on Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, or planning to expand into the U.S. market, this conversation could save you six figures, months of stress, and a painful audit.

Show links:

RJM Tax Exemption: https://rjmtaxexemption.com/

Jared: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-smithson-692607228/

Finance isn’t just numbers. It’s identity, access, and peace of mind. Yet so many women, millennials, Gen-Z professionals, and underserved investors feel invisible in the world of wealth management. Today’s episode shines a spotlight on changing that.

I’m joined by Lacy Garcia, CEO and Cofounder of Willow, a fintech platform that matches individuals with fiduciary financial advisors who actually get them. Lacy left a stable career, survived the chaos of launching during COVID, and built a platform dedicated to empathy, education, and empowerment in financial planning.

We dig into:

• The shame-free truth about financial literacy (even highly educated people don’t know this stuff!)

• How to find an advisor who understands YOUR values, goals, and identity

• Why separating your personal and business finances is non-negotiable as a founder

• How to protect your energy and avoid burning yourself out while building something meaningful

• The hard lesson of focusing on revenue and efficiency first, not perfection

Whether you’re growing a business, building wealth, or just trying to make smarter financial decisions, this episode will save you time, money, and serious stress.

Show links:

Willow: https://trustwillow.com
Lacy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacygarcia
Willow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/trustwillow

Today's episode is sponsored by Clutch City, a bold, high-impact experience for entrepreneurs scaling real businesses between $250K and $3M.

Clutch City: https://www.clutchcityhq.com

IG: https://instagram.com/clutchcityhq
More at: https://realdavidezell.com/clutchcity

If you loved today’s episode, share it with a founder who needs clarity on money or is tackling their next big leap. One episode can change someone’s week.

In this episode of How to Ride a Roller Coaster, David Ezell sits down with Amanda Taylor — entrepreneur, real estate investor, and bold money mindset coach — to talk about what it really looks like to rewrite your story.

After 15 years in dentistry and walking away from a 25-year relationship, Amanda completely rebuilt her life. She discovered freedom through real estate, launched multiple businesses, and now helps entrepreneurs—especially women—grow both their companies and their personal wealth.

Together, we unpack:

• The moment Amanda realized she could stop being the “worker bee” and step into the “queen bee”

• How curiosity, not confidence, accelerates your entrepreneurial growth

• Why most business owners neglect their personal wealth — and what it costs them

• The difference between good debt and bad debt (and why debt is often cheaper than equity)

• Why liquidity fears hold entrepreneurs back

• How women can close the confidence gap in financial decision-making

• Where beginners should start investing outside their business

• Why traditional financial advice leaves entrepreneurs exposed — and what to do instead

• The power of aligning your money with the life you actually want

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• If you’re an entrepreneur trying to build a business and build wealth at the same time, this episode will change how you think about money forever.

  
  

  Show links:

  Amanda on LinkedIn

  Amanda on Instagram

  Expand Your Empire

  
  

  Powered by Clutch City — high-energy training, hands-on events, curated rooms, and one immersive conference each year for entrepreneurs in the $250k–$3M range who want to scale faster and smarter.

In this episode of How to Ride a Roller Coaster, host David Ezell sits down with Perry Sheraw — a pioneer in marketing automation and customer experience strategy. Long before tools like HubSpot and Klaviyo became industry staples, Perry was building CRM systems from scratch, connecting call centers to digital marketing, and architecting the early blueprints of what we now call customer journey design.

Together, David and Perry explore how founders and teams can bridge the gap between marketing and sales, transform chaos into consistency, and design systems that build trust over time — not just conversions. They dig into:

• Why marketing and sales silos still exist (and how to break them)

• How to map your customer journey using a whiteboard, not a dashboard

• Building automations that feel human — from welcome emails to onboarding flows

• The psychology behind customer trust and why email still outperforms social

• New frontiers in automation, including WhatsApp integration and conversational AI

• How to “turn the lights on” in your marketing house — and stop losing leads you’ve already paid for

Whether you’re an entrepreneur trying to scale your first system or a marketing leader rethinking automation strategy, this episode offers a grounded, tactical approach to customer-centric growth.

Perry Sheraw is a strategist, consultant, and speaker specializing in marketing automation and customer experience frameworks. She’s led marketing and call center operations for highly regulated industries, built cross-functional CRM systems, and currently advises companies on scaling automation with empathy. Perry is also writing a forthcoming book on marketing automation frameworks for young professionals — a practical guide on integrating automation and selling it to the C-suite.

Learn more at perrysheraw.com
Show links:

• Connect with Perry on LinkedIn

• • HubSpot – hubspot.com

• • Mailchimp – mailchimp.com

• • Klaviyo – klaviyo.com

• • Seth Godin – “Permission Marketing”

• • Neil Patel – neilpatel.com

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  High-level takeaways:

  • “If you invite people to your house and then leave, that’s what it’s like sending paid traffic without follow-up.”

• • “Automation isn’t about removing the human — it’s about meeting them where they are.”

• • “Start your customer journey on a whiteboard, not in a platform.”

• • “Marketing and sales are two halves of the same customer conversation.”

• 🎧 Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
  🗞 Subscribe to the Field Notes newsletter for key takeaways from every episode → realdavidezell.com/fieldnotes

  
  

What if the smartest business move you ever make… is not to scale?

In this episode of How To Ride A Roller Coaster, host David Ezell sits down with Matt Krayton, Founding Principal of Publitics, a communications and political strategy firm that helps leaders, organizations, and public figures navigate high-stakes challenges, shape public opinion, and build trust in an age of polarization.

Matt shares his unconventional path—from a laid-off history teacher to launching his own political consulting firm during the 2008 recession—and how choosing to stay small became his biggest competitive advantage.

Together, David and Matt unpack the tension between growth and purpose, what it really means to be nimble in business, and how founders can build lasting success without losing their freedom or values.

They dig into:

• The real story behind founding Publitics and breaking into political consulting

• Why staying small and agile beats scaling for scale’s sake

• How taking investor money can change your mission overnight

• The “SWAT team” approach to problem-solving in high-pressure industries

• How to craft messages that resonate across fragmented media platforms

• Why attention is the new currency—and how to earn it authentically

• What entrepreneurs can learn from political campaigns about narrative, focus, and resilience

This episode is a masterclass in intentional growth, narrative strategy, and the power of staying true to your mission—even when everyone else is telling you to go bigger, faster, and louder.

If you’ve ever wondered whether more is really better, this conversation will give you the clarity to redefine success on your own terms.

Show links:

Matthew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkrayton/

Publitics: https://www.publitics.com/

M2Aspire: https://www.m2aspire.com/

Substack: https://m2aspire.substack.com/

What if the key to higher performance wasn’t working harder — but understanding your brain?

In this episode of How To Ride A Roller Coaster, host David Ezell talks with Dr. Eugene Choi, a neuroscience-based executive coach and former LA County health system leader who managed operations for six major hospitals and over 250 clinics. After witnessing burnout and pressure derail even the most talented teams, Eugene set out to uncover why — and discovered how our brains can be retrained to operate in peak performance mode.

Together, David and Eugene explore:

• 🧠 The neuroscience behind leadership burnout (and how to fix it)

• ⚡ How to trigger “flow state” on demand — even under pressure

• 👥 How high-performing teams can unlock clarity, creativity, and engagement

• 🔄 Practical brain-based tools entrepreneurs can use to perform better without burning out

If you’ve ever hit a wall in your business, this conversation will help you understand what’s happening under the hood — and how to rewire it.

Website → https://eugenekchoi.com/LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenekchoi/

Connect with David:

Website → https://realdavidezell.com
Listen to past episodes, discover upcoming guests, and get resources for founders and creators navigating the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

Leading Under Pressure with Fighter Pilot Precision — Christian “Boo” Boucousis, CEO of Afterburner

In this episode of How To Ride A Roller Coaster, David Ezell is joined by Christian “Boo” Boucousis, CEO of Afterburner and author of the Amazon best-seller The Afterburner Advantage. Boo and his team have spent 30 years bringing the mindset and precision of fighter pilots into business — helping over 3,500 organizations and 2 million leaders execute with clarity, speed, and confidence under pressure.

From the cockpit to the boardroom, Boo shares how leaders can turn overwhelm into focused execution, build alignment in high-speed environments, and create consistent performance without burnout through his Flawless Leadership framework.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:
• How to apply the fighter pilot model — Plan, Brief, Execute, Debrief — to your business and life
• Why high-performing leaders rely on iteration over instinct
• The difference between motivation and mission clarity
• How to lead with intention and adaptability in fast-changing environments

Whether you’re leading a team, growing a company, or simply trying to perform better under pressure, Boo’s frameworks will give you the tools to thrive in complexity and move with purpose.

Learn more about Boo:

🔗 Website
📘 The Afterburner Advantage
🤖 Ask Boo’s AI Agent

In this episode, David Ezell sits down with Jake Isham, filmmaker-turned-brand strategist and creative director behind Creative MIND Studios, who’s helped founders and entrepreneurs turn their stories into empires.

With over 1 billion views across the content he’s created for names like Grant Cardone, Callaway, 5.11 Tactical, and Travis Mathew, Jake has mastered the art of blending storytelling with strategy. He shares how to build authority online, what most people get wrong about content, and how to create digital shows that make you unforgettable.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur building your personal brand or a leader trying to connect through storytelling, this conversation will reshape how you think about content, trust, and visibility in 2025.

We talk about:

• How to turn your story into authority

• What it takes to stand out online in 2025

• Behind the scenes of creating content for billion-view brands

• Why every founder should think like a filmmaker

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  Follow Jake on LinkedIn

  Follow Creative MIND

  
  

  👉 Go to www.realdavidezell.com → for speaking, podcast links, Clutch City.