In this special Collab Week episode of Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur, 13 founders come together to answer one deceptively powerful question:

Tell us about something you picked up during your school years that had nothing to do with the actual coursework, but has helped you in day-to-day as a business owner.

From a nightly outfit ritual that taught preparedness, to a rugby final that taught the difference between the right action and the right outcome, to a boss's two-word correction that reframed an entire philosophy of customer service, this is a wide-ranging episode that's a reminder that the most useful business lessons rarely show up on a syllabus.

For any wantrepreneur or entrepreneur who's ever wondered whether their "unrelated" hobbies, jobs, or offbeat professors actually mattered, this episode is proof they did — and a nudge to go looking for the lesson hiding in whatever felt like a distraction at the time.

✨ What You'll Take Away

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

How sourcing advice from total outsiders gives you unbiased market intel
Why knowing when you're being told something wrong matters more than ever in the AI era
How getting comfortable around smarter people builds stronger partnerships
Why arguing both sides of an idea (respectfully) leads to better decisions
How choosing the right action over the desired outcome protects your progress
Why choosing the pain of discipline beats the pain of regret, every time
Why realistic workloads (not cramming) make you a better manager and leader

🎙️ Meet the Collab Week Contributors

Patricia Ballivian — Altura Strategies
Founder of Altura Strategies, helping founders bring clarity and structure to the messy realities of scaling.
Website: https://www.alturastrategies.net/

Drew Mehta — ThinkFraction
20+ years in corporate; now helps owner-operators grow revenue by fixing back-end workflow leaks and applying AI the right way.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhroovmehta/

John Lunsford — Tethral
Engineer, anthropologist, and PhD in tech adoption; formerly led AI and personal safety at Uber, now founder/CEO of Tethral.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-lunsford/

Arjun Bidesi — Orcana.AI
Co-founder/CEO of Orcana.AI, closing the gap between operating plans and actual performance with AI-driven insights.
Website: https://www.orcana.ai/

Stephen Custer — Dry Humor Marketing
Owner of Dry Humor Marketing, pairing serious strategy and data with authentic storytelling that gets people to act.
Website: https://www.dryhumormarketing.com/

David Beltran — Accord Intelligence
Founder/CEO of Accord Intelligence, building the decision layer that keeps humans accountable for AI-driven decisions.
Website: https://www.accordintelligence.ai/

Zeyno Dodd — AlgiSense
Co-founder of AlgiSense, developing AI-driven EEG biomarkers to objectively measure pain.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeynoaygendodd/

Raamon Newman — New Mavericks
Co-founder of New Mavericks, a CEO leadership development partnership; co-author of The Science of Protection.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raamonnewman/

Mike Gross — Michael J. Gross, LLC
Trainer, consultant, and auditor helping organizations apply ISO standards practically, with 35+ years of experience.
Website: https://mj-gross.com/

Nicholas Cook — Money 101 Academy
Founder of Money 101 Academy and owner of Prime Land Properties; also writes at The Place Blog.
Website: https://money101academy.com/

Erik Berglund — Loominary
Founder of Loominary, building skill simulation systems for practicing business's hardest conversations.
Website: https://www.loominary.io/

Nate Hebbert — SelfWare Consulting
Founder of SelfWare Consulting, helping small business owners beat burnout without pressing pause.
Website: https://selfwareconsulting.com/

Brandon Pankey — Blue Pine Works
Founder and owner of Blue Pine Works, an arboriculture and land stewardship company in East Central Minnesota.
Website: https://bluepineworks.com/

1571: What has NOTHING to do with coursework BUT uniquely prepared you as a founder!? (Collab episode!)

Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business

1571: What has NOTHING to do with coursework BUT uniquely prepared you as a founder!? (Collab episode!)