Episodes

This week's guest is changing the game when it comes to laser battle. Battleground Ranch is shaking up conventional laser tag by adding alternate weapons, classes and challenging scenarios.

Justin & Jack launched a new social media/physical event hybrid platform to find fun things to do

What does it take to get your startup off the ground? Listen in as Adrian Gillette explains what strategies he is using for his social media startup LocalBuzz.

Allison Mack, co-founder and voice of Austin Moms, explains how she and her co-founder grew their small parenting blog into one of the top resources for mothers in Austin.

Josh Fabian went from foodstamps to startups where he raised over 8 million for his company Metafy. Metafy connects video game coaches and players.

With so many cannabis products out there, it's hard to know what is the real deal and what should be left on the shelf. This week's guest is here to get blunt about cannabis products and making the right decision for your body.

We are all more resilient than we think we are. Midlife crises, finding your passion, overcoming fear, imposter syndrome, and more life changing topics are discussed in this engaging episode with Austin's executive and career coach Steven English.

Clayton Boone is a lead financial advisor at Brighton Jones. He explains what "vocational freedom" is and how we can reach it. You can find him on LinkedIn.

Maryna explains how her company Growth Channel got started and gives some good tips on early stage companies and the benefits of a startup accelerator.

RBI Austin exists to engage and develop inner-city Austin youth athletically, academically, and spiritually, empowering them to lead the transformation of their communities. Founder and Executive Director Matt Price explains how a run down field and a few kids evolved into an MLB backed org impacting thousands of youth.

Gold Gate allows people to invest in real estate around the world that they can use for vacation while making a return at the same time. Don't miss out on the great entrepreneurial advice and inspiration in this episode.

C.K. Chin is a partner at popular Austin restaurants Swift's Attic, Wu Chow Austin, and Native Hostel. He also has a hand in Hope Outdoor Gallery, a reimagined version of the popular Graffiti Park at Castle Hills with a new location near the Austin airport.

Austin lifted the ban on public camping and created a public health and safety crisis. Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek created Save Austin Now to empower Austinites to reinstate the ban on public camping.

Rachel Holtin's @austinfoodstagram account is one of the most popular in Austin. Find out how Rachel got started as an influencer and how she grew such a large audience.

Local Austin artist Geno walks us through what it takes to get your name out there as an artist and how his artwork ended up in the popular Netflix show "Cheer"

Restore Hyper Wellness is a fast growing company with a unique service offering aimed at preventative care which allows people to live healthier lives into old age, addresses chronic conditions, and supercharges the performance of elite athletes.

Matt Alvarez describes his journey creating Joe Rogan's new podcast studio here in Austin, Texas and how his company Sound Shed Studios is evolving.

Michael Devellano is connecting entrepreneurs and forming a community called Founders Pack. He is inspired by the Japanese idea of Keiretsu, where businesses even in competing spaces help each other to grow. He previously released a book called Automate & Grow and is the host of the Automate & Grow podcast.

Samantha Anne is a local artist. You can find her art at Whiskey Tango Foxtrot - a bar in Austin, Texas that started doing art shows when covid policies put the industry under trying times. Check out @wickedgoddessshop on instagram.

Tyler Norwood sees a future where entrepreneurship is accessible to all, allowing people to focus on what they are passionate about and maximize human capital. In this episode he explains how Antler (a global early-stage Venture Capital firm) is helping to build that future.

The Austin Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit membership organization that helps create jobs so people can find work, provide for their families and achieve prosperity. They invest in a broad range of programs that build, support, and diversify Austin's regional economy.

Long time friend and native Austinite Jack Squier joins Justin to discuss Austin's insane real estate prices, the petition to reinstate the ban on public camping, crazy crypto and more.

Shea Henning started ATX Record Players where he builds and restores high end German record players in Austin, Texas. Shea is a craftsman with a passion for high end products. He eventually sold a record player to his childhood hero Jesse James (Monster Garage) and ended up partnering with him on a new venture called Craftsman Exchange.

The Texas Hemp Federation is a trade association made up of growers, distributors, and retailers of legal hemp and hemp products in the state of Texas. Their mission is to educate policy-makers, the media, and the general public about the benefits of using hemp and to debunk myths about its use as a supplement.

Zack Carlson explains the early days of the Alamo Drafthouse and the ideas that made people fall in love with it. After some fun Alamo history he describes his experience making a documentary called "The American Scream" where several unique characters from a small Massachusetts town are brought to light working their unique magic.

Stephanie Herrera became a Salesforce sensation by turning friendly and collaborative training sessions she dubbed "Salesforce Saturday" into international phenomena. Salesforce did a documentary on her which lead to her speaking on stage at the massive Dreamforce conference in front of thousands and receiving a personal introduction by billionaire entrepreneur and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff.

Austin Habitat for Humanity is an affiliate of the international nonprofit that brings people together to build homes, communities and hope. Phyllis tells the origin story of Habitat for Humanity, the challenges of affordable housing, what her responsibilities are as the CEO of Austin Habitat for Humanity, and how her career evolved over time.

The whole team returns! Justin, Dave, & Zac answer questions around the podcast. What is Friends in Austin? What are we trying to do? What's been working? What isn't? Why hasn't Zac seen Ghostbusters 2 and how is he so confused about the cast of Demolition Man?

Colleen, Abe, and Maggie join Justin for the first 4 person episode and the 3rd Friends Chat. The gang sits down to discuss their favorite holiday traditions, the joy of bidets, spitting on siblings, Colleens dream of living on a sailboat, Abe's future in homesteading, Maggie's naked life sized barbie doll, and more!

Austin unicorn George Vance McGee comes on the podcast to discuss how Austin has changed over the years, recent changes to local law (an increase in property taxes), and some things we can do to keep Austin an amazing place to live.

🏀 Long time friend and native Austinite Jason joins Justin to discuss the intense collaboration and split second decision making that is required to provide amazing replays to your TV while you are enjoying professional sports games on the couch. 🏀

Shani Majer joins Justin to discuss what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how she got her iPhone app Will2Click launched in the app store.

Fellow podcaster Patrick Scott Armstrong of "The Lone Star Plate" joins Justin for a discussion around what it takes to build a podcast and become a full time podcaster.

Kevin Newsum makes a second appearance on the podcast to give an update on his CPG product Steamm Espresso. Steamm was picked up by Central Market to see how the product performs in stores. If you're an espresso fan please visit steamm.com or your local Central Market and give it a "shot"!

Friends Chat is back with Eric and Dave coming on to debate who has the best mustache and go at each others throats regarding Covid and the NFL operating outside of a bubble. Justin breaks down the 18 day road trip and gives some tips.

Things are changing for the better here at FIA headquarters. Justin has decided to quit his full time position so he can dedicate more of his time to bringing you high-quality content.

Adam Boyd is a partner at Dare Capital, a short-term lending firm that provides working capital to small businesses across Texas and the U.S. Starting off as a high school english teacher and football coach, Adam describes the events that led him to Austin and how he got started in the world of business finance. Join Justin and Adam as they share their unique perspectives on life in Austin and their experiences with Texas entrepreneurs.

Peter Haubrich is a YouTuber with a channel called Overpowered Mind. Peter & Justin discuss the importance of self-development in this week's episode. Peter shares the positive changes he's made in his life including quitting caffeine and intermittent fasting.

Lukas Gilkey is the founder of Hometown Hero, an E-Liquid, Vapor, and CBD company that started in Austin. Hometown Hero has unique product labeling that was inspired by Graffiti Park at Castle Hills in Austin, Texas. Some of the product labels for HH products were actually shot at Castle Hills (now relocated and renamed to Hope Outdoor Gallery). Lukas walks us through the challenges of building a company in a space that is rapidly evolving and heavily impacted by regulation. Listen to discover the unique story of this authentic Austin company and uncover some interesting Austin history and culture along the way.

Andrew Michael is an entrepreneur with a passion for building communities that provide real value to peoples lives. Lacking an optimal childhood himself, Andrew set out to "Break the Mold" by providing his children the best possible upbringing he can and enabling others to do so as well. Andrew created Lonestar Dads as a place for dads to come together to become better fathers every day, both individually and together as a brotherhood. In this episode Andrew shares some very honest moments and mistakes from his past. If you\'re interested in entrepreneurship yourself or just a great story, you\'ll find this episode is packed with lessons and engaging stories.

Dave tells how Anna Faris bought him margaritas and taught him the Kitty Kat Dance, Maggie reveals a shocking moment from her childhood, Dave and Maggie gang up on Justin and try to white guilt him, Alex Jones rants via a megaphone regarding Austin greenbelt reserverations. All that and more in this fun episode where 3 friends have a casual and comical chat.

Jeremy Robinson is an entrepreneur in Austin, Texas with a focus on health and fitness. Jeremy started out by opening up his own gym, he later transitioned into holistic health and fitness by making himself the product rather than a physical location. This transition allowed him to significantly reduce overhead while increasing revenue. His 8 week training program focuses on overall health - mind, body, and spirit.

Derek and Justin discuss their career paths and how they came to Austin.

On a leap of faith, Amir Neubach and his band The Genders packed up and flew their gear to the USA and roughed it on their fist US tour. The Genders eventually found their home in Austin, TX where they continue to play live all over town.

Ever wanted to get into comedy or wondered how comics get started? Kandace Medina decided to get into comedy and hit the Austin comedy scene hard. She explains her strategy for getting practice and exposure, providing some helpful tips for anyone wanting to step up to the mic themselves.

Matty and Justin met at Soco on the Lake in Austin, TX. Matty has lived in and visited many different cities, states, and countries. Matty and Justin discuss traveling, Covid-19, education, and other random topics.

Garret Autry set out to change the world with more efficient cooling tech for power plants. Garret kindly set his friend Dave Lehmann's garage on fire to test a prototype and eventually raised 3 million dollars. Listen to find out how this roller coaster ride of an entrepreneurial journey played out.