MaDi Tells All - Buffalo to Building Brands

We continue the conversation with Darrel Lerner, getting into how things operate day to day once you’re in it, including LinkedIn strategy, inbound leads, consulting structure, pricing, and managing demand. The conversation also moves into AI, ChatGPT, and how fast everything is shifting across content and product building, including vibe coding and automation, along with authenticity online and “AI slop.” We also touch on Syndicate 11, a private creator community with a combined reach of over 600 million, hosting networking events that bring together around 750 talents including creators, models, artists, musicians, athletes. Chapters: 00:00 – Madi's goal of owning equity in 10 businesses and why LinkedIn is her best shot at it 01:57 – Why Darrell soured on LinkedIn, AI slop, and the guy using ChatGPT to answer his own emails 05:09 – Why adaptability is now the most valuable skill and what happens when knowledge becomes a prompt 07:20 – What vibe coding actually is and which tools to start with if you have zero coding experience 09:06 – Pre-qualifying clients with a Google form and how to stop wasting time on lowball offers 12:17 – What fractional work means, what to charge, and why New York lets you charge more 14:23 – Why your best future clients are silent lurkers, not the loud ones in your comments 16:52 – AI spam on LinkedIn, em dashes as a red flag, and the art of spotting a bot 18:58 – How fast AI is moving compared to the early internet and why you have to be okay being disoriented 21:00 – Why ideas matter as much as execution now that AI has commoditized the build 21:41 – How Darrell and Levi met through a group chat and built Syndicate 11 from a two-hour conversation 25:46 – Why moving to New York City forced Madi to finally pick a lane Come on the pod, sponsor an episode, collab, or just reach out  ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/maditellsall Follow my world outside the podcast (food, tailgates, health, behind-the-scenes life) ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/madelinehall.nyc Thanks for being here guys. Like, share and subscribe! Catch me yap same time next week, bring snacks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I bring on Darrell Lerner, a serial tech entrepreneur who co-founded SNAP Interactive’s online dating apps and AllPaws, the pet adoption marketplace acquired by PetSmart, to get into how he builds and grows consumer tech companies. We move through product strategy, user acquisition, growth systems, digital businesses, and what it takes to operate and monetize at scale. The conversation covers early-stage execution, scaling digital products, revenue growth, startup operations, personal branding, and advising founders, creators, and businesses on building and positioning in competitive markets. Chapters: 00:00 – AllPaws and why Darrell built a Tinder for pet adoption 03:59 – Writing a fake press release before building anything, and raising a million before having an idea 05:41 – Growing AllPaws to 300K Facebook followers and how early marketing actually worked 08:11 – Royal Canaan, PetSmart, and the sponsors that led to the acquisition 10:02 – Darrell losing his dad mid-sale and deciding it was time to let go 13:39 – Selling to PetSmart for 5 to 10 million and what that day actually felt like 15:28 – Staying on for a year post-sale, the loneliness of exiting, and the post-exit founders group 19:27 – The COVID-era social app, and why meeting people gets harder as you get older 21:35 – Taking LinkedIn seriously and how it changed the way people saw Maddie 24:49 – Advising a jewelry designer, scaling her business from $10K to $200K a month using organic content 26:33 – When to ask for equity vs. cash, and what Madi is dealing with right now in her consulting work Come on the pod, sponsor an episode, collab, or just reach out ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/maditellsall Follow my world outside the podcast (food, tailgates, health, behind-the-scenes life) ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/madelinehall.nyc Thanks for being here guys. Like, share and subscribe! Catch me yap same time next week, bring snacks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I catch you up on everything that’s been happening lately. Fashion Week, Syndicate 11 events like the Hästens million dollar mattress shoot, influencer setups with models and photographers, and linking with people I keep running into around Soho and the city. Chef Travis in town with Nomadic Cook, infused dinner, attempting speakeasies after, and the usual NYC nights. This moves through day to day city life too, walking everywhere, bathhouse days in Williamsburg, birthday things, Buffalo vs New York routines, plus content in the middle of it all, outfit changes, filming, and my assistant telling me I can’t wear the same thing every episode. 00:00 – Super Bowl voice loss, fashion week, and the million dollar mattress event 03:50 – Chef Travis's infused dinner and ending up at a speakeasy barber shop 08:46 – Being alone in New York, the acquaintance vs. friendship gap, and apartment hunting in Manhattan 11:59 – Turning 33, planning my own birthday dinner at Jack’s Wife Freda 15:25 – The birthday crew, Bradley from Vanderpump Rules, and the Vampire Diaries director 17:28 – $42 cocktail at Jeans, dive bar rescue, and ending the night at Prince Street Pizza 19:29 – Sharing a birthday weekend with Keon Coleman's agent at Amber Room 21:33 – Staying in West Village with Chef Darian, a real Van Gogh, and thrifting sample stores 25:48 – Lobster ramen at Wayan and working out of Citizens M between meetings 28:49 – First NYC facial, Wegmans going half a million views, and manifesting goals 32:06 – Surprise live call, giveaway winner reveal, and teasing a college Maddie episode 38:17 – Bringing cucumbers into Bills games and why it makes complete sense Come on the pod, sponsor an episode, collab, or just reach out  ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/maditellsall Follow my world outside the podcast (food, tailgates, health, behind-the-scenes life) ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/madelinehall.nyc Thanks for being here guys. Like, share and subscribe! Catch me yap same time next week, bring snacks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I unfold the week inside Super Bowl media row where the Walk & Talk interviews kept happening in the middle of everything. Cameras rolling, people moving everywhere, conversations happening on the fly. We get into NFL players, sports media personalities, brand activations, Buffalo showing up everywhere??? And the run-ins that happen when everyone is in the same place for Super Bowl LX. Chapters: 00:00 – Starting Walk & Talks at Super Bowl week02:20 – Getting to Super Bowl & first events of the week05:30 – Media Row: my first interviews09:40 – Annie Agar & Bussin’ With The Boys interaction13:20 – Andre Reed, Lorenzo Neal17:10 – Playmakers & where everything was happening21:00 – Behind the scenes of filming Walk & Talks25:00 – Stevie Johnson, Mitch Morse & NFL player moments29:00 – Moving between events & how the days actually worked33:00 – What it’s actually like inside Super Bowl events37:00 – What I’m doing differently after Super Bowl week Come on the pod, sponsor an episode, collab, or just reach out  ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/maditellsall Follow my world outside the podcast (food, tailgates, health, behind-the-scenes life) ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/madelinehall.nyc Thanks for being here guys. Like, share and subscribe! Catch me yap same time next week, bring snacks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I get into what went down when a random moment during a Buffalo Bills game in Kansas City somehow turned into years of friendships, NFL circles, and eventually a trip to Cabo. What started as a classic Bills Mafia moment during that wild playoff game just kept expanding through weekends, away-game travel, and plans finally making it out of the stadium. We get into Buffalo Bills fan culture, Bills Mafia networking, meeting people through NFL games and events, Buffalo Bills travel, the 13-second Kansas City game, people connected to players' circles, private events, and the social life that seems to orbit the NFL season… welcome to the Bills world. Chapters: 00:00 – How a playoff weekend turned into a Cabo trip 04:20 – The unexpected Cabo invite & private plane conversation 08:30 – The group going to Cabo & meeting everyone involved 12:10 – Arriving in Cabo & the massive house on the golf course 16:30 – First nights out, tequila shots & Cabo nightlife 20:40 – Restaurants, food & going out in Cabo 25:20 – Golf course mornings & hanging at the house 29:40 – The social side of trips 34:30 – Trips and friendships 39:20 – The wildest moment 44:10 – Looking back on the Cabo experience Come on the pod, sponsor an episode, collab, or just reach out  ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/maditellsall Follow my world outside the podcast (food, tailgates, health, behind-the-scenes life) ⁠▫️ https://linktr.ee/madelinehall.nyc Thanks for being here guys. Like, share and subscribe! Catch me yap same time next week, bring snacks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices