SharkPreneur

<p><span style="color: black;">What if the real difference between “saving money” and “building wealth” is just access and knowing how to level up?</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode of <em>Sharkpreneur</em>, Seth Greene interviews <span style="color: black;">Lane Kawaoka, Author of The Wealth Elevator, who went from engineering and traditional 401(k) investing to building a real estate portfolio of 11 rental properties by 2015 and leaving his day job in 2018. Lane explains the difference between “working-class” investing and “investor-class” investing—especially how accredited investors gain access to higher-quality commercial assets through syndications and private placements. He also breaks down the Wealth Elevator philosophy, the mindset shift from earning money to allocating capital, and how macroeconomics, operator skill, and liquidity constraints shape real-world investment outcomes.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Many high-net-worth investors eventually trade scattered rental properties for larger apartment investments through pooled capital.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Flipping properties usually involves more time and risk than long-term buy-and-hold or value-add commercial investments. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">The difference between working-class and investor-class opportunities usually comes down to access to capital and larger deals. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Real estate syndications can provide investors with institutional-quality exposure while avoiding some of the inefficiencies associated with large public REIT structures.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Surrounding yourself with experienced investors helps accelerate learning and improve decision-making. </span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: black;">Lane Kawaoka owns 10,000+ rental units and leads the “Hui Deal Pipeline Club,” which has acquired over $2.1B+ of real estate by syndicating $200 million+ of private equity since 2016. He has returned over $ 45 million to his investors through distributions.</span></p><p><span style="color: black;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: black;">Lane uses his Engineering degree to reverse-engineer wealth-building strategies the rich use in the Top-50 Investing Podcast,&nbsp;The Wealth Elevator.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong style="color: black;">Connect With Lane:</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="https://thewealthelevator.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://thewealthelevator.com/</a></p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thewealthelevator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/thewealthelevator/</a></p><p>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewealthelevator/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/thewealthelevator/</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="color: black;">If you’re adopting AI quickly but revenue isn’t increasing, the issue might not be your tools; it may be your roadmap.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode of <em>Sharkpreneur</em>, Seth Greene interviews <span style="color: black;">Apryl Syed, CEO of ApetureCodex, who led three product lines at Sage and later worked on conversion strategies with enterprise brands through Bloomreach, including clients like Staples, Gap, Neiman Marcus, and Williams-Sonoma. She explains how to build an AI-enabled growth roadmap that combines people and automation, enhances the customer journey from “trial to wow,” and delivers measurable revenue growth without copying what everyone else is doing.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Using the same AI as everyone else produces the same results.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Some team members excel in rapid change, while others find it challenging. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Identifying where customers reach the “wow” moment helps you eliminate friction in the user journey. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">After refining the product journey, improve ad targeting, then optimize landing pages and message-match. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Higher leader volume doesn’t matter if the process and onboarding can’t convert and retain the right customers. </span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: black;">Apryl Syed is the CEO of ApertureCodex, a growth and innovation consultancy based in the San Francisco Bay Area. As founder, she helps technical founders see their businesses from multiple perspectives—enhancing sales, marketing, customer success, fundraising, and leadership—so they can bridge the gap between technical skills and business knowledge and grow sustainably. Previously at Sage, Apryl managed three product lines with full P&amp;L responsibility, including sales, support, customer success, marketing, product direction, and development, and led the NPS program across Sage North America. She later led Marketing and Customer Success at Blytheco (Sage’s largest U.S. partner), launched the Bellwether business magazine, developed sales onboarding, and coached teams to close million-dollar deals for manufacturers and distributors. At Bloomreach, she collaborated with enterprise brands like Staples, Neiman Marcus, and Gap to improve digital commerce performance. She also publishes Think Like a CEO and The Founder’s Edge.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong style="color: black;">Connect With Apryl:</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="https://www.apeturecodex.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.apeturecodex.com/</a> </p><p>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aprylsyedcoach/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/aprylsyedcoach/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprylsyed/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprylsyed/</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="color: black;">If buyers don’t care about your product story, how do you meet them where they are and still drive revenue growth?</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode of <em>Sharkpreneur</em>, Seth Greene interviews <span style="color: black;">Brent Keltner, Ph.D., Founder and President of Winalytics LLC, who leverages his experience leading marketing and sales teams and achieving multiple growth results to explain why most go-to-market efforts fail: they begin with the seller, not the buyer. He explains how to establish a “journey-first” approach that allows buying committees to self-educate, aligns internal teams around a shared value proposition, and turns discovery into the engine that drives real revenue growth.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Most teams talk about themselves first, but buyers care more about what is in it for them.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">A strong value proposition starts with the outcome the buyer wants.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">The best value propositions connect product value, business value, and enterprise value. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Buyers prefer to educate themselves, so companies should give them clear ways to learn at their own pace. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Discovery should be a major part of the sales process because it helps build support across the buying committee. </span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: black;">Brent Keltner, Ph.D., is President of Winalytics LLC and the creator of Winalytics’ Journey First Growth methodology. Winalytics helps mid-market and enterprise clients accelerate account-based B2B growth. The team has expertise in various industries, including education, human capital, healthcare, and SaaS.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: black;">Before starting Winalytics, Brent expanded growth as a revenue leader at four different companies. He began his career as a Ph.D. social scientist at Stanford University and the RAND Corporation. His first book was the&nbsp;Revenue Acceleration Playbook. He has published articles on marketing and sales strategy in&nbsp;MarketingProfs, CEOWorld, the&nbsp;Sloan Management Review, the&nbsp;California Management Review, and&nbsp;Sales and Marketing Magazine.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong style="color: black;">Connect With Brent:</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="http://winalytics.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://winalytics.com/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/winalytics-llc/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/winalytics-llc/</a></p>

<p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Many businesses obsess over getting more leads, but the real growth happens in what you do after the click.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In this episode of Sharkpreneur, Seth Greene interviews Michael Elliot, Founder of Adtrain, who discusses how he built a seven-figure PPC agency starting with just $3,000 in the bank and no safety net. Drawing from his experience with depression, high-risk entrepreneurship, and rapid agency growth, Michael explains what most businesses get wrong about paid traffic, lead follow-up, and data attribution. This episode provides a candid look at how conversion rate optimization, automation, and honest operational discipline turn ad spend into real, scalable revenue.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Key Takeaways:</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">→ The greatest ROI improvements usually occur after the click, not from attracting more traffic.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">→ Broken attribution and dirty data result in expensive, misleading decisions.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">→ Quick lead responses greatly boost conversion rates.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">→ Automation is most effective when it first addresses key business processes.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">→ AI tools are only useful when connected to fundamentals, not just shiny objects.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Michael Elliott is an expert in turning paid media and AI into systems that deliver predictable revenue. With 14 years of experience, he’s renowned for transforming messy ad accounts, vague funnels, and operational bottlenecks into clean, scalable engines that founders can rely on. A Google Premier Partner and top 1% Upwork freelancer, Michael has managed £1.5M/month in ad spend, generated £67M+ in client revenue, and built multiple seven-figure businesses across advertising, AI automation, and the holiday-home industry.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> Michael’s AI-driven systems have helped companies generate 600–800 leads per month with just one salesperson, leveraging workflows that streamline operations and accelerate response time. His approach focuses on adopting AI in ways that directly impact profit, such as improving qualification, routing, and follow-up—rather than getting distracted by flashy tools. Michael leaves audiences with actionable steps to apply immediately, helping them maximize their ROI.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Connect With Michael:</span></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Website:</span><a href="https://adtrain.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);"> https://adtrain.co.uk/</a></p><p><span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

<p><span style="color: black;">What if the book you’ve been putting off is already hidden inside the conversations you’ve recorded?</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>In this episode of <em>Sharkpreneur</em>, Seth Greene interviews <span style="color: black;">Sheila Slick, founder of Five Milestones and creator of the PodToBook.ai platform, who shares how entrepreneurs, podcasters, and experts can become published authors without starting from a blank page. Drawing on her background as a software developer and business consultant, Sheila outlines her five-step process for transforming audio content into polished, AI-assisted books that build authority, drive ROI, and preserve legacy. With more than 80 experts already guided from raw conversations to published works, this episode reveals a faster, smarter path to turning content into a tangible business asset.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">If you record podcasts, webinars, or calls, you already have the raw material for a book.&nbsp;</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Audio content eliminates the biggest friction point in writing: the blank page. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">AI-assisted publishing works best when paired with human editing and revision.</span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Repurposing content can reduce book creation from months to days. </span></p><p><strong style="color: black;">→ </strong><span style="color: black;">Publishing a book can drive ROI through authority, speaking engagements, and client acquisition. </span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span style="color: black;">Sheila Slick, MS, is the Founder of Five Milestones and creator of PodToBook.ai, an AI-powered platform that transforms podcast episodes into professionally structured book manuscripts in 2-3 hours. Since launching, she's helped publish 80+ authors and is a two-time Amazon bestselling author, having authored "Momentum: Daily Practices to Build Your Business &amp; Thrive" and co-authored five books. As Past Chair of SCORE Volusia Flagler County, she mentored over 1,000 small business owners. With over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and a Master's in Leadership, Sheila provides strategic business consulting and publishing services while hosting the "Milestone Moments in Business and Leadership" podcast.</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong style="color: black;">Connect With Sheila:</strong></p><p>Website: <a href="https://fivemilestones.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://fivemilestones.com/</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaslick/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheilaslick/</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p>