Built from Scratch
Welcome to Built from Scratch, a podcast hosted by Erik Libby, CEO and founder of the To-Do Dudes. On this show, Erik shares key lessons from his entrepreneurial journey and highlights the stories of entrepreneurs and business professionals who are all under 30. Built from Scratch is dedicated to spotlighting the next generation of leaders ready to change the world.
Episodes
49 episodes
5 Steps to Pick the Right Hire (Before It’s Too Late)
Do you ever finish an interview and still wonder, “Should I hire them?”I’ve been confident one moment, second-guessing the next.In this episode, I walk through the 5-step process we now follow at To-Do Dudes to confidently choose ...
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Episode 49
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17:05
7 Steps to Building & Launching Systems
In this episode, I walk through the real-world framework I use to build and launch internal systems from scratch.We’re covering:Defining the actual goal (and not doing too much at once)Creating without scope creep
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Episode 48
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13:08
dcdx: Andrew Roth (26)
Andrew is an Ohio native and the founder of dcdx, a branding agency he went all‑in on in 2020 when his senior‑year internship at Vanderbilt was canceled.In the five years since, he’s helped build magnetic, Gen Z‑focused brands for Spotif...
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Episode 47
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45:17
Niche, Numbers & Nurturing
I finally did it! After nearly two months of late nights, caffeine runs, and endless tabs, our “holy grail” data sheet is live. In this episode, I pull back the curtain on how I wrestled scattered spreadsheets, CRMs, and support tickets into on...
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Episode 46
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13:38
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Memos: Q2, 2025
In this episode, I share raw entrepreneurial reflections from memos I kept in April, May, and June. You’ll hear unfiltered thoughts on:How coffee has surprisingly affected meChoosing between logical and emotional decisions<...
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Episode 45
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32:04
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Opal.ai: Cole Smith (28)
Originally from St. Pete, Florida, Cole is the founder of Opal, a mental health AI platform built to support therapists and patients. He began his career in machine learning after earning a Master’s in Computer Science from NYU. From the...
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Episode 44
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52:54
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5 Lessons from 22 Pitches
“You gave a great pitch… but did anyone actually buy?”After 22 live presentations in just 6 months, I realized there’s a big difference between presenting and converting.In this episode of Built From Scratch
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Episode 43
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8:11
3 Lessons After Meeting with Mentors
After five mentor sessions, I committed to morning deep-work sprints and uncovered three key insights:It always takes longer than you plan (Hofstadter’s Law in action)A cleared calendar is the fastest route to foc...
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Episode 42
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11:12
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Deep Work = Faster Progress
How blocking full days for deep work—like my ongoing Excel sprint—beats endless multitasking.How Adam Grant, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Jobs eliminated distractions and embraced the process.I’ll share my Wednesday deep-focus routine, ...
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Episode 41
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11:28
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Enttor: Leo Zhang (20)
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Leo’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2020 when he co-founded a nonprofit called Notzr while still in high school. During that time, he scaled to over 50 classes internationally and brought the platform into 20...
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Episode 40
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35:45
Asic Jungle: Charles Wissa (29)
Originally from Montreal, Canada, Charles began his entrepreneurial journey in 2020 when he founded a platform for buying and selling crypto mining hardware—just two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.His interest in crypto mining st...
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Episode 39
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44:16
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5 Lessons in 5 Years
The To-Do Dudes has officially turned five. What started out as yard work for my grandmother has turned into an operation with 36 team members, over 3,000 homeowners served, 7,000+ projects completed, and more than 500 five-star reviews on Goog...
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Episode 38
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19:05
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First Love: Sharuka Suthaharan (27)
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Sharuka’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2020, when she and her sister Navina turned a sewing machine and a passion for self-care into First Love—a brand rooted in fashion, wellness, and advocacy....
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Episode 37
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38:44
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What We Got Wrong (and Right) About Hiring
From hiring friends to building scorecards and screening 120+ applicants — here’s how our hiring and onboarding process evolved across field and admin roles. What we got wrong, what we fixed, and what you can steal to make your next hire your b...
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Episode 36
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20:58
7 Steps to Launching Your Business Today
This episode is for the entrepreneur at day one. After reflecting on my own journey, I’ve identified 7 key steps that helped me finally gain traction and move from idea to action. It took me a long time to figure things out — but my hope is tha...
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Episode 35
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17:02
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Storage Scholars: Matt Gronberg (26)
Originally from Massachusetts, Matt dreamed of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.He started hustling early, launching a car detailing business at 13, proving his sales skills at 14 by selling a record-breaking 88 football booster cards, and...
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Episode 34
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46:07
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Lessons on Project Management
We're currently experiencing a period of growth at The To-Do Dudes as we begin expanding into new markets. With that, the challenges of project management have become more complex. What worked last year will not continue to work this year.<...
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Episode 33
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17:39
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Getting your First Customers
In this episode, I talk about going from zero customers to a few customers during our Daytona Beach expansion. Using Alex Hormozi’s strategy of his “Core Four” to get customers, I show how we have adopted this for our customer acquisition strat...
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Episode 32
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18:45
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Memos: Q1, 2025
This episode is a bit different. As I reflect on Q1 of 2025, I’ve pulled together unfiltered audio memos and videos from throughout the quarter. To keep things raw and authentic, I only removed pauses to make your listening experience smoother....
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Episode 31
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11:13
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Setting your Quarterly Goals
In this video I will talk about goal setting that took us from a failing company losing money, to hitting our first profitable year in 2024 with an even better outlook for 2025.
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Episode 30
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19:42
SharpStakes: Shubs Kaushal (22)
Originally from Canada, Shubs graduated from the Ivey Business School and began his career in Mergers & Acquisitions and Innovation Banking. He was also part of the founding team of a Y Combinator-backed startup.Now, Shubs is the Co-...
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Episode 29
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38:09
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How I Plan for an Effective Week
Is your week filled with distractions, an unorganized schedule, or, worse, no clear plan at all?In this episode, I break down my Sunday strategy for setting up a productive week. With a few simple adjustments, I’ve seen a big improvement...
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Episode 28
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10:49
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Five Founders on Hiring Employee #1
Five Founders on Hiring Employee #1In this episode, I sit down with five entrepreneurs under 30 to discuss their experiences hiring their first full-time employee. These founders come from diverse industries, including food, collectibles...
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Episode 27
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48:23
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