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Bill Balderaz is the founder and CEO of Futurety, an Inc. 5000 data analytics and marketing consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio. In this episode, Bill shares how he went from a small town in rural Ohio to building multiple companies, pioneering SEO before Google even existed, and creating HUCKLE, a platform that democratizes consumer data for businesses that could never afford it before. From catastrophic hires to core values that actually stick, this conversation is packed with lessons on building through relationships, hiring around your weaknesses, and what it really means to stay relentlessly forward.

CONNECT WITH BILL
🌐 https://futurety.com/
🌐 https://huckleinsights.com/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/balderaz/

CONNECT WITH ANDY
🌐 https://www.mmgdesign.net/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/
📸 https://www.instagram.com/mindfulmilligan/

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
03:31 - A grocery store, roller skates, and the seed of entrepreneurship
06:38 - The real driver behind high-performing founders
08:49 - Why Midwest entrepreneurs have a chip on their shoulder
11:24 - Three CEOs who gave Bill a seat at the table too early
15:37 - The four core values that run everything at Futurety
20:30 - When bad hires force you to write it all down
30:35 - What gets a seasoned founder excited about Monday morning
34:44 - Being first to SEO, first to AI, and the pattern behind it
36:00 - A textbook company and a telemedicine startup that both failed
38:18 - The most honest take on higher education you'll hear this year
48:25 - How Bill made sure "no matter who won, we won"
56:54 - Cowboys, sheriffs, and why your first four hires matter

TEAM

🎙 Host // Andy Milligan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmgdesign/
🎥 Production // MMG Design: https://www.mmgdesign.net/
🤝 Powered by // AMA Columbus: https://amacolumbus.org and our friends at COHATCH (Get 2 free weeks of premium coworking, on us) https://www.cohatch.com/mbd