In this episode of 5Q's, host Michael Greenberg (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentoftech/) talks to Zander Barth (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanderbarth/), Director of Colophon New Media, a web development and marketing agency with 18 remote team members. His hiring philosophy flips conventional wisdom: personality and culture fit first, credentials last. His most recent hire had never touched a website backend but had spent two years teaching himself development by building random weekend projects. Zander also explains why intrinsic motivation and willingness to get your hands dirty matter more than experience, especially as AI reshapes what agency work looks like.

The 5 Q's:

(3:19) What's the latest thing you've learned?

(6:46) What's a business bet you're making right now?

(12:18) What's one thing you think everyone should know?

(14:33) Who are you grateful for at the moment?

(17:59) What's your biggest challenge right now?

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Connect with Michael Greenberg here;

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentoftech/

https://www.3rdbrain.co/

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Connect with Zander Barth here;

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zanderbarth/

https://www.cnmwebsite.com/

In this episode of 5Q's, host Michael Greenberg (https://x.com/gentoftech) interviews Rameel Sheikh (https://x.com/ramshe1000), discussing his journey from bootstrapped companies to creating a successful newsletter and his insights on content creation, distribution, and balancing work and personal life.

Rameel Sheikh is the former COO of Y Combinator company First Base, founder of The Bottleneck, a newsletter for CLOs, operational execs, and senior managers, and creator of Cornerstone, a vetted community of COOs, VPs, and heads of operations.

[00:00] Introduction and Rameel's background

[03:30] The Bottleneck newsletter

[05:45] Latest learning: Market running after the product

[08:30] Business bet: Content to SaaS or data information product

[11:15] Living in tier-one cities: blessing and curse

[14:30] Gratitude for family and reprioritizing life

[18:00] Challenges in balancing work, family, and health

[20:45] Wrapping up and contact information

[21:30] Discussion on project management vs. operations roles

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Connect with Michael Greenberg here;

https://x.com/gentoftech

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentoftech/

https://www.3rdbrain.co/

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Connect with Rameel Sheikh here;

https://x.com/ramshe1000

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rameel-sheikh/

In this episode of 5Q's, host Michael Greenberg (https://x.com/gentoftech) interviews Nik Hulewsky (https://x.com/cofoundersnik), who shares insights on modern industrialism, building an audience, and the challenges of transitioning between industries.

Nik is a former healthcare entrepreneur who has transitioned into the digital space. Nik is currently exploring digital businesses and building an online audience.

[00:00] Introduction and Nik's background in healthcare

[02:45] Nik's interpretation of being a modern industrialist

[06:30] Nik's current ventures and transition to digital businesses

[10:15] Discussion on crypto mining business challenges

[14:30] Latest learning: Setting up a podcast studio and observing similarities with his sons

[17:00] Business bet: Building an audience as a future competitive advantage

[18:45] The importance of effective communication skills

[20:00] Gratitude for his wife's support in his entrepreneurial journey

[21:15] Current challenge: Balancing exploration with tangible results

[22:30] The value of curiosity and asking questions

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Connect with Michael Greenberg here;

https://x.com/gentoftech

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gentoftech/

https://www.3rdbrain.co/

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Connect with Nikolas Hulewsky here;

https://x.com/cofoundersnik

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikolas-hulewsky-617b132a/