The Columbus Chamber and CD102.5 have partnered to bring the first business-themed podcast to Columbus. During cbuzz, host and local comedian Dan Swartwout will speak with local business owners and entrepreneurs and allow them to tell their story and highlight their organization, while further inspiring the entrepreneurial spirit that is buzzing in the city.
Ryan Frederick realizing that the corporate world just wasn’t for him has given Columbus a successful software development company with a 21-year history and a champion for the startup community giving back through the likes of Startup Grind, i.c.stars, <BLK hack> and more.
Frederick is principal of AWH.
“We’re a custom software development firm so we build software products for clients mostly on the web and mobile these days,” he says.
The software development firm has successfully worked with startups to enterprise companies since its inception in 1995. Whether it’s starting with a blank slate for a startup or improving efficiencies more up stream, “There is always a problem that a new software application or product is trying to solve and trying to address,” Frederick says.
He’s using his success in the industry to not only provide value to his clients, but to the entrepreneurial community. It’s a lesson in karma – provide that value, get that value back. If you have the experience and the knowledge, there’s an obligation to share it.
Initiatives like Startup Grind are using the stories of many successful entrepreneurs to further inspire and educate the next startup generation.
During the fireside-style chats, “I become better and more knowledgeable as a result, too, from having that conversation with them for an hour,” Frederick says.
He likes to focus on the personal side of building a business, the struggle – not just the positive synopsis of an organization that’s so easy to find online.
“Success doesn’t equal less anxiety, less stress, less problems, they are just different, and in some cases they are more catastrophic, as the company gets bigger,” Frederick says.
During the podcast, Frederick discusses other elements of running a successful business.
“A key to being a successful entrepreneur and founder is self-awareness,” he says. “You have to understand why you think the way you think; why you react the way that you do; what you’re good at; what you’re not good at; what you enjoy; what you don’t enjoy.”
Find out how a small-town kid from upstate New York landed in Columbus, hear more of Frederick’s journey from number to founder, and why there’s no other place than Columbus in the full podcast below.
Never miss a cbuzz podcast! Visit the Columbus Chamber website for more great stories and advice from local business owners.
In the latest, J.J. Rodeheffer of Zipline Logistics shares his story.
To subscribe to cbuzz on iTunes, click here.
To subscribe to cbuzz on Sound Cloud, click here.
