BEN BOT Archives - Ben McDougal

Break Ground

Dan Knoup and Brandon Patterson lead the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines. We break ground by hearing how these two leaders got into residential construction. We then hit on the hands-on nature of entrepreneurs who start (or acquire) a skilled trade or home building business.

After the break, we explore the tech-flavored frontiers of the home building industry, like AI in construction, online tools to enhance collaboration, smart homes, material science, and evolving talent. We then talk about how membership-based organizations can stay vibrant to deliver what’s needed now, while staying creative in ways members will appreciate later. We finish the job by discussing residential vs. commercial construction, how teams can build together, ways new founders can break into the home building industry, and fresh ways to keep us all building.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://dsmhba.com

https://iowaskilledtrades.com

https://hbi.org

Roasted Reflections Break: Perpetual

http://Break-Ground.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

EP34 – Measured Twice 🎙️ Ryan Glick

EP83 – Prognostication 🎙️ Ehrich Pakala

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

YDNTP on YouTube

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 5 months ago July 2, 2025

You Don't Need This Podcast

Paving Paths

Eric Engelmann builds stuff. Let’s cheers to this leader’s early entrepreneurial experiences and the origins of so many projects (see bonus materials) that have paved different paths for fellow founders. We also discuss when teams need to raise financial capital and how to manage a board of advisors, then explore leveraging large clients, finding co-founders in a startup community, and being honest with the end game in mind.

After the break, we hear how Eric wants to be remembered and riff on if everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit. We celebrate co-founders in life, articulate venture studios, deal flow as an investor, the importance of computer science in education, and avoiding burnout within the long-term realm of evolving entrepreneurial ecosystems.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://x.com/ericengelmann

https://geonetric.com

https://newbo.co

https://isaventures.com

https://novyventures.com

http://Paving-Paths.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Pain Relievers vs. Vitamins

https://entrefest.com

EP9 – Future of Work 🎙️ Nancy Mwirotsi

EP17 – Schoolhouse Rock 🎙️🎞️ Anika Yadav

EP30 – Exit Ramps 🎙️ Brian Crotty

EP77 – Problem Solving – Gerald Beranek

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 5 months ago July 11, 2025

You Don't Need This Podcast

Surfing Early Moves

Based in Lincoln, Nebraska, Devon Seacrest is a tech founder who helps entrepreneurs surf through early moves that test the desirability, feasibly, and profitability of new ideas.

He visiting Des Moines to lead the discussion at a web3dsm gathering, leveled up with an unplanned pinball lesson, and presenting at 1MC Des Moines the next morning. We then hit the studio to talk about ways a minimum viable product (“MVP”) can activate the smallest viable audience and how to support progress with ongoing usability testing.

After a narrated break, Ben and Devon think through digitized consciousness and riff on the entrepreneurial lifestyle. For companies that have technical products, we share how communication patterns help to translate sophisticated concepts in ways that will resonate. These two technologists close by sharing creative ways to find co-founders and encourage us all to enjoy the journey of this magnificent marathon.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://CodeBuddy.com

CodeBuddy Library

https://youtube.com/@CodeBuddyTV

http://Surfing-Early-Moves.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Early Moves

EP21 – Pinball Wizards 🎙️ Ben Sinclair

https://BenMcDougal.com/linear

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 6 months ago May 27, 2025

You Don't Need This Podcast

Cartoonist

Nathan T. Wright is an artist. He has origins in the early days of social media, made impact inside corporate marketing, and now illustates remarkable art with drawings, cartoons, murals, and more. Ben and Nathan jam on The Adventures of Fatberg, the early (fun) days of social media, the speeds in-house at a large company, leading a creative process with clients, real skills for studying the arts, and understanding the business of being a full-time artist.

After the break that features a reading of Aphorism, Nathan and Ben dive back in by talking graphic recording at live events, the positive tension of smart cartoons, and extending value by reformatting great content into books. EP90 of YDNTP is an absolute bop – share with a friend!

EXTRA SHOT

Nathan T. Wright is the friend who illustrated the mug that has become part of a brand that is Ben McDougal.

What started as the caffeinated, community-driven cover art for You Don’t Need This Book, now extends through the Roasted Reflections NFT Collection, imprinted phygital clothing, the front of tiny ideabooks, temporary tattoos, a huge neon sign, and of course, the artwork for this timeless podcast! Cheers to this episode and another shared relic that keeps the fun brewing!

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://nathantwright.com

The Adventures of Fatberg

https://etsy.com/shop/ntwillustration

City of Santa Ana FOG Activity Book

Roasted Reflections Break: Aphorism

https://NewYorker.com/latest/cartoons

http://Cartoonist.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://MainframeStudios.org

EP21 – Pinball Wizards 🎙️ Ben Sinclair

EP44 – Do What You Love 🎙️ Scotty Russell

EP55 – Inextinguishable Light 🎙️ Jim Morgan

EP60 – Goosebumps 🎙️ Nic Roth

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

https://BenMcDougal.com/NFT

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 6 months ago May 14, 2025

You Don't Need This Podcast

Prognostication

Ehrich Pakala is a mathematician, software engineer, and founder who uses machine learning to unlock data-driven understandings. His team at Emigrait leverages insight to find future home buyers and sellers for real estate professionals.

While they play chess in-studio, hear Ben and Ehrich chat about avoiding the measurement trap, Ehrich’s favorite math equation, machine learning, and predictive modeling in real estate. The nerdery continues with mathematics in the real world, then Ben narrates an exponential writing.

After the break, Ehrich writes a haiku in real-time and climbs through thoughts from atop the mountain. EP83 continues with stories from inside the Iowa Techstars Accelerator, communicating complicated products, and what people look for when it comes to their new home. We finish with thoughts on polyhedrons, infinity, and beyond.

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BONUS MATERIALS

https://Emigrait.com

https://linkedin.com/in/ehrichpakala

Techstars Iowa Accelerator Demo Day

http://Prognostication.YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

Roasted Reflections Break: Linear

EP6 – Computer Vision(ary) 🎙️ Brad Dwyer

EP22 – BioMathemAttorney 🎙️ Cassie Edgar

EP29 – Borderless 🎙️ Kerty Levy

EP34 – Measured Twice 🎙️ Ryan Glick

http://YouDontNeedThisPodcast.com

A Trip to Inifinity (Netflix)

How to Win at Chess

http://BENBOT.ai

By Ben McDougal, 8 months ago March 26, 2025

Ben McDougal is an energized friend, author, founder, technologist, and community builder in the connected era.

Ben has been called a polymath. He evolves ideas into reality and accelerates others through the art of connection. Check out the innovations this leader has activated over time!

You’ve likely met Ben over a brew, read his writings, listened to his podcast, watched his films, or heard him speak. Along with being an intrapreneur, founder, and community leader, You Don’t Need This Book was published in 2021. The literary journey continued as 3 years of weekly writings evolved into the Roasted Reflections library and paved a path toward an all-new format coming soon. You Don’t Need This Podcast has also emerged as a remarkable collection of 100 timeless episodes, all recorded in-studio with remarkable featured guests!

The quest that is FliteBrite also remains a compelling part of Ben’s work as a founder. Since 2012, their electronic serving system and beer festival app have ignited new opportunities for craft breweries and event organizers. This tasty story continues with fun, friendships, successes, learnings, and more fun, every step of the build.

Alongside his ventures, Ben caffeinates a nationwide movement called 1 Million Cups. After leading 1MC Des Moines for 5 years, Ben has collaborated inside the Kauffman Foundation, as @1MCMidwest Regional Rep since 2017. What glorious collisions, with generous leaders, in countless communities. Ben loves this role brewed to connect and support 1MC organizers from 100+ communities throughout the United States!

When it comes to nationwide efforts, Ben also had the privilege of teaming up with Techstars as an Entrepreneur in Residence and Ecosystem Builder. Investing 2021-2023 to build through the Iowa Techstars Accelerator was fantastic. That marketing-flavored, community building, culture, and founder-support role allowed Ben to continue accelerating inspired entrepreneurs… while connecting mentors and investors worldwide.

Such experiential wisdom is translated into BENergy to energize different audiences. For example, You Don’t Need This Keynote activates students, while other workshops and keynotes accelerate fellow founders, side hustlers, and intrapreneurs.

While this is a delightful amuse-bouche, the full story is linked below and his creative museum visualizes work that feels like play. As you’ll see, Ben also enjoys travel, golf, EDM expeditions, reading, Seth Godin, philosophy, wine, craft beer, pinball, and spending treasured time with his wife and daughter. May the best of your todays, be the worst of your tomorrows. Cheers!

FULL STORY