UW Stevens Point Archives - COMMUNITY BUILDER

You Don't Need This Podcast

Blurring Lines

Welcome back to Wisconsin! Ben McDougal was visiting UW Stevens Point to deliver You Don’t Need This Keynote at the 2024 Think Like an Entrepreneur event. As part of a wonderful whirlwind, he visited a local coworking and makerspace to record this special “In The Wild” episode.

Kevin Neuman leads the way as Assistant Dean within the Sentry School of Business and Economics at UW Stevens Point, while Christopher Klesmith is the Neighborhood Planner at the City of Stevens Point. Special thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Martin for coordinating such a unique collision between ecosystem allies!

Together, we discuss how placemaking connects with higher education and how entrepreneurial ecosystems can integrate students. We also celebrate agility within the future of work, ask what is school for, discuss collaboration between educational institutions, and close by solving the power paradox. EP54 is a timeless reminder for those who are blurring the lines between the classroom and community, which paints a reality that activates innovative ways for leaders to interface with the world.

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By Ben McDougal, 7 monthsJune 12, 2024 ago

You Don't Need This Podcast

Now & Later

Welcome to Wisconsin! Ben McDougal was visiting UW Stevens Point to deliver You Don’t Need This Keynote at the 2024 Think Like an Entrepreneur event. As part of a wonderful whirlwind, he jumped into a local recording studio with two local leaders at different stages in life.

Evan Stanislawski is a recent graduate of UWSP, while Matt Vollmer did the same 10 years ago. After a traditional start to his career, Matt is now an adjunct professor and the CEO of Arbré Technologies, which enables data to help the horticulture industry track the lifecycle of plants. Evan is making a ruckus in vintage clothing, while also turning a wrench in the family plumbing business, which may lead to business succession opportunities.

Together, we chat about building on the timeline of now, while staying patient to make better business decisions. We also jam on real skills, diversified career portfolios, activating digital depth, and how the non-linear path toward success often includes combinations of achievement and lasting fulfillment.

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By Ben McDougal, 7 monthsJune 5, 2024 ago

Ben McDougal is an author, founder, technologist, and entrepreneurial ecosystem 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!

2004 | Iowa 3v3 Soccer Challenge <SOLD>
2006 | Jet Set Studio
2007 | The Hunt Zone <SOLD>
2012 | FliteBrite
2020 | OpenOpen
2020 | Pour Over Publishing
2021 | You Don’t Need This Book
2022 | NFT Collection
2022 | web3dsm
2023 | BEN BOT
2023 | You Don’t Need This Podcast
2024 | Collector Hardback Edition
2025 | now brewing – let’s chat

You’ve likely met Ben or heard him speak.

You Don’t Need This Podcast has been the place to enjoy a podcast every Wednesday morning for a while now! McDougal’s latest creation unites 80+ timeless episodes, each with featured guests in-studio! Listen and watch as leaders brew through the fabrics of an entrepreneurial lifestyle. The content creation never stops either. 160+ writings are now minted into Roasted Reflections. This library is a literary journey for the mind and could present a compelling path toward an all-new format coming soon.

Shifting gears, the quest that is FliteBrite remains compelling and an active part of Ben’s journey as a founder. Since 2012, their electronic serving system and beer festival app have created tech-infused paths for craft breweries and event organizers. This tasty story continues to be written, 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 now collaborates with the Kauffman Foundation as the @1MCMidwest Regional Rep. He’s been making a ruckus in this position for over 5 years. What glorious collision, with endless generous 1MC organizers, in countless entrepreneurial ecosystems. Ben loves this leadership role brewed to connect and support 1MC organizers from 100+ communities throughout the Midwest and nationwide!

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 from around the globe.

Such experiential wisdom is translated into BENergy as McDougal speaks with a variety of different audiences. For example, You Don’t Need This Keynote activates students, while other talks accelerate young professionals, founders, side hustlers, and intrapreneurs. Watch fantastic examples here, then let’s chat about your next event, keynote speaker ideas, workshop collaborations, and/or entrepreneurial initiatives.

There’s so much more too. The full story is linked below and a spacious museum will keep you appreciating work that feels like play. As you’ll see through stories, 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!

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