About the show
Looking Beyond With Michael Sikand is a time capsule for Michael's early years of building his brand, Our Future, through a series of high-energy interviews he conducted with business executives and startup founders as a 20-year-old University of Michigan student. Michael ended up pivoting to becoming a short video content creator and built Our Future into a media company he sold to Morning Brew at age 22. In 2022, Michael was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list in media.
Episodes
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#119 Listener of the Week: Aaron Gill, 16-Year-Old Student is Obsessed with Mindset
February 28th, 2021 | 10 mins
Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the fourth-ever episode in this series and #119 listeners hear from Aaron Gill, an Our Future superfan, a high school student from the UK, and a voracious consumer of knowledge. Aaron discussses how he listened to 97 episodes of Our Future in one weekend, why he's addicted to growth and learning, and how he's looking at his future.
Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3_rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QM_iI/edit?usp=sharing
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#118 The King of TikTok Selling with Grant Telford, 22-Year-Old Entrepreneur and Founder of The Backyard Athlete
February 26th, 2021 | 13 mins 34 secs
In #118 futurists learn from Grant Telford, the 22-year-old founder of The Backyard Athlete, an outdoor products/sports startup that has gone completely viral on TikTok and generated a die-hard community of customers. When I first discovered Grant a month ago he was at just over 100K followers on TikTok, and now he's at 370K, growing through his hilarious, entertaining videos of his products, and more recently a skit called "The Best Hands on TikTok" where Grant lathers his hands with a slippery lubricant and catches a football with one hand. Grant has created a business out of TikTok, and his sports product, most notably the Backyard Chip has been purchased by over 20,000 people. It's crazy what Grant has built and it's clear how passionate he is about the unique brand he's created! Don't miss this wild interview with a crazy Gen Z founder.
Follow The Backyard Athlete on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebackyardathlete?source=h5_m
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#117 Our Future Careers in Consulting: Pascal Cévaër-Corey, Stanford '18, Ex-McKinsey, Co-Founder of Pave Finance
February 24th, 2021 | 14 mins 40 secs
In #117, futurists learn about a career in consulting (and a founder story) with Pascal Cévaër-Corey, a graduate of Stanford University who spent two years as an analyst at McKinsey & Company's NYC HQ, working on over 16 projects across industries like telecom, banking, airplane manufacturing, and even healthcare. Pascal graduated his senior year of college with offers from BCG, Uber, in addition to McKinsey, and has several impressive internships under his belt which include Tom Ford and Gap Inc., and he shares some powerful career advice and insights from his experiences as a young professional. Now he's founding a fintech company called Pave Finance. Pascal's vision for Pave is delivering hedge fund style wealth management to retail investors through a mobile app, a market experience that has long been reserved for insitutitional invesotrs.
Sign up for Pave Finance's non-binding waitlist: https://www.pavefinance.com/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter to join our community of young entrepreneurs at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-future/id1511226610
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#116 Disrupting Beverage Through Brand with Hugh Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder of Ugly Drinks
February 22nd, 2021 | 16 mins 27 secs
In #116, futurists learn from Hugh Thomas, CEO & Co-Founder of Ugly Drinks, a CPG drinks startup he founded in London in 2016 after a long stint working at major beverage companies. Hugh was sick of a world where big brands were marketing pure sugar concoctions and telling an aspirational story about consuming unhealthy products. To disrupt the status quo, Hugh launched Ugly Drinks, which aims to bring transparency to the beverage market through zero-sugar, zero-calorie carbonated drinks delivered DTC with buzzy, retro-styled packaging and gorgeous marketing. Since launching the company in the UK, Ugly has expanded into the U.S. and despite having a strong focus on DTC subscriptions, is available in retail locations! In this episode, Hugh discusses why he was crazy enough to launch the company, some of the wacky flavors he's thinking about like Pizza and Rain, and shares powerful lessons on the entrepreneurial journey. Don't miss this bubbly episode.
A lucky Our Future listener is getting one free month of Ugly Drinks delivered to their doorstep. To be considered to win, repost this episode on your Instagram story and tag @ourfuturehq and @uglydrinks! Winners will be announced this week.
Follow Hugh on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uglyhugh/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter to join our community of young entrepreneurs at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#115 Listener of the Week: Rebecca Ma, MSU Student, Former Supply Chain Intern at Kellogg's and Incoming Supply Chain Intern at Microsoft
February 20th, 2021 | 9 mins 37 secs
Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the third-ever episode in this series and #115 listeners hear from Rebecca Ma, a big fan of Our Future, a student at MSU, a former Supply Chain Intern at Kellogg's, and an incoming Supply Chain Intern at Microsoft. Rebecca discusses why she's passionate about the supply chain industry and how she went about recruiting the awesome internships she has been able to land.
Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3_rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QM_iI/edit?usp=sharing
Connect with Rebecca on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marebecc/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#114 10 C's of Leadership w/ Cheri Alexander, Former Executive Director of Global HR at General Motors, Faculty at Michigan Ross
February 16th, 2021 | 13 mins 21 secs
In #114, listeners hear from Cheri Alexander, Former Executive Director of Global HR at General Motors and Faculty at Michigan Ross, about her 10 C's of Leadership framework she has developed as a world-renowned thought leader in the executive education space and how they apply to young professionals as they begin their journeys as global leaders and change-makers. In this episode you'll learn the ingredients for successful leadership, no matter what stage you at in your career or startup, don't miss this one!
Connect with Cheri on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheri-alexander-36859710/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#113 Influencer Marketing Masterclass w/ Ian Borthwick, Senior Director of Influencer Channels at Seatgeek
February 15th, 2021 | 18 mins 59 secs
In #113, listeners hear from Ian Borthwick, Senior Director of Influencer Channels at Seatgeek, the mobile-focused ticketing platform that’s known for helping people find great seats at mega events, but maybe even more so for their strokes in genius in influencer marketing. Ian has propelled Seatgeek to the highest level of the public conscious through some of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns, most famously with superstar David Dobrik (a Ferrari may or may not be included). Enjoy this mini masterclass on influencer marketing.
Follow Ian on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianrborthwick
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#112 Listener of the Week, Milan Ehrhardt, 20-Year-Old Student Entrepreneur and Host of Foundrs House
February 13th, 2021 | 10 mins 5 secs
Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the second-ever episode in this series and #112 listeners hear from Milan Ehrhardt, a native of South Africa, a second-year student at Westminster Universty in London, and the newly minted podcast host of Foundrs House. Milan and I had a brief conversation a few weeks ago after he discovered Our Future on TikTok, and since then, he's produced over 5 podcast episodes, where he's telling stories from other successful young professionals who have landed into the industry of their choice. He has a killer mindset, don't miss this episode.
Book your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3_rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QM_iI/edit?usp=sharing
Check out Milan's podcast: linktr.ee/foundrshouse
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourfuturehq
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#111 Radical DTC w/ Bennett Byerley & André Monteiro, Co-Founders of Verb Energy
February 12th, 2021 | 16 mins 47 secs
In #111, futurists learn from Bennett Byerley (CFO) and André Monterio (CTO), co-founders of Verb Energy, an innovative CPG startup that produces delicious and nutritious energy bars that combine the substance of real food with the buzz of caffeine. What's most fascinating about Verb is not that it is 100% e-commerce or that the company's products are sold through subscription, but how the founders have built radically human relationships with their customers by managing the business almost entirely through SMS text-messaging. In this episode, Bennett and André discuss how the idea started when they were coffee-addicted students at Yale University, why they thought they could launch into the crowded snack bar market, how tthe chose text-message as a platform to build a business on, and their career advice to other builders.
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#110 Our Future Careers in Entertainment: Haley Kellogg, Casting Associate Producer for Reality TV Shows
February 10th, 2021 | 18 mins 34 secs
In #110 futurists learn about a career in entertainment with Haley Kellogg, whose job is to cast reality TV shows! Haley is currently a casting associate producer at Fremantle working to cast ABC's "To Tell The Truth," and in the past she's helped cast and produce shows like Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove on CBS, Quibi's "Sexology with Shan Boodram", HBO Max's "Karma", and more. In this episode, Haley discusss how she has began her career in entertainment, what it means to be in casting, and her career advice to young people looking to break into entertainment.
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#109 Future of Streaming w/ Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing & Partner Solutions at Roku
February 8th, 2021 | 14 mins 33 secs
In #109, listeners hear from media executive Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing & Partner Solutions at Roku, whose job sits squarely in the future of media and advertising as Roku becomes the operating system for modern-day TV. Roku began as the "dongle" you plugged into your TV to make it "smart," getting access to a wide variety of streaming services, and it also integrates with various TV manafacturers and is now producing audio products to enhance your pandemic-friendly home viewing experience. What fascinates me about Roku and Dan's job specifically, is how the $50B streaming company is transitioning from a hardware/software business and becoming a services business, selling ads to the closest thing to a cable audience in 2021 (and with way more data). The company is now developing its own content since the Roku channel, which is a mainstay on all connected-TVs, is being watched by tens of millions of people a month. This is explains why the company acquired the content of now defunct media startup, Quibi, to provide free, ad-supported content, the rationale of which Dan touches on in this episode. The interesting part to me is how brands that live and breathe TV ads that go out to massive, undefined audiences are now turning to Roku to acheieve the same messaging. The genius at Roku is how consumers pay for the product twice, and the company has been extremely intelligent as it thrives in a hyper-competitive and ever-evolving media landscape, seizing upon multiple lines of revenue to become the future of TV.
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#108 Listener of the Week: Peter Aldapa, 19-Year-Old Student Entrepreneur, Wants to Be Unmatched
February 6th, 2021 | 7 mins 27 secs
NEW SERIES! Listener of the Week is a new series where we bring a member of the Our Future audience up to the podcast stage to share with the community how they are building their future, in context of our future. In the inaugual episode in this series and #108, listeners hear from Peter Aldapa, a college student from Santa Barbara and 19-year-old entrepreneur, about how he's building a brand called Unmatched, which is fueled by his desire to be the hardest worker in the room...to be truly unmatched as a young leader.
Book a your slot to be Listener of the Week: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E42XO3jIQE3_rGuOqtlh7IYuFBTW7v-b0dH6R5QM_iI/edit?usp=sharing
Check out Peter's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1516530243
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/ourfuturehq/
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#107 The Social Network for Entrepreneurs w/ Michael Marra, Founder of Entre and Ryan Solomon, Digital Marketing Manager at Entre
February 5th, 2021 | 18 mins 55 secs
In #107, futurists learn from Michael Marra, Founder & CEO of Entre, and Ryan Solomon, Digital Marketing Manager at Entre, about their 20,000+ user strong social networking startup built exclusively for entrepreneurs. Entre helps connect entrepreneurs to each other and the right resources to start and grow their businesses through a web interface, mobile app, and live events. Entre has raised over 60K to date on their crowdfunding campaign, and their scrappy digital marketing presence, most notably on TikTok (25K+ followers) has earned the platform tens of thousands of users. Building community seems to be the trend of this pandemic/remote era, and it's extremely difficult. I'm excited for you to listen in and learn about how Michael and Ryan have built a destination for the modern entrepreneur, integrating so many moving parts into a hollisitc movement that sits dead center in the future of work. I would highly recommend the Entre platform to any builder who seeks a supportive community and a hub of content + opportunity.
Join Entre: https://joinentre.com/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#106 Our Future Careers in Marketing: Alexander Ferenczi, Ex-VaynerMedia Analyst + Buyer, Ex-JetFuel Studio Digital Director, Founder of Advocaczi
February 3rd, 2021 | 17 mins 18 secs
In #106, futurists learn about careers in marketing with Alexander Ferenczi, a 25-year-old marketing whiz, who has trailblazed an impressive career in the world of agencies, media buying, and digital advertising since graduating from Babson College in 2018. His first gig out of college was at Gary Vee's legendary marketing agency, VaynerMedia, where he was trained in the art of modern media buying and modern-day advertising, and claims he learned more in three months there than during four years of business school. After leaving VaynerMedia, Alex led social strategy at JetFuel Studio, and he just made the decison to pursue entrepreneurship by launching his own agency, Advocaczi. In this interview, Alex provides kickass insights and perspective on any young person looking to be successful in a marketing career, or any industry for that matter. This interview took place live on Clubhouse, so follow me @michaelsikand to tune into upcoming Our Future recordings on the platform, with the ability to ask questions to me or my audience members after the episode wraps up.
Connect with Alex on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-ferenczi/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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#105 Matt Goodman, Chief Commercial Officer & COO of New York City Football Club (MLS), on Sports Business and Chaos + JERSEY GIVEAWAY!
February 1st, 2021 | 16 mins 59 secs
In #105, futurists learn about the business of sports with pro soccer exec Matt Goodman, Chief Commercial Officer & COO of New York City Football Club: the big apple's high-caliber MLS team. Matt is a true sports veteran, and prior to signing on with the NYCFC, he was Senior Vice President at the NBA, and before that VP of Corporate Partnerships at the Cleveland Browns. When COVID-19 shocked the sporrts world, Matt and the team were forced to innovate, and the result has been creative campaigns devoted to virtual fan experience and small business, and of course increased attention to the soccer team's e-sports division. On this episode, Matt brings us years of wisdom, working across baseball, basketball, football, and now soccer, and shares winning career advice for anyone that wants to work in sports. GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: To be entered to win an NYCFC jersey and hat, all you have to do is subscribe to Our Future Newsletter by entering your email at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/, and winners will be announced on 2/3 across all our channels.
ENTER GIVEAWAY by subscribing to our email newsletter: https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
Book a Time to Get Interviewed as Listener of the Week: calendly.com/michaelsikand
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#104 SPECIAL: Hacking & AI Magic w/ Alex Sikand, Masters in AI at Boston University, Founder of Silk Labs
January 30th, 2021 | 11 mins 25 secs
SATURDAY SPECIAL! In #104, listeners learn from Alex Sikand, a Master's in AI Candidate at Boston University, Founder of Photofix.AI and Silk Labs (AI Startup for Retail & Fashion), who also happens to my brother! This live episode took place in my studio, and Alex and I discuss his young and legendary days as a high school hacker, notoriously breaking through our school's network and getting up to some high-tech tomfoolery, as well as his current projects that revolve around harnessing the power of AI as it relates to image classification and analysis. It's been really exciting to see my brother lock in on some amazing projects, and I couldn't let him go back to Boston without bringing him on the podcast to share his knowledge in one of the hottest and least-understood fields in the business world. If you're interested in careers in AI and ML, reach out to Alex at [email protected].
Check out Alex's photo restoration site to reimagine an old photo of a loved one: https://www.photofix.ai/
Subscribe to Our Future Newsletter for career advice and industry insights at https://www.ourfuturehq.com/
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