Episode 197

full
Published on:

9th Apr 2026

James Klein on No-Degree Entrepreneurship and Recession Signals (Full)

Jerremy Alexander Newsome and Dave “DC” Conley interview James Klein, who has spent 45 years building businesses without finishing college and runs his consulting entirely by word of mouth. Klein describes leaving school at 19, trusting gut instincts, and the entrepreneurial rollercoaster. He outlines a K-shaped economy where capitalized businesses scale while others struggle, predicts a recession driven by inflation and oil prices, contrasts AI hype versus practical use cases, and compares Canadian universal healthcare to U.S. costs. Klein calls the biggest lie of entrepreneurship that it is easy.

Timestamps:

  • (00:00) Introduction & James Klein's Background
  • (01:14) Entrepreneurship Without a Degree
  • (03:02) Gut Instinct & Entrepreneurial Rollercoaster
  • (03:54) Kid in Medical School
  • (06:10) K-Shaped Economy
  • (07:46) Working Capital as Lifeblood
  • (10:24) Real Entrepreneurs vs. Hobbyists
  • (13:07) Word-of-Mouth Consulting Business
  • (17:02) Recession Watch
  • (17:28) Historical Context on Rates and Inflation
  • (23:20) AI and the Job Market
  • (24:06) AI in Business Use Cases
  • (27:55) AI Skepticism and Monopolies
  • (31:10) Trades vs. Entrepreneurship Third Door
  • (35:19) Universal Healthcare Canada vs USA
  • (40:49) Healthcare Policy Gaps
  • (42:54) Future of Work New Contract
  • (50:56) Lightning Round
  • (54:03) Closing Thoughts

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Transcript
Jerremy:

School or trades.

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That's the debate.

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No one tells you that

there's a third door.

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For years, there's been a whole

other group of people who just

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end up building something.

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They figure it out, took the hit

when it didn't work, and went

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back and did it anyway, asking

for more, and a lot of them.

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Never finished college.

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My name is Jerremy Alexander Newsom

with my co-host Dave DC Conley, and

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this is solving America's problems.

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James Klein has spent 45 years as an

entrepreneur doing it, supplements,

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consulting, and he did it with no degree.

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No website.

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His consulting practice runs entirely

on word of mouth because that's how

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real business has always worked.

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He also has a kid in medical school right

now, so he holds both truths at once.

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He thinks a recession is closer than

most people want to admit, and he's lived

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through enough of them to know what the

early signs actually look and feel like.

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James, welcome to the show.

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James Klein: Thank you

so much for having me on.

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Jerremy: Yeah, man, my pleasure.

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So 45 years as an entrepreneur,

even in IT restaurant supplements

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consultings, but you never finished

university, which is really cool.

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I think when your peers were

following the school degree,

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get a stable job script, right?

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That contract that we've all.

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Seen or hurt or felt, what

were you doing instead of that?

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And did it feel like you were

gambling or just the only thing

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that made sense to you at the time?

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James Klein: In retrospect,

it was the only thing that

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made sense to me at the time.

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I was in school about 19 years old when

my father was diagnosed with cancer,

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Jerremy: I.

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James Klein: and I had been working

in the family business summers and

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weekends from the age of about 15.

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So as his health deteriorated, I

became more active in the business.

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I went from a full loaded school

to a part-time loaded school,

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with the goal of graduating, I.

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For whatever reason, things just

didn't work out that way and regrets.

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I recognized early on I do not

have the disposition to be a good

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employee and realized that I needed

to be the captain of my own ship.

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Jerremy: Which is a lot of people

don't sail their own ship, man.

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They're scared to go out into

those open waters, you know?

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James Klein: so.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Dave: I love, I love that you

had the self-awareness at 19.

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Me.

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I, I'm still working on my self-awareness.

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it was self-awareness at

19 to be like, man, I don't

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think I could work for anyone.

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I, how has, how has that served you?

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like running your own business

and, and, doing your own thing

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for, you know, quite successfully?

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James Klein: I've, I've realized over time

that the first impressions I form about

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people almost a hundred percent accurate.

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I don't like you in the first 60

seconds, we're talking, chances

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are I'm never gonna like you.

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And in the business mistakes I've made

have been in situations where my gut.

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Told me no, and I talked myself into

ahead and making a deal regardless.

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So, you know, it, it's just,

it's part of the process.

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Anybody who says that the entrepreneurial

journey is a straight line fooling

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themselves and everybody they talk

to, it's very much a rollercoaster.

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things are good, things can be

very good, but when things are

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bad, they could be horrific.

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Jerremy: And James, you have a,

you have a child in medical school

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right now, the one, the one case

where the degree isn't optional.

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It's the only door to go through.

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What does it feel like to be the father

who has skipped a contract and the father

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who's also fully funding the one that

requires that contract at the same time?

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James Klein: Oh, I'm proud.

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I'm in Canada and.

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Getting into Canadian medical

school is even more difficult than

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getting into US medical schools.

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Dave: Yeah.

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James Klein: All the kids are smart.

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is not nearly as much of a

factor in the Canadian medical

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schools as it is in the us.

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Tuition is the equivalent of

about 20,000 US dollars a year.

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Dave: Hmm.

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James Klein: where the equivalent

medical schools in the US are 75

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or a hundred thousand dollars.

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the application process is absolutely

brutal, there's such a small percentage of

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kids who actually get into medical school.

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it, it just reminds me to be

immensely proud on a daily basis.

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My kid wanted this from

the age of five and.

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were going to do everything

to make it happen.

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And luckily she worked really hard

in school, got great marks, was a

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much better student than I ever was.

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this is, this has been the

chosen career path forever.

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So we knew it was gonna happen

and it was just a matter of time.

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Dave: I,

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Dave: I love that some of the

smartest people I know went to

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Jerremy: Mm-hmm.

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Dave: they also said that it is also

the coldest that they have ever been.

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James Klein: Yeah.

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If, if, you know, Canada, Montreal is

really far from the coldest is generally

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in the prairies ver eastern part of

Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, where

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there's nothing to stop the wind where

it could be 40 below for days on end.

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Dave: Oh my

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James Klein: That said, I, I, I did

have some friends from Denver visit me

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end of January to go to a hockey game,

and it was 20 below every day with

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the windshield, so it was damn cold.

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Jerremy: Yeah, that's unbelievably cold.

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James Klein: Yes.

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Dave: So you've oh, go ahead.

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Jerremy: Yeah, so I, I, I've heard you

say before, James, like a, a, a khap

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economy winners going one way and everyone

else kind of falling behind, right?

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That the rich get richer, the poor

get poor kind of discussion in a way.

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And I really like that phrase, that

term, the K shaped economy from

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your consulting work with business

owners trying to launch and scale.

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Where do you actually see that

split happening in real time?

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The rich get richer.

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The poor get poor.

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Like what is the

distinguishing difference?

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Is it a moment in time?

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Is it money?

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Is it a decision?

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What?

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What causes it to have that pop?

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James Klein: It is a

combination of multiple things.

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Think first of all, the business owners

who have money to invest in scaling their

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businesses, if they do it properly and

there's actually a good product market

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fit, and people are interested in what

they're selling, the sky's the limit.

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Where things I think will be difficult for

most entrepreneurs over the next couple

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of years those who are bootstrapped don't

have a ton of working capital and or are

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in industries that are going to suffer.

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So it, it's very much, I, I think it's

very important that people be self-aware.

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Be sure that the market actually wants

the, what they're selling, but to find

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whatever way is necessary to have the

working capital to survive the rocky

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times that I'm convinced are ahead of us.

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Jerremy: I mean, so tell

me about the capital.

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I mean, because that's the

part that I'm, I love the most,

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regarding business and also.

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I think most people probably

struggle with the most.

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So when you say the

capital, how much is that?

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What does it look like?

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What are the constraints end up happening?

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James Klein: It, it really depends if the

person for, in the example of marketers

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and, sorry, I'll start that over again.

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It really depends what business

the entrepreneur is in.

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So for example, if they're selling some

form of physical goods, need enough

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money to have sufficient inventory

to be able to sustain momentum.

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If they're selling a service, like

a coaching program or something

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along those lines, it's not nearly

as capital intensive, but they need

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money to be able to advertise and

promote and grow their businesses.

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I'm hopeful that advertising

prices are going to come down

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as the economy transitions.

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Plus, I think with the recent rulings

against Meta YouTube, I think the

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platforms are going to have to have a

different look at how they're doing some

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things, I hope that will ultimately result

in more reasonable advertising costs.

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But you know, capital, especially

if you're selling a physical

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good and you need inventory.

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Capital is the name of the game.

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If could have the best product in

the world and you could build great

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momentum, but if you go out of stock.

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Getting that momentum back is

twice as hard as it was the first

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time because you lose credibility

with your existing customers.

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They've moved on to a competitor's

product, and then you either have to play

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discount game or just go after acquiring

new customers to backfill the ones you

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lost because you were out of stock.

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And you know, as we know, the banks.

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generally not super friendly to smaller

entrepreneurs who need working capital.

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So quite often it's the alternative

forms of capital that come in.

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So for example, if you're running a

Shopify store, has Shopify capital

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where they make money available to

you based on your sales trajectory.

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Amazon has similar

programs, so does TikTok.

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So it's finding these alternative lenders.

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So that you can properly fund

your business and keep everything

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moving in the right direction.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Dave: so you see a lot of these

entrepreneurs, and I, I think is.

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I mean, I, I did entrepreneur

consulting for a number of years and

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angel investing and the rest of it.

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And I, and I, and I saw both, you

know, what I would call entrepreneurs.

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And then I, I saw a lot of people

who are sort of in the hobby of it.

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and I think entrepreneurship

has this, idea of, you know, be

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your own boss, build something.

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How many do you see that are actually

building something versus trading

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one form of precarity for another?

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James Klein: I'm very lucky in

that the people I'm working with.

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Generally tend be beyond the launch

phase and they have a certain critical

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mass in their business, and I'm helping

them find the missed opportunities

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and optimizing what it is they're

selling scale to the next level.

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I generally will never work

with somebody who's brand new.

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first of all, I'm too expensive for them.

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And that like I'm intentionally

expensive and I have friends who are

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telling me I should double my rates,

I use my price as a pressure test

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because if they balk it all at paying

me, then I know they don't have the

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money to properly scale their business.

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I'm, I'm very lucky in that most

of the entrepreneurs I work with

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realize that it's hard work.

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It's much easier to work a 40 hour a

week job than it is to build a business.

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Dave: Right.

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James Klein: At this point in my

life, I still work 60 plus hours

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most weeks, and that's by choice.

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I love what I do.

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I find it very stimulating,

I'm happy to do it.

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That said, a lot of people

think, oh, sure, it's easy.

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they find a low barrier to entry industry.

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They go in, they build a Shopify store

or a WordPress site or whatever it is,

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and they think they're in business.

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They have no teams, no systems, no SOPs,

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Jerremy: I'm attacked.

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I'm feel,

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James Klein: gonna grow.

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Jerremy: I feel attacked.

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James Klein: Yes.

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But we all do it.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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James Klein: And you know, the other

thing that I'm constantly telling

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everybody I work with, even if they

do have teams, the team that got them

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to whatever level they're at, in most

cases in my experience, is not the team

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that will take them to the next level.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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James Klein: So it's great to

be loyal to your employees.

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Absolutely.

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Treat them well.

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the Hire a players, always.

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You know, the best ones you can afford.

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But just realize that at certain

points you're gonna have to make

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changes or bring in new talent.

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Jerremy: Right.

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So maybe the, there's probably a

few core pieces to this podcast that

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people are gonna really wanna tune

into and listen, and big shout outs to

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the Mastermind that you and I are in,

which is Four Rooms with Amber Spears.

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Just an incredible organization and

really, really remarkable people.

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But this question might be

very helpful for so many.

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Entrepreneurs and business

owners and people that wanna

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start and want to create.

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When you built your consulting

business, you did it entirely on word

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of mouth, and you have no website,

which was a choice and a design in

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an error where everyone is told to

build a personal brand and optimize

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their LinkedIn or you know, whatever.

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Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.

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What does it say that the business has

always worked, still works the best.

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James Klein: I think part of

it is a generational thing.

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I didn't grow up with a camera in my hand.

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So I try to take a selfie,

my kid laughs at me and says,

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oh my God, you're so awkward.

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The thought of a personal brand to me at

this point in my life creates anxiety.

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There's nothing attractive to me

posting reels on Facebook or LinkedIn

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or Instagram day, sharing little

tidbits of wisdom or doing it,

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trying to build an email list or.

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Get cold leads.

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That's just not how I work.

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I've always been a relationships person.

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I like to get to know the person

before we ever do business.

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I wanna see if we're a good fit.

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I don't like you, I don't care how

much money you're offering me, I

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don't wanna work with you because.

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I have to feel good about what

I'm doing, so if I don't believe

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in you, I don't believe in the

product you're selling, then I want

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absolutely nothing to do with it.

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And how this consulting business started.

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You mentioned Amber.

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Well, early on in COVID, we were part

of a group of about 600 marketers

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on Facebook, and I was sharing lots

of information about FDA warning

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letters and FTC warning letters.

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Especially early on in COVID supplement

companies were saying, take vitamin C.

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You won't get COVID.

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Take this, you'll be fine.

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And I would be calling out all

these companies and sharing warning

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letters from the FDA saying, no,

this company cannot say that.

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And we've made them, we've

sent them a cease and desist.

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And one day Amber called me and

my phone rang and I said, hello.

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And she didn't even respond with Hello.

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The question was, what

the F are you doing?

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I said, what do you mean?

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She says, you've got 20 plus

years in the supplement industry.

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Why are you giving away

your knowledge for free?

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Start a consulting business?

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Literally 24 hours later, I went into

that group and created a post that said,

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Hey, I've been doing this for a long time.

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If anybody needs help with supplements or

branding or marketing, I'm happy to talk.

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Within 36 hours, I had money in

the bank for my first client.

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and six years later it's going strong.

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I'm as busy as I can be right now.

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I have no, almost no bandwidth for

any new clients, so it makes me very

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choosy in terms of who I will work with.

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my biggest thing is always over deliver.

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If you promise to do X, do x plus

something show that you are worth

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whatever this business is paying you.

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And I want the people who work with me

view the money they spend with me as

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an investment rather than an expense.

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If they spend a dollar with me,

I want them to five x, 10 x, 20

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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Yeah.

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James Klein: that is.

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Jerremy: Heck yeah.

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Well, speaking of spending money

and having capital and being

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prepared, you're a smart guy, dude.

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I like talking to you and you're always

very, you always have a very good,

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big macro perspective, I feel like.

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And you said.

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Three to six months from a recession

at some point, or that's how you

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feel like we are right now, current,

present day, for those who are

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listening to this podcast in real time.

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And your read is, is like a Jimmy

Carter late seventies recession.

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Not, not a 20, not a 2001 like tech

bubble, AI bubble kind of thing, and

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not COVID, which was macro and fast

and quick and spread out and delayed

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and immediate at the same time.

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Walk us through what you're

seeing that makes you land late

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seventies Jimmy Carter recession.

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Dave: Hey.

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And, and if you could, and if you could

tell our, our, younger listens, listen.

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As what that was

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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James Klein: What that

was like was gas lines

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Dave: Yeah.

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James Klein: in that the Middle East.

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Cut down vastly in the supply of gas to

the rest oil to the rest of the world.

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OPEC asserted itself, so literally for the

young people, like look it up on Google,

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Dave: Mm-hmm.

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James Klein: people would literally

line up for an hour or more to

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get gas to put in their car.

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Quite often they were limited as

to how much gas they could put in

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because supplies were so limited.

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my sense with the current oil situation

and while yes, the US and Canada are oil

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independent and can supply our own needs,

we are still very much a global economy.

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And if oil stays at these prices.

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I am expecting inflation

that will be quite high.

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And again, the people who, who came of

age after:

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interest rates at 1%, half a percent zero.

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Jerremy: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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James Klein: I'm old enough to

remember 15, 16, 18% interest rates

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on mortgages and business loans, So,

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Jerremy: Hey, Dave, do

you, do you know that too?

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Do you?

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Dave: It's our running joke.

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da.

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You know, I am, I am.

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You know, I'm the old man.

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Jerremy: Yeah.

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James Klein: Right.

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So you know like when I hear

people complain that interest

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rates are 5% and oh my God, they're

so high, it's not sustainable.

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Yeah,

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Dave: Yeah.

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James Klein: that's based on a

very short window of information.

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Jerremy: Exactly right.

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James Klein: to the seventies

and e and eighties, you would put

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your money in a savings account

and earn five or 6% interest.

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So everything post 2008 up

until outta COVID when interest

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rates went up was very atypical.

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If you look back at the

last 50 or a hundred years.

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A little bit of inflation

is good for the economy.

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It stimulates growth, but that's two

to 3% inflation if gas stays where

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it is, and it's very expensive in

Canada right now, and I watch the

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US News and I'm seeing $5 and $6 gas

depending on where people are in the us.

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That is going to have a massive impact

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Jerremy: Massive bro.

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James Klein: of everything.

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Jerremy: Everything.

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James Klein: last week just announced

an 8% surcharge on all packages starting

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April 1st because fuel costs are going up.

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Dave: no

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James Klein: I've got, I've got

clients moving stuff by truck

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from a manufacturer to a three pl.

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Shipping rates have gone

up in the last month.

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So number one, I think even if this

gets resolved and gas goes back to

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where it was, everybody who raised

their prices because of the high gas

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price, maybe we'll cut, cut back a

little bit, but they're not gonna

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go where it was the last plus days.

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So I'm expecting inflation to be probably.

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5% or greater.

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So I think the chance of a Fed rate

cut no matter what happens after

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Powell's gone based on the underlying

metrics, I don't think anybody's gonna

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be able to cut interest rates 'cause

that will just fuel more inflation.

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So we could get into one of those spirals

It just, it's absolutely disastrous

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losses over the last six months.

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If you look at the, the labor

numbers, job jobs are actually being

373

:

lost rather than being created.

374

:

when you pair high inflation,

high interest rates, high

375

:

gas with a lack of jobs.

376

:

That has the potential to get really

ugly, and I don't think it'll be one

377

:

of those one or two quarter recessions.

378

:

And I know a recession by definition

is two quarters of negative growth.

379

:

I think it could be a longer one for sure.

380

:

Jerremy: Yeah.

381

:

And a quick history

lesson for our listeners.

382

:

So in 19, 1973, January, US markets

%, to:

383

:

So 1973 to 1975.

384

:

Those two years.

385

:

50% decline.

386

:

And then 1976 to 1978,

we had another 25% drop.

387

:

And really the overall markets

felt like they were doing nothing.

388

:

they stayed relatively flat, relatively

sideways until the early eighties.

389

:

So 19 82, 19 83, or we finally,

finally started going higher.

390

:

So that, to your point, man.

391

:

I also feel like five to 6% inflation.

392

:

or, and sorry, five.

393

:

To 6% interest rates are normal and

good, and healthy and sustainable.

394

:

I also totally agree with you that the

business owners right now, or the people

395

:

that want to go into business or the

people that are going to school or going

396

:

to college, you have to keep in mind that

there's always gonna be some shifts that

397

:

are gonna be happening at some point.

398

:

And this is, this is one of them

that's right in front of our face.

399

:

I mean, it is right there, right now.

400

:

James Klein: Very much so, and

you know, people spending a couple

401

:

of hundred thousand dollars to

get a degree in art history.

402

:

You know, what kind of, and no, no

disrespect to the art history majors.

403

:

Like what job is waiting for

you at the end of that path?

404

:

maybe you had four great years at school

and you partied and you learned something,

405

:

but do you have any marketable skills?

406

:

you know, AI will definitely

change some things.

407

:

I don't think it's going to eliminate

as many jobs as some of the naysayers

408

:

are postulating all over the internet.

409

:

But AI will definitely have an impact

on the job market moving forward.

410

:

Dave: Well,

411

:

Jerremy: Oh yeah.

412

:

Dave: yeah, let's talk

about that a little bit.

413

:

when you and I talked, you know,

like we, we, we dove into the

414

:

AI world and, you know, like.

415

:

What I heard you say is that,

people are using AI just for the

416

:

sake of using it, and it's creating

actually more work than saving time.

417

:

make that case, you know, I think that

a lot of people are, are saying to

418

:

businesses, to entrepreneurs, to to small

business owners that you gotta get on

419

:

this train or you're gonna be left behind.

420

:

so what, make the case, make your case.

421

:

James Klein: Sure.

422

:

the first thing is I think AI

has the potential to be great

423

:

with the proper use case.

424

:

For example, you run a customer

service team and half your customer

425

:

interactions are, where's my package?

426

:

Et cetera, et cetera.

427

:

That's a perfect case for an AI bot that

finds the customer, finds their tracking

428

:

information, sends it back to them.

429

:

That makes all the sense in the

world, rather than having to hire.

430

:

A lot of additional customer service

agents as your business scales.

431

:

for specific tasks, repetitive

spreadsheets that are shared on a daily

432

:

or weekly basis where you're pulling data

from the exact same places, of course,

433

:

AI can do it faster and better with

less errors and free up your team to do

434

:

things that do need hu human interaction.

435

:

But I also see a lot of garbage.

436

:

That's

437

:

Jerremy: of

438

:

James Klein: written by ai.

439

:

Jerremy: tons of garbage.

440

:

James Klein: LinkedIn

and read half the posts.

441

:

Dave: Mm-hmm.

442

:

James Klein: You can tell which ones were

written by AI and the person who posted

443

:

it never bothered to proofread it or

personalize it or do anything with it.

444

:

And to me that's just ai

garbage it for writing.

445

:

AI can get you, in my

opinion, probably 80%.

446

:

Of where you need to go,

but then you still need to

447

:

polish it and personalize it.

448

:

you know, in the IT business, it,

the, the saying has always been

449

:

garbage in, garbage out, and your

output is only as good as the data

450

:

and the prompts that are going in.

451

:

There are a lot of people

using terrible prompts in AI

452

:

creating terrible work product.

453

:

The thing about AI that I don't like.

454

:

Is that it's evolving way too quickly and

you know, as an example, I'm more than

455

:

likely older than most of your audience.

456

:

I started in business, there

were no personal computers.

457

:

Dave: Yeah.

458

:

James Klein: My first computer was

an IBM PC with two five and a quarter

459

:

inch floppy disks, where literally

the program would be on one disc and

460

:

your data would be on another, and

as the disc got full, you'd pull out

461

:

the data disc and put in a new one.

462

:

My first hard disc was five megabytes.

463

:

It cost me, I believe, $2,000 at the time,

and I was told that I would never fill it.

464

:

Now on my desk, I have

terabytes of storage.

465

:

When I started, there was no internet.

466

:

There was no email, and each one

of those things took, the adoption

467

:

period happened over several years.

468

:

Dave: Yeah.

469

:

James Klein: Computers came out until

everybody had computers on their desk.

470

:

That was probably a five

to eight year period.

471

:

The internet came about until

everybody widely adopted it and

472

:

built out e-commerce and all of that.

473

:

There was a long adoption period.

474

:

Same thing with email.

475

:

AI is now improving and iterating on a

476

:

Jerremy: Yeah.

477

:

Yeah.

478

:

James Klein: nobody has a clue

what some of this AI is actually

479

:

doing, and I find that terrifying.

480

:

Jerremy: I also kind of think

up until Dave, I think it's

481

:

like the flying car fallacy too.

482

:

You know, everyone's like, oh,

we're gonna have robots and AI doing

483

:

everything in like five months.

484

:

I'm like, I don't think so, dude, I

think it's gonna take a lot longer.

485

:

most AI production is crap.

486

:

It's cool, but you know, it's ai and

again, I'm fine if it's gets better, but

487

:

give us a, a business like business case.

488

:

Make a strong, make a strong

argument that AI is gonna genuinely

489

:

reshape small businesses and

entrepreneurship for the better.

490

:

And then tell me why

you're still skeptical.

491

:

James Klein: I, I think it can

absolutely reshape business for the

492

:

better, especially as I said earlier,

with repetitive tasks and mining

493

:

data, and ha giving you numbers

you need have to be able to make

494

:

proper decisions in your business.

495

:

Jerremy: Faster.

496

:

Yeah.

497

:

James Klein: Exactly.

498

:

You know, you go to your bookkeeper,

accounting person, fractional

499

:

CPA, whatever they are, you say,

okay, I need, I need a bunch

500

:

of reports that showed this.

501

:

I have to go to the bank

to renegotiate my deal.

502

:

Somebody right now has to essentially mine

all that data, manually produce a report.

503

:

Chances are there's some errors in it.

504

:

You have to validate the data.

505

:

That could be a two or three week

process using AI properly, you can

506

:

probably generate that report in an

hour, maybe less if you're really good at

507

:

prompting and you know what to instruct

the AI to do on, on those levels.

508

:

You know, predicting inventory

requirements and when

509

:

you should be reordering.

510

:

The AI can certainly do a lot of that.

511

:

My biggest concern about the AI.

512

:

Ecosystem is the same concern I have

with the social media platforms.

513

:

are four or five, six companies

are in pretty much monopolistic

514

:

Jerremy: Yep.

515

:

Yep.

516

:

James Klein: have all your data.

517

:

They know everything's going

on, like the whole TikTok thing.

518

:

Oh my god.

519

:

China's gonna have your data.

520

:

Guess what?

521

:

China already has your data.

522

:

So does Apple.

523

:

So does meta, so does Google.

524

:

You name it.

525

:

They've all got all our data.

526

:

Unless you're living totally off the

grid have just like a flip phone that

527

:

has no data on it, you mention something

in a conversation five minutes later,

528

:

Facebook is serving that to you as an ad.

529

:

Jerremy: A hundred percent.

530

:

James Klein: Ev, everybody

has all of our data.

531

:

it, is what it is.

532

:

My concern is primarily with all

of these roll-ups that are going on

533

:

like Paramount now, the way they're

requiring all these other media

534

:

entities, and literally any industry,

there's gonna be 2, 3, 4 entities that

535

:

essentially have a total monopoly.

536

:

On their entire space, which creates

a very high barrier to entry for

537

:

somebody who has a great new idea.

538

:

it's, you know, if they like your

idea, they're gonna acquire you

539

:

or they'll put you outta business.

540

:

So from that standpoint, as an

entrepreneur, I'd rather see more

541

:

players in that market rather than

everything being so concentrated.

542

:

Jerremy: Yeah, James, so.

543

:

The trades right now, trades

being like electrician, plumber.

544

:

Those are being sold as an obvious

alternative to college and or I

545

:

should say, maybe even an obvious

alternative to working a desk.

546

:

Software job because software is going to

be replaced soon and everything's going

547

:

to be AI and we can't replace, you know,

manual physical labor right now instantly

548

:

like cutting grass and cutting hair.

549

:

But you took a third path

entirely called entrepreneurship.

550

:

What does the sales pitch

for that path Leave out.

551

:

For anyone who is considering stepping

into being their own boss, being their

552

:

own business, what do they actually

need to know that no one tells them?

553

:

James Klein: That it's much

harder than you think it is.

554

:

you know, that would be the first thing.

555

:

can have the best idea in the world.

556

:

But until you execute on it and find who

actually agree that it's the best idea

557

:

in the world and are prepared to spend

money to buy whatever your widget or

558

:

service happens to be is very challenging.

559

:

There's a great deal of security

and having a job and knowing that

560

:

money is being deposited into your

bank account week or every two weeks

561

:

or whatever pay cycle you're on.

562

:

When you're an entrepreneur,

quite often it's feast or famine.

563

:

And you know, there are times where you're

deciding, am I going to a restaurant

564

:

this week, or do I need to buy something

for my business, or am I going without

565

:

a paycheck for the next month or six

weeks because cash flow is tight.

566

:

these are all the things that

people don't really understand.

567

:

It's not for everybody.

568

:

It's not for the faint of heart.

569

:

You know, you talk about university

degrees, not everybody needs a university

570

:

degree and people can make great

livings as plumbers or electricians.

571

:

Or masons, like try to find somebody to do

a, a brick job today is almost impossible

572

:

because it tended to be immigrants

573

:

Jerremy: my gosh.

574

:

James Klein: They brought that

skill from the old country.

575

:

They made some money.

576

:

Their kids went to university and didn't

wanna follow them into the business.

577

:

Or if the second generation went

into the business, the third

578

:

generation by then said, oh, hell no.

579

:

And the immigrants encouraged the

second and third generations to

580

:

be the first ones in the family

to go to university, et cetera.

581

:

So the trades are horribly

understaffed and that they're, I

582

:

find, generally they're underpaid.

583

:

you know, I don't think anybody who

works 40 hours a week should have

584

:

to have a second job to be able

to rent an apartment or buy food.

585

:

Or anything else?

586

:

I'm socially liberal.

587

:

I believe in universal healthcare.

588

:

You know, I believe in a bunch of

stuff that not everybody does, and

589

:

yes, McDonald's needs workers, but

honestly, if you look at how many

590

:

hamburgers McDonald's sells in an

hour with eight or 10 employees.

591

:

If they paid tho those employees an extra

three bucks an hour, so maybe they'd have

592

:

to raise the price of a quarter pounder by

5 cents to make the those economics work.

593

:

But the people at the bottom

of the economy, they earn more

594

:

money, it's not like they're

putting in the bank and saving it.

595

:

turning around and they're putting

that money right back into the economy.

596

:

They're going to Walmart.

597

:

They're going to Costco,

they're going to restaurants.

598

:

So.

599

:

Again, I don't like to overpay, but

I think anybody who actually puts in

600

:

the effort to work a job should be

entitled to the dignity of living.

601

:

Not a grand life, certainly being able

to survive and not be one missed paycheck

602

:

away from bankruptcy or eviction.

603

:

Jerremy: Yeah.

604

:

Yeah.

605

:

And there's a lot of truth to that man.

606

:

And I, I heard you say Universal

Healthcare, which is a perfect transition

607

:

into this question that I had because

I talk to people all the time, man.

608

:

And it seems like, you know, roughly

maybe Survey says Family Feud

609

:

style, one in six American workers.

610

:

Stay in a job that they would definitely

leave and they stay there because they're

611

:

terrified of losing health insurance.

612

:

Now you've been self-employed

for 45 years, you're Canadian.

613

:

Do me a favor politically, if you want.

614

:

That's fine.

615

:

compare and contrast what American

versus international health coverage

616

:

feels like across the whole arc.

617

:

What you notice, what you see.

618

:

Then last but not least,

make sure you sprinkle in.

619

:

What does it cost over there for

you as an entrepreneur, to not

620

:

have, you know, health coverage

so that you can tell the Americans

621

:

what it's like up there in Canada.

622

:

James Klein: Sure.

623

:

You know, the US is the only

industrialized nation that does

624

:

not have universal healthcare.

625

:

And again, maybe it makes me a bleeding

heart liberal, but I think if you get hit

626

:

by a car and end up in the hospital for

a month, or you get cancer and can't work

627

:

and end up in the hospital, I don't think

either one of those should bankrupt you.

628

:

I think everybody's entitled

to certainly basic healthcare.

629

:

everybody in Canada has a

card from the government.

630

:

You walk into the hospital or

your doctor's office and you give

631

:

them the card and you're treated.

632

:

Now, can people be seen by a doctor

faster in the US than in Canada?

633

:

Because it's pay for service?

634

:

Yes.

635

:

But if you are really sick here,

you're gonna get seen very quickly.

636

:

Will it take six months to a year to

get a hip replacement here where you can

637

:

do it in the US in six to eight weeks?

638

:

More than likely, and that's a trade off.

639

:

We also have some privatized

healthcare, so for those who can afford,

640

:

they can get stuff done privately

and get it done just as quickly.

641

:

I needed an MRI on my back a couple

of months ago, and my wife actually

642

:

works in the healthcare system.

643

:

She said, I can take your requisition

to work and get somebody to do me

644

:

a favor and you'll probably have

your MRI in three to four months.

645

:

I called the private clinic

that's literally five minutes

646

:

from my house and said I need an

MRI, and they said, no problem.

647

:

Would you like to come to

today, tomorrow, the next day?

648

:

cost me 750 Canadian

dollars to get the MRI.

649

:

Thankfully I was able

to pay for it to do it.

650

:

But that, you know,

that was for back pain.

651

:

If somebody has cancer or something

and they need an MRI, those

652

:

machines run 24 hours a day.

653

:

You might get an appointment at 11:00 PM

to go in for your MRI, but you're going

654

:

to be seen and you're going to be treated.

655

:

Our system has a shortage of doctors

the same way it does there is in

656

:

the us you know, especially in the

small rural communities where I read

657

:

about hospitals being shut down.

658

:

So people have to drive two to three

hours to get to the closest hospital.

659

:

don't have that issue, but we

definitely have a shortage of doctors.

660

:

for example, I live in

the province of Quebec.

661

:

We're about 9 million people.

662

:

I think there are over a million

people who don't have a family

663

:

doc, and that's terrible.

664

:

And it's, it's a combination of

there not being enough spots in the

665

:

university, the government also not

having enough money to say, okay, we

666

:

need another 1500 family docs quickly.

667

:

Each family doc orders X amount

of tests during the year, blood

668

:

tests, x-rays, MRIs, et cetera.

669

:

Here's the overall cost of all

of that, but what what it results

670

:

in is people who are sick.

671

:

Instead of having a family doc to

go to, they show up at the emergency

672

:

room and they sit and wait for 12 or

18 hours to be seen cases that are

673

:

non-emergent, and they shouldn't be

going anywhere near an emergency room.

674

:

So there's always a balance and there

is no perfect healthcare system.

675

:

I pay for my healthcare both as

an employer, well as an employee,

676

:

so any employee in Canada.

677

:

Part of their deductions from their

weekly or biweekly paychecks go towards

678

:

healthcare an employer, there's a certain

percentage of payroll that gets paid

679

:

into the healthcare system as well.

680

:

That being said, people in the

US who have great insurance, and

681

:

if they're not an employee, but

they're buying insurance privately.

682

:

I have family members in the US who

are paying three, four, $5,000 a month

683

:

their healthcare, plus have high copays,

high deductibles, et cetera, et cetera.

684

:

So I'm in the highest tax

jurisdiction in North America.

685

:

But when you factor in the cost of

healthcare and everything else, there's

686

:

really not that big a difference

between what somebody in Canada pays

687

:

and what somebody in the US will pay.

688

:

Dave: James, correct me if I'm wrong,

but when you know Universal Healthcare.

689

:

Was being debated and pushed through

in Canada, that it was actually

690

:

the conservatives that pushed that

because they wanted a free business

691

:

from, you know, having anything to

do, with healthcare and be like, Hey,

692

:

business, you, you do you, you do what

you're, you do best and we're gonna

693

:

take this burden off of you guys.

694

:

James Klein: Yes, and Universal

Healthcare, I believe, came about either

695

:

late sixties or early seventies here.

696

:

I was a kid, but I remember getting

my first government card and

697

:

everything else, and I, I think

it's a net positive, certainly.

698

:

Dave: yeah,

699

:

James Klein: Is it perfect?

700

:

Absolutely not.

701

:

Are there people who abuse the system?

702

:

You know, of course there are people who

abuse the system and what's happened.

703

:

You know, the same as in the US

not nearly enough access for people

704

:

who have mental health issues.

705

:

Dave: Yeah.

706

:

James Klein: So those people,

instead of having places to go end

707

:

up in emergency rooms and end up.

708

:

Tying up the resources

in the, in the hospitals.

709

:

Same thing with long-term facilities.

710

:

Some of the hospitals, like they have

30% of their beds tied up by people who

711

:

should really be in a rehabilitation or

a long-term care facility, but there are

712

:

no beds available in those facilities.

713

:

So they're in the hospital costing

the system a thousand dollars a

714

:

day to essentially lie in a bed

or sit in a chair waiting for a

715

:

bed to open up somewhere else.

716

:

That costs much, much less.

717

:

Dave: Given your experience, you've

seen, I mean, you've seen so many changes

718

:

over the decades and our thesis for this

whole thing has been like, Hey, is a new

719

:

social contract when it comes to work,

and work in, America and work in general.

720

:

With all of these things happening,

whether it's AI or it's recessions or, you

721

:

know, like the, the direction for things

because that promise of go to school,

722

:

get a good job, have a family, you know,

be happy if that was ever really true.

723

:

It's definitely not true today.

724

:

So given.

725

:

Your experience, what

would that look like?

726

:

What's a new work contract

for, you know,:

727

:

What is, what is, what does that look like

for who are coming into the workforce?

728

:

Maybe people who are

already in the workforce.

729

:

What, what should it be?

730

:

James Klein: Wow.

731

:

That's a really good question.

732

:

I think in an ideal world.

733

:

There's always going to be

some, some unemployment, but

734

:

that's probably 2% or less.

735

:

There's nev, all the economists

consider full employment to essentially

736

:

be somewhere around that 2% mark.

737

:

There will always be some people who

are unemployable or don't wanna work.

738

:

that just is what it is.

739

:

It used to be that somebody with no

education could go get a job at a gas

740

:

station and start off pumping gas,

and then they showed that person how

741

:

to change tires and do oil changes.

742

:

And eventually they could do, they

could change spark plugs and do

743

:

whatever it happened to be on the car.

744

:

everything's electronic.

745

:

You need a certain education.

746

:

You have to be able to read the scanners.

747

:

So menial labor.

748

:

going to change I think because automation

and electronics and everything coming in.

749

:

So there's gonna be a certain

baseline for most jobs.

750

:

You know, unless you're talking about

something like somebody bagging groceries

751

:

at a grocery store, or you know, somebody

operating a forklift or packing boxes

752

:

in a warehouse or a gardener or the pure

menial tests working on a farm and like.

753

:

I have friends who live in farm country

and I see how they're always looking

754

:

for people to go work on their farms.

755

:

'cause honestly, nobody wants to

be shoveling manure all day long

756

:

or be bent over in a field picking

lettuce or whatever it happens to be.

757

:

I think that.

758

:

Ultimately, despite what's going

on right now with the nationalistic

759

:

tendencies and trying to bring

all kinds of jobs back to the us.

760

:

Dave: Yeah.

761

:

James Klein: There are certain things

that the production of which will never

762

:

come back to the US just because there's

always going to be a country where it

763

:

can be done cheaper and more efficiently.

764

:

Dave: Mm-hmm.

765

:

James Klein: you know, the Americans

to a great extent, don't wanna

766

:

really work those very menial jobs.

767

:

So that's why I think a robust and legal

immigration system is so important,

768

:

especially with the demographics of.

769

:

Reduced population growth.

770

:

People are having way less babies.

771

:

There are more people dying

off than babies being born.

772

:

So, you know, to keep everything

moving there, I feel there has to be a

773

:

stream of legal, immigration, illegal.

774

:

Immigration's a totally different

story, and we could debate that for

775

:

hours and what to do with these people,

but there should be a proper system.

776

:

America was built on

immigrants, so was Canada and.

777

:

Everybody's too politically lazy

to actually fix the problem.

778

:

And I know I've gone off on a tangent

what employment looks like in:

779

:

automation will continue

to grow so people will be.

780

:

Rather than writing code, people

will be looking at the code that's

781

:

being written by their AI bots and

all this machine learning stuff.

782

:

So I think that's gonna be a big change.

783

:

Entrepreneurialism is

always gonna be there.

784

:

There's always gonna be somebody

785

:

Jerremy: yeah.

786

:

James Klein: idea to launch a new

business and be the next Steve Jobs or

787

:

Michael Dell or whoever it happens to be.

788

:

a lot of things will

become very commoditized.

789

:

They are already, and I

think that'll only get worse.

790

:

You know, certain industries I think

will continue to lose employment.

791

:

Like if you walk, when was

the last time you walked into

792

:

a bank and spoke to a teller?

793

:

Dave: I mean, I've been saying

the exact same thing, like,

794

:

why do we have all these banks?

795

:

It doesn't make any sense.

796

:

It seems like a real estate play to me.

797

:

I.

798

:

James Klein: E.

799

:

E, exactly.

800

:

Like if I see a teller four times a year.

801

:

It's a lot and it u usually because

I'll have to do something that I

802

:

can't do myself online or from an ATM.

803

:

employment in banks is gonna change

and the banks are now having their

804

:

people do all kinds of alternative

services to generate, to generate

805

:

revenue and justify their existence.

806

:

So, you know, I think a lot of those

traditional industries will change.

807

:

my family's been in the travel

business for plus years, and a lot

808

:

of people book their travel online.

809

:

Dave: Yeah.

810

:

James Klein: the need for travel

agents will continue to be diminished.

811

:

will be a certain class of clients who

will still want to talk to a travel

812

:

agent 'cause they don't wanna do all the

research and do all the work themselves.

813

:

I think accounting firms

will drastically change.

814

:

I think the practice of law will

drastically change because of the ai.

815

:

where firms would need a lot of junior

lawyers to be doing a ton of research, AI

816

:

will be able to do for them in an hour.

817

:

What it would take an associate attorney

a day or a week or longer to do.

818

:

So the economy will definitely

evolve with the implementation

819

:

of the newer technology and that.

820

:

That's really never gonna change.

821

:

We, we constantly evolve, you know,

from wagons to the train to everything

822

:

else that's just and everything else.

823

:

So it's done well and responsibly, I

think it's a net positive for society.

824

:

If it's done the way some of

the man monopolistic stuff is

825

:

being done right now, it has the

potential to be a huge negative.

826

:

so, you know, emerging markets will be

interesting because, know, some of the

827

:

places where they don't have proper

electrical grids and everything else.

828

:

the advent of some of the new solar

or wind, you know, you'll find

829

:

areas in South America and Africa

and the poorer areas in Asia where.

830

:

Things will modernize, which I think

is a net positive for the world.

831

:

Certainly.

832

:

healthcare is gonna evolve tremendously.

833

:

Doctors are already starting to

use ai, so you know, my kid's

834

:

two years into a med degree.

835

:

What medical students will be

doing eight or 10 years from now

836

:

be totally different just because

of the evolution of the technology.

837

:

So I, I think we're in for

major paradigm shift for sure.

838

:

What exactly it looks like, I'm not sure

if I knew, I would have a conversation

839

:

with Jerremy and figure out which

stocks to buy and just like put 'em

840

:

away and wait for them to be the next

Apples or Googles or anything else.

841

:

you know, in terms of.

842

:

The markets.

843

:

I think there's a ton of stuff

that's vastly overvalued.

844

:

And know, I, I remember 1999 we were

writing business plans and getting funded

845

:

a $5 million valuations with nothing

behind the 50 or 80 page business plan.

846

:

And then the dot bomb crash happened.

847

:

So I, I think we are in for a

correction with some of these

848

:

massive companies with just.

849

:

valuations that make no sense at all.

850

:

But until we get some stability in oil

and gold and politically and everything

851

:

else, they'll probably continue to run up.

852

:

Jerremy: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

853

:

James got a lightning round for you.

854

:

You've been on a bunch of

podcasts and listened to a bunch.

855

:

You know how lightning round works.

856

:

All right, my friend James.

857

:

Chances the, the recession, which as

you defined and as generally defined

858

:

right, two quarters of slow growth or

low growth chances the recession hits

859

:

before the end of this year, 2026.

860

:

James Klein: 95%.

861

:

Dave: Wow.

862

:

Jerremy: All right.

863

:

Finish this sentence.

864

:

The biggest lie entrepreneurship

sells young people is,

865

:

James Klein: That it's easy.

866

:

Jerremy: ah, bro, it's so true.

867

:

I, that is the exact phrase I would've

said if I was in your seat in this moment.

868

:

One industry you would tell a

25-year-old to run towards right now,

869

:

and one industry to run away from.

870

:

I.

871

:

James Klein: The run, run away

from would be becoming a software

872

:

engineer, because they will be

obsolete, an industry to run towards.

873

:

I think there are massive opportunities

for people in the video creation world

874

:

Jerremy: Hmm.

875

:

Dave: Hmm.

876

:

James Klein: the AI technology,

and the AI is getting really good,

877

:

but then it needs, it still needs

a good video editor to get it.

878

:

To the point where it's just

totally credible and believable.

879

:

Jerremy: Yes, yes, yes.

880

:

All right, finish this sentence.

881

:

The thing.

882

:

American workers, or maybe even, I mean,

Canadian workers, maybe even workers.

883

:

The thing workers don't understand

about how business owners

884

:

actually see them is blank.

885

:

James Klein: Wow.

886

:

I think there are businesses where

the employees are totally valued.

887

:

But there are certainly a lot

of industries where employees

888

:

are just viewed as widgets.

889

:

That being said, the thing that employees

need to know is that they're necessary

890

:

for that business to run and grow.

891

:

Jerremy: Yeah.

892

:

Necessary.

893

:

Great word.

894

:

Great word to put it.

895

:

Well, James.

896

:

I would love for you to share with

people how they can get ahold of you

897

:

without a website, which is fine.

898

:

I want you to have more business,

and we have so many listeners who

899

:

probably wanna reach out to you or

at least get some advice or some

900

:

information from your consulting piece.

901

:

What's the best way to get

ahold of you, my friend?

902

:

James Klein: Best way would be via

my LinkedIn, which I'm sure will

903

:

end up being in the show notes.

904

:

Once all of this gets, gets

published, I'm generally pretty

905

:

good at responding to messages.

906

:

for anybody who's listened to the

podcast and wants to reach out to me,

907

:

mention your message that you heard

me on the podcast and you wanna talk.

908

:

Jerremy: Easy enough.

909

:

Well, James Klein, thank you so

much, man, for pouring into us on

910

:

this nice early Tuesday morning.

911

:

I always appreciate your energy, your

enthusiasm, your excitement, your

912

:

knowledge, your candor, your acumen.

913

:

Thank you, sir.

914

:

Our

915

:

James Klein: Well, it was an

absolute pleasure and thank

916

:

you so much for having me on.

917

:

Jerremy: pleasure.

918

:

Dave: And here we are.

919

:

What did you, what did you learn from our,

from our good buddy, James Klein here.

920

:

Jerremy: Man, I learned maybe,

maybe relearned, possibly

921

:

Dave: Mm-hmm.

922

:

Jerremy: business is what you make of it.

923

:

It is who you are.

924

:

It is how you impact and work with people.

925

:

And what I heard James say very

clearly over that hour is, my

926

:

bro doesn't work a nine to five.

927

:

He works a five to nine.

928

:

And there are days and a weeks

and months where it's awesome

929

:

and you're like, look at me.

930

:

And I'm, I'm an entrepreneur.

931

:

I have my own business, I have my

own schedule, I got my own money.

932

:

I make my own decisions.

933

:

And there are weeks, days, months, and

quarters where you feel like you're being

934

:

strangled to death and you are breathing

through a straw every single day.

935

:

'cause it's so freaking hard.

936

:

And that is.

937

:

The contract for entrepreneurship, right?

938

:

The contract for, hey, I'm working

in a company is, ah, you're, you're

939

:

not gonna have a lot of freedom.

940

:

You're going to be tied down, but you're

gonna have a lot of certainty, but you're

941

:

gonna have very little uncertainty.

942

:

And if you are entrepreneur, you're

gonna have lot of uncertainty

943

:

and very, very little certainty.

944

:

And you're gonna have to work a bunch,

and you're gonna have to be creative,

945

:

and you're gonna have to be insightful,

and you're gonna have to ask questions.

946

:

You're gonna have to put, put tons

of value into people's lives and

947

:

businesses to, to make it work.

948

:

And it, that's just really a reiteration

of what I know to be true about business.

949

:

What'd you learn, Mr.

950

:

Dave Conley?

951

:

Dave: Hey, I don't know if

I have much to add to that.

952

:

I, one thing I didn't hear was do what

you're passionate about, and I think that

953

:

that's sort of a lie that we tell about

954

:

Jerremy: For sure,

955

:

Dave: is

956

:

Jerremy: for sure.

957

:

Dave: you.

958

:

You get into entrepreneurship because

you have a great idea and you think

959

:

it'd be awesome, and then, you

know, then you gotta grind it, man.

960

:

and then.

961

:

God, the worst entrepreneurs in the

world that I, that I consulted with,

962

:

and I, and you know, I didn't invest

in, are the ones that were passionate

963

:

because they couldn't give up their idea.

964

:

Even when they, they, it would not work.

965

:

There was no product market fit.

966

:

you know, like they could

never make a dollar on it.

967

:

It was just gonna be a passion project.

968

:

I'm like, ah, know, like you,

you really have to, Be one of

969

:

those like problem solvers and be

passionate about the problem, not

970

:

passionate about the, the product.

971

:

And so like that's, that came up for me.

972

:

It's like, man, if you're, if you're

going down this road, I love this road.

973

:

We gotta teach this road,

we gotta experience this.

974

:

you know, our kids gotta experience this.

975

:

People need to, take, I mean we,

we had startup weekends where

976

:

we would take like civilians.

977

:

And, and do a bootcamp

with them over three days.

978

:

And they went from idea to interacting

with real live strangers in 24 hours.

979

:

And then, you know, we

pivoted their businesses.

980

:

We, we, you know, taught them

how to learn from that stuff.

981

:

Man, those startup weekends,

those are invaluable.

982

:

So people who are interested

in entrepreneurship, go find

983

:

one of those startup weekends.

984

:

go talk to James about your idea.

985

:

You know, and, you know,

talk to other entrepreneurs.

986

:

Not one of 'em is gonna

say, Hey, it's easy.

987

:

But a ton of them are gonna say, Hey,

it, it, it, it beats working for the man.

988

:

Jerremy: Yeah.

989

:

Yes, yes, yes.

990

:

Well, listeners.

991

:

You know what would help us keep

us from having to work for the man?

992

:

Share this episode with your

friends, your loved ones, your

993

:

family members on your social.

994

:

Say, Hey, I really enjoyed

it, and then hit us with that

995

:

five star review It takes.

996

:

Four seconds and it costs you absolutely

nothing and helps the algorithm keep

997

:

paying us so that we can continue

to work seven, five hours a week

998

:

and love what we do and still grind

and still have the passion and all

999

:

the things, but most importantly, to

serve individuals at a high capacity.

:

00:57:59,190 --> 00:58:00,690

'cause when you do that, you will win.

:

00:58:01,110 --> 00:58:06,720

And this is us winning here another

episode of Solving America's Problems.

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About the Podcast

Solving America's Problems
Solving America’s Problems isn’t just a podcast—it’s a journey. Co-host Jerremy Newsome, a successful entrepreneur and educator, is pursuing his lifelong dream of running for president. Along the way, he and co-host Dave Conley bring together experts, advocates, and everyday Americans to explore the real, actionable solutions our country needs.

With dynamic formats—one-on-one interviews, panel discussions, and more—we cut through the noise of divisive rhetoric to uncover practical ideas that unite instead of divide. If you’re ready to think differently, act boldly, and join a movement for meaningful change, subscribe now.