EP #231- Sharif Bennett: Filmmakers need to be more business savvy
Release Date: 03/06/2026
EP. 243: Hunter Harris - The 30-Minute Fix Most Engineering Teams Overlook
Test. Optimize. Scale.
A 30-minute fix increased one company's revenue by $25M ARR. Hunter Harris has exited four companies and now helps Series A B2B SaaS startups fix the system problems slowing their engineering teams down. Hunter led product engineering at Silverpop, IBM, SalesLoft, Calendly, and Sendoso before founding Hunter Software Consulting. In this episode, he shares the through line of his entire career: most teams do not have a talent problem, they have a system problem and a strategy problem. He walks through the small changes that create disproportionate business impact, and how AI, done right, is...
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EP. 242: Itay Golan - The Next Era of Investment Banking Is Agentic
Test. Optimize. Scale.
Itay Golan is the CEO of Deals Agent and a former bank executive with 15 years of experience across the deal lifecycle at firms such as DealLogic, S&P Capital IQ, and Bloomberg. In his second appearance on Test. Optimize. Scale: Itay breaks down how agentic AI is leveling the playing field in capital markets, allowing small banks and funds to compete with the bulge bracket for deal origination. This is a deep look at how AI is moving from a novelty layer atop financial data to a mission-critical, revenue-generating tool that tells bankers where their next deal will come from. What We...
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EP. 241:Jeff Borschowa - Cloning Your Top Clients Creates a Powerful Referral Network
Test. Optimize. Scale.
Most founders chase cold leads while their strongest growth channel sits untouched, the clients they already love. Referral expert Jeff Borschowa shows how to turn your top clients into a referral network that brings you more of the same. On this episode of Test. Optimize. Scale., Jeff Borschowa joins host Jason Fishman, CEO of Digital Niche Agency (DNA), to break down how real referral partnerships get built. Jeff grew his professional services firm by doubling it three years in a row with no ad spend, all from a handful of strong referral relationships. He shares how to find the right...
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EP. 240: Hiten Sonpal - The Playbook Behind the #1 Reg CF Campaign of 2025
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Hiten Sonpal is the CEO of RISE Robotics and a robotics industry veteran with over 20 years of experience. He helped generate $2B in revenue and ship 9M units at iRobot, and now leads the company behind the Beltdraulic system, a patented fluid-free alternative to traditional hydraulics that operates at 75% efficiency versus hydraulics' 25%. In this episode, Hiten covers the technology, the commercialization strategy, the defense contracts, and the crowdfunding playbook that made RISE Robotics the #1 Regulation Crowdfunding campaign of 2025 according to KingsCrowd. What We Cover: - How robots...
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EP. 239: Jeff Coleman - How One Messaging Change Lifted Conversion Rates by 7%
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-Jeff Coleman has been running Google Ads campaigns since 2004, back when clicks cost 25 cents and keywords were king. In this episode, Jeff breaks down exactly how search advertising has changed, what most campaigns are getting wrong right now, and the proven approach his team uses to build consistent lead engines for service businesses. If you are spending money on Google Ads or thinking about it, this one will save you a lot of wasted budget. What We Cover: - Why persona research matters more than keyword research before you ever launch - How to use AI to pull out what your existing...
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EP. 238: Jack Hoss - How Real Estate Investors Are Using AI to Flip Houses
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Jack Hoss is the owner of RealDealCrew and host of the RealDealCast podcast, with over 850 episodes recorded. In this episode, Jack breaks down how he flips houses in the Fargo/Moorhead market, how he uses AI to underwrite multifamily deals, and the local SEO strategy that keeps his business visible and competitive online. If you're a real estate investor, operator, or entrepreneur looking to put AI to work in your business, this one is packed with practical takeaways you can use right now. What We Cover: - Jack's house flipping approach in Fargo/Moorhead targeting 250-300k ARV properties -...
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EP. 237: Kevin Cahill - Daily Actions to Grow Your Real Estate Business
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Most real estate agents are grinding for now buyers and now sellers. The agents who actually build wealth are doing something completely different every single day. Kevin Cahill has been a managing broker since 1999, recruited and trained thousands of agents across multiple states, co-founded REALean Real Estate (saving sellers over $4 million in commissions), merged into eXp Realty, and built Realty Funnels, a SaaS marketing and automation platform designed to help agents attract sellers and scale with intelligent systems. In this episode: The 6-12-18-6 daily action framework every agent (and...
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EP. 236: Tom Ruwitch - Why Your Marketing Repels Prospects Instead of Attracting Them
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Most marketing fails not because of the platform, the budget, or the targeting. It fails because the story is feeble. Tom Ruwitch is the founder of Story Power Marketing and Implementum. He co-founded Sports Huddle in the late 90s, growing it from 2 to 85 people in 18 months and raising $5.5M in venture capital before exiting. He then founded MarketVolt, an email marketing software and agency he ran for 19 years before selling in 2019. Today he helps businesses build story-powered content that attracts, engages, and converts. In this episode: Why most marketing repels prospects instead of...
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How to Earn the Exit You Want | Ep. #235 with Nick Avaria | Test. Optimize. Scale.
Test. Optimize. Scale.
90% of agencies never sell, and most owners who do sell hate the price they get. This episode breaks down the boring work that separates the rare agencies that actually exit well from the ones that underperform. Our guest Nick Avaria is the founder of Agency Acquisitions out of Vancouver, Canada. His goal is to help reward people in agencies for their hard work, whether they're agency owners or employees. He developed "The Agency Economics Thesis" that has scaled multitudes of successful companies. www.agencyacquisitions.io | LinkedIn: / nickavaria What you'll learn: →Why...
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EP #234- August Biniaz: Why the Inferior Product with Better Marketing Always Wins
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Most people think the best product wins. August Biniaz disagrees, and he's built a multi-million dollar real estate private equity firm to prove it. August is the Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of CPI Capital, a real estate private equity firm with two verticals: multifamily value add (Tampa Bay, San Antonio, Austin) and build-to-rent development. In this episode, he breaks down the returns (15–20% multifamily vs. 25–30% BTR), the investor psychology behind raising equity, and the exact marketing systems that helped CPI scale from zero to a cross-border investment platform serving...
info_outlineIn this episode, Sharif Bennett, co-founder of CineBlock, shares insights on how regulated investment crowdfunding is transforming entertainment financing. Discover how fans and investors can directly support and profit from film projects, revolutionizing traditional Hollywood funding models.
Key topics
- The origin story of CineBlock and its founders
- Problems with traditional film financing and how crowdfunding addresses them
- The role of blockchain in ensuring transparency and security
- Building communities of investors and fans around films
- The impact of industry consolidation and the need for alternative funding
- Strategies for filmmakers to leverage social media and fan engagement
- The future of theaters and how fan investment can revive cinema
- The importance of understanding community pain points and marketing
- Scaling and optimizing crowdfunding campaigns for success
- The cultural shift towards creator and fan empowerment
Takeaways
- Crowdfunding can democratize film financing, allowing fans to invest directly.
- Blockchain technology provides transparency and security for investors.
- Building a community around a project increases engagement and funding success.
- Fan investment can help revive traditional theaters and boost box office sales.
- Understanding your community's pain points is crucial for effective marketing.
- Scaling should prioritize improving user experience and customer satisfaction.
- Data-driven decisions are essential for optimizing campaigns.
- The future of entertainment lies in creator-fan collaboration and empowerment.
- Industry consolidation makes alternative funding methods more vital.
- Early community engagement and marketing are key to successful launches.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Titl and Real Estate Innovation
06:45 Addressing Industry Inefficiencies
13:30 The Role of Blockchain and AI
20:15 Strategic Partnerships and Market Acceptance
27:50 Automating Title Searches
34:05 Building a Digital Land Registry
40:20 Rebranding and Market Perception
46:55 Future of Real Estate Technology
Social and Website:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharif-bennett-99b1a449/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cineblock/
https://www.cineblockfilms.com/