Written in partnership with Otter PR
Entrepreneurs make change happen. They have a vision for the world and aren’t afraid to do something about it. That’s what makes them so fascinating to watch. Here are eleven entrepreneurs guaranteed to make waves in upcoming years.
#1 Ryan DeJong, Legal Cannabis Business Solutions
As a Nationwide Director for the National Organization for Cannabis Compliance (NOCC), Ryan DeJong has assisted entrepreneurs in starting legal cannabis businesses for over 10 years through compliance, advocacy, and business development. Working jointly with entrepreneurs and government officials to streamline compliance programs in the legal cannabis space. He has assisted over 100 ventures to get licensed and operational at various stages of their development, being especially passionate about small business success in highly regulated markets. DeJong’s team includes professionals with 100+ years of combined experience in various industries from real estate, legal, financing, security, lobbying, and more.
Recent success stories include approval for the last cannabis microbusiness license available in Moreno Valley, CA for “American Green Capital Group,” approval for a Class 5 cannabis retailer in New Jersey for “VioletBlu,” and approval of a social equity cannabis retailer license in Los Angeles, CA for “Destination Joint,” to name a few. Highlights are on the company’s Twitter, Insta, and Facebook.
In addition, DeJong serves on the board of United American Municipal Voters (UAMV) spearheading cannabis policy reform and accessibility for voters through campaigns, local ballot initiatives, petitions, and education — advocating for lower taxation, ending federal prohibition, and increasing cannabis business license availability nationwide. DeJong also contributes as a speaker for The California Cannabis Control Summit, talking to regulators about legal industry competitiveness and eliminating the illegal market through the aforementioned advocacy issues.
Prior to his work in the legal cannabis sector, DeJong was a Constituent Outreach Coordinator for a California Senator and worked for various law firms, which handled matters related to cannabis, trademark, intellectual property, and business compliance. His team offers free cannabis business consultations covering a wide array of interrelated, cannabis industry matters.
#2 Stefan Heinrich and Akiva Bamberger, Co-Founders of mayk.it
LGBTQ-Founder Stefan Heinrich cut his teeth in the tech sector as CMO and International GM at both Cameo and TikTok, and product marketer at YouTube and Google. His partner, Akiva Bamberger, was one of the early engineers at Snap, where he architected its AR-Spectacles product. The passionate hobby musician also built social-audio app TTYL and spent some time at Google.
The Santa Monica-based co-founders united their expertise to innovate groundbreaking, fun, and accessible tech to give everyone the gift of music and “mayk” the world sing. With Heinrich as mayk.it’s CEO and Bamberger as the company’s CTO, the music sector is getting a fun and refreshing makeover by pairing the aspirations of former non-musicians and hobby musicians with artificial intelligence.
The virtual music studio, mayk.it, empowers creators with an intuitive suite of tools that do not require musical talent or expertise. The studio unleashes the creative genius inside every aspiring song creator. If beginners have been intimidated by the complexity of other music-making tools, the mayk team makes song creation as simple, fun and straightforward as it is to create a TikTok or Instagram post.
Heinrich and Bamberger believe the day has come when everyone can experience the joy of expressing themselves through songs. They are democratizing creativity with a helping hand in the technical areas of composition, AI-lyrics generation, AI-singing-voice R&D and auto-mixing. Now, anyone can explore their voice, try on a new AI-one with their AI-song generator covers.ai and share the results with the world. It’s never been easier and faster for anyone to get their own song on Spotify, TikTok or Roblox. The tech startup’s music catalog of over 1 million original songs soon has turned mayk into one of the biggest music publishers. The mayk sound engine and its intuitive interfaces give non-musicians the power of voice AI to create original songs, craft their own covers, and remix any song they choose. Music is finally accessible & interactive.
#3 Wael Wassef, CEO of Alpida Pharmacy
Wael Wassef is an accomplished entrepreneur with over ten years of experience in every aspect of the pharmacy industry. He has never been one to clock in and do his time. Wael began his career determined to leave a profound legacy in the profession.
With this mission in mind, Wael launched Alpida Pharmacy to transform pharmacy prescriptions into hassle-free and affordable experiences. His company does this by providing specialty medications, connecting patients and healthcare providers, and offering comprehensive patient education for every treatment plan to ensure it’s efficacy.
In under three years, Alpida Pharmacy scaled to claim the rank of top pharmacy in Oceanside for 2 years in a row. His growing business was also featured as the Top Hospice & Palliative pharmacy in So-Cal for 2023.
Alpida Pharmacy sets itself apart through a dedicated team of pharmacists. These healthcare professionals offer individualized care, know each patient by name, and go above and beyond to ensure quality care for everyone who comes through the door. As a certified pain educator, Wael collaborates with clients, caregivers, and clinical directors to ensure that hospice patients receive the best end-of-life care, medication, and therapy management. He and his staff are lifelong learners, staying up-to-date with the latest healthcare guidelines and remedies. All of this enables them to deliver the best possible care and consultations, even in the most complex cases.
#4 Alex Hormozi, founder and managing partner at AQC Acquisition.com
As an Iranian American entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, Alex Hormozi quickly discovered how to scale a business. Just ten years ago, he opened the doors to his first brick & mortar company. Three years later, he expanded to six locations and then sold them at a massive profit. During the next two years, he shared the model that he used to scale his own company to enable 32 more brick-and-mortar businesses to achieve the same rapid success.
Hormozi continued to grow by turning his growth process into a licensing model that scaled to more than 4,000 locations during the next four years. In addition, he launched three new companies and scaled them to over$120 million in combined sales without taking on any outside investment funds.
During Hormozi’s whirlwind career, he scaled and exited seven companies. In each company, he smoothly transitioned from CEO to equity shareholder. Most notably, while the pandemic put many businesses in a downward spiral, he sold his licensing company for $46.2 million. Hormozi founded Acquisition.com to invest his monetary and intellectual capital in the success of other businesses.
Today, Hormozi has a net worth of over $100 million and is happy to share the secrets to his success. As a thought leader and social media influencer, he teaches entrepreneurs how to “get more customers, make more per customer, and keep them coming back.” His e-book entitled $100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No is available on Amazon. In addition, his YouTube channel is packed with more than one hundred videos and is followed by over 1.2 million subscribers.
#5 Muhieddine Elhamawi, Founder and CEO of Big Moe’s Kitchen
Muhieddine Elhamawi, more frequently known as Big Moe, is an immigrant who moved to Michigan in 2005 who has a lifelong passion for cooking. He is on a mission to add flair and flavor to the community. Elhamawi’s dream began with a degree from the school craft college’s culinary arts program and a placement at the Detroit athletics club. Today, he brings over 15 years of experience as a certified culinary expert to the restaurants bearing his name.
Big Moe’s Kitchen first opened its doors in 2016. Despite the fact that the restaurant’s first location was a Wayne, Michigan gas station, locally purchased, fresh ingredients, and Chef Moe’s skill to combine them in delectable dishes quickly earned a five-star Yelp rating and a loyal customer base.
In time, Elhamawi relocated to a bigger and better location at 673 Inkster Rd, Garden City, Michigan. His gourmet carry-out restaurant offers approximately 20 chairs for customers who choose to dine in. Next, he opened a second Big Moe’s Kitchen at 13005 Michigan Ave in Dearborn. This second location offered space to park a food truck that caters to local events and parties. Whatever the location, customers know that they can count on Big Moe’s Kitchen as the home of Bam Bam Shrimp, Sizzle Rice Bowls, and other specialty dishes that are “diverse, delicious, and never disappointing.”
Today, Elhamawi offers the dream of owning a restaurant to other entrepreneurs who share his passion for preparing and treating the community to gourmet dishes. Franchisees can take the first step to becoming their own boss by joining Chef Moe’s family. The restaurant’s diverse menu already makes it a metro Detroit favorite. Big Moe’s vision is to bring his high-quality food, affordable prices, excellent service, and unsurpassed value to all major cities in the United States, and give every customer a flavorful and unforgettable experience.
#6 Jennifer Possick, Founder of The Ads Maven
Jenn Possick is an ads strategist, speaker, and consultant, helping coaches and course creators grow their email lists and fuel their launches through the power of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads. She founded The Ads Maven to provide clients with a wide range of marketing services. And for those who prefer the “do-it-yourself” approach alongside expert support, she hosts The Ads Maven podcast and free online trainings.
Possick believes getting the most out of Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok ads requires expertise. She warns that posting organically to social media platforms completely differs from paid advertising. For example, The Ads Maven points to a client whose team runs a top-shelf website, churns out excellent online content, designs flawless funnels, and manages social media channels. As a test, Possick ran her own Facebook ads in competition with her clients’ ads for the same sale. In the end, her client almost broke even. Every dollar the team spent on Facebook earned $0.97 in sales. However, online advertising expertise enabled Possick to do better. For every dollar The Ads Maven spent on Facebook, her client earned $28.40 in sales. What’s more, she sees the same results time and time again with most of her clients.
Advertising on social media platforms changes every month. To succeed, marketers must stay on top of evolving trends on multiple accounts. The Ads Maven’s “Done For You” services ensure that a business’s ad strategies and funnels are set for success. The “Done With You” services involve hands-on help while implementing ads so that business owners can focus on what they do best.
#7 Sandro Monteblanco, Managing Partner for the Monteblanco Law Group
Sandro O. Monteblanco is an attorney who specializes in International Law and currently runs the Monteblanco Law Group, a boutique firm made up of a dozen lawyers spread throughout four offices in the financial district of New York, the trendy district of Barranco in Lima, the posh Serrano street in Madrid, and the artsy West End district of London.
The firm handles cases involving International Immigration Law, International Criminal Law, and International Family Law, but Monteblanco has honed his skills in International Child Abduction under the Hague Convention Treaty. It is through this skillset that the Monteblanco firm has recovered many abducted children from over 20 nations and returned them to their homes and their left-behind parent. Most of the work involving international law, as the name would suggest, is carried out in foreign countries where obstructive legal systems, inoperative central authorities, and widespread corruption regularly stand in the way.
In terms of International Criminal Law, we live in a world where agencies like INTERPOL have been weaponized by countries that seek out their citizens for their religious beliefs, political stands, and even sexual orientation. Over the past decade, the Monteblanco Law Group has successfully represented those pursued for retaliatory purposes by meticulously challenging and subsequently removing the oppressive Red Notices that were keeping people restricted from their legal right to move about.
During its 15 years of successful operation, the Monteblanco Law Group has opened offices in carefully selected locations. These offices serve as individual hubs and cater to regional clients. The New York office serves the US, the Madrid office serves the European Union, the London office serves the UK and Eastern Europe, and the Lima office serves South and Central America. Because the offices operate under independent administration, finances, and marketing, they can readily assist clients in their own culture, languages, and currencies. The secret to success in what they do is the team players who make it happen each and every day. First rate legal professionals like Anna Molina, Alba Nuñez Perez, Karnit Gefen-Wessling, Martin Burlando, Carolina Gomez, Manuel Espinoza, Velko Vergaray, Nicolle Huerto — led by their international business leader Monica J. Burlando — are truly the ones that have placed Monteblanco Law Group in the map.
Monteblanco Law Group is a law boutique with an expansive business model to watch closely. While it is not expanding rapidly, it is expanding wisely and poised for continued success. However, even more importantly, it does outstanding things in a niche market that few can navigate.
#8 Dr. Thomas Polucki of Upper Cervical Chiropractic, Inc
Even as a child, Dr. Thomas Polucki was surrounded by medical experts. His mother managed the intensive care unit at the local hospital, and his uncle was an acclaimed psychiatrist. Unfortunately, he also experienced the other side of the medical profession. He had undergone three surgeries, was prescribed five medications, and was taking numerous over-the-counter drugs before he walked through a chiropractor’s door for the first time. After a year of chiropractic treatment, the medications were no longer needed.
When he sat for his medical school examinations in tenth grade, he discovered that chiropractic care was his driving passion. Dr. Polucki became one of the 12 most advanced technique instructors in the world, a teacher at two esteemed chiropractic colleges, and a practitioner at Upper Cervical Chiropractic.
Dr. Polucki’s wife underwent a harrowing menopause only months after receiving a clean bill of health and permission to start a family, and the couple was devastated. They spent years consulting specialists and nearly lost everything. They finally turned to functional medicine, and his wife’s crippling symptoms vanished within weeks. Dr. Polucki returned to school and now provides functional medicine alongside chiropractic care.
Instead of temporary relief from drugs, functional medicine permanently rehabilitates body malfunction. This rehabilitation can involve detoxification protocols, customized exercise routines, individualized nutrition programs, stress management strategies, and bio-identical hormones to jump-start the recovery process for patients worn down by chronic stress.
While most patients continue to opt for prescription pills, injections, and surgeries, Polucki offers a treatment that is entirely different and effective. He provides relief when all other treatments fail.
#9 Roberto Sacripanti, Creator of HomeofAI
From an early age, Roberto Sacripanti was an entrepreneur at heart. He hawked soccer cards to earn extra cash and designed a digital totem to capture 200% more leads for his father’s business. But without question, the most formative event during his early days was the misdiagnosis of his grandmother’s mental health disorder and heart failure. To understand her loss, he delved into research correlating mind and body.
Sacripanti’s studies took him from Italy to San Diego to Boston. During this journey, he encountered his own battle with mental health challenges, as he coped with homesickness, loneliness, an initial language barrier, burnout from maintaining a perfect GPA, and depression over his mother’s cancer. His grades suffered, and his mental fitness declined.
As before, when Sacripanti reached rock bottom, he dove into research. The study of neuroscience and neuroplasticity taught him to reshape his negative thoughts. His new understanding of stress and stressors enabled him to pick himself up and change course. After mentoring 500+ students, he mastered the art and science of communication and conversational marketing – something that some students have labeled as “always saying the right thing at the right time”.
After becoming a practical psychologist, researching at the SDSU Heart Research Institute, and at Harvard Medical School affiliate labs, Sacripanti realized that medicine was not the key to unlocking his vision. In 2018, he left research and dove into the health-tech startup sector. He explored how an AI-powered microscope could tackle the misdiagnosis of tropical diseases like malaria, and the light bulb went off. He initially turned to artificial intelligence and machine learning to help fight the mental health taboo in students, and learned how pathologies could be prevented through mathematical analysis. Yet with that newfound knowledge, Sacripanti eventually became a data analytics and management information systems maven, which led him to consult and build predictive analytics tools for Fortune 500 companies.
Fast forward to 2023 and Sacripanti’s launch of HomeofAI. Today, he has become a knowledge broker and is helping coaches and consultants get leads on autopilot with his proprietary Smart Auto Messages system. AI has arrived, and it is here to stay — get ahead, or get left behind!
#10 Andrew Antar, Founder of Tune.FM
Originally from Philadelphia, Andrew Antar began classical violin training at age four. Later, he won concerto competitions, toured the world with orchestras, and then went electric to collaborate with many bands on live stages and studio recordings.
Antar received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University. While there, he co-founded technology startups, created the first startup accelerator called B-lab, and launched a hedge fund trading options and derivatives.
After Brown, Antar moved to Silicon Valley and taught himself to code. He founded a software development agency to build technology platforms for startups and large clients like Comcast, Capital One, Bank of America, and EY. At Comcast, Andrew was awarded a blockchain patent for his method of authenticating and securing devices using private blockchain ledgers. With his brother, he founded an e-commerce company specializing in importing and logistics that generated seven figures in sales.
Antar’s latest venture combines his expertise in technology and finance with his abiding passion for music. It’s no secret that tech and music have enjoyed a love-hate relationship over the past decades. Pirating sites like Napster snatched revenue from artists, and streaming services like Spotify pay artists close to nothing.
Antar launched Tune.FM to take the struggling music industry into an era where artists are empowered to earn their living through a decentralized music streaming platform with an integrated music NFT marketplace. Tune.FM democratizes music for emerging artists by enabling them to earn 10 to 100 times more than Spotify’s streaming royalties, and to monetize their super-fans with music NFTs that include unlockable perks and exclusive experiences like backstage passes, private concerts, and VIP packages. Antar’s motto for this groundbreaking platform is, “When the music gets played, the artist gets paid.”
#11 Liv Arnold, founder of Public Status PR
Liv Arnold authors romance novels with heat, humor, and heart. Her riveting works, including “Law & Disorder,” “Etched in Stone,” and “Stepping Stone,” incorporate real-life issues and characters with relatable challenges like anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Arnold never shies from sharing her personal struggle with anxiety in her public interviews and in her writing. She also donates a percentage of the profits from “Stepping Stone” to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).
As founder of Public Status PR, Arnold leads a publicity firm with extensive experience in diverse sectors. Her clients represent well-known entertainers, emerging celebrities, small businesses, large corporations, advocacy groups, influencers, CEOs, government agencies, local governments, and not-for-profits. She has extensive contacts in magazines, podcasts, radio, news, and online articles. In fact, The Daily Express recently asked her for a PR expert’s opinion on how Harry and Meghan can effectively control their narrative. When The Daily Express needs a PR expert’s opinion, they ask for Arnold.
Arnold works tirelessly to help her clients receive the recognition they deserve. While many PR firms refuse to guarantee media coverage, Arnold claims that taking money when no services are rendered is unethical. If Public Status PR fails to obtain promised media placements for a client during the month, Arnold and her team do not stop until they reach those goals.
As a public relations specialist, Arnold empowers her clients to portray themselves in a way that is compelling and winsome to the public. As a professional author, she adeptly uncovers the human-interest story of each of these clients and directs them toward the media’s spotlight.
In many industries, these entrepreneurs are innovating change, solving significant problems, and influencing people in high places. Readers can keep an eye on them in the upcoming year to find out how they impact the world and make it a better place.
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