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Why Most Founders Flame Out with Dr. Mohamed F. Ahmed
Manage episode 494301555 series 3051701
In this compelling episode, Jeff Bloomfield sits down with tech executive, entrepreneur, and resilience coach Mohamed F. Ahmed. From the moment a curious mistake with a floppy disk nearly wrecked his dad’s $10,000 PC—and unexpectedly ignited a lifelong passion for computers—to launching and selling a successful startup, Mo shares the deeper, human story behind innovation and leadership. You’ll hear how emotional intelligence, mindset, and adaptability outweigh strategy in both startups and big corporations, and why conditioning your inner world may be the most important skill for the future of work and AI.
This isn’t your typical tech talk. Mo opens up about the moments that nearly broke him—and how emotional conditioning, not strategy, got him through. Whether you're launching a startup, innovating inside a big company, or just trying to stay sane in the chaos, this episode is a masterclass in mindset, resilience, and the real inner game of success.
Entrepreneurship starts inside: Your mindset and emotional conditioning matter more than your business model.
Corporate vs. startup = Pool vs. ocean: Corporate feels like a swim lane; startups are like the Atlantic Ocean at night—no map, no guardrails.
Emotional regulation is a learned skill: Mo went from 4 weeks of emotional paralysis to 2 hours of recovery by learning to process feelings fast.
Identity ≠ job title: Don’t let your business define your worth.
Purpose fuels resilience: Your “why” is your survival kit when things go wrong.
AI is a collaborator, not a competitor: The winners will be those who use AI to think, plan, and act faster—not those who fear it.
Use AI to reflect: Mo journals daily and uses Claude or ChatGPT to analyze his week and optimize decisions.
Sales is psychology, not just pitching: Reframe rejection as feedback and stay emotionally neutral.
Curiosity trumps control: Mo’s career began when his dad turned a moment of anger into a shared learning journey.
The next wave is “AI-native entrepreneurs”: Founders using AI as a creative partner are building faster, smarter companies.
00:00 – Intro and Seattle weather joke
02:45 – Jeff explains show format and target audience
05:00 – Corporate innovation vs. entrepreneurship
08:00 – Mo’s origin story: From floppy disks to a PhD
13:00 – Lessons from Mo’s dad: 10X thinking and 20,000 books
17:00 – First emotional crash in startup life
20:45 – Resilience in action: From panic to pitch in 2 hours
23:30 – The Entrepreneurial Conditioning Framework
26:00 – Identity, mindset, and daily mental practices
30:50 – Making time for thinking in the chaos of leadership
34:00 – Sales psychology and rejection reframing
35:15 – Startups vs. big corporations: Speed and chaos
41:00 – The future of AI: From compression to companion
46:00 – Mo’s son + AI = 2-month project done in 1 week
49:00 – Will AI steal jobs or create new ones?
52:00 – Boundless Founder and The Inside Out Entrepreneur
Why You Should ListenTop 10 TakeawaysChapter MarkingsLinks MentionedBook – The Inside Out Entrepreneur: Available now on Amazon
148 episodes
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