About How NOT To Build: Startup Stories | A Jemini Podcast
"How NOT to Build" is about uncovering the lessons Founders, CTOs, Tech Leads, and Team Leads wish they’d known earlier.
I hope these stories spark ideas, offer guidance, and help you navigate your journey to turning vision into reality.
Former Police Chief Explains What Real Leadership Looks Like w/ Mike Villa @ Port of Seattle
Today on the podcast I have a very unique guest. Mike Villa is not only the Retired Chief of Police at the Port of Seattle Police Department, he is also – unfortunately for him – my Father.
Now at the time of this recording Mike was planning to launch his own start up called Villa Consultancy where he would help leaders develop high-functioning teams and successful organizations. I wanted to have him on because that’s such a critical skill for every founder to have.
We talk about
The Marine Corps Leadership Mistake That Changed Mike Forever
Why Most Teams Fail: The Dying Art of Followership
The Chief of Police Leadership Lesson Every Startup Founder Needs
Mike is retiring from a 36-years in Law Enforcement, where he spent significant time on the SWAT Team at Tukwila and the last 8 years as Chief of Police at the Port of Seattle.
I think you guys will really enjoy this one – this is Episode 24 of How NOT to Build.
00:00 — Retirement, Leadership, and What Comes Next
02:07 — Why Most Startups Actually Fail
03:20 — What the Marine Corps Taught Mike About Leadership
06:12 — The Leadership Mistake Mike Made During Desert Storm
09:05 — Why Isolated Teams Eventually Collapse
11:50 — The Dangerous Trap of “My Team vs The Company”
14:58 — The Dying Art of Followership
16:20 — The Easiest Way to Become Your Boss’s Favorite Employee
18:15 — Why Smart Leaders Still Need to Be Followers
20:10 — The Biggest Leadership Mistake Mike Made in 27 Years
23:45 — Why Most Leaders Secretly Crave Credit
25:25 — How Great Teams Handle Conflict and Accountability
29:10 — “You Broke My Trust” — The Conversation Most Leaders Avoid
32:05 — The Brutally Honest Team Exercise Every Company Should Try
36:10 — Becoming Chief During COVID and the Anti-Police Era
38:20 — How Mike Rebuilt Trust From Scratch as Chief of Police
40:00 — Why Leaders Need to Over-Communicate
43:15 — What “Building Relationships” Actually Means
45:05 — The Leadership Comment That Backfired Immediately
49:20 — The Best Leadership Book Mike Ever Read
52:40 — The Team Framework Mike Is Using After Retirement
56:05 — Why No Team Ever Truly “Arrives”
9 Jun 2026
Stop doing math, becoming a leader, and the future of AI agents
On this episode I got to catch up with my long time friend Rob Oesch, the Director of Product Management at Kaseware.
In this episode we cover
Why you need to stop doing math with your startup
Practical advice for when you transition into a leadership role on your existing team
And what it’s going to look like when you replace your employees with AI agents
At Kaseware, Rob delivers a premier investigative platform for Law Enforcement, Corporate Security, and Intelligence Analysts.
I hope you enjoy, Episode 23 of How NOT to Build.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Its Purpose
02:33 The Prototype Mindset and Building Products
05:22 Navigating the Zero to One Challenge
07:45 The Importance of Client Relationships
10:16 Lessons from Leadership and Boundaries
12:49 The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Technology
15:34 Open Source Intelligence and Its Evolution
18:20 Building Products for Niche Markets
20:38 Leadership Styles and Communication
23:19 The Balance of Grace and Decisiveness in Leadership
25:59 Transitioning to Axon and Future Endeavors
30:26 Transitioning to Axon: A New Beginning
31:18 Growth and Scaling: From Zero to One
34:05 Navigating Challenges in a Fast-Paced Environment
36:16 Adapting to Change: Lessons from Government to Tech
38:46 The Side Hustle Mentality: Balancing Passion and Work
41:53 Introducing Kaseware: A New Venture
46:50 Challenges and Opportunities in AI Integration
51:10 The Future of AI in the Workplace
55:58 Reflections on Technology and Human Connection
2 Jun 2026
How We Survived Losing 90% of the Business w/ Saul Bankaitis @ Collinear Group
Today I talk with Saul Bankaitis, CEO of Collinear Group.
A little backstory, Collinear Group was the second company I worked at in my professional career.
So it was a privilege for me to sit down with him and get his point of view on everything that’s happened over the past several decades of that industry.
We cover
His critical advice for anyone thinking about an engineering career
How to the tough politics of struggling companies
And one leadership move that you do not what to undervalue
As the President and CEO of Collinear Group, Saul leverages deep expertise in serving commercial clients and government agencies operating at the highest levels of aviation and aerospace.
His industry-leading consulting team helps manufacturers, suppliers, and operators reach new heights by bringing intelligence and technology to solve the most complex challenges in aerospace.
00:00 — Introducing Saul
04:10 — What AI Is Doing to the Next Generation of Careers
06:00 — “Do You Even Need to Care About the Code Anymore?”
08:25 — Saul’s First Experience Seeing the SR-71 Blackbird
10:10 — The NASA Job Saul Hated — And Why It Changed Everything
11:55 — The Leadership Culture That Changed Saul’s Career
15:20 — The Biggest Mistake Saul Made at Techtura
18:55 — The Brutal Reality of Not Being Able to Pay Your People
21:05 — Why Most Engineers Struggle to Add Real Value
22:40 — “What’s the Real Requirement?”
25:35 — Why Job Fulfillment Matters More Than Ever
29:55 — How Saul Accidentally Became an Entrepreneur
33:15 — The 95-Hour Weeks That Built Collinear
36:40 — How Collinear Exploded From 2 People to 40
39:10 — The Leadership Lessons Learned During COVID and the MAX Crisis
41:15 — How Collinear Survived Losing 90% of Its Business
43:35 — The Leaders Who Saved the Company
45:20 — Why “Industry 4.0” Was Mostly Hype
47:05 — The Hardest Part of Leading Through Chaos
49:10 — Why Followership Is a Dying Art
50:25 — Saul’s Biggest Leadership Regret
52:05 — The Future of Aerospace, AI, and Advanced Air Mobility
53:35 — Why Remote Work Makes Mentorship Harder
55:10 — The Real Opportunity in Aerospace AI
57:10 — What’s Next for Collinear
Who has been a guest on How NOT To Build: Startup Stories | A Jemini Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Nathan Anderson
Jason Kerner
Cara Wells
Brandon Powers
Ellen Cusato Messer
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