I ❤️ 1st Gen Entrepreneurs • Learn more at 1stGen.biz 👊

I'm an IT guy turned Entrepreneur who loves the art of building and growing successful businesses.

I started my first business (Skye Technologies) in 2006, grew it organically for 15+ years, then sold it in 2021. 

After that, I began offering business coaching/consulting under the banner 1st Gen Entrepreneurs. As the first person in my family to start a business, I know what it's like to learn everything the hard way. My goal with 1st Gen is to help others in the same situation to build healthy, sustainable businesses without as much headache & heartache.

Most recently, I became the CEO of a new venture called Skye Equipment Rentals. As a proud, independent, locally owned business, we are looking to become the #1 source for contractors in Oldham County and surrounding areas for all their construction equipment needs.

Thanks for taking a look at my profile and feel free to hit me up...  I love to talk business ☕️

Andrew McIntosh

Nora DiNuzzo

You’ve worked too hard for it to be this hard.

Growing up, one thing I never aspired to be was an entrepreneur. 

Running your own company was for the incredibly wealthy (Mr. Burns) or the incredibly innovative (Doc Brown). I was neither.

But what I’ve learned about entrepreneurs over the past few years is that they have one thing in common – they desperately want to fix something that drives them nuts. 

As it turns out – throughout my life and career, a lot of things drove me nuts. 

So nuts that in October 2021, I quit a VP-level job at an ad agency to start my own consultancy – Pitcher – to help small businesses grow.

Because the fact that agencies could rarely find a way to work with companies <$25mm in annual revenue drove me nuts.

Because I believe that small businesses deserve to grow, too. 

In April 2023, I got a call from a friend that I never planned for – with an offer to create something I never considered doing less than two years into being a founder.

A second company.

Because the fact that so many brilliant agencies continuously struggle to grow drove him nuts. 

As it turns out – it drives me nuts, too. 

So nuts that I said yes – and Blood Sweat & Tears was born. 

Yes, born. I have given birth to two human children – and two businesses.

There is not a damn thing women can’t do.

Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer

You’ve worked too hard for it to be this hard.

BS&T is a committed partner to ambitious agencies frustrated by inconsistent growth.

We develop and implement a custom growth strategy that meets you where you are today – whether your goal is to stabilize, sustain, scale or sell your agency.

There is nothing greater to me than women supporting each other 💞

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking at an event for Dress for Success Pittsburgh alongside my longtime friend, Hollie Geitner, APR and newer friend Nicole Ramirez. 

Whether I have known women in my life for 1 year or 20… when they ask me to show up to support something that matters to them and other women in our community, I am THERE.

And shoutout to two special women I mentioned during our session, which was about how to use your voice on LinkedIn - Joy Hoover and Amena 🦒 Chaudhry, SHRM-SCP.

Even though you are miles away, I share your stories and I speak your names. And I know what little I shared about you - your brilliance, innovation, courage - inspired someone in that room.

I’m putting together something really special and important for women this year. Watch this space - I’ll be sharing more soon. 

If you are a woman who supports other women with your full chest - THANK YOU 🙏

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Back on my speaking grind.

I miss pitching every day.

Which is why now, I love to present - and to educate.

Are you a speaker too?

If so… tell me what you speak about, and where!

Maybe I will catch you in my travels ✈️

There is nothing cooler than seeing women follow and achieve their dreams.

Unsurprisingly, as someone who likes to write… so do many of my friends. And their dreams include becoming a published author ✍️ 

I met Sophie Jane Lee a couple of years ago, and knew right away she was special. She has a magnetism and spark that you can’t fake, nor can you force. She just embodies it. 

Of course we connected over marketing as well, and I love her branding for Electric Peach 🍑⚡️

Now reading her book, I understand just how hard she fought to get to the point where being herself seems so effortless.

Sophie says in her new book, Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women that “the path forward is not about fixing ourselves, but about remembering who we were before the edits.”

First… A BAR.

Second… that knocked the wind right out of me.

Because you’ve been you all along.

And I’ve been me.

Along the way, as women we were told to, encouraged to, bullied into editing ourselves.

Not just the physical edits. The ones that demanded we rewire our entire personalities. 

As many of you have witnessed in my own transformation, I stopped editing myself about 5 years ago.

Dave DiNuzzo and I dubbed the pandemic year DGAF 2020 - and that’s precisely when I stopped.

Because I saw that life was too short to keep trying to be someone else’s desired version of me.

And the only person who has to live with how I am is me.

One of the greatest advantages of entrepreneurship is the freedom to be yourself.

People have said, “I never knew you felt that way.”

Now that I’m free there is not only a joy in speaking my mind, but also a responsibility to do so.

Especially because I know that many other women cannot yet.

Because it doesn’t feel safe.
Or actually isn’t safe.

Sophie’s book is going to be a transformational read for so many women. I can’t wait for you all to read it.

And to kick off her upcoming book tour, I invite you to hear Sophie and friends (including me!) speak about moving beyond palatable at the Unapologetic Voices live event next Monday, March 2nd.

It’s going to be a 12-hour marathon of incredible speakers in conversation with Sophie - including two women I’m truly in awe of, Erin Corine Johnson and Yinka Ewuola 🤩

Please join us to talk about how to use your unapologetic voice, and stop editing yourself to fit someone else’s dream or narrative.

Who you are and what you want for your life is more than enough 💗

Link to event in comments. I’m speaking at 1:30 EST. Hope to see you there 🙌

Everything that Cindy Gallop said.

I’ll keep what I do professionally quite brief. Here is my elevator pitch:

I have one job - make people millions of dollars.

$200mm and counting so far.

You may not be surprised to hear that 100% of people I talk to - business owners - would like to make millions more than they are making today.

But you might be surprised to know that <1% are actually ready to do it, this minute - mentally, emotionally, financially. 

If growing businesses was that easy and inexpensive… we’d all be retired on the beach in Bali already 🏝️

You have to spend money to make money. Sorry to break it to you.

So… if and when you are ready to make millions… you know where to find me 😎

Free is cancelled. Come with your checkbook ready 😘

Happy #IWD to all the badass women business owners I know and love, who are here to MAKE MONEY today and every day 💰💰💰

As Cindy says… don’t empower me.

PAY ME.

I like to blow shit up. I am the Michael Bay of business.

Women of LinkedIn - THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!

As Samantha Katz has established, today and today only, on International Women's Day, shocker - LinkedIn has tweaked the algorithm to give us more visibility.

Today, do you see more women in your feed?

Today, did you see that my #IWD post about 'Don't Empower Me, Pay Me', in one day, has gotten to date 93,000 impressions, 4,390 reactions, 142 comments and 492 reposts?

I NEVER get that kind of engagement and traction on here, despite having over 145,000 followers.

Post the shit out of everything you want everyone to know about on here today, that MAKES YOU MONEY.

Algorithmic suppression = economic oppression.

This is why we demand #FairnessInTheFeed - not just on International Women's Day, but on every other day as well 💥

If someone had told me and Dave DiNuzzo five years ago that today, we would be the founders of three businesses... I think we would have burst into a fit of laughter. 

Run your own businesses, with two little kids and no local family? Impossible. 

YET... here we are. 

I'm so proud of Dave for what he is building with DAYPACK Studio. His service model is incredibly useful to just about every business and business owner I know.

Big or small. Agency or brand. Corporate or nonprofit.

If you have creative needs and a budget that demands a just-right size solution, DAYPACK is the answer you've been looking for.

Content Production & Creative Problem Solving

Life is nothing if not an adventure. A journey we embark on one step at a time. We plan a route with the best intentions, but sometimes the best parts of the adventure happen when we deviate from the plan. 

In 2024 when I left agency life, I did so with the intention of taking a beat to focus on the important things in life. In doing so, it became apparent that the adventure of life was nudging me onto my own path.

After a year and change of planning, building and early partnerships, I’m officially launching DAYPACK Studio. 

When you start out on an adventure, it’s important to pack the right supplies, snacks and tools that will help overcome any obstacles along the way. 

Overpack and you’re bogged down with too much weight and it becomes exhausting. Pack too light and you’ll find yourself up a river without a paddle as they say. 

DAYPACK is a partner for whatever creative journey you’re setting off on. Deep experience in a variety of mediums without the bulk of a large team. The right supplies for the venture, no matter the creative problems you’re looking to solve. 

From deck design to motion graphics and podcast production to a quick photo retouch. We’re up for anything your team needs, both the quick jaunts and long excursions. 

Thank you to Niki Clark, FPQP®, Matt Weiss, Emma Knight Markrich, John Caruso, and of course Nora DiNuzzo, some of the earliest supporters of DAYPACK. Your partnership, friendship and support has meant the world in building this business.  

If you’re looking for a partner on your next creative adventure let’s connect and grab coffee or a beer and see where the journey can take us.

New York is an excellent place for an elite beverage goblin.

Who wants to grab a drink in Midtown with me? DM for happy hour location📍

A few years ago, Sam Kimelman said "you make people question their fundamentals" when it comes to growth. 

That's exactly why Blood Sweat & Tears is launching Clarity Cohort this month. 

Because for a lot of agencies and creative service companies, growth fundamentals - positioning, ICP, POV, building a custom strategy, developing growth SOPs, executing the plan consistently over quarters and years - are missing. 

And it's really no wonder. It's not like there is the equivalent of portfolio school for agency business developers. As someone once said... we got our MBA the hard way 🥵 

If you are still struggling to nail the fundamentals of growth for your agency, come to our next cohort - Thurs. March 19th from 1-2:30p ET. 

I will be teaching 8 core concepts that every agency leader and business developer needs to master. More about the modules and the course format on our website - I'll drop the link in the comments 👇 

Agency growth isn't magic.
It's method. 

Now you can learn the methods I have developed over nearly 20 years in this game... so you don't have to wait that long to nail growth 📈

Consulting isn't just about achieving outcomes. It's also about ongoing education. 

One of the things Eric Brown and I find ourselves doing most is educating agency leaders about business development best practices - as well as new growth techniques, as our industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace. 

What used to work for new business teams no longer feels like a sure-fire approach. What brought in new clients at a large agency doesn't work now that you're running your own indie shop. 

GEO is changing things. Algorithms are changing things.

Clients are looking for different things from agencies. Because the demands on them are different now. Not only different than they were 2 years or 12 months ago... but different than last quarter. Or last month.

And yet despite (and sometimes, because of) this rapid swirl of change... we often miss or overlook the fundamentals of growth.

Having a clear ICP and POV.

Crafting a positioning that resonates with them - and evolving it to reflect their present moment concerns. Building a reputation as an expert they can trust. 

Having a consistent presence in front of your ICP that builds authority over the long-term. Not just having a growth strategy and plan - but operationalizing it, with daily and weekly rigor. 

Like so many leaders, you probably didn't start your agency because you're a growth expert. But that doesn't mean you can't become one. 

That's why Blood Sweat & Tears is launching Clarity Cohort next month. 

A 90-minute virtual group session for agency leaders that want to learn or re-learn the fundamental strategic and tactical drivers of growth - and talk about the new challenges and opportunities that are emerging and shifting by the day. 

Our next two sessions are on March 5th and March 19th.

DM or email me for more details, if you're interested to join us: nora@bloodsweatandtears.co

There is no such thing as an overnight expert.

To master any subject, sport, hobby or profession… there is simply no avoiding reps.

Dave DiNuzzo is currently teaching our son Leo to golf, and it’s been really cool to see him embrace working on his swing, and improving every time he goes to the range.

He just turned 7 last week, and yesterday he was hitting drives 75-100 yards. That’s about 25 yards further than the last time he was at the range.

We also got him a putting mat for his birthday, and as I write this he is practicing his putting before school.

Yes, golf is a game and it’s (mostly) fun ⛳️ 

But it’s also a game that’s impossible to improve at without putting in reps.

And I would know, because lately I’ve been too busy to make any improvement. Been putting in too many work reps, per usual.

To all my friends putting in the reps… I SEE YOU 👀 

Specifically want to shout out a few founders whose focus on reps is leading to big things. Follow and keep your eyes on them, because they are about to skyrocket 📈

evante daniels 
Melissa Withorn  
Chelsea Burns, M.S. 
Victoria Carrington Chávez✨ 
Sebastian D. P. Hidalgo 
Asmara Kazmi  
Nicholas Whitaker 
Mayisha Shamiha, M.A.

taplio

The Battle

Andrew McIntosh

Nora DiNuzzo

Followers

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taplio

The Battle

Andrew McIntosh

Nora DiNuzzo

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nora DiNuzzo's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNora DiNuzzo's LinkedIn Performance