In this Business Blast Podcast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews David Mammano, founder of the Avanti Entrepreneur Network. The conversation opens with a childhood anecdote where a six‑year‑old David shovels driveways before others, leveraging his cute appearance to earn money and learning the value of offering value first. David describes his expertise as inspiring and equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with tools, confidence, and worst‑case scenario planning to pursue their dreams. He shares his top business advice: maintain focus on a single strength, develop processes, and use accountability systems to stay on plan each quarter. Reflecting on his younger self, he suggests being less bound by societal rules and embracing a bit of rebellion. When asked about happiness, David emphasizes service to others as the key to mental and physical health. He recommends the book Psycho‑Cybernetics for rewiring limiting beliefs and cites a favorite Tony Robbins quote—“If you are committed, you’ll always find a way”—as a reminder of persistence. The episode concludes with David’s contact information (davidmamano.com, david@davidmamano.com) for listeners seeking entrepreneurial guidance.
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Welcome to the Business Blast podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite and join the free community at authorsunite.com. Now let's jump into the episode.
Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner and today I have David Mamano with us. He is the founder of the Avanti Entrepreneur Network. So welcome to the show, David.
Hey, glad to be here, Tyler. Thanks for having me.
Of course, great to have you here. And we will dive in. The first question I have for you, David, is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Well, I gotta go back to when I was 6 years old. It was probably my first experience of being an entrepreneur. And, you know, I'm from upstate New York, Rochester, and, you know, so in February that means snow. And I had the idea I was gonna go make some money, so I went outside with a shovel. I was gonna go shovel some driveways. Well, it was February by now, and most people already had the service covered. They had a plow service and a family member doing it. And so I didn't get any business. So I'm walking back a little dejected. And then all of a sudden, I say I got stopped in my snow tracks with an idea to change the game. I was gonna capitalize on the fact that I was a cute little 6-year-old kid, and I was gonna go to the next street and shovel the driveway first. And so I did that. So I would shovel the driveway first, then I'd go to the door, and I would put my cute little 6-year-old face on, and I would say, "Hi, I shoveled your driveway." And they would give me $1, $5, $10. Came home with a pocketful of money just by changing the rules of the game. And I look back and I think it was a great experience for me to continue to learn by offering the value first.
Yes, I love that. And the next one I have for you is, what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that is within your expertise or industry?
I, you know, my expertise is really inspiring people to either start or grow a business. I'm very helpful when it comes to helping people, uh, give them the tools and the confidence and the process in order to take that leap to finally pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. And, you know, figuring out what is the worst-case scenario and plan for that. Uh, and very, uh, helpful when it comes to talking things through as far as how they can make it happen and giving them the inspiration and the support they need in order to, to, you know, either start and/or maximize their entrepreneurial dreams.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
Well, I would say focus. I think most business owners are very excitable. They probably have a little ADHD going on. And to really prune the rose bush, you know, focus on one thing that you can be fantastic at and continue to grow from there. And make sure that you have processes and people in place to hold you accountable to stay true to the plan quarter by quarter.
And if you could give your younger self one piece of advice besides shoveling first, what would it be?
I would look back and say, you know, don't be so much of a stickler with staying in the boundaries of what society has set up. I know it probably sounds a little rebellious, but you look back and you're like, you know, I think you could have stepped outside the box a little bit more and not having been such a kind of adherence to the structure. I probably would have been a little bit— I never would have hurt anybody, but I probably would have been a little bit more rebellious.
Yeah, yeah, like not follow the system, I guess, exactly how it's laid out. In your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
Service to others, no doubt. Service to others, I think, is the key to happiness and the key to health, mind, body, and soul. The minute you start helping other people, your depression, your anxiety goes away, your ulcer goes away. It's just so— it's so good on so many levels. So by helping others, you're helping yourself.
And what is the best book that you've read, and what was the number one thing you learned from that?
Well, it's a book I'm rereading right now because it was so good. It's called Psycho-Cybernetics. I've always been a positive, very enthusiastic guy, but it's changing the record in my head to bring me to the next level. As optimistic as I am, I still have some crap in my brain that holds me back and sabotages me, and it really kind of retrains your brain and changes the record in your brain to help you get to that next level.
I actually just started that on audio, and it's so good so far. Now I'm going to make sure I finish that. Yeah, yeah, somebody said that previously. I downloaded it right away. And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is by Tony Robbins: "If you are committed, you'll always find a way." And it just means, you know, just really being focused and persistent and not giving up on the goal.
Yes, thank you so much for coming on, man. The last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
You know, go right to davidmamano.com. David, they can email me david@davidmamano.com. M-A-M-M-A-N-O. Would love to connect with anybody that wants to talk about their entrepreneurial dreams.
Perfect, man. Thanks again for joining us. We appreciate it.
Thank you, Tyler. Take care. The podcast you just heard was recorded with Anchor. If you want to make your own, download the Android or iOS app completely free from anchor.fm/podcast. That's anchor.fm/podcast.
