In this Business Blast episode, host Tyler Wagner interviews Justin K. Shafer, a self‑described transnational thinker who operates at the intersection of international business and politics. Shafer opens with a personal story about traveling to Quy Nhơn, Vietnam—the town where his grandfather was stationed during the war—to illustrate how stepping into uncomfortable, unfamiliar environments can yield profound personal growth. He then explains his core insight that the world’s political and business spheres are increasingly intertwined, arguing that success now requires a transnational mindset that blends deep local knowledge with a high‑level global view. Shafer shares practical business advice: read extensively and immediately apply what you learn, citing a university entrepreneurship project that evolved into a “Tinder for bands” startup. Reflecting on missed opportunities, he tells his younger self to say “yes” to more clubs, externships, and coffee meetings with leaders. When asked about happiness, he emphasizes fulfillment through helping others and finding work that aligns with personal values. He recommends Bill Browder’s Red Notice as his favorite recent book, highlighting the lesson of unwavering ethical commitment despite personal danger. Shafer also shares a favorite quote—“there are people who ask why to everybody’s dreams, and then there are those dreamers who ask why not”—attributing it to Gerard Williams. The interview closes with Shafer promoting his LinkedIn profile for networking.
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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. Today I have Justin K. Schaffer with us. He is a transnationally young thinker at the intersection of international business and politics. So welcome to the show, Justin.
Thank you for having me.
Of course, thanks for joining us. We'll dive in. The first question I have for you, Justin, is is what's the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?
Sure thing. So last spring, I found myself traveling in Vietnam to a small town called Quy Nhon, where my grandfather was stationed during the Vietnam War. And I showed up, and I don't think they'd seen somebody like me in 10 or 20 years. Nobody spoke English. And so I was kind of stumbling my way through town trying to figure things out. Eventually met one person who spoke English and was able to show me where my grandfather slept and where he would have prayed, where he would have eaten and relaxed, and where his plane would have landed. And you know, what it comes down to is, is challenging yourself and pushing your boundaries and putting yourself sometimes in an uncomfortable situation often leads to the best result.
And what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?
Sure, so I think the most important bit of information is that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected in terms of politics and, and business and international development, and that those lines very much are blurring. And so we don't need people who are able to function in one of those realms, we need somebody who can function across all of them now. And that's where, you know, people with transnational mindsets come in handy because they understand both how to operate locally and understand local customs, local laws, local politics, everything along those lines, as well as to understand the 30,000-foot view of things, look at it from a global perspective.
And what is your best piece of overall business advice, so not necessarily industry-specific?
Read. Read as much as you can about as much as you can, and then put it into practice. So For example, one of my courses that I took at the University of South Carolina was a course about entrepreneurship, and we created a course project related to a group that was essentially a Tinder for bands to help you match, you know, musicians with bands who were looking for those musicians or musicians with people looking for gigs, and we ended up taking this course project and some of the people started it and it's grown into a larger company now. So it's very good to, you know, learn as much as you can, but don't just learn it, but do it. I think it's my major piece of advice in business.
So two things, I'll chime in there, that's an awesome idea. And second thing is I just want to give a shout out to the Gamecocks.
Thank you very much. Go Cox!
Go Cox, baby! And the next question I have for you is if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?
You know, it's very little, or very odd to me that looking back, the things that I regret are not the things that I have done, but what I have not done. They were the opportunities that I did not take. They were the conversations that I did not have. And so looking back, I think it would be to do more. It would be to say yes to more clubs, say yes to more externships, say yes to more coffees with, with leaders in politics and business. That would be my biggest piece of advice to my younger self.
And kind of going a little bit, you know, maybe deeper here, but in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?
That is a very intense question. And watching some of my friends come out of school and pursuing the money and not finding themselves being happy, I've realized that it is finding fulfillment in what you do. It is helping others. Wow. Finding the career that makes you happiest.
And, oh, you said reading earlier, so I'm excited for your answer here. What is the best book that you've read and what's the number one thing you learned from that?
Sure. So the best book that I have read, at least as of recently, is a book called Red Notice by a man named Bill Browder. Bill Browder was a journalist who covered a corruption scandal related to Russia's national oil system. And he has been since subjected to people chasing him down around the world trying to assassinate him because he uncovered this corruption scandal. So I think what I've learned there is that regardless of the threat that may face you, you should never concede in your ethics. Always stand by the values that you hold close to your heart.
And what is your favorite quote and why?
My favorite quote is— and I'm gonna butcher this— but it's that there are people who ask why to everybody's dreams, and then there are those dreamers who ask why not. And those are the people that are going to change the world.
Yes. Is that the Steve Jobs quote?
It is not a Steve Jobs quote. It is a— goodness— Gerard Williams quote, maybe the '40s.
Gotcha. Okay, beautiful, man. Thank you so much for coming on. It's always great to speak to a fellow Gamecock. And the last question I have for you before we let you go is where's the best place for people to find you online?
Sure. So I'm a big proponent of LinkedIn. If anybody's interested, they can add me on linkedin.com/shaferjustink. That's S-H-A-F-E-R-J-U-S-T-I-N-K. Just the letter K. Perfect, bro.
Thanks again for coming on. We appreciate it.
Yes, sir. You have a good one. 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.
