Inside the Speakeasy Podcast - Your Key to Hidden Strategies & Success Stories from Top Entrepreneurs
Welcome to Inside the Speakeasy—the entrepreneur podcast that hands you the keys to rooms most never get access to.
Hosted by Eric Berman, this show is for founders, startup builders, marketers, and empire-minded creators who are done with surface-level noise and ready to unlock the hidden strategies, pivotal success stories, and raw truths behind elite business growth.
This is your key to the real game—the unfiltered conversations happening behind closed doors, at mastermind retreats, in late-night deal rooms, and during the “what the hell do I do now?” breakdowns that never make it to LinkedIn.
You’ll hear from the scrappiest, boldest, most unreasonably driven entrepreneurs in the U.S.—the ones who are scaling to 7–8 figures, failing forward, innovating under pressure, and rewriting the rules of success while no one’s watching.
No recycled advice. No fake “10X hacks.” Just what’s actually working right now—from people actually doing it.
Because let’s be honest:
You’re doing well.
You’re sharp.
But deep down… you know you’re still playing small.
So stop chasing comfort.
You’re not here for safe.
You’re here to evolve.
This is Inside the Speakeasy.
And once you’re in…
You don’t go back.
Inside the Speakeasy Podcast - Your Key to Hidden Strategies & Success Stories from Top Entrepreneurs
The #1 Mistake Founders Make in Crowdfunding with Sarah Hardwick
What happens when you put values at the center of your marketing? For Sarah Hardwick, it turned into a career of building communities that actually care about the brands they support. She opens up about how that approach helped her raise over $150 million through crowdfunding and why understanding what people truly value can change everything for a business.
Sarah’s story takes us from starting her own agency, Zenzi Communications, to stepping into the role of CMO at Aptera Motors, where she helped grow a movement around solar-powered vehicles. Along the way, she’s learned how to bring people together in authentic ways that go way beyond demographics and ad campaigns. She even shares the wild story of how a simple parked domain turned into a million-dollar deal.
Now, she’s helping founders and companies tap into the same strategies that worked for her, whether that’s building a loyal investor community or running a campaign that people want to rally behind. If you’ve ever wondered how to get people not just to notice your brand but to believe in it, you’ll love this episode.
Key Timestamps:
[00:00:00] Welcome to Inside the Speakeasy Podcast
[00:04:50] Evolving marketing strategies over time.
[00:06:30] Values-based marketing evolution.
[00:10:49] Values wheel in marketing.
[00:12:23] Freedom seekers vs. tradition seekers.
[00:15:12] Pleasure versus security dynamics.
[00:20:02] Identifying customer values through reviews.
[00:22:27] Brand values and emotional connection.
[00:24:47] Values-based marketing in crowdfunding.
[00:29:30] Investor communication strategies.
[00:31:24] Values-based marketing strategies.
[00:33:32] Crowdfunding campaign strategies.
[00:37:42] Parked domain turned million dollars.
Memorable Quotes:
"We would never even start a campaign without doing values research and understanding what values are important to people." [00:09:50] – Sarah Hardwick
"The biggest problem that most brands have is that they stand for nothing." [00:21:16] – Sarah Hardwick
Connect with Sarah Hardwick:
Website: https://www.sarahhardwick.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahhardwick/
Connect with Eric Berman:
Website: https://speakeasymastermind.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/speakeasymastermind/
Facebook: https://www.instagram.com/speakeasymastermind/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericberman/
Produced by Evolved Podcasting: www.evolvedpodcasting.com