Our Featured Guest for September 13, 2026 is Richard Curtis and our Entrepreneur Spotlight Guests are Rose Marie Iskowitz and Yidian Liu.
What happens when artificial intelligence challenges the very idea of human authorship, entrepreneurs rethink the businesses they built, and innovators tackle problems as different as microplastics and young-adult mindset? On this episode of Passage to Profit – Road to Entrepreneurship, Richard and Elizabeth Gearhart explore the decisions, technologies, and entrepreneurial thinking behind three very different businesses.
Richard Curtis – Literary Agent and E-Book Pioneer
Richard Curtis is a literary agent, author, publishing authority, and e-book pioneer who has brought more than 10,000 books to publication. He shares how he envisioned portable electronic books as early as 1985—years before the Kindle—and eventually launched a publishing company after recognizing where digital reading technology was heading. He also explains why he ultimately decided to close that business when e-book sales began showing signs of slowing, offering an important lesson for entrepreneurs about knowing when it is better to exit a business rather than stay too long.
Curtis also takes a hard look at AI and the publishing industry. He discusses growing concerns among publishers about whether books submitted as human-written may actually contain AI-generated material, the implications for authors and publishers, and the distinction between using AI for research or organizing material versus using it to actually write a book. The conversation explores human authorship, copyright, trust, AI-generated literature, and what the future could mean for authors and the publishing business.
Rose Marie Iskowitz – Founder of Rise Cognitive Blueprint
Rose Marie Iskowitz is the founder of Rise Cognitive Blueprint, a science-informed program designed to help young adults understand how their thoughts, habits, beliefs, and outlook can influence their choices and direction in life. Her framework, RISE—Recognize, Investigate, Shift, and Evolve—uses short, two- to three-minute lessons to teach practical concepts such as building habits gradually, learning from mistakes, becoming more resourceful, and developing a more resilient mindset.
Iskowitz discusses the challenges young adults face, including difficulty navigating setbacks, overprotective parenting, social media comparison and bullying, and the isolation many experienced during COVID. She explains how she is bringing the curriculum to schools, nonprofits, and other organizations that work with young adults. She is currently developing pilot partnerships and hopes to eventually reach thousands of young people.
Yidian Liu – Co-Founder of PolyGone Systems
Yidian Liu is the co-founder of PolyGone Systems, a company developing technology to address microplastic pollution in commercial and municipal water systems. Liu explains why the company moved beyond traditional architectural design to focus on a problem with broader environmental impact: plastic waste and the invisible microplastics and nanoplastics that can enter waterways. The company developed a fibrous silicone filter medium inspired by the structure of aquatic plant roots. In testing discussed on the show, the system achieved more than 99% microplastic removal.
Liu explains where microplastics can come from, including vehicle tire wear, synthetic clothing fibers, airborne plastic, and wastewater. The conversation also covers how microplastics can be measured using techniques such as fluorescent microscopy, FTIR, and GC-MS, as well as PolyGone Systems’ focus on commercial and municipal applications.
Real AI Use Cases Business Owners Roundtable
The episode also features practical AI applications from the guests and hosts. Richard Curtis describes using AI much like a research search tool, particularly valuing systems that provide citations back to original sources. Rose Marie Iskowitz discusses using Claude to create content and marketing assets from existing branding materials. Yidian Liu explains how PolyGone Systems uses AI to handle repetitive administrative work, including organizing purchase orders from different vendors into standardized spreadsheets. The hosts also discuss AI in legal research, podcast production, video editing, content creation, and image generation.
Intellectual Property News: Trademark Reverse Confusion
The episode’s Intellectual Property News segment examines the unusual trademark concept of reverse confusion through the dispute involving Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters and the existing band Demon Hunter. The discussion explains how a much larger company can potentially overwhelm an established smaller brand through massive marketing exposure, creating a situation where consumers may think the original trademark owner is actually the copycat. The segment highlights why entrepreneurs should search trademarks before investing heavily in a brand, register important marks, document use, and monitor potentially confusing uses.
Secrets of the Entrepreneurial Mind
The episode closes with three very different entrepreneurial lessons. Richard Curtis emphasizes courage and not being afraid of mistakes or competition. Rose Marie Iskowitz stresses that setbacks and failures are part of the process and that entrepreneurs can regroup, pivot, and move forward. Yidian Liu emphasizes that business ultimately comes down to people, solving real-world problems, and understanding and addressing customers’ pain points.
FAQs
Who is Richard Curtis?
Richard Curtis is a literary agent, author, publishing authority, and e-book pioneer who has brought more than 10,000 books to publication. He envisioned electronic books years before the Kindle and later became an e-book publisher.
What does Richard Curtis say about AI and publishing?
Richard Curtis discusses concerns about AI-generated books, human authorship, publisher distrust, and the implications of AI-generated content for authors and copyright. He distinguishes between using AI as a research or organizational tool and using AI to write material intended for publication.
How did Richard Curtis predict the e-book revolution?
Curtis says he first imagined reading books on a portable electronic device in 1985. After following technological developments in electronic paper and e-ink, he decided in the late 1990s to become an e-book publisher.
What business lesson does Richard Curtis share about closing a company?
Curtis says that starting and ending a business were two of the most life-changing decisions of his career. After noticing declining sales in parts of the e-book market, he ultimately chose to exit and says entrepreneurs should consider getting out too early rather than too late.
What is Rise Cognitive Blueprint?
Rise Cognitive Blueprint is a program founded by Rose Marie Iskowitz that is designed to help young adults develop a stronger mindset, become more resourceful, navigate challenges, and understand how their thoughts and habits influence their choices.
What does RISE stand for in Rise Cognitive Blueprint?
RISE stands for Recognize, Investigate, Shift, and Evolve. Rose Marie Iskowitz uses the framework in short lessons designed to make mindset concepts practical and accessible to young adults.
Who is the Rise Cognitive Blueprint program designed for?
The program is primarily being developed for young adults and is being introduced through schools, nonprofits, and other organizations that work with young people. Iskowitz also discusses the potential for adapting the framework to other populations and settings.
What is PolyGone Systems?
PolyGone Systems is a company co-founded by Yidian Liu that develops technology designed to remove microplastics from water in commercial and municipal applications.
How does PolyGone Systems remove microplastics?
Yidian Liu explains that PolyGone Systems developed a fibrous silicone filter medium inspired by aquatic plant roots. The material is designed to physically capture microplastics, and testing discussed during the episode showed more than 99% microplastic removal.
What are microplastics and nanoplastics?
In the episode, Yidian Liu describes microplastics as plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters and nanoplastics as even smaller particles. The discussion focuses on their presence in water and the challenges of detecting and removing particles that are too small to see with the naked eye.
How can microplastics in water be measured?
Liu explains that basic microplastic analysis can use fluorescent microscopy, while more detailed analysis may involve advanced equipment such as FTIR and GC-MS.
What are some real-world business uses of AI discussed in the episode?
The guests describe using AI for research, creating marketing and social media assets, organizing purchase orders, podcast production, video editing, content creation, and image generation. The discussion emphasizes practical applications rather than AI hype.
What is trademark reverse confusion?
Reverse confusion is a trademark concept discussed in the episode in which a much larger company may become so prominent that consumers mistakenly believe the original, smaller trademark owner is the copycat. The episode uses the dispute involving Demon Hunter and Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters as an example.
What entrepreneurial lessons are shared on Passage to Profit?
The guests emphasize several recurring entrepreneurial principles: don’t be afraid of mistakes or competition, recognize that setbacks are part of the process, know when to pivot or exit, solve real-world problems, understand customer pain points, and focus on people.