Our Featured Guest for Sunday, September 27, 2026 is Dan J. Berger and our Entrepreneur Presenter is Sophie McGown
What happens when entrepreneurship becomes more than simply building a business? On this episode of Passage to Profit – Road to Entrepreneurship, Richard and Elizabeth Gearhart talk with entrepreneurs Dan J. Berger and Sophie McGown about building businesses around creativity, human connection, purpose, experimentation, and authentic stories.
From creating spaces where teams can reconnect in an increasingly digital world to turning a lifelong passion for jewelry into a distinctive international brand, both entrepreneurs share practical lessons about finding opportunities, standing out in competitive markets, and turning ideas into businesses.
Dan J. Berger — Building Businesses Around Belonging
Dan J. Berger is an American-Israeli entrepreneur, investor, author, and the Founder and CEO of Assemble Hospitality Group. He previously built and sold a technology company focused on event design software, giving him firsthand experience with entrepreneurship, growth, technology, and the power of bringing people together.
In this episode, Dan explains how his experience with events and meetings led to the creation of Assemble Hospitality Group, which is designed around the idea that teams need places where they can collaborate, strategize, and build stronger connections away from the traditional conference room. His concept focuses on smaller, highly intentional hospitality environments—or “micro resorts”—in emerging cities where teams can gather for meaningful interaction.
Dan also discusses his entrepreneurial philosophy, including why he believes work can be an act of self-expression, why belonging has become increasingly important in a hybrid and AI-driven world, and how entrepreneurship has given him the freedom to pursue both professional and personal goals.
He shares a fascinating example of using a search-fund-style approach to help launch and invest in a cleaning business, explaining how an entrepreneur can potentially become an owner-operator without starting a company completely from scratch. He also talks about what he looks for in entrepreneurs, emphasizing work ethic and coachability, and why experimentation can be a powerful way to test a business idea without immediately investing enormous amounts of capital.
Dan encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to think about highly specialized businesses rather than competing in overcrowded markets. He explains how finding the intersection between what you know and love, an identifiable market opportunity, and your financial requirements can help uncover a viable business niche.
Dan J. Berger: danjberger.com
Sophie McGown — From a Lockdown Idea to a Jewelry Brand with Soul
Sophie McGown is the founder of the jewelry brand Issy Star, formerly known as EAR SASS when this episode was recorded.
Sophie’s entrepreneurial story began long before launching her jewelry company. Growing up around her parents’ hotel business in Scotland, she was exposed to entrepreneurship from an early age. She also developed a lifelong passion for jewelry, color, fashion, and design. During the first COVID-19 lockdown, she saw an opportunity to turn that passion into a business, beginning the brand from her home studio.
Sophie describes the early challenges of creating jewelry herself, including experimenting with resin and discovering that manufacturing requires the right environment, equipment, and processes. As demand grew, she found manufacturing partners while continuing to play an important role in designing and constructing pieces herself.
She also discusses how the company evolved as she tried to differentiate itself in an extremely competitive jewelry market. Rather than simply following trends, Sophie explains why she wanted to reconnect the brand with its original creative spirit and create jewelry with meaning and personality.
One of the most powerful stories in the episode involves the Izzy Star earrings, named in memory of Sophie’s cousin Izzy. After the Princess of Wales received a pair of the earrings, the story received significant media attention, and the earrings were subsequently worn on World Mental Health Day. Sophie explains how the experience connected the brand to a deeply personal story involving loss, mental health awareness, sport, and charitable giving.
Sophie also explains the company’s relationship with Brave Mind, a charity focused on mental health education and awareness, and how sales of the Izzy Star earrings supported the organization. At the time of the recording, she said the initiative had raised more than £20,000.
For entrepreneurs and marketers, Sophie provides an inside look at influencer marketing, user-generated content, celebrity outreach, public relations, audience engagement, and the importance of choosing influencers based on the relevance and engagement of their audience—not simply their follower count.
Issy Star: issystar.com
Entrepreneurship, AI and Intellectual Property
The conversation also explores the changing relationship between AI and creative work. Richard, Elizabeth, Dan, and Sophie discuss questions surrounding the use of creative content to train AI systems and the emerging business models around licensing copyrighted material.
Dan also shares a practical entrepreneurial lesson during the show’s Secrets of the Entrepreneurial Mind segment: understand your go-to-market strategy before spending heavily on building a product. He discusses using AI and data tools to identify potential customers and mentions Clay as an example of technology that can help entrepreneurs develop targeted prospect lists.
This episode of Passage to Profit offers two very different entrepreneurial journeys—but both demonstrate the importance of identifying an opportunity, experimenting, building relationships, finding your market, and creating something that reflects what you believe in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dan J. Berger?
Dan J. Berger is an American-Israeli entrepreneur, investor, author, and the Founder and CEO of Assemble Hospitality Group. He is also an experienced technology entrepreneur and previously built and sold an event-design software company.
What is Assemble Hospitality Group?
Assemble Hospitality Group is Dan J. Berger’s hospitality venture focused on creating intentional environments where teams can meet, collaborate, strategize, and strengthen relationships outside the traditional conference room.
What does Dan Berger say about belonging in business?
Dan discusses the growing need for human connection and belonging as work becomes increasingly hybrid and technology- and AI-driven. His Assemble Hospitality concept is designed around bringing teams together in smaller, more intentional environments.
What entrepreneurial qualities does Dan Berger look for?
Dan identifies work ethic and coachability as two particularly important qualities. He also emphasizes experimentation, customer feedback, and the importance of understanding a market before investing heavily in a new business.
What is a search fund?
In the context of Dan’s discussion, a search fund-style approach involves finding an existing business opportunity and providing the resources and support needed for someone to operate and grow it, rather than necessarily starting a company from zero.
Who is Sophie McGown?
Sophie McGown is the founder of Issy Star, a jewelry brand formerly known as EAR SASS when this episode was recorded. Sophie has a background in fashion and design and launched the jewelry business during the first COVID-19 lockdown.
How did Sophie McGown start her jewelry business?
Sophie began creating jewelry from her home studio during the first lockdown. She initially made pieces herself before finding manufacturing partners as the business grew.
What is the story behind the Izzy Star earrings?
The Izzy Star earrings were named after Sophie’s cousin Izzy. Following Izzy’s death, Sophie and her family connected the earrings to her memory, mental health awareness, sport, and charitable giving. The Princess of Wales later received and wore the earrings, bringing significant attention to the story.
What charity does Issy Star support through the Izzy Star earrings?
Sophie discusses supporting Brave Mind, a charity focused on mental health education and awareness, particularly within sports. At the time of the episode, Sophie said the initiative had raised more than £20,000.
What marketing strategies does Sophie McGown discuss?
Sophie discusses public relations, influencer outreach, celebrity outreach, user-generated content, and carefully evaluating influencers based on audience relevance and engagement rather than simply looking at follower numbers.
What does the episode say about AI and intellectual property?
The episode discusses concerns about creative works being used in AI systems and the potential for licensing arrangements that compensate copyright holders for the use of their content.
What is Dan Berger’s entrepreneurial advice about go-to-market strategy?
Dan argues that entrepreneurs should understand how they will find and reach potential customers before spending heavily on building a product. He also discusses AI-assisted tools for identifying potential customers.
Where can I learn more about Dan J. Berger?
Dan’s website is danjberger.com.
Where can I learn more about Issy Star?
Sophie McGown’s current jewelry brand is Issy Star, at issystar.com. The company was known as EAR SASS when this episode was recorded.