In this episode, I was lucky enough to interview a very special friend, Jedidiah Weller, the CEO and Founder of Open Forge and Startup Wars. Jedidiah shares his entrepreneurial journey, beginning in rural Pennsylvania, where he grew up in Amish country. He details how his experiences in a challenging upbringing without strong entrepreneurial role models spurred his drive to succeed. After a difficult start in the corporate world and a failed West Coast startup that left him financially strained, Jedidiah co-founded a successful digital agency called Webjunto, which eventually evolved into Open Forge. This transformation marked a pivotal moment in his career, where he decided to focus solely on mobile applications, a decision that led to Open Forge becoming a top player in the mobile app development space, serving millions of users worldwide.Jedidiah discusses the strategic shift from Webjunto to Open Forge, highlighting the challenges and successes of specializing in mobile apps. Despite losing some customers and team members during the transition, the move allowed Open Forge to attract larger, more lucrative clients. Jedidiah also emphasizes the importance of community building and local engagement, particularly through events like the Philly Junto, which helped establish his company’s reputation in Philadelphia. This focus on specialization and local impact set the stage for the development of Startup Wars, an educational game designed to teach entrepreneurship. Although initially launched as a mobile app, the project evolved as Jedidiah and his team adapted to the needs of their target market, reflecting the broader lessons of his entrepreneurial journey.Tune in to discover the power of relentless curiosity and teaching as Jedidiah Weller shares his inspiring story in this episode of The First Customer! Guest Info:Startup Warshttp://www.startupwars.comOpen Forgehttp://www.openforge.ioJedidiah Weller's  LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jedidiahweller/Connect with Jay on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jayaigner/The First Customer Youtube Channelhttps://www.youtube.com/@thefirstcustomerpodcastThe First Customer podcast websitehttps://www.firstcustomerpodcast.comFollow The First Customer on LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/company/the-first-customer-podcast/

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