In this week's solo episode, we step away from interviews to talk candidly about what’s happening behind the scenes in our own careers. Lucas shares how his plan to move to Puerto Rico fell through, how he handled leaving his job without a clear next step, and why he chose to pivot into locums while also starting a company through an accelerator. Miguel walks through how he’s structured his practice differently, building relationships with hospital teams, expanding into multiple sites, and figuring out how to grow without losing control of quality or culture. 03:15 Why the Puerto Rico plan fell through and what changed 05:54 Transition into locums and securing short-term opportunities 09:42 Breaking down new compensation models and earning potential 17:44 Miguel explains building a hybrid model with hospital integration 27:14 Expanding into multiple sites and new service models 37:41 The long-term vision for growth, partnerships, and eventual exit 54:24 Closing thoughts on building, risk, and reaching out Who Should Listen Physicians exploring different ways to structure their careers, and anyone thinking about combining clinical work with building something on the side. Follow Life of Flow 📲 Instagram: @LifeofFlowPodcast 👍 Facebook: Life of Flow Podcast 💼 LinkedIn: Life of Flow Podcast 🐦 X: @VascularPodcast If this episode made you rethink how to navigate career pivots, uncertainty, and the trade-offs between stability and building something of your own, share it with a colleague who’s figuring out their next move. And if you’re enjoying Life of Flow, a quick review helps more physicians find conversations like this.

Most founders build on assumptions they haven’t tested. From turning a master’s project into a product now used by fire departments to navigating a decade-long founder journey across Sweden, San Francisco, and Austin, Omer Haciomeroglu joins us to walk us through what it takes to bring something from concept to reality. This conversation focuses on how early product decisions shape everything that follows, where teams lose time and money, and why feedback, accountability, and the ability to step outside your own perspective become critical as the company grows. 01:29 How the firefighting concept started as a master’s project in Sweden 05:24 Bootstrapping the company and moving through Sweden, San Francisco, and Austin 10:02 Why the founder journey is so isolating, even with co-founders 12:32 What Omer brings to founders through product, fundraising, and leadership experience 17:57 The costly mistakes founders make when they build on untested assumptions 22:54 The real stages of hardware development from MVP to manufacturing 32:54 What first-time founders get wrong about fundraising and why the right people matter 40:07 Why ego, power dynamics, and poor feedback can put a company at risk Who Should Listen Founders, engineers, and operators building products, especially in hardware or deep tech, along with early-stage entrepreneurs trying to validate ideas, raise capital, and avoid costly mistakes. About Omer Haciomeroglu Omer Haciomeroglu is a Turkish-born designer, entrepreneur, and creative technology leader based in Austin, Texas, best known for operating at the intersection of design, engineering, and applied artificial intelligence. As a co-founder and chief design officer, he has led the development of AI-driven computer vision systems focused on real-world, high-stakes applications, including safety, automation, and human-centered decision making. His work spans product design, robotics, and advanced prototyping, grounded in a philosophy that prioritizes clarity, sustainability, and practical impact over speculative futurism. Across startups and innovation ecosystems, he is recognized for translating complex technical systems into coherent products that can move from concept to deployment without losing ethical or human considerations. Connect with Omer 💼 LinkedIn: Omer Haciomeroglu 📲 Instagram: @omerh.co Follow Life of Flow 📲 Instagram: @LifeofFlowPodcast 👍 Facebook: Life of Flow Podcast 💼 LinkedIn: Life of Flow Podcast 🐦 X: @VascularPodcast If this episode changed how you think about validating ideas, building products without over-relying on assumptions, and the role of feedback and accountability in a founder’s journey, share it with someone building something of their own. And if you’re enjoying Life of Flow, a quick review helps more people find conversations like this.