From Music to Tech to Entrepreneurship, Peter Shroeder’s Inspiring Diverse Success Story

Kevin Harrington: Hi, I’m Kevin Harrington, an original shark from the hit television show Shark Tank. and you’re listening to the Underdog podcast.

Pamela Bardhi: Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Underdog podcast. Today I have an incredible guest here with me today. Peter, how are you, my friend?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: I’m m doing great.

Pamela Bardhi: Before this call, I’m like, hey Peter, where are you? He’s like, I’m in La. And I’m like, I’m in Boston. I hate you.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Well, we kind of have had Boston weather here for the past three months, I think, so it’s gloomy. It’s just gray. It’s almost reminded me of when I lived in Denmark.

Pamela Bardhi: Oh, my goodness. Well, it’s been weird. So I was in La. In April, and I was cold. And I was like, this is a very weird experience. I don’t know why. And then I drove through and I’m looking up and I’m looking at the mountains and there’s like snow on top of that. And I’m like, am I in Cali?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, you can literally go snowboard and surf the same day. It’s been wild.

Pamela Bardhi: So crazy. My goodness. Well, aside from that, I’m super excited to have you here today, my friend. I love your energy and your radiance. I can’t wait to get into your story. It sounds like such a fun one. Like, the fact that you have turntables right behind you already gets me excited. We were just talking about DJing and stuff right before. and I was telling you, like, hey, that’s what I used to do in college, and I used to have so much fun. So can’t wait to get into it.

What inspired you to become a DJ? That’s a tough question

Pamela Bardhi: So I’m going to start you off with one of my favorite questions. my first introductory questions for you. So what inspired you on your journey to where you are today, my friend?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: That’s actually a tough question for me because I feel like everything has just been just. a series of new fun things that kind of like dump in front of me since, I was a kid. Just like when that happened and then something else happened because of that. I can’t even say there’s something particularly I knew when I got inspired to become a DJ. 

I know exactly when that was. There was, probably in third grade or something where I saw, a DJ at a school dance. and I was like, that is what I want to do. and I feel like has probably been. maybe also the only real conscious, inspiration, if you will. of course there’s a lot of inspirations in terms of things, you see along your way. But where I’ve actually seen something and said, that’s what I want to do, that was that. that kind of just kick started that whole avalanche of stuff.

Pamela Bardhi: I love that. so I guess, fair to say, as a kid growing up, you wanted to be a DJ, as you said, third grade.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, something like that.

Pamela Bardhi: That is so badass. When you saw this DJ, the school.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Dance, it just looks so cool. So, for me, it’s never been about being seen. It’s not being an artist or getting the attention. It’s really about being able to give people a good time and just like, host. if you will, be able to play some records and see people go bonkers to it. That is what I love about it.

 And that was what I saw him do. I saw him how he could make everyone go crazy. just by playing a song on a CD back then. So it’s like, that was just so cool. And then I started DJing to my friends birthday parties. with two ghetto blasters and stuff like that, way before I could even afford any equipment. So, yeah, I just like the feeling of hosting a party, if you will.

Pamela Bardhi: I absolutely love that. I always say it’s about energy. First off, as a DJ, you get the best views of whatever’s going on, which is hilarious. That’s number one. But there’s something to be said about creating a space. and an energy where everyone can kind of come together. 

Because music is one of those things that regardless of where you’re from. if you hear that rhythm, you get it spot on. It’s like the universal language that everybody can understand. Now. I can’t say that we can understand the words all the time. Sometimes I play Spanish music and people are like. do you actually know what he’s saying? And I was like, I don’t, and I don’t want to know. I need the rhythm.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, I mean, you could just see that there was that trend a few years ago with Mumble rap. I had no idea what they were saying, but everyone’s kind of like, rocking to it. it’s funny how that works, but, yeah, I had a son a year and a half ago. He’s still pretty young, but he’s walking around. 

Like, the second he could stand up. he just started rocking every time there was some kind of beat. And it has to be like some really defined rhythms or something. Like, he just instantly started rocking. And he was very rare. He could barely stand up at that point. so it’s very deep in us. I think it’s just something that we can’t live without.

Pamela Bardhi: it’s energy, right? At the end of the day, it’s just energy. And it’s the way that we can all kind of connect together. So when it comes to music, I’m like, oh, man, put me anywhere. I’m so excited for it. I just remember back in the DJ days, in my college days. we had so much fun. It’s just like, you can’t beat that. So I’m not surprised that you love that, since a kid.

So walk me through your childhood. You were born and raised in Denmark

Pamela Bardhi: So walk me through your childhood. So you mentioned that you lived in Denmark, born in Denmark as well.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: So I born and raised up in a little bit north of Alborg. which is in a small town with 5000 people. really in the middle of nowhere. Grew up there and it was a very safe area. But I grew up with a single mom. We didn’t have a lot or anything like that. But I can’t say we are poor. I feel bad saying that because Denmark, you’re not poor. No one is. Compared, to Danish standards. 

We didn’t have a lot. so I just lived with my mom. She left, for work every morning at five and got home at eight at night to supply. So I kind of just had a lot of time doing, interesting things, I would say. I started just throwing myself into all these different projects. and all of a sudden I was in the newspaper. which led, again these avalanches. led to me being on a local radio show. being interviewed about some stuff I had made. 

And then all of a sudden I was on national radio. then from there, I became a reporter for national radio as a kid. Like, I think I was eleven years old or something. And actually from there I went on to do TV. also as a kid reporter, like traveling around the country. just to interview other kids on a TV show. on national TV at age twelve, I think. 

So it was just like really just because one led to the other, to the next. And I was just on board. So all of a sudden I was on a talk show when I was twelve years old. like national, the biggest talk show in Denmark at that point. Saturday night at 08:00. And yeah, I mean, that was my childhood.

Pamela Bardhi: That’s insane. So you were a reporter, a DJ, a host by the time you were twelve years old?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah. And then at that point I was like, okay, now I’m over that. Now I’m going to do internet. Because the internet was fun. That was in 1997 or eight or something like that. So right when the internet started really becoming a thing. so I created a website for really, I had a couple of friends. who were really good at drawing and I wanted to you should put those on the internet. and so people can see them, these things you guys make. 

So I made this website, they put them up and other people started sending it. And all of a sudden I had created basically the first and biggest community. for artists in Scandinavia at age 14, I think. And then that was kind of my teenage years, until I was 1718. where I was like, kind of, okay, I’m kind of over that project. So I sold that website and became a DJ instead.

Pamela Bardhi: Oh, my god, I love that. My goodness. So you stepped into DJing at 17.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah.

Pamela Bardhi: Well, that’s doing all these projects.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: That was when I kind of got my first real club gigs in Denmark. you have to be 18 to get into a nightclub. I think I got the first couple of gigs. when I was maybe a couple of months before 18 at real nightclubs. and then from there, it kind of just went bigger and bigger. 

Pretty much just like, starting at a local club in my little hometown. a little bar, and then from there to the next, bigger city and bigger clubs. And all of a sudden, I was playing three times a week, every single weekend. And I did that for, I think, 15 years, something like that.

Pamela Bardhi: Oh, my goodness. How was that experience? What were some of the clubs and stuff that you’ve played at as a DJ?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, well, I mean, it started small, like local little things. And then in the region where I grew up. there’s a, midsize city, and I think it’s the fourth biggest city in Denmark. And they have like a bar street, a lot of bars collected in on. all these nightclubs and bars. I started getting gigs there and I became a resident there. 

Did that for a few years until I met a couple of guys. on the Internet that made music as well. I started interesting of actually making the music and being into that kind of stuff. So met a couple of guys and we started a band together and made, a couple of songs. 

all of a sudden we got a record deal and we went to Germany on tour. and was down there for a while. And then the clubs got bigger and actually started the really big shows. did, that for a while and started a record label. then I kind of burned out.

Pamela Bardhi: Wow. Oh, my goodness. Holy cow. That’s a hell of a journey. My goodness. So you started your own record label as well?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, in my 20s.

Pamela Bardhi: Wow.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: I figured, well, I mean, I can do what those guys are doing. so I couldn’t see why not. So I started a record label. and I got a couple of, I think we released maybe 30 records. or something like that in that name. And eventually, at that point, it was mid twenty s I hadn’t learned to say no at that point, so I really just burned out.

 I took too much in. Not just burned out, but I also started burning britches. because I couldn’t follow through on all the things that I wanted to do. and that I generally wanted to do. But if you say you’re going to do something, you got to do it, right? So otherwise you start burning bridges. And I started doing that. 

And my manager pulled me aside and she had a really serious talk with me. told me, hey, you can’t do that. It’s going to ruin your reputation. It’s a small industry and these kind of things. so how can we fix that? So I ended up selling my label, moving back on my mom’s couch for a couple of months. and really just rethinking what I was doing. what do I do next? that was like, I think I was maybe 24, 25 at that point. A lot of success. at the same time, I was about to ruin everything for myself, let’s say like that.

Pamela Bardhi: Yeah. And I mean, it’s crazy because I find that people who are hyper successful. We have this thing where boundaries are, like, the hardest thing in the world for us. because we want to do everything. We want to be everything for everyone. and then not realizing the toll that it takes on us. 

You know what I mean? Over time. I started in business when I was like ten years old. and then moved up hyper successfully. And then you get to a point and you’re just like. it catches up with you.

Some of the lessons I definitely had to reset at that point

Pamela Bardhi: So I’m interested to hear in your experience how you kind of experienced all of that. and what were some of the things that got you through and.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Some of the lessons I definitely had to reset at that point. I would say I’ve always had to kind of work hard for everything.  I’m not the talented one that, just has everything. but I’m extremely persistent and very stubborn, I would say. so if someone tells me I can’t do it okay now I’m definitely going to do it. It’s kind of like PB longstocking she has this, she says. I’ve never tried that before, so I’m sure I can do it. That’s kind of the mentality I have.

 And if someone tells me, no, you can’t definitely not do that. then let me show you. So I’ve always had that. That’s why I probably also worked so focused and so hard on becoming the best. and wanting to show all the ones that tell me that I’m not good. that’s probably also why at some point I just got too much. Because if you work hard enough. you will get success at some point, some kind of degree. 

not saying you’re going to be the biggest star in the world. or whatever you’re working on. but you will get to some degree if you just put in enough hours. That’s my belief. And really work hard on it. But I guess my problem was that I then just took it too far. I just wanted to keep going in full force. So, yeah, I had to reset. I sold the label and kind of just actually pulled out of music. 

I still Djed a little bit on the weekends. but kind of pulled back from the music industry a little bit. and actually got a job as a first line tech supporter in an IC company. For a few months. and just sat there and really just because I wanted to, of course. One thing is, yeah, I got evicted from my apartment. because I always invest everything. There’s no halfway. I go full on everything I do. it doesn’t always work out, obviously. 

if it did, that would almost be boring. but, I definitely have to work for things. And I moved back on my mom’s couch, for a while. then I got a job as a first line tech supporter. and actually just pulled back from the music industry. for maybe a year or a year and a half. Just, to kind of regroup, I guess. I had kind of fed up with it, I guess for the first time. then, yeah, I just, went into the tech industry at that point. or back into the tech industry, for the second time. Right.

Pamela Bardhi: Right. That’s so fascinating. Well, they say sometimes, too, that if you’re really struggling with something and you’re in an environment that is causing that. Best thing to do is pull yourself out of it and put yourself in a new environment.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, that was really what I did. at that point, I literally just pulled back out. I still played a couple of DJ gigs because I still had to make some money, somehow. And that was really the only income I have at that point. But, yeah, I guess the whole thing about the business side of it. I was too young for it at that point I think. I’m not, per se, a great business person.

 I’m very creative and, entrepreneurial. but the business or management side is not my strong side. And that’s where my wife comes into the picture. because she is great at that part. we make a good team on our company today. but so I feel like I definitely burned a lot of bridges. And you live and you learn, and that was a huge life lesson for me.

Pamela Bardhi: Absolutely.

You say you have ADHD and you’re always curious

Pamela Bardhi: And, who or what were some of the people that or things that inspired you. kind of throughout the journey. as you were kind of elevating even in music, and then got into tech and all of that?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: I would say I’m always just naturally curious. so I have raging Add. I didn’t find out about that until a few years ago. because when I was a kid, there was no label for that. There was ADHD where you run backwards up the wall and can’t sit still. But I don’t do that. can sit still, and I just have a hard time focusing on things I’m not interested in. That was essentially what my parents would told my whole childhood. did great in school and in terms of language, class and these kind of things. But math not good at that because I’m not interested in it. 

And so having that whole brain, if you will, is definitely more defining in terms of inspiration. because I really just get into stuff. I don’t necessarily find inspiration in anything or person. It’s more just like I just need to know everything about whatever it is. that I become interested in and I need to just do that. And then of course I see a lot of cool ones. I learn a lot from other people, no doubt. I’m not seeing that I’m m just doing everything myself. but I really just get into things probably more than most people. because of that condition or whatever you call it. 

Diagnosis. I’ve always had this small goals kind of things. I’ve never had big dreams about being a billionaire or being the biggest DJ in the world. It’s always like these small little goals on the road. So when I started DJing it was I really want to play at this little local bar. and then once I was there, oh, I would really like to play at that bigger club. that’s in the next city over and it’s been these tiny steps all the way. And the same thing with what I do today with my company. 

Telgeo is really the same. We bootstrapped it. We didn’t take big investment money and we just kind of built small things along the way. when customers ask for a feature that we didn’t have, we built it. And then we all of a sudden started catering to bigger customers because of that. So it’s always been these little stepping stones, not huge idols that aspire. And this is my mission to become the best in the world right there. That’s never really been anything for me.

Pamela Bardhi: I love that. 

Peter Talgio started Telcio in 2013, which is amazing

Pamela Bardhi: Peter and I mean you started your own company, which is amazing. So tell me about that. How was it to start then? How did you scale?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: It kind of also just fell into my lap. It’s weird how that happens for me. So the backstory about is really after I pulled back on the music for a while. I started getting back into it after a year or so. and I actually did it on a much higher level than I had done previously. But at least this time I had learned a lot from last time.

 I started producing and writing for an artist in Denmark. and in 2012 I was all of a sudden on tour. both with that artist and also as myself, DJ. I’ve played a lot in Vegas and pretty much all over the world. and at the same time in Scandinavia on tour. So in 2012 I think I paid 382 or three gigs or something like that in a year.

Pamela Bardhi: Wow.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: And that was my second burnt out right there. as I was on a gig in Vegas, I met my now wife. She’s from Los Angeles, and she was out there visiting some common friends. She came to Denmark, and I had already. at that point, told my manager, let’s, scale back on the gigs for a little bit. I need to make more music. I didn’t even have time to make new music, so I kind of needed to do that. 

So I was kind of like, I had a little bit more free time at that point. And she came over, to visit me in Denmark and, hung out. then we kind of just had the idea for Telcio, which is a completely different thing. It’s a business phone service provider. And then a platform. So I started coding that she was there. when she traveled back to the US after her tourist visa ended.

we were like, well, I mean, this is fun. let me get a visa, because I could get an artist visa. I could still come over and DJ. That was how I could make money. So the plan was really, I was going to do that. So I got an artist visa, moved to La. Had written kind of the first version of What’s Now Talgio. And when I came over, we launched that together in the summer of 2013. 

with no money, I literally came with two bags with clothes and $1,500 on my bank account. And that was it. she cashed in her 401K. Then I took a little bit of consultant, jobs here and there.  and I Djed a little bit in Vegas once in a while.

 and to kind of make ends meet. but we just bootstrapped it and we got a couple of customers. And then after maybe two years, we could all of a sudden actually pay a salary to ourselves. and hire our first employee. we’ve just been grinding for the first many years.

Pamela Bardhi: I love that. Oh, my God. And I love how music kind of led you guys together. and then to create this beautiful journey. Oh, my goodness. So when did you start it? Was it a long time ago?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: We started in 2013. Summer of 2013. Yeah. So ten years, pretty much to the dot. I think we launched the first version right when I moved to the US. to be with, Diana, and launched the company, which was May 2, 2013. So that’s exactly ten years ago.

Pamela Bardhi: Wow. Oh, my gosh, I love that. And tell me a little bit more about Telzio. How does it work, how does it function? All of that stuff.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: So the reason why I built it was really just because I had another idea for a piece of software for music. for promoting music, between DJs and producers or radio stations. and record labels and kind of distributing something. So I was working on that and I needed a phone system. that could do tech support and have a menu that sounded somewhat professional. 

And I couldn’t really find anything where it’s just like a software out of the know. sign up, get a phone number, and create a menu kind of thing. and forward the calls to my cell phone. There wasn’t really anything that was just like easy. especially not outside the US. So I was like, okay, I guess I just gotta code it myself. I started doing that and that was fun. 

So the first version that we built was just kind of just like a call forwarding service almost. where you could sign up and you could get a phone number. you could set up a little menu, press one for customer service, press two for sales, and all these things. And then I built this little what I call a call flow editor. where it’s like drag and drop, where you can insert these little widgets. 

No one had that at that point. Now everyone has kind of copied that feature, in the industry. but we were the first ones to do that. And that was very new, and innovative ten years ago. Yeah, we built that out and then from there. added more features as people were asking for them. 

And today it’s a full fledged phone service or communication solution. I would like to call it. because not even just phone service anymore. it’s also texting, everything else around. We’re, building a bunch of AI stuff in obviously now. and all other channels, all kinds of communication. So really just that communication solution for businesses. All B. Two B.

Pamela Bardhi: That is so awesome. Oh my goodness. And it’s been ten years that you’ve been growing this company with your wife. which is amazing.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, that’s also one of the things that we were told constantly when we started out. Like, you can’t do that with your girlfriend or we weren’t married. obviously, at that point, or your wife. And that’s probably also why we didn’t get any investments in the beginning. 

We had to actually poop strap it, because people like, they’re not going to invest in a couple like that. I wouldn’t even do that. But we figured it out. I feel like we cracked the code, but it’s been rough. It’s challenging working with your partner and I’m going to lie about that.

 there’s ups and downs and just having a, startup and bootstrapping in itself is not easy. And then doing it with your partner. One of the most competitive industries in the world. where you negativity is why we are probably where we are today. Because logically, you shouldn’t do what I’m doing.

Make sure to define your roles and not step over each other’s territories

Pamela Bardhi: What are some lessons that you would recommend? So anyone who’s listening right now. that maybe is thinking about going into business with their spouse. or is in business with their spouse. Give us some inside tips on how to make that happen.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Make, sure to define your roles and actually be very conscious. about not stepping over each other’s territories. So, Diana, like I said earlier, she’s very, business savvy. Very smart girl. Yeah. I mean, just anything business. She’s smart, I’m not. So she runs all of that, the whole business side. 

And she, runs our sales and marketing teams. And I am, on the other hand, very creative and technical. So I run product and division for all that, and then engineering. So, we’re very defined. I mean, sometimes we don’t even talk at work for a week. because, well, we probably do in meetings. 

But it’s not that we don’t really talk about each other’s things at work, even. It’s very defined and I think that’s really important. And then we try to not do it at home. or at least she tries to remind me to not talk about it at home. And I’m getting better, I think. I think that’s really the key. Try to, keep those things separate. because at some point, it’s just going to be too much for one of them.

Pamela Bardhi: Absolutely. I love that.

What is your vision for the long term growth of your company

Pamela Bardhi: And what is the vision for the long term growth? I mean, for you, what’s next in your world?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: That’s the funny thing. For me, we do have some plans with the company in terms of. and we are actually raising money now for the first time. and we’re doing all these things that forced us to create a long term plan. for where we’re taking it, because we are taking investors in and there has to be one. 

But for me, it’s always been about the, next little thing. what’s in front of met. and that is probably the Add thing. that thing that’s in front of me that’s interesting. So for me, it’s really just about what is the next feature we’re going to build. What is the next because I have, a, bigger vision with the product. There’s always a lot of things we can build with communications in general. 

That’s why it’s a fun industry to be in. But for me, it’s really just about what is the next ten features that we can build. And then already thinking about how can I tie those in together? And I’ve been waiting since 2017. I think, on building what we’re about to release now. which is like, we call it an AI attendant. 

We actually registered AI attendant.com back in 17. because we knew that we needed to build AI features for communications. That’s just like a logical thing. we’ve just been kind of waiting for the technology to be ready for it. And lo and behold, here we are. Now we can actually release something that’s really cool.

Pamela Bardhi: I love that. That’s super exciting. My goodness, Peter, you’ve had such an interesting career. from the time you were super little. The DJing, the shows, to this, to telzio, to all of this to AI now, right?

Peter Shroeder: Yeah.

Pamela Bardhi: Ah, so cool. So, so cool.

What would your older self tell your younger self based on what you know now

Pamela Bardhi: And I’m interested, you’ve learned a ton of life lessons throughout this journey. You mentioned, like, you had the burnouts and all of that stuff. Now, this is my favorite question, and I’m interested to see, to hear. what you come up with on this one. because it could be business, personal, whatever you feel and comes to your heart. But what would your older self tell your younger self based on what you know now?

Peter Rank  Shroeder: I think my older self is going to tell me to work less. and be more with my kids than I am right now. So Dan and I, we had twins a year and a half ago. So obviously that’s taking up a lot of time. But I work a lot, I work 14, 15 hours a day, every single day. try to keep the weekends off so that I can be with them. 

And we have a nursery room up here at our office. where we can actually have the babies around. But I wish I had more time and I probably going to regret a lot. that I don’t have more time. I’m with them every morning for about an hour and then I leave and I come back. if I’m lucky, right before they go to bed. 

And then they sleep in our bed so I can cuddle them all night. But as I sit and I come home from work. and I’ll work from the bed, from my laptop. from like, maybe 09:00 until two in the morning and just sit next to them. so I can at least get that part, but I’m probably, going to regret it later. But at the same time, I need to do so many things. I can’t stop doing the other things either. It’s difficult.

Pamela Bardhi: Well, it’s a sacrifice. It’s the entrepreneurial sacrifice. So that way we can create that dream life. so we can get there and then be able to have the time to enjoy. when you scale things to the right degree. I love that, Peter. you have been super inspiring. I love your diverse journey throughout everything and it’s been incredible.

What is your one biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs

Pamela Bardhi: Now, I would say, what is your one biggest piece of advice for entrepreneurs? Whether it has to do business like.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Strategy, life, maybe just be naive and stubborn. That’s what has worked out for me my whole life. Pretty much, I’m very naive. Like I said earlier, i, quote, PP long stalking a lot. I’ve never done that before, so I’m sure I’m good at it. That, know, having the balls to go up against at T. 

But I wouldn’t even say that because it has nothing to do with that. It’s just being naive to think that you can do that in the first place. Or these big corporations, that multi billion dollar international corporations go up against them. Of course you can.

 I mean, if you’re naive enough to try. and that’s probably why not a lot of people do it because they’re, trying. And then a lot of stubbornness. Right? Just be stubborn. just like if someone tells you no, just let that fuel you instead. I love that.

Pamela Bardhi: I love that too. Thank you so much, Peter. You have been absolutely incredible, my friend. Thank you so much for being here, for sharing your story, your lessons and all the you. Now you got to let everyone know where to find you and your awesomeness.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Yeah, petersroto.com there’s not much on it. There’s just a bunch of links to my, social media. But, there’s my email address, there’s everything. So if anybody wants to reach out and say hi that please do go to my website.

Pamela Bardhi: You are amazing, Peter. Thank you so, so much for being here, my friend.

Peter Rank  Shroeder: Thank you so much for having me. That was a lot of fun. I love it. Thank you so much.

Pamela Bardhi: Thank you.

Underdog is always dropping on Thursdays. Catch us next week

Pamela Bardhi: So that’s it for today’s episode of Underdog. Catch us next week. Always dropping on Thursdays. And remember, if you’re interested in real estate or want to learn how to create more money. and magic in your life, check out Meetwithpamla.com and let’s chat. Sending you so, so much love.