Beating The Odds Podcast

Claire Georges didn't set out to build one of America's most celebrated hot sauce companies. She simply followed her passion for baking and took one small step at a time. In this episode of Beating the Odds , Mike Dewey sits down with the founder of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont to discuss how a one-woman bakery evolved into a nationally recognized food manufacturer featured by Food & Wi...

In this inspiring episode of the Galaxy of Stars Podcast, Mike Dewey sits down with Victoria Walker, founder of Vivify Solutions, a software development company helping entrepreneurs bring their app ideas to life. Victoria shares her remarkable journey from growing up in foster care and teaching herself technology skills to becoming a software engineer at JPMorgan Chase and building a thriving sof...

In this episode of Beating The Odds , we sit down with Debbie and Troy Sutton, the mother-son founders behind Healing Bras, a company dedicated to improving comfort and recovery for women facing breast health challenges. After seeing firsthand the struggles many women experience with breast cancer, recovery, breastfeeding discomfort, and more, Debbie and Troy set out to create a product that could...

In this episode of Beating the Odds, Brian Dockery, founder of Love Green Company, shares his inspiring journey from a small-town upbringing in North Carolina to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the eco-friendly product industry. He discusses the challenges he faced, the importance of sustainability, and the vision behind his company, which aims to replace single-use plastics with environment...

As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, Jaja grew up in Norman, Oklahoma and Taiwan. After starting her career in social work, she and her husband decided to start a "pop up" boba tea stand in Waco, Texas. From that small start, they now have multiple locations and 27 employees! Listen to her inspiring story.   Find out more about Cha Community at chacommunity.com.

As a nurse in Detroit, Jordana Latozas has had a front row seat to the devastation of the opioid epidemic and she knew she had to do something. So she bought an old RV and converted it to Michigan's first mobile addiction clinic. Hear her inspirational story as a first time entrepreneur helping patients from her truck.  Find out more about Recovery Mobile Clinic at recoverymobileclinic.com.

Growing up in the Philly suburbs as the child of Fillipino immigrants, Jacqueline Sayoc became a molecular scientist. She wanted to be an entrepreneur and started a screen printing business with her brother, focused on the immigrant community and experience. Listen to her inspiring story of success.  Find out more about Regalia Unlimited at https://regaliaunlimited.com.

As a child in Alabama,  Valencia  Callens Neptune loved to sing and dance. A lot. She studied music in college and has now turned her love of the performing arts into a growing indie record label in Georgia. Hear her story about perseverance and success.  Find out more about So Am I-Worthy at https://www.soamiworthy.com.

After losing her mother early and her father to depression later,  Paula   Lauzon struggled to follow her dream of being an actress. After moving from Boston to L.A. to North Carolina, she is now a successful entrepreneur with her own studio and film production company. Listen to her story.  Find out more about HarLau Productions at harlauproductions.com.

Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Lisa Anderson struggled with a failed marriage and a series of basic labor jobs before she followed her dream to become a mental health professional. Now she has a thriving business with 13 employees and growing. Listen to her inspirational story.    Find out more about A Healing Place at ahealingplaceccc.com.

Growing up in the California central valley, Amanda went into the corporate world and began planning corporate functions for her company. Then she decided to go out on her own and start a wedding planning company. She now employs 16 people and handles all sorts of events. Covid was really hard on her company, but she has bounced back bigger than ever. Listen to her great story.  Find out more abou...

Barbara Bradford-Williams grew up in a restaurant family in Cleveland, Ohio. Her family had several restaurants but she gravitated to the Soul Food offerings. Now she owns JB's Grill Soul Food in Cleveland, and her kids work in the business. Learn about her amazing journey.    Find out more about JB's Grill Soul Food at jbgrillsoulfood.com and on Instagram @jbgrillsoulfood.

Growing up in New York's Chinatown with her single mother and four sisters, Mimi Lau always wanted to start a dessert shop. After bouncing around in jobs in the food industry she decided to open a Mochii shop in Manhattan. It has been 5 hard years with the pandemic, but now she is growing and expanding. Listen to her great journey.  Find out more about Mochii at mochiinyc.com.

She learned hard work growing up on a Minnesota dairy farm, had a successful bridal shop and wedding planning business for 12 years. Then she moved to South Florida and has started another successful business in Naples called True Fashionistas, a lifestyle consignment shop. Hear about Jennifer Johnson's journey and how she survived three huge disasters and is thriving.  Find out more about True Fa...

Growing up in a small Texas town, playing football in college and professionally, Daniel Griggs always loved marketing and advertising. When he was done playing he started his own web design firm and has seen it grow very fast. Listen to his journey to becoming a successful minority business owner with more than 25 employees.  Find out more about ATX Web Designs at atxwebdesigns.com.

Wydiah Marshall owns the only woman owned roadside assistance company in the Tri State area around Philadelphia. As a Black Woman entrepreneur she has faced incredible obstacles. She started out with an insurance company and saw the need for a service like this operated by someone who cares. Now she has 15 women working for her and is growing fast. Listen to her amazing story.  Find out more about...

In a culture where it is not encouraged to be a creative entrepreneur, Tammy defied the odds to pursue her dream in graphic design and help others along the way. From interning in college to freelance work, never did she think she would open her own firm and inspire many others along the way. Listen to Tammy's inspiring journey to success.   Find out more about Tammy's graphic design firm, The Cre...

As a college baseball player, Jordan Blackmon began tutoring for extra money. When he saw that minority students were being taken advantage of, he decided to start his own tutoring company to focus on helping his community. He is now in 16 states and has fifty tutors working for him. And he isn't even 25 years old yet! Listen to Jordan's amazing journey.  Find out more about Blackmon Tutoring at b...

After a lifetime of owning and training dogs, Dexter Blanch had a great idea for a product that would prevent unwanted dog pregnancies. The PABS dog chastity belt was born, and it has gained real traction in the pet space. Now, he is launching another great product, The Hydro Leash. Listen to Dexter talk about his journey. Find out more about PABS and The Hydro Leash at delayherspay.com and thehyd...

Darrell Tsabetsaye is a Native American business owner and successful entrepreneur who started, grew, and sold a family-run business in his hometown of Zuni, New Mexico, and is now launching an organic marketplace that will re-shape the grocery industry in New Mexico. Listen now to hear his inspiring story of entrepreneurial success!

Former NFL star and two-time Super Bowl champion Tyrone Poole is now finding success as an  entrepreneur. Listen to his inspiring story of how he has become a business owner, speaker, author, inventor, and athletic trainer. 

With less than $1 in her bank account, African American entrepreneur, Felita Poole built a multi-million dollar business that employs more than 80 people. Hannah's Home Care Agency is now a well establish, respected firm in Seattle, Washington.

Growing up in a household of African American entrepreneurs, Raechele Gray witnessed the hardships that come about when building a business. Rather than being deterred, she embraced her entrepreneurial spirit and built Greater Works Design Studio. She now employs designers from all around the world. Check out Greater Works Design Studio's at  http://greaterworksds.com/.

From small town Texas, Amber Ybarra embarked on a journey that included many states and different jobs. Now back in Texas, she owns and operates a thriving construction company. Listen and learn about how she adapted to create a successful business that employs dozens of workers. 

Born in Cameroon, Africa, Dora moved to America as a child with her family. She is the founder of Lux Global, an international event planning company with offices in Atlanta, London, and soon Paris. Listen to her inspirational journey to success.     Dora is another example of a successful minority business owner / entrepreneur. We appreciate her willingness to share her story to inspire future en...