Coffee, Chaos, & Cashflow

Send us Fan Mail This week Aram and Gabbi sit down with Trent Mobley — Associate Certified Entomologist, 14 years in the bug business, and founder of Berner Pest Solutions, a three-time Best of Lexington Gold winner in just three and a half years. First, the mystery everyone asks about: the company is named after Frank, the Bernese Mountain Dog Trent's wife had wanted for years and they final...

Send us Fan Mail Too Many Hats: When the Founder Becomes the Bottleneck For the first time, it's just the three of us — no guest, Yemi, Aram, and Gabbi riffing on the many hats you end up wearing as a business owner, and the ones you're still wearing that you probably shouldn't be 🎩. Everybody opens up their current hat rack: Aram has climbed back onto the sales front himself after...

Send us Fan Mail How to Build a Business You Can Walk Away From — Tim Brown Returns Tim Brown is back for round two — founder of Four Quarters Capital, two decades in finance, a philosophy background, and a former women's basketball coach. Last time he made the case for winning your financial "fourth quarter"; this time he applies that same idea to business owners and the exit . The...

Send us Fan Mail Brian Raney is back for round two — this time for a themed deep dive on building a team, which he happens to do two very different ways at once: as CEO of APAX Software (for-profit) and Awesome Inc (the nonprofit startup community), under one roof. The contrast drives the whole episode. Regardless of which org, Brian's still hiring for the same culture and core-value fit — bu...

Send us Fan Mail The show's first-ever duo: Greg and Hannah Holden, married, in business together at Clarity Interpreting — now 50-plus interpreters statewide — and raising five kids while they're at it. Everyone says never go into business with family, and definitely never with your spouse; the Holdens have done exactly that for almost twenty years 💍. They come from nearly opposite wor...

Send us Fan Mail This week we sit down with Rachel Edenfield, founder and CEO of Swell — a preventative mental and relational health platform built to make care radically more accessible. A former social worker turned product builder who's raised $1.7M and started by serving warfighters and their families 🎖️, Rachel reframes the whole category: the question isn't "is there an app fo...

Send us Fan Mail New season, new voice. For four seasons the third chair belonged to Eric — this season it's Gabbi McErlean, and today Aram and Yemi flip her into the guest seat so you can finally meet the woman, myth, and legend (aka G Funk 🎙️). She even runs her own intro! Gabbi walks us down what she calls her windy road. She grew up in California wanting to be a vet — mostly because it lo...

Send us Fan Mail A building that was very nearly a parking lot is now one of the most storied stages in Kentucky. This week Aram and Gabbi sit down with Edd MacKey — from Mt. Sterling by way of the Bahamas, a former LFUCG engineering technician who helped design the trails Lexington walks and bikes on, and now the man running the Lexington Opera House 🎭. (The friendship started, as Aram recalls i...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build something still standing in a hundred years? This week Aram, Yemi, and Gabbi sit down with Pat Martelli — master carpenter, former high school history teacher, and founder of Boone Creek Construction — for his first-ever podcast appearance 🎙️. The conversation is about the tension at the heart of modern building: an industry that rewards speed and effici...

Send us Fan Mail What do you sell when your best work is invisible? This week Aram, Yemi, and Gabbi sit down with Alex Smith, who spent five years in digital marketing before becoming business developer at Green Solutions Land Care, a veteran-owned commercial landscaping and site-work company in Lexington. His big idea: curb appeal isn't lawn care, it's a first-impressions business — the...

Send us Fan Mail What do utility-scale solar, Bitcoin mining, hotshot trucking, and Texas barbecue have in common? Michael B. Stevenson II has built in all four. This week Aram and Yemi are joined by guest host Gabbi McErlean to talk with Yemi's brother Michael — a builder who turned a 12-year solar career into a launchpad for venture after venture, and is now betting it all on brisket. 🤠 Mi...

Send us Fan Mail Can entrepreneurship actually be taught — or do you just have to go get punched in the mouth? It's an old jab: those who can't do, teach. David Hasler is the awkward counterexample. He spent fifteen years in finance leadership, running the org for Walmart's $125B U.S. grocery business (and later Health & Wellness), led a treasury project that saved store operati...

Send us Fan Mail Most entrepreneurs are told to “fail fast” and move quickly. Zack Wallace did the opposite. After becoming the nation’s top advisor at a Fortune 100 firm at an early age, he walked away from a winning hand to build something better: ABRI, a company built on true all-in-one advice across tax, legal, investment, and insurance. In this episode, Zack shares why mastering an establishe...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to lead when the roads, bridges, and winter storms don’t wait for a perfect plan? In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Asa James Swan—founder and CEO of GREAT Leaders, former Chief of Staff and Legislative Liaison for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and the nation’s first-ever Chief Leadership Officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Before Asa help...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when two brothers decide to run a modern short-term rental company… without a single smartphone between them? Meet Allen and Luke Warford, the co-founders of Inndoorsy—a hospitality business built on honor, excellence, beauty, and an intentionally slow, faith-driven life. In this episode, we sit down with these self-described "old souls" to talk about how th...

Send us Fan Mail In this engaging interview, Ieasha Allen shares the inspiring journey of transforming a historic building into The Melroy, a vibrant social club in downtown Lexington. Discover the decade-long process, strategic decisions, and community-focused vision behind this unique project that blends culture, entrepreneurship, and community development. Follow The Melroy: https://www.instagr...

Send us Fan Mail Rob Perez, a seasoned restaurant veteran, shares his journey from Hard Rock Cafes to founding DV8 Kitchen, a social enterprise employing people in recovery. Discover how his innovative approach is transforming the restaurant industry and creating sustainable employment opportunities for those overcoming addiction. https://dv8kitchen.com/ Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/...

Send us Fan Mail David Hasler has led finance and strategy for some of the biggest names in business—Walmart ($125B grocery division), Procter & Gamble, Bath & Body Works, and The Body Shop. He's sat in the CFO chair and navigated private-equity pressure. But his most interesting chapter might be the one he's writing now: as a one-person consulting firm founder, Kentucky's S...

Send us Fan Mail Matt Noble, president of the Bluegrass Tourism Marketing Association (BTMA), discusses his background in marketing and the unique challenges and opportunities in promoting tourism in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky. He highlights the economic impact of tourism, the importance of networking for small businesses, and the changing demographics of visitors. Noble also shares insights...

Send us Fan Mail In this engaging conversation, Aram Street hosts Erica Friis and Zak Leonard from the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation. They discuss their personal journeys into historic preservation, the importance of public engagement, and the unique challenges faced in Lexington. The conversation covers various aspects of preservation, including educational initiatives, case studies,...

Send us Fan Mail In this conversation, Aram interviews Xavier Johnson, the owner of Rise and Run Media, about transforming LinkedIn from a simple posting platform into a powerful revenue engine for B2B companies. They discuss the importance of thought leadership, the balance between professional authority and engagement, and the significance of conversations in building trust. Xavier shares insigh...

Send us Fan Mail From landing in the US with a single degree and facing months of rejection to leading product operations for some of the world's most recognizable brands, Anya Cheng's journey is a masterclass in resilience and strategic reinvention. As a former product lead at Meta and Target, and Head of Product at eBay, she helped shape the digital experiences of millions. Now, she&ap...

Send us Fan Mail Will Burroughs draws upon his deep expertise in web performance and system optimization, with a specialized focus on the construction industry. He shares insights on the importance of understanding client needs and details how his diagnostic approach is being used in his new role at BC Solutions to audit and improve their digital service delivery.  The discussion also covers the t...

Send us Fan Mail Ben Reno-Weber discusses his entrepreneurial journey and the creation of Essential Innovations, a venture focused on providing workforce solutions and connecting employers with available resources. The discussion covers insights from the Five Across pitch competition, the challenges faced by businesses in hiring, and the innovative approaches to navigating funding opportunities. B...

Send us Fan Mail Get ready for an inspiring chat with Nate Simon! 🎙️ He opens up about his leap from corporate lawyer to founding his own firm, Simon Law ⚖️, and breaks down his unique, no-fluff approach to serving the construction industry. 🏗️ Nate gets real about blending work with life, giving back to the community, 💝 and using tech to make legal help faster and more accessible. 💻 He’s a fier...