Beyond The Hustle

Aaron McCarthy spent 20 years in corporate IT before deciding he was done climbing someone else's ladder. In 2018 he convinced his wife for them to take a SBA loan and started Maven IT out of a borrowed front office in exchange for free support. No staff. Just him and a laptop. In this episode we covered: → Why he picked recurring revenue as his model before he even had a business → How a cold cal...

Matt McAlpine went from washing kegs at a cider farm to running Michigan's largest cannabis beverage operation. The early days at Blake’s Hard Cider were tough… Their first big bet (getting non-smokers into dispensaries with a 2mg drink) didn't land the way they planned. They adjusted and deployed 150 refrigerators into dispensaries which doubled average sales per store. And they went from near ze...

Kelly grew up in Eight Mile in Michigan, the same streets Eminem rapped about. His house was absolute chaos: a drunk stepfather, a drunk mother who once stabbed her husband and set the house on fire, and a kid who learned to survive by reading the room before anything else. By the time he got to college, he was selling drugs, racking up arrests, and lying on every job application about his two fel...

Early on in his sales career, Dan received a $0 commission check. With a wife and kids at home to take care of, it was a moment that changed him forever… Dan Russell is VP of National Sales at Trion Solutions, overseeing payroll, HR, and benefits for over a million employees across the globe. But before any of that, he was a mortgage banker trying to do right by his clients in an industry that sto...

Maggie George is a criminal defense attorney and partner at George Law Firm in Royal Oak, Michigan. Before she ever set foot in a courtroom, she spent 13 years with a mortgage lender, worked a stint on Capitol Hill, and raised a one-year-old while taking the LSAT on maternity leave. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle we covered: → What it's actually like to defend someone you know is guilty → Th...

Business has always been Billy Baumann's love language. Billy is the founder of Second Chair Advisory, where he helps private equity firms find the deals nobody else is seeing. But the path to get here wasn't a straight line… It was winding, expensive, and completely humbling. But what came out the other side was someone who speaks a language most M&A advisors can't: the language of someone wh...

Dan Dulka and I started Drive Creative over 10 years ago but that’s when the real education began. The first year or two was mostly brute force since cash was tight.. Right when we landed manufacturing clients and a public company with $2 billion in annual revenue, Covid hit. We lost most of our business overnight. But instead of pivoting fast, Dan shared how we held on and hoped. But hope is NOT...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Jake Smith, Financial Advisor at M1 Capital Management. Jake shares his journey into the financial industry, the experiences that shaped his career, and the lessons he’s learned while helping individuals and families plan for their financial future. We also discuss the importance of long-term financial planning, building trust with clients, na...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Sterling Hughey, owner of Sterling Construction and Roofing. Sterling shares how he got his start working for his father in high school before launching his own roofing company. We also talk about the trials and growing pains of entrepreneurship, and how Sterling Construction and Roofing has grown into a trusted provider in the industry. Conne...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Kathy Camara, CEO and co-founder of Entech Medical Staffing. Kathy shares her inspiring story of starting out filing papers after high school, working her way up, and eventually launching her own staffing company. We also talk about the lessons she’s learned in the staffing industry, the challenges she’s overcome, and how emerging technologies...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Dominic Vendittelli, owner of Shepherd Safety Consulting. Dominic shares his career journey from Environmental Engineer at DTE and General Motors to becoming a Certified Safety Professional and launching his own consulting business. We also talk about the challenges of starting a new company, what motivated him to take the leap, and how Shephe...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Dr. Jeffrey H. Miller, founder of Miller Vein. Dr. Miller shares the story of how his practice began as a single clinic and has grown into a multi-location, award-winning healthcare provider. We also talk about his career journey, commitment to innovation, and how compassionate care and excellence have become the foundation of Miller Vein’s su...

In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Patrick Oja, founder of Provisio Technology Solutions. Patrick shares his unique journey from missionary work in Ukraine to starting his own IT consultancy in the U.S., and eventually building Provisio to solve real gaps in the web development space. We also talk about how the hardest year in his business turned into a turning point, and how t...

In the very first episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Dave Feidner, Professional EOS Implementer® at EOS Worldwide. Dave shares his journey from entrepreneur to coach, and how EOS® helps leaders and teams gain clarity, accountability, and real results. We also talk about how EOS shaped Drive Creative Agency’s growth and how implementing systems like EOS can help propel growth in busines...