Let's Talk small Business with Mitchell Wilson

Ever landed on a beach in Mexico, ordered a cocktail, and picked up the phone only to hear your general manager quit on the spot? Turnaround specialist, multi-unit franchise owner, and author of Grow Smart , Mike DeJong, lived that exact nightmare. That brutal wake-up call forced him to realize he didn’t own an actual company—he owned a high-stress job with massive overhead. In this episode, Mitch...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Dev Punjani, founder and director of Credible Accounting. Starting out as a weekend bookkeeping side hustle back in 2016, Dev turned a part-time gig into a full-service firm specializing in tax, payroll, business advisory, and fractional CFO support. Dev gets real about the grit and growth of his journey—from delivering...

Most small business owners wait until they are desperate before looking for funding — and when the bank says no, they think they're out of options. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Oz Konar, founder of Business Lending Blueprint, to break down what really happens behind the scenes in alternative lending. Oz shares how he went from making 600 cold ca...

For 25 years, the cybersecurity industry has relied on fear, shaming, and punitive "gotcha" tests to force employee compliance. The result? Frustration, resentment, and higher security risks. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , host Mitchell Wilson sits down with Craig Taylor, founder of CyberHoo and a 30-year industry veteran. Craig reveals why punishing people for clicking b...

Why do so many traditional leadership models leave us feeling drained, disconnected, and burnt out? In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , host Mitchell Wilson sits down with Ian Hatton—international keynote speaker, leadership mentor, and founder of Totally Morpheus . Ian gets real about his transition from corporate IT at Microsoft to becoming a global advocate for conscious leadership,...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell sits down with Jenna Oberstein, founder of ATAG Communication, to demystify organic social media for growing businesses. Jenna breaks down why relies on word-of-mouth are essentially "hope marketing" and explains how to build a clear, intentional strategy that actually converts. From avoiding common pitfalls (like posting 10 times a...

Most business owners don’t lack talent; they lack clarity. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business, host Mitchell Wilson sits down with 30-year speaking veteran, strategist, and creator of the 13 Box Presentation System, Eugene Moreau. Eugene breaks down how to stop overthinking your message, ditch the overly dense slide decks, and deliver a pitch that actually moves clients to action. From u...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Kris Schumacher—co-founder of New Majority Capital and owner of Trellis Structures. After spending two decades in corporate dealmaking, contract negotiations, and pricing systems, Kris stepped away from the corporate ladder to acquire a legacy manufacturing business and help other entrepreneurs do the same. Mitchell and...

In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Bron Watson—founder of The Social Coach and The Serenade Project, registered nurse, educator, and speaker. Drawing on 30 years in health and education alongside over a decade in business, Bron unpacks what it takes to play the long game in marketing without burning out. From raising five boys in under eleven years while...

Burnout doesn't always look like a dramatic collapse—sometimes it looks like grinding through every single day until your body stops whispering and starts shouting. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Loz Antonenko, founder of Loz Life and creator of the Mojo Method, to talk about ditching the chaos, ditching the woo, and building daily habits that act...

Most owners spend decades grinding to build a business, but almost zero time preparing to actually sell it. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Christian Sykes, founder of Exit Ready, to tackle the reality of founder dependency—and how it quietly kills business value. Christian breaks down why building an "exit ready" company isn't about blac...

Building a business isn't a straight line—just ask Michael Notte. From chasing heavy metal dreams and hitting rock bottom with zero dollars for a stamp, to becoming the "Small Biz Benefits Pro," Mike's journey is pure grit. In this episode, Mitchell sits down with Mike (owner of MJN Insurance Services) to break down why small and medium-sized businesses don't need to get outs...

What does it take to push through seven brutal years of self-doubt, regulatory hurdles, and near-daily urges to quit? In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Toby Lawrence—founder and CEO of Arrow Health Private Hospital and a serial entrepreneur. Toby opens up about turning personal family tragedy into an evidence-based addiction treatment facility, navigatin...

When you’re running a small business and wearing every single hat, feeling overwhelmed isn't just exhausting—it directly damages your decision-making. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business, Mitchell sits down with Shalin Desai, Senior Programme Director at the Art of Living Foundation. Shalin breaks down why busyness often leads to a downward spiral of low energy, and how simple daily b...

What if your next big business breakthrough literally came out of thin air? In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , Mitchell Wilson sits down with Jeff Szur, founder and CEO of Altitude Water. Jeff shares his journey from running restaurants and trading natural gas futures to manufacturing cutting-edge technology that harvests pure drinking water directly from humidity in the air. From navi...

What happens to your business when everything breaks down? In this episode, Mitchell gets real with crisis management expert Keith Erwood, co-founder of the Erwood Group. Drawing from his profound background as a New York City EMS responder on the frontlines of 9/11, Keith now authors business continuity plans protecting more than a billion dollars in annual revenue. Forget the boring corporate ja...

What does it take to build a seven-figure photography empire, lose it all overnight, and rebuild smarter from the ground up? In this episode, host Mitchell Wilson sits down with Scott Proposki, founder of the Camera Focus Method. Scott went from photographing events at the White House and National Geographic with a 52-person team to seeing his entire operation evaporate in 2020.Instead of walking...

When your business is growing, how do you know if you're actually scaling or just piling on expensive tech debt? In this episode, host Mitchell Wilson sits down with global SAP heavyweight, serial entrepreneur, and tech expert Chris Carter. From his early days hustling plastic business cards in high school to managing major enterprise software and launching half a dozen Shopify stores (includi...

Starting a business is exciting. Running one? That’s where things get interesting. Welcome to Let’s Talk small Business , the podcast where host Mitchell Wilson gets real with the people behind the businesses. From tradies on the tools to billionaires in the boardroom, we dive into the stories, lessons, wins, and “wish someone had told me that sooner” moments that come with running a business. Exp...

Many business owners run themselves ragged chasing higher revenue, only to wonder why their bank accounts aren't reflecting their hard work. In this episode of Let’s Talk Small Business , host Mitchell Wilson sits down with Jung Chung, a seasoned business coach and "profit hunter." With over 14 years of experience analyzing thousands of profit and loss statements, Jung breaks down th...

Are you chasing vanity metrics that look good on paper but leave your bank account on life support? In this episode of the Coachbirds podcast, Mitchell Wilson sits down with Scott Miller—a seasoned global sales executive with over 40 years of hands-on experience driving revenue and scaling high-performing teams across the US and Southeast Asia. Scott pulls back the curtain on the brutal lessons he...

Ever feel like you’re throwing hard-earned cash at marketing just to buy "things" rather than investing in real business growth? In this episode, Mitchell sits down with Zachary Rischitelli, founder and managing director of Fig Advertising and Marketing. With a fascinating background in psychology and anthropology, Zachary breaks down the deep emotional needs and cultural triggers that a...

Ever feel like your business has hit an invisible glass ceiling you just can't seem to smash through? In this episode, Mitchell sits down with Rik Schnabel, Australia's leading "brain untrainer," six-time international bestselling author, and mindset pioneer with over 39,000 hours of transformational client work. Rik flips traditional business coaching on its head, revealing why...

Ever wonder what a lifelong banker actually thinks about entrepreneurs? In this episode, I sit down with Chip Higgins, who spent over 35 years in the trenches of the US banking world before transitioning to helping small businesses from the outside. Chip shares his unique journey—from dreaming about banking as a teenager (while everyone else wanted to be in the NBA) to managing major executive res...

Ever feel like you’re doing absolutely everything right in your business, but things still aren't jelling? In this episode, host Mitchell Wilson sits down with Jessica Osborn—marketing strategist, business coach, and founder of the Business Jam program. Jessica shares her journey from corporate head of marketing to radically streamlining her business while traveling Australia in a caravan. Mit...