Small Town Big Business

Indigo Realty Et Al: Alysa Bunting on Entrepreneurship, Real Estate, Mindset, and Fasting | Small Town Big BusinessJennifer Olson (City of Marion) and Russell Williams (Ethos small business incubator) welcome AlysaBunting of Indigo Realty to discuss her entrepreneurial path from selling lily pads as a teen to building retail and service businesses, buying her first rental property 27 years ago, an...

Edward Jones in Downtown Marion: Teaming, Main Street Advice, and the Future of Financial PlanningThis episode of Small Town Big Business, recorded at the Citadel Building in downtown Marion, features Edward Jones financial advisors Randy Lewis and his son Brendan Lewis discussing their Marion-based practice and its growth. Randy, a 19-year Edward Jones advisor, explains the firm’s “Wall Street to...

Marion Connects: Activating Tower Square Plaza with Third Thursday, Rock the Plaza, and Fall FestHosts Jennifer Olson (City of Marion) and Russell Williams (Ethos) interview Marion Connects president Amy Eckert about the group’s origins and growth activating downtown Marion’s Tower Square Plaza. The conversation traces how citizen feedback from a “Reversing the Exodus” event led to organizing Mari...

Inside Marion’s Cultural & Civic Center: Booking, Murals, and Downtown Economic ImpactHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams (with guest host Allison Hassler) interview Josh Benson of the Marion Cultural and Civic Center, a city-owned 1,100-seat venue in downtown Marion, Illinois that runs about 165 dates a year and operates like a business with its own budget. Benson explains that success...

Sunny Street Cafe Expands to Marion: New Standalone Location, Pickup Window, and Hiring PlansHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome guest host Allison Hassler and guest Chris McBride to discuss Sunny Street Cafe’s new second Southern Illinois location in Marion, Illinois. McBride explains the Marion cafe will be the brand’s first standalone building, featuring a pickup window, patio wit...

Nicholas Holdinghausenand Jennifer Olson host Small Town Big Business and interview Murphysboro-based entrepreneur Traci McLaughlin, who runs Shine On A Dime cleaning (11 years, residential and commercial) with her husband, manages McLaughlin Properties (eight rentals acquired largely through opportunities that arose during and after COVID), and writes as an author. McLaughlin discusses publishing...

From Sonographer to App Founder: Lynn Flam Builds SonoTechniques AcademyNick Holdinghausen and his co-host introduce Southern Illinois Now’s Small Town Big Business and interview Lynn Flam, a registered diagnostic medical sonographer with 34 years of OBGYN experience who launched the SonoTechniques Academy OBGYN ultrasound teaching app and The Seasoned Sonographer podcast after career burnout and...

Recorded at EThOs Small Business Incubator and Co-working Spaces in Marion, Illinois.https://members.ethosmarion.org/ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST

Small Town, Big Business: Take Action Today Inc. with Chrystal CantrellJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business in downtown Marion, Illinois, and interview Chrystal Cantrell, executive director of Take Action Today Inc., a recovery community organization serving Franklin, Williamson, Perry, Jackson, and Jefferson Counties with walk-in centers in Carbondale, Marion, and Ben...

Small Town, Big Business: The Alexanders Bring Independent Primary Care Back to MarionHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome Dr. Jim Alexander and physician assistant Jennifer “Jen” Alexander to discuss opening Alexander Family Practice on West Main Street in downtown Marion, Illinois. They share their history practicing in the region since the early 2000s, a brief out-of-state hiatus,...

Small Town, Deep Roots: Amy Eckert on Building Gideon Realty in Marion, IllinoisJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business from downtown Marion, Illinois, introduce sponsors, and interview Amy Eckert of Gideon Realty. A lifelong Marion resident, Eckert shares her family background, memories of Marion’s downtown-to-mall-to-downtown shift, and her path from part-time jobs and...

Rooted and Whole Wellness: Brittany Hammers on Root-Cause Naturopathy in Rural Southern IllinoisJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town, Big Business from downtown Marion, Illinois, thank sponsors, and interview Brittany Hammers, founder of Rooted and Whole Wellness. Hammers shares that her business grew from her own Crohn’s disease diagnosis in 2018/2019 and frustration with trial-and...

Branch Cafe and Market: Legacy, Values-Driven Food, and Community in Downtown CarbondaleHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams interview Elaine Ramseyer and Nina Donovan about The Branch Cafe and Market (formerly Long Branch), a legacy downtown Carbondale business and regional draw that expanded by merging with Town Square Market. Elaine recounts buying the cafe in 1998, growing from coffee and...

The Dome at Blueberry Hill, in Southern Illinois. The Farrs explain relocating from Central Texas after friends moved to the area, seeking a slower pace of life, more family time, and a better school system, and deciding to leave high-paying jobs to become their own bosses. They describe evolving from early ideas like canvas tents and cabins to a fully insulated geodesic-style dome assembled large...

My Office Help: Virtual Office Support, AI Tools, and Growing a Service Business from Rural IllinoisHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome Shayna Shadowen of My Office Help, a virtual office providing backend support for home service contractors and other small businesses through live phone/admin support, a CRM-based platform, and AI tools for calls, texts, email, scheduling, and social...

Taco Trim Shop: A 65-Year Upholstery Legacy with Brittany EdwardsOn the Small Town Big Business podcast, cohost Allison Hassler joins the hosts to interview Brittany Edwards of Taco Trim Shop, an automotive upholstery business founded in 1960 by her father, Roger “Taco” Loss. Brittany explains the name comes from “Taylor and Cook,” the prior owners, and shares the shop’s moves from Benton to Chris...

Small Town Big Business podcast with guest co-hosts Alison Hasler and Russell Williams interviews Aicy Munsell, owner of M.A's Filipino Cuisine in Marion, Illinois. Icy shares how she moved from the Philippines at 21, started the business as a food truck during COVID in 2020 because Filipino food was missing locally, and later opened a restaurant now in its fifth year. She explains Filipino cu...

Art Snacks: $5 Local Art Vending Machines Coming to Marion’s Civic CenterHosts Jennifer Olson (City of Marion) and Russell Williams (Ethos) welcome back Jennifer Colboth of Bits and Pieces Art & Antiques, now located at 204 Tower Square Plaza sharing space with Milkweed Provisions. Colboth discusses receiving an Illinois Arts Council grant to launch Art Snacks, a $5 art vending machine program...

Dayempur Herbals & Midwest Medical Thermography: Natural Health Businesses Growing in Southern IllinoisOn the Small Town Big Business podcast in Marion, Illinois, host Joe Kuski interviews Carbondale-based natural health entrepreneurs Anita Brown and Terry Hickey, who collaborate through DME Health Services, LLC. Brown runs Midwest Medical Thermography, a mobile digital infrared screening serv...

Reformed Design Co: Website Design, Organic Marketing, and Growing from Marion, IllinoisHosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams welcome Ben Childers of Reformed Design Co, a Marion, Illinois-based creative marketing agency specializing in website design, branding, and digital ads. Childers shares how he moved from an SIU marketing degree into small-business roles that grew into running marketing...

PTSD Service Dogs, Trauma Resilience, and Community Support in Southern IllinoisJennifer Olson and Russell Williams host Small Town Big Business from downtown Marion, Illinois, and welcome Malia (pronounced “Maria”) Nicks to discuss ThisABLE Veteran, a local nonprofit celebrating 15 years. Founded by Behesha Doan, a former police canine handler with over 40 years of experience, the organization tr...

Building a Travel Empire: The Journey of Mindy's Miles Travel AgencyIn this episode of Small Town Big Business, hosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams interview Mindy Combs from Mindy's Miles Travel Agency in Marion, Illinois. Mindy shares her journey from working as a marketing director in banking to establishing a successful travel agency. She provides insights into the value of trave...

Reviving a Winery Dream: The Story of Clad & CordonIn this episode of Small Town Big Business, hosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams talk with Lacey Rado and Caleigh Hill. The story begins with the sisters’ surprising shift from their established careers to taking over an abandoned winery in Southern Illinois and transforming it into a vibrant business. They detail the restoration efforts...

Gilead Girls: Building a Tallow-Based Skincare Business from ScratchIn this episode of 'Small Town Big Business,' hosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams interview Abby Jurgens and Megan Adams from Gilead Girls, a small business that produces tallow-based skincare products. Abby and Megan share the origins of their business, which started as a solution to personal health issues and evolv...

Navigating Big Business in Small Town America with Pathfinder AccountingIn this episode of 'Small Town Big Business,' hosts Jennifer Olson and Russell Williams are joined by Brendan Morgan of Pathfinder Accounting and Tax. Brendan shares insights into his specialized CPA firm that focuses on client accounting services, advanced bookkeeping, tax planning, and accounting consultancy. He disc...