American Audacity

Jessica Quintanilla Jackson - Owner of Betty & June in Abilene and Corpus Christi. Jessica was the perfect guest on the show, very funny and relaxed, while answering honestly and with actionable nitty gritty answers. Her insights into running not just a business in Abilene but a second store in Corpus Christi, six hours away, highlights her drive and ability to manage from a distance. She spea...

Season 2, Episode 10: GRAY BRIDWELL - Head of Military Affairs Committee, Farmer and Rancher, Pilot. This episode is EXACTLY why I started this show! Gray Bridwell discusses in practical nitty gritty terms: Farming and Ranching in West Texas, commercial farming versus family farming, Foreign countries/companies buying up farmland, how a farmer/rancher retires, the cost of becoming a farmer over $1...

Season 2, Episode 9: RICHARD SIBERRY - Owner of Black Donkey Brewery in Ireland This interview takes place at Black Donkey Brewery in Ireland with Richard Siberry. We talk How to make international sales operating out of a tiny town in the countryside (a few hundred people); The Differences of running a business in Ireland versus the US; Real Estate in Ireland; How to get a license to run a pub/ta...

Season 2, Episode 8: CHUCK ROACH - Juggler, Artist, Chess Player, and Recently Back From Ukraine. Chuck is a fascinating man and our conversation does not disappoint. We talk how the Soviet Union attempted to have a Chess Master at every one of their schools; How juggling helps mental acuity and hand to eye coordination; How he developed his signature look with his art and how he prices his pieces...

Season 2, Episode 7: George Levesque - Executive Director of the Paramount Theatre, Former News Director and News Anchor, Former Radio Talk Show Host. We discussed all the ways you can advertise and finding your ideal customer on each one, The hardest part about being an Executive Director, The direction of downtown Abilene, How the Process of getting a wine and beer license was as the first nonpr...

Season 2, Episode 6: HALEY JO OATES - Owner of Haley Jo Auto, Haley Jo On The Go, and The Dam Store.  This is a far-ranging  conversation on running businesses in different industries, “as a woman” running a business and receiving unsolicited sexual pictures from contractors, managing friends and family as employees, inside the car dealerships during the wild highs and lows of the pandemic, how to...

Season 2, Episode 5: STACIE & BYRON STEPHENSON - Owners of the Shed Market BBQ in Abilene, Texas. Stacie and Byron have experienced every side of running a business and restaurant. We discuss how they started as a family business under his parents in in Wingate, Texas, How they focused on catering part time while working 9-5 jobs, The conversation they had to jump 100% into the BBQ business an...

Season 2, Ep. 4 - Elise Grazzine - Renowned Craft Brew Bar "Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa" in Rome, Italy that puts on Eurhop Roma Beer Festival and Franken Bier Fest - We Discuss Bringing Passion to Your Brewery or Bar; The Touristification of Rome; Differences Between Opening a Business in Italy versus America; What Italians Do Right; What Americans Could Learn from the Italian Way of Life;...

Season 2, Episode 3: KIRK HOUSE - Country Music Star/Country Soul - Break-out Country Musician on How He Broke Into the Next Level; Practical Tips on How to go from Free Gigs to Paid Full Time Musician; How Playing Every Day Oversaturates the Market; Stories of Jameson Whiskey, No Shyness in his Posts, and LA gigs; Using Google Insights and Hashtags to Market Your Brand; How a Musician/Artist shou...

S2-E2: Jay Patterson and Cory Enderson - Co-owners of the Leaf on How to Manage a Business with a Business Partner, How to Take Over an Existing Business and Not Run Off Customers, Lessons Learned from Doing a Build-Out, How to Advertise in a Restricted Field, How to Drink Barley Wine, Favorite Cigars for $10. Jay Patterson and Cory Enderson bought the Leaf, a Premier Cigar, Pipe and Tobacco shop...

Season 2, Episode 1: Calina Mishay - Self Made International Mural Artist on How to Actually Make Great Money as an Artist, Quitting Her High Paying Job to Pursue Murals, Using Martial Arts to Establish a Baseline in Your Life, and What's Wrong with the Art World Today. And Wine. Calina Mishay has painted murals all over Texas, from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle, and now Canada and Mexico....

#26: Chris Carnohan - Chair of the Taylor County Republican Party debates with Blaise  Forgiving Student Debt, Vaccinations, Men Competing in Women Sports, a New Tax on the Ultra Rich, on a Republican led Investigation into January 6th, and much more. Chris Carnohan is the Chair of the Taylor County Republican Party and is an attorney focused on civil litigation in Abilene and the surrounding area...

#25: Elizabeth Smyser - Chair of the Taylor County Democratic Party; On  the Democratic Party's Stance Against Requiring a Photo ID/ Voter ID Laws; on Why the Democrats are Opposed to Building the Wall; On Democrats Wanting to Tax the Ultra Rich; On if another Stimulus Check Should be Sent out; On The Democrats Push to Defund the Police; On Forgiving Student Debt

#24: Blaise Regan - No Such Thing As Work Life Balance; NDAs and People Stealing Your Great Idea; Taking a Set Salary as the Owner; Check Your Non Competes Before Quitting; Using Social Media to Learn and Grow Your Business, Not Waste Time; Plea for Reasonableness and Seeing Both Sides of Issue or Problem. Blaise Regan is an attorney that focuses on Business Law and Estate Law, he handles startups...

#23: Matt Smith - Owner of Fat Matt Roofing Talks the Marketing Strategy Behind "Fat" In His Company Name as Skinny Guy; How He Picked His First Employee Hire; Different Advertising Mediums; Scaling Up; How Yard Signs are Great Advertising Even in the Digital Age; Books He's Read to Expand; and Most Importantly, We Drink Craft Beers During this Episode!

#22: Jennifer Elliott and Katie Parnell - Accountants (CPA and Enrolled Agent) Talk Best Practices and Tips for Small Businesses for Taxes, Strategy, Crypto Taxes and the Future, Biggest Accounting Mistakes Clients Make, S Corp Pros and Cons, Value of a CPA versus Turbotax, Red Flags that Will raise your Risk of being Audited by IRS. Jennifer Elliott is an Accountant - Enrolled Agent in Abilene. S...

#21: Blaise Regan - Gun Control and Charging Parents for Gun Violence; Abortion Debate; Check Your Sources; Great Points from Last Two Interviews: Personal Guarantees, Business Plans and How to Overcome Being an Introvert as  Business Owner. Blaise Regan is a Texas business and estate law attorney focusing on startups, mergers, buyouts, and business growth, and he is the Founder of Six Brothers Br...

#20: Jason Valdez - Senior VP of First Bank Texas - We Discuss How Business Owners Should Approach Getting a Loan; The Value of A Business Plan; Where to Get Financials For Projected Revenue for a New Business; Biggest Mistakes Business Owners Make on Business Plans; Importance of Knowing your Business Books; Line of Credit versus Credit Cards versus Loans; Crypto in the Banking World

#19: Jonathan Spencer - On Changing the Name of Your Business Midstream; How He Overcame his Introverted Self to Network for His Business; When Facebook Doesn't Like Your Business Name;  The Fear of 9-5 Job Being Motivation; How He Markets and Advertises; When He Felt His Business Had Finally Reached a Level of Success to Breathe; Importance of Vacation; How a Minor League Hockey Team Could B...

#18: Blaise Regan - Tips on Mental Health; Real Estate Commissions; Getting Involved in Your Community Via Boards

#17: Maegan Brest - Real Estate Agent Discusses the Real Estate Market through the Pandemic and Now; Future of Real Estate Purchases Online or in Person; Crypto in Buying Houses; Importance of House Inspections; Where She Sees Future Growth in Abilene Maegan Brest is a real estate agent with Keller Williams in Abilene in Abilene for the past ten years and has dealt with residential properties and...

#16: Brian Poynor - Police Officer with APD, on the Community Response Team, Focused on Proactively Helping Those With Mental Illnesses before They Commit Crime or Hurt Themselves/Others; What an Emergency Detention Order is; Telling the Difference Between Meth and Mental Illness; Why the CRT is Composed of a Police Officer, Fire, and Mental Professional; How Abilene is the Lead on this Program in...

#15: Blaise Regan - Talks about Trip to DC for the Military Affairs Committee, Importance of B1 Bomber and Hypersonic Missiles, Congressional Discussions on Changing the Step Up Basis and Estate Tax/Death Tax, How the Estate Tax affects Farmers and Ranchers, Business Tips

#14: Judge Downing Bolls - Discusses how the Mental Commitment Hearings Work; How the Mental Cases affect our City and Businesses; How Things Need to be Fixed for Gun Violence to Decrease; How Unfunded Mandates from The State Legislature Affect the Taxpayer

#13: Blaise Regan - Recaps the Best Tips from the Last Four Guests; On the Pitfall of Buying a Home with your Boyfriend/Girlfriend; On the Pros and Cons a Series LLC; On the Importance of Having a Will if you Own a Ranch, Farm, or Business; On Picking a Good Contractors; Keeping Track of Inventory from Day One