Ask Brien Show

Storytelling is one of the most important aspects of your business, because it allows your customers to know what to expect when they choose to work with you. This week we are joined by the Founder of The Business of Storytelling, Park Howell. Park shares why storytelling is so critical to your business, and provides the key elements that every story needs. He explains where content creation is he...

Unlock the secrets to business growth by understanding your ideal customer. This week, we are joined by Ben Utley , a seasoned Certified Financial Planner™ professional from Physician Family Financial Advisors. Ben shares his journey into financial planning and the advantages of niching down his business. He highlights the importance of vision, values, and culture and building a strong team while...

Antelope Valley is growing at a rapid pace, and AV EDGE is ready to help businesses get started with expansion into the area. This week, we have Drew Mercy from Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise on the show to discuss how they can help all sizes of businesses take advantage of economic development programs. Drew discusses what the use tax is, how it impacts those doing bus...

After her mother unexpectedly passed away, Audrey knew she needed to take her business into her own hands so that she could enjoy her life to the fullest. This week on the podcast, Audrey Kwan, founder of AJK Consulting, joins us to talk about how she started her own agency, with the mission to help businesses build workplaces that give back their freedom, families and joy, so more kids have healt...

NFIB is a wonderful home for small businesses. This week, John Kabateck is joining the show to talk about NFIB and all the work they are doing to keep small businesses safe and get their voices heard. John talks about the amazing benefits that members of NFIB receive as well as the top three goals they are currently working on. John discusses Proposition 47 and how it will help hold criminals acco...

Building a side hustle while working a full time job can be difficult, but this week's guest was able to turn that side hustle into her now full time job after years of work. Jenn Trepeck joins us this week to talk about her transition from working in hedge funds into creating her business, Better Life Now LLC, and her podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. Jenn talks about how she utilizes her podc...

Inspired by his three years teaching at a junior boarding school in the Adirondacks, Chuck Schwerin wrote a fiction book about a 15 year old ninth grader and a 63 year old headmaster who are haunted by events that they’ve caused and for which they struggle to address. Chuck joins Peter and Traci to talk about his writing process and why he chose to write a book. He walks through the pros and cons...

Are you looking into retirement plans for your employees and are not sure where to start? There are many different types of retirement plans available, so we brought on Courtenay Shipley from Retirement Planology to help understand the different types of plans and when businesses should start implementing them for their employees. Courtenay breaks down the top 4 retirement plans and who each plan...

How do you get potential new customers to inquire about your business? Jason Kramer, the Founder of Cultivize joins the show to discuss several tactics that can be used to drive potential customers to inquire about your products or services. He breaks down what funnels and lead magnets are and the best way to use each to your advantage. Jason discusses how to get people engaged in the online world...

Today on the Ask Brien Podcast, our resident experts Peter and Traci interview Jen McFarland, founder of Merit Digital, a digital operations agency. They discuss various topics related to small businesses like digital support, business skills, technology, and artificial intelligence. Jen shares her insights on website development and support, SEO rankings, and the use of AI tools for time manageme...

Charlie Rocket realized the need to chase his dreams after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. So, after making some big life changes, Charlie started the Dream Machine Foundation. During this episode, Charlie shares more about his journey and how he is using his foundation to change the lives of others. Charlie shares how they make an impact on those who share their dreams with Dream Machine, and...

“Reach for the moon, because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” This week on the Ask Brien Radio Show Podcast, Confidence Coach Regina Bonds joins Peter to discuss her coaching business. She explains how she went from working as a banker to thriving as a confidence coach. In the conversation, Regina reveals what challenges she faced as a brand new entrepreneur and how she worked throu...

After building a successful career in the NHL, Neil Smith decided to make a shift into a new career. In doing so, he found a way to utilize his experience and passion for the NHL in a new way. On this episode, sports manager turned senior wealth strategist, Neil Smith joins us to talk about his transition from sportscaster into the financial sector. Neil talks about the similarities between buildi...

Ben Bucher decided to take a chance on himself when he transitioned from being a manager at McDonald’s to opening his own Allstate Insurance business. Ben joins us on this episode to talk about how he decided to open his own business and the challenges that came along with being a new entrepreneur. He shares how he grew his insurance business so quickly and what the most valuable things are that h...

Creating a brand new product in the beverage industry has its challenges, but this week's guest, Marcin Malyszko of Mission Craft Cocktails explains how they’ve been able to promote their business. Marcin talks about how they differentiate their product from other top name beverages out there, including how they utilize their marketing strategy. He discusses their liquid-to-lips strategy and why t...

Using his knowledge of the beverage industry, Kevin Hartley created a product that not only is better for the environment, but it also tastes great, and gives money back to coffee farming families. Today, we are joined by Kevin from Cambio Roasters to learn all about his product and how to enter into the environmentally sustainable side of business. Kevin tells us about how Cambio Roasters was sta...

Finding an authentic Super Bowl 3 jersey, working with an incredible business partner, and turning a hobby into a thriving business can truly be classified as entrepreneur Barry Meisel's dream. This week, Barry Meisel joins the show to talk about his business MeiGray Group, which sells authentic game-worn jerseys and sports memorabilia to collectors. He discusses his background in the sports journ...

Do you have a business idea, but don’t know how to get it on the market, where to share the product, or how to identify your target consumers? This week, Wayne Lutomski of Hydro Shot Energy Drink joined the show to talk about his incredible success in the food and beverage industry space, and tips for bringing a new product to market. Wayne starts by telling us about his new business, Hydro Shot,...

Do you have a bunch of ideas in your mind that might make a great product to sell, but you aren’t sure how to get started? This week, we have CEO of NATPAT Michael Jankie on the show to talk about how he and three partners started their e Commerce business. Michael talks to us about how they transformed their idea of stickers with citronella on them to a full seven plus figure business that is con...

Are you ready to take your business to the next level, but you are feeling stuck? This week, we have Founder and CEO of Masterful Coaching, Robert Hargrove, on the show. Robert’s company helps CEOs and Founders take their businesses to the next level by helping them find their originality, grow successful teams, and create a personal brand. He talks about the difference between an entrepreneur and...

Do you find your small business missing out on customer opportunities because you don’t have the bandwidth to get back to everyone? This week, on the Ask Brien Podcast, Clayton Turner from Leedly joined us to talk about his lead generation tool and how it can impact all businesses. Clayton discusses the features of Leedly, how the tool can help small businesses connect with their customers and nur...

Have you been thinking about using Facebook Ads to launch your business forward but you aren’t sure where to start? This week we have digital marketing expert Jodi Sodini on to talk about Facebook advertising and marketing. Jodi discusses how to start campaigns and make them successful, the difference between Google Ads and Facebook Ads, as well as the trends that are currently leading back to con...

Are you looking to start a small business, but you don’t have the funding readily available in your bank? If so, you don’t want to miss this episode where we spoke with Matt Olsen, the Vice President of Nano Banc. Matt provides so many valuable resources regarding the various types of funding available to small business owners, what you need to have in hand when setting up a business account, and...

Do you keep track of the new laws passed each year? There are some critical laws that are being passed that every business owner needs to know about. During this episode, Peter and Traci discuss new laws, specific to California, for 2024 that are passing that are crucial to business owners. Then they discuss a new law called the Corporate Transparency Act that will impact every business owner in t...

Today, Catalina Gaete-Bentz, CEO of Catan Pisco, a spirit distilled 100% from grapes, shares the challenges she faced as a female entrepreneur. Catalina was told that she could not attend business school, but did not let that stop her from pursuing her dream. She utilized her resources to start her business and continues to push for excellence bringing Pisco to the market. Catalina tells about her...