Big Talk About Small Business

What makes a professional service provider truly valuable to your small business? It's not cost savings—it's quality, responsiveness, and genuine care. In this candid conversation, we challenge the conventional wisdom that outsourcing is primarily about cutting expenses. Great professional relationships, whether with attorneys, accountants, HR consultants, or IT specialists, are built on...

Ever wondered if entrepreneurship really delivers the freedom and flexibility it promises? In this eye-opening conversation, we tackle the myth head-on and reveal why business ownership often means you're never truly "off the clock." Between cash flow projections that tank just before your family vacation and the constant connectivity of smartphones eliminating any excuse to be unre...

Entrepreneurship defies simple categorization. Despite efforts to profile the "typical entrepreneur," success in business creation spans across demographic boundaries, transcending age, gender, race, and educational background. What matters far more are the psychological traits and behavioral patterns that create resilience in the face of inevitable challenges. The data tells a fascinati...

The truth about entrepreneurship isn't pretty, but it's powerful. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, we tear away the glossy veneer of business ownership to reveal what actually drives success and why so many well-intentioned ventures fail. At the heart of entrepreneurial struggle lies a fundamental misunderstanding about mindset. Are you a wolf with eyes fixed forward on the hunt, or...

The entrepreneurial workplace demands a different mindset than corporate America – one that challenges conventional ideas about job descriptions, work-life balance, and personal growth. But what exactly does it take to thrive in this environment? Successful entrepreneurial teams reach a cultural tipping point where positive, can-do attitudes become contagious. When more team members embrace excell...

Have you ever felt completely alone in your business struggles with nowhere to turn? That suffocating feeling where you can't share your fears with your spouse without alarming them, can't reveal vulnerabilities to employees who need confidence in your leadership, and hesitate to approach mentors fearing judgment? In this illuminating conversation with Ben Cashion, CEO coach and strategi...

Ever wondered why some entrepreneurs build thriving networks while others struggle to make meaningful connections? The secret lies in understanding that business relationships aren't transactions—they're gardens that require cultivation, patience, and genuine care. In this illuminating episode, we challenge the concept of work-life balance, suggesting that successful entrepreneurs embrac...

The foundation of a successful business isn't just talented individuals—it's engaged people working in synchronized harmony toward shared goals. In this raw, unfiltered episode, we dive deep into the reality that disengaged business owners inevitably face harsh consequences. As we candidly explore, "If you're an entrepreneur thinking you can be disengaged in your business, you&...

There's a critical moment in every entrepreneur's journey when they must decide: keep planning or start doing. This pivotal decision often determines whether a business idea becomes reality or remains forever in the planning stage. In this thought-provoking conversation, we dive deep into the concept of the "gestation period" for business ideas – that crucial time between conce...

Ever wonder why some businesses grow explosively while others struggle to survive? The answer lies in their approach to sales. This episode digs deep into the heart of business growth as Mark and Eric tackle the complex art and science of effective selling. Breaking through common misconceptions, we reveal why selling has nothing to do with deception or extroverted personalities. Instead, we explo...

Thinking of starting a business? Stop waiting for the "perfect moment" because it doesn't exist. That's the core message we tackle head-on in this candid conversation about entrepreneurial timing. We shatter the myth of first-mover advantage, revealing how second movers often win the game by entering markets where customers already understand their need. Being too early means e...

What happens when you focus deeply on a single service instead of trying to be everything to everyone in real estate? Brian Clark of ABC Property Management reveals the power of being "a mile deep and an inch wide" in property management. Brian's journey from finance graduate to successful property manager wasn't without detours. After learning real estate fundamentals over a d...

Considering entrepreneurship but unsure where to start? Franchising may be your answer - but only if you understand what you're truly signing up for. The entrepreneurial journey can begin through three main avenues: starting a business from scratch, buying an existing operation, or purchasing a franchise. Each path offers distinct advantages, but franchising provides that magical "busine...

What happens when an architect-entrepreneur adds "mother" to her list of titles? Jessica Hester's candid conversation about balancing business and family offers a refreshing perspective beyond the typical work-life balance clichés. Jessica founded Verdant Studio from her laptop and dining room table ten years ago. Her journey includes acquiring another firm, surviving both embezzlem...

What really creates a thriving business culture? Forget the ping pong tables and office kegs – it's about treating people with respect, allowing them to fail, and making them feel valued. Successful entrepreneur Ben Clark shares the raw, unfiltered story of his journey from struggling student to business leader. Ben's path wasn't conventional. Battling severe dyslexia that left him...

Serial entrepreneur Dmitri Love takes us behind the curtain of building three different tech companies, sharing both the triumphs and failures that have shaped his entrepreneurial journey. From creating a marketplace that connected 60,000 off-duty firefighters with paying gigs (Hydrant) to developing a crypto investment platform that ultimately collapsed after the FTX scandal (Bundle), Dmitri does...

What happens when an architect actually understands construction costs and client service? Lance Cayko, founder of F9 Productions and F14 Productions, reveals how he built award-winning companies by mastering what most competitors miss. Beginning as a teenage roofer who caught the entrepreneurial bug at 13, Lance shares his journey through multiple trades, architectural education, and eventually f...

The untapped advantage of outside directors might be the missing piece in your business growth strategy. In this candid conversation, Mark and Eric pull back the curtain on how small businesses can leverage experienced board members to overcome challenges, gain credibility, and accelerate growth.  Drawing from their experiences on over a dozen boards and as business owners themselves, they tackle...

The digital marketing world often portrays SEO as a complex technical mystery, but what if the real secret is much simpler? Andrew Laws, founder of Yeseo and a 25-year veteran of search marketing, strips away the mystique to reveal that effective SEO begins with business fundamentals, not technical wizardry. From his humble beginnings selling buttons (or "badges" as they're called i...

Are you ready to take the plunge into entrepreneurship but feel held back by myths and misconceptions? In our latest podcast episode, we tackle common traps that prevent aspiring business owners from realizing their dreams. It's often said that you need a significant amount of money to get started, but what if we told you that many businesses can launch with minimal investment? We explore thi...

Can marketing be the lifeline your small business needs to thrive, even when you're flying under the radar of giant corporations? This week, Jeremy LaDuke from Epic 9 joins us to share his journey in revolutionizing marketing strategies for businesses earning between $5 million and $50 million annually. With his hands-on experience, Jeremy shines a light on the importance of calculated risk-t...

Have you ever felt adrift after stepping back from work, unsure of your purpose beyond your professional life? Join us as we explore this sensation and how the fulfillment found in meaningful work can bridge that gap. Reminiscing about the good old days of BlackBerry phones, we draw parallels between the evolution of communication tools and our ever-changing societal norms. This episode lays the f...

Ever wondered how resilience can transform your business outlook? This episode promises to equip you with the mindset and strategies needed to tackle the most daunting small business challenges, all while sipping your favorite morning brew. Our discussion takes a fascinating detour through listener questions, unraveling the universal struggles of maintaining old businesses and cars, peppered with...

As the frost settles in Northwest Arkansas, we kick off with a frosty tale that turns an icy slip into a hearty laugh. Ever wonder how some entrepreneurs keep their sanity intact? We unravel this mystery with a nod to John D. Rockefeller's relentless spirit and share how midnight musings often find their way into our phones. Business battles, productivity challenges, and the art of multitaski...

Ever found yourself in the odd predicament of feeling busier than ever, even after a major life shift? That's exactly what we're chatting about as we swap personal tales of juggling the ordinary yet relentless tasks of small business ownership, like dealing with tech returns or the infamous RV winter prep. These little victories on our to-do lists? They're gold, and we're celeb...