Business Talk Sister Gawk

Do you love blazing new trails, being in the great outdoors, and exploring land? Or maybe you’re a developer working on understanding what it takes to prep land for construction. This is the podcast to learn more about! This week, Curt Kleist shares how he got started in Wetland Consulting. In this episode we cover:  🦌 The process of mapping wetlands 🔍 Identifying whether or not is an area that...

What if the key to scaling your mission-driven business or organization wasn't a loan—but a capital campaign? In this episode, we sit down with Josh Lindstrom, from Fika Coffee ( givefika.com ), to unpack how they’ve used crowd funding to put the icing on top of their roastery business and deepen their impact in the community through being an employer that wants to even offer showers to their empl...

Have you ever dreamed of turning your passion for coffee into a full-fledged business? In this episode, we sit down with the founder of Fika Coffee, Josh Lindstrom, a small-batch roastery making big waves in the specialty coffee scene. From humble beginnings to scaling operations, Fika shares the real story behind launching and growing a coffee roasting business. We dive into: ☕ How to get starte...

Have you ever wanted to rent party equipment as a business? Ted Arnoldy, from JETZ, does a fantastic job of talking through why they have the processes they do for efficiency, safety, and quality customer service and it’s the inside scoop into the real day to day things you should know about running a party rental business. This is part 2 of a two episode interview, so definitely take a listen to...

Have you ever thought about starting a fun, profitable business that brings joy to families and communities? In this episode, we talk with Ted Arnoldy, founder of JETZ Enterprises, Inc., a leading provider in the inflatable rental industry. Ted shares how he got started, what it takes to launch a successful party jumper (bounce house) business, and the secrets to scaling in a seasonal market. Whet...

What governmental department is doing a fantastic job responding to mental health needs? Aaron Brown tells us, and it's not the one you would expect! This week, not only am I excited to interview a fantastically talented podcaster, historian, and writer, I am also excited to be talking about something that we're not used to talking about much in business. If you listened into my last podcast, you'...

This episode is about mental health and external things to business that make life hard and some ways you can combat them as an entrepreneur. Bekkah also covers one of the most important research projects she has ever worked on regarding the impacts of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and the connections to a billion dollar problem within our society that you and I have the ability to change...

How do VA's get started working for people remotely anyhow? Lauren Campbell Creative gives us the inside scoop of what it's like to get started. Lauren is a seasoned virtual assistant and executive assistant who shares all about the world of remote work and entrepreneurship. Lauren shares her journey getting burned with UpWork many times to building a successful VA business with clients all over t...

Ever wondered if you’re the only business owner encountering tricky situations? Bridger Hopkins, of Grand Properties Real Estate, carries on the discussion with Bekkah from the last episode regarding the secrets of what it really looks like as a business owner on the inside. While we may refer to this episode as a therapy session for current business owners to relate to, it definitely has some foo...

This episode is meant for business owners who are currently in the midst of running a business and for those who have ever wondered what the real life of it is like. Bridger Hopkins, of Grand Properties Real Estate, talks with Bekkah about relatable struggles many businesses owners have and that most online entrepreneurs won't tell you is actually going on under the hood of their business. They co...

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Zach Biles, of Northern Wireless explains how broadband access spreads across the United States. We're exploring the wild west of fiber, government funding initiatives to support access to rural areas, upload and download speed struggles, and the scalability of being an internet company as a small business owner. If you've ever wondered how to get into the internet...

Have you ever wondered how people start their own internet company? Well, Zach Biles from Northern Wireless gives us the inside look into how to get started cost effectively, who to talk to, and what kind of background would help you do it. Take a listen!

Ever wondered the impact of art within a community? This episode covers the vision behind why we're putting an art gallery in down town Chisholm, MN, what data we used to make that decision, and the case studies we reviewed before moving forward with the business selection that we made. If you're into seeing the slow and gradual growth of economic development, we're into that too. Definitely follo...

It's been two years of hard work on our research and development project: Rehabbing an old building in a historic block of a small town. Most of this episode is for the truly nerdy person interested in understanding a lot of the real life moments and learning experiences we've been going through in trying to open a brick and mortar store front from a 20 year abandoned building. If you're into that...

We're covering what FEMA resources may be available to you as you are dealing with post-disaster efforts that have affected your business and family, and what you can do to help your business with recovery efforts when disaster strikes. Take a listen to the 3rd episode in our 3 part series!

Part 2 is underway! Listen in as we cover what to do to prepare for grants that may come out regarding natural disasters that have affected your business. How a region even qualifies under a natural disaster that FEMA would support, and even what you should consider when shopping for insurance.

Ever wanted to know the background of why we are where we are with FEMA today and what options are available to you as business owner if you encounter a FEMA rated natural disaster? This series is for YOU! Take a listen as we dig into the details.

Denise Monroe shares about how she started out doing long term care consulting for individuals in need of transitioning from rehabilitation centers to longer term support services and housing. She works to help individuals understand how to advocate for their wants, and needs while navigating the structure of medical needs and insurance complexities. Take a listen to hear how she started her busin...

Tom Schotec shares how his real estate flipping business diversified into offering full transitional care services for individuals who were overwhelmed by the thought of moving in order to be closer to family, lowering their home’s maintenance needs, transitioning to more supportive care housing facilities and more. This is part 2 in this podcast interview with Tom, and in this episode we discuss...

Tom Schotec shares about how he started his entrepreneurship journey as a house flipper and saw the opportunity to become a service based business that assisted the elderly population with navigating the emotionally difficult journey of transitional care needs. This is an excellent listen for anyone who has a passion to care for others and is interested in hearing how he built a business to suppor...

Roger (Poka) Pogorelc, serial entrepreneur, discusses the meaning of prospecting and how he recommends you practice improving these skills. He gives advice for talking on the phone, in-person, understanding the cues of your prospective customer, and knowing how to respond to questions or comments in a way that shows you are comfortable with receiving feedback.  

Billie Asmus, inventor of the Repaint Tray, is back to share with us in Part 2 of this series how she is leveraging organic social media to grow exposure and sell her product. We discuss knowing when it's time to hire help, utilizing influencers for content exposure, and just being willing to ask people to share your content. If you want to know how to leverage social media, with a degree in marke...

Billie Asmus, Inventor and entrepreneur of the Repaint Tray, is with us to discuss her journey with organic social media as a business owner. This is first hand experience from a product based business owner on how she is leveraging social media to spread the word about her business. We discuss posting frequency, the type of content to share, and more. Tune in today!

Ever wanted to buy something from Alibaba, but were not sure where to start? This episode is for you. Bekkah covers when it can be a good idea to utilize Alibaba, how to negotiate, what sort of shipping time to expect, and so much more. Take a listen on your favorite platform.

Scott Jacobson, 20 year veteran real-estate investor, explains what metrics you should be looking to see in a property's financials if you're hoping to invest in a multi-family property, as well as advice in working with a syndicate group of investors. Take a listen!