Entrepreneur's Journey

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey, Michael Pallozzi and Jason Gabrieli discuss the importance of building a transition-ready business long before an owner decides to exit. Jason shares insights from his Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) coursework and explains how business owners can maximize the value of their companies through proactive planning, operational improvements, and al...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey , Michael Pallozzi sits down with Dan Beatty, President of Constructive Leadership Solutions, to discuss his decades-long career in the heavy civil construction industry and his transition into entrepreneurship. Dan shares how his experience in large-scale infrastructure projects led him to focus on workforce development, communication, leadership trai...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey , Michael Pallozzi sits down with Kevin Comerford, founder of Service Champions, one of Northern California’s most successful HVAC companies. Kevin shares the incredible journey of building his company from zero in 2003 to over $120 million in revenue and more than $20 million in EBITDA before selling the business to private equity. Kevin opens up abou...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey , Jason Gabrieli sits down with John Bailie of CompassPoint to discuss the unique challenges family-owned businesses face when planning for succession and leadership transition. Drawing from his background in counseling, entrepreneurship, executive coaching, and family business consulting, John shares practical insights on how families can begin diffic...

What does it really take to scale a trades business into a national leader—and what happens when it all starts to unravel? In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey , Michael Pallozzi sits down with Kory Mitchell, former CEO of a leading environmental services company and current founder of Iconic Founders. Kory shares his full journey—from growing a family business into the #1 abatement compa...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey , Jason Gabrieli and Michael Pallozzi break down the first two stages of the Built Wealth Ladder—Rung 1 and Rung 2. Designed specifically for trades and home service business owners, this framework helps simplify the transition from running a business to building real, lasting personal wealth. They explore what it means to operate at Rung 1, where ever...

Welcome back to the Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, Michael Pallozzi sits down with Brian Tustin, owner of First Rate Movers, to discuss his path from the hospitality industry to purchasing and growing a moving company. Brian shares how his experience managing restaurants, retail spaces, and co-working environments prepared him for entrepreneurship, even though he ultimately stepped into...

Welcome back to the Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, Jason Gabrieli sits down with Greg Wilnau to discuss entrepreneurship, marketing, and how technology—especially AI—is changing the way businesses operate. Greg shares his journey from copywriting into building a marketing team and the lessons he learned about avoiding burnout and removing himself as the bottleneck in his business. The co...

Welcome back to the Entrepreneur’s Journey Podcast. In this episode, Jason Gabrielli of HFM Investment Advisors is joined by Jamie Stinson of Advanced Exit Solutions to discuss strategies that can dramatically reduce—or even eliminate—capital gains taxes when selling a privately held business. They examine planning opportunities for both long-range exits and imminent sales, including charitable st...

Welcome back to the Entrepreneur’s Journey Podcast. In this episode, Michael Pallozzi and Jason Gabrieli kick off a new podcast series focused on BuiltWealth ™, a service model developed specifically for business owners in the trades. Michael and Jason explore why this audience—roofers, electricians, HVAC companies, plumbers, painters, and other home-service professionals—is underserved when it co...

In this episode, Michael Pallozzi is joined by Bobby Giurintano of Premium Recovery Experts to unpack a little-known strategy that helps business owners recover overpaid workers' compensation premiums. Bobby explains how his firm audits past audits—examining insurance carriers' work to uncover errors that could mean real money back for clients. Learn how his risk-free process has helped companies...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur’s Journey, Jason Gabrieli is joined by Nicola Reasoner, partner at V&R, to explore what it really takes to prepare a business for sale. From financial cleanup to team dynamics, and even the emotional readiness required to exit, Nicola offers invaluable advice from years of experience guiding entrepreneurs through transitions. If you're a business owner—even...

Michael Pallozzi sits down with Phil Risher, founder of Flash Consulting, about how trades business owners can grow revenue by turning marketing from a black box into a measurable system. Phil shares how his unique path—from pest control ride-alongs to enterprise fleet sales to featured finance blogger—led him to help home service companies scale from $1M to $10M+ and even exit to private equity....

Welcome back to the Entrepreneur’s Journey . In this episode, Michael Pallozzi is joined by Jessica Hallahan, founder of Journey to Yourself , who specializes in stress management and suicide prevention training within the blue collar workforce. Jessica shares her unconventional path from women’s empowerment speaker to a sought-after facilitator for trades-focused mental wellness. Together, they e...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey, hosted by Michael Pallozzi. In this episode, Michael is joined by Mike Fanelli, owner of Third Generation Builders, based in Lake Katrine, New York. Mike shares his story of launching a construction business rooted in family heritage, hard work, and an evolving passion for craftsmanship. He discusses the values instilled by his father and grandfather, ho...

Welcome to another episode of the Entrepreneur’s Journey Podcast. In this edition, host Michael Pallozzi sits down with Patrick Carr, President and CEO of Blue Collar Media Group. From humble beginnings—armed only with a cell phone and a vision—Patrick shares how he built one of the most respected media companies serving blue collar businesses. The conversation covers early financial risks, hard l...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, Jason Gabrieli sits down with John Cavanaugh, CPA and tax attorney at Firenze Advisors, to discuss the foundational role that legal entity structure plays throughout the life of a business—from launch to scale to exit. They explore common pitfalls, how to adjust structures as businesses grow, and key planning considerations for exits, su...

In this episode of the Entrepreneurs Journey, Michael Pallozzi speaks with Shawn Calkins, owner of Universal Service Solutions in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania. Shawn shares how he went from being unemployed during the 2008 housing crisis to owning a successful full-service pavement maintenance company. The conversation highlights the importance of grit, financial discipline, mentorship, and building...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, Michael Pelosi speaks with Kevin Brenner, founder of Healthy Home Energy & Consulting. Kevin shares his unexpected journey from podiatry school to building luxury homes for billionaires, and ultimately to pioneering sustainable construction practices as a “building scientist.” He discusses his transition from Brenner Builders to Heal...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, Jason Gabrieli sits down with Michael Roth, Managing Partner of V&R Capital, to explore how business owners can thoughtfully prepare for one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives—selling their business. From his personal journey through entrepreneurship and tragedy to founding a firm focused on family-owned businesses, Mi...

In this episode of The Entrepreneur's Journey, host Michael Pallozzi sits down with Harrison Edwards, president of My Painter & Exteriors in Arlington, Virginia, to explore his remarkable journey from starting a business at age 20 to running a thriving painting and exterior contracting company by 29. Harrison shares candid insights about overcoming early challenges, understanding profitability...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey, hosted by Michael Pallozzi. In this episode, Michael speaks with Jon Winters, President of MSC Flooring, about his journey from painting houses in high school to co-founding and growing Michigan Specialty Coatings into a thriving business. Jon shares how early failures shaped his business philosophy, the lessons learned from traveling the world, and the...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey, hosted by Michael Pallozzi. In this episode, Michael sits down with John Moskola, co-owner of Watson & Sons Plumbing in Western Pennsylvania. With a background in cybersecurity for the Pentagon, John made an unexpected pivot into business ownership through the acquisition of a local plumbing company with his brother. They discuss the challenges of se...

Welcome back to The Entrepreneur’s Journey. In this episode, host Michael Pallozzi sits down with Jayson Miletta, a 21-year-old recent graduate of Rowan University and already a seasoned entrepreneur. Jayson shares how he turned a backyard cornhole league into a national franchise, launched a digital marketing firm with automated outreach systems, and built a scalable business model rooted in part...

In this episode of  The Entrepreneur's Journey , host Michael Pallozzi sits down with David Kryszczak, founder of Spartan Digital, to explore his inspiring path from teenage tech support to leading a thriving digital marketing agency. Despite being only 26, Dave's journey spans entrepreneurial risk-taking, deep community involvement, and a remarkable personal story that includes classical mus...