Journey to Business Ownership - Freedom Friday Podcast

Webinar - Before You Buy a Franchise: The 10 Biggest Mistakes to AvoidThinking about buying a franchise? Before you invest, learn the biggest franchise mistakes to avoid. In this webinar, Career Ownership Coach Patrice Miles shares 10 common mistakes people make when exploring franchise ownership, including choosing the wrong franchise, misunderstanding the FDD, underestimating startup costs, skip...

Tumbling Into Entrepreneurship: How Holly Turned Gymnastics Into 2 GymsAt five years old, Holly Slone wouldn't stop turning cartwheels in the yard. Today, she owns two gymnastics and cheer facilities in Louisville, Kentucky! On this episode of Freedom Friday, the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Holly shares how she went from 15 years in marketing and sales to owning Spark Athletics, wit...

Ham, Chips & Queso & Men's Health: Entrepreneur Behind Heavenly Ham, Salsarita's, & Game Day Men's Health. What do a ham shop, a Mexican grill, and a men's wellness clinic have in common? Steve Stallings. In this Freedom Friday episode of the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with the Louisville business owner to talk about going from eight...

The FREE Small Business Resource Most Entrepreneurs Overlook Thinking about starting a business — or already own one and feel stuck? You may be overlooking one of the best FREE resources available to entrepreneurs: the Small Business Development Center, better known as the SBDC.In this episode of Freedom Friday on the Journey to Business Ownership Podcast, I sit down with Dave Oetken, Director of...

A LinkedIn Message and a Leap of Faith: Starting Over in Their 60sApproaching their 60s, Elizabeth Terry Crowe and her husband John were ready for a change. After years in corporate America (John was an automotive and EV battery executive) and a career built on marketing, real estate, and even helping open a brewery, Elizabeth never expected a LinkedIn message to change the course of their lives —...

Why 90% of Business Owners Waste Their Chamber MembershipMost business owners join a Chamber of Commerce, show up once or twice, and quietly decide it "isn't working." In this episode of Freedom Friday, I sit down with Jennifer Williams, CEO of The East Louisville Chamber, to talk about what separates the members who actually get value out of their membership from the ones who don&#3...

From Blue-Collar Worker to Beard Oil Entrepreneur | David Blevins’ Faith Over Fear JourneyWhat happens when you stop letting fear make your decisions and finally take the risk on yourself? In this episode of Freedom Friday | Journey to Business Ownership, I sit down with David Blevins, founder of Bearded Enterprises, to talk about his journey from construction, heavy equipment, sales, and climbing...

Corporate Isn't the Only Path: Non Traditional Career Paths for Veterans Webinar The best career move after military service may not be another employer. It may be business ownership. Have you heard about the Veteran2Entrepreneur Program? If you're a veteran or military family member exploring what's next, join me on Wednesday, August 12 for a complimentary educational webinar to learn...

Starting a Business at 50 With Just $1,100: The Carte Charcuterie storyStarting a business at 50? Melissa Brown did exactly that — with just $1,100 and a whole lot of courage. In this episode of Freedom Friday, part of the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, I sit down with Melissa Brown, owner of Carte Charcuterie, to talk about her leap from a career in pharmaceuticals, nonprofit work, and Te...

AI Anxious to AI Ready: Holly Hartman on Building Future Workforce Systems and the WO NetworkIn this episode of Freedom Friday, Patrice sits down with Holly Hartman — founder of Future Workforce Systems and the WO Network (Women Leaders of Kentuckiana) — to talk about how she went from a six-figure medical sales and marketing career to building multiple businesses completely bootstrapped. Holly op...

Is Your Baby Ugly? Here's the Handyman Who Can Fix ItWelcome back to Freedom Friday at the Journey to Business Ownership Podcast! Today I'm joined by John Jennings, a franchise business owner with Focal Point Coaching, who spent 24 years in corporate IT before a severance package pushed him into entrepreneurship — a day he now calls the best of his life. John shares his journey from corpor...

Everyday Extraordinary: How Maggie Harlow Used Fear as Fuel to Build Franchise FreedomWhat if fear is not a sign that you should stop—but fuel that can push you toward the life you are meant to build? In this episode of the Freedom Friday: Journey to Business Ownership Podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with Maggie Harlow, a 23-year franchise business owner, professional speaker, and author of Every...

You'll Never Feel 100% Ready — Joe Hulsey on Taking the Leap Into Business OwnershipIn this episode of Freedom Friday at the Journey to Business Ownership Podcast, I sit down with Joe Hulsey, owner of Best in Show Branded Products, to talk about his journey from banking to entrepreneurship — and the mindset shift that got him there. Joe was working as a lender at Fifth Third Bank when the 2008...

Is Your Business Actually Sellable? What Owners Need to Know Before SellingIn this episode of Freedom Friday on the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with Phil Eleson, franchise owner of Murphy Business Sales and Director of Corporate Brokerage Services, to talk about one of the biggest questions business owners should be asking long before they are ready to exit:Is yo...

My Franchise CPAs: Your Secret Weapon Before, During, and After Buying a FranchiseAre you exploring franchise ownership but not sure if the numbers really work for you? Or maybe you're already a franchise owner trying to keep more of what you earn? Either way, this episode is packed with the financial education you didn't know you needed! This week on Freedom Friday at the Journey to Busin...

He Tried Corporate After Selling His Business — The Entrepreneurial Bug Had Other Plans - EOS StoryWhat happens when a serial entrepreneur sells their business, tries the corporate world, and realizes the entrepreneurial bug just won't quit? Seth Pennington found out the hard way — and it led him straight to EOS.Seth, Franchise Business owner with EOS, spent 15 years building and scaling a bus...

SBA Loans Uncovered: What Every Aspiring Business Owner Needs to Know | Freedom FridayAre you dreaming of owning a business but not sure how to fund it? In this episode of Freedom Friday: The Journey to Business Ownership, I sit down with Kurt Hummel, SBA Lending Expert at Central Bank, who has over 23 years of experience helping everyday people get the funding they need to become their own boss....

Would You Work for You? How to Build a Workplace People Want to Stay InWould you work for you? 🤔In this episode of Freedom Friday, I sit down with Dave Strange of Strange HR Consulting to tackle one of the most important questions every business owner needs to ask themselves — and most never do. Dave shares his unlikely journey from carrying $80,000 in cash through the Cincinnati airport to 23 ye...

From Healthcare to Home Inspections | A 23-Year Career ChangeWhat does it take to walk away from a 23-year career… and start over? In this Freedom Friday episode of the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with David Powell of Pillar to Post Home Inspectors to talk about his journey from healthcare administration to entrepreneurship. After more than two decades in the hea...

From Pastor to CEO: How Bill Reynolds Trusted God's Plan and Built Something Beautiful | Freedom FridayWhat do you do when the door you thought was your destiny suddenly closes? For Bill Reynolds, founder of Element 502, losing his role as associate pastor wasn't the end — it was the beginning of something he never could have planned on his own. In this episode of Freedom Friday, Bill shar...

He Helped Build Other Companies—Then Built His Own | Mark Douglas’ JourneyOn this Freedom Friday episode of the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with Mark Douglas, a former corporate America professional turned franchise owner with FocusCFO.Mark spent years helping build and grow other companies through commercial banking, healthcare, corporate development, and startu...

From Medical Biller to Multi-Business Owner | Kim Rankin’s Entrepreneur JourneyWhat happens when you realize you were never meant to sit behind a computer all day? In this episode of Freedom Friday on the Journey to Business Ownership Podcast, I sit down with Kim Rankin, broker owner of Rankin-Luxe Realty Group and co-owner of Luxe Cart Co., to talk about her incredible journey from medical biller...

From Pharmacist to Moving Company Owner | Amber’s Journey to Business OwnershipWhat happens when a pharmacist decides corporate America is no longer enough? In this episode of Freedom Friday at Journey to Business Ownership, Patrice Miles sits down with Amber Pfister owner of Square Cow Movers in Louisville, Kentucky, to talk about her incredible leap from pharmacy and real estate investing into b...

Turning Opportunity Into Ownership with BeLocal | David Meek's JourneyWelcome back to Freedom Friday on the Journey to Business Ownership podcast! In this episode, Patrice Miles sits down with David Meek, owner of BeLocal Louisville, to talk about his journey from the mortgage industry into business ownership—and the powerful framework he believes every entrepreneur needs before starting a busines...

Fake It Till You Make It | From Dispatcher to Dumpster FranchiseWhat does it really take to go from employee to business owner—and step into a franchise you never expected? In this episode of Freedom Friday on the Journey to Business Ownership podcast, Patrice Miles sits down with Becca Kaufman, owner of a Dumpster Today franchise, to talk about her unexpected leap from dispatcher to entrepreneur—...