Kanawha Valley Hustlers

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Aaron Wood about building multiple businesses and the lessons that come with growth. Aaron explains how one business led to another, creating steady revenue across different seasons. He shares that rapid growth can create problems if you are not prepared with the right people, systems, and cash flow. We discuss the daily challenge...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Tina White to talk about what entrepreneurship really looks like. We discuss how owning a business means longer hours, more responsibility, and learning not to take rejection personally. Tina shares how a conversation with her insurance agent led her into the industry and why she also makes time for singing, fitness, and other pas...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Hannah Hage of First American Insurance to talk about business, insurance, burnout, and faith. Hannah shares how she got into insurance after people kept telling her she would be good at it. Now she helps people protect their homes, cars, businesses, and assets while also helping some buyers find coverage that allows them to close...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I celebrate America’s 250th birthday by looking at the spirit of liberty, work, risk, and innovation that has shaped this country. I start with Benjamin Franklin and the founders, who built a system where people could make their own choices, take responsibility, and benefit from their own effort. I then move through the late 1800s, when inven...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Akaya Robey of Kyber Kai Academy, a combat and fight choreography school in Charleston, West Virginia. I learn how a hobby that started years ago grew into a business that is becoming his full time focus. Akaya shares how he brought lightsaber choreography from New York to West Virginia, built a community around it, and recently t...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Jordan Garcia to talk about his work in property and casualty insurance and the lessons he has learned in sales. Jordan shares how he moved from car sales into insurance after meeting an agent who inspired him to pursue the industry. We discuss the importance of helping people find the right coverage instead of simply choosing the...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Jason Morgan, known online as Patriot Prime, to talk about how a lifelong love of Transformers grew into a successful YouTube channel. Jason shares how his interest started as a kid and later turned into content creation after he was challenged to start a channel. We discuss the skills he learned while serving in Iraq, how those e...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk about why negative comments are part of doing business online. If you want attention, you have to accept exposure, and with exposure comes criticism. I explain that most negative comments are not a sign your marketing is failing. They're a sign people are finally seeing your content. I break down the difference between pointless attack...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Jesse A. Lewis of Blue Kangaroo Pack Outs of River Cities in Huntington, West Virginia. Jesse helps people recover personal property after fire, water damage, or a natural disaster. His team packs out items, documents them, cleans them, restores them, stores them, and returns them when the property is ready. What stands out to me...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Shelby Pritt, founder of Be Real Estate Services. Shelby helps real estate agents in Indiana and West Virginia keep deals moving through custom transaction coordination. She comes from ten years in lending and title, where she saw how many ways a deal can fall apart. Now she builds systems that help agents save time, stay organize...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Mykah Ballard, creative director for Virtue Marketing Collective. Mykah works with businesses that have a vision but need help turning it into a clear message. We talk about how many entrepreneurs are good at what they do but struggle to explain it to the right people. Mykah explains why marketing is not just posting online. It ta...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I break down the line “Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise” as a full formula for getting ahead. Early to bed is about discipline. It cuts off the hours where most people waste time, scroll, snack, drink, or drift into bad habits. Early to rise gives you quiet leverage before the rest of the world starts pulling at you....

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Peyton Ballard, principal consultant of Selah Directive in the New River Gorge area. Peyton starts in HR, then gets recruited by the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority to help launch West Virginia’s first angel network. That experience leads him into consulting, where he now helps nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and busines...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I visit Blenko Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia, and talk with Bryson Cutler about business development, manufacturing, and keeping a historic craft alive. Bryson’s path started in digital marketing and IT before growing into his role at Blenko. We talk about the company’s 130-year history, its move to Milton in 1921, and its shift from...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with David Crabtree about drones, business, and what it takes to build something new in West Virginia. David runs Appalachian UAV Academy and works to bring drone technology into industries like public safety, search and rescue, rural health care, delivery, and commercial cleaning. His passion is using drones to find missing people fas...

AI Can Get Attention, But Can It Build Trust?

I talk with Chris Bautista, owner of Above Roofing, LLC, about how he got into roofing, what he has learned after 12 years in the trade, and what homeowners need to know before hiring a contractor. Chris helps with leaks, repairs, replacements, and roof inspections. He got started after helping install a roof and found that the work fit him. We talk about one of his biggest business lessons: under...

In this episode, I talk with Lee Jordan about Battleground Wrestling and how he built an independent wrestling promotion in West Virginia. Lee started with a love of wrestling and turned it into a live event business that runs about six shows a year. We talk about the early days, buying the first ring, running a wrestling school, and creating a place where performers can train, build their charact...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Jannson Williams of Apex Tech about managed IT services and why technology matters for local businesses. Jannson explains that an MSP manages the digital systems a business depends on, including computers, internet, phones, and networks. He connects that work to a business problem: downtime. When systems go down, employees stop wor...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I explain why skills alone do not make money. The market respects skill, but it pays for results. I use my own work as an example because I can shoot video, edit, create visual effects, and build 3D animation, but none of that matters to a business owner unless it solves a problem. People do not hire me because I understand cameras, lenses, o...

I talk with Jay Silverman and Joel Bennett about their dogumentary on the search for the best West Virginia hot dog. What starts as a COVID-era idea to support mom-and-pop restaurants turns into a years-long project across the state. They visit 284 places, judge every part of a West Virginia-style hot dog, and meet people and stories they never could have planned. We talk about the Saint Albans pr...

I talk with Edward Yu, principal of Huntington Analytics in downtown Huntington. Ed helps organizations close the gap between wanting AI and having the structured data needed to make it useful. We talk about why data matters for businesses, nonprofits, and workforce development programs, especially when grants and public trust are involved. Ed explains how tracking outcomes can show whether progra...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Amanda Franklin about building Phoenix Pole Fitness and turning a personal passion into a business in Charleston. She walks me through how she got started, what pole dancing has meant in her life, and why she wants other women to experience the strength, balance, and confidence it can build. We get into the reality of business own...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I explain that we are living through a trust recession, and that is changing how people buy. I make the case that visibility alone is not enough because people are hit with scams, spam, and sales messages all day, so they do not trust businesses right away. I break down the 7-11-4 idea to show what it takes to earn that trust: seven hours of...

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast, I talk with Michael O’Shaughnessy and talk about how his business grows from a small lawn care crew into a company that handles landscaping, hardscaping, patios, retaining walls, drainage, and more. What I like most is how honest he is about the business side of it. He admits that even after years in, there is still more to learn, and he talk...