Plant Your Flag with Bean Media

Success rarely happens alone; that's why relationships are so important.  In this episode of the Plant Your Flag Podcast, entrepreneur, author, musician, and business leader Robert Grant (O'mega Red) shares his life experiences and story with the podcast! Robert Grant has planted many flags in his entrepreneur journey. Through his experience with finance and in entertainment, he is the o...

Welcome to the 32nd episode of the Plant Your Flag Podcast! In this Episode, we talk about what Businesses are actually doing with AI. Join Mike Bean and Jeremy Mountain as they navigate the new business landscape powered by artificial intelligence. AI has been infiltrating every business and industry since neural network transformers were discovered in 2017. This allowed key models like ChatGPT,...

Tech Leader John Porter explains what AI actually does for business and how companies are really using artificial intelligence to optimize workflows, improve scalability, and solve operational problems. Luckily for us, he has joined us for the 31st episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast!!  In Episode 31 of the Plant Your Flag podcast, Mike Bean sits down with John Porter to discuss using AI tools...

Bill Neu, an entrepreneur, real estate agent, and now family hero, is our newest addition to our collection of outstanding entrepreneurs on the Plant Your Flag Podcast! On the 30th episode of the podcast, old coworkers and friends Bill Neu and Jer speak about Bill's new business, Gramma's house. Gramma's house isn't your regular construction business. Bill started this concept...

To find out what really happens when you bet yourself, you may have to try to find success the hard way. Starting your own business might be the riskiest and hardest thing you can do. On the Plant Your Flag podcast, we seek out these incredible entrepreneurs who bet on themselves and take that leap to plant their flags. On the 29th episode of the Plant Your Flag Podcast, Mike and Jer discuss the m...

Depression and mental health have long been stigmatized in America. Dan Lukasik is here to share his depression journey on the 28th episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast. He has gone through his own battle with depression as a lawyer and has made it his mission to help those with mental illness all over the country.  He has made two documentaries about depression and mental illness, one about his...

The Plant Your Flag Podcast returns in 2026 with our newest guest, Nic Lalich! Nic is the founder and business owner of 86400 Entertainment. A company focused on producing shows for concerts and musicians.  Nic has been a long-time ally for us at Bean Media Productions, so its an honor having him on to talk about how he started his business. Nic has worked in many roles in his life, including bein...

The business podcast of Buffalo is back! This episode is a compilation of the best moments from all of our guests and all of the diffrent episodes from 2025. We look forward to seeing how the podcast evolves in 2026, and we hope you'll join us for more business stories, expert advice, and exciting Buffalo action! Thank you for joining us on another episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast. If y...

Will AI steal our jobs?!?  Digital Marketing Experts discuss their unique insights into AI and business on the 26th episode of the Plant Your Flag Podcast. There is so much to unpack with AI in business and digital marketing. What can AI do for me? Organic and paid ads both rely on AI tools to put the right content in front of the right audience for conversion. You can see this with Google's...

Welcome to Episode 25 of The Plant Your Flag Podcast. Our guest is Kate Glaser! TV Journalist, Entrepreneur, Founder of Hope Rises News Non-Profit, Hope Rises Network,  and a Western New York Community Leader! Kate Glaser is our biggest star to date on The Plant Your Flag Podcast, and we're very glad she decided to come on and share her story with us! Jer is also back in the host seat, bringi...

We're back! On this episode of Plant Your Flag, Robert Kropczynski and Mike Bean talk about Rob's business, Creekside Business Consulting. Rob started his business one year ago and talks about how he built it into something special from the ground up. Join us on this episode of The Plant Your Flag Podcast to be in the know about small and large Western New York businesses. See behind the...

On this episode of the Plant Your Flag Podcast, we have Dr. Stephanie West, who is an immensely successful woman. Recently, she's planted her flag as a business owner to do consulting for veterinary practices. She is also the author of a recently released book! S.O.A.P. For Success. A book to make you love your business again and simplify your operations so you can focus on your mission. Mike...

We can't believe we've been doing this podcast for so long. We are so excited to share more stories of business owners, personal successes, and planting your flags.  In this episode, Mike and Jer recap the 6 guests we've had on the podcast since last time we did one of these. Jeff Zoerb, Steve Kottakis, Mike Austin, Lindsay Giardina, Tracey McCormick, and Dan Kautz. We'll share...

Welcome back to the Plant Your Flag podcast, where we host business owners who took the risk to start their own business and plant their flag. Join us now to witness an incredible business success story! Today, we are joined by Tracey McCormick, who speaks to Jer about how she and her husband started their company, National Restroom Trailers (NRT). She started this company over eight years ago, an...

Welcome back to The Plant Your Flag Podcast. In Episode 19, Mike sits down with Lindsay Giardina, founder of Prestige Administrative Consulting, a Buffalo-based business that helps entrepreneurs reclaim their time and streamline their operations. Lindsay shares how she took her 20+ years of experience in operations and turned it into a thriving solo consultancy. For over 8 years, Lindsay has built...

The Startup Story of how 3 bachelor's, about to head down the aisle, became business owners is an interesting one. Yeah, it almost sounds like a Judd Apatow movie.  Join us for the premiere of the 2nd season of Plant Your Flag. In this episode, Mike Austin, a co-owner at Stag Pack, Imagine Pack, and Mafia Pack, joins Jeremy Mountain to tell us about how he and his fellow bachelors planted the...

Welcome back to The Plant Your Flag Podcast. Here In Episode 17, Mike speaks with Steve Kottakis, the owner of Nickel City Property Management. Steve tells his story from how he moved into the Buffalo area from New Jersey and learned the area through his investments in real estate, and how he became a property manager. Steve began his journey only a handful of years ago. He worked for many years i...

Welcome back to The Plant Your Flag Podcast. In Episode 16, Jer speaks with Jeff Zoerb, the hardworking owner of Moto Z and the Ducati guru! Jeff shares his story about how he changed from a teenage motorhead to a wildly successful entrepreneur, recounting the hardships, successes, and stories that led him to where he is today. Jeff started as a kid who took apart everything. Through his experienc...

Jeremy returns to the "Plant Your Flag" podcast with Mike to recap key takeaways from episodes eight through fourteen. They share unique insights from each guest's journey into business ownership. Jeremy also discusses his experience taking family leave for the birth of his son and the challenges of stepping away from Bean Media Productions. Throughout the episode, Mike and Jeremy r...

In episode 14 of the Plant Your Flag podcast, Mike sits down with Ania Duchon, the owner of Chrusciki Bakery, Sto Lat, Simply Pierogi, and much more! Ania opens up about her experience moving to the United States as a child, recalling how she would come home from school and work alongside her family in the basement, making chrusciki. She also shares the challenges she faced while opening Sto Lat a...

In episode 13 of the "Plant Your Flag" podcast, Mike sits down with Rev. Frederick Marschner, LCSW-R.  This episode is like no other Fredrick dives into his experience as a psychic medium and social worker. People around the world reach out to him for exorcisms and more. Mike gets emotional when Fredrick tells him the names of his spirit guides.  Fredrick also shares how he and the spiri...

In episode 12 of the "Plant Your Flag" podcast, we are joined by Lindsey Zajac, CEO of Ascendant.  We explore Lindsey’s journey to the top and how Ascendant, previously known as Career Partners International, helps people plant their flags or transition into new careers and much more.  Our discussion touches on the importance of support during a person’s journey, and Lindsey’s naysayers...

Our 11th episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast we sit down with Paul Chisholm of Plan Administrators. In this episode, Mike sits down with Paul, our oldest guest on the podcast so far, to dive into his journey of entrepreneurship. Paul shares valuable insights on his path to success being the owner of 7 businesses.  Now focused on helping other businesses grow and build wealth, Paul discusses the...

Our 10th episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast introduces Joe Nicastro a partner at Cantor, Wolff, Nicastro & Hall Mike sits down with Joe to talk about how he ended up planting his flag as an attorney. He takes us through his time as a musician opening for Paul Mccartney in London and getting to where he is now.  Joe shares insight as a business owner, the importance of setting goals, having...

Our 9th episode of the Plant Your Flag podcast introduces the owner of Made 2 Move Fitness, Jared Byer In this episode, Jared Byer talks with Mike about his business transformation from personal training and guiding folks through effective full-body workout plans to corporate speaking engagements focusing on Work Place Wellness. Jared discusses how he started in the fitness industry, his shift to...