Small Business Big Deal Podcast

On today's episode of the Small Business, Big Deal podcast, our guest is Aimee Rosenow, owner of Evoke Creative Topeka. Find out why she left one business and started another and how her work-life balance has changed.   Read more: https://tracyjepsonpodcast.com/media/ep-24-boutique-business-owner-focuses-on-work-life-balance-and-helping-women/1383/     About our guest: Aimee  is a family-oriented,...

On today's episode of the Small Business, Big Deal podcast, our guest is Ariel Unselt, owner of Chinell's by Ariel and sister company, The Rogue Florist. Find out why she left her 9-to-5 job and how she became a florist.   Read more: https://tracyjepsonpodcast.com/podcast/ep-23-why-ariel-unselt-left-her-job-to-become-a-florist-and-business-owner/1376/     About our guest : https://chinells.com/  ...

On today's episode of the Small Business, Big Deal podcast, our guest is Kate Bagoy, a business coach and founder of SixFigureFreelancers.com. Find out why her personal mission is to inspire and empower people to lead lives by design, not default.   Read more and get additional resources here: https://tracyjepsonpodcast.com/podcast/ep-22-how-to-ditch-the-9-to-5-and-become-your-own-boss/1368/     A...

Many companies small and large end up dealing with fraud at some point, but a family business never expects one of their employees to steal more than a half-million dollars. That's exactly what happened to the Stevenson Company, the metal works company behind many beautiful designs around Topeka and beyond. Owner Joe Pennington opens up about the experience and the hard lessons learned.   Read mor...

On today's episode of the Small Business, Big Deal podcast, our guest is Rich Tarwater, owner of Tarwater Farm and Home. Find out how he expanded the family business and what advice he has for his children.   Read more and get additional resources here: https://tracyjepsonpodcast.com/podcast/ep-20-how-faith-and-family-helped-rich-tarwater-expand-his-business/1337/     About our guest: http://tarwa...

On today's episode of the Small Business, Big Deal podcast, our guests are Annie Rector and Kristin Hems of Third Avenue Events. Learn how they faced the challenges of the Covid pandemic and how they continued building close relationships with clients.   Connect with our guest:  http://www.thirdaveevents.com/   https://www.instagram.com/thirdaveevents/   https://www.facebook.com/thirdaveevents/?re...

Stephanie Roberts chose a career in recruiting after being inspired by her mother to help people. Find out how she started her business, how she manages a work-life balance and what common misconceptions people have about her industry.    Read more and get additional resources here: https://tracyjepsonpodcast.com/podcast/ep-18-how-a-recruiter-helps-businesses-find-and-hire-quality-employees/1318/...

Many people dream of walking away from the corporate world and starting their own business. Mark Kern did just that about 15 years ago and now runs a successful marketing company out of Lawrence. Today we'll talk to him about taking that leap, how he's navigated the changing marketing business, and the best investment he's made in his company.   Read more and get additional resources here: https:/...

You've probably noticed that the podcast took a short hiatus over the final quarter of 2020, but we're back and excited for the future of the show.  Josh Gentry has turned his attention and energy to a new startup so he doesn't have as much time to dedicate to the show. Starting this week, we'll begin rolling out new episodes with the top entrepreneurs and small business owners, but we'll do so wi...

Running a small business mostly on your own can be tough. Hear from the owner of LKS Imagine about how he finds customers, manages the workload and what he wishes he knew when he started.   Read more about this episode: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-16-inside-richard-holmans-custom-embroidery-and-printing-business/1191/     About our guest: https://www.lksimagine.com/     On today's show: ...

At Body Specific, co-owners Lisa Lahm and Leah Henderson offer a menu of services that cater to clients' whole health needs. From massages to skincare and a sauna, find out how they recruit new clients and keep their business running during the pandemic.   Read more here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-15-massages-skincare-and-a-sauna-inside-a-whole-health-business/1197/     About our guests...

Jenny Wheat didn't study photography, but she is passionate about the craft. Hear how she has chased her passion and built a successful photography business thanks to a lot of hustle and heart.     Read more about this episode: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-14-how-hustle-helped-this-photographer-build-her-business/1187/     About our guest: http://www.wheatphoto.com/     On today's show:  2...

On today's podcast, we introduce you to Jake Farrant, founder and president of Mammoth Sports Construction. Find out how this booming family business became an industry leader in sports field construction, national cemetery renovations and golf course installation.   Read more about this episode here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-13-meet-the-man-behind-mammoth-sports-construction/1181/    ...

Eric Weslander is a natural-born problem solver. This former journalist turned attorney talks about making the switch to a legal career and why he is aggressive about protecting his personal time. Find out more about his career and the work he's doing at Stevens & Brand.   Read more and get additional resources here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-12-from-journalism-to-law-eric-weslander-enj...

Meet Adriana Bates, the driven, hard-charging leader of Clear Mortgage. Find out how she has used her competitive nature and love of data to make her business more successful than ever, even during a pandemic.    Read more about this episode: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-11-you-better-dial-for-dollars-adriana-bates-competitive-data-driven-business-plan/1170/     About our guest: https://cl...

Our guest today began coding at the age of six and has built a successful career working on the internet. Adam Fichman of Lifted Logic in Kansas City joins us to talk about working with Facebook early on, finding your purpose as an entrepreneur, and building authentic relationships with employees.     Read more about this show here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-10-the-business-of-the-inter...

Barry Feaker has held the Executive Director position at the Topeka Rescue Mission for more than three decades. During that time, his organization has made a huge impact on the community and the people that need support. He's seen a lot of change through the years, including the most recent shift that COVID-19 has caused. Join us as we learn more about the TRM.   Show notes & additional resources:...

Every business relies on profit to stay afloat and one Kansas State grad is helping small businesses around the country maximize their operation. Tracy Jepson, CEO of TLJ Consulting, joins us today to share some of her processes and advice for putting profit first, insight into the mistakes owners commonly make, and the lessons she's learned for her own operation.   Read more and get additional re...

Growing a business is a challenge on its own but what if you were trying to do it with your significant other? That's what Greg and Carol Rau have done at Apple Tree Homes in Lawrence. Today we'll spotlight their story to find out what additional challenges working with a spouse creates, their passion for building custom homes, and how technology impacts their business.   Read more and get additio...

Our next guest takes us to Kansas City and the technology sector. Kyle Ginavan, CEO of One HQ, shares his passion for technology, how to build leadership through trust, and what he does to maintain balance for himself and his team.   Read more and get additional resources here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/kansas-city/ep-6-leadership-trust-and-building-influence-with-kyle-ginavan/1140/     About our...

On this episode, we talk with Matt Nelson, CEO of Income for Life, about his retirement planning business. We'll devote a lot of the conversation to marketing, which is a key component to survival in that industry. Learn what's worked, what hasn't, and why he uses the ESPN mentality for growing his client base. And of course we'll talk successes, failures, and lessons learned.     Show notes & add...

From just starting out to adapting to the current challenges and needs of your clients, Randy Dick shares a great perspective on being a small business owner. His continued self-discipline as well as his priority on work/life balance has allowed him the opportunity to run a business alongside his family.    Read more and get additional resources here: https://kansasbiztalk.com/podcast/ep-4-self-di...

Regardless of what type of work you do, you'll find the same leadership characteristics are succesful across the board. Today we'll talk with Travis McKinley, who leads multiple businesses through hard work, consistency and treating people with respect. Join us as we talk about lessons learned, a fight on a jobsite, and what he tells every employee.   Read more about the show here: http://kansasbi...

The first guest on the podcast is Dr. Ben Rutherford, a dentist with a growing dental practice based in Topeka. Find out how he decided on this career later than most, how he took over a practice at 28, the challenges of running a business during a pandemic, and the lessons learned along the way. Plus he'll throw in a few dental tips for kids and adults.   Read more about the show here: http://kan...

Small businesses often struggle to have their message heard so we've launched a podcast to give them that voice. Find out how we're going to do that and what the plan is for the new show.   Read more and get additional resources here: http://kansasbiztalk.com/     Today's show schedule:  0:26 - Let's start with a little info about Josh's background. 1:07 - Josh's family and where he grew up. 2:02...