Joseph Slichko

Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store

Business EN ↓ 19 episodes

Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store takes you behind the counter of a real small business run by two parents raising four kids while building their dream. Each episode shares honest weekly wins, failures, lessons, and the beautiful chaos of running Fort Orange General Store —from inventory challenges to bedtime routines, customer stories to relationship balancing acts. If you’re a small business owner, an aspiring entrepreneur, a parent juggling too much, or someone who loves authentic conversations about work and life blending together, this show is for you. Expect cand...

Author

Joseph Slichko

Episodes

18: The PR Lessons Every Small Business Owner Needs to Know: Media, Authenticity & Building Trust 08.07.2026 29:23

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) Every entrepreneur dreams of getting their business featured in the media—but how do you know which opportunities are worth pursuing? In Episode 18 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we're sharing the behind-the-scenes lessons we've learned about becoming our own public re...

17: What Happens When a Community Believes? Inside Albany's First SoBro First Friday 10.06.2026 35:26

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) What happens when a simple idea grows into something bigger than you ever imagined? In Episode 17 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we're taking you behind the scenes of the inaugural SoBro First Friday Block Party —a night that proved the future of Downtown Albany is being bu...

16: SoBro Is Officially Here: Community Building, Local Business Growth & a New Shop Dog 03.06.2026 41:40

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) What happens when a simple idea starts turning into a community movement? In Episode 16 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we’re sharing one of the most exciting and unexpected chapters of our small business journey yet. Over the past two weeks, a grassroots effort to bring together...

15: 518 Day Recap, Nipper Takes Over Albany & The Community Energy Reviving Downtown 20.05.2026 35:35

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) What happens when an entire city rallies around local businesses, community pride, and Albany’s most iconic dog? In Episode 15 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we’re recapping one of the most exciting weekends we’ve ever experienced as small business owners: 518 Day in Downtown Al...

14: From Local Shop to News Feature: Nipper, 518 Day & The Energy in Downtown Albany Right Now 06.05.2026 26:55

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) What happens when a small business gets unexpected media attention—and the entire community shows up because of it? In Episode 14 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we’re sharing the wild, exciting, and honestly surreal week where our store was featured by the Associated Press … and...

13: 518 Day, Downtown Albany Revival & The Reality of Running a Small Business (With Kids, Chaos & Community 29.04.2026 28:28

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) What does it really look like to run a small business, raise a family, and help rebuild a downtown community—all at the same time? In Episode 13 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , we’re taking you inside one of our busiest (and most meaningful) weeks yet. From planning Albany’s firs...

12: Who Is Nipper? The Story Behind Albany’s Icon and the Dog That Became Part of Our Business 22.04.2026 31:25

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello talk about one of the most recognizable—and most frequently asked about—symbols in Albany: Nipper. If you’ve ever visited Fort Orange General Store, you’ve likely seen the iconic dog featured throughout...

11: Managing Employees in a Small Business: When to Lead, When to Step In, and Do It Yourself 15.04.2026 29:46

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello talk through a real and ongoing challenge of small business ownership: Managing people while still being responsible for the work itself. As their business continues to grow, so does the complexity of w...

10: What’s Missing in Downtown Albany? Community Voices, Small Business, and the Future of Our City 01.04.2026 28:12

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello celebrate a major milestone— 10 episodes —by turning the conversation outward and asking a powerful question: What’s missing in Downtown Albany? What started as a simple post on social media quickly gre...

9: Growing a Small Business the Right Way: Why Community Comes Before Expansion 25.03.2026 27:36

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello reflect on a series of recent conversations and experiences that led to one powerful realization: Not all growth is good growth. After participating in a pop-up event and reconnecting with past communit...

8: Customer Relationships: The Secret to Building a Loyal Small Business Community 18.03.2026 30:10

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello dive into one of the most important elements of running a successful small business: relationships with customers. For many businesses, transactions are the goal. But for Erica and Joe, the real foundat...

7: Redefining Success: From Stable Careers to Small Business Ownership 11.03.2026 33:13

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello take a step back from the day-to-day realities of retail and ask a deeper question: What does success actually mean? For both of them, the definition has changed dramatically over time. Joe and Erica re...

6: Marketing a Small Retail Business: Events, Social Media & What Actually Drives Sales 25.02.2026 26:28

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello pull back the curtain on how they actually market a small retail business — without a big agency, massive ad budget, or corporate team behind them. From downtown events like First Fridays and seasonal s...

5: Marry Someone You’d Go Into Business With: Love, Trust, and the Reality of Building Together 18.02.2026 29:58

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello reflect on a single sentence spoken during their wedding ceremony that continues to shape their lives: “Marry someone you’d go into business with.” What started as an unexpected line from their offician...

4: How We Bought Fort Orange General Store: Risk, Family, and Trusting the Leap 11.02.2026 33:47

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello share their origin story —how a late-night Instagram scroll turned into buying a brick-and-mortar small business in Downtown Albany. What started as a joking text—“We should buy this”—quickly became som...

3: Twas the Night Before Christmas: A Break-In, Resilience, and the Reality of Small Business Ownership 04.02.2026 32:30

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello share one of the most difficult stories they’ve faced as small business owners—one they didn’t know if they were ready to tell. On Christmas morning , just minutes after midnight, Fort Orange General St...

2: Hot Chocolate, Santa, and Controlled Chaos: Inside a Small Business Community Event 28.01.2026 31:25

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) In this episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store , Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello break down what it really takes to pull off a major community retail event as small business owners—while juggling family life, exhaustion, and very big ideas. The focus is Downtown Albany’s Hot Chocola...

1: Our First REAL Holiday Season at Fort Orange General Store 21.01.2026 31:49

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) Welcome to the very first episode of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store —a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens when you run a brick-and-mortar small business while raising a family and navigating marriage at the same time. In this episode, hosts Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello sh...

Trailer - Why 'No' is the Biggest Motivator for Success 23.12.2025 3:37

We love to hear from our listeners! Click HERE to send us a text! (Mobile Devices Only) Welcome to Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store — where entrepreneurship collides with marriage, kids, community, and a whole lot of controlled chaos. In this trailer episode, hosts Joe Slichko and Erica Cubello pull back the curtain on what it really looks like to build a small business t...