The Small Business Safari

Send us Fan Mail Your team probably doesn't have an execution problem—it has a clarity problem. Leadership consultant Dusty Holcomb explains why alignment beats effort every time. Summary: You can feel it when a team is drifting. The numbers point to execution, but the real issue is often something leaders overlook: clarity and alignment. In this episode, Chris Lalomia and Alan Wyatt sit down...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone thinks starting a cleaning business is "just hard work"—until you're juggling hiring, scheduling, customer expectations, supplies, cash flow, and quality control all at the same time. On this episode of The Small Business Safari , Chris Lalomia and co-host Alan Wyatt sit down with Vanessa Higgins , founder of Clean Tu Casa , to uncover what it really takes...

Send us Fan Mail  What do you do when your biggest mistake costs you 14 years in federal prison? Fleet Maull turned that experience into the foundation for building a successful business, a life of purpose, and a mindset every entrepreneur can learn from. SUMMARY: In this powerful episode of The Small Business Safari , Chris and Alan sit down with Fleet Maull, entrepreneur, author, mindfulness tea...

Send us Fan Mail What if the problem isn’t the candidates—it’s the system that keeps producing them? Summary: Tom Joseph, entrepreneur, engineer, and founder of Bookminders, joins Small Business Safari to discuss a bold idea for election reform: America’s Main Street Party . Rather than trying to change the existing political parties, Tom proposes a parallel, app-based nominating system designed t...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your packed calendar disappears overnight—and you're forced to figure out who you are without the chaos? SUMMARY: James Lang joins The Small Business Safari to share a candid story of hypergrowth, an unexpected business exit, and the personal reset that followed. After building in the fast-paced med-tech world, a shareholder power play forced James off the r...

Send us Fan Mail Most small business owners say they want to scale—but what they really want is relief. Less chaos, more profit, and a business that doesn't depend on them every minute of every day. Summary Marcia Riner, business growth strategist, profitability expert, and host of Profit With A Plan , joins Chris and Alan to break down what it really takes to grow a business without burning...

Send us Fan Mail You can spot a contractor who’s about to lose money before they ever swing a hammer. It starts with the tiny details — the wrong door size, a missed window spec, or a supplier who never asks, “Are you sure about that?” What separates great contractors from the ones constantly losing money on jobs? Often, it comes down to the details — and the partnerships behind them. Steve Lange...

Send us Fan Mail As AI reshapes white-collar jobs, more professionals are turning to recession-resistant franchise businesses that solve real-world problems and can’t be automated away Jon Ostenson of FranBridge Consulting joins The Small Business Safari to break down why some of the best business opportunities today are hiding in “non-sexy” franchises. From home services and senior care to pet se...

Send us Fan Mail  What does it really take to build a business that lasts 20 years—and not hate it by the end? Summary: Lisa Tilt, founder of Full Tilt Consulting, joins us to break down what it actually takes to build a long-term business without burning out your people or yourself. From her early days in grassroots marketing and big-brand PR to launching her own firm after a toxic work environme...

Send us Fan Mail If your team can’t answer “what is a lead?” the same way, your CRM doesn’t stand a chance. Summary: We kick things off with real shop talk from the field, then get straight to the hidden issue wrecking most CRMs: unclear definitions. Dominic Carubba from SalesAndTechnology.com breaks down a simple, powerful framework—leads are raw inputs, opportunities are real revenue conversatio...

Send us Fan Mail What if your credit is the one thing quietly limiting how fast your business can grow? Summary: Gerri Detweiler, credit expert and education advocate at Nav, breaks down why credit is one of the most misunderstood—and most important—tools for small business owners. We get into the difference between personal and business credit, how lenders actually evaluate you, and why chasing q...

Send us Fan Mail What if custom cabinets could be priced, designed, and built faster—without the usual headaches? Summary: Tino Go, founder of Hello Baru, joins the Safari to break down why the custom cabinet industry still runs on slow, outdated systems—and how his “virtual factory” model is changing the game. By tapping into underused CNC capacity, Hello Baru helps pros streamline pricing, desig...

Send us Fan Mail TITLE: Death to Voicemail |Alfredo Salkeld What if every missed call in your business was a lost customer? Summary: Voicemail is where small business leads go to die. In this episode, we talk with Alfredo Salkeld, founder of UpFirst. AI , about how AI receptionists are changing the way small businesses capture calls, qualify leads, and respond instantly—without pretending to be hu...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when an engineer and small business owner steps into public office—and decides to run for governor? Summary: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger joins us to share how his background as an engineer and entrepreneur shaped his approach to leadership, public service, and running statewide systems that impact millions of people. We explore the parallels between...

Send us Fan Mail What if the biggest leadership mistake is talking too much instead of asking better questions? Summary: In this episode of The Small Business Safari , we sit down with Tyler Chisholm , marketing agency founder, podcaster, and author of Curious As Hell . Tyler shares how a simple habit—leading with curiosity—can transform leadership, sales conversations, and team performance. We ch...

Send us Fan Mail TITLE: No You Cannot Deduct Your Cat | Melissa Kennebrew What if the problem isn’t your taxes—but the system you’re using to manage money? Summary: Melissa Kennebrew of MBK Financials joins the Safari to break down why so many small business owners feel blindsided at tax time—and how to fix it before the next surprise bill hits. Melissa works with high-net-worth clients and growin...

Send us Fan Mail Why do so many small business owners hit a revenue ceiling—even when the opportunities keep growing? Summary: In this episode of The Small Business Safari , we sit down with Dr. Joseph Drolshagen to unpack the hidden forces that limit business growth. Many entrepreneurs believe the next level requires more hustle, more hours, or more pressure—but often the real constraint is the b...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to launch a brand-new community bank in today’s world of mega-banks and endless bureaucracy? Summary In this episode of The Small Business Safari , we sit down with Steve Beecham and Bob Koncerak , the founders behind First City Bank of Georgia , to unpack what it really takes to launch a new community bank in Alpharetta. With the number of banks in the U.S. shri...

Send us Fan Mail If your marketing makes promises your operations can’t keep, growth will always stall. Summary: Chelsey Reynolds joins us to break down how real growth happens when marketing, sales, and customer success operate as one aligned revenue engine—not three disconnected departments. We unpack what goes wrong when messaging doesn’t match delivery, why internal launches fail before they e...

Send us Fan Mail  What if your team could see exactly what your customer sees—without an app—and turn that video into a tight estimate, clean documentation, and a five-star review? Summary: James Hatfield, blue-collar founder and former KKR-backed CEO, joins us to unpack how LiveSwitch is transforming home services with a dead-simple, no-app live video platform powered by practical AI. What starte...

Send us Fan Mail  What happens when a longtime radio producer steps out from behind the mic and into the sales arena? Jerry Payne is betting his next chapter on mentorship, licensing, and disciplined execution. Summary: We put longtime producer Jerry Payne in the hot seat as he leaves radio to build a career in insurance, starting with mentorship and aiming for ownership. Together we stress-test h...

Send us Fan Mail  What if your growth problem isn’t your marketing—or your product—but the offer itself? Summary: John “JD” Dwyer, founder of The Institute of Wow, joins us to reveal how challenger brands out perform bigger competitors by engineering irresistible offers that drive immediate action. We break down how incentive-based marketing, high perceived-value bonuses, and creative positioning...

Send us Fan Mail  What happens when you stop kicking doors and start building a business that actually moves upward? Summary: In this episode of The Small Business Safari , Chris and Alan push past a door-kicking moment to talk about what really drives sustainable growth: selling value, protecting margin, and executing a strategic plan that actually ships. We draw clear lines between handyman work...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to go from the factory floor to the boardroom—and still keep your values intact? In this episode, we trade war stories with Jim Tracy, tracing his journey from welder to Wireless Hall of Fame leader. Jim shares how he built a blue-collar telecommunications business alongside his son, exited twice, and never lost sight of culture, safety, and people along the way....

Send us Fan Mail  What happens when a business stops guessing on marketing and starts treating growth like a system? One gymnastics gym went from stalled growth to multi-million-dollar revenue—and the playbook applies to any small business. Andy Seeley tells us how.  Summary: In this episode, Andy Seeley breaks down how to choose a marketing agency that won’t experiment on your budget, why niching...