The Small Business Safari

Send us Fan Mail Derek and Andrea Johnston share their journey from enjoying a charcuterie board on their first date to founding The Gathering Board, a successful charcuterie business started during the pandemic. • Started business without formal planning after discovering no similar services existed in their area • Built their website in three days and received their first non-friend order while...

Send us Fan Mail Justin shares his entrepreneurial journey from math teacher to software sales professional to exterior cleaning business owner, revealing how a layoff turned his side hustle into a full-time venture. • Started with just $4,000 investment and his wife's blessing to "go fail" • Prioritized education by traveling to learn from industry veterans rather than figuring it...

Send us Fan Mail Mindset coach Renata Mazu reveals how mental blocks prevent business growth and success despite having the right strategies and knowledge. She explores the psychology behind why entrepreneurs sabotage themselves through fear, past trauma, and unconscious patterns that keep them stuck. • Most business owners know what to do but are held back by mindset issues and "head trash&q...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a fallen preacher finds redemption behind prison walls? Kit Cummings shares his extraordinary journey from respected church leader to rock bottom, and how this painful path ultimately led him to discover his true calling. With unflinching honesty, Kit reveals how the pressures of leading a 5,000-member congregation led to personal struggles that cost him everythi...

Send us Fan Mail Fernando Melo shares his incredible journey from Brazilian immigrant to successful business owner with M&M Home Exteriors, providing roofing, siding, gutters, windows, doors, painting and deck services throughout Atlanta. • Fernando's dream to visit America and Disney World as a child led to his immigration in 2000 • Started with zero English skills, sleeping on a strange...

Send us Fan Mail Michael shares his journey from Enterprise Rent-A-Car to real estate entrepreneurship, highlighting how each career step taught valuable lessons about leadership, influence, and customer service. His decision to leave corporate America wasn't about dissatisfaction but about creating a life and business fully aligned with his and his wife Cristi's deeper goals. • Starting...

Send us Fan Mail Christi shares her remarkable journey from military police to Phoenix PD sex crimes detective to successful real estate entrepreneur in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Her story reveals how transferable skills and authentic networking can lead to success in an entirely new field. • Began career as Military Police after ROTC college scholarship • Spent nearly 22 years with Phoenix Police Depa...

Send us Fan Mail Every job is a sales job, and every interaction is a sales interaction. Learning to understand needs, help people, find solutions collaboratively, and remove the "ick factor" from the sales process transforms how we approach all our business relationships. • Sales begins with selling yourself authentically and consistently • Your body language constitutes 80% of communic...

Send us Fan Mail Ryan Lee joins the podcast to discuss his journey o to successful landscape lighting entrepreneur, he discusses how focusing on a specific niche can lead to massive business growth in home services. GOLD NUGGETS Dominate a niche. By dropping every service except landscape lighting, Ryan positioned himself as the expert, commanded premium pricing, and built a brand that buyers noti...

Send us Fan Mail Liz Steblay joins us to share her expertise on successful solopreneurship, drawing from her experience building multimillion-dollar businesses without employees. She reveals the essential strategies that help independent consultants and service providers build wealth and create sustainable businesses. • Definition of solopreneur: self-employed person without employees who doesn&ap...

Send us Fan Mail Lance Cayko shares his remarkable journey from North Dakota farm boy to Colorado architect, builder, and developer, revealing how one summer job at age 13 sparked his entrepreneurial path. • Finding his passion in construction after quitting farm work with his father after just one week • Learning the multiplier concept and business fundamentals from his first mentor, Bruce • Work...

Send us Fan Mail Rosco Graves, founder and CEO of Polaxis, shares his journey from corporate finance to entrepreneurship and explains how fractional CFO services can transform small business operations and profitability. • Building trust with clients starts with understanding their unique needs and personalities • The value of storytelling in financial services—translating numbers into meaningful...

Send us Fan Mail Collin Graves shares his journey from Air Force mechanic working on B-1 bombers to founding successful cloud computing and data analytics companies. He discovered his entrepreneurial path by identifying specific pain points for construction companies, creating cloud-based file-sharing solutions, and eventually building North Labs, where his team develops data analytics systems tha...

Send us Fan Mail Will transformed his background in digital marketing to create a thriving dog waste removal business, turning a simple concept into a multi-million dollar enterprise within just a few years. His journey proves that finding underserved niches and applying sound business principles can create extraordinary opportunities even in seemingly ordinary services. • Started with digital mar...

Send us Fan Mail Al Levy transformed his family's heating business into a multi-trade powerhouse spanning four generations by developing comprehensive systems, training programs, and clearly defined organizational structures. • Building operating manuals that defined processes objectively in writing • Creating a corresponding training center to transform willing apprentices into skilled techn...

Send us Fan Mail Gabrielle Mills and her mother Chrissy took an unconventional path to entrepreneurship. After six years of searching for the perfect business model, they decided to invest in themselves instead of a franchise—starting what would become Sourced, a comprehensive back-office services company, from Chrissy's basement. What makes their story remarkable isn't just the mother-d...

Send us Fan Mail Your small business is vulnerable to cyber attacks whether you realize it or not. In this eye-opening conversation, IT expert James Sanford reveals the shocking truth that companies like yours face dozens of digital attacks daily—even if you're "just a handyman company" or small service business. James takes us through his journey from solo IT consultant to managed...

Send us Fan Mail Karl Maier didn't set out to become a business growth advisor. After studying economics and systems in college, he reluctantly joined his family's industrial distribution business—only to help scale it an impressive five times larger in just three years. That journey through entrepreneurship's trenches taught him lessons no classroom could provide, especially after...

Send us Fan Mail Luann Russian's entrepreneurial journey defies conventional wisdom about network marketing. A former pharmaceutical rep of the year, she left corporate life when her manager asked if she could "stay and be mediocre" while raising children. Twenty years later, her decision to join Arbonne has created both financial freedom and unexpected health transformation. Unlike...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when your $3.50 breakfast sandwich suddenly costs $12.50? When your skilled workers demand $30/hour instead of $18? When your commercial lease jumps 50%? Welcome to the economic reality of 2025 – a landscape transformed by persistent inflation, potential tariffs, and permanently reset price expectations. This candid, unfiltered conversation dives deep into the practic...

Send us Fan Mail Step into the world of music entrepreneurship with our captivating discussion featuring Jay Maurice, founder of "Lessons in Your Home." In this episode, Jay shares the exhilarating journey of turning his passion for music into a successful nationwide business teaching music lessons. As he unfolds his story, listeners are invited to reflect on the passion that drives them...

Send us Fan Mail Sales is more than just closing a deal—it's about the mindset that drives your interactions with potential clients. In this episode, we sit down with Jacob Hicks to unpack the nuances of a successful sales mindset. We explore why understanding the value of every interaction can have a profound effect on your business growth. Jacob emphasizes the importance of being genuinely...

Send us Fan Mail Thanks to our sponsor Smart Hire Solutions LLC!

Send us Fan Mail This episode dives into the power of mindset in business, exploring how our thoughts can hinder or help our success. Ricky Kalmon shares practical strategies to overcome self-doubt and foster a positive mindset, emphasizing ongoing personal growth and awareness are keys to achieving your goals. • Recognizing the importance of mindset in personal and professional growth • Addressin...

Send us Fan Mail Rob Macklin KNOWS mergers and acquisitions having done over 200 of them. He shares his knowledge RIGHT OFF BAT! Here we go! Depending on your exit strategy or planning, you will need to structure your business and personal finances to make it easier for someone to ‘see’ how well you are performing. They are also looking for how to use your platform to grow quicker and be more prof...