Unscripted Small Business

Every purchase is a trust purchase. So why do we obsess over clicks? Joshua Altman, Managing Director of Beltway Media and a fractional Chief Communications Officer (CCO), joins host Jeremy Rivera on the Unscripted Small Business Podcast to explain why the metrics most small businesses chase are quietly misleading them — and what to build instead. We get into the "Four Languages" model (what peopl...

Jeremy Rivera sits down with Jorge Chavez, president and co-founder of Topaz Sales Consulting, on the human side of selling in an AI-saturated world. AI can research the prospect and draft your questions — but it can't read tone, listen in real time, or find the next question on the fly. Jorge makes the case that trust is still built person-to-person, and lays out a refreshingly counterintuitive p...

Jeremy Rivera sits down with Ameera Virani of The Designed Life — a coach with two decades in personal and professional development who grew up producing the stages for icons like Wayne Dyer, Bob Proctor, Tony Robbins, and Robin Sharma. Ameera helps women (especially in midlife and seasons of change) get exceptionally clear on what they truly desire and build a blueprint to live it intentionally a...

After a stretch of major life changes about five years ago, Mark Pearson trained as a life coach through Tony Robbins, then narrowed into business coaching and, ultimately, AI consulting for small and mid-sized businesses. Today he's the founder of Agent Buyable , where he helps companies do two things: get found by AI and get paid by AI agents. What We Cover Why search has split into two layers —...

Brad Poulos is an educator and consultant in the small business space. He teaches in the entrepreneurship department at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, where he has been on faculty for about fifteen years. Alongside his teaching, Brad consults to small businesses in Canada and the United States, primarily those in the $5–50 million revenue range. He is the author of three books — Most...

Discover the multifaceted life of Txldian The Destroyer, a Pennsylvania-born musician, content creator, and pro wrestler, as he shares his journey through music, wrestling, and societal issues. This episode offers insights into creative resilience, independence in music, and embracing one's unique path. In this episode: Txldian’s musical influences, early start in gospel choir, and inspiration fro...

Paul Pape is the barkeep and game master at Gamify Business , where he converts business strategy, marketing, and operational obstacles into role-playing game mechanics. He has run a successful freelance art and design practice for over 20 years, spent six years coaching creatives on Twitch, and holds two TEDx talks to his name — with a third on the way in October focused on dispelling the myth of...

Cameron Tope is the founder and president of Emerson Property Management , a full-service residential property management company serving the greater Houston area. He started investing in rental properties in 2013 after the oil crash threatened his petroleum engineering career at BP, grew his own portfolio to more than 30 doors, and launched Emerson in 2019 after failing to find a professional pro...

Discover the intersection of Nashville law , accounting , and emerging AI challenges through this insightful conversation with Nashville-based entrepreneur Knight Lancaster. Whether you're a small business owner or legal professional, learn practical tips on cash flow models, regulatory hurdles, and avoiding AI pitfalls in legal and financial sectors. Key Topics: How AI and technology advancements...

Meaghan Wall is the founder of The Hot Girl CFO, a boutique accounting agency specializing in fractional CFO services, bookkeeping, and taxes for creator economy businesses, marketing agencies, influencers, and online service providers. With over 15 years in finance, she works with businesses in the 500K to multi-million dollar range. In this episode Jeremy and Meaghan cover: — What a fractional C...

Mason McCumber on AI Agents, Agentic Workflows & Building Smarter Business Systems Guest: Mason McCumber, SEO and AI expert — buildwithmm.com Host: Jeremy Rivera About Mason McCumber Mason McCumber is an SEO and AI expert based in Houston, Texas. He has built hundreds of tools and resources to help business owners and individuals learn and apply AI and SEO strategies. He consults with startups...

In this episode, Jeremy Rivera sits down with Kate Hendrickson of Strategy Lane to explore effective marketing, strategic planning, and leadership development for small businesses. If you're feeling overwhelmed by tools, social media, and growth challenges, this conversation offers practical advice rooted in experience and authenticity. Key Topics The importance of face-to-face engagement in marke...

In this episode, Brandon Moon from TD Pine Advisors shares practical strategies for small business owners to plan their exit, grow intentionally, and create lasting company culture. Whether you're thinking about scaling, partnership dynamics, or succession planning, this discussion provides valuable frameworks to navigate your business journey with purpose. Key Topics The importance of planning yo...

Episode Summary In this episode, Jeremy Rivera sits down with Juliana Weiss-Roessler, co-founder of WR Digital Marketing, to talk about the marketing habits that separate thriving small businesses from those stuck in a perpetual feast-and-famine cycle. With 15 years of experience working directly with business owners — plus deep experience in nonprofit marketing dating back to her work with TV's D...

Have a social impact idea? Wondering when to choose between a social enterprise and a nonprofit? In this episode, Bruce Ashford reveals how storytelling, messaging, and AI tools can boost your organization’s influence and growth. We discuss: How nonprofits can leverage business strategies without losing their mission focus The importance of clear vision and mission statements for branding and mark...

In this episode, Jeremy Rivera sits down with Mark Gilliland, founder of Kyoto Botanicals , a THC-free hemp CBD and functional mushroom wellness brand he's been building for six years. Mark shares the science behind broad-spectrum hemp extraction and his brand-new functional mushroom blend , the regulatory patchwork small wellness brands navigate every day, and what it's actually like to go from z...

In this episode, host Jeremy Rivera sits down with David Pourquery , the founder and CEO of Groas — the world's first fully autonomous AI Google Ads management platform. David shares how a background in private equity and late-night e-commerce experimentation led him to build a system that's replacing entire Google Ads teams, why 90–95% of the accounts he inherits from agencies are misconfigured,...

Join host Jeremy Rivera as he sits down with spa industry veteran Denise Dubois, who has been transforming lives through beauty and wellness since 1983. In this revealing conversation, Denise shares her 38-year journey from paper appointment books to a thriving multi-location spa empire with a clean beauty product line. Discover the truth about aging (spoiler: 90% is in your control!), learn why c...

The Philosophy of Renovation Join host Jeremy Rivera for a deep dive into the world of residential construction with Alec and Josie Davis, the husband-and-wife team behind H&H Construction in Cookeville, Tennessee . This two-part conversation explores how they've built a thriving renovation business focused on relationship over transactions, creativity over cookie-cutter solutions, and preserv...

Listen: unscriptedsmallbusiness.com Host: Jeremy Rivera Guest: Chad T. Jenkins, Founder of SeedSpark & The CoLAB Episode Summary Chad T. Jenkins grew up on a small farm in South Carolina, started his first real estate deal at age 11, and spent 25 years building over 50 businesses across wireless phones, data centers, construction, HVAC, GPS leasing, and more. Then he stopped. Not because he fa...

Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, joins Jeremy Rivera to discuss why strategy must come before tactics in small business marketing. With 15 years at Duct Tape Marketing—starting as an intern and rising to CEO—Sara shares the agency's proven approach to building trust through transparency, education, and true partnership. This conversation covers the evolution of SEO in the age of AI, why custo...

If you've ever found yourself trapped in the exhausting cycle of filling your pipeline, delivering to clients, then scrambling to fill your pipeline again—this episode is for you. Rachel Minion, Head Rock Star at Rockstarr & Moon , joins host Zaneta Chuniq Inpower to break down why consultants get stuck in what she calls "the grind cycle" and how to escape it without working more hours. Rachel...

Episode from the Unscripted Small Business Podcast Host: Jeremy Rivera — SEO Arcade Founder & Freelance SEO Consultant Guest: Dave Gulas — President & Co-Founder of EZDC 3PL Sponsored by: Cookeville Sunroom Company About the Guest Dave Gulas is the president and co-founder of EZDC 3PL , providing warehousing, fulfillment, and transportation services for manufacturers and e-commerce brands....

Unscripted Small Business Podcast - Episode Show Notes The Costanza Theory: How Doing the Opposite Built a 21-Year Business Empire Guest:  Bill Kasko, Founder & CEO of  Frontline Source Group Host:   Jeremy Rivera Podcast:   Unscripted Small Business  by Be Sharp Digital Marketing Episode Summary In this episode, Bill Kasko shares how he built a successful  recruiting and staffing agency  by d...

Guest: Tianna Mamalick , SMB Marketing School Episode Overview Tianna Mamalick brings 12 years of SEO expertise focused exclusively on small businesses. In this conversation, she reveals why working with SMBs is more rewarding than enterprise clients, how to honestly manage expectations while delivering real results, and why she went back to human-written content after testing AI extensively. If y...