WNY Entrepreneur

At 18 years old, Al Bozorgi had roughly $400,000. A couple years later, he was basically broke. Years after that, he would apply to the same startup competition five different times before finally winning $1 million. That journey says a lot about how Al approaches entrepreneurship. In this episode with Al Bozorgi, founder of Twipes, we talk about what failure actually looks like when you are build...

Getting laid off is usually seen as the end of a chapter. For Brian Balthasar, it became the beginning of everything. After losing two corporate engineering jobs, Brian made the decision that changed the course of his career. Instead of looking for another employer, he took a risk, bought CNC machines, started a manufacturing company from scratch, and never looked back. This conversation isn't...

Most people think manufactured home communities are a niche corner of real estate. Jeff Cook built one of the largest portfolios in New York State by thinking differently. In this episode, Jeff shares how he went from buying a single manufactured home community to owning and operating more than 100 communities across New York. But this conversation isn't just about real estate. It's about...

Most people would never do it. Tom Akers took his retirement savings and bet it on an idea that had never been done before. No roadmap. No guarantees. And no experience running a manufacturing company. In this episode with Tom Akers, founder of Junk Free Skin, we talk about building a company from scratch, creating products no one had made before, and the persistence required to keep moving when e...

When Patrick Hayter started his construction company, he was swinging the hammer himself. Doing the work. Running estimates. Managing projects. Handling sales. Everything. But eventually he realized something every growing business owner learns: You cannot scale if you are doing everything yourself. In this episode with Patrick Hayter, owner of Hayter Construction, we talk about what it takes to g...

Most business owners think they have an SEO problem. Many actually have a visibility problem. Or a messaging problem. Or they are simply focusing on the wrong things. In this episode with Mariah Magazine, award winning SEO consultant, educator, and creator, we talk about the biggest SEO myths business owners believe and how customers are actually finding businesses online today. This was not a tec...

Most HR problems do not start big. They start small. A bad hire. Poor communication. Managers avoiding hard conversations. And eventually… It turns into turnover, conflict, or lawsuits. In this episode with Alyssa Klimuszka, founder of HerHR Solutions, we talked about the HR mistakes business owners make before they even realize there is a problem. This was a very real conversation about employees...

Most service businesses start the same way. More jobs. More trucks. More people. And then suddenly… More chaos. In this episode with Clyde Miller and Jacob, co owners of Level Up Painting, we talked about what most service businesses get wrong when they start growing. This was one of the most honest conversations we have had about scaling, culture, hiring, and profitability. In this episode you wi...

Most business owners think tax season is the problem. It is not. The real problem is going the entire year without a real strategy. In this episode with Heath Hendrickson, partner at Allied Financial Partners, we talk about why so many business owners overpay in taxes, feel overwhelmed financially, and never actually understand their numbers. This is not a boring tax conversation. It is a real dis...

Covid hit. She lost her job. Bills kept coming. And unemployment checks never showed up. So she did what a lot of people talk about… But never actually do. She started a business. In this episode with Tereasa Janese, owner of Diva Girlz Cleaning Service, we talk about building a business as a single mom during one of the hardest seasons of her life. No investors. No perfect timing. Just survival m...

Starting a venue sounds simple. Find a space. Fix it up. Book events. But that is not how it actually works. In this episode with Elaine Hanford, owner of The Venue at The Trail, we break down what really goes into opening and running a wedding venue. From the idea… To the build out… To the reality once people start booking. In this episode you will learn: • What most people underestimate before s...

In this episode with Pete Andrews from Eagle 1 Photography, we talk about what it really looks like to love your work. Not when it is easy… But when it is repetitive, frustrating, and requires discipline. In this episode you will learn: • Why passion shows up in the small things • The difference between doing it and caring about it • Why consistency exposes how much you actually love the work • Wh...

Most business owners think they are building something real. But a lot of it is just… transactions. Short term. Fast moving. No depth. And eventually… it catches up. In this episode with Anthony Butera, owner of Keller Williams in both Rochester and Buffalo along with other vertical businesses, we talk about the moment everything shifted. From chasing deals… To building real relationships. In this...

You think you have a business. But would anyone actually buy it? Most owners never stop to ask that question until it is too late. And the answer is not what they expect. In this episode with Austin Moyer, we get real about what makes a business sellable and what quietly kills its value. In this episode you will learn: • Why most businesses are not actually sellable • The difference between owning...

This is Episode 4, the final episode in David Schaub’s four-part Family Series, where we’ve dug deep into what it really looks like to own a business as a husband and father. No guests. No interviews. Just real conversations about ambition, marriage, and legacy. This episode shifts the focus forward. Not to revenue… not to valuation… but to inheritance. Because generational wealth isn’t just money...

This is Episode 3 of David Schaub’s four-part Family Series: a solo run that gets into the nitty gritty about what it actually looks like to build a business as a husband and father. No guests. No interviews. Just real conversations about ambition, alignment, and intentional leadership at home. Episode 3 asks a simple but uncomfortable question: You meet with your team every week… Do you meet with...

Welcome to Episode 2 of David Schaub’s Family Series: a four-part solo run that gets honest about what it really looks like to build a business as a husband and father. No guests. No surface-level talk. Just the real tension most owners feel… and rarely say out loud. This episode hits a truth that stings: You can be physically home… and still completely gone. Growth isn’t bad. But undefined growth...

For the first time ever, we’re kicking off a solo series with podcast host David Schaub. This is a four-part series called The Family Series. No guests, no surface-level talk. Just real, honest conversations about what it actually looks like to build a business as a husband and dad… and the pressure that comes with it. Episode 1 starts with a hard question: Is your business strengthening your fami...

Many founders hit a ceiling not because they lack vision but because they’re still the one executing everything. In this episode, Mark Siwiec (Elysian Homes) shares what he learned the hard way about stepping back from day-to-day tasks, building the right team, and clearly separating the role of visionary from that of executor. If you’re the bottleneck (and don’t realize it yet), this conversation...

Most owners don’t think about IT until something fails and by then, the damage is already done. In this episode, Chris Sirianni (IT Insights of Rochester / GRC Insights) explains why reactive technology decisions quietly drain profit, erode trust, and put your data (and revenue) at risk. He lays out a practical, owner-friendly approach to treating IT as business continuity, not just “tech support,...

AI isn’t here to replace your relationships, it’s here to buy back your time so you can deepen them. In this episode, Jeremias “JMan” Maneiro (JMan Seminars • The Maneiro Team • Big Brain Chatbots) breaks down how founders and small teams can use AI as leverage, not replacement without losing voice, values, or authenticity. JMan shares the simple frameworks he teaches in workshops and advisory ses...

What does it really feel like to move six hours away, know no one, and launch a service business from scratch? In this episode of the WNY Entrepreneur Podcast, Joanna O’Connell shares the unfiltered story of rebuilding her life and business reputation in a brand-new market one conversation, one customer, and one relationship at a time. Joanna unpacks how transparency and education became her faste...

Most entrepreneurs rush into January with fresh goals, but little reflection. In this solo episode, David Schaub (founder/host of the WNY Entrepreneur Podcast; mastermind facilitator; publisher of Buffalo & Rochester Real Producers) walks through the simple year-end process he uses to realign life and business before he plans anything new. It’s the exact framework he leans on while juggling mu...

After 35 years across flips, rentals, and market resets, Cheryl LaTray has built a career on one core skill: knowing when to buy, when to hold, and when to walk away. In this episode of the WNY Entrepreneur Podcast, Cheryl breaks down entrepreneurship as Monopoly in real life—cash, assets, positioning, and the nerve to make the next move when the board changes. From the mindset shifts that reduce...

What happens when you inherit a well-known family business that’s losing trust, running on outdated systems, and fighting to stay relevant? In this episode of the WNY Entrepreneur Podcast, Patrick Donovan shares how he stepped into Aladdin’s Carpet Cleaning, made the tough calls, and rebuilt a reputation—one honest conversation and one loyal customer at a time. Patrick talks candidly about drawing...