Dave Swain worked in corporate Agriculture his entire career until he jumped ship and started his own business (in his mid 50’s no less!). His company, Vision Technology Management, was born from his vision to help companies better utilize technology for which they had already invested. Face it, we all feel the pressure to innovate with new tech but sometimes we find implementation or full utilization so daunting, we revert back to what we know. This leaves a lot of under-utilized tech with a ve...
Jun 20, 2023•36 min
Sadly, most Americans are terrible managers of their personal and/or professional finances. Even business owners and those who pilot their own business endeavor often struggle with money management. Michael Finley, financial author and the Crazy Man in the Pink Wig, dispenses advice for living a life of your choosing by first taking charge of your money.
Apr 18, 2023•27 min
Matt Roeder is an Iowa farm kid who’s employed as an Agricultural engineer for a plastics manufacturing company. A few years ago, after seeing a shortcoming on his corn planter (he still farms on the side), he designed a new and improved closing wheel. But this product design doesn’t belong to his employer, it’s his. Matt explains the inspiration for the product, how he brings it to market, and the delicate and mutually beneficial relationship he has with his employer — they build his designs an...
Mar 28, 2023•39 min
My friend Brad Klopfenstein and I have shared a love of beer drinking and beer history for more than 3 decades. Now Mr. Klopfenstein is turning his love into a side hustle. A novice Indiana historian, Brad was poking around the internet researching old Indiana beers as sort of a “where are they now?” endeavor. That’s when he discovered Alps Brau — a former Fort Wayne, IN based beer brand — was available for the taking. Brad acquired the rights to the brand and in February 2023, will release the ...
Feb 07, 2023•37 min
Inflation has been on a tear since 2020’s globally disrupted marketplace upset the economics of everything from exercise bikes to used cars. With double digit price increases way more common than they should be, are you charging enough for your goods or services? Probably not. In this episode I outline why you should increase your rates. The benefit for doing so: better pay and better customers. Of course, there are downsides, such as losing customers. However, losing customers isn’t always a ba...
Jan 17, 2023•36 min
The words “business development” get tossed around frequently and there are plenty of people whose titles include “business development,’’ but what exactly is it? Seth Schachner founder of StratAmericas joins me to define and expand on all things that are business development. Seth explains the importance of partnerships and audience building. Today’s business development activities are different today than a few decades ago in light of the technologies employed. Regardless, one thing hasn’t cha...
Dec 06, 2022•41 min
Influencer marketing, social media, traditional media, newsletters…the marketplace is crowded with marketing. And…most of it sucks because it’s not marketing to client and customer needs, rather it’s about the company. David Saltzman of The Saltzman Group explains StoryBrand marketing, what most businesses get wrong, and how to make prospective clients become customers.
Oct 20, 2022•45 min
August 1, 1994 I resigned my corporate post to start in business for myself. Over the years there has been a great deal of evolution and learning. Here are 28 takeaways you can apply to your own enterprise to create a life and business by choice. Please let me know which of these resonates with or most helps you!
Aug 09, 2022•36 min
Paul Gambill is an engineer-educated Millennial who saw capitalism as the solution to green house gas removal. In 2017 he and six other people founded Nori — A carbon removal marketplace. Paul shares his entrepreneurial journey and a pile of lessons. Among them: why you shouldn’t have 7 company founders, the need to read, understanding the CEO’s most important job, how to raise money from venture capitalists, and the power of vision — something he says most people lack. Tune in to this fast-pace...
Jun 07, 2022•43 min
Brad Kent’s first entrepreneurial endeavor was in food sales — he carried oranges off the family’s backyard tree to peddle them outside the neighborhood grocery store. Brad was just 7 years old at the time but he promptly got ran off by the store manager. Brad joins me to discuss his various business endeavors — mostly pizza-related— including his latest project: Bagel & Slice. Bagel & Slice aims to sell high quality, expensive food inexpensively. Brad’s time re-engineering military rati...
May 03, 2022•43 min
Freight came screeching to a halt two years ago amid global shutdowns. Then things opened up and now "supply chain issues" became the reason for every business challenge on the planet. Seems now would be a good time to be in the shipping business, given that the price to transport goods is through the roof. Right? Well, maybe. Brad McDonald, my high school classmate and owner of FreightCo explains what it’s been like managing through a chaotic transportation marketplace. He explains pricing fluc...
Apr 05, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Two years ago all hell broke loose. Small businesses were forced to close, workers stayed home by order, and many businesses suffered. What have we learned? Will this happen again with more regularity? If so, how can you and your business survive or even thrive? In this episode we discuss what’s transpired over the last 24 months and provide 8 takeaways to improve your business.
Mar 10, 2022•34 min
Sometimes the customer needs something and they’re not sure exactly how to go about fixing their problem. Other times, in fact oftentimes, the customer does know what their pain point is, proclaims to be perplexed by said pain point, and yet does nothing to address this issue. Welcome to dealing with people. They’re emotional after all. In this episode we discuss how to get to the actual pain point your prospect / customer is dealing with while still getting the deal done.
Nov 03, 2021•15 min
At some point in life and business, you’ve achieved a modicum of success then you ask yourself, “what’s next?” Bruce Turkel, former ad agency owner, businessman, speaker, and author found himself asking that question, which is why he penned the book Is That All There Is? If you’ve wondered about your next adventure, pondered your next business endeavor, or sought motivation in mid life, this interview will speak to you.
Oct 05, 2021•31 min
I recently spoke to a small business group and delivered what I believe are ten tenets of success in business. They were ten things I wrote down when asked “What do you think has helped your business make it for 28 years?” Number one was understanding what your business is in the business of selling. And that’s the subject of this episode. Remember: Most businesses think they sell one thing, while their clientele would tell you it’s something different. Because customers pay for the result of yo...
Sep 07, 2021•18 min
Kelly Garrett is an Iowa farmer, trucking company owner, Ag influencer and consultant, among a few other titles. He joins me to discuss the four traits of success, adding a fifth — the trait of communication, which he says is God-given — to my list of four character traits successful people possess. He explains how he works with and against his own character strengths and weaknesses to manage his two dozen employees while keeping the ship heading in the right direction.
Aug 03, 2021•24 min
A decade ago Larry Kreider had just been let go from his second sales job due to a company purchase and restructuring. After working in sales for more than twenty years selling to restaurants and bars, Larry looked into acquiring Z-Place — a well known (but struggling) hometown pizza and chicken establishment. Two of Larry’s advisors crunched the numbers, analyzed the books, and advised him against buying the business, but he saw opportunity. Since then, he has tripled revenue. I sit down with m...
Jul 20, 2021•30 min
Shannon Hayes was going to become a professor. She never did so, despite completing her PhD. Instead she returned to the family farm in upstate New York and became her own business person in conjunction with her husband and family. The family sells direct-to-consumer, grass-fed meat along with many other farm-based products. They also operate a cafe, own short and long term rental properties, invest in other small businesses, and a few other things. Shannon has a great story along with amazing a...
Jul 06, 2021•44 min
Kyle Stoffel started out selling life insurance at age 21 when he left the family painting and decorating business. Today, he owns Underwriters Alliance of Indiana. His company helps establish and grow aspiring insurance agencies. In this informative and inspiring sit down with Kyle and his daughter Este — who’s been with the business five years — we discuss: business expansion, hiring people you know, working with family, managing personality traits, the power of daily habit, and much more, inc...
Jun 17, 2021•40 min
Part of ongoing success and longevity lies in your ability to decline less appealing opportunities. In other words, your ability to say no. To put yourself in line for great outcomes, you must be positioned to turn down below average opportunities. Here are five tips that will allow you to decline jobs and leave them for your more desperate competitors.
May 18, 2021•26 min
Peter Evans got his first business lesson — the importance of listening to customers — while working the front desk at a Howard Johnson in Skokie, Illinois at age 16. From working at HoJo, Peter went on to become an accountant working for Deloitte Touche then as a controller for a bank. Then the entrepreneur bug bit at age 34. Peter joined partners to form a hotel ownership and management company until 2001. He now co-owns and co-operates Balar Equipment, a provider and servicer of municipal equ...
Apr 27, 2021•38 min
Every aspiring entrepreneur starts with an idea. Ideas are wonderful things and generally in plentiful supply amongst those of us with a biz forward mindset. In this episode we discuss the (mental) steps of business creation and then cap it off with straight talk about what it takes to succeed. Hint: It’s not complicated but it is personal!
Apr 13, 2021•26 min
It’s been a challenging year, to say the least, for many small businesses. Beginning in March of 2020, government lockdowns shuttered businesses and altered consumer behavior overnight. Some estimates show 30% of small businesses won’t survive or have already failed due to Covid response. So, what’s a smart, resilient entrepreneur have to do to survive this grenade that’s been tossed onto his or her marketplace? Friend of show, Brad McDonald joins me to discuss just that. We discuss survival str...
Mar 30, 2021•48 min
Nic DeCastro started his company — LandTrust — because he saw an opportunity based on his own need. He’s two years into piloting the Bozeman-based tech company, and still growing. He shares his entrepreneurial story, the reality of raising money via investors, lessons learned about management, and a lot more wisdom and experiences.
Mar 16, 2021•35 min
Tom Cunningham left his job as a fireman/paramedic in Lake Tahoe to raise his kids on a farm in Tennessee. After making a few mistakes and observing a few opportunities, his entrepreneurial juices began flowing. He’s the co-founder of Grazr — a startup aimed at making locally raised meat easier to sell, process, and acquire. Listen to Tom explain his vision, his lessons, and what advice he’d give to anyone starting their own venture.
Mar 02, 2021•37 min
If you’re in business, you’re in sales. More importantly, your success depends greatly on your ability to persuade. You persuade prospects to become customers. You persuade employees to do the work you need done. And you persuade the world that you’re the person or company they should do business with. Todd Thurman joins me to discuss the three rhetorical appeals — ethos, pathos, and logos — and how you can use them for your own success.
Jan 26, 2021•39 min
When you pilot your own business, the only guarantee is that there will be uncertainty and unpredictability. While those issues are real enough in normal times, the uncertainty and unpredictability is even greater during a pandemic. After a couple restless nights at year end, I came up with five methods to help manage during times of great uncertainty and unpredictability.
Jan 12, 2021•17 min
We make decisions all day every day when we pilot our own ship known as small business. Sometimes we also make decisions by avoiding them — as I always say, no decision IS a decision. So it goes with those you employ and those you do business with contractually. Be honest: would you re-hire your employees or contractors today based on their credentials? This is a good topic but a hard topic and I was inspired to cover it after watching It’s A Wonderful Life. Many small businesses employ their fa...
Dec 23, 2020•25 min
The more business I do the more I realize how some folks are missing out on the simple steps to success. Like for instance, analyzing desired outcomes before marching into a situation. In this episode we discuss the effectiveness of plotting outcomes and objectives from both your perspective and the customers'. To get what you want, you first need to determine what you want. And to get it, you likely need to achieve a desired outcome for your clients too.
Dec 08, 2020•18 min
Tab Pierce decided entrepreneurialism was in his future after he said something he wasn’t supposed to say and his employer did what he calls “a layoff of one.” He had success, then went sideways, then downward four years into his businesses operation. Faced with debt of $750,000 — one third of which was to the IRS (which means bankruptcy wouldn’t clear it) he began the build back. Tab shares his story and the story of creating then re-creating Caliber, a cybersecurity company, which is thriving ...
Nov 17, 2020•30 min
