In this episode of Renegade Ventures , co-hosts Ellie Puckett and Maggie Harlow welcome business leader and recruiter Renee Fulton , founder of Talis Group . What begins as a conversation between longtime colleagues unfolds into a thoughtful exploration of career pivots, values-based leadership, and the courage it takes to follow your own path. Renee shares her early passion for accounting, nurtured by working alongside her father in his bookkeeping practice. She reflects on how this formative e...
Jun 18, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 11
In this episode, hosts Ellie and Maggie sit down with entrepreneur Tawana Bain to explore her journey of resilience and self-discovery. Reflecting on her high school graduation, Tawana shares feelings of fear and uncertainty, admitting she hadn't yet recognized her own gifts. Despite personal struggles, she recalls an innate ability to solve problems and connect with people. The discussion highlights the challenge of identifying and nurturing unique talents, especially when they don't align with...
Jun 04, 2025•56 min•Season 2Ep. 10
On today's episode we Maggie, Ellie, and guest Jen Hartmann founder of NEAT, a boutique PR agency located in Louisville, Kentucky discuss the nature of growth and change as a business owner. This conversation covers the risk calculus so many small business owners face as growth raises the stakes. From her early like as a BMX champion, to her agency owner, and her life with acquisitions.
May 21, 2025•46 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Amy Meredith, co-founder and executive director of UP for Women and Children, has transformed her personal and professional experiences into a mission to combat homelessness in Louisville. Drawing from her early involvement in her family's manufacturing business and subsequent roles in marketing and business development, Amy co-founded UP in 2017 with Andrea Scott. Recognizing a critical gap in services for women and children experiencing homelessness, they established Louisville’s first and onl...
May 07, 2025•39 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Welcome to Renegade Ventures , where we explore diverse paths to business ownership. We dive into the world of acquiring, growing, and selling businesses by sharing the real-life journeys of women renegades who transformed the lives of their families, employees, and communities. Hosted by Ellie Puckett and Maggie Harlow—both business owners, acquisition experts, and advocates for women—this show is your guide to business ownership with heart. Today’s guest is Emily Chandler, a dynamic entreprene...
Apr 23, 2025•51 min•Season 2Ep. 7
In this episode Maggie and Ellie sit down with a rising-star and all around MVP - Olivia Wang of Wang’s Window Washing . From Olivia’s TWO master’s degrees, early itch for entrepreneurship, to her professional women’s tackle football career - Olivia tackles every goal head-on. This episode discusses the long-term goals of starting a small business, and how the lessons can be replicated and scaled. Young Dreamer’s Fund Wang's Window Washing is empowering underserved Louisville & Lexington you...
Apr 09, 2025•35 min•Ep. 6
Today, Ellie and Maggie are joined by Jenna Ahern of Guardian Owl Digital. As a college student, she and two other women co-founded Bluegrass Premier, a field hockey club in Louisville, simply because they saw a need for it. She did not view this as business ownership at the time but rather as a practical solution to an unmet demand. After setting up the club, she decided to focus on her career in the automotive industry. It wasn’t until later that she recognized her entrepreneurial tendencies. ...
Mar 26, 2025•48 min•Season 2Ep. 5
What happens to your business if something were to happen to you? Who takes over when you retire? If someone walked in today and offered to buy your business, what would the magic number be? If you don’t have the answers, we get it. And so does Jessica Fialkovich, whose business consulting work at Exit Factor is designed to prepare business owners for all the above. Experiencing the layoffs of 2008 was an eye-opening moment for Jessica. She realized that no corporate job was truly secure and tha...
Mar 12, 2025•44 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Ellie and Maggie talk entrepreneurship with Rivergreen Cocktails' founder Danielle Mann. A former OBGYN and current practicing hospitalist, Danielle discusses how her love of learning and the research skills she acquired studying medicine played a crucial role in developing Rivergreen Cocktails and their flagship all-natural premium gin canned cocktail. The three discuss timing, taking breaks, and weighing risks and responsibilities while building a business....
Feb 26, 2025•45 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Ellie, Maggie, and Cuddle Clones Co-founder Jennifer Williams discuss how ideas in business are easy, getting them done is the hard part. From actuarial work to making fluffy ( even feathered) clones of customers' pets, executing ideas is the hallmark of all good business. What can we all learn from businesses nothing like ours? How can imagining solutions to other industry problems teach us about our own?
Feb 19, 2025•47 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome back to Renegade Ventures for Season 2! Ellie returns with a new co-host, Maggie Harlow. With years of business experience, Maggie brings an insightful perspective to the Renegade Ventures podcast. In this episode, Ellie and Maggie catch up on what they've been up to and share what’s in store for the season ahead.
Feb 12, 2025•18 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Debbie Lowe was a woman before her time creating and leading a Information Technology company in Healthcare in 1998. The business started with her husband and grew to a full family affair until the time came to sell. She talks about navigating family transitions, finding a buyer in the midst of 2020, and rebuilding her career and creating a new business. Thank you to our Guest! Connect + Follow Debbie on LinkedIn. Find out more about Lowe and Associates. Thank you to our Podcast Sponsors! The Lo...
Aug 22, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Reportedly, 78% of Business owners are planning on the sale of their business to fund their retirement, but they know nearly nothing about the process or what their business is worth. Today’s episode talks about the process of selling your business. The pathway isn’t an easy one and that’s why Brokers exist! Today’s guest is my business partner and mentor Phil Eleson. He talks about buying and selling his business, and how that led him to become a broker and help others too! We walk through the ...
Aug 08, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The world of Venture Capital has captured headlines for years but there are many types of equity-based financing for different stages and styles of businesses. Today's episode is with Elizabeth Rounsavall, a woman who has worn many hats in the investing world! Venture Capital, Angel Investing, Private Equity, Real Estate, and Family office investing we touch on all of these types of equity financing and even the complexity of how the wealthy manage transitioning the family money. __ Thank you to...
Jul 25, 2023•51 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Debt financing can be a confusing and scary path to take to fund your business. Not only that, it's an option that isn’t widely accessible unless you already have money. This week’s episode we walk through the business loan options and the process. Our guest Shirie Hawkins has spent her career dedicated to small business owners and helping them get the resources they need. She has been a Commercial Banker doing SBA lending and the President of Everything Equity at Community Ventures a CDFI, whic...
Jul 11, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Drive down any major road and you will see dozens of different franchise businesses. Have you ever considered what it would be like to own one? Today’s Guest Maggie Harlow is the owner of Signarama Downtown Louisville, and we walk through her process of deciding she wanted to own a business, to her choosing Signarama, to growing her business to a top-producing franchise in their 1500 locations. On today’s episode, we cover: Does franchising limit her creativity? Her process for choosing a franch...
Jun 27, 2023•54 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Today’s guest took her entry-level position, and with time, talent, and some “dog”ged determination became CEO of Pet First pet insurance - just in time to manage their acquisition by powerhouse MetLife. Katie Blakeley has led teams through the excitement of fast growth, the anxiety of looming post-acquisition change, and the doldrums of extensive due diligence. Katie was unafraid to be aggressive in negotiations, standing confident in the talent of her team, and the result was beyond impressive...
Jun 13, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 6
05. Business Buying 101: The Basics (What, Why, How + How Much?) Host Ellie Puckett leads today’s conversation, a straightforward look at the initial steps you must take if you want to acquire a solidly-researched, revenue-generating, wealth-building real-life business. From exploring what kind of business you want to own, discovering your business buying boundaries, and the rarely discussed topic of Money - this not-to-be-missed episode provides academic answers and real-life insights to help y...
May 30, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5
What does racial and gender inequality have to do with buying and selling businesses? Everything. The systemic issue of wealth inequality holds at its core a central question - who gets to own generational assets and why? A foundational and transferable asset that creates generational wealth is business ownership. Renegade Ventures is here to help close the wealth gap through buying and building businesses as assets. On this episode, we are talking with guest Nikki Lanier from consulting firm Ha...
May 02, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Renegade Jesika Young went from commercial banking to acquisition entrepreneur and is now one of the most influential women in manufacturing. On today's episode we discuss the Buyer's Journey and how one woman combined her curiosity about business acquisition and her expertise in the commercial banking world to build an empire. Pivoting away from her successful career in banking to strike out on an adventure with her husband Jerod, Jesika Young closed on the purchase of Southern Indiana-based Ci...
Apr 18, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Roughly 80% of business owners are expecting the sale of their business to fund their retirement. A majority of them have no idea what their business is worth, and absolutely no exit plan to speak of. Not having a solid plan on why, when and how to step down from your business can mean losing key employees, disappointing family members, and most importantly - leaving with less money! After 30+ years at the helm of Oasis Solutions, today’s guest Annette had one of the smoothest and most well exec...
Apr 18, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The first time things just “don’t work out” is understandable, not everything is meant to be. The second time your career plans are thwarted by the poor choices of others is a wake up call. The third time you are sitting in front of yet another (typically male) CEO hearing why your role is being “reimagined” and you are out of a job? Well, that is how a Renegade is born. Faced with starting over yet again, your Host and resident Renegade Ellie Puckett was sure there was a better way. A better wa...
Apr 18, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 1
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Mar 28, 2023•2 min
