Shows / Small Business Stories
Small Business Stories
Welcome to Small Business Stories, the podcast where we celebrate the real-life journeys of small business owners. We dig into inspiring tales of triumphs, challenges, and the tough lessons we learned along the way. Each episode is packed with relatable anecdotes and practical tips that you can use to fuel your own entrepreneurial dreams. Whether you're just starting out or looking to grow your business, you'll find motivation and insight in every story. Tune in and get ready to be inspired by…
Episodes
Small Business StoriesWhy Dating Apps Make It Harder to Find the Right Person with April Davis
S6:E72 Dating apps give us more choices than we've ever had, so why does finding the right person feel harder? Some people have given up, saying that it is…
Small Business StoriesWhy AI Is Making Your Marketing Easier But Not Better with Gee Ranasinha
S6:E71 AI has raised the floor. But has it raised the ceiling? Gee Ranasinha doesn't think so. AI has democratized content production, giving small businesses…
Small Business StoriesHow to Stop Trying to Be Everything to Everyone with Christine Blosdale
S6:E70 Stop Trying to Be Everything to Everyone with Christine Blosdale You can be extraordinarily talented and still make yourself almost impossible to hire…
Small Business StoriesWhy Good Products Fail After Launch with Lon Riley
S6:E69 When a Better Product Isn't Enough with Lon Riley This is stronger for streaming than a generic "Lessons from a Product Launch." It captures the central…
Small Business StoriesHow to Build Confidence When You're Afraid to Put Yourself Out There with Patty Aubery
S6:E68 Sometimes you meet someone whose work you've known for years and then discover that the story behind the success is even better than you expected. This…
Small Business StoriesHow Bad Credit Can Limit Your Business Funding Options with Daniel McDavid
S6:E67 The worst time to discover you have a credit problem may be when your business desperately needs money. An unexpected expense hits. Cash flow tightens…
Small Business StoriesHow to Scale Your Business Without Growing Too Fast with Bryan Clayton
S6:E66 The Real Story About Scaling & Selling a Business with Bryan Clayton Bryan has actually done the thing entrepreneurs dream about: built a traditional…
Small Business StoriesWhy Entrepreneurs Struggle to Get Approved for a Mortgage with David Ostrowsky
S6:E65 Buying a home as an entrepreneur often feels like playing by a different set of rules. In this episode, Dr. LL speaks with mortgage specialist David…
Small Business Storieswith Matt Putra
S6:E64 Every entrepreneur has numbers. Not every entrepreneur knows how to listen to them. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with fractional CFO Matt Putra to…
Small Business StoriesHow to Use AI Agents Without Replacing Your Team with Kenneth Corrêa
S6:E63 An optional title for this episode is, "Agentic AI, Human Judgment & Cognitive Organizations with Kenneth Corrêa." AI is moving faster than most…
Small Business StoriesWhy Working Harder Isn't Fixing Your Business with Leadership Coach Michelle Pollack
S6:E62 Success becomes surprisingly heavy when you're carrying someone else's expectations. In this conversation, Dr. LL sits down with leadership coach…
Small Business StoriesHow to Create Multiple Income Streams Without Burning Out with Kelvin Abrams
S6:E61 Building a business is difficult. Building several businesses at the same time requires a different way of thinking. In this conversation, Dr. LL sits…
Small Business StoriesHow to Build Wealth in Your Community Through Co-ops with Vernon Oakes
S6:E60 Not every successful business measures success the same way. In this conversation, Dr. LL sits down with Vernon Oakes, founder of Everything…
Small Business StoriesHow to Know If Your Product Idea Will Sell with Juliette Fasset
S6:E59 Every invention begins with an idea. However, very few ideas become sustainable businesses. In this conversation, Dr. LL sits down with inventor and…
Small Business StoriesWhy Customers Don't Buy - and What to Do with Jason Fishman
S6:E58 Every customer journey begins long before someone clicks "buy." In this conversation, Dr. LL sits down with Jason Fishman, founder of Digital Niche…
Small Business StoriesHow to Be a Better Leader People Actually Want to Follow with William Davis
S6:E57 Leadership has never been more complex. Organizations have more technology than ever, yet many leaders feel less connected to the people they lead. In…
Small Business StoriesHow to Reinvent Yourself Without Starting Over with Ryan Estes
S6:E56 Feeling stuck in a career or business that no longer fits? Reinventing yourself doesn't always mean starting over. Sometimes it means trusting your…
Small Business StoriesHow to Prepare Your Business for Tariffs and Supply Chain Disruptions with Abe Orgel
S6:E55 Markets shift. Policies change. Supply chains break. Yet businesses still need to serve customers, protect margins, and make decisions. In this episode…
Small Business StoriesWhy You're Still Living Paycheck to Paycheck with George Thomas
S6:E54 What if the real measure of wealth isn't income? What if it's time? In this episode of Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with George Thomas…
Small Business StoriesFounder Fragility: Forrest Derr has Some Thoughts About Building a Business Dependent on YOU
S6:E53 What happens when a founder becomes the single point of failure? Many entrepreneurs spend years building successful companies only to discover the…
Small Business StoriesHow to Grow Your Business When Ads Stop Working in the AI Economy with Ismael Wrixen
S6:E52 The platforms are changing. Search is changing. Customer acquisition is changing. So what remains stable when everything else feels uncertain? In this…
Small Business StoriesConfidence, Adversity & Seeing Beyond Limitations with a Blind Coach - Patrick Engasser
S6:E51 What if the biggest limitation in your business isn't your circumstances? What if it's the story you've accepted about what is possible? In this episode…
Small Business StoriesTrust, Curiosity, Stories & the Magic of Marketing with Jimi Gibson
S6:E50 A lot of businesses think they need more marketing. But better marketing is only part of the equation. In this episode, Jimi Gibson, marketing…
Small Business StoriesIf You Want to Charge Premium Prices, Nail the Customer Experience Says Vance Morris, former Disney Exec
S6:E49 Yes, you can charge premium pricing - but only if your customers feel the difference. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Vance Morris, founder of…
Small Business StoriesHow Solopreneurs can Use AI Without Losing Human Connection with Allan Ngo
S6:E48 The pressure to automate everything is reshaping entrepreneurship. But faster content does not automatically create deeper trust. In this episode of…
Small Business StoriesHow to Increase Amazon Sales Without Spending More on Ads With Carolyn Lowe
S6:E46 More entrepreneurs are investing in ads, automation, and AI-generated content, yet many are still struggling to convert customers. In this episode of…
Small Business StoriesWhen YOU the Entrepreneur Become THE BOTTLENECK with James Brown
S6:E45 What happens when a business grows faster than its structure, messaging, or leadership capacity? In this episode of Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits…
Small Business StoriesWhy Your Marketing Isn't Converting Leads into Customers with Amber Gaige Farrell
S6:E44 Marketing typically fails because of misalignment between the message and the buyer. Product market fit, or the lack thereof, is a business death nail…
Small Business StoriesStructure, Scale & the Hidden Cost of Growth with Brian Mattocks
S6:E43 Growth is often treated as proof that everything is working. But internally, it can signal the opposite. And growth can BREAK you and your business…
Small Business StoriesHow to Get Podcast Leads Without Paid Ads With Tom Schwab of Interview Valet
S6:E42 The market is louder than ever, yet trust feels like a rare commodity. Many founders are visible but not chosen. They generate impressions, traffic, and…
Small Business StoriesSmall Business Growth Without Guardrails: Hiring, Risk & Profitability with Michelle Griffin
S6:E41 Growth exposes what founders postpone (isn't that the truth?!). Many businesses believe HR is just paperwork. In reality, HR often determines whether…
Small Business StoriesHow to Run a Small Business Better With Less Chaos Featuring Dan Norcross
S6:E40 Most businesses either have a revenue problem or an operating problem. In this episode, Dr. LL explores why capable founders often stay trapped inside…
Small Business StoriesHow to Build Trust as an Entrepreneur When No One Knows You With Kira Shishkin
S6:E39 Trust isn't built by showing up more. It's built by being understood. In this episode, Dr. LL explores a recurring challenge facing entrepreneurs: why…
Small Business StoriesHow to Get a Business Loan (When Banks Say No) with Kunal Bhasin
S6:E38 Access to capital isn't just a financial decision. It's a strategic one - albeit increasingly confusing. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Kunal…
Small Business StoriesOwnership, Fit & The Discipline of Franchising with Giuseppe Grammatico
S6:E37 Franchising is often misunderstood. Many assume it's "passive income" that prints cash in the backyard. NOTHING is really passive! Especially not at…
Small Business StoriesHow to Grow Your Small Business Without Burning Out: The Cost of Overextending Yourself with Jessica Volker
S6:E36 Many founders don't talk about this - but we do. Burnout doesn't happen all at once. It builds through small, misaligned decisions over time. In this…
Small Business StoriesBuilding a Business Without a Blueprint: Niche Entrepreneurship and Resilience with Nicholas Breedlove
S6:E35 Some of the strongest businesses are built without a clear path. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Nicholas Breedlove, CEO of NVB Playgrounds, to…
Small Business StoriesVisibility, Authenticity & The Reality of Building a Brand Through Photography with Olga Mischenko
S6:E34 If people don't trust what they see, they won't engage with what you say. And for many small business owners, that breakdown starts with their image. In…
Small Business StoriesMeaning, Leadership & The Cost of Silence with Renowned Executive Coach Ash Seddeek
S6:E33 If people don't hear from you, they don't wait. They interpret. And most of the time, they get it wrong. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with renowned…
Small Business StoriesDiscipline, Specialization, and the Long Road to Wealth via Real Estate with Jose Berlanga
Some businesses attract more fantasy than fundamentals. Real estate is one of them. In this episode, Dr. LL talks with Jose Berlanga, CEO of Onyx Land Partners…
Small Business StoriesConstant Contact - the Pioneer of eMail Marketing - Talks About the Cost of Being Scattered With Dave Charest
S6:E31 There is no shortage of marketing tools right now. There is a shortage of clarity. In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Dave Charest, Director of…
Small Business StoriesHumble Influence, Followership, and the Culture Behind Leadership with Jim Matuga
S6:E30 What happens when leadership is treated like status instead of stewardship? In this episode, Dr. LL sits down with Jim Matuga, founder of Interaction…
Small Business StoriesAccessible Leadership, Empathy and Credibility with Holly G aka Holly Golebiowski
S6:E29 Some leaders are trying to be more human and still losing traction. Others hold the line so hard that people stop trusting them. In this episode, Dr. LL…
Small Business StoriesDiscipline, Trust and the Long Game of Sales with Glenn Poulos
S6:E28 Trust is rarely lost in one dramatic moment. More often, it slips through small signals of distraction, misalignment, or weak preparation. In this…
Small Business StoriesProfit, Perspective & the Founder Trap with Emil Abedian
S6:E27 A lot of founders are generating revenue and staying busy, yet still feeling unclear about their finances and unsure about what to do next. Queue up…
Small Business StoriesTransparency, Leadership, Sugar & Food Industry Reinvention with Kash Rocheleau
S6:E26 Consumers want healthier food. But building those products is far more complex than most people realize. Queue Up Episode In this episode of Small…
Small Business StoriesCapital, Conviction & The Human Side of Startup Angel Investing with Marcia Dawood
S6:E25 Raising capital is rarely just about money. It is about trust, credibility, and whether investors believe in the people behind the idea. Queue Up…
Small Business StoriesFounder Burnout, Systems Thinking & Agency Scale with Jesse P. Gilmore
S6:E24 Many founders start businesses seeking freedom. Then accidentally build companies that consume their lives. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business…
Small Business StoriesMindset, Metrics & Modern Growth - Scaling a Company with Borja Cuan
S6:E23 Scaling a business doesn't reduce pressure. It refines it. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with Borja Cuan…
Small Business StoriesEgo, Ecosystems & Sustainable Marketing Growth with Jensen Savage
S6:E22 Marketing fails because of fragmentation across too many platforms. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with Jensen…
Small Business StoriesScarcity, Confidence & the Psychology of Wealth with Leisa Peterson
S6:E21 Most money problems are not mathematical. They are emotional. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with Leisa…
Small Business StoriesMindset, Reinvention & Creative Real Estate with Chris Prefontaine
S6:E20 Most entrepreneurs fail because of what happens in their head AFTER the market shifts. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits…
Small Business StoriesAuthority, Ego & Followership in the Modern CEO With Joseph Incrocci
S6:E19 Having authority does not mean you have followers. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with executive coach and M&A…
Small Business StoriesEnterprise Value, Only-ness & the Myth of More Leads with Mark Osborne
S6:E18 You can be fully booked and still be building a fragile business. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with Mark…
Small Business StoriesAuthority, AI & the Illusion of Growth Hacks with Matthew Mamet
S6:E17 Everyone wants the shortcut. No one wants to hear there isn't one. Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with technical…
Small Business StoriesShort-Term Rental Tax Loophole: 100% Bonus Depreciation with Madeleine Raiford-Holland
S6:E16 If you keep hearing about the short-term rental tax loophole but it feels confusing, this episode makes it easy-peasy to understand. We unpack how 100%…
Small Business StoriesTrust, Reinvention & Resilience with Athena Brownson
S6:E15 What happens when the thing you built your identity around disappears? Queue Up Episode This week on Small Business Stories, Dr. LL sits down with…
Small Business StoriesLuxury Consignment Store Tips in Naples, Florida | Jennifer Johnson
S6:E14 Loralyn Mears, PhD, aka "Dr. LL," brings you thoughtful conversations with entrepreneurs and small business leaders navigating visibility, leadership…
Small Business StoriesA Business Coach for Women: Building an Uncommon Beautiful Life in Mallorca with Jenna Harrison
S6:E13 Loralyn Mears, PhD, aka "Dr. LL," brings you thoughtful conversations with entrepreneurs and small business leaders navigating visibility, leadership…