Business Owners Tell All

Matt Kovacs, President of Blaze PR, joins Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes to discuss what happens behind the scenes of building and managing a successful PR agency. Drawing on more than two decades in public relations, Matt explains how Blaze has built processes that provide structure while allowing the team to remain nimble in an industry where the media landscape, technology, and client needs are constantly changing.

Matt&...

Jason Yormark shares how more than 30 years in marketing, including work with major organizations such as Microsoft, ultimately led him to entrepreneurship and the creation of Socialistics. For years, Jason felt like a “square peg in a round hole” professionally and wanted to build something of his own, but the perceived security of a traditional paycheck kept him from making the leap.

Rather than abruptly leaving his ca...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Glen Fields, CEO and Co-Founder of Big Deal Agency in Greenacres, Florida, to discuss how strategic business planning, accountability, and measurable results have fueled the growth of his agency.

Glen shares his unconventional path to entrepreneurship, beginning with his work at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and later transitioning into public relat...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Nikita Khandheria, Founder and CEO of ERIA, to explore how thoughtful business planning has fueled her entrepreneurial journey from launching her first venture as a teenager to building one of Northern California's fastest-growing hospitality and experiential brands.

Nikita shares how she discovered entrepreneurship at a young age, the pivots tha...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jaya Iyer shares her journey from growing up in India to building a purpose-driven fashion brand in the United States. With a Ph.D. in Fashion Merchandising and experience in both academia and the apparel industry, Jaya combined her knowledge, personal experiences, and motherhood to create Svaha USA—a brand designed to challenge gender norms and inspire learning thro...

In this episode, Santosh Kaveti, Founder & CEO of ProArch, shares his journey of building a global technology company and the evolving mindset required to lead in times of rapid disruption.

From embracing uncertainty as a first-time entrepreneur to navigating today’s unprecedented AI-driven transformation, Santosh highlights that success in business isn’t just about strategy—it’s about learning how to thi...

This episode dives into how Jesse Jackson built a fast-growing automotive repair business from zero to eight figures in just four years — without prior industry experience.

Her journey highlights a core truth: business growth is a direct reflection of personal growth.

Jesse shares how she leveraged:

• Continuous learning
• Strategic mentorship
• Acquisition-driven scaling
• Letting go of control

…to evolve from operator ...

In this milestone episode of Business Owners Tell All, Jamie Seeker officially transitions out of the host seat and hands it over to Tom Irvin—marking a powerful moment of leadership in action.

The conversation begins with Tom sharing his vision for helping business owners move from growth to scale by getting out of their own way and focusing on what truly drives results. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, un...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker interviews Mike Farrell, Founder and CEO of Landscape Management Group in Columbus, Ohio. Mike shares how he started in 2008 by knocking on doors with a push mower, wheelbarrow, and handmade business cards to pay for college, then gradually turned that hustle into a multi-city landscaping business.

The conversation centers heavily on business planning, but from...

Amber Sheikh joins Jamie Seeker for a powerful conversation on what it truly takes to lead — not just a business, but a mission. As the founder and CEO of SHEIKH / Impact, Amber supports nonprofit organizations across California by strengthening their fundraising, leadership, and strategic planning. But her journey to ownership was anything but linear.

In this episode, Amber shares how her early work in poverty alleviation abr...

Michael shares his journey from a 14-year-old working at a produce stand to a CIA-trained chef who hit burnout and reinvented his career. That pivot led to the creation of Food, Fire, and Knives — a private chef platform that now serves clients across the country, bringing restaurant-quality dining into homes. What began as side gigs turned into a full-scale business that empowers chefs to regain control of their careers.

This...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Seva Ustinov, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Elly Analytics — a performance marketing company reimagined with an internal AI Operating System at its core.

Seva shares his 20-year journey from founding a marketing agency in Russia to scaling a tech company in the U.S., and how the chaos of managing large teams led him to create a unified AI-powered “company brain.”

But ...

In this dynamic and honest conversation, Jamie Seeker sits down with visionary entrepreneur Chaz Wolfe and serial integrator Jake Isaacs, co-founders of Gathering The Kings, to unpack what it really takes to build and lead a high-performing team.

Set in the context of HR and people strategy, the episode dives deep into how business owners transition from doing everything themselves to leading others effectively, and how culture, cla...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Eli Igra Serfaty to unpack how startup founders can transform LinkedIn from a passive platform into an active hiring and branding engine. Drawing from his background in venture capital and his journey building MAIA Digital — Israel’s top LinkedIn marketing agency — Eli shares frameworks, case studies, and tactical tips to optimize founder presence, build employer brands, and a...

Hank shares his unconventional path into IT leadership — beginning with time on Capitol Hill, renewable energy work at the Department of Energy, military service as an infantry officer, oil & gas, and private equity acquisition through a search fund. He eventually returned to Kentucky and found the role at NetGain through LinkedIn.

The conversation focuses heavily on hiring in a highly competitive industry, why culture fit...

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Laura Woodard, known as the Medical Marketing Maven, to talk about something all business owners face: how to build a team that really works. Laura shares how her personal journey caring for family members at the end of life inspired her to launch GrassRoots Medical Marketing — a Tampa-based agency helping private medical practices grow through ethical, effective marketing.

But the heart o...

In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie sits down with Kasandra Murray, founder of Unlucky Umbrella, a marketing and operations consultancy based in Columbus, Ohio. Kasandra offers a refreshing people‑first perspective on how businesses can grow sustainably by aligning marketing, operations, and HR.

Kasandra shares how most organizational issues stem from broken processes—not broken people—and e...

In this heartfelt and insightful episode, host Jamie Seeker welcomes Laura Moore, a powerhouse entrepreneur and founder of Moore Injury Funding, a boutique legal funding firm based near Atlanta, Georgia. Laura opens up about her personal journey from injury and financial stress to building a purpose-driven company that helps others bridge the financial gap between injury and justice.

In this episode, Jamie Seeker sits down with Greg Gillespie, the Co-Founder of Collectiv — a fast-growing data and AI consulting firm that’s made the Inc. 5000 list three times. Greg shares his journey from being laid off in 2016 to building a 30-person firm helping mid-sized and enterprise businesses operationalize AI, Power BI, and data strategies across their organizations.

But this isn’t a tech-heavy episode &m...