Midway Business Podcast

Too many leaders treat business like parenting gone wrong—ignoring problems, making excuses, and hoping things magically work out. The truth? Your company is a mirror. If you’re constantly firefighting, chasing the wrong prospects, or blaming vendors, the reflection is staring back at you.

In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar calls out the blame game, explains why ignoring responsi...

Most companies don’t collapse from competitors—they implode from the inside. Leadership either raises the bar or clings to mediocrity like it’s a security blanket. In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar dives into why too many executives celebrate shaving 4% off renewals (while torching $400K in waste), and why “normal” has quietly become code for “we’re bleeding cash.”

From Steve Jobs refusing limits, to NHL g...

In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar sits down with Alan Stern to talk about how SMBs can stop marketing like it’s 1999 and start using AI and personal branding to actually stand out. AI isn’t here to steal your job—it’s here to be the best employee you’ll never have to put on payroll.

Alan also shares his HEAT Method—Humor, Education, Adding Value, and Trust—a playbook for building real connections instead o...

Sales isn’t about doing more of the same and hoping it magically works. Yet too many SMBs let their sales teams fall into old habits—busy with emails, paperwork, and “pipeline reviews” that never move revenue. In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar shares simple but powerful tips SMBs can use: structure your week, focus on revenue-generating activities, and stop letting mediocrity set the bar.

Think of it as a ...

Business evolves when we act on new information—but too often, leaders cling to outdated systems like they’re diving with hand pumps instead of modern scuba gear. In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar shares why businesses still treat benefits like it’s 1987—overpaying while their broker brags about saving “4%” (right before heading to the golf course.)

The truth? Renewal paralysis, blind loyalty, and ignored ...

Most businesses get stuck in two traps: Parkinson’s Law (work magically takes as long as the calendar allows) and Stockholm Syndrome (loyalty to broken systems and brokers). Together, they hijack your benefits program and quietly torch your budget.

On this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar breaks down how hockey kids, CFOs, and even HR teams all fall into the same time-wasting habits—dragging their skates until re...

Running a business is hard enough—you don’t need your videos looking like they were shot on a flip phone. On this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar sits down with videographer and drone pilot Dancello Bennett to unpack how SMBs can use video to tell stories that connect (instead of putting audiences to sleep).

From construction sites to weddings, Dancello shares practical lessons on preparation, creativity, and ke...

On this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar sits down with Kate McCauley from Wounded Warrior Family Support to explore how one small nonprofit is filling critical gaps for America’s veterans and their families.

Kate shares powerful stories from her 18 years with the organization—how a “mom-and-pop” idea grew into nationwide programs providing mobility vehicles, respite care for caregivers, welding certifications, a...

On this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar sits down with Chicago business consultant James DiMambro to unpack the “Rule of Threes”—why boiling things down to three clear benefits, values, or differentiators can set small and midsize businesses apart. (Because let’s be honest—if your pitch deck needs 47 slides to explain your value, you’ve already lost the room.)

With nearly two decades of experience across marketi...

Running a business without a process is like steering a ship with no rudder—you’re just hoping the waves take you somewhere good. In this Midway Business Podcast episode, Butch Zemar dives into why so many owners get paralyzed by bad habits, overthinking, or flat-out fear of change.

From companies passing on nearly a million in savings, to leaders drowning in “analysis paralysis,” the stories highlight a bigger truth: success comes...

Who knew pizza could teach you something about running a business? In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar sits down with Alex Yount of Chicago Pizza Guys—a passion project that started with three friends swapping favorite pizza spots and grew into a community followed by thousands of fellow pizza lovers.

Alex takes us inside their journey from casual conversations to creating reviews, videos, and a loyal follow...

In this episode, Dr. Tom Germino of Germino Dental shares 40+ years of business lessons—growing from a one-chair startup (with his wife running the front desk) into a multigenerational family practice serving patients across three generations.

Business Tips:

• Customer loyalty is everything. Patients still stick with him after 40+ years—because trust outlasts flashy marketing.

• Invest in tech (and people). From silver fillings...

In this episode, Butch Zemar sits down with lifetime entrepreneur MZ, who built a 40-year event production company (think Bulls championship parades and Fortune 500 events—not your average company picnic) before shifting his focus to helping business owners gain control of theirs through EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System).

MZ shares what decades in the trenches taught him—like how solving the wrong problems really well still do...

In this episode, David Cole of Aluminight Custom Outdoor Lighting sheds light—literally—on how professional exterior and landscape lighting can transform homes and businesses. From permanent holiday lights (finally retiring the “Clark Griswold” ladder routine) to design strategies that make a property shine without blinding hot spots, David explains how thoughtful placement and planning make all the difference.

But this isn’t just ...

Butch Zemar chats with John Andrade, who went from teenage Nextel hustler to selling an online car platform (pre-Carvana) to banking—and somehow lived to tell the tale.

His takeaways? Failures are tuition, visibility beats inboxes, and “No Soliciting” signs are just suggestions.

John also makes the case that advisory boards aren’t just for Fortune 500s—they’re for anyone trying not to blow up their business plan. Through his “Go Fo...

In this episode of the Midway Business Podcast, Butch Zemar talks with Lindy Hoyt, Founder of People Ambassadors, about why keeping employees engaged sometimes feels harder than keeping your New Year’s resolution past January.

Lindy shares how most companies confuse “butts in seats” with engagement—and then wonder why turnover looks like a revolving door. Her take: retention requires intention. Don’t drag people back to the office ...

Host Butch Zemar sits down with Bill Clayton of Transworld Systems, the fixed-fee collection service ($10 an account) even the Girl Scouts would use. Founded in 1970 by doctors tired of losing profits to percentage-based agencies, Transworld recovers overdue accounts without torching customer relationships—a “patient who pays stays” kind of philosophy.

Bill dishes on why most businesses wait too long to act (once it’s six months ov...

In this episode, Butch Zemar chats with Virginia McGann of Integrated Back Office Solutions, who turns financial chaos into clear business roadmaps. She’s seen it all—QuickBooks files built during Super Bowl commercials, negative bank balances that somehow still cash checks, and owners calling “money in the account” a profit margin. It’s part detective work, part intervention, and entirely about helping business owners stop guessin...

Host Butch Zemar chats with Michael Kupchak—accountant, educator, fraud examiner, and youth sports coach—about a career path that runs from small family business to teaching at the University of Chicago. Michael shares how blending accounting with information sciences put him in the sweet spot for AI’s rise—not to replace humans, but to kill repetitive work so you can focus on the good stuff (like lunch).

He warns that in fraud, th...