Small Biz Gone Viral

April 20, 2021 Amani Roberts is a DJ, music producer, professor and author based in Los Angeles, California. A veteran of the hospitality industry with over 20 years at the Mariott before switching to full time DJ, Amani offers a unique combination of music expertise, teaching prowess and business knowledge - basically the perfect podcast guest. His company The Amani Experience takes clients on a music journey at every kind of even...

April 13, 2021 Today’s guest is Rachel Bernier-Green, founder of Laine’s Bakeshop - a Chicago social enterprise baked goods manufacturing company committed to catalyzing wealth in the south and west side communities in Chicago. We will talk about the importance of using a company to serve humans, scaling the company to create ownership opportunities and generational wealth for Laine’s Bakeshop employees, and hiring from chronically...

April 6, 2021 My guest today is  your Chief Inspiration Officer, Craig Henderson. He is the epitome of bringing ideas and inspiration to not only the youth but adults alike. As a native of Brooklyn NY, currently residing in Atlanta, he has taken his decades of graphic design, magic and art experience meshed with his entrepreneurial expertise to build multiple businesses and teach younger generations the way of Ibii. Before you list...

March 30, 2021 Today's guest is Shane Shadeé companies Nosh Mrkt and Le Snack Pak are reinventing the hotel minibar and turning it into a delicious, fresh & affordable snack experience. After traveling to over 500 farmers markets in search of new to market tasty treats, Shane's mission is to introduce the world to the best snacks you have never had or heard of, support small businesses and turn the outdated minibar model into a far...

March 23, 2021 Today’s guest is Albert Chen - who pivoted from a blockchain moonshot to one of the world’s preeminent makers of high end, stylish face masks. Albert Chen has 10+ years of experience in both the digital and physical space, having founded several e-commerce and blockchain startups since 2011. He co-founded MaskLab in March 2020, synergizing a decade of experience in manufacturing, software development and digital mark...

March 16, 2021 Imagine going through the whole process of quitting your job, taking classes, getting credentialed, inventing skincare products, finding a retail space, and finally hosting your grand opening, only to 1 week later have a national emergency declared. That was the first year in business for Lea Iafornaro - a holistic esthetician, raki practitioner and the founder of Suga Skincare, a skincare and waxing spa. Besides the...

March 9, 2021 This may sound familiar, but Jordan Buckner has two businesses and a podcast. Jordan first co-founded TeaSquares, a line of superfood energy bars designed to help people stay focused and alert so they could achieve their passions. In the midst of the pandemic Jordan took his years of experience in the natural food business and created Foodbevy.com to create a pipeline for Food and Beverage companies to grow from start...

March 2, 2021 Audrey Holst founded Fortitude and Flow to help people reform their perfectionism so they can reclaim their agency and put their full energy into what really matters. Her work uses a combination of mindfulness and neuroscience tools and combines over a decade of experience teaching yoga with deep knowledge of the nervous system and extensive training and work as a Certified Professional Coach. Through her Fortitude & ...

February 23, 2021 Sent home from his junior year at Brown University to finish the semester online, Aidan Reilly and some friends started a project to connect farms with excess produce to food bank. That small group of undergrads have since built Farmlink Project into an overnight non-profit sensation, raising more than $5 million, partnering with Chipotle, arranging delivery of over 25 million pounds of produce, and organizing 500...

February 16, 2021 Originally from Dubai, Aman Ailani came to Boston in 2016 where he studied Entrepreneurship at Bentley College. At just 21 years old Aman founded SAH.OL Cold Brew during the Spring semester of his Senior Year and launched it in retail in the Summer of 2020.

Aman actually produced his company’s very first production run of canned cold brew coffee on the date the national emergency was declared, all while a senior i...

February 9, 2021 Growing up in northern California, dreaming of having a bakery by the beach, Crystal White got her first job in a bakery when she was just 15. After honing her skills for nearly 2 decades in bakeries up and down the state, she finally took the plunge and chose San Diego as the place to open her very own, long dreamt of bakery. Just a few years in, Wayfarer Bread has won national acclaim and an extremely loyal follo...

February 2, 2021 This week's guest is Gary Kramer, the artistic director of National Comedy Theatre, which has performed continually in San Diego for over 20 years. They are the longest running show in the history of the city, with over 6000 performances to date. Gary is also the Executive Director of Unscripted Learning, a non-profit which uses improvised theatre to work with students on the autism spectrum. Recently, Gary was the...

January 26, 2021 My guest today is Genevieve Liston whose LinkedIn reads Head of Partnerships, Head of Partnerships, and Head of Partnerships so it’s no surprise that what came next was Founder and CEO of Extra, a company built on, you guessed it,  partnerships! Genevieve launched Extra in Australia in 2018 and moved it to the US in 2019, finding innovative ways to deliver premium brands to short term rentals, hotels and apartments...

January 19, 2021 The Guest de Jour is Elisabeth Edelman. She founded her boutique public relations company Golden Word with a vision for creating a powerhouse little agency that chases doing good work with good people - and that it could be fun for both client and team. Founded in 2016, Golden Word is a PR and communications consulting firm based in Richmond, VA, focused on brands they believe in, across industry and stage. They ma...

January 12, 2021 With a background in mechanical and aerospace engineering, guest Andrew Lees currently runs 2 businesses AND a podcast. His first business child is Grass Racks is the maker of high end, strong, easy to install gear racks made from bamboo. The second is Stoke Ventures, a product development and strategy launch business. He helps clients bring their ideas to life and also plan for a successful launch, providing in-de...

January 5, 2021 Dr. Steve Yacovelli is an expert in diversity and inclusion, change management, and leadership. His consulting firm, TopDog Learning Group, works with both Fortune 500s and not-for-profit organizations to bring about a more inclusive and effective workplace. An award-winning author, speaker, and catalyst, Steve and his pack of TopDoggers’ not-so-hidden agenda is to make the world a bit more inclusive for us all.

Gue...

December 29, 2020 Cynthia Ajani and her daughter Khea Pollard are purpose-driven entrepreneurs and founders of Cafe X: By Any Beans Necessary. Their mission is to build a sacred space that nurtures Black cultural heritage in San Diego while creating generational wealth for its members and surrounding community. Blending advocacy with organizational precision, Café X is connecting people throughout the San Diego region, developing a...

December 22, 2020 This episode's guest is  Jessica Bell - a purpose-driven entrepreneur and founder of reVessel - a next gen food storage brand that has been likened to the Tesla of food transport. reVessel advances safe, reusable and intelligent food storage designs for conscious people who are on the go so they can pack and preserve their favorite food to take anywhere life takes them without dependence on plastic packaging and f...

December 15, 2020 After graduating from UC San Diego 1984, Greg Scherman was hired straight into the world of oil and gas.  He went on to found The Scherman Energy Group in 1995 - becoming a self-employed consultant to the oil industry, focused primarily in Oklahoma, making the regular commute from San Diego.  15 years ago Greg started a non-profit 501c3, Access Youth Academy, helping underserved kids in San Diego.  When oil prices...