Anything But Typical

086: Donating 10 Million Shoes with Manny Ohonme

Manny Ohonme never wore a pair of shoes for the first 9 years of his life. When missionaries visited his village in Nigeria, they held a basketball shooting contest. The winner would receive a pair of sneakers. Manny won that competition, becoming the first person in his village to own a pair of shoes. More importantly, he was set on a path that would impact millions of lives.

Ohonme was offered 5 basketball scholarships, eventually accepting a scholarship to the University of North Dakota. When he went back to Africa and saw kids playing basketball in bare feet, he knew he had to make a difference.

In this episode, we go through the incredible story of how Manny Ohonme went from the 9 year old winning his first pair of shoes, to the man running Samaritan's Feet and approaching his 10 millionth pair of shoes donated.

Follow Manny on LinkedIn and check out Samaritan's Feet.

085: Writing Books, Speaking, and Helping Businesses Grow with Sherre’ DeMao

Author of 50 Marketing Secrets of Growth Companies in Down Economic Times, and Me, Myself, & Inc., Sherre' DeMao has a plethora of writing experience. In between, Sherre' fixes businesses with her free time. DeMao is the Founder and CEO of BizGrowth. She has also been a fractional COO and CMO for multiple businesses.

In this episode, Sherre' gets very tactical for us around creating strategies for clients. She shares some of the biggest mistakes she's seen. We discuss how she pulls ideas and visions out of business leaders.

DeMao also has a component of giving in every business plan she does with her clients. We talk about why that is so important, and how giving can also be an excellent business strategy. Be sure to check out BizGrowth and learn about Sherre' as an author and speaker on Her Site.

084: Growing Your Sales with Jim Dunn

Steered by faith and authenticity, Jim Dunn has been helping businesses grow for many years. After running his own Sandler Sales Franchise, Jim is now the Director of BGW Growth Services. A common hurdle Jim has faced when working with business owners is their fear of failure. “You cannot grow unless you’re willing to fail.” In this episode, Jim shares how he gets leaders out of their comfort zones and out of their own ways.

Jim began his entrepreneurial ways in a way you see in movies or read about in books. Jim sold lemonade and cut yards. He learned how to save money early. He studied vocabulary cassettes to improve how he communicated. The self development has yet to stop for Jim Dunn.

In this episode, not only will you learn through Jim’s experience. You will also hear Jim discuss specific strategies and tactics he uses with business leaders like yourself.

083: Problem Solving Liberian Adoption to Accidental Entrepreneur, Angel Rutledge

Angel Rutledge was an educator. Her first career choice, teaching 7th graders, was the path Angel envisioned for herself. Through a passion of adoption, Angel and her husband, Dan, adopted two kids from Liberia. Along that journey were many other families trying to do the same thing. The problem was, it was unorganized chaos. Angel and Dan solved their own problem, and the problems of many hopeful families. 

This experience led to software solution company SignUpGenius. Angel discusses her transition into entrepreneurship, her experience exiting SignUpGenius, her multitude of advisory and board experience, and her Angel Investing experience. We also discuss Angel's most recent venture, Meetify. 

Check out Meetify and be sure to follow and connect with Angel on LinkedIn.

082: Pouring Into Your People with Phillip Lanier

Phillip Lanier didn't realize he even started a business until years in. This accidental entrepreneurship journey almost came with an early exit. Lanier wasn't enjoying the business and was thinking about a way to sell. Instead, with business coaching and a voracious appetite for personal development, Phillip Lanier built a company that he loved working in. The renewed passion led to significant business growth. So when Lanier did sell the business, it was in a completely different mindset. Enjoy this story and the lessons Phillip learned along the way.

081: Branding & Merchandise For Your Business with Scott Dunstan

Scott Dunstan, Owner & President at The Dunstan Group, has helped businesses utilize custom apparel and promotional merchandise to build their brands for years. So it may come as no surprise that when they started a podcast they named it the Brand Builders Podcast.

Scott talks with us about how they go about understanding their audience. Figuring out budgets and goals of companies, then executing branding plans to accomplish those goals. Dunstan takes us into his mindset and shares how he tries to personify honesty and doing good for the community. Scott also discusses how they've used the podcast to add more value, engage more with clients and community, and build their own brand.

Be sure to follow Brand Builders Podcast, check out The Dunstan Group, and connect with Scott on LinkedIn.

080: Coffee Shop For Beer Drinkers with Ketan Patel

Ketan Patel was exposed to business ownership helping out his parents as a kid in their business. Today he owns and runs Pop the Top Craft Beer Shop. Ketan took a year and a half to put together a business plan. He factored in what he was passionate about and what he wanted in his life. Ketan discusses how he gets out of his bubble to gain perspective. He shares what it was like going back to 80+ hour weeks during the Covid pandemic. We also get into future growth and expansion.

Ketan and Kathy have created an environment in Pop the Top where people can come, hang out with a group of friends or hold a business meeting, and enjoy a craft beer. Then be sure to take home your favorite hard kombucha or cider from their market section. Check out Pop the Top.

079: Mike & Cindy Praeger Running Businesses Synchronously

Mike & Cindy Praeger sold their first business together in their 20s. They looked at this sale not as a finale, but as a building block. Cindy learned that is was her job to find people's super powers and bring the right people into a company. One of Mike's takeaways was "Everybody tries to boil the ocean right at the beginning." Instead, Mike said, we must solve a narrow pain point.

Mike went on to co-found Avid XChange, which he has since taken public and remains Chairman and CEO. Cindy co-founded and is Managing Partner at Rhythm Systems, where she helps CEOs and their companies achieve their strategic goals. This episode is filled with advice and lessons from both of their journeys.

Follow Mike on Instagram @MikePraeger, and connect with him on LinkedIn. Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn, and check out Rhythm Systems.

078: Learning From Investment Banking to Acquire and Operate Businesses

Matt Pozda and Mike Meyer met in the corporate world doing investment banking. With consistency and purpose, the two created MM Capital. Today they acquire, operate, and grow businesses. In this episode, we talk about how they choose businesses to acquire. We discuss the qualitative aspects that make a company or industry attractive. And we dive into how they balance running a business together while getting their time with families. Check out MM Capital and connect with Matt and Mike on LinkedIn.

077: Pivoting When The Uncontrollable Happens with Helen Edwards

"It was like going 200 miles per hour and somebody pulling the emergency brake and spinning out for months." That was Helen Edwards description of Covid-19 hitting. The pandemic hurt many businesses. But when you own and run an event planning company, business screeched to a halt. In this episode, Helen describes how they responded to the pandemic. Spark By Design was able to adapt so well, they did as much revenue in 2021 as they had in 2019.

Want to know how a company can lose all of its revenue in 2 months and bounce back stronger than ever? Then this is the episode for you. Check out Spark By Design and connect with Helen on LinkedIn.