Anything But Typical

063: Navigating Commercial Real Estate with Jason Tuttle

Jason Tuttle had commercial real estate in his blood. Working for his father in the industry, Jason built up his knowledge and understanding. During the Great Recession, Tuttle's resiliency was tested. Yet, he came out the other side stronger than ever and prepared to build and grow his own firm.

In this episode, Jason shares some of the things he looks for when investing in commercial real estate. He talks about deal making, growing rapidly and aggressively, and continuing to move forward. Jason also shares how he navigates prioritizing things like family, health, and fitness with his business.

Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.

062: Building From The Ground Up with Jennifer Guthrie

Jennifer Guthrie, Founder and CEO of In-Flight Crew Connections, knew she wanted to be a business owner at 16. After trying her hand in multiple industries, she founded In-Flight. 

Jennifer shares with us how she got the business started and evolved from a regional corporate flight attendant service. We go into Jennifer's growth mindset and how she goes about thinking big. We discuss how they handled COVID, which dramatically impacted her business and industry.

In-Flight Crew Connections has also won Best of Staffing Client Satisfaction and Talent Satisfaction awards for 9 straight years. Jennifer shares how they maintain such high quality and with such consistency.

Check out In-Flight Crew Connections and connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

061: Biohacking and Solving The Problems of the Pandemic with Dr Mike Estramonte

Mike Estramonte started his first business at 14 when he and a buddy began painting barns in Upstate New York. Estramonte become a chiropractor and went into business. Today, Dr. Estramonte is the CEO of Starmount Healthcare, a healthcare management company supporting practices with services such as human resources, recruiting, accounting, and more.

In this episode, we talk about how Estramonte took a jackhammer to his garage floor and built a 6 foot deep cold plunge. We dive into what he is doing to maintain his health and biohacking through things like sauna and red light therapy.

When it comes to business, the story we discuss about how Starmount pivoted during the pandemic to be a major player in COVID testing is unbelievably impressive. Dr. Estramonte also shares how he hired 6 former Navy Seals to help with the organization, planning, and execution of testing throughout the state.

Be sure to connect with Dr. Estramonte on LinkedIn.

060: Creating Economies of Scale with Omar Jorge

Omar Jorge was born into a family of entrepreneurs with Dominican Republic roots who owned supermarkets in New York. He started actively working in the grocery stores in his early teens. He seemed destined to be in the family business.

But as he grew older, he thought the way he could best serve the family business & his community would be through law. So, he left the supermarket business at age 20 to go to law school & became an attorney.

Even in law school, his entrepreneurial DNA & love for the supermarket business couldn’t be suppressed. He was one of the first website developers for supermarkets in the late 1990s.

Little did he know that he’d leave his law practice at age 28, leave his community in New York, move to Charlotte, NC & serve a new community as Chairman of Aurora Grocery Group & CEO of Compare Foods Charlotte.

Omar created Aurora Grocery Group, a shared services company, to serve 25 supermarkets. The model Omar oversees with Aurora is to maximize the economies of scale by serving 25 locations instead of each business having to fend for themselves individually.

Be sure to check out Aurora and Compare in the links above, and connect with Omar on LinkedIn.

059: When Entrepreneurship Chooses You with Bethany Miller

Bethany Miller grew up around entrepreneurship. When she saw her father go through battles such as embezzlement and bankruptcy, she chose a safer path. But her passion for doing good for people shined the light on how she could run a business better than what her clients in the home care industry were currently getting. Today, she owns and runs Aroga Home Care Services.

Bethany is the epitome of strength and courage. She is completely transparent and vulnerable in this episode as she shares her own trials and tribulations. This is not an entrepreneurship through rose glasses episode. Bethany discusses how she battled cancer, loss, and multiple other hurdles while building her company. She talks about mentorship, peer groups, and how surrounding yourself with others will allow you to succeed.

Connect with Bethany on LinkedIn, check out Aroga Home Care, and follow Aroga on Instagram @aroga_care.

058: Think Big, Dream Big, Be Big with Christopher Dennis

Think big, dream big, be big. That is today’s guest’s motto. Many people go around life and can point out flaws or inequities. Few do something about it. Christopher Dennis is the Principal of E-Fix Development and E-Fix Housing Solutions. He’s also the Founder of the nonprofit Community Dream Builders. Dennis has been a long time community leader in revitalizing what used to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the Charlotte, NC area. He also has served for over 22 years in the Air Force National Guard.

Christopher Dennis is a lead by example individual. He goes way beyond talking about getting things done. If you want to learn from somebody who has created positive community impact while running successful businesses, this is the podcast for you.

Check out E-Fix Housing Solutions and E-Fix Development and follow Christopher on LinkedIn.

057: From Mortgages to Repossessions with Brent Hulderman

Brent Hulderman is the owner of Absolute Recovery and Pitbull Keys. But before Brent was in the repossession business, he was in the mortgage industry. And Brent experienced the brunt of the financial recession. You're faced with a crossroads in your life. How do you handle it? Brent was proactive and:

• Did some research on a recession-resistant industry (like vehicle repossession)
• Found someone who was in that business
• Joined them in their tow truck for some “ride-along” experiences
• Bought a tow truck – even though he'd never driven a tow truck before

Brent has come a long way since those early days in the cab when he darted in to pick up vehicles delinquent in their payments (while encountering substantial risk) and running his two businesses today. His journey is enlightening, insightful, & anything but typical. 

056: Selling Your Firm & Designing Your Life with Matt Andersen

After years of working for other CPAs, Matt Andersen chose to run his own CPA firm. He set out to create a lifestyle business where he could still enjoy things like time with his family and mountain biking. What transpired was very different. Years of stress passed by before Matt realized he was running a growth business; not a lifestyle company. 

Andersen made strategic moves, including getting rid of almost all individual clients to focus solely on businesses. He built a strong company with significant intrinsic value. But he also wasn't enjoying life the way he wanted. So when Anything But Typical's own Gary Frey had Matt complete something called the Thrive/Wither, Matt's eyes were opened and something clicked. Less than a year later, Matt chose to sell his firm to BGW CPA and join as a director in BGW.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn and check out what he's doing with BGW CPA.

055: Creating Your Ideal Life with Brian Koch

Brian Koch is a disruptor of ideas. His goal is to help you rethink things in your life. That could be fishing, work life balance, or anything else that is important in your life. Brian does this through how he leads his life.

Brian has been around hunting most of his life. In an experience he discusses during this episode, Brian grew a passion around educating others on hunting, specifically bird hunting. In order to truly feel like he was an outlier in the industry, Brian immersed himself in a 90 day hunting trip. He and his dogs hunted every single day over 7 states, no matter the weather or conditions. This has led to his adventure, experience, and bird hunting content company- Ultimate Upland.

Check out Ultimate Upland, subscribe to them on YouTube to see their latest season of Way Upland, and connect with Brian on LinkedIn.

054: Breaking Records and Dominating Industries with Russell Huntley

Russell Huntley chose to leave the family business to create his own. That decision has led to multiple companies: Caliber Construction, East Coast, Straightline Pumping, and Caliber Associates. Huntley has built his brands on the foundation of the highest quality work.

But Russell Huntley's path from starting his first business to today is riddled with great successes and impossible difficulties. Huntley comes onto Anything But Typical completely transparent and vulnerable. 

Enjoy learning lessons that go beyond business and hear how Huntley won a brick laying record.

Reach out to Russell at RHuntley@caliber-co.com or check out their Web site.