Anything But Typical

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.

076: From College Tennis to Global Marketing with Jack Burke

Jack Burke is the CEO & Chief Visionary Officer at BRK Global Marketing. He’s been running the business for almost 32 years. In addition, Jack is the Founder and President of A Big Heart Foundation. Yet, it all started with a $3,000 limit Sears credit card. From his days playing Division 1 Tennis, Jack learned to keep a tight schedule, balance multiple responsibilities, and master his time management. Jack also posed the question: When you lose the first set, how do you walk of the court a winner?

Jack has taken this mentality to flourish in the world of business and entrepreneurship. Seeing his father be self employed, Burke began his entrepreneurial journey shoveling driveways, cutting lawns, and stringing tennis rackets as a kid. He began a t shirt company is college. Follow along this episode to hear the rest of his journey and share in the lessons he learned along the way.

075: Lifelong Entrepreneur & LinkedIn Influencer Steve Wohlenhaus

When Steve Wohlenhaus was in his early 20's, he started Weatherology. He has run the business for over 35 years. In this episode, Steve discusses working an unpaid internship for 2 years to learn from a mentor. He maintained his priorities and refused to give up his workouts, even when that meant 2:00AM wake ups to get a run in before working. 

Today, in addition to running the business, Steve is an author, speaker, podcast host, and LinkedIn influencer. He has shifted some of his time to help others find joy and fulfillment in their lives. Steve spends 6 hours a day on self care, reads 60-70 books each year, focuses on getting the greatest amount of life satisfaction.

Check out Steve's podcast, Anatomy of Success, on every podcast platform. Follow him on LinkedIn.

074: Quality Work, Community Impact, and Vision Boards with Jim & Sandy Forbes

Jim & Sandy Forbes, owners of Rinnovare Inc, have been running businesses since 1989. From trying to make a living with their first business to trying to make a positive impact today, the Forbes' entrepreneurial path is filled with stories and lessons.

Jim and Sandy discuss how they now use vision boards to increase their focus and accomplishments of their goals. They go into their differentiators and how they stand out in their industry. Sandy describes their process of disappearing for a few days at the end of the year to plan out the next. Jim shares some of their favorite business books, including The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek. 

Check out Rinnovare to learn more about how Jim & Sandy run their business.

073: Speaking & Connecting with Brian Parsley

Brian Parsley is a keynote speaker, Managing Partner of The Constance Group, and an Angel Investor. In our episode, we talk about how Brian figured out his first entrepreneurial endeavor in 5th grade. We discuss how speaking engagements and content have led to business. Brian shares how he struggles with and overcomes imposter syndrome.

This episode is the perfect example of how we all deal with similar hurdles throughout our business careers. Brian does a phenomenal job articulating these points and how they come up in his life.

Be sure to check out Brian's Site and find him on your favorite social media platform @BrianParsleySpeaker.

072:Creating Positive Impact Through Business with Liz Ward

How do you balance running a profitable business and impacting the world? Enter Liz Ward. Liz is the founder of Give Impact- an advisory services firm focused on affordable housing and upward mobility solutions. Companies have capital or resources and a desire to impact their communities. But nobody was out there to support or help them put those resources to good use. Liz and her team help businesses navigate the complexities of affordable housing to use those resources to support the communities these business owners are passionate about.

Liz talks about why she didn't go the nonprofit route. She shares how she's shaping working for give impact to be a journey and experience. We discuss putting up boundaries in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and not burn yourself out. And we go well into how business leaders can help change their cities or communities. This conversation will get you thinking about how you can use your lot in life to make positive changes around you.

Follow Liz on LinkedIn and check out Give Impact.

071: Networking & Mergers and Acquisitions with Torrey Wood

Torrey Wood, Founder & CEO of M&A Financing Services, finishes the podcast talking about making it easy to prioritize what's most important in your life. Whether it's family and faith in Torrey's case, or whatever it may be for you, prioritization is a key theme in this episode.

Torrey learned early on in his career not to listen to other people. He believed in his vision and set out to achieve it despite those doubting him. Part of how Torrey had success was through building an elite network. Yet, his style of networking isn't the transactional manner you associate with the word. Torrey Wood has build his network through authenticity, generosity, and providing value to others without expectation of reciprocity. 

Enjoy this episode to learn more about how you can do well while doing well for others. Connect with Torrey on LinkedIn and check out M&A Financing Services.