AmiSights: Financing the Future For Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Katrina Romatowski joins Ami Kassar and Lynn Ozer to talk about reSpace, her company making single family home ownership possible for about the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment. She explains how fractional co-living ownership works, why the listing service in her market won't touch her properties, and why retirees may be her biggest market. It's a sharp look at the housing affordability crisis and one entrepreneur's plan to fix it.

"What reSpace does is we say, 'Hey, people are living this way. Now everybody gets a piece of the economic benefit. Everybody gets a piece of the pie.'"

Today's episode covers how Katrina went from selling candy in middle school to building a real estate brokerage and a nonprofit, how the reSpace model gives co-living residents real ownership instead of rent, how financing, house rules, disputes, and resale work when you share a home, why the Northwest Multiple Listing Service won't list her properties and how she's going direct to buyers instead, why retirees who want to live with lifelong friends may be her strongest market, and her plan to expand up and down the West Coast in 2027.

Connect with Katrina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinaeileen/

Learn more about reSpace: https://www.respace.co/

Recorded on 7/2/26

On this episode of AmiSights, my co-host Lynn Ozer and I welcome three guests from the first ever myEO Grit Unconference: Lauren Banyar Reich, Rachel Costello, and Tiffany Meyer.

All three attended the event in Banning Mills, Georgia, where roughly sixty EO and EOA members built their own agenda, slept in treehouses, and learned from each other with no formal speakers and no cell service. Lauren, Rachel, and Tiffany share what drew them to the Unconference, the moments that stuck with them most, and how the community they built there has continued to shape their businesses and lives since. It is a candid conversation about what happens when entrepreneurs are given space, and nowhere to run to.

"I too will survive and figure it out. And I have this amazing community of resources and people and knowledge and information right at my fingertips." — Lauren Banyar Reich

Today's episode covers what the myEO Grit Unconference is and how it differs from a typical conference. We also discuss why removing Wi-Fi, agendas, and easy escape routes created deeper connection, and how grit circles help entrepreneurs support each other through real struggles. We get into the unexpected topics that came up, from AI to personal branding to divorce, and how the relationships built at the Unconference have continued to grow since.

Want in on the next one? The myEO Grit Unconference returns December 8-11 in Banning Mills, Georgia. Click here to learn more!

Connect with Lauren Banyar Reich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lbrpr/

Connect with Rachel Costello: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelacostello/

Connect with Tiffany Meyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-meyer-37154b39/

Recorded on 8/20/26

On this episode of AmiSights, host Ami Kassar and co-host Lynn Ozer talk with Christopher Thierry, CEO of LiquidDocs. Chris shares his path from a 21 year old web developer during the early dot com days to founder of Simple, a telecom expense management company he built and sold in August 2019. He talks candidly about missing his first fundraise, pivoting through two recessions, and the emotional toll of handing his company off to new owners. The conversation turns to what Chris is building now, including LiquidDocs and LensPlus, and why he believes AI has leveled the playing field for entrepreneurs willing to put in the work.

"When you don't raise the money you think you're going to raise, it forces a lot of things on you. You realize you can't just rely on optimism — you have to go out, sell, and make the business real."

Tune in as Chris shares how he pivoted from a missed fundraise into a bootstrapped web consulting business. He also talks about building and selling Simple, his telecom expense management company, in August 2019.

Recorded on 6/26/26

On this episode of AmiSights, host Ami Kassar and co-host Lynn Ozer talk with Christopher Thierry, CEO of LiquidDocs. Chris shares his path from a 21 year old web developer during the early dot com days to founder of Cimpl, a telecom expense management company he built and sold in August 2019. He talks candidly about missing his first fundraise, pivoting through two recessions, and the emotional toll of handing his company off to new owners. The conversation turns to what Chris is building now, including LiquidDocs and LensPlus, and why he believes AI has leveled the playing field for entrepreneurs willing to put in the work.

"When you don't raise the money you think you're going to raise, it forces a lot of things on you. You realize you can't just rely on optimism — you have to go out, sell, and make the business real."

Tune in as Chris shares how he pivoted from a missed fundraise into a bootstrapped web consulting business. He also talks about building and selling Simple, his telecom expense management company, in August 2019.

Recorded on 6/26/26

Ami Kassar and Lynn Ozer welcome Ulyanna Chung to AmiSights. Ulyanna owns franchise insurance agencies out of Las Vegas, Nevada, serving clients across five states. Before insurance, she spent six years in federal law enforcement, including two years as an air marshal, where she met her husband. Twenty-three years and a seven-year run in EO later, Ulyanna opens up about building her agency, preparing for AI to disrupt her industry, and what she's learned about success now that her sons are grown.

"I would do one bit of wisdom: just love yourself. Do what's in your heart. If your heart is calling you to rule the world, then you do it — you do what you are meant to do on this earth, but make sure that's what you truly want and what's in your heart."

Today's Episode Covers

• Going from federal air marshal to insurance agency owner

• Why AI is set to automate personal lines insurance, and how Ulyanna is pivoting toward commercial and financial services

• Redefining success and identity as an entrepreneur heading into a new life stage

Recorded on 6/16/26

In this week's edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we have James Perly joining Ami and Lynn for a wide-ranging conversation about entrepreneurship, resilience, and the lessons that come from building — and rebuilding — a business from the ground up. James grew up in a third-generation family map-making business in Toronto, one so well known that customers would ask for "a Pearly" instead of a map book by name. When his father passed away suddenly, James took over the company at just 21 years old, inheriting a business with debt nearly equal to its revenue and years of unresolved litigation.

"The most valuable business skills are often the ones least taught in traditional education — like resilience, improvisation, and the ability to navigate ambiguity."

The conversation covers three main threads: James's six-year restructuring of his family's map business and the eventual sale that gave him a fresh start; his pivot into building a company that helps Canadian tech firms secure government grants and tax credits, giving him a unique, decades-long view into what actually separates innovative businesses from the rest; and his candid reflections on navigating an extremely difficult personal chapter over the last several years, including a serious health crisis, and what he's learned about identity, resilience, and starting over. Along the way, James shares some of his favorite contrarian business insights, including a fascinating story about Warren Buffett and an unconventional business leader he once called irreplaceable.

Recorded on 6/9/26

In this episode of the AmiSights Podcast, we are joined by Fran Miller, Senior Director of Business Financing at MultiFunding, and Dr. David Brunick, Founder and CEO of Ellie Mental Health.

"I wanted to build a culture where therapists could thrive and feel very supported, and hire therapists that want to be in community with other therapists and have that kind of support and safety net behind them as they practice."

The three main points of this episode are how Dr. David Brunick built a mission-driven business focused on expanding access to quality mental health care, how strategic SBA financing through MultiFunding helped accelerate the growth of Ellie Mental Health, and the leadership lessons he learned about scaling a business, building exceptional teams, managing financial challenges, and balancing purpose with profitability.

In this edition of the AmiSights Podcast, we have on Pramod Raheja, CEO of Airgility.

Pramod's journey is a wild ride, from aerospace engineering to running a cutting edge drone company, navigating government contracts, and flying private jets.

His story of resilience, innovation, and juggling multiple passions is exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes moment that makes a trailer clip perform, because it creates instant curiosity and promises a bigger story.

"The best entrepreneurs don't cling to the first version of the idea. They adapt when the market sends a different signal. That flexibility is often what turns a good concept into a real business."

This episode is about Pramod's dual identity as both a technical expert and an entrepreneur. It also explores how advanced technology still needs strong market fit to succeed. A third major theme is how he uses blue ocean thinking to find untapped opportunities.

Connect with Pramod: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pramodraheja/

Check out Airgility: https://www.airgility.co/

Recorded on 5/28/26

In this special edition of the AmiSights Podcast, Francis Miller joins Lynn Ozer and I for a conversation with his client, Jack Korbutov, founder of The Art of Medicine.

From losing 90% of his company's revenue overnight when insurance companies stopped covering compounded medications, to rebuilding from the ground up, earning licenses in all 50 states, and expanding into a 9,000-square-foot facility, Jack's entrepreneurial journey is a powerful lesson in resilience, adaptability, and vision.

You'll hear how Jack navigated business setbacks, leveraged story-driven sales to educate physicians, embraced leadership systems to scale his company, and turned regulatory challenges into growth opportunities. Francis Miller also shares how helping lenders understand Jack's story and future vision was critical in securing the SBA financing needed for the company's next phase of expansion.

This episode is packed with insights for entrepreneurs, business owners, and anyone facing the challenge of building something meaningful through uncertainty.

Recorded on 4/21/26

In this episode of the AmiSights Podcast, we interview Anthony Trucks. He is a coach, motivational speaker, author, former NFL player, and CEO of Dark Work and Identity Shift. During the conversation, he shares how he overcame significant challenges in his life and transformed them into opportunities for growth and success.

"Your business should be boring. We do this, attract this. It's boring, but here's the thing: that boringness gets me into exciting rooms, on exciting stages, and exciting conversations. But if I didn't have the reliability and consistency of this machine running, there's no excitement later, just frustration."

In this episode, Anthony dives into his journey from foster care to the NFL, discusses how he rebuilt his life after career-ending injuries, and shares his insights on systemizing success in business.

Recorded on 3/27/26