Anything But Typical

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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. 

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.

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.

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 [email protected] or check out their Web site.

Mary Dawn & Joe Hewitt grew close hang gliding during their early dating years. They've been experiencing high flying success ever since.

Both Mary Dawn and Joe had successful careers in corporate America. Joe broke out and got into entrepreneurship first, while Mary Dawn was the COO for a global corporation. They've since come together to create a company together. Groupeasy is a tech platform solving the issues related to running and organizing groups. 

In this conversation, we cover philosophy, outsourcing responsibilities in a tech firm, solving your own problems, working together in a partnership, and much more!

Check out Groupeasy and connect with Mary Dawn and Joe on LinkedIn.

Tanner Fritz and his partners each brought their unique backgrounds together to create Anduin, an artificial intelligence for billing. Started in the middle of the COVID lockdown in the United States, it was time for Tanner to change from employee to entrepreneur.

In this conversation, Tanner discusses how his career in college basketball at Florida Gulf Coast has carried into running a startup. He also discusses the juggling of his priorities; including 3 kids, a family, basketball, fly fishing, church, and more. We go through the rapid growth of his company and discuss strategies inside the business.

Check out Anduin and connect with Tanner on LinkedIn.

Casey Catoe knew it was time for him to stop working for others and create his own business. Nicole took the $700 worth of coins they collected in their 5 gallon water jug to the bank and opened a business account. They mapped out all of their finances and bills to give them the runway they needed for the company to succeed. From this, Carolina Civil was born.

Today they husband/wife duo run an extremely successful civil construction company. On top of that, they have a farm of miniature animals. Listen to their story about prioritizing what was most important to them, finding their passion, and positively impacting the world.

Check out carolinacivil.com and connect with Casey on LinkedIn.