Ask Brien Show

By Peter Bronstein and Traci DeForgeBusiness Entrepreneurship Management

Ask Brien Show episodes

October 13, 2023From Food Truck to Store Shelves – Chef Julius West’s Journey with Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce
On this episode we were joined by Chef Julius West, the owner of Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce. Chef Julius discussed how he went from owning a food truck to expanding and selling their products in stores and online. His business transformed during COVID, when he had to pivot due to the risk of being a food truck became too high. He talks about how they’ve been able to get their food into the hands of customers as well as expandinging into stores. Tune in to this episode if you are interested in the restaurant industry or are looking to bring a food or beverage item to market.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[5:21] What is Sarge’s Shrimp and Grits Sauce and what did Julius West do prior to starting it?
[11:29] How did experience as an entrepreneur help Julius keep moving forward with his business?
[14:15] What was their first minimum order?
[15:34] What made Sarge’s Shrimp and Grit decide to sell online and not focus on local stores?
[18:03] Julius discusses the basics about the sauce.
[19:41] How did they get the product into the hands of buyers?
[22:18] Was a food truck a good way to get into the industry?
[25:50] What is their expansion plan?
[29:55] How does it work for products to get into stores for sampling?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
If you are interested in getting into the restaurant industry, a food truck can be a great option that gets your name out there, allows you to travel around, and it gives you the capability of getting started with less of a financial outlay.
To get your product out there, you can connect with speciality food associations. They help you get samples out and they offer trade shows so you can get your product in the hands of others. This can also allow for sponsors or investors!
A lot of entrepreneurship is trial and error. Determining what the market is wanting, try out your solution and then adjust per the feedback you get.

BIO:
Chef Julius West’s love of food developed as a child traveling the U.S. as the son of an Air Force Sergeant. While his dad was serving, Julius spent hours in the kitchen with his mom where she taught him that thoughtfully preparing traditional, homestyle dishes is a way to show others care and respect.
This inspired Julius to open his food truck in 2012 where his delicious shrimp & grits quickly became the most popular dish on the menu. Julius has now decided to bottle this fan favorite to make it easy for anyone to enjoy this delicious, time-honored regional favorite at home.
LINKS MENTIONED:
Easy Shrimp and Grits Website
32 min
October 06, 2023Understanding SEO with Isaac Rau from Proactive SEO Solutions
Today we are talking to Isaac Rau from Proactive SEO Solutions. Isaac walks us through what SEO is and why it is vital to the success of your business. Although SEO can seem like an easy few steps like finding the right keyword, there is actually a lot more to it. Understanding how your website ranks, getting backlinks, improving the content you have on your website are all key to achieving SEO success. Tune in to this episode to understand where to start, even if you don’t have a large enough budget to hire an SEO company. Isaac provides some really great tips.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[6:58] Isaac describes his background and how he got started in the digital world.
[11:16] What is SEO (search engine optimization)?
[12:54] Does SEO include Google Maps and how does that help if you are an online business?
[14:32] What do people need to know about SEO?
[16:53] What would cause you to get black listed?
[17:45] How do you get your site to rank? Why do you need a backlink to rank?
[22:41] What is high level and low level PR?
[23:58] How do you stay at a high level?
[24:54] What type of content best impacts your ranking?
[30:30] What is an affordable option that someone can do to boost their ranking without hiring an SEO company right away?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
SEO (search engine optimization) is how your business or website shows up in Google or other search engines. There are critical pieces to add into your website to have it rank on the first page of Google.
Some great ways to uplevel your SEO is to utilize news resources or other local media. If a magazine publishes something about your business it will generally push up the searches and keep your page more popular. When preparing for this type of content to go live, make sure that your website is up to date and ready for new eyes on your business.
Site speed is a huge piece of getting people to stay on your website. If it takes 15 seconds for your page to load, you’ve likely lost your audience. Check to make sure that your content looks the same on a computer and on a phone.
Spending money on ads doesn’t necessarily mean that your page will rank. If you aren’t having luck with your ads, check your pages speed, look to make sure your page isn’t blacklisted, and make small tweaks to see what changes make a difference in clicks.

BIO:
Proactive SEO Solutions is a premier, boutique digital marketing firm nestled right in the juncture between Los Angeles and Orange County. We design, develop, and deliver results-oriented search engine optimization, PPC marketing, and bring innovative advertising strategies that keep our clients forging ahead and future-relevant.
Though we host scores of local clients, we’re also able to command a national and global presence, serving both domestic and international companies, practices, individuals, and brands.
SEO and Pay-per-click advertising on Google, when utilized correctly, will help boost your online marketing campaigns — both are important components of driving organic SEO. We’ll find innovative and effective ways to guide desirable clients to your website to take advantage of your services. We’ll strategically choose the precise keywords for your business, maintaining your search engine relevance.
We know that people are only getting more and more options, which is why we use marketing best practices to build loyal audiences based on providing real value. In this industry, you’re either selling snake oil, or you’re offering something worthy. Proactive SEO Solutions remains a boutique, minority women-owned marketing firm, and we’re able to give you the intimate, personalized attention that you need in order to see swift results.
In short, we take your brand to the next level — no matter where you’re at currently. Even though our specialties lie in highly technical online solutions, we never lose sight of the human element in what we do. We’re in the business of building partnerships with a long-term lean. We know that by committing ourselves to YOUR success we will always be successful in our endeavors.

LINKS MENTIONED:
Proactive SEO Solutions
33 min
September 29, 2023Mastering the Art of Starting a New Company with Peter Bronstein & Traci DeForge
Today we are walking through the process of starting a brand new company. Many people not only create a new business as a full time journey, but there has also been a lot of growth in creating a side business to bring in additional income. We walk through how to open a business, setting up a website, allocating your money, as well as driving traffic to your new business. There are some great tips in this episode for driving your ideal client and audience to your social media accounts and website, as well as why it is important to get your name out there. Tune in today as we walk through the high level steps of opening a new business, and keep listening to the next few episodes as we dive deeper into each topic!

IN THIS EPISODE:
[7:41] How we would walk through creating a new company.
[13:00] What are the next steps after you have your corporation created?
[14:58] How do you set up a website?
[18:43] How do you determine where to spend your budget?
[20:47] How can you collect money on your website for your business?
[22:20] How do you drive an audience to your site?
[26:05] How can podcasting help with your business and how do you create one?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Once you’ve created your new company, you’ll want to buy your domain name, check for trademarks, and create social media handles.
To take in money you will need a merchant account (such as Stripe or Square). Those will charge anywhere from 2.5-4% for a general business, if you have bad credit or you are in a high risk business, you’ll likely be charged a higher rate, sometimes up to 10-12%.
Even if you aren’t going to utilize all the social media channels, still set up an account with your name so it is reserved for future use and it starts to establish the history for a business. You don’t want to have different names for your company across different platforms.

LINKS MENTIONED:
Legal Stepz Website
31 min
September 23, 2023Navigating the Legal Landscape and Setting Up Your Business with Bill Saller of Legal Stepz
Today we have Bill Saller, the COO of Legal Stepz on the show. Bill talks about the importance of setting up a business correctly and how Legal Stepz can help entrepreneurs do so. He describes how business has changed in the 30 years since he got started in his career, and the best ways to market your business now. Bill also compares Legal Stepz to Legal Zoom and other websites out there that help set up businesses, while explaining the benefits of going with Legal Stepz. Tune in to learn why you should use their site and how they are growing in the future.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[6:40] Bill Saller introduces how he got started in his career.
[10:08] How has the business world changed in regards to marketing and running a business since 30 years ago?
[12:22] Should businesses be grown organically or should owners pay for marketing and promotion?
[15:41] What is Legal Stepz?
[16:47] What’s special about Legal Stepz?
[17:37] What was the toughest challenge in starting Legal Stepz?
[19:05] What’s the difference between Legal Stepz and Legal Zoom?
[26:01] Who is creating the Legal Stepz videos?
[27:04] Where do they expect to be in 5 years?
[31:50] What all is included in the video?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Legal Stepz walks anyone through how to start a business via a video. It is a one stop shop where you can get your trademarks, a calendar to show you what you should do and when. Legal Stepz is a one time fee and really empowers business owners to set their company up themselves.
The capital that you have in your company is absolutely crucial and you need to be using that very wisely in it and for things that will move the company forward. Legal Stepz is a great way to save your money while taking all the correct steps to get your business up and running.
You can find videos on how to set up a business on YouTube, or just walk through on a website, but Legal Stepz helps you determine meeting minutes, what type of business to set up, trademarking information, a compliance calendar, and more!

LINKS:
Legal Stepz
35 min
September 21, 2023The Journey of BioLift and the Entrepreneur Behind the Coffee Alternative with Eli Faraggi, CEO of BioLift
Today we have found and CEO of BioLift, Eli Faraggi on the episode. Eli is in the food technology field and created an ingredient that is an alternative to coffee. This ingredient can go in food and drinks, and is natural and healthy for the body. He talks with us about how he transformed his idea into a profitable business creating success after years of trying different avenues. Eli discusses the challenge of bringing a product to market in the United States while living in Israel. Tune in for some great information and to hear an entrepreneur full of tenacity.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[4:40] Eli tells us about what he did before creating BioLift and how it came to be.
[5:26] What is food technology?
[9:15] How did Eli get from understanding the research to starting a business?
[15:18] What is the ingredient that provides energy in his products?
[17:34] How did Eli transform his idea into a profitable business/product?
[22:02] Who does the distribution in the United States for BioLift?
[23:33] Why has created the success for BioLift?
[25:32] How do they produce the BioLift?
[26:30] Where can people buy BioLift?
[28:20] How was Eli able to fund his business across 13 years before producing a successful product?
[29:26] How will BioLift grow in the future?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
It may appear that businesses come up as overnight successes, but the truth is there is a lot of work that is happening prior to a business being launched such as testing the product, market research, patents, along with the possibility of failed businesses that are then re-vamped and become successful.
Eli knew he had something special, it was just figuring out the best way to get it into a product and in the hands of customers. He spent 13 years perfecting the ingredient that goes into BioLift.
Finding a gap isn’t enough to start a business, especially something like a beverage. You have to make sure it tastes good, speaks to your market, the price has to be affordable to your ideal client, as well as protecting your product legally so competitors won’t take it.

BIO:
Eli is an award-winning entrepreneur who specializes in food technology. He taps 11 years of experience in the global beverage industry to help steer BioLift toward success. Eli‘s passion for creating relevant consumer packaged goods, especially beverages, eventually led to a partnership with the Shiff Group’s investment arm, to develop new products. Eli learned about the Post Lunch Dip (P.L.D.) biological slump, which was costing the work industry in the United States billions of dollars. He began working with a leading scientist in the field of Chronobiology to explore the effect and possible solutions. In 2008, Eli founded InnoBev, a company dedicated to the study and development of functional beverages, with its main focus on using reversible science to find a solution for P.L.D. The results: the successful WakeUp formula and finally, BioLift, the delicious beverage developed to bring WakeUp’s effects to the public.
LINKS MENTIONED:
BioLift Website
32 min
September 15, 2023The Heart Behind Her Brand’s Success with Jai-Leta Colvard, Founder and CEO of Just Jai Wear
In this episode of the Ask Brien podcast, we sit down with entrepreneur Jai-Leta Colvard. We discuss her journey from starting a fitness apparel line, Just Jai Wear, to securing partnerships with major retailers. Jai also shares her experiences in dealing with personal challenges and how she established a non-profit organization to support mental health. The episode covers various aspects of entrepreneurship, including the importance of education, the role of networking, and the significance of protecting one’s brand through trademarking.

Timestamps:
[8:06]: Jai-Leta introduces herself, her fitness apparel line, and her day job in cybersecurity.
[12:43]: Motivations for supporting breast cancer survivors through her business and discusses her personal experience with mental health.
[17:57]: The growth of her fitness apparel line, her expansion into golf and tennis products, and partnerships with major retailers.
[23:41]: The hosts inquire about the impact of Jai-Leta’s MBA on her entrepreneurial journey and how it influenced her leadership and financial management skills.
[27:29]: Jai-Leta offers advice to young girls looking to become entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of passion, planning, and understanding their target audience.
[35:13]: The discussion touches on creating a customer avatar and setting pricing strategies for products based on factors such as quality, style, and profit margin.

Key Takeaways:
Jai’s fitness apparel line, Just Jai Wear, supports breast cancer survivors and promotes mental health awareness.
Young female entrepreneurs should follow their passions, create a business plan, and understand their target audience.
Setting product prices should consider factors like quality, style, and profit margin.
Trademarking your brand is essential to protect it from potential infringement.
Networking and partnerships with major companies can help small businesses grow and succeed.

Guest Links:
https://www.justjaiwear.com
https://www.instagram.com/justjaiwear/
https://spaceofgrace365.org/
[email protected]
Ask Brien Links:
Peter Bronstein’s Attorney Website
Legal Stepz Website
Ask Brien Podcast
30 min
September 08, 2023Advertising or Awareness? Unpacking Strategies with Alex Grossman
Today, we have the pleasure of hosting Alex Grossman, who shares his knowledge of launching a new enterprise by drawing parallels between achieving success in business and the stability of a three-legged stool. During our conversation, he discussed the significance of frequency, brand, and mission, offering comprehensive insights into each concept. Alex also holds a strong aversion to the term “advertising,” opting instead for “awareness,” and he’ll substantiate this preference through practical examples. For aspiring entrepreneurs, Alex brings a wealth of invaluable advice to the table.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[07:27] Alex Grossman advises on starting a business.
[08:44] Alex explains why reviews are essential and how to get them
[11:16] A discussion between Yelp and Google
[13:49] How to decide if the review is legit
[16:26] Alex talks about the business that is starting with no reviews
[19:37] Alex explains the importance of your brand and your mission statement
[23:44] Alex shares what some of the myths of marketing are
[26:23] Alex talks about knowing who your audience is
[31:38] Alex explains that ad campaigns need to run for a minimum of three months, and he gives other advertising tips

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
At one time, the saying was, location, location, location, but now your location is your website.
There are ways to determine if a review is legit. There is a lot of abuse of the “review” system on Amazon.
A successful entrepreneur must educate themselves about their industry or product, or they will not be successful.

Bio:
I am a dynamic and results-driven executive and thought leader with an accomplished record in product and product marketing leadership at major technology corporations and successful entrepreneurial start-ups. A highly collaborative and motivational cross-functional team leader, I excel at relationship management with internal staff, contractors, vendors, customers, and other partners and stakeholders.
I have created and launched successful and innovative new software, cloud, SAAS, and hardware products and services for commercial, enterprise, consumer markets. Developed go-to-market plans for sales, marketing and product teams. I am equally comfortable working with software engineers in Agile methodologies and SCRUM as I am with senior management, marketing professionals and web developers. My professional strengths include excellent presentation and customer-facing skills, analyzing markets, identifying new niches, gathering and evaluating customer needs, building the internal mission, and developing innovative products and services to meet the requirements of demanding users and industries. Proficient at creating and implementing effective multi-platform digital marketing strategies. I have been a requested keynote speaker at many industry conferences and events. I have hosted podcasts and co-host a Los Angeles radio show.
My background also includes founding and building start-ups, and successfully raising capital and negotiating the sale of companies at favorable terms.
Among my career highlights, I was recruited directly by Steve Jobs to develop a new line of Apple server and storage products which established a profitable new multi-billion dollar product category. As VP at Quantum Corporation, I revitalized its big data and media & entertainment digital workflow product line which led to sales growth of 10x year-over-year. I built a company, Active Storage Inc., which quickly became a market leader in the content market.
I am passionate about my work and mission focused, but also humble enough to know when to listen and learn.

LINKS:
Alex Grossman – Website
Alex Grossman – LinkedIn
Peter Bronstein’s Attorney Website
Legal Stepz Website
Ask Brien Podcast
36 min
September 01, 2023Marketing Magic: The path to 7-Figure Business Growth with Misim Baja
Digital marketing expert Misim Baja specializes in helping businesses scale through utilizing Facebook ads and other avenues of marketing. Misim started his business not knowing any marketing, and now helps companies scale to the 7 figure dollar mark. He discusses the most important aspects of marketing your business, how to test what you are doing, and how to utilize paid vs free advertising. This episode is full of incredible nuggets, so make sure to tune in to learn the best tips about marketing and advertising your business.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[7:20] Misim shares his background.
[9:10] How did he manage getting his first marketing job with no experience?
[11:25] How does Misim promote his Upwork business?
[12:18] When did Misim hire his first employee and what size is the business now?
[13:02] What’s the most important thing to do when starting to advertise for a business?
[15:23] How does Misim onboard new clients?
[17:05] What marketing things can people do to improve their revenue?
[19:53] How can businesses sort through the variety of marketing advice out there?
[23:20] What tips does Misim have around Facebook ads?
[26:49] What barriers does Misim see for women owned businesses to hit the 7 figure mark?
[32:45] What’s the best split between SEO and paid advertising?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Get hired at an agency, learn all the skills, do some work on the side, and then when you have the experience you desire, step out on your own and start your own business.
Run many ads at the same time with different messages and do testing to see which campaign/ad is going to run the best.
If you are not able to hire a company to do your marketing for you, get resourceful. You can go online and learn how to do ads on YouTube.
Make sure that your offer is scalable, that you’ll be able to manage, and run your business successfully for the higher volume of customers that come with a 7 figure business.

BIO:
My team and I are on a mission to help businesses like yours thrive. We do this by using customer acquisition systems that WORK!
We’ve literally tested every single strategy under the sun, so you don’t have to.
With over 15+ years of experience combined in marketing, we can help shortcut your way to getting customers and clients on autopilot.
So are you finally ready to grow your business without feeling overwhelmed or throwing money down the drain?
LINKS MENTIONED:
Misim Baja Upwork Profile
Misim Baja Website
Ask Brien Podcast
36 min
August 25, 2023Entrepreneurial Insights: Building Passionate Family Ventures with Josh from Wild Zora
This week on Ask Brien, we have Josh from Wild Zora on the show. Josh has been an entrepreneur across 18 businesses, and has a wide variety of experience and advice for our listeners. He and his wife, Zora, have 3 different businesses that connect in with one another, Wild Zora, Fully Healthy, and Drink Cusa. Josh talks with us about what led them to create these businesses, what it’s like working with his spouse, and the long term plans for the direction of their companies. Tune in to hear his advice with running a family business along with their expansion plans.

IN THIS EPISODE:
[7:27] Josh gives us his background.
[9:09] What was the most important attribute Josh found to create the most success along his 18 different businesses?
[11:14] What are the different businesses Josh and his wife currently run?
[16:22] Which of their 3 businesses is the most difficult?
[17:57] What part of marketing works best with e-commerce?
[22:38] How did they get to the place of creating these businesses?
[26:25] What is it like working with your spouse?
[33:13] What does Josh think about what Legal Stepz provides?
[34:57] How do Josh and his wife separate business and their relationship?
[37:31] Do they plan to get their children involved as the business evolves?
[38:30] How will they expand their business/plan their exit strategy?
[40:50] What was the worst thing that ever happened to Josh regarding exiting a business?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
You have to constantly be in motion when running your own business, day after day keep swinging. Be able to adapt and change as the market/world/technology changes.
Working with your spouse can have its challenges, but Josh and Zora have found that by working in separate parts of the business, they are able to keep their marriage strong while also having a business they are passionate about.
Josh and Zora are a great example of seeing a gap in their life and finding a way to fulfill that gap by creating a business. This can lead to being more passionate about your business and feeling like you are serving a purpose.

BIO:
Growing up in the Czech Republic meant growing up with a close connection to food for young Zora. This wasn’t just because at the time there was little-to-no access to processed and pre-packaged foods, but also because Zora is the granddaughter of farmers! Both her maternal and paternal grandparents lived on farms complete with abundant gardens and small livestock as they were easy to keep. She and her brother spent many summers working hard harvesting the orchards, weeding the gardens, and mucking behind the animals.
When it was time to learn to cook, Zora was taught to walk out to the garden, gather the ingredients needed for your meal and begin prepping. There was no concept of running to the store to grab something quickly, it was all home-made, start to finish. This way of living has stuck with Zora and it’s what helped inspire our very first products: the BBQ Beef, Parmesan Beef, and the Chili Beef bar.
In 2012, Zora, Josh, their son Adrian and daughter Abby landed in Fort Collins after 10 years of living abroad in incredible places like Czech Republic, Poland, and Cambridge. It wasn’t until they arrived in Fort Collins, CO that they were introduced to American “healthy snacks” for their long family hikes.
Zora quickly realized that these bars were all low protein, high sugar and she wanted something better for her and her family and soon she started making the infamous Meat & Veggie Bars. In 2015 Zora introduced the bars to the public at the farmers market near her house and the rest is history…

LINKS MENTIONED:
Wild Zora
Email: [email protected]
FullyHealthy
Drink Cusa
FlatIron Food Factory
Ask Brien Podcast
35 min
August 11, 2023Legal Stepz and Entrepreneurial Insights with Peter Bronstein
Today we have our very own Peter Bronstein talking about Legal Stepz. Peter gives us a view into his background and the many businesses he has started. He talks about where Legal Stepz came from and how entrepreneurs can use it as an affordable option for starting a new business. The courses available on Legal Stepz will help you get your business set up correctly at a fraction of the cost of hiring an attorney. Tune in to learn more about S-Corps, LLCs, registered agents, and tips to set your company up right!
IN THIS EPISODE:
[10:16] How did Peter get into the entrepreneur field?
[13:09] Why did Legal Stepz come about?
[17:40] How does the metaphor “teaching some of the fish vs. fishing for you” play into Legal Stepz?
[20:30] What is an S-Corporation?
[24:10] What does LLC mean and does the course cover running LLCs?
[28:35] What is a registered agent?
[31:11] Where can people get started with the courses?

KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Legal Stepz is an affordable option, especially for those who are just starting out in entrepreneurship. It allows you to set your business up on your own, following a course that was created by an attorney, so you’ll know you are doing it right. Other sites available like LegalZoom charge you upwards of $600-$800 plus additional fees which is a lot of money when just starting out.
Limited liability means that you, your liability is limited to the assets within the business itself. If you run your business as a DBA (doing business as), meaning doing business as, or fictitious business name, or operate your business on your own as a sole proprietor, you will be personally liable for all of your business obligations.
A registered agent is someone who can accept documents on behalf of the company. This could be legal documents, lawsuits, IRS letters, etc. Make sure that the person listed as the registered agent is someone who checks mail/is available at the location often so something doesn’t get delivered and then sits for weeks at a time.

BIO:
By focusing solely on legal issues affecting businesses, with an accounting degree with his JD, lawyer Peter Bronstein is able to offer informed counsel, detailed planning, clear communication and aggressive representation during negotiations and litigation.
Before creating our law firm, attorney Peter Bronstein spent five years as corporate counsel for Mail Boxes Etc., a major franchisor with national and international locations. He has experience in the inner workings of a business and the challenges that accompany business ownership in California.

LINKS MENTIONED:
Peter Bronstein’s Attorney Website
Legal Stepz Website
Ask Brien Podcast
33 min

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