Clearing The Way

Welcome back to Clearing the Way. A resource for small business. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success.

My guest today is E.J Kleckner, owner of Rusty Golf Brewing. Ej graduated from Penn State in 2010. He spent almost 8 years in Real Estate Development until moving on to retail sales and operations. In 2013, he opened Yesterday’s New, an antique store in Canonsburg. In 2017, EJ opened Rusty Gold Brewing, a brewery in Canonsburg that really just nails it. They’ve got fantastic food and fantastic beer and in my option has the best wings in the area. By far. And the sleeper menu item is the hummus.

EJ Kleckner

Website: https://rustygoldbrewing.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rustygoldbrewery/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustygoldbrewery/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/earl-kleckner-346676b/

Welcome back to Clearing the Way. A resource for small business. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success.

Today’s Topic: When and How to Start?

We covered:

• How do you know if your idea is viable?
• If a product, should I design the thing first?
• Do I need a business plan?
• What even is a business plan?
• When should I make a business plan?
• How early should I think through the numbers?
• How do I even think about the numbers?
• How can you test it?
• Should I drop everything and start or ease into it?
• I’ve decided the business is right for me, now what?
• Do I file for my LLC?
• What types of professionals do I NEED immediately?
• Accountant? Lawyer? Bookkeeper?
• Can I do it all myself at the beginning?

My guest today is Max Miller, Associate Professor, Director of Entrepreneurial Studies and Director of Ignite Business Incubator at Washington and Jefferson College. Max graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 with a Bachelors in English. He went straight to the University of Pittsburgh where he gathered a Corporate Law degree. Max spent the next 10 years as a corporate lawyer. In 2004, Max received his MBA from Northwestern University. Max spent the next few years working with a major corporation in process improvement and implementation. Over the next several years, he moved through a few new organizations where he was the Chief Administrative Officer, Director of VIP Experiences, Executive Vice President, and COO. In 2016, he joined the staff of Washington and Jefferson College. Max has also started a few businesses of his own. He has been the President and Chief Tasting Officer for Raise Your Spirits for the last 17 years where he helps organizations build lasting internal and external relationships using unique tasting experiences. Max leads the Ideas to Enterprise program at Ignite where local small businesses join a 5 week program that teaches business owners the fundamental skills for leading a successful business.

Max Miller

Ignite Business Incubator: https://www.igniteforsuccess.org/

Raise Your Spirits: https://www.raiseyourspirits.net/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/max-miller-0975681/

Welcome back to Clearing the Way. A resource for small business. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

My guest today is Jordon Miller, Owner of Nocturnal Addiction Bowfishing. Jordon has a Bachelors degree in Occupational Safety and Health. He has worked in Safety and Compliance in the Oil & Gas industry for over 10 years. He began as an equipment operator and worked his way up as high as Regional Safety and Compliance Manager. In 2016, he opened Nocturnal Addiction Bowfishing, a Pittsburgh area based fishing charter. The Nocturnal Addiction fleet has grown to 2 20ft. fishing boats and potentially a third house boat? Maybe we will get into that? Jordon is currently the Bowfishing state record holder with a 49.7 pound common carp and a 25.7 pound smallmouth buffalo. He is also a USCG Licensed Captain.

Jordon Miller

Website: https://nocturnaladdictionbowfishing.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nocturnal_addiction_bowfishing/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nocturnaladdictionbowfishing/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl0QpJWMG5nsUFGe6POS9pg

Welcome back to Clearing the Way. A resource for small business. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

Today's Topics Include:

• Importance of Social Media
• Where should you be posting?
• How often should you post?
• Finding your target customer (aka Janice)
• How to be more efficient on social media.

Today will be another “expert” episode. We are going to dive deep into marketing and social media.

Today’s episode features another old friend, Lauren Hyland, owner of Hyland Consulting. Lauren gradated from Liberty University with a marketing degree and an MBA. While in school, Lauren worked as a marketing consultant focusing on direct mail campaigns. Her next role was with a larger landscaping group as a marketing coordinator. Here, she gained experience in social media marketing, event coordination and advertising. At this point things took a little bit of a turn. She began working for an insurance agency where she was tasked with sales and consulting, but also, surveying buildings and working in SketchUp? What?

After a few years in there, she discovered she was being laid off right around the time she found out she was pregnant with child number 1. She ventured back home to Washington and began working as a Marketing Research Analyst and at the same time, started working on her own. Hyland Consulting was born in December of 2018. Hyland Consulting is constantly evolving, but the core remains the same, help entrepreneurs to improve mindset and emotional intelligence.

Lauren Hyland

Website: https://stan.store/thelaurenhyland

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaurenhyland/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenhylandco

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thelaurenhyland

This is “Clearing the Way." A resource for small business owners. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

My guest today is Todd King, Director of Business Development at J.T. King Investments, Founder of Power Team Advisors, and Executive Coach & Managing Partner at Fortune Practice Management. Todd graduated from West Virginia University in 2006 with a Bachelors in Public Relations. Todd purchased his first business at 21 which helped him pay for the remainder of his time at WVU. Out of school, he opened J.T. King Investments and began working in sales. In 2014, he and a partner founded Schmitt’s Saloon Music Hall where he negotiated, booked, and executed concerts with artists including Chris Stapleton and Uncle Kracker. In 2020, Todd opened Power Team Advisors and began working with Fortune Practice Management. Todd has been helping business owners spanning several industries for over a decade.

Todd King:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtkinginv/

Website: https://www.powerteamadvisors.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerteamadv/

Welcome back to “Clearing the Way." A resource for small business owners. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

My guest today is Jen Lucas, Founder of Yang & Yin Health. Jen graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2003. She spent 6 years working in Event Management before transiting to Project Management in 2012. She opened Yang & Yin Health in 2017 with the mission of nourishing the customers' mind, body, and soul. Yang & Yin Health created a line of products that showcase the health benefits of green tea. Yang & Yin expanded in 2022 with the addition of a sound healing studio.

Jen Lucas

Website: https://yangyinhealth.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yangyinhealth/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/yangyinhealth

Welcome back to “Clearing the Way," I’m your host, Bradley Martin. My goal is to be a learning resource for small business owners. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

My guest today is another special one for me. Jeff Hancher, Founder of Jeff Hancher Enterprises, host of The Champion Forum Podcast, and the biggest reason that “Clearing The Way” even exists. Jeff’s origin story starts with the humblest of beginnings. With a sick mother and a father that was struggling, he experienced an event at a Social Security office that as a child had a massive impact on him.

Jeff is a veteran of the Army. He spent 23 years at Cintas, starting as a route driver. He got a massive wake up call after he completely botched his first interview for a sales position. He went on a learning rampage, got that sales job and ended up working his way up to a Sales Director role. In early 2019, he started The Champion Forum Podcast. Later that year, he made the decision to leave the company that he had spent over 20 years with to spread his knowledge to a larger audience.

Jeff and I have known each other for a few years now. I was introduced to him while doing some video work for another customer. I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about him at first. I was a new business owner, probably a little arrogant, and I hadn’t really been exposed to the training/coaching world yet. Then I started editing the footage from that event. I found a few nuggets. He reached out to me for a few video projects. The more we worked together, the more I realized “well…I’m a moron. I like this dude.”

Jeff Hancher

Website: https://www.jeffhancher.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-hancher/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeff.hancher/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechampionforum

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-champion-forum-podcast-with-jeff-hancher/id1456048671

In this episode, Bradley Martin and Stephanie Masters talk through the hiring process. The discussion covers:

• Are you ready to hire?
• How do I make a job description?
• Where do I find candidates?
• Are referrals always best?
• What should I ask in the interview?
• How do I know who is best for the job?
• What NOT to do in the interview
• On-boarding

This is “Clearing the Way." A resource for small business. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success. 

Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different. The first episode of the Expert Discussions. Today’s focus: HR.

Hiring, interviewing, On-boarding, management, culture. Idk how much of that we will actually get to, but here we go…

My guest today is Stephanie Masters, owner of Stephanie Masters Consulting AND as of very recently, Nonprofit Sidekick. Stephanie graduated from Towson University with a Bachelors in Art Education. She spent 5 years as an Activities Director at a long term care facility before transitioning to a staffing management position at a staffing agency. This is where it appears that the “HR” focus begins. She advanced in that company up to a Branch Manager. Stephanie moved on to become a Training Lead at a relatively large bank and spent the next nearly 15 years working in training and development for various banking institutions, universities, and technology & brand consulting firms. In 2017, Steph finally decided to branch out on her own starting Stephanie Masters Consulting. She assists businesses with recruiting, hiring, on-boarding, career growth, and leadership development. In July of this year (2022), Stephanie and her business partner opened Nonprofit Sidekick, which focuses on supporting nonprofits. Stephanie is certified in Franklin Covey Time Management, Gallup Strengths, Loominger Voices 360, Predictive Index Talent Optimization, and too many more too list them all.

I kept hearing her name come up, but didn’t actually get to meet Steph until I took interest in my current role at the Washington CDC. My view of anything HR related prior to talking to Steph was not super positive. I never really thought the term Human Resources at most organizations was true to the name. In most places I had worked, HR was just payroll and things like that. Working with Steph REALLY opened my eyes to the gap that most organizations that I’ve worked with had. Spending time actually focusing on the development of your employees makes a massive difference. From the employee perspective, the entire experience is so much more welcoming. It makes it feel like the organization ACTUALLY cares about your growth and your future.

It was difficult prepping for this one. I was making the intro and got a little bummed that we wouldn’t be diving into your past much in this conversation, but we will do another one of these and focus on all of that and the business owning.

Stephanie Masters

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-masters-4ba7332/

Website: https://nonprofitsidekick.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NPSideKick

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonprofit.sidekick/

Welcome back to “Clearing the Way," I’m your host, Bradley Martin. My goal is to be a learning resource for small business owners. I talk with sales and HR experts, other small business owners, and anyone else that can provide you with information to clear your way to success.

My guest today is Jose Rosa, Owner of Everest Eats. Jose attended Newberry College, where he played baseball. He graduated in 2010 with a Bachelors in Business Administration. Jose spent the next few years traveling the world coaching baseball. In 2013, he moved to Pennsylvania and began a career in Environmental Health and Safety. This career introduced him to the various chemicals that we are exposed to in our everyday lives. He and and his wife Katy began making several lifestyle changes to combat these toxins. They began regularly practicing meditation and yoga and eventually made the transition to plant based foods. In November of 2019, they made the plunge into small business, opening Everest Eats, a plant-based meal delivery service in the Pittsburgh Area. Jose reached out not long after that and we have worked together on and off ever since. They have continued to expand their service area and have started to offer catering and training. They’ve hosted several tasting events that have been super successful. As someone who isn’t plant-based, I can confirm that their food is fantastic.

Everest Eats is currently working on a crowdfunding project to expand into a larger kitchen space which I know has been a challenge of it’s own.

In this episode, we discuss the importance of building and maintaining relationships.

Jose Rosa

Website: https://www.everesteats.com/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everesteats/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EverestEatsPlantBased

Welcome back to “Clearing the Way," I’m your host, Bradley Martin. My goal is to uncover the challenges that small business owners have faced along their way so that you can be better prepared when you experience something similar. 

My guest today is fun one. One of my longest friends, Preston Miller, owner of Rusted Barrel BBQ. Preston choke slammed me in 5th grade because I pulled his chair out from underneath him as he sat down. Preston graduated from Triangle Tech with an associates degree in Welding. He has worked in oil & gas for almost 10 years, working his way up as high as an Operations Supervisor. Preston has been a live-long cook, which is actually something that him and I have bonded over since early in our friendship. We used to doctor up our ramen noodles with shrimp and whatever else we could find in his house. In May of 2019, he decided to take it a bit more seriously, investing in a food truck and opening Rusted Barrel BBQ.

In this episode, we discuss how poor planning and communication can impact both your business and personal relationships.

Preston Miller

Website: https://www.rustedbarrel.com/

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rusted_barrel_bbq/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RBLBBQ/