Today, we’re talking with Blake Hodgson, who has turned his passion for product development into a fascinating business. If you can dream it, he can build it.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/business-owners/214/214/ 

About our guest: https://www.kcproto.com/ 

What we discuss on this episode: 

1:08 – Meet Blake Hodgson

1:43 – How Blake got into the business

3:30 – Projects he’s worked on

6:09 – How he started his business

7:21 – Big picture view of his business

8:48 – The building process

16:27 – Getting products to market

19:52 – Does he have competitors?

20:39 – Ideal clients

21:38 – How Covid has affected his business

25:36 – What drives him

26:14 – Why should people do business with him

When Chris Steinlage coaches business owners, he often feels like a hostage negotiator, trying to free the owners from their businesses to help them grow. Find out how Chris started his business and how he helps leaders improve.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/business-owners/ep-11-meet-business-coach-and-hostage-negotiator-chris-steinlage/208/ 

About our guest: https://aspirekc.com/ 

What we discuss on this episode: 

0:44 – Meet Chris Steinlage

4:35 – Aspire Business Development

5:32 – Responsibility of being a leader

7:20 – Business coaching

10:26 – Helping businesses

16:54 – Getting business leaders to buy in

23:46 – Dealing with difficult business owners

31:33 – Covid

35:00 – How to contact Chris

The culture of a company can go a long way towards determining success or failure and it needs to be a priority for all CEOs. David Komar, a Brigadier General, built a business that works with leaders all across the country to envision and establish exceptional cultures within their organization. He joins us on the show to talk about his military background, why he’s made culture his focus, and the framework he’s developed for improving culture.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/leadership/ep-10-improving-the-culture-within-your-business-with-david-komar/203/ 

About our guest: https://guidingculture.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

1:23 – Personal background on Komar

2:10 – Military experience

3:24 – Redesigning the Army

4:40 – How his military experience prepared him for business

8:03 – The framework he developed for implementing culture

11:29 – Self-reflection and holding yourself accountable

14:43 – People element of the framework

16:04 – What happens if you don’t do the things you’ve told your employees you would do

20:26 – Employee engagement rate

21:38 – Process element of the framework 

24:50 – Does he get much resistance or pushback on his framework?

28:56 – The reasons he started this company

24:50 – How to contact Dave

For more than 50 years, Meyer Music has been providing lessons, instruments, and education to Kansas City. This true family business continues to be a big part of the community, which speaks to their business acumen. Today we talk with Mike Meyer about the family dynamics, their growth, lessons learned, and how the pandemic has been the biggest challenge yet.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/business-owners/ep-9-the-family-business-behind-meyer-music/197/ 

About our guest: https://www.meyermusic.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

1:10 – Who is Mike Meyer?

1:46 – How did the family get into the music business?  

6:13 – How Mike became part of the business

9:01 – His first job after college

10:44 – When he moved into the business full-time  

12:43 – Challenges of running a business in his 20s  

16:53 – Building processes and consistency  

20:12 – What he attributes to the growth

22:46 – Mom and dad still in the business  

24:17 – Mistakes he’s made along the way

27:05 – Another big change in the business model

35:13 – Competition between siblings

37:22 – Big picture view of what to expect from the business

38:46 – How has COVID impacted the business?

41:16 – The evolution of the music business

46:45 – How to get in touch with Mike and Meyer Music

If you’ve ever watched the Kansas City Royals on television, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with broadcaster Joel Goldberg. He’s been in the industry for more than 25 years and that’s taught him a lot about team-building, maintaining relationships, and leadership. Today we’ll look back through his broadcasting career, the transition into speaking, and the things he’s learned along the way.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/sports/ep-8-networking-lessons-from-a-career-in-sports-broadcasting-with-joel-goldberg/186/ 

About our guest: https://joelgoldbergmedia.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

1:34 – Background on Joel 

3:05 – How he got his first job 

7:46 – Getting in front of the people that were hiring

12:09 – His mentors along the way 

16:43 – Any regrets along the way? 

20:45 – His approach to interviews

26:25 – What drives you? 

29:10 – His view of the local economy

32:19 – About his new book

34:30 – Getting in touch with Joel

With the level of uncertainty we’re facing right now, it’s essential that people advocate for themselves. We cannot rely on governments and institutions to open the door and create opportunities for us. This approach is known as the ‘Economy of One’ and it’s a powerful idea that can help people find their passion. Our guest today, Elizabeth Allen, will explain what we’ve been doing wrong and how we change the outcome.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/business-owners/ep-7-taking-control-of-your-career-and-future-through-an-economy-of-one/187/ 

About our guest: https://economyofone.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

1:04 – Background on Elizabeth

2:25 – The teacher that had a huge impact on her life.

5:52 – An entrepreneur at age 25

9:33 – Her big break was a failure

12:53 – Becoming the Economy of One

16:15 – Where our workforce and economy is headed

21:55 – The program she put together for the US military

24:46 – Why the hiring system is broken and what you can do

31:03 – Tips on how to nurture a relationship

33:15 – Understanding your skillset and being proactive with your career

35:52 – Mental health struggles across the country

39:44 – The side-effects of unemployment

44:43 – Let’s talk about what DOES work

50:00 – Elizabeth shares a personal experience

52:54 – Getting people into small accountability groups

58:25 – What’s her vision for the Economy of One

1:00:45 – How to get in touch with Elizabeth.

Many of our countries great leaders spent time in the military before heading into the civilian world. That’s the exact path Colonel Drew Meyerowich took on his way to becoming the president of Defense Logistics in Kansas City. From leading more than 1,200 soldiers and earning multiple medals to the where he is now has been a smooth transition and one where he can apply the highly-skilled training he’s had over decades.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/leadership/ep-6-bringing-a-decorated-military-background-to-business/179/  

Connect with our guest: https://dl-ammo.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

0:45 – Drew’s military background

1:34 – Tell us about yourself  

3:23 – How his leadership training carried from the Army to the corporate world

4:34 – Defense Logistics  

5:34 – Foundations of leadership

7:23 – Ammunition shortage

11:53 – Who mentored Drew  

13:36 – How often he gets to shoot

14:56 – Military backgrounds at his business  

16:23 – What’s the future of the company?

17:30 – The difference between good ammunition and bad ammunition

20:05 – Perception vs reality of guns  

22:41 – How to connect with Drew

Our guest on this episode didn’t take a traditional route through his career nor did he back down from challenges along the way. Join us as we talk with Randy Powell, owner of Heartland Print & Design, as we learn about work experience, how he created this business, and his philosophy on building a team.

Read more and get additional resources here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/business-owners/ep-5-taking-challenges-head-on-with-randy-powell-of-heartland-print-design/162/ 

About our guest: https://heartlandprintanddesign.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

0:45 – Quick note on today’s episode

1:49 – Background on our guest today

3:34 – From accounting to running a construction company

8:02 – How do you motivate your team? 

10:41 – What processes did you have to install early on?

14:19 – How Heartland got started 

17:09 – COVID’s impact on the business

18:36 – What’s the future of the economy look like? 

22:28 – Any mentors?

22:59 – Best advice you’ve ever received

25:46 – What advice would you give young entrepreneurs?

27:42 – The story behind why he started writing notes to his staff

29:59 – Where you can find his writing and other content 

30:32 – Final message from Randy

David Smale is one of the great sportswriters in our country, and he resides right here on the outskirts of Kansas City. You might have heard about his new book chronicling the history the Chiefs, which we’ll discuss on the show, but we wanted to hear more of the stories behind the other 20+ books he’s written during his career.

Read more about this show here: https://www.kcbusinesshuddle.com/sports/ep-4-the-stories-behind-the-books-with-author-david-smale/163/  

About our guest: https://davidsmalebooks.com/ 

What we discuss on this show: 

0:45 – Background on David

2:32 – How he got started in the media

6:17 – The story behind his first book

8:26 – How many books he’s written

9:02 – What he’s written about and which are his favorites

16:29 – The story behind his newest book on the Chiefs

20:37 – How do you decide what to write about?

23:14 – What is the typical timeframe for writing a book?

24:34 – How COVID has impacted his business?

25:40 – What is this pandemic doing to college towns?

27:40 – What goals do you have?

30:35 – What he does when he’s not writing books?

31:36 – Ways to connect with David and find his books

33:00 – If you have an idea for a book, here’s how to get it to him.

In a year where staying home has become a necessary choice for everyone, a business that provides home care for seniors becomes even more important. To get an idea of how that’s being handled locally, we asked Kristy Whitney to join the show to tell us more about Home Care Assistance Kansas City and her role overseeing operations.

Read more about the show: https://kcbusinesshuddle.com/healthcare/ep-3-providing-home-care-for-kansas-city-seniors-with-kristy-whitney/144/ 

About our guest: https://homecareassistance.com/Kansas-City

On today's show: 

0:36 – Kristy Whitney joins us in the studio today.

1:19 – How did you pick this profession?

2:37 – Is it difficult getting attached to the people and families you work with?

3:55 – The transition from hospice to home care.

5:38 – Her competitive advantage in the healthcare field.

6:58 – Working with the extended families.

8:56 – Business philosophy

10:00 – How has COVID affected the business?

11:32 – Future challenges

12:48 – Mental health concerns

14:19 – What fuels her drive within the business?

16:40 – Why do business with Home Care Assistance?

17:42 – Final thoughts