Not So Small

Eric Forseth spent over a decade in advertising, hopping between agencies and working long hours on campaigns for major brands. But somewhere along the way, he started asking himself a question he couldn't shake: what else could I do with my life that feels more meaningful?

In May 2025, Eric and his wife bought Do Good Diapers, a cloth diaper cleaning service in the Twin Cities. That was the easy (but also scary) part. Then Eric got to work transforming the business, using his advertising skills and genuine care for people to create something that more effectively reflected his values. Within a day of "calling in sick" to work, he and a friend built a brand from scratch: colors inspired by The Clash, authentic voice, and a clear story about serving families.

But what really drives Eric's work isn't diapers, it's relationships. He talks about business ownership as an extension of his lifelong pattern of caring about people, staying in touch, and building community. Every client interaction matters.

In our conversation, Eric shares his winding path to business ownership, how he's making cloth diapering easier and more accessible for modern parents, and his vision for working with daycares and the city to eliminate a million disposable diapers from landfills each year. In our conversation, we explore what it means to build a business on genuine human connection and find fulfillment in work that aligns with your values.

Guest Info

• Business: Do Good Diapers
• Guest: Eric Forseth (he/him)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout

• Arbeiter Brewing (Website • Instagram)
• Wildflyer Coffee (Website • Instagram)

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Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

What happens when you trust entrepreneurs to know what their businesses actually need? In this special episode, host Sam Bauman sits down with Shahir Ahmed, Vice President of Business Services at Neighborhood Development Center (NDC), to explore the groundbreaking Minnesota Promise Act, a $72 million grant program providing flexible funding to businesses in historically disinvested communities.

Unlike previous programs, this one trusts business owners to make their own decisions, whether that's upgrading equipment, launching a marketing campaign, or anything else that will help them succeed.

Shahir, who was once a student in NDC's training program himself, candidly discusses the systemic barriers facing entrepreneurs, from language and cultural differences to being labeled "unbankable" by traditional lenders, and how NDC's approach of "character lending" wrapped in technical assistance has seen promising results. 

Throughout the conversation, one theme emerges: the small businesses NDC serves aren't just selling products or services, they're creating spaces for community connection, modeling what entrepreneurship looks like, and proving that place should not determine potential.

Guest Info

• Guest: Shahir Ahmed (he/him)
• Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) (Website • Instagram)
• MN PROMISE Act (Website • Instagram)

Other Links:

• Midtown Global Market
• MEDA
• Lake Street Council

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

Starting a business is way harder than running a 100-mile ultramarathon and Ryan Hurley has done both! In this episode, hosts Sam Bauman and Adam Rondeau visit Ryan at the Lagoon warehouse to learn about his sleep and fitness company that aims to help athletes optimize their rest through an often-overlooked piece of equipment: the pillow. Ryan shares his journey from NBC Sports to founder, including the moment he realized he needed to stop trying to sell to everyone and lean into the demographic he knew best. By positioning Lagoon as "the pillow for runners" and getting comfortable putting himself out there on social media, Ryan found his niche. He talks honestly about the challenges of entrepreneurship: losing friends and family money in the first year, the months of not paying himself, and the fine line between perseverance and stupidity. But he also celebrates the flexibility and joy of building a life he loves, even if it means making less money than he would in a corporate job. His advice? Do the work, know your numbers, and run your own race.

Guest Info

• Business: Lagoon
• Guest: Ryan Hurley (he/him)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout

• Business: Groveland Confections
• Location: Minnetonka, MN
• Links: Website • Instagram

Other Links:

• The Drop (Believe in the Run) Podcast
• Twin Cities Marathon

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In this episode of Not So Small, hosts Sam Bauman and Adam Rondeau sit down with Joy McBrien, founder of Fair Anita, a social enterprise partnering with 8,000 women artisans across nine countries to create handcrafted jewelry, gifts, and accessories.

Joy talks about why she chose to structure Fair Anita as a for-profit public benefit corporation, how she's reimagining supply chains as communities rather than transactions, and what it means to prioritize people over profit. The conversation explores the real challenges of running a values-driven business, from cash flow struggles to staying committed to what matters most.

Joy reflects on building a business rooted in collaboration and co-design, where artisan partners bring their own expertise, innovation, and genius to every aspect of the work. She shares how Fair Anita operates on genuine partnership rather than charity, and how starting from shared experiences created opportunities for mutual healing and community building.

This episode explores what it looks like to run a business where supply chains are communities, not transactions, and how staying committed to those values shapes everything from product design to how success is measured.

Guest Info:
Fair Anita (Website | Instagram)

Community Spotlights:
Global Mamas (Website | Instagram)
Vetiera Fair Trade (Website | Instagram)

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In this special episode of Not So Small, host Sam Bauman is joined by colleagues Adam Rondeau and Andy Bauman for a conversation about why small businesses matter and what we all stand to gain (or lose) by the choices we make as consumers.

They explore the fundamental differences between small and large businesses, from the natural accountability that comes with small business ownership to the way local businesses drive innovation by solving problems big corporations overlook. The conversation digs into some of the economics and addresses the real pressures consumers face around convenience, price, and time.

Throughout the episode, practical suggestions emerge for how to support small businesses: leaving Google and Yelp reviews, signing up for newsletters and loyalty programs, attending local events, talking about businesses you love, and being curious about new shops in your neighborhood.

This episode is both a case for why small businesses matter and a practical guide for how to use your purchasing power to strengthen your community and create the kind of neighborhood you actually want to live in.

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

What happens when you design a business around your life instead of the other way around? Dusty Wahl, owner of Cosmic Coffee in Northeast Minneapolis, has built a thriving one-person coffee shop operation that prioritizes sustainable growth, authentic community connections, and work-life balance. From his decision thoughts on staying solo despite growth opportunities, to using music and play to navigate stressful days, Dusty offers a refreshing perspective on what success can look like when you refuse to scale at the expense of your values. We explore his unconventional approach to customer service, why he believes more isn't always better, and how he's created a genuine neighborhood gathering place where people feel comfortable showing up exactly as they are.

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In this episode of Not So Small, hosts Sam Bauman and Adam Rondeau visit Lauren at Curiosity Studio, a community art studio on East Lake Street in Minneapolis.

After moving to Minnesota Lauren noticed a lack of accessible community spaces that use art for wellness and self-understanding, and from that observation Curiosity Studio was born. The studio focuses on process over product, helping people overcome intimidation around art-making by emphasizing practice and curiosity rather than perfection.

Lauren also discusses the challenge many artists face with the "business owner" identity, explaining her preference for thinking of herself as someone who holds the key to a community space while making necessary business decisions.

The episode highlights how Lauren balances intentionality with openness, providing conceptual guidelines while allowing the community to shape how the space is used. Her approach demonstrates an alternative model for running a values-driven business that prioritizes accessibility and authentic human connection over traditional metrics of success.

Guest Info

• Business: Curiosity Studio
• Guest: Lauren Callis (she/her)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout

• Z Puppets Rosenschnoz (Website • Instagram)

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In the second episode of Not So Small season two, hosts Sam Bauman and Adam Rondeau visit Taylor Hall at Evergreen Collective, her sustainable retail store on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. What began as Taylor's personal struggle to find products that aligned with her values has become a carefully curated space where customers can shop sustainably without having to research every purchase themselves.

Taylor shares how reading "The Story of Stuff" in high school opened her eyes to the true cost of consumer goods and sparked a decade-long journey toward opening her own store. After gaining experience in marketing and customer service while saving money, she finally took the leap three years ago to create the space she'd always wished existed.

The conversation explores the real barriers people face when trying to make sustainable choices: availability, convenience, cost, and simply knowing which products are truly better for the environment versus those that are "greenwashing." Taylor's role becomes that of a neighborhood expert who does the research so her customers can "turn their brains off" and trust that everything in the store meets her sustainability standards.

Taylor candidly discusses the daily struggles of small business ownership, from the financial pressure of investing time and energy into a business that takes years to become profitable, to competing with big brands that have massive marketing budgets and social media influence. She reflects on the challenge of customers asking for trendy products she can't access due to her size, while highlighting the unique advantages she offers: personal relationships, responsiveness to customer needs, and the peace of mind that comes from expert curation.

This episode beautifully illustrates how one person's personal values can evolve into a business that makes sustainable living more accessible for an entire community, proving that small businesses can create meaningful change one relationship at a time.

Guest Info

• Business: Evergreen Collective
• Guest: Taylor Hall (she/her)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout(s)

• Fair Anita (Website • Instagram)
• Spoils of Wear (Website • Instagram)

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In the season two premiere of Not So Small, host Sam Bauman and co-host Adam Rondeau sit down with Sarah Lindsay and Adam Steinbach, the duo behind As You Are Therapy, a Twin Cities therapy practice that's revolutionizing mental health care through authentic connection and community building. What started as two like-minded therapists wanting to create a more genuine therapeutic experience has evolved into a practice that prioritizes accessibility, destigmatization, and collaborative relationships over traditional competitive models.

Sarah and Adam share their journey from traditional therapy training to creating a space where both therapists and clients can show up authentically. Their breakthrough moment came with "Therapy on Tap," a community event at local breweries where people can meet therapists in a casual setting to find the right fit, solving the daunting challenge of finding a therapist that keeps so many people from getting help.

The conversation explores their decision to forgo insurance in favor of sliding scale fees, their philosophy of therapeutic authenticity versus the "blank slate" model, and how embracing their own needs and humanity has made them more effective healers. Sarah reflects on how encouraging clients to bring their full selves creates permission for authentic self-expression.

Throughout, both therapists emphasize interdependence over competition, sharing how they actively refer to other practitioners and collaborate with colleagues to ensure everyone finds their right therapeutic match. They've built more than just a practice. They've created a model for how mental health care can be community-centered, accessible, and refreshingly human.

As As You Are Therapy looks toward the future, they're expanding their community events and continuing to break down barriers that keep people from accessing mental health support, proving that when businesses operate from values of authenticity and generosity, they create ripple effects that heal entire communities.

Guest Info

• Business: As You Are Therapy
• Guests: Sarah Lindsey (she/her) & Adam Steinbach (he/him)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout(s)

• Moody Octopus Collective (Website • Instagram)
• b. resale (Website • Instagram)

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)

In the season finale of Not So Small, host Sam Bauman sits down with Chris MacLeod, founder and co-owner of Laune Bread, a Minneapolis bakery that has made connection the cornerstone of their business philosophy. What began as Chris' desire to feel more connected to his work has evolved into a thriving business that prioritizes local ingredients, community building, and meaningful relationships at every level.

Chris shares his journey from working early morning shifts at commercial bakeries to creating a space where connection drives every decision. His wake-up call came when he realized he didn't even know what wheat really was, despite working with flour daily. This revelation, along with some others, eventually led him to Minnesota where he would be able to source local grains.

Chris, along with the help of his business partner Tiff Singh, have built more than just a bakery, they've created a community space where regulars know each other, staff feel supported with guaranteed hours and consistent schedules, and the energy stays positive. Chris reflects on the challenges of communication and management, sharing how he's learned to create systems that support the team's independence while maintaining the quality and values that define Laune.

Throughout the conversation, Chris offers candid insights about the challenges of small business ownership, from seasonal fluctuations and staffing decisions to the fear of losing connection to the hands-on work as the business grows. He emphasizes the importance of having a trusted business partner, maintaining physical and mental health, and staying true to your values even when easier paths present themselves.

As Laune looks toward the future, Chris envisions expanding their educational offerings, particularly working with young adults to teach whole grain baking and help people reconnect with intuitive cooking.

This episode beautifully illustrates how a business built on authentic values and genuine connection can create not just financial success, but a meaningful way of life that enriches everyone that interacts with it.

Guest Info

• Business: Laune Bread
• Guest: Chris MacLeod (he/him)
• Links: Website • Instagram

Community Shoutout(s)

• The Briar Bar (Website • Instagram)

Other Links

• Too Good To Go (Website)
• Baker's Field Flour & Mill (Website)

Send us Fan Mail

Host & Show Info

• Host Name: Sam Bauman (she/her)
• About the Host: Sam is the President of Mellowlark Labs, a Twin Cities-based small business consulting agency. She has a masters degree in counseling psychology, a field she worked in for several years before applying her skills in business, and is certified in Organization Development.

Podcast Website

Sound Editing By: Adam Rondeau
Podcast Art By: Andy Bauman (website)