The ability to adapt, improvise, and overcome, to borrow the Marine Corps motto, has never been more important than it is now. The world has experienced tremendous upheaval and uncertainty since early 2020, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This famous quote inspired by the work of Charles Darwin serves as a powerful reminder of the competitive business landscape: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most adaptable to change.” Please join Mike Sharp and I as we discuss this timely and relevant topic.

When you boil it down, business is really about two fundamental things: what you sell and how you sell it. The latter is the focus of this episode. Although we businesspeople have a tendency to overcomplicate processes, selling mainly comes down to asking questions, listening, and informing. In my experience, there are two types of people who start businesses: those who understand that selling is a core part of what it means to be an entrepreneur and those who eventually figure it out. This can often be the difference between a business that starts with the wind at its back and one that never gets off the ground.

Season 6 is here, and I’m excited to debut a new format for these next three episodes. In this mini-season, I’ve invited Mike Sharp back onto the show. Mike is the owner of the Sharp Insurance Agency, and he made a guest appearance in Season 5 – Episode 19. Now he is back as a “guest host” to discuss a variety of business and life topics with me. In this episode, we cover the book “Mindset” by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. This highly acclaimed work has been heralded as a masterpiece in the areas of personality, psychology, and motivation. Join us as we discuss this book and so much more in this first episode.

What do I have in store for you for Season 6? I’m going to do something different this time. Proprietors of Pittsburgh is fundamentally an interview show. That’s not going to change. But I’m going to try out a new idea for this new season. Coming back on the show is Mike Sharp, owner of the Sharp Insurance Agency, who was interviewed in Season 5 - Episode 19. This time, Mike is back as a “guest host.” Over the course of this mini-season, consisting of three episodes, he and I will discuss several different business topics and why they matter to small business owners.

In 2020, Matt Blistan realized his dream of starting his own business when he launched The Blistan Group, a tax and business advisory firm. His career path as an accountant, and ultimately a CPA, is rooted in his family background. Matt’s uncle, father, and grandfather had a combination of finance, accounting, and entrepreneurial experience that influenced him from a young age. In this episode, Matt talks about the importance of developing relationships with his clients and the aspects of his work that give him the greatest sense of pride.

A few years ago, Karen Bartos made a significant change to her business and career by deciding to start a boudoir photography brand. This was no easy decision, and she even battled with “imposter syndrome” at the very beginning. But everything changed when she saw the transformation that her clients went through during the process. Watching these incredible women rediscover their beauty and reclaim their confidence was more than enough for Karen to know that this was her calling.

As the world slowed in 2020, Jason Cercone took stock of his career. He was happy with his consulting work in the craft beer industry, but podcasting was what he was crazy about. He considered how he could reorient his company to focus exclusively on serving the podcast community. Near the end of 2020, he made the change and rebranded his company as Cercone Consulting. Less than a year into his new business platform, and he is quickly building a list of notable podcast clients. In this episode, Jason talks about who can benefit from creating a podcast, what he loves most about audio, and how to avoid some common pitfalls when creating your own show.

In 2019, Katy and Jose Rosa made a life-changing decision by starting a new venture in an industry they knew little about. When their backs were against the wall in the wake of recent layoffs from the oil and gas industry, they put everything they had into starting a food delivery service here in the Pittsburgh area. The pandemic and its devastating effects on brick-and-mortar restaurants actually gave their fledgling mobile food operation a boost. During an uncertain time when people were looking for healthy food options, Katy and Jose were able to deliver their 100% plant-based meals straight to their customers’ doors. Today, Everest Eats, which they named after their son, Everest, is a thriving family business.

It was out of necessity for a flexible work arrangement that Kelly Bender decided to become an entrepreneur. As a single mom, she felt that traditional career options were too rigid, so she decided to launch her own tax and business advisory firm. Today, Total Business Solutions is a family-owned company with two locations north of Pittsburgh. Over the past ten years, Kelly has built a practice that prioritizes a hands-on, relationship-based approach with her growing list of small business clients.

In 2017, Sara Makin started Makin Wellness to revolutionize the mental health care space. She wanted others to achieve the same breakthroughs that she experienced from her own therapy when she battled depression as a young woman. Sara has built a team of counselors who are specialists in a wide variety of practice areas in order to create the most thorough and customized experience for her clients. In our conversation, Sara talks about how she transitioned to a fully online platform and why accepting insurance is a core differentiator for her practice.