After a career in the military, Shawn Ritchie found himself looking to build a new chapter in his life. Utilizing his training, he went to school to become trained and certified as a security professional

After several years of operating as a contract security professional, he decided to launch his own business, Bluegrass Protection Services.

In this interview, Shawn shares some of the stories of his company's growth, and how his future plans are headed in multiple directions.

One thing I appreciated about this interview is his attitude about failure. A common theme I see in almost all of these interviews is the need for courage and persistence. As he put it, "failure is your first attempt at learning".

Katie Daniel is not your ordinary fitness center owner. Not only did she not have experience in the industry, nor was she a trained athlete. She simply had a passion for doing something different... A fitness center designed for bad-a$$ women who wanted a unique experience.

She started the business a year before the pandemic. Fortunately, she already had momentum and was able to keep going through those extraordinary times. Since then, she's continued to grow as a leader. Unlike so many of her peers, she has gotten past the "founder's trap" and has created a sustainable business with a team that runs the studio without her.

She also shares some great insights into navigating the highs and lows of being a business owner. "Everybody tells you it's going to be an emotional roller coaster, and then you don't really understand the gravity of it until you are on the roller coaster"!

Her sights are set on greater things. First, she's about to have her first baby, so that's reason to celebrate! But she is also developing plans for turning Ambition Fitness into a franchise. And based on her energy and drive, I have no doubt she will succeed.

Mark Pfeifer left the "comfy" world of a corporate paycheck to launch a business. But not just any business, a business with a real purpose. He set out to build a business that would not only be fun an meaningful, but he also wanted to do something truly unique - provide worthwhile meaningful jobs to adults with special needs.

Enter "Wigglewow", a dog treat company like no other. I was so moved by the story of Wigglewow, I had to go witness it in person. I was touched by the compassion of the team and the joy they experienced making what I can only assume are the most delicious doggie treats in the world.

Mark shares about his startup process and how he experimented with different recipes until he landed on the one that worked. He tells how his experience in consumer products gave him a model to follow. And, how when he was ready to make the leap, no one believed he was serious.

Wigglewow is truly on a mission. His dream is to someday be the largest employer of special needs adults. He has many great plans in store, more than we could cover in this interview.

Take a listen, I promise you'll be inspired.

David Cooper and his brother have been entrepreneurs since middle school. For the past several years they have built a successful FedEx TSP business. In addition to that business, they have a traditional trucking company, a transportation brokerage service, and have recently started a consulting and coaching business for the linehaul industry.

Learning to pivot and adjust to the market demands not only is an ongoing requirement for them, it's essentially how and why they got into this business in the first place.

I'm always impressed with young entrepreneurs who just have the courage to try something, adjust, and try something again. If you are prospective business owner, you would do well to learn from David's experiences. And if you are interested in the linehaul industry, you better get to know him!

Shemika Whiteside is the Founder and Executive Director of Zora's Cradle. I was so touched by her organization and what they do. Her team serves expectant mothers in need, especially homeless and migrant women. She serves a very much under-served portion of our community. She is also a licensed therapist and serves both mothers and fathers in that role.

She shares some of the challenges she has faced as a new business owner. And while strategic planning wasn't her "first love", she has learned to appreciate the value of going through the process and bringing in outside viewpoints to help build a solid strategy. 'Get a Coach!", was one of her great pieces of advice (and I couldn't agree with her more).

Listen to this podcast and you'll be inspired and pick up some great nuggets for you in your business.

Abbie Fish was born to be a swimmer, and it is more than just in her name. In this interview, she shares her journey from competitive swimming at the highest level to her entrepreneurial endeavors in creating an online swimming instruction platform.

Abbie took her passion - competitive swimming and found a way to turn it into a profitable entrepreneurial endeavor. She shares stories of how she has essentially created a category that did not exist. What's next? You'll have to listen to find out more.

Roland O'Daniel talks about the challenges of running a non-profit organization. Cash flow is always a top concern. Learning how to smooth out the highs and lows is critical for them.

He also speaks of the challenge of marketing a non-profit. There's a careful balance required between promoting the organization and fulfilling the mission. Creating a sustainable model is of paramount importance.

In this episode, meet Isaiah Fritz, the 25-year-old business owner who founded his company at 15. And this is no run-of-the-mill company. His company has grown into a global e-commerce platform.

Isaiah discusses some of the challenges of being a business owner. He puts a paramount on trust, and has been challenged to address issues when he's found issues with this on his team.

Danny took the leap into entrepreneurship in 2016 when he founded Elevator Solutions, Inc. He shares some of the surprises of being a new business owner. He talks about the challenges of making the transition from being a good technician to being a good businessperson. He also speaks to the importance of culture in the success of a business.

His compassion for his team is evident when he shares about his team being impacted by a vehicle accident last year. He clearly believes in bringing balance for his team and his family.

He also shares some great learnings for those starting a business: Pay yourself first, adopt the Profit-first model and offload tasks that take your energy and focus away.