Small Business Unscripted

Sixteen years into a career with the Indianapolis Colts, Stacy Johns had built a stadium, run finance and HR, and become one of the only women in the room at every level. So when she left the NFL to help launch LAFC — a brand-new MLS team with no track record, no established fanbase, and no real off-season — people told her she was having a midlife crisis. She thought it necessary.

Stacy and host Everett Sands dig into what she looks for in her first weeks running a new organization: not the finances, but what a team has been tolerating versus celebrating. Now leading the LA Sparks, Stacy is applying the same startup instincts she used to help LAFC sell out a million tickets three years running.

What You'll Learn:

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

Stacy’s Highlights:

"I just knew myself well enough that there was more to life than one job."

"If we're ever getting the contract out, we have failed our partnership."

"The older I get, the more confident I am that the way females think, the way we lead, the way we run things has a place and doesn't need to require explanation."

Connect:

Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands

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Stacy Bernstein ran her first company with two partners she never had a hard conversation with. No exit plan, no defined roles, and eventually an artist stuck doing budgets while Stacy took a call with Target’s CMO from her car, breastfeeding a three-week-old and asking herself what she was doing. When she started All Better Co. with co-founder Merav, the first thing they set up was their divorce: what happens if this doesn’t work?

Stacy and Everett get specific about what makes the second partnership hold. Stacy and Merav sit in opposite silos (operations for Merav, brand for Stacy) and follow a rule for disagreements: say your piece, and if it’s the other person’s silo and they stand firm, you acquiesce. They also cover why two creatives need a grownup in the room, how partners in different seasons of life have to talk about it out loud, and the payoff of getting the partnership right — nine months of pure customer research that surfaced a white space in the first aid aisle nobody had touched in decades.

If you have a co-founder, or are about to choose one, this is the conversation to hear first. Subscribe to Small Business Unscripted wherever you listen.

What You'll Learn:

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

Stacy's Highlights:

“The first thing I did with my partner now, Merav — the first thing we talked about was our divorce. That was the first thing we actually set up: what if it doesn’t work?”

“If I disagree on something that’s in Merav’s silo and I say my piece, and if it’s something that she’s willing to say, ‘No, I stand firm on this,’ then I acquiesce. That’s your silo, and we have to be willing to sit in that.”

“Yes, you can have two creatives, but if you have two real creatives, then you need a grownup in the room.”

Connect:

Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands

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When the government pumped trillions into the financial system after the Great Recession, the money was supposed to flow downstream. It didn't. Kevin Klowden, Executive Director at the Milken Institute, watched the capital aggregate in the hands of large institutions while community banks collapsed and minority-owned lenders disappeared. The result: a generation of small businesses born into a capital desert.

Kevin and Everett trace the structural failures behind that gap — from Dodd-Frank regulations that disincentivized small-scale risk, to the destruction of the informal know-your-customer relationships that once made local lending work, to the stark absence of small business credit data that still plagues the system today. They also get specific about solutions: data portability frameworks, government loan guarantees that pay for themselves, and what the fintech lenders that actually survived learned from the ones that burned out.

What You'll Learn:

Chapters:

Kevin’s Highlights:

"Payday lenders exist because people are unbanked or underbanked. And that happens because there is that lack of trust — either the institution not trusting the individual, or the individual not trusting the institution."

"This isn't a zero-sum game. This country succeeds because lots of different businesses grow together. And as long as we remember that — that this is how people have economic mobility, because they can keep doing better — that's what we want to see."

Connect:

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Stephanie Graves didn't build Lee Andrews Group from scratch. The founder had passed away, the institutional knowledge was gone, and there were seven employees left holding a name. What she built from there came down to one thing: credibility. Show up, do what you said, deliver—and repeat that enough times that relationships become your most valuable asset.

In this episode, Stephanie breaks down why most businesses misuse PR, why AI is pushing her industry back toward cultural competence and human touch, and why the real measure of a PR strategy isn't impressions—it's trust.

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3 Takeaways:

Chapters:

[00:20] Meet PR Leader Stephanie Graves

Stephanie’s Highlights:

"Relationships are gold. No one's going to give you anything for free until you really show yourself as credible."

"He disagreed with me, so I fired him. That's not always the best business decision. But our ethos is community driven."

"You don't want someone else to tell your story. It's like a plant—you have to continue to water it, or it dies."

Connect:

Stephanie Graves: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-graves-51b159322/ 

Resources:

Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

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Kevin Keane started his career at PwC learning one thing above all else: the most valuable thing a consultant can do is tell leaders what no one inside the building will. From there he built a career helping major companies (including Toyota's massive relocation and merger to Plano, Texas) that broke most organizations. 

Now as COO of Directed Action, he's focused on making those same tools accessible to small businesses.

Kevin and Everett dig into what management consulting actually is (and when you actually need it), why transformation fails when leaders can't articulate their why, and how a disciplined process of asking the right questions—not having all the answers—is what separates a great consultant from an expensive talker. Kevin also makes the case that the most valuable first step for any entrepreneur is going to a banker: because a lender will tell you the truth.

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3 Takeaways:

Chapters:

Kevin’s Highlights:

"You have to tell 'em their babies ugly. You have to be independent enough and confident enough to say to leaders, this isn't working."

"You're simply not gonna grow in a very effective way unless you can understand what your personal value proposition is—beyond the fact that you're a founder."

Connect:

Resources:

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Melissa Butler was working at Barclays when she started making lipstick in her New York apartment. 1,500+ batches later, her scrappiness paid off with a spot on Shark Tank. She didn’t get the deal, but she did leave with a powerful lesson in branding instead. Now, The Lip Bar is sold on Target shelves nationwide—the retailer’s largest Black-owned beauty brand. 

In this episode, Melissa takes us through her incredible journey from the apartment kitchen to the CEO chair, including the advice from Mark Cuban that changed everything, how she landed a deal with a major retailer, knowing when it’s time to quit your job and go all-in, and much more.  

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3 Takeaways:

Chapters:

Melissa’s Highlights:

"I saw this group of women who felt like they were aging outside of their beauty—and this idea that beauty has a time limit. That's another box I don't appreciate and I don't want to play up."

"Beauty will happen wherever I choose."

"A lot of founders make the mistake of thinking they need dollars when they need efficiency, or they need creativity, or they need to build a better community."

Connect:

Resources:

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Isabel Guzman didn't plan on a career in policy. She planned on building businesses — starting in the front office of her father's veterinary practice, continuing through Wharton, Penn, and a stint at Procter & Gamble, and eventually back to California to help her dad scale what had become a chain of hospitals. Government found her, not the other way around. But once she was in, she went deep — and what she learned about how capital actually flows to small businesses changed how she thinks about everything.

In this episode, Isabel joins Everett to break down the most common and costly misconceptions small business owners have about working with the government: why the grant era of COVID was an anomaly, not a baseline; why getting a "no" from one SBA lender doesn't mean the door is closed; and why building a strong private-sector portfolio is the single most important thing a founder can do before pursuing government contracts. 

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3 Takeaways:

Timestamps:

Isabel’s Best Insights:

"Expect that [getting government contracts] is going to be hard work to learn the rules of the road. Building up your portfolio of private companies can really help you advance further in the government contracting space."

"I'm proud now to say everywhere I go that I've failed multiple times. But that doesn't mean I don't keep going."

Connect:

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Emory Jones went from a 13,000-person town in Maryland to Brooklyn at 16 with no family connections. Fashion was his communicator—the thing that helped him navigate rooms and build a career that spans Rocawear, Puma, and the creation of Paper Planes.

But Emory's real superpower isn't just design—it's understanding that people buy energy and lifestyle before they buy product. He shares how he helped bring Puma back into cultural conversation after years of being ignored and the moment a nickname from his past became a movement about self-belief.

This episode goes deep on building brands that match how you actually live, why comfort and function beat hype every time, and how walking—literally just walking with people—has become Emory's secret weapon for business, relationships, and creativity.

What You'll Learn:

• Why you can't pick your customer anymore (and why that's actually freeing)
• How to be the best version of yourself in every room without losing your identity
• Why paid marketing is an amplifier, not a driver
• The power of building lifestyle brands around your actual lifestyle
• How accountability to yourself changes everything

Emory: 
"Growing up, coming from where we come from, we wake up and bet on everything but ourselves. Everything—the gang, the block, anybody. We bet on everything but yourself."

"Fashion has always been my communicator. Before I know what you do or where you're at, I can figure you out by sight. That alone helped me balance rooms."

"If you're building something, you can't pick and choose who your customer is anymore. The guy across the street that you didn't think was your customer? That's your customer. Don't set yourself up for disappointment."

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands 
• Follow Emory on Instagram: @vegas_jones
• Learn more about Paper Planes: www.paperplane.shop
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Timestamps:
01:00 – Early Career and Influences
02:05 – The Journey to New York and Rockawear
07:00 – Challenges and Lessons in Merchandising
10:35 – The Birth of Paper Planes
16:35 – Puma Collaboration and Legacy
21:40 – Bet on Yourself Philosophy
26:10 – Building a Lifestyle Brand
31:00 – Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
32:30 – Looking Forward: Plans for 2026

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Wemimo Abbey immigrated from Lagos, Nigeria at 17. When he and his mother tried to borrow money, they were turned away by a major bank and sent to a payday lender charging over 400% interest. His mother sold his father's wedding ring to get them started in America.

That experience became the foundation for Esusu, a fintech platform that reports rental payment data to credit bureaus—helping millions establish or improve credit scores. Before Esusu, less than 3% of the $1.4 trillion renters pay annually showed up on credit reports.

Wemimo shares how he and co-founder faced 326 rejections, got kicked out of a Denny's for being $100,000 in credit card debt, and still pushed forward. They created a win-win-win model: landlords get more on-time payments, renters build credit, and lenders can better assess risk. The result? Over $50 billion unlocked in economic activity, bipartisan support in Congress, and partnerships with Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and Zillow.

What you'll learn:

• Why timing matters more than originality when launching an idea
• How to create win-win-win scenarios for all stakeholders
• The power of stakeholder mapping: finding your entry point
• The co-CEO model: why sharing leadership can be a strength
• How to turn customer rejection into your biggest relationship

Wemimo: 
"Life is too short to work on win-lose. I am just not interested. It doesn't get me out of bed. Money does not motivate me. Impact gets me on a high."

"We always say think outside the box, but we never let people outside the box engage. That tells you how lopsided access to capital really is."

"Be caught trying. In life, you're gonna be knocked down. People will tell you no. Your ideas won't work. You're gonna have heartache in life. You just gotta show up and be caught trying."

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands 
• Follow Wemimo on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wemimoabbey
• Learn more about Esusu: esusurent.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com

Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Timestamps:
01:50 – Early Life and Education in Nigeria
04:05 – Entrepreneurial Beginnings and Early Ventures
08:10 – Corporate America and the Birth of Esusu
11:25 – The Power of Rental Data in Credit Scoring
17:15 –Scaling and Impact of Esusu
21:25 – The Importance of Win-Win-Win Scenarios
22:35 – Overcoming Challenges and Rejections
27:30 – The Co-CEO Structure at Esusu
30:00 – Partnerships and Customer Focus

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Andre Johnson has worked everywhere—music A&R, gaming (he got Steven Spielberg's approval for a Jurassic Park VR game), hospitality, and now as EVP at Magic Johnson Enterprises. What connects it all? Vision. And the ability to get people rowing in the same direction without using fear.

Andre breaks down how MJE evaluates partners (it starts with how they treat their people), where the next sports investment opportunities are hiding, and why the gaming industry's customer feedback loop should be required learning for every entrepreneur. 

What you'll learn:

• How to get your team aligned when they can't see your vision yet
• Why fear-based leadership produces short-term wins but long-term failure
• How to evaluate potential partners by watching how they treat subordinates

Andre: 
"If I can get the people involved to buy into the importance of their role and take us from here to there, and really understand it—if I can help you only be successful at what you do and not ask you to step into somebody else's shoes—then I find that the process is easier."

"Fear-based culture doesn't work. I don't care how much success somebody has had. The team behind them will tell you it's not that way."

"Gaming's not gonna slow down. You think about all the studios and people who have IP, they're now trying to get the gaming audience. The more that we can help young people see a pathway along those things, then we will start to see some of the great inventors of tomorrow."

Links & Resources:

• Follow Everett on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/everettksands 
• Follow Andre on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andre-johnson-31a8587
• Learn more about Magic Johnson Enterprises: magicjohnsonenterprises.com
• Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com
• Keep the conversation going at smallbusinessunscripted.com

Timestamps:
00:30 – Introduction to Andre Johnson and Magic Johnson Enterprises
02:00 – Andre's Journey from Music to Business Development
03:30 – Transitioning from Music to Gaming
07:00 – Asset Management and Hospitality Ventures
08:05 – Working at Magic Johnson Enterprises
09:55 – Leadership and Vision in Business
13:00 – Community Empowerment and Partnerships
16:05 – Navigating Partnerships and Investments
18:55 – WNBA's Growth and Excitement
22:10 – Opportunities in STEM and Gaming
25:25 – Location Matters in Investments
27:15 – Leading Through Change
31:00 – The Importance of Customer Feedback
32:55 – Paying Attention to the Details

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