Small Business War Stories

Nic and Diane Atwood are serious about real estate in Austin. They work closely with their clients and they help people find special opportunities and off-market properties.

They are also awesome people, and connect the community through a weekly open mic they host in South Austin.

Which major artists launched their career at the Irie Bean open mic? What crazy transaction stories do Nic and Diane have to share?

All of this and more in today's episode.

Matt Richards takes old wooden radios from the early 20th century and turns them into guitar amplifiers.

We sat down with Matt at a special time in his journey....he is making the leap to Square Amps being his full-time pursuit.

What is it like to source old radios? How does an introvert look at self-promotion? Who are some of the artists who have played Square Amps?

All of this and more on today's episode.

SouthPop is an Austin institution! The South Austin Museum of Popular Culture is a funky, colorful, and amazing non-profit.

Leea Mechling and her team serve as keepers of the torch for the history of popular culture in Austin, a city with a rich trove of stories, characters, songs, and art.

What is it like to run a non-profit? What happens when the pipes break? What crazy stories has Leea been witness to?

All of this and more in today's episode.

Noel Escobar is a craftsman and bootmaker in Austin, Texas. He was born into the trade in South Texas, and has established himself as a presence in Austin for decades.

Why do celebrities and everyday people from all over the world visit Noel to have custom boots made by him? What does Noel do to foster community? What kinds of events does he host? All of this and more in today's episode.

What a special episode! Colorado whiskey, great conversation, and an original song at the end.

Th podcast itself was fantastic, and talked about dealing with the psychology of the blank page, getting out of our own way, and how to create (and complete) things/projects from scratch.

Make sure you stick around until the end...Nick will put goosebumps on your arms and a knot in your throat with his original song "Señorita."

Grant and Karen are living the dream. And they also have their struggles, like all of us.

In this episode, they share their story of how they became an in-demand guitar pedal company. From Grant's days as a touring drummer, to Karen's visual design skills, to the way they use social media and Google Analytics to grow their business.

They also have some cool music stories and mighty challenges that they have overcome in their journey.

This is a very inspirational episode...Grant nor Karen knew anything about how to make guitar pedals when they started...now they have a thriving business!

Brett and his brother just won't give up. When their original idea for a drink had to be shelved because of a prohibitive required volume, they came up with another concept and successfully launched Moontower Matcha.

We talk about matcha tea, the ins and outs of starting a beverage company, how to find distributors, and we also dive into how to connect with social media influencers to promote your brand.

Lots of good tactics in this one!

Casey Carroll is really, really good at facebook ads. And it can be a complicated, overwhelming world.

In this episode, we dissect how to figure out what is important for you to get started with Facebook ads for your small business.

By the end of the episode, you will have a six-step guide that you can follow to tackle this seemingly daunting task.

You are good at learning things...learning this will transform your business!

Mercer is the man!

You'll be really impressed by his story of constant reinvention and learning, but that's not all.

Mercer will help you understand how to start demystifying online marketing, so you can start really making your marketing work for you.

We had a fun talk, but more importantly, I learned a lot, and so will you :)

Tara Dawn Chapman went from being a CIA agent to cold-emailing a bee farm. The email included her squat and deadlift numbers (beekeeping is hard work!).

The rest, as they say, is history. Tara launched Two Hives Honey by putting hives in people's backyards. She then partnered with the hosts by harvesting the honey while teaching them beekeeping.

Always wanted to know about bees? Are you interested in a badass female entrepreneur making her vision happen? Tune in!