Sponsor of Business, Cars, and Cigars, Vita Nova Cigars, just launched October 13th, 2022 with a record-breaking night. Owner, Oliver Mueller, has been smoking cigars since 18 and has a real taste for quality. He worked the retail side of cigars for a long time and learned a lot, including how different shapes smoke differently. He had a real interest and researched as much as he could. Eventually he decided that a trip to Nicaragua was needed to really learn what makes a good quality cigar.

Wanting to tell stories through his cigars, Oliver chose the 12 apostles as his first line. So far, Peter, James, and John have been released. Oliver describes Peter and John as a Maduro, and James as a Habano, with all three being stronger on the nicotine side. For cigar smokers that like something a little lighter, Oliver says the next 3 to be released will be Connecticut’s.

Since launching his company, Oliver has a new appreciation for all that it takes to run a business. His biggest pet peeve is seeing ads for side gigs that promise you’ll get rich quick. Vita Nova Cigars was years in the making, and Oliver says he’s only been successful because he put in the time and effort. Just a couple of months after his launch, Oliver is already looking for ways to improve. He believes in compounding progress through consistency.

With so much more to share about his entrepreneurial journey, tune in to the next episode to hear more of Oliver’s story in part two.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“We don’t have the 15, 20, 40 years of experience they do, but we’re right there with quality.” - Oliver Mueller

How to Get Connected:

Instagram

Facebook

Growing up, Heidi Fahrenbach’s parents were race car drivers, so she’s always been around the automotive industry. From a young age, Heidi fell in love with the adrenaline, the sounds, the smells, all of it. As she grew up, people noticed her beauty and encouraged her to get into modeling. She decided to pursue it, but only if she could specialize in the automotive industry. She says it did take a bit of work to break into the male dominated industry, and it all started with gaining respect through building relationships. Once people realized she wasn’t just another pretty face, but also knew her stuff, Heidi was in.

She now is a spokesmodel for various automotive products and events, but says her favorite to work for would have to be Lamborghini. Heidi says it’s truly a blessing to love what you do. She occasionally branches out of the automotive space, as she’s done recently with Celsius energy drinks. No matter who her employer is, Heidi has a ‘this is who I am, take it or leave it’ mentality. She’s not one to follow trends that go against her values, no matter how much money she’s being offered. Heidi believes this has contributed to her success because employers know their company’s reputation is safe in her hands.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“It’s not a job if you love what you do, what you're around, and who you’re with.” — Heidi Fahrenbach

How to Get Connected:

Heidi Fahrenbach Modeling

Facebook

TikTok

Brandon is back in the saddle again with an awesome guest, Brian Schmitt from Mobile Solutions. Brian talks about how he started in the mobile audio industry right out of high school. He worked for a couple of manufacturers, and then decided to start his own company. He has built this around being efficient and creating tools that help speed up the process. Also, they provide training to develop systems and processes to help the overall business run more smoothly.

Brian talks about how great it is to have a community that supports what they’re doing. They build products that are shipped all around the globe. Brian gets to enjoy working with all the woodworkers and fabricators that huge fans of what they are doing. This is definitely an area where they are a tribe of enthusiastic people. Get everyone on the same page and under one leader is a must to get anything done well.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“The best way to work together is to have a crew chief with the team behind that one person.”

How to Get Connected:

https://www.mobilesolutions-usa.com/home

https://www.instagram.com/mobilesolutionsfabrication/

https://www.facebook.com/mobilesolutions.usa

https://www.youtube.com/c/Mobilesolutionsusafab

It’s no surprise that Brandon and Doug Dobson met at a knowledge fest, as they both know a lot about the industry. Doug describes his journey as a natural progression that started at Elettromedia doing tech support, service, and sales. When he learned all he could there, Doug broke off on his own and started MSC America. It was through this endeavor that Doug helped to bring the Helix line to light in the US. He’s since graduated to product development, working with Brazil-based Tury, an OEM supplier.

Tury has been around for 33 years but just recently made its US debut. Doug describes them as serious about what they do. Having toured a lot of production facilities, Doug has never seen the level of detail he has seen at Tury. He enjoys utilizing cutting edge technology to help develop the next generation of automotive technology. Doug sees many trade shows in his future, where he’ll both continue to introduce and discover what’s next.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“One of the best things about our industry is building those relationships.” -Doug Dobson

How to Get Connected:

Tury

Facebook

The very first episode of Business, Cars, and Cigars had Tomas Keenan as the guest. Now, nearly a year later, Tomas is back to talk about growth. Recently, Nate stepped away from his job as COO of a coaching academy when he and the owner weren’t seeing eye to eye. Because of his growth, Nate was able to walk away with gratitude instead of anger. When that door closed, the door of being his own boss opened.

Luckily, Nate had set up his own business years earlier, but just never really stepped into it. He was able to hit the ground running, and he did, with people chomping at the bit to work with him. Nate credits imperfect action and intentionality with getting him to where he is today. He maintains the life he loves by operating with integrity both inside his business and his personal life. If you need help developing your core values and leveling up your business, Tomas is your man, and he’s now a free agent.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“Setbacks are part of being an entrepreneur and a human being.” -Thomas Keenan

How to Get Connected:

TomasKeenan.com

Step It Up Academy

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Adam McChesney believes that entrepreneurs aren’t born, they’re brewed. As the host of the podcast Entrebrewer, Adam dissects the journeys of top-performing entrepreneurs around the world. His own journey started in medical device sales, where he quickly rose through the ranks and found himself going from $75k/year to $200k/year overnight. In true entrepreneurial spirit, Adam began to look at what’s next. He found that the next available promotion would be a small raise with a lot more work, travel, and responsibility. Realizing becoming a full time entrepreneur would mean the sky's the limit, Adam began taking digital marketing courses and building out projects on the side.

In 2020, Adam took the plunge and hit the ground running. He ended up partnering with Hype Digital, which has 200 full time specialists across the US. Using their resources, Adam ended up building out a successful auto glass company. He found that personally utilizing the tools the company offered helped him to better sell them to others. Adam can do everything from building websites and getting them ranked, to creating successful paid ads. Obviously a website is the first step, but Adam says many people then turn to paid ads, when getting your page ranked is going to give you the best ROI.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“We like to try to throw any sort of gray area out the window when it comes to digital marketing.” -Adam McChesney

How to Get Connected:

AdamMcChesney.com

Instagram

Steve Sulze grew up as the fat, bullied kid. By his junior year of high school, he had had enough and began lifting weights. After developing a great physique and building up his muscles, Steve assumed he could handle himself in a fight. His first bar fight proved that assumption wrong. So, Steve started researching martial arts, tried a few out, and settled on Krav Maga. When the gym Steve was training at closed, he decided to open his own, Xtreme Krav Maga.

Having been in operation for 16 years now, Steve has also added tactical defense to his teachings with Xtreme Tactical Defense. He loves to equip people with the confidence that they can handle themselves no matter what type of situation they find themselves in. He doesn’t just stop at how to defend yourself, but also teaches situational awareness, pre-fight cues, and more. With the state of society today, Steve believes everyone should invest in self defense.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“I own my own business because I don’t like being told what to do.” -Steve Sulze

How to Get Connected:

Xtreme Krav Maga

Xtreme Tactical Defense

Today we’re talking to the 2022 Mobile Electronics Installer of the Year, Marty Adamschek. He’s found the awards process to be fantastic, as it’s given him the opportunity to network and meet other people in the industry. Everyone involved has been extremely supportive of one another and pushed each other to do their best. You can watch the moment Marty is announced Installer of the Year here.

Marty’s journey to this achievement started when he was very young. He got a love of music from his mom, and a love of building from his dad, who worked as a cabinet builder. He worked at all kinds of shops from small, in and out jobs, to expensive, custom builds. He even took a brief hiatus and changed careers when he experienced burnout with the industry. He ultimately found his way back to his first love of car audio, and he knows now it’s where he’s meant to be.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“I like playing, I like building stuff, I like having fun.” -Marty Adamschek

How to Get Connected:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Over 30 years ago, Mike Rundel started his career as an installer and quickly moved up the ranks to running the whole shop. At the same time, Mike ran a DJ business. He’d spend long days at the shop and then all night at the club. When he got married, he decided it was time to make some changes. He moved into being a product rep and focused his DJ business on weddings and events.

Car audio and being a DJ were Mike’s two favorite hobbies, and he was successfully making a career out of them. He loves that he’s not stuck in a 9-5 office, instead traveling all over and interacting with great people. For the past 8 years, Mike has been a rep for Sony, and he really enjoys the company’s culture. Through his years of experience, he’s really honed in on selling himself and building great relationships.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“Not many people can say their hobbies are what their jobs are, and it’s fulfilling.” -Mike Rundel

How to Get Connected:

Sound Bound DJ Services

Facebook

Cousins are often your first friends, and that rings true for Brandon’s cousin, Matt Runge. Growing up together, Brandon watched Matt get to where he is today, owner of On Track Construction in Iowa. Matt found himself in Iowa as he pursued a college education at Iowa State University. He ended up feeling at home there and decided he would stick around and build his career there. In 2017, Matt decided it was time to step out on his own, so he took out some loans for big equipment and put together a crew. Now, just 5 years later, Matt oversees 6 crews and is looking at $15million in revenue this year.

In addition to being able to run the big machines, Matt made sure he knew everything from payroll to bidding. His first big project he landed was a $2million job that took a year and a half. After that, things started moving very quickly. With the company growing rapidly, Matt utilized social media for recruiting employees. Matt recognizes that his company is only as good as the people he employs, and so he puts a lot of focus on team building. Part of what makes Matt such a good boss is that he admits he doesn’t know everything, and he’ll never be too good to clean the toilets.

What You’ll Learn:

Favorite Quote:

“Some people want to be a one-man team, and unfortunately in my world that just doesn’t work.” -Matt Runge

How to Get Connected:

On Track Construction

Facebook