This week of The Market Makers, we bring you another story from our Scale Up series. We're sitting down with Alaina Kaczmarski, CEO and co-founder of The Everygirl Media Group.

Back in 2009, Alaina was struggling to get her foot in the door in the media industry, so she opened her laptop and started a blog. Three years later, she and her co-founder launched The Everygirl, an online magazine built to answer one question: How does the every girl who has the vision, work ethic, and dream get ahead if she doesn't know the right person?

Today, The Everygirl Media Group reaches over 2 million monthly readers, employs 33 full-time staff, and has grown into a seven-figure business. Alaina shares the journey from Googling "what is an RFP?" when Coach first reached out, to generating 10+ million views on their holiday gift guides, to building a team that's mostly stayed for over a decade.

You'll hear about the paid partnership that taught them to only work with brands they'd feature organically (even when they needed the revenue), the networking dinner that accidentally unlocked a major revenue stream, and why the future of digital media is about bringing people together in real life.

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This week, we're taking a short Thanksgiving break while the team recharges with friends, family, and maybe a second helping of pie.

Host Jon Pertchik sends good vibes to all the business owners navigating the busiest week of the year - Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday all happening at once. Here's hoping you're making the most of the rush while finding a little time to rest.

We'll be back next week with a brand new episode in our Scale Up mini-series featuring Alaina Kaz, co-founder of The Everygirl Media Group. In this sneak peek, Alaina shares how blogging became her answer to breaking into industries where "it's all about who you know" - and how that led to building an online magazine answering one question: "How does the every girl who has the vision, the work ethic, and the dream get ahead if she doesn't know the right person?"

Follow The Market Makers wherever you get your podcasts, and we'll see you next week.

This week, host Jon Pertchik sits down with designer and entrepreneur Christi Barbour, co-founder of Barbour Spangle Design. Christi shares how building around people, not aesthetics, became the foundation for a thriving design practice and a revitalized creative community in High Point.

Launching her business in her sunroom in 1997, she expanded one room at a time before growing into one of High Point’s most respected design leaders. Along the way, she navigated economic crises, personal loss, and industry shifts - always guided by the belief that results matter, but people matter more.

In this conversation, Christi opens up about her introverted leadership style, her philosophy of meaningful connection over shallow networking, and her Mirror Method approach: designing spaces that authentically reflect the people who live and work in them. Jon and Christi also explore her community-building work through High Point Discovered, and her trailblazing role as the first interior designer to chair the High Point Market Authority.

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Today on The Market Makers, Jon sits down with designer, author, and TV personality Sabrina Soto.

Sabrina’s connection to home started early, during a period of financial struggle when creating beauty on a budget became both a necessity and refuge. That instinct later became her signature - making a name for herself as a pioneer of, budget-friendly design and reminding the
world that style isn’t defined by a price tag.

With no formal training and no industry connections, she willed her way onto television, preparing for opportunities before they existed and learning in real time on screen. Today, she continues to curate her dreams by writing books, expanding into product design, and exploring
the intersection of home, mindset, and wellbeing.

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from the people shaping how we live, work, and gather.

In this first episode of Scale Up Stories, a special series from The Market Makers, host Jon Pertchik sits down with Bob Maricich, Executive Chairman and former CEO of ANDMORE - and Jon’s predecessor.

From humble beginnings in Black Eagle, Montana, Bob went on to build one of the largest physical market platforms in the world. He shares how he steered companies through foreclosures and financial crises, turned setbacks into lessons, and brought together Las Vegas
and High Point to form what became ANDMORE.

Bob also opens up about the leadership principles that guided him through it all: from the “never be a victim” mindset that helped him recover from being fired, to the importance of moral grounding, culture, and teamwork in scaling a business. He breaks down what private equity really values, why physical markets continue to thrive, and what true succession in business looks like.

It’s an inside look at what it takes to build, scale, and sustain a long-lasting business and career.

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Today, on The Market Makers, host Jon Pertchik, CEO of ANDMORE, sits down with interior designer and former therapist Anita Yokota.

Anita’s story is truly one of transformation. From 20 years in the therapy room to becoming one of today’s most recognizable design voices, Anita shares how her background in psychology and neuroscience shapes her approach to design. From how small changes in color, symmetry, and light can shift our mood and mindset, to how her method is about helping her clients find the “why” before ever choosing a single paint color.

Together, they trace her journey from the before, of a life in therapy, through her own renovation of redefining her creative purpose, to the after - a thriving design career built on wellbeing, intuition, and balance.

Follow The Market Makers wherever you get your podcasts for more stories of transformation from the people shaping how we live, work, and gather.

Welcome to The Market Makers, a brand new podcast from ANDMORE, exploring the journeys, ideas, and turning points that shape today’s creative professionals across the design, furniture, home, and lifestyle industries.

In this first episode, host Jon Pertchik, CEO of ANDMORE, sits down with TV icon and renowned interior and product designer, Thom Filicia.  Thom shares how a cold call landed him his first job at the design firm Parish-Hadley, how getting stuck in an elevator landed him his big TV break as a cast member on the OG Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and how he uses markets today to stay inspired and connected to what’s new in design.

Make sure you’re following The Market Makers wherever you get your podcasts for more stories of transformation from the people shaping how we live, work, and gather.

Every creative professional knows the power of a before and after.  It’s a classic transformation arc - whether it’s a renovation, glow up, or an old-fashioned makeover. But reinvention doesn’t just apply to products or spaces. It also holds true for our lives and our careers. 

The Market Makers is a new weekly podcast from ANDMORE, hosted by CEO Jon Pertchik. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the people shaping the worlds of design, furniture, home, and lifestyle, exploring how they built their brands, found their unique style, and how markets and community are central to their work. 

You’ll hear how industry icons like Thom Filicia got his big break, how designer Anita Yokota swapped the therapy office for the design studio, and how heritage leaders like Robert H. Spilman Jr. of Bassett Furniture continue to build a lasting brand.

Make sure you’re following The Market Makers for more stories of transformation from the people shaping how we live, work, and gather.