The Savvy Entrepreneur

John Miller and Kevin Dastic from Miller's Area Heating and Air Conditioning joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently to share some of the challenges of growing a second-generation family-owned business

in a highly competitive local products and services business.

They also share some pretty funny stories, and John shares candid advice garnered over the years since he took over the business from his father and uncle.

It's a great listen -- click on the arrow to hear the show!

Lori London, singer, song-writer, and author of 2 award-winning children's books joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show to share stories and advice from her journey to grow her entertainment business.  Lori has tips and advice for anyone who has thought about writing and publishing childrens' books, or who has wondered how to make money from their artistic talents, or is thinking about using their creative talents as a side hustle.  Also, check out her websites at Lori London Entertainment and Lori London Music!

Click on the arrow to listen to the interview, or read a transcript of the interview here.

Michael Kastler, founder of 43 Technology Solutions, joined The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show to share tips

on designing or re-designing your business website.  He talks about things to consider in selecting a website designer.  He also shares his advice on maintaining your website and keeping it relevant for your customers.

Michael has more than 30 years' experience in IT, and is a rare combination of technical know-how and  always-practical business advice.

Listen as Michael shares advice from his many years of working with businesses on their

websites.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by live in the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Tom Denison, the President & Founder of SmartHealth Activator.  SmartHealth Activator is an innovative type of accelerator for healthcare companies, especially those in biotech. It does not seek startup healthcare companies, but instead looks for licensable technologies and then forms the companies and appoints the management teams.

Tom joined us to talk about why he formed SmartHealth Activator, and its unique business model.  He also shared some of the platform's portfolio companies, as well as some of the challenges.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Tom for being our guest on the show!

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcast

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by live in the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Eric Freibrun, who manages Freibrun Law.  Eric counsels startups and other technology businesses on how to protect their intellectual property.

Eric joined us to talk about the four categories of intellectual property:  patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.  He emphasized that almost all businesses have intellectual property that has value and should be protected.  He also shares how failing to properly identify and protect intellectual property is directly connected to a business' value.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Eric for being our guest on the show!

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by live in the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Heather Grove, Managing Director at Caliber Advisors, a Chicago firm that provides advisory and business valuation services to companies of all sizes and types.

Heather joined us to talk about and when a business valuation should be done.  She provides advice on how to maximize the value of a business valuation.  She also shares common misconceptions and mistakes that business make when it comes to business valuation.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Heather and Caliber Advisors for being our guest on the show!

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined live from the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Wendy Basch, Director of Commercial Lending at BCU, a credit union with 250,000+ members to talk about what lenders look for when borrowing money.  She also shares tips for successfully borrowing money, inluding loan repayment.

Wendy has more than 30 years' experience in the banking industry, having worked previo

usly at GE Capital, CharterOne Bank, 1st Midwest Bank, and Alliant Credit Union, among others.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Wendy and BCU for being our guest.

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by live in the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Barry Goodman, Partner at SVA Value Accelerators, a national firm that specializes in helping small and family-owned businesses transition to new owners for a higher return. 

Barry is uniquely qualified to counsel small businesses.  He worked in the family electrical distribution business when he was young, then went on to form his own CPA firm, as well as co-found a company that became one of the largest regional accounting firms.  He shares with us many tips for helping companies become more valuable.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Barry for being our guest.

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by phone live from the studios of WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Robert "Bo" Steiner, the Illinois Director of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Bo comes from a family of entrepreneurs, and after his service in the military, he held several roles in the private sector.  He joined the SBA as the director of the Illinois office in 2013.

He joined us to share some of the many programs and resources for small business that are offered by the Small Business Administration, most of which are free or low-cost. We also talked about effective business plans and business planning.  Finally, he also shares some of his insights on what makes businesses successful after working with so many of them over the years.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.  It's a great listen!

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Bo Steiner for being our guest.

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.

The Savvy Entrepreneur Radio Show recently was joined by phone live on WLCB Lakes Radio 101.5 FM by Manu Edakara, Director of iVenture Accelerator at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana.

Manu is a U of I graduate himself, and also spent time working for a startup in Silcon Valley before coming back to Champaign.

Manu talks about how the iVenture Acclerator came about, its goals and resources, some of the student entrepreneurs that are part of this unique program, and some of the program's successes.

The show was originally broadcast live, but you can still listen to it here by clicking on the embedded player.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Manu for being our guest.

Catch other episodes of The Savvy Entrepreneur by subscribing to our regular podcasts.