Guest: Bill Kasko, Founder & CEO of Frontline Source Group
Host: Jeremy Rivera
Podcast: Unscripted Small Business by Be Sharp Digital Marketing

In this episode, Bill Kasko shares how he built a successful recruiting and staffing agency by doing the exact opposite of industry standards. From inverting the traditional sales model to being the first company to publish pricing online, Bill's "Costanza Theory" has disrupted an entire industry for over two decades.

We dive deep into the evolution of customer service technology, the fragmentation of the search landscape, and how AI is creating both opportunities and challenges for businesses. Bill also shares his insights on the current job market and why honest communication wins more business than overselling.

Bill Kasko is the Founder and CEO of Frontline Source Group, a staffing agency and executive search firm with over 21 years of experience. Known for their industry-disrupting five-year placement warranty and contrarian business approach.

Connect with Frontline Source Group:

Jeremy Rivera is an SEO expert and digital marketing strategist who hosts the Unscripted Small Business podcast, featuring conversations with entrepreneurs and business leaders about real-world challenges and innovative solutions.

"I'm not that smart of a guy, Jeremy. I'm just not. These are just stupid things that I have stumbled on over 21 years and realized that business people sometimes are stupid." - Bill Kasko

"We don't like to fail. It's so simple. Like, have an honest conversation with someone, especially a service business, if it's something that you know is going to be a struggle." - Bill Kasko

"When you start doing the opposite of everybody else, it will work. Now I tell people when they call and give me a hard time about it. No, it doesn't work. You're right. Don't do it. Stay away from it. It's horrible." - Bill Kasko

Innovation Area Traditional Approach Frontline's Approach Result Sales Model 20 salespeople, 10 recruiters 1 salesperson, 20 recruiters Better candidate quality wins business Pricing Transparency No pricing pages in industry First to publish pricing online #1 traffic driver to website Customer Service Hours Monday-Friday, 8-5 only 24/7 scheduling, weekend calls Competitive differentiation Placement Guarantees 90-day standard 5-year warranty Industry disruption, client confidence

 Listen to this episode: Unscripted Small Business Podcast

 Subscribe on your favorite platform:

Questions or feedback? Reach out to Jeremy Rivera or connect with our guests directly through the links above.

Want to be a guest? Email the show through our Unscripted Small Business website.

Guest: Tianna Mamalick, SMB Marketing School

Tianna Mamalick brings 12 years of SEO expertise focused exclusively on small businesses. In this conversation, she reveals why working with SMBs is more rewarding than enterprise clients, how to honestly manage expectations while delivering real results, and why she went back to human-written content after testing AI extensively. If you're a small business owner wondering what actually works in SEO right now, this episode cuts through the hype with practical, proven strategies.

Running a small business means every marketing dollar counts. Tianna specializes in helping businesses with limited budgets compete effectively by focusing on what drives actual revenue—not just traffic or rankings. She shares her formula for pairing SEO and paid ads that works specifically for service-based businesses, and explains why your service pages matter more than blog posts right now.

The Small Business Advantage Unlike enterprise clients where a 20% conversion increase gets a polite "that's nice," small business owners email about life-changing results: hiring their first employee, taking their first vacation, or investing in business growth. For Tianna, this feedback makes the work meaningful.

Honest Expectations Setting

The SEO + Ads Formula While ads don't directly boost SEO, they strategically help prime new pages through engagement. When expanding to multiple locations, running targeted ads on new service pages helps get Google Business Profiles moving faster and improves location-specific performance.

What's Actually Working in Content

The AI Content Experiment Tianna's agency tested AI-generated content extensively—and none of those articles ranked well. They've gone 100% back to human-written content, using AI only for creating outlines based on top-ranking competitors. The reality: people want authentic mistakes and real human voice.

AI Search Reality Check Less than 10% of traffic comes from ChatGPT for most small businesses. While you should prepare by enriching About pages with certifications and expertise, this isn't the urgent crisis some marketers claim. Most people aren't using ChatGPT for business searches yet—we're still in early adoption.

Mining Your Best Content Stop using SEMrush as your starting point. Instead:

Platform-Agnostic SEO SEO principles work across all platforms, not just Google. Younger generations search directly on Instagram. Make sure you're consistently talking about your actual services across social media, not just listing a keyword in your bio while posting unrelated content.

"When I increase revenue by 10K a month for a small business, I get emails like, 'I just hired my next person. I was able to take my first vacation.' It's not just a nice investment—it's a business changing investment."

"People want to work with people they like, know and trust. It's not just about the backlink. We're really looking at conversions—how can we get SEO to convert for you?"

"We can't give them cookie cutter content anymore. People want to see mistakes. They want to see people talking. They want to be connecting even in this content."

The SEO landscape is shifting from keyword-focused blog content to comprehensive service pages that answer real questions. Small businesses with limited budgets can't afford to waste money on tactics that don't convert. Tianna's approach focuses on the fundamentals that drive actual business growth: clear service descriptions, strategic local targeting, and content based on real customer conversations—not AI-generated fluff.

Join Jeremy Rivera as he delves into the world of wedding photography with Terrence Irving. Discover how Terrence transitioned from a hobbyist to a professional, balancing his passion with a corporate career, and the unique challenges and joys of capturing life's most cherished moments. Learn about his marketing strategies, the importance of building relationships, and his vision for the future.

Scott Curry shares his incredible 15-year entrepreneurial journey from multiple failed businesses to building a thriving YouTube channel that replaced his six-figure income in just three months. In this powerful conversation, Scott reveals how a personal tragedy inspired his new mission: helping a million people achieve financial freedom so they never have to choose between work and family.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Key Timestamps:

Notable Quotes:

"I didn't give up. I had a failure, overcame it, failure, overcame it, and just kept on going."

"It is exceptionally rare to find somebody who can and teaches—and when you find people like that, go subscribe to every single social media platform they're on."

"I've met a lot of people on their deathbeds. I've never met anybody who said they regretted not working more. I've met a lot of people who regretted not spending more time with their family."

"The people that go into business to help others are the ones that are the most successful. Your why for starting a business has to be to help people. It cannot be to make money."

"The only thing that is stopping you from achieving the life you've always wanted is action. So just get started."

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Scott Curry:

About the Unscripted Small Business Podcast:

Hosted by Zanetta Chunique Empower, Unscripted Small Business brings you authentic conversations with entrepreneurs who share the real stories behind their success—including the failures, pivots, and breakthroughs that shaped their journeys.

In this episode, Jeremy Rivera sits down with Justin Stehr, OT, a Certified Hand Therapist at Vanderbilt Health and Clinical Consultant for MetaFlex®. Justin shares his journey from business operations to working at Vanderbilt, and discusses innovative approaches to hand therapy, the mental health connection to chronic pain, and unexpected clinical applications of compression gloves.

Episode Highlights:

Justin Stehr, OT, CHT is a Certified Hand Therapist at Vanderbilt Health in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was recently named 2024 Acute Occupational Therapist of the Year. He holds a master's degree in occupational therapy with specialized focus on upper extremity rehabilitation, stroke recovery, and hand therapy.

Justin also holds certifications in:

He currently serves as Clinical Consultant for MetaFlex®, where he educates healthcare professionals on innovative approaches to hand rehabilitation. Justin has presented research at national conferences including the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine (ACRM) and has upcoming presentations with the Canadian Percussion Network on the biomechanics of drumming.

Personal Background: Justin's path to hand therapy includes a unique personal connection—15 years ago, he experienced a severe hand injury requiring reconstruction of tendons, nerves, and arteries, giving him firsthand understanding of the rehabilitation journey.

Quote: "We spend all day long, we grip everything. So we're constantly grabbing and pinching and then when we're ready to let go of that item or task, we just let go, we relax. We never forcefully open."

This creates an imbalance where our flexor muscles become overly strong while extensors remain weak and stretched out—contributing to conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Action Item: Take frequent breaks to stretch what's tight and strengthen what's weak.

Quote: "The power of movement and the same motion is lotion, right? We need to be able to take those frequent breaks."

Regular movement and position changes are essential for joint and soft tissue health.

Quote: "In terms of devices, there's a lot out there. People can get sucked into the next best, greatest thing... They're all very supplemental but nothing really is a substitute for natural functional motion and stretching."

While devices and tools have their place, natural movement patterns and functional activities remain the gold standard.

Quote: "Mental health is at the forefront of everything we do in OT. Humans and living organisms, we can't be in a constant state of pain or stress."

There's a bidirectional relationship between chronic pain and depression—addressing one helps address the other.

Poor sleep due to hand pain creates a vicious cycle affecting healing, mental health, and overall function.

Quote: "It doesn't really just hold your hand in one position like maybe braces of the past or splints do, but it allows you to maintain this constant motion while you have it on. So it's really kind of a departure from those traditional hand therapy modalities and really a focus on that natural motion."

Learn more about the science behind this approach at Why MetaFlex® Works.

The MetaFlex® glove is a fingerless compression glove with adjustable elastic bands running along the back of each finger. When you close your hand, the bands stretch; when you relax, they gently pull your fingers back into extension—maintaining motion rather than immobilizing.

For detailed information on getting the right fit, see the Fit & Sizing Guide.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Quote: "Patients with Ehlers-Danlos, with that condition, you've got hypermobility... while stretching is contraindicated for that diagnosis, that proprioceptive input that those bands give to the joints by pulling back, they've found helpful and comforting."

Stroke & TBI Recovery: Quote: "For those that have low tone, or they're easily able to be passively ranged, those bands have been actually helpful in keeping those fingers open."

Active Assist Training: Quote: "They had a patient that was able to grip, squeeze something, but they lacked the ability to really fully open their hand... the bands actually pulled their hand fingers back when they relaxed and activated the extensors part of it. That was an adaptive tool, but also a training tool."

Read more clinical insights and research at the MetaFlex® Health Blog.

Justin is presenting a poster at the American Congress of Rehabilitative Medicine (ACRM) featuring a remarkable limb salvage case where MetaFlex® gloves were used as an alternative to traditional custom orthotics.

Quote: "She was able to actively open her hand because she didn't have the ability to open her fingers. She had flexors, but just couldn't open."

For more about MetaFlex®'s innovative approach and founder's story, visit the About MetaFlex® page or watch videos and read customer reviews on the Learn More page.

For comprehensive information about MetaFlex®, see 10 Things You Should Know About the MetaFlex® Glove.

Quote: "Really going back to those principles of stretch, strengthen, really education. That's one of my focuses with Metaflex is trying to provide just general knowledge and exposure to simple ideas that can have a big impact."

Quote: "If someone has a hand injury and let's say they're really into quilting or doing puzzles, we could do those things either using adaptive equipment or compensatory strategies, or just doing those tasks with varying levels of difficulty to increase endurance or to increase fine motor dexterity."

Quote: "How do we best set that patient up or the individual up to have the highest likelihood of success is by meeting them holistically, meaning looking at all aspects of their care."

Topic: Limb salvage case study featuring multidisciplinary team approach and innovative use of MetaFlex® gloves

Topic: Biomechanics of drumming Exploring repetitive motion and hand health in musicians

Professional Affiliations:

To Find a Certified Hand Therapist: Visit HTCC.org to locate qualified hand therapy professionals in your area.

Professional Organizations:

Host: Jeremy Rivera Company: SEO Arcade

[Full interview transcript available - see cleaned interview artifact]

[Links to related episodes about healthcare innovation, occupational therapy, or medical devices]

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Produced by: SEO Arcade Host: Jeremy Rivera Guest: Justin Stehr, OT, CHT Episode Length: [Duration] Release Date: [Date]

#HandTherapy #OccupationalTherapy #MetaFlexGloves #CarpalTunnel #StrokeRecovery #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #ChronicPain #MentalHealth #Rehabilitation #VanderbiltHealth #HandHealth #CompressionGloves #MedicalDevices #PhysicalTherapy #PainManagement #SleepHealth #HealthcareInnovation

Interested in learning more about hand health and innovative therapy solutions?

Have questions about hand therapy or MetaFlex® gloves?

Want to stay updated on MetaFlex® news and innovations? Follow the MetaFlex® News blog for the latest updates.

Special thanks to Justin Stehr for sharing his expertise and clinical insights on this episode.

Host: Jeremy Rivera, Unscripted Small Business
Guest: Conrad Coe, Operations Manager at Exotic Vehicle Wraps

In this episode, Conrad Coe shares his unconventional journey from music education to becoming operations manager at one of the nation's top automotive wrapping shops. We explore how AI tools are transforming small business operations, the value of hands-on experience over formal education, and why showing the heart of your business matters more than polished marketing in today's digital landscape.

On Experience vs. Education:

"I would rather have four years of hands-on practical experience at the thing you're trying to do than a degree saying I'm good at it."

On AI in Small Business:

"We wrap cars with vinyl. That's sticky. So what we've been using AI for has been mostly beneficial for us."

On Marketing Differentiation:

"No one uses dashes. Nobody does except for GPT and AI models... In that way, we are using AI to help us differentiate ourselves from AI."

On Customer Service:

"We're not vinyl installers. This isn't a vinyl wrap shop. This is a client experience shop."

On Problems as Opportunities:

"Problems are bugs and not a feature. Like, you're going to have problems. That problem then therefore becomes a feature if you know you're going to have these problems."

Conrad Coe is the operations manager at Exotic Vehicle Wraps, a premier automotive aesthetic restyling shop in Loudoun County, Virginia. With 20 years of experience in the industry, Conrad's path started in retail management, moved through music education at Berkeley Boston, and evolved through design, print, and installation before landing in shop management. His hands-on approach and mentorship style have helped shape one of the longest-running and most respected shops in the automotive wrapping industry.

Conrad discusses his journey from aspiring music teacher to operations manager, emphasizing how mentorship and practical experience often outweigh formal education in trades and hands-on businesses. The automotive wrapping industry relies heavily on learning through doing, with most resources available online rather than through vocational schools.

The Pros:

The Cons:

Conrad explains how Exotic Vehicle Wraps' Instagram transformed over the past year. They shifted from high-glamour portfolio shots to showing the hands that do the work. This change included:

As Matt Brooks of SEOteric has noted, showing the heart of your business—like pool installation companies documenting the installation process rather than just finished pools—creates more value and trust with potential clients.

Drawing on conversations with Michael McDougall of Right Thing Agency and others, we discussed how AI can only rise to the level of its training data. Small businesses that add fresh, experience-based insights to the marketplace create "information gain" that helps them stand out. Real conversations between practitioners synthesize new data points that don't exist in AI training databases yet.

Conrad shares a powerful reframing: every customer question is a gap in your marketing. When clients call asking how things work, they're identifying opportunities to improve your website and reduce future support time. He emphasizes:

Conrad's philosophy echoes across industries—whether it's precast walls or automotive services, the focus should be on client experience first. When that becomes your North Star, all other business decisions gain clarity.

Unlike larger operations, Exotic Vehicle Wraps operates with 100% digital, grassroots marketing:

The partnership advantage: Rather than expensive ad buys, Conrad focuses on building relationships with Tesla Club owners, Porsche Club owners, BMW enthusiasts, and local luxury dealerships. Person-to-person outreach and community engagement deliver better ROI than broad-spectrum advertising.

Conrad notes: "I'm not dropping $10K to make six" on radio ads that attract the wrong clientele. Instead, strategic partnerships with high-end car communities and dealerships bring in clients who value quality and are willing to invest in premium services like ceramic coating and window tinting.

Conrad and the team are preparing for SEMA (the major automotive industry convention in Las Vegas) and wrapping up Q4 with a focus on executing their annual goals. They're also hosting industry training programs to help lower barriers to entry in the vinyl wrap industry.

As winter approaches and "Hot Girl Summer" ends, they're taking on unique projects—boats, jet skis, and motorcycles—offering opportunities for creative work during the slower season.

Exotic Vehicle Wraps

Host: Jeremy Rivera

Mentioned in This Episode:

Host: Jeremy Rivera
Guest: Lynn Colepaugh, Founder of Cyber PR Army
Podcast: Unscripted Small Business

In this episode, Lynn Colepaugh from Cyber PR Army joins us to discuss the evolving landscape of digital marketing for small businesses and creators. We dive into the challenges of treating creative work as a legitimate business, the impact of AI on content authenticity, and the fundamental marketing mistakes that are costing businesses customers every day.

Lynn shares practical, actionable advice on everything from fixing basic website issues to building local trust, and why simply responding to inquiries can be your biggest competitive advantage.

On Treating Creative Work as Business:

"It is convincing creators that they are a small business. And it's a really big hurdle because they are creators at heart—whether they are dancers, whether they're making instruments, whether they are writing music."

On AI vs. Authenticity:

"I'm seeing the pendulum swing away from as much AI generated stuff back to people questioning, 'Is this real, a real image or is this something that was generated separately?' And those that are authentically creating are now standing out even more in a really beautiful way."

On Basic Marketing Fundamentals:

"If some industries are just so kind of barren with communications that all you have to do is reply and be thoughtful and communicate, then holy mack, there are companies missing out completely on getting new customers and nurturing customers and keeping their customers long term."

On Local Trust Building:

"I tell people, if you have roots, show your roots, because that's how people know if something goes wrong, they're going to be able to find you."

On Low-Hanging Fruit:

"So many things are on the very granola first level fixable level that people have issues that are just 100% addressable."

On Timeless Marketing Strategy:

"If you're getting your message out correctly, then you will adapt as tools come and go. To me, it is staying face forward there, making sure you're storytelling and talking about the things that are important."

Guest & Host:

Tools & Services Mentioned:

Example Businesses Referenced:

Cyber PR Army Resources:

Website: cyberprarmy.com
Free Resources: cyberprarmy.com/thecastle
LinkedIn: Lynn Colepaugh
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +1.506.381.3820

Book a free coffee chat with Lynn to brainstorm digital marketing strategies for your business!

Unscripted Small Business brings you authentic conversations with entrepreneurs, marketers, and business owners about the real challenges of growing a small business in the digital age. Host Jeremy Rivera explores practical strategies that actually work for businesses without massive marketing budgets.

In this episode of the Unscripted Small Business Podcast, host Abbey Crane interviews John Steger, the founder of Foxmoor Studio, a custom woodworking business. John shares his journey from a childhood passion for woodworking, inspired by his father, to establishing a successful business. He discusses the challenges of starting out, the importance of sustainable practices, and the role of online platforms like Etsy in growing his customer base. John also reflects on the balance between creativity and business operations, the importance of community engagement, and his future aspirations for Foxmoor Studio.

Motivational Quotes From Our Conversation:

"You have to know better to do better."

"I want to keep it as simple as possible."

"Even when it's slow, just keep one foot in front of the other, and it always picks up."

"Find a niche item, something unique. That's the key."

Purchase from Foxmoor Studio an incredible Cookeville woodwork shop or from Mountain Top Candle Shop here! 

Exerpts: 

Abbey Crane What other things have led to more growth for you? We were recently talking with Kelvin Dorsey who's got an unconventional newsletter, which made me think about non-traditional marketing efforts...Are there any other things that your shop has kind of led to that you've been really excited about?

Jon Stager You know, since moving here, I have mostly focused on online sales. And Etsy's been great to expand my horizons because it's such a wide marketplace, literally worldwide. Although I focus mostly on North America. I've had some sales in Australia and England. But yeah, so it's really expanded my horizons. I almost haven't needed to sell locally as much. I guess when I moved here, I had my client base already, because I had started in Pennsylvania.

So now I'm trying to kind of tap into the local market more, like forcing myself to just not be content with online sales, but really. Yeah, I'm excited to start going to local markets and selling in person. The local art scene in Cookville is really awesome. And I feel like just a matter of focusing and building up an inventory, that's the hardest part. I get busy with these online sales and whatnot. It takes up a lot of your time and then just a matter of setting aside time to make these items to have in stock to bring to shows. That's something I look forward to exploring.

Abbey Crane: You've maintained a simple business model as a sole proprietorship. Tell us about that decision.

Jon Stager: I'm sort of a minimalist within reason! I I prefer the warm comfort of cabins over luxury cabo experiences. There's something authentic about living simply, surrounded by natural materials. My shop is about 30 feet from my cabin, so my home and work life are very entwined. I chose to remain a sole proprietorship because I want to keep things as simple as possible.

I'm not trying to become a big corporation with people working under me and building things that just have my name on them. I respect the craft too much for that. I'm sort of a minimalist within reason, though my shop can be a little cluttered! My shop is about 30 feet from my cabin, so my home and work life are very entwined.

I chose to remain a sole proprietorship because I want to keep things as simple as possible. I'm not trying to become a big corporation with people working under me and building things that just have my name on them. I respect the craft too much for that.

Referenced Resources:

Episode: Writing the Right Book for Your Business with Ali Machate
Host: Daniel Hill
Guest: Ali Machate, CEO and Founder of The Writers Ally

Ali Machate is the CEO and founder of The Writers Ally, an author services company that helps serious authors write, publish, and sell high-quality books. With a background at Simon & Schuster (one of the Big Five publishers), Ali brings traditional publishing expertise to independent authors and business owners looking to leverage books for business growth.

Host: Jeremy Rivera
Guest: Kinsey Morgan, LPC-MHSP, Owner of Arise Counseling Services
Episode Focus: Therapy approaches, EMDR, workplace trauma, and breaking mental health stigma

Join host Jeremy Rivera as he sits down with licensed therapist Kinsey Morgan to explore the world of mental health therapy. Kinsey shares her personal journey into psychology, explains innovative trauma treatment approaches like EMDR, and discusses the rising trend of workplace trauma in post-COVID America. This candid conversation breaks down therapy myths while providing practical insights for anyone considering mental health support.

"Most people who get into this field have a reason for it... The therapist I worked with was phenomenal and really worked with teens extremely well."

"We are all part of psychology, walking around in bodies every day. And we are the subject matter. So we get to kind of study ourselves and other people at the same time."

"Think of EMDR as sort of your button or your dimmer switch to dim down the brightness of that memory so that we can look at it, examine it, walk ourself through it emotionally and not have to live in it every day."

"In our culture, especially in the US, we really love to intellectualize our way around things instead of feeling our way through something."

"They couldn't teach what they didn't know."

"Our body is extremely smart in that way and it takes that and it goes, okay, well, if you're not going to process this and get it out, then I am going to harbor it."

"Most of my clients, it's functioning. Because they put off usually going to therapy until their functioning is inhibited."

"That phone call is the hardest phone call that most people have to make. But on the other end of it is usually a therapist that is really ready and willing to work with somebody."

Kinsey Morgan, LPC-MHSP
Licensed Professional Counselor Mental Health Services Provider
Owner, Arise Counseling Services

Location: Brentwood, Tennessee

Specializations:

Training & Certifications:

✅ Reflect: Identify one area of life you'd like to see shift or change
✅ Research: Look into therapists in your area who specialize in your specific needs
✅ Budget: Explore insurance coverage, sliding scale options, or budget for self-pay
✅ Reach Out: Make that first phone call - it's often the hardest but most important step
✅ Normalize: Start conversations about mental health in your circles to reduce stigma