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Unscripted Small Business
Unscripted Small Business episodes
- Leslie Lane: How Third-Generation Photography Wisdom Solves Modern Business Challenges
Summary
In this Unscripted SEO conversation, Zaneta Chuniq Inpower interviews Lesle Lane, co-founder and lead photographer of Studio 13, about her journey in photography, the transition to B2B photography, and the impact of technology on the industry. Leslie shares insights on scaling her business, the importance of networking, and the role of mentorship in shaping the future of photography. The discussion also touches on the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and the significance of authenticity in visual representation.
Takeaways
- Lesle Lane is a third-generation photographer specializing in B2B photography.
- Transitioning from portrait photography to B2B requires a different business approach.
- Networking is crucial for photographers to build relationships and gain clients.
- Technology has significantly changed photography, enhancing efficiency and quality.
- AI is impacting photography, but authenticity remains essential for client trust.
- Lesle emphasizes the importance of mentorship for aspiring photographers.
- Building a business requires strategic focus and delegation of tasks.
- SOPs and automation can help streamline business operations.
- Lesle's goal is to cultivate a successor for her business.
- Helping others in the industry is a key value for Lesle.
23 min - Tatiana Zagorovski: Real Estate
Summary
In this episode of Unscripted SEO, host Zaneta Chuniq Inpower speaks with Tatiana Zagorovski, President and Managing Partner of Trio Realty Partners, a passionate real estate investor and mentor. Tatiana shares her journey from software development to real estate, discussing the challenges she faced, the importance of mentorship, and her focus on helping sellers through cash sales and seller financing. She emphasizes the need for balance in her work, the significance of giving back to the community, and the misconceptions surrounding cash offers. Tatiana also shares her future goals of building a legacy for her children while helping others achieve homeownership.
Takeaways
- Tatiana transitioned from software development to real estate after 25 years.
- She emphasizes the importance of choosing the right mentorship in real estate.
- Networking events are crucial for finding the right training and mentorship.
- Real estate offers various strategies, and it's important to find what works for you.
- Tatiana focuses on buying houses, fixing them, and helping sellers.
- A typical day in real estate is unpredictable and requires flexibility.
- She actively mentors newcomers in the real estate industry.
- Finding properties is a process that requires consistency and creativity.
- Cash sales can sometimes offer sellers more than traditional sales.
- Tatiana aims to help people achieve homeownership through seller financing.
27 min - Oreet Kaufman: Mastering the Art of (Slidedeck) Presentation Design
In this episode of the Unscripted Podcast, Daniel Hill interviews Oreet Kaufman, a freelance PowerPoint designer from Chicago. Oreet discusses her journey into presentation design, emphasizing the importance of effective storytelling and audience engagement. She shares insights on the ideal number of slides, the role of AI in presentations, and common pitfalls to avoid. Oreet also highlights her success stories with clients and her approach to creating impactful presentations that resonate with audiences.
21 min - Unlocking Business Potential with Claudia RuckerIn this conversation, Claudia Rucker shares her journey and insights on helping small business owners transition from being owner-operators to effective leaders. She emphasizes the importance of purpose in business, the need for supportive teams, and the value of financial literacy. Claudia discusses the concept of fractional support and how it can help small businesses grow without overwhelming the owner. She also provides actionable steps for business owners to create a sellable business and highlights the importance of professional support in navigating the complexities of business growth.takeaways
- Claudia's purpose is to help people get unstuck.
- Fulfillment in business comes from having a clear purpose.
- Transitioning from owner to leader requires a mindset shift.
- Building a supportive team is essential for growth.
- Fractional support can help small businesses scale effectively.
- Financial literacy is crucial for business success.
- Creating a sellable business should be a goal for owners.
- Professional support can guide business owners through challenges.
- Actionable steps can lead to improved profitability and fulfillment.
- Self-reflection is key to understanding business goals.
35 min - Nick Garofalo: A Warm Handshake Beats a Thousand LinkedIn Posts
Nick Garofalo is a fee-only financial planner and the founder of Openhanded Wealth. Host Daniel Hill asks him how a brand-new advisory firm earns trust, and Nick's answer is simple: a warm handshake is worth a thousand LinkedIn posts. Connect with Nick on LinkedIn.
Nick explains financial planning with a five-letter framework (retirement, investments, insurance, taxes and estate), tells the story of the 401(k) plan that got him into the industry while he was working in his dad's bootstrapped business, and walks through how he tests marketing channels in the second year of running his own firm.
Read the full recap: Nick Garofalo on why a warm handshake beats a thousand LinkedIn posts
In this episode
- The RIITE framework: retirement, investments, insurance, taxes and estate
- Why "financial planner" sounds like "I'm an artist" to most people
- The 401(k) that worked out for his dad, the employees and the business
- Fee-only planning and why the relationship has to create more value than it costs
- Niche down or go broad? The cart-and-horse problem in year two
- Giving advice away for free to earn trust
- His four marketing channels: podcasting, blogging, short-form video and local networking
- Why short-form video lets the platform find your audience for you
- One idea, one week: turning a podcast episode into a blog, a LinkedIn post and shorts
- Why his wife is his most honest critic
Connect with Nick
- Website: openhandedwealth.com
- Resources, blog and podcast: openhandedwealth.com/resources
- YouTube: @nick.garofalo
- LinkedIn: Nick Garofalo
More from Unscripted
- Short-form video as free distribution, the SEO Arcade take
- Trust-first marketing for professional services
- Rich M. Smith on why growth is not an accident
Nick Garofalo is the founder of Openhanded Wealth, a registered investment adviser. This conversation is general education only and is not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Recorded June 2025.
21 min - Stephanie Telibasa: People Pay for Your Skills, Not the Bells and Whistles
Stephanie Telibasa owns House of Physical Therapy, a small one-on-one practice in New York City, and runs The Planning PT, a business coaching program for physical therapists who want to open their own practice. Host Daniel Hill asks her how she built both, and the answer keeps coming back to one idea: people pay for your skills, not the bells and whistles.
Stephanie signed a five-year lease in 2017 without knowing what a build-out costs in New York City, built her first website herself from YouTube tutorials after a $10,000 quote, and launched her coaching business with a $42 ebook that sold exactly one copy. That one buyer taught her what the offer was missing.
Read the full recap: Stephanie Telibasa on building House of PT and The Planning PT
In this episode
- From answering phones as a high school freshman to opening her own practice
- Why she put herself in the hardest setting she could find right out of school
- Where the House of PT brand came from
- Choosing a small one-on-one model instead of 20 to 30 visits a day
- Second location or coaching? How she decided to share the blueprint
- Writing the systems down so your next hire isn't copying you
- The $42 ebook that sold one copy, and why custom beats a PDF
- The $10,000 website quote and the DIY minimum viable website
- Why clients pay for your skills, not the fancy extras
- Doubling in size, then making this the year of efficiency
Connect with Stephanie
- House of Physical Therapy: houseofphysicaltherapy.com
- The Planning PT: theplanningpt.com
- Instagram: @houseofphysicaltherapy
- Instagram: @theplanningpt
More from Unscripted
- Information is free, custom guidance isn't: the SEO Arcade take
- The $10,000 website quote and the minimum viable website
- Rachel Minion on why you should just get it live
This is a conversation about running a small business. Nothing in it is medical advice. Recorded June 2025.
21 min - Georgi Feidler- The Baby Boomer Business Crisis: Why Succession Planning Can't Wait
In this conversation, Georgi Feidler shares her journey from being an accidental entrepreneur to a purposeful consultant. She discusses the importance of having entrepreneurial conversations at the dinner table, the skills gained from her corporate career, and how they translate into her consulting work. Georgi emphasizes the need for generalists in small businesses and the challenges faced by baby boomer business owners in succession planning. She highlights the emotional ties to businesses and the importance of mentorship in ensuring a smooth transition for future generations. The discussion also touches on the significance of finding the right fit for leadership roles and the balance between planning and surrendering to a greater purpose in business.
Takeaways:- A dream doesn't turn into a goal without a plan.
- Understanding your natural strengths is crucial for success.
- Generalists can provide the connective tissue for small businesses.
- Founders often feel lonely and need support.
- Tribal knowledge can hinder business scalability.
- Succession planning is essential for baby boomer business owners.
- Emotional ties to businesses complicate succession.
- Successors need to be forged over time, not just found.
- Mentorship is key in transitioning business knowledge.
- Creating structure protects legacy and freedom.
- Succession planning is crucial for business continuity.
- Mentorship plays a vital role in successful transitions.
- Documentation is essential for delegating responsibilities.
- Identifying single points of failure helps in succession planning.
- Hiring for character and connection is more important than credentials.
- Emotional intelligence is key in business handoffs.
- Delegation allows founders to step back and take breaks.
- The right successor can enhance team dynamics.
- Legacy planning should be a continuous process.
- Surrendering to purpose can lead to unexpected opportunities.
Impactful Quotes:"Tribal knowledge is the enemy of succession. If it's in your head, that's not delegation. We can't delegate that, right? That doesn't exist."
"Successors aren't found. They are forged over time.""Structure is actually what protects freedom and that legacy.""I think that founders are the lifeblood of innovation. They have an amazing potential to change the lives of their teammates, their family, and their community.""I always say teams can be well-rounded, even though people can't.""Hiring your successor isn't about finding the perfect person. It's about finding someone who makes the team more complete.""The clearer that we can be upfront, the less frustration that we're going to create down the road.""You can't train character. Connection is a very trusting relationship. And contribution is making the team more complete"46 min - From Student to Entrepreneur: Drew Carmichael's Journey
In this episode of the Unscripted Small Business Podcast, host Daniel Hill speaks with Drew Carmichael, a 19-year-old entrepreneur who runs a marketing agency called The Cultivator. Drew shares his journey from starting small businesses in school to establishing a successful marketing agency that focuses on helping e-commerce and service-based businesses scale.
He discusses the importance of being open to opportunities, the decision to forgo university in favor of entrepreneurship, and the significance of SEO and data-driven marketing strategies for small businesses to drive increases in leads & revenue. Drew emphasizes the need for genuine relationships with clients and offers insights into effective marketing practices.
20 min - From Code to Keys: Tatiana Zagorovski's Transition from Software Development to Real Estate SuccessShow Notes:
In this episode of Unscripted SEO, host Zaneta Chuniq Inpower sits down with Tatiana Zagorovski (also known as "Miss Z") of Trio Realty Partners to discuss her fascinating journey from a 23-year career in software development to becoming a successful real estate investor in St. Louis, Missouri.
What You'll Learn:- How Tatiana discovered her passion for real estate through a simple $27 online training course
- The challenges of transitioning careers and the importance of finding the right mentorship
- Tatiana's focus on three key real estate strategies: buying houses, fix and flips, and seller financing
- Common misconceptions about cash home buying and how honest investors operate
- Why proper analysis and understanding construction are crucial skills in real estate
- The people-centered nature of real estate and the importance of building a strong team
- How Trio Realty Partners goes above and beyond to help clients in difficult situations
- Tatiana's vision for building a legacy and helping others become homeowners
- Something as simple as a new application of professional paint can improve home value,
- making sure your AC is tuned up BEFORE it is inspected also can alleviate maintenance concerns
- What makes St. Louis an ideal market for real estate investment and family living
Featured Guest:Tatiana Zagorovski is the founder of Trio Realty Partners in St. Louis, MO. After 23 years in software development, she made a career change to pursue her passion for real estate. Her company focuses on buying houses for cash, fix and flips, and seller financing to help people who might not qualify for traditional mortgages become homeowners.
Connect with Tatiana:- Phone: (314) 804-0777
- Website: Trio Realty Partners, helping people buy homes in St. Louis
Key Quotes:- "Real estate has so many strategies and possibilities that anyone can find something in real estate."
- "We end up with trying to do everything and doing nothing."
- "There is no one solution to fit it all."
- "Real estate, it's a people business, its relationship, its connections, and it's relying on others on your team."
- "Don't be afraid, just learn and take action and everything is possible."
Episode Timestamps:- 00:00 - Introduction
- 01:12 - Tatiana's journey into real estate
- 03:04 - Challenges in the new industry
- 06:12 - Trio Realty Partners' approach to buying houses
- 07:22 - A day in the life of a real estate investor
- 09:39 - The cash sale process and misconceptions
- 10:43 - Finding properties: process vs. gift
- 12:24 - Building a team and relationships
- 14:55 - Going above and beyond for clients
- 21:37 - Future goals and legacy building
- 23:42 - The St. Louis real estate market
- 25:33 - Advice for aspiring investors
- 26:30 - Conclusion
Resources Mentioned:- Local real estate networking events in St. Louis
- St. Louis Chess Club
27 min - Zach Brown & Jared LaCroix Of Majestic Photobooth: The intersection of branding, business development & consumer intent
Jeremy Rivera speaks with Zach Brown and Jared LeCroix from Majestic Photo Booth about their journey in the photo booth industry. They discuss the origins of their business, the evolution of photo booth technology, and how they have adapted to a growing market with innovative business models. The conversation also covers their unique approach to photo booth rentals, brand activations, partnerships with venues, and their vision for the future of Majestic Photo Booth as a leader in the industry.
Takeaways
- The idea for Majestic Photo Booth originated from a musician's need to fund his tours.
- The company started with vintage film photo booths before transitioning to digital.
- They tapped into the market through word of mouth and early SEO efforts.
- Majestic Photo Booth differentiates itself by maintaining a classic style while innovating.
- They offer a unique venue placement model that provides photo booths at no cost to venues.
- Brand activations are a key part of their business, allowing for customization and engagement.
- The photo booth experience is designed to create memorable moments for guests.
- They focus on providing high-quality outputs that guests can take home.
- Even if you're in a "boring" industry like commercial kitchen appliances, you can still build a memorable brand
- The company aims to expand into museums and sports arenas for greater reach.
- Continuous improvement is a core value, driving their mission to innovate in the photo booth industry.
49 min
About Unscripted Small Business
From the publisher's feed
Our Unscripted Collaborative hosts Keith Bresee, Zaneta Chuniq, Keiron Bailey & 17 year SEO industry expert Jeremy Rivera are having unscripted interviews small business owners, founders and…
creators across the United States, learning about their challenges, successes and insights into the world of SMBs.