This episode of Small Business Origins features Kat Polsinelli, founder of Agent Services Plus and host of the "A Real Chat with Kat" podcast. They have an insightful conversation about Kat's origin story, from getting pregnant at 16 and overcoming an abusive relationship, to finding purpose in entrepreneurship and coaching. Listeners can expect to learn about limiting beliefs, rebuilding after trauma, the importance of networking and collaborating, and Kat's unique approach to business coaching.

Main Discussion Points:

- Overcoming trauma and limiting beliefs

- Leaving an abusive relationship and starting over

- Finding purpose in helping others through entrepreneurship

- The importance of networking and collaborating

- Taking a collaborative approach to business coaching rather than one-on-one

Guest Bio: Kat Polsinelli

Kat is a passionate individual with a goal of helping others get out of their head and into what they love. She is a business organizing powerhouse and a personal development strategist. She uses her personal stories and the skills she has developed as a unique way to approach helping others. She strives to help others feel more seen not only by others but by themselves as well but helping them grow their mind as well as their business.

Key Quotes:

"If you don't work through them, it's going to eventually affect you. And for some of us, it can be very dramatic, and it can tear businesses down. It can tear relationships apart." [00:08:38]

"I love sharing people's stories, other podcasts. I share their websites, like, anything I can because if someone in my group coaching or someone that's listening finds that they connect better with them, that's who I want them to connect with." [00:22:39]

Links Mentioned:

Agent Services Plus Online

Facebook

Instagram

Beefy Marketing

Small Business Origins

Every Business Needs a Wingman

John Kelley's Links

In this episode of Small Business Origins we speak with Marissa Fernandez, founder of Marissa Fernandez LLC, an executive coaching company. Tune in as we discuss Marissa's journey from climbing the corporate ladder to starting her own business, how coaching can help both individuals and companies perform better, and mindset shifts around money and confidence that are critical for entrepreneurial success.

Main Discussion Points:

- Marissa didn't initially consider entrepreneurship. She followed a traditional corporate path inspired by her parents' careers (timestamp 00:09:44).

- Getting laid off from her CMO position during the pandemic, though difficult, prompted Marissa to reflect and realize where her true passions and talents lie - in developing teams and talent (00:15:51).

- Marissa suggests giving yourself a timeline (she gave herself 6 months) when trying out entrepreneurship, so it feels less daunting (00:17:29).

- Pricing coaching services higher actually helps attract more committed clients (00:30:20).

- Coaching is most useful for ambitious, high-performing people who want to reach their full potential (00:35:53).

- Examining money mindset and beliefs around stability and earning potential is key for entrepreneurs (00:41:53).

Guest Bio:

Marissa Fernandez is the founder of Marissa Fernandez LLC, an executive coaching firm. She has over 15 years of marketing leadership experience at major companies like Procter & Gamble, the NFL, and others.

Tweetables:

"If somebody reacts and says, that's a lot of money, when I say whatever the price is, I don't try to talk them out of that thought. It is a lot of money. And my clients who are ready to make that investment in themselves then show up to each coaching session, ready to grow, unafraid to look at their blind spots..." (00:30:43)

Links Mentioned:

Marissa Fernandez Online

Marissa Fernandez Instagram

Marissa Fernandez LinkedIn

Beefy Marketing

Small Business Origins Online

John Kelley's Links

Wingman (Sponsor)

**Trigger Warning** We discuss some pretty heavy topics such as veteran & first responder suicide, mental health, life stressors, etc... We also use some colorful language. Nothing here is overtly offensive, but you should use caution listening around children, or those sensitive to these subjects.

Join us as we discuss veteran and first responder mental health with Wes Drake from Camp Comrade and Jason and Patty Corthell from Guardian Grounds Ranch. These guests represent non-profit organizations focused on supporting veterans and first responders through initiatives related to mental health, community, and healing spaces in nature.

Why is this important? Answering the call to serve, whether in the military or as a first responder, comes with tremendous sacrifice and exposure to traumatic situations that can have lasting psychological impacts. Too often, the invisible wounds of mental health struggles go untreated for these heroes. Providing adequate mental health support for veterans and first responders is crucial - they put their lives on the line to protect us, and we owe it to them to ensure they get the care and resources they need to heal from the mental and emotional tolls of their service. By prioritizing veteran and first responder mental wellness, we can help prevent issues like PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and suicide from devastating those who have already given so much for their communities and country.

Key Discussion Points:

- The importance of community, camaraderie and peer support for veterans and first responders (timestamps 00:29:07, 00:29:58, 00:57:10)

- Why spouses and family members also need support and resources (timestamps 00:27:30, 00:36:01)

- How traumatic experiences can impact mental health for veterans, first responders and their families (timestamps 00:52:02, 00:53:54)

- The lack of dedicated inpatient and counseling resources tailored for veterans and first responders (timestamps 00:46:47, 01:19:07)

- How sharing stories and being vulnerable helps reduce stigma around mental health (timestamps 00:31:01, 00:55:55)

- The vision to provide trauma-informed counseling, peer support spaces and inpatient facilities specifically for veterans and first responders (timestamps 00:50:15, 01:18:00)

Guest Bios:

Wes Drake - Co-Founder of Camp Comrade, a non-profit providing recreational camps and peer support for veterans. Wes has experience as a combat veteran in the Army.

Jason Corthell - Jason is a fourth generation firefighter and Marine Corps Veteran. He is the President and CEO of Guardian Grounds Ranch and enjoys the pursuit of a better life for veterans and first responders.

Patty Corthell - Co-Founder of Guardian Grounds Ranch. As spouse of a veteran & first responder, Patty provides crucial perspective and support.

Key Quotes:

"I think it's a, like, bullsh*t answer when people say, hey, you know, they're just a wife of a first responder or husband of a first responder, like, they're not a part of that, you know, they they're not an actual veteran." (00:03:54)

"Everything happens for a reason, and we always wind up so much better in whatever it is that we wind up doing even if we thought it was something different." (00:06:51)

"When I see my family struggle, I'm like, this is because of what I do for a living. Like, it has to be." (00:27:40)

Links Mentioned:

Guardian Grounds Ranch

GGR...

Tune in as John The Marketer interviews Brian, the founder of a successful parking lot litter cleanup business. Brian shares how he started the business over 40 years ago with just $250 and has grown it to generating over $600K in annual revenue. He discusses the equipment needed, pricing models, target customers, and why he chose to write a book to teach others the business instead of franchising.

Key Discussion Points:

- How Brian got the idea to start a parking lot litter cleanup business from seeing his father do similar work when he was young (00:03:38)

- The specialized hand tools and cost to start the business (00:13:15 - 00:15:34)

- Typical pricing structure and how much money can be made in this business (00:11:03 - 00:12:21)

- Target customers are commercial property management companies (00:09:47)

- Why a book for teaching the business instead of a franchise model (00:17:30 - 00:19:14)

- Brian's most successful student who has built a nationwide parking lot litter cleanup business (00:21:06)

Tweetables:

"Fortunes can be made cleaning up after others. So, that kind of sparked an idea." (00:03:38)

"It's recession proof. It's pandemic proof. People litter. They always have." (00:32:25)

Guest Bio:

Brian Winch is the creator and author of Cleanlots - America's Simplest Business. Brian grew his dad's side gig into a six-figure business starting with little money, skills and education. He can show you how to start and operate a simple business based from home and make money from a green service that's almost as easy to do as going for a walk.

Links Mentioned:

Cleanlots Online

Cleanlots Facebook

Cleanlots YouTube

Cleanlots LinkedIn

Beefy Marketing

Small Business Origins Online

John Kelley's Links

In this episode of the Small Business Origins podcast, we sit down with Richard Blank, CEO and Founder of Costa Rica's Call Center. Hear our discussion on outbound lead generation and sales appointment calling, inbound customer support, how Richard got his start, and some best practices for effective communication on sales and support calls.

Guest Bio:

Richard Blank is the CEO and Founder of Costa Rica's Call Center, a full-service BPO call center providing lead generation, customer service, social media support and more for US companies. He founded the company 15 years ago and has grown it to over 300 seats.

Key Quotes:

"I believe in synergy. I believe in circles, and I also believe in the sanctity of a meal together, breaking fast, you know, feeding ourselves, making ourselves stronger." (15:37)

"Why call them gatekeepers, and why give them such a bad rap? These are the first impressions of Emerald City. As long as you understand the protocol and you can give an excellent first impression with that company name spike, you have a chance. Get them out of that trends." (41:44)

"Leaders remember small details about you, or they dress in case your mother shows up so I can go downstairs and thank her for raising such a fine young man who's been with me for 3 years." (16:39)

Main Discussion Points:

- The importance of building relationships in sales, not just trying to force a sale

- Techniques for effective communication and rapport building on sales and support calls

- Why it's important to treat everyone in an organization with respect, not just decision makers

- How to get referrals and repeat business through exceptional customer service

- Why taking time to understand the local culture is key when doing business abroad

- How Costa Rica’s Call Center vets clients to avoid unethical business practices

Links Mentioned:

Costa Rica's Call Center

Beefy Marketing

John Kelley's Links

Small Business Origins Online

Our Sponsor - Wingman

In this episode we gain amazing insights from Entrepreneurs from Richard Guzmano, founder of Business Credit Consultants. Tune in as we discuss Richard's journey into entrepreneurship, how he helps small businesses with financing and advisory services, common mistakes entrepreneurs make with funding, and more.

Main Discussion Points:

- Richard's origin story - Started off delivering items as an independent contractor, then became a dispatcher and started his own delivery company (00:04:44)

- How Richard helps entrepreneurs today - Prepares small businesses for financing, provides advisory services, acts as a fractional CFO, connects businesses with lending partners (00:15:58)

- Biggest funding mistakes entrepreneurs make - Not planning for enough operating capital, using high-interest merchant cash advances (00:24:37)

- Providing well-rounded financial guidance to entrepreneurs - Helping with budgeting, growth planning, debt management in addition to lending facilitation (00:36:54)

Guest Bio:

Richard Gusmano is an award-winning entrepreneur who has a proven track record of owning, operating, and scaling businesses in diverse industries, including Logistics, Health Insurance and Health Care Consulting, Real Estate Development, Manufacturing, and Hospitality. For over ten years, he has been the visionary founder and Lead Consultant at Business Credit Consultants (BCCUSA.com), acknowledged as the Nation’s foremost small business Fintech Advisory for monthly payment credit facilities. Drawing from his firsthand experience of the challenges business owners face daily, Richard’s profound understanding underpins BCCUSA’s approach. The teams’ genuine desire to relate and to empathize with entrepreneurs’ needs fuels their commitment to offer tailored solutions, while fostering strong bank relationships that support and uplift businesses in their endeavors. To transform the outdated lending approach, BCCUSA created Lendotics, a proprietary AI-powered Digital Loan Qualifying System (LQS). It analyzes a business’s financials through a secured platform, giving owners complete transparency regarding their lending eligibility within minutes. The system also predicts the best credit options for business owners and suggests steps to improve credit eligibility.

Company Bio:

Business Credit Consultants prepares small businesses for financing, provides advisory services, and connects entrepreneurs with lending partners. Services include acting as a fractional CFO, helping with growth planning, and debt restructuring.

Key Quotes:

"Really it was where we are now and where we've been since 2011 is a culmination of a career and experience in dealing with all different types of business." (00:09:42) - Richard Gusmano

"The biggest mistake that we see, John, is that when people start their businesses and they got great ideas and they've identified a good market, they haven't really truly identified the amount of capital they need to make it through." (00:28:32) - Richard Gusmano

Links Mentioned:

BCCUSA Online

Richard Gusmano LinkedIn

Beefy Marketing

Small Business Origins Online

John Kelley's Links

Wingman

In this episode of Small Business Origins, we talk to Tomball Economic Development Corporation's second success story: Shane Nobles, founder of Pain Train Salsa based in Tomball, Texas. We talk about so much, but the story of transitioning from being a coach to a salsa king couldn't be any more interesting than this.

Tune in to hear:

- How Shane first got inspired to make his own salsa while working as a bartender at Pappasito's (5:55)

- Starting out selling 49 jars at local farmer's markets in Tomball (9:40)

- Expanding to multiple farmer's markets across Houston and the scaling challenges (12:13)

- Transitioning the business from a side hustle while teaching to a full-time endeavor (20:14)

- Obtaining those first retail accounts with local grocery stores (14:12) and larger chains like HEB, Spec's and Central Market (22:56)

- The production process over time - going from home kitchen to commercial kitchen to upgrading with new equipment as the business grew (41:26)

- Managing the supply chain complexities selling a fresh, perishable product (44:55)

- Funding and building a new production facility to meet demand (48:35)

- Giving back to the Tomball community and local schools (36:25)

- Goals for the future including a "Welcome to Tomball, famous for creamy avocado" water tower (55:09)

Shane Nobles is a Tomball, Texas entrepreneur and founder of Pain Train Salsa. He started the business in 2014, selling jars of his homemade salsa at local farmer's markets. Since then, Pain Train Salsa has expanded across Texas, now selling in major grocery store chains while still maintaining Shane's commitment to an all-natural, handcrafted product.

Pain Train Salsa is a Tomball, Texas-based salsa company making ultra-fresh, all-natural salsas and avocado sauces. Founded by Shane Nobles in 2014, Pain Train started out selling at local farmer's markets and has grown to become one of the top-selling local brands across Texas grocery stores. Their flagship product is the Creamy Avocado salsa.

Tweetables:

"I have it shelf life tested in FSNS lab in San Antonio. I did it for 3 months. I was like, if it you know, we can't sell in 3 months, we're in trouble." (45:16)

"If you wanna buy Pace Picante Sauce, then, hey man, they got a whole section for you. But if you want the good stuff and I tell people I go, it's only expensive the first time you buy it." (30:51)

Links Mentioned:

Pain Train Salsa Online

Tomball Economic Development Corporation

Beefy Marketing

Visit Tomball

John Kelley's Links

Small Business Origins Online

This episode is brought to you by the Tomball Economic Development Corporation and features one of their recent success stories, Peter Licata, co-founder of The Field, a co-working space, and office building in Tomball, Texas. Peter shares his journey into commercial real estate and entrepreneurship. Listeners can expect to learn about:

- The benefits of a co-working space for entrepreneurs vs traditional office space

- Peter's hands-on approach to managing and developing commercial real estate properties

- How the Tomball Economic Development Corporation supports local businesses

- Updates on The Field's expansion plans including a new retail center

Key Discussion Points:

- Coworking spaces provide flexibility, lower cost, and amenities compared to traditional office spaces (00:14:11)

- Peter and his family take a personalized approach to managing their properties compared to third-party property managers (00:07:25)

- The Tomball Economic Development Corporation has been tremendously helpful, backing up their support for development projects (00:25:51)

- A new 15,500 square foot retail center next to HEB will be completed by May 2023, with new dining options coming to Tomball (00:27:44)

Guest Bio:

Peter Licata is the co-founder of The Field, a co-working space and office building in Tomball, TX. He has over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate.

Company Bio:

The Field offers flexible coworking spaces and private offices for solopreneurs to small companies. They take a hands-on approach to property management. The Field was created out of a former bank building in Tomball by renovating and updating the space.

Key Quotes:

"It's important to us to build the project the right way or redevelop it the right way. Do little things that, in our opinion, will bring value, not only to the tenants that are going into the projects, but then also the community." (00:07:40)

"I 100% honest, I heard mixed things. I heard, oh my gosh. It's a nightmare to deal with. I heard, oh, no. They're, you know, they're fine. [...] For us, for our group, Tomball, the EDC, the chain they've they've been amazing. It's it's been really refreshing." (00:24:41)

Links Discussed:

Tomball Economic Development Corporation

The Field

Beefy Marketing

John Kelley's Links

Small Business Origins Online