In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Grant sits down with Flora Voelcker, founder of Voelcker Design, a creative studio helping entrepreneurs and small businesses build premium, trust-driven brands that command higher prices.
Flora’s philosophy is simple but powerful: people buy from brands they trust, and trust starts with how you present yourself online. Yet too many small businesses underestimate their first impression. They might have great products or services, but a generic website or dated visuals can instantly lower perceived value. Flora believes that strong design isn’t about being flashy or trendy — it’s about communicating credibility, emotion, and confidence from the first glance.
Flora shares her journey from Berlin to Cape Town, how freedom and creativity motivated her to start a business, and what she learned building an international client base across Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and the U.S. She opens up about discovering the gap between design and marketing, and how combining both disciplines became her studio’s unique advantage.
Inside the conversation, Flora and Grant discuss:
The connection between design, trust, and pricing power
Why most small businesses still treat design as an afterthought
How to tell when your brand visuals are holding you back
The right time for a rebrand versus incremental updates
How to navigate client conversations when you need to challenge their visuals
The importance of repelling the wrong clients to attract the right ones
The rise of AI in design and why human creativity still matters
Flora also talks about premium positioning — how raising prices actually attracts more serious clients, not fewer — and why brands that look and feel trustworthy can sell with less friction.
Whether you’re a designer, freelancer, or business owner trying to elevate your brand image, this episode will challenge how you think about the role of design in business growth. It’s a reminder that design is not decoration — it’s strategy in visual form.
Connect with Flora:
Website: voelckerdesign.com
LinkedIn: Flora Voelcker
Follow Small Business, Big Engine:
Website: singlestack.io/podcast
Instagram: @grantmfisher
LinkedIn: Grant Fisher
B2B buyers live on LinkedIn. SteadyRev founder Austin Futers shows how to capture a true founder voice, choose the right post mix, repair low reach, and connect comments to real sales outcomes. We cover network hygiene, when to use video vs text, authentic relationship building, and whether Sales Navigator is worth it.
What we talked about:
How to build a founder-led LinkedIn content system from one monthly interview
The current post mix that works: 1–2 videos weekly, strong text posts, smart carousels
Fixing low reach by cleaning irrelevant connections and tightening ICP
Commenting and DMs that open deals without spam
When Premium or Sales Navigator pays off, and when to skip it
Simple RevOps habits that convert LinkedIn attention into pipeline
Connect with Austin:
If your direct-to-consumer (DTC) playbook is starting to stall, this episode is your wake-up call. Chuck Heckman, co-founder of OneBillion Agency, joins Grant Fisher to unpack what it really takes for DTC brands to scale into retail, and how to win once you get there.
With decades of experience leading global campaigns for brands like Verizon, P&G, Heineken, and Clorox, Chuck brings a deep understanding of both digital and in-store growth. He explains why customer acquisition costs (CAC) are climbing, why “CAC inflation” is killing profitability, and why omni-channel brands consistently enjoy higher lifetime value (LTV) than pure DTC models.
From shopper marketing and retail media to distinctive brand assets and buyer psychology, Chuck lays out the Billion Dollar Brand Playbook: a proven roadmap that helps emerging brands go from one or two retail partners to category dominance.
The DTC Ceiling: Why the tactics that built your online success will not work at the shelf.
CAC Inflation Explained: The real reasons digital acquisition costs are climbing across every platform.
The Retail Mindset Shift: How to go from hyper-targeted digital ads to mass reach and frequency.
Distinctive Assets and Category Positioning: Why blending in kills recall—and how to stand out without confusing customers.
When to Rebrand vs. When to Refine: How to know when small tweaks aren’t enough.
Revenue and Margin Reality: What founders overlook when they first enter retail.
Small Brand Advantage: The creative agility and consistency lessons smaller teams can borrow from Fortune 100 players.
The Future of Retail: What’s replacing the social-media gold rush and how in-store experiences are making a comeback.
Chuck Heckman is the Co-Founder of OneBillion Agency, an omni-channel brand and media strategy firm helping DTC brands transition and scale into CPG retail. He has led strategy for world-class brands including adidas, Heineken, Hilton, P&G, and Verizon, and brings a rare mix of agency expertise and C-suite leadership experience.
Connect with Chuck on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/heckchuckman
Explore OneBillion Agency: onebillion.agency
Check out Posted.Careers, his startup connecting marketing, HR, and creative professionals: posted.careers
Running ads feels risky for many small businesses—but it doesn’t have to. In today’s episode of Small Business, Big Engine, I sit down with Paul Parnell, founder of Level Up Roofer Marketing (and Heat Vision Media). Paul helps roofing and home service businesses move beyond wasted ad spend by focusing on smart funnels, real lead qualification, and operational scaling. He also talks about how he blends his film and media background into marketing, and how he builds businesses around his family mission.
What We Cover
Connect With Paul Parnell & His Brands
Why do so many small business owners drown in documents, spreadsheets, and endless emails? According to Therman Trotman, also known as Mr. SharePoint, it is not a technology problem. It is a leadership problem.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, host Grant Fisher sits down with Therman, founder of SharePoint Help Desk, to unpack how small businesses can stop running on chaos and start creating real systems of productivity using the tools they already own.
Therman did not plan to build a business around SharePoint. In fact, he stumbled into it by accident. What began as a simple automation for scheduling meetings turned into a career helping organizations unlock the hidden potential of Microsoft 365. Today, he is passionate about showing leaders how to create one-stop workspaces, simplify their operations, and get their teams actually excited about using SharePoint.
This conversation dives deep into:
Why “too many documents” signals a leadership problem, not just a tech problem
The surprising power of SharePoint lists, sites, and libraries (and why they beat Word and Excel for business processes)
How small business leaders can stop thinking “email first” and start thinking “hub first”
The common mistakes organizations make with Microsoft 365 and how to fix them
Why adoption is not about technology at all but about people and relationships
How branding your internal tools (instead of calling them “SharePoint”) can drive adoption
Simple mindset shifts that help teams embrace new systems instead of resisting them
Therman brings energy, real-world examples, and his signature analogies (like why using a spreadsheet instead of SharePoint is like eating cereal with a fork) to make system design simple and accessible for any business owner.
If you have ever been frustrated by SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, or the chaos of endless files, this episode will change the way you think about productivity.
Connect with Therman Trotman on LinkedIn: Therman’s LinkedIn
Learn more about SharePoint Help Desk: TalkSharePoint.com
Follow Grant Fisher on LinkedIn: Grant’s LinkedIn
Explore more episodes of Small Business, Big Engine: Podcast Homepage
Resources and Links
Welcome back to Small Business, Big Engine. In this episode, I’m joined by Randy Lyman — a physicist, exited founder, and the author of The Third Element. Randy has built multiple eight figure businesses in highly technical fields, but what he discovered along the way is surprising. The real driver behind his success was not just strategy, systems, or hard work. It was emotional intelligence.
Randy’s story takes us from his early days running a business out of his garage in the 1980s, through rapid financial growth, to a turning point where he realized something was missing. Despite the money and success, he wasn’t fulfilled. It was only when he began to explore his own emotional and spiritual growth that his businesses started multiplying. By integrating emotional intelligence into his leadership, Randy saw his companies grow to 30 times their size. More importantly, he found deeper connection with his teams and a stronger sense of purpose.
In this conversation, we unpack what emotional intelligence really means for small business leaders, why it is the missing skill for so many entrepreneurs, and how you can apply it directly to your own business. Randy shares personal stories, practical tools, and powerful frameworks that will help you become a more effective leader while also building teams that thrive.
What We Cover in This Episode
About Randy’s Book
Randy’s new book, The Third Element: The Missing Key to Activating the Law of Attraction, explores the vital role emotions play in our personal and professional success. He combines his background as a physicist and engineer with decades of business leadership and personal growth to show how balancing thoughts, actions, and emotions creates powerful results.
The book is filled with personal stories, clear explanations, and practical exercises. If you want to understand how to integrate emotional intelligence into your life and leadership, this is a great place to start.
👉 Get your copy of The Third Element on Amazon here: Buy on Amazon
Who This Episode Is For
Resources and Links
One of the hardest lessons for small business owners to learn is that not every client is the right client. Saying yes to the wrong people can drain your time, hurt your team, and even push away the people you most want to serve. In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Grant Fisher sits down with RJon Robins, Co-Founder and President of How to Manage a Small Law Firm, to talk about what it really takes to grow a business you love, one that brings in the right customers, produces real profit, and doesn’t demand every ounce of your energy.
RJon has spent more than two decades helping entrepreneurs build businesses that actually work. While his company specializes in law firms, his insights apply across every industry. As he says in this interview, “98.75% of every business is the same.” Whether you own a restaurant, run a creative studio, or manage a professional services firm, the same seven parts determine your success: marketing, sales, production, people, physical plant, financial controls, and the owner’s mindset.
In this conversation, you’ll hear RJon explain:
Key Takeaways from This Episode
About RJon Robins
RJon Robins is the Co-Founder and President of How to Manage a Small Law Firm, one of the fastest-growing companies in the legal services industry. Since 1999, he has helped thousands of entrepreneurs transform their law firms into profitable businesses. His frameworks apply far beyond the legal field, offering insights for any owner who wants to build a business that works without consuming their life.
RJon’s upcoming book, Truth Teller, will be released by Morgan James Publishing. You can learn more and pre-order at truthteller.com.
Find more at:
About Small Business, Big Engine
Small Business, Big Engine is hosted by Grant Fisher, a senior product designer and founder of SingleStack. Each week Grant talks with entrepreneurs, owners, and operators across industries to uncover the systems, mindsets, and marketing strategies that fuel growth. From visibility engines to profitability levers, the show brings you candid conversations and practical takeaways to help you strengthen your business engine.
If you run a creative studio and feel like you're doing everything right, making great work, keeping clients happy, grinding every day, but growth still feels out of reach… You're not alone.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, I sit down with Joel Pilger, a creative entrepreneur and advisor who’s helped hundreds of studios around the world reposition and grow. Joel spent 20 years scaling his own shop, Impossible Pictures, before turning his focus to helping other creative founders figure out what’s keeping them stuck and how to move forward with clarity.
We dig deep into the real reasons creative studios stall out... and spoiler alert, it’s almost never about the quality of the work. Instead, Joel breaks down what he’s seen again and again: when studios stop growing, it usually comes down to poor positioning, unclear vision, burnout, or a sales pipeline that lives and dies by word of mouth.
Whether you’re a freelancer trying to level up or a studio owner with a team and overhead, this conversation will shift how you think about your business. Joel brings hard-earned wisdom and practical advice that creative founders can actually use to get out of survival mode and build something sustainable.
What we cover in this episode:
Why doing great work isn’t enough anymore
The most common mindset mistakes studio owners make
The difference between creative entrepreneurs and traditional entrepreneurs
Why positioning matters more than ever in today’s saturated market
How to future-proof your creative studio in a fast-changing industry
What Joel calls “the three seasons” of a creative business
How to escape the feast-or-famine sales cycle
Why most founders wait too long to delegate sales and production
Joel’s “saleskeeping” habits that lead to consistent leads and deals
How to move from services to outcomes, and why that changes everything
You’re not in the services business, you’re in the outcomes business. If you’re still positioning your studio as an “animation shop” or “design studio,” you’re probably blending in with everyone else. Joel explains how to reposition around the result you create, not the tools you use.
Reinvention isn’t optional... it’s the business model. The industry moves fast. What was cutting-edge five years ago is now a commodity. Joel shares why the best studios are always evolving and how to know when it’s time to pivot.
If you want to scale, you have to stop doing everything. Joel talks about the “three-legged stool” of a creative business: creative, production, and sales; and why no one person can carry all three for long.
Sales is not a one-person job. Most studio owners think sales means cold-calling or being pushy. Joel reframes it as a relationship-driven process built on consistency, trust, and focus, and he shares how to start building a system even if you’re a team of one.
About Joel Pilger:
Joel is the founder of Impossible Pictures and a trusted advisor to creative studios worldwide. Through his private community Forum and podcast The Fabulist, Joel helps studio owners rethink how they position themselves, build stronger businesses, and grow without losing their creative spark. He’s worked with top studios like Laundry, Sarofsky, and Ordinary Folk, as well as plenty of up-and-coming teams still finding their footing.
If you've read this far, do me a favor and leave a 5 star review to help us grow the show. Thanks!
Is it possible to build a thriving video production company without owning a single piece of equipment? Jerry Koedding says yes, and he's been doing it for over a decade.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, I sit down with Jerry Koedding, founder and Head of Production at Wave Films, a lean, Singapore-based production company that has built an entire business around talent, relationships, and strategic partnerships—instead of gear, studio space, or traditional overhead.
Jerry shares how he fell into filmmaking without any formal training, why he left a corporate job to pursue the unknown, and how he's built a profitable and scalable production company in one of the most expensive cities in the world, all without owning cameras, editing suites, or even an office.
If you're a creative entrepreneur, service-based business owner, or production team looking to scale smarter, this conversation is packed with insights.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
How to run a capital-efficient production company by focusing on producing, not gear
Why Wave Films operates with just four core team members and how that creates flexibility
The secret to managing large freelance creative networks across Asia and beyond
How Jerry handles project-based talent selection, avoiding one-size-fits-all in creative hiring
Why Wave Films partners with other production companies instead of competing with them
The advantage of being a “general contractor” for film and media projects
How hospitality and client experience play a larger role than people realize in production
What it takes to build trust and reputation when your business depends entirely on word of mouth
Why Singapore is a global opportunity hub for international video production
Lessons Jerry would give to his younger self and anyone just entering the creative services industry
About Jerry Koedding:
Originally from Germany and based in Singapore, Jerry Koedding is the founder and Head of Production at Wave Films, a boutique production company that offers full-service creative execution through a vast network of freelancers and partners across Asia. With no formal training in film, Jerry has relied on his business background, creative instincts, and unmatched relationship-building skills to grow a nimble production powerhouse that serves brands, agencies, networks, and even other production houses.
Wave Films specializes in content production for commercials, documentaries, TV shows, and social campaigns, and is known for delivering high-quality work without the traditional infrastructure.
Jerry’s philosophy is simple: Stay lean. Hire smart. Treat production like hospitality. And never stop building relationships.
Resources & Links:
Like this episode?
Leave a review, share it with a friend, or tag us on social media. Your support helps more small business owners discover what’s possible when you think differently about growth.
🎙️ Small Business, Big Engine is hosted by Grant Fisher and features real conversations with founders, marketers, and creative entrepreneurs who are building stronger businesses by focusing on the engine, not just the aesthetics.
What would you do if your family suddenly lost your main revenue stream?
That’s the question Amy Chinian faced during the 2008 recession. With five kids under the age of eight, zero income, and over a million dollars in debt, Amy had to figure out a way to survive. Her solution? Head lice.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Amy shares how she turned a red picnic basket full of lice treatment products into My Hair Helpers, a thriving, multi-location service business with a national e-commerce arm and a growing nonprofit. But her story goes way beyond lice. This is about building something meaningful out of necessity, serving others in a highly stigmatized industry, and scaling a brand without compromising values.
Amy walks us through:
How she taught herself lice removal from scratch with no formal training
Why starting tiny was the key to surviving financially and emotionally
How she landed her first customers and grew entirely through word-of-mouth
The moment she knew she needed to scale, and how she found people she could trust
Why she refused outside investors and built everything with her own cash flow
What makes her proprietary products different (and why she avoids chemicals)
How she approaches hiring, training, and quality control across six physical locations
Her strategy for dominating Google search and building a strong local presence
How she handles competition, even when it comes from former employees
Why customer reviews are the lifeblood of her brand
The surprising power of empathy in a stigmatized industry
Amy also shares how her faith and mission drive the business. She talks about Lice Free Forever, her nonprofit that provides free treatment for families who can’t afford help, and why she believes giving back is just as important as growth.
If you’re building a service-based business, running a small team, or just trying to figure out how to keep going when things get tough, this episode is packed with honest, hard-earned insight. Amy doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges—but she makes a strong case for staying lean, listening to your customers, and doing the work with integrity.
This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered:
How do I build a business when I have no money?
Can I grow a local service brand without going into debt?
What if I’m in a niche that’s “embarrassing” or hard to market?
How do I scale without giving up ownership or control?
How do I create trust in a business people don’t like to talk about?
Amy Chinian built something powerful out of a problem most people would rather avoid!
Resources & Links:
Visit My Hair Helpers: https://www.myhairhelpers.com
Follow Amy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-chinian-90697b22
Learn more about Lice Free Forever Charity: https://www.myhairhelpers.com/charity
What does it take to turn a side hustle into a thriving national brand? In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, host Grant Fisher sits down with Lindsay Burgess, better known as the Moss Boss, to talk about how she built Green Wallscapes, one of the largest preserved moss wall companies in the United States.
Lindsay’s journey didn’t start with a five-year business plan or a big round of funding. It started with a simple DIY project in her home and a few dollars a day in Etsy ads. Fast forward to today, and Green Wallscapes has completed more than 1,000 moss installations for clients across the U.S. and Canada, scaling from small custom logos to massive commercial projects covering thousands of square feet.
In this conversation, Lindsay shares the behind-the-scenes story of what it really takes to grow a creative business from scratch, including the struggles, mistakes, and systems that made the difference along the way.
You’ll hear about:
The origins of Green Wallscapes and how a passion project turned into a full-time business
What those early Etsy ads taught her about testing the market and building momentum
The tipping point where she had to hire help and why delegation became essential for survival
How she scaled operations from hand-gluing moss in her house to running a 2,500 sq ft studio with a team of nine
Why processes and documentation matter when every project is custom and no two client needs are alike
How supply chain challenges and tariffs tested the business and what she learned about resilience during those times
The culture shifts that come with building a team and why she chose quality people over chasing maximum scale
Balancing entrepreneurship and motherhood while rejecting the endless hustle culture
Her honest take on growth, money, and happiness - and why “bigger” isn’t always “better”
Throughout the episode, Lindsay is candid about the reality of scaling a niche creative business. She explains how her background in marketing and branding gave her an edge when selling to clients, why her team now goes through “moss school” to meet Green Wallscapes’ high standards, and how she’s reframed success to prioritize balance and sustainability.
This isn’t just a conversation about moss walls. It’s about entrepreneurship, leadership, and the evolving definition of success. Whether you’re a small business owner, a creative entrepreneur, or someone thinking about scaling your side hustle, Lindsay’s story will give you practical lessons and a fresh perspective on what it means to build something that lasts.
To learn more, visit greenwallscapes.com or follow @greenwallscapes on Instagram.
About Small Business, Big Engine
Hosted by Grant Fisher, Small Business, Big Engine explores the real stories of entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners who are building powerful engines for growth. Each episode dives into the strategies, challenges, and lessons that shape their journey, giving you actionable insights to fuel your own business.
If you enjoy this episode, hit follow on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a review to help more listeners discover the show.
If you're a small business owner putting thousands of dollars on a credit card each month, this episode might save you tens of thousands in free travel... and completely change how you think about business spending.
Today I’m joined by Ross Alcorn, founder of Itinerary Boss and host of the World Travel Made Easy podcast. Ross helps entrepreneurs turn everyday expenses into first-class travel by using the right credit card strategies, automation, and systems. If you're still using a debit card or a rewards card that sounded good in a commercial, this is the conversation you need to hear.
Ross didn’t start in travel. He spent years in medical device sales, living out of hotel rooms and running himself into the ground. After realizing he was planning trips for friends better than most travel agents and wasting money on the wrong cards, he decided to build a business that gave others the freedom he was chasing himself.
Now, 18 months in, he’s helping business owners unlock the hidden value in their monthly spend, build systems to avoid burnout, and create more freedom without sacrificing growth.
The hidden cost of the wrong credit cardRoss explains why many business owners are missing out on thousands in free travel by using cards that don’t align with their biggest expenses. You’ll learn how a simple card change can lead to 3-4x the point value on the same spend.
Beginner-friendly credit card strategyForget confusing point systems and endless card comparisons. Ross simplifies what really matters: how much you spend, where you spend it, and which card gives you the best ROI. He also shares his top picks.
Delegation and automation that actually saves timeRoss shares how he built out systems using ClickUp, AI agents, and virtual assistants to grow faster without burning out. From podcast production to social media workflows, he explains how he decides what to keep and what to hand off.
How to build a business that supports your lifeBurnout taught Ross the importance of designing a business around your lifestyle, not the other way around. He explains how he audits his time monthly, sets up systems to stay lean, and keeps the long-term vision in focus.
Using AI to scale smarterFrom Zoom AI Companion to custom workflows in ClickUp, Ross shares the exact tools he’s using today, plus how he avoids the trap of experimenting with too many apps and not enough strategy.
Why podcasting accelerated his business growthLaunching a podcast helped Ross grow his network, land affiliate deals, and establish himself in the points-and-miles space. He shares why it’s one of the smartest moves he made early on—and how it continues to open doors.
What’s next: community and clarity for business travelersRoss is building a private community for business owners who want expert answers without digging through endless Facebook threads. He talks about how he’s shaping this space based on client feedback and what it will offer.
Business owners with $5K or more in monthly spend
Founders who want to travel more and work less
Entrepreneurs feeling stuck in the weeds or close to burnout
Anyone who’s never optimized their points strategy
Listeners curious about AI tools, ClickUp, Zapier, or automating daily tasks
🌐 ItineraryBoss.com: Free cheat sheet on points and miles
🎙️ World Travel Made Easy Podcast: Weekly episodes on travel strategy
📧 Sign up for his newsletter on the site
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rossalcornru
If you found this episode helpful, do me a favor: subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who should be getting more out of their business spending.
What if hiring faster isn't the answer? And slowing down is the smartest move you can make?
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Grant sits down with Travis Hann, co-founder of Pender & Howe, a modern executive search firm built for scale, transparency, and high performance. Travis shares the story behind starting the firm inside a legacy recruitment company, how they separated in 2022, and what it’s been like building a digital-first hiring platform in an industry that’s notoriously slow to change.
If you’ve ever struggled with when to hire, how to hire, or whether you’re hiring the right kind of person, this conversation will hit home.
Travis doesn’t just run a recruitment firm, he’s actively scaling one. With 11 full-time employees and over 20 contributors, he’s navigating the same decisions his clients are. He shares how he built the operational infrastructure before scaling, why his team uses tools like CRM integrations and client-facing dashboards to eliminate hiring black holes, and how the company is using strategic assessments and a retention-focused guarantee model to place leaders that actually stick.
Grant and Travis dive into:
The spark that led Travis to launch Pender & Howe
How they structured the business to scale without chaos
What "digital-first" hiring actually looks like in practice
Why hiring slowly and intentionally has been their competitive edge
The internal systems and tools that have helped them stay nimble
Why delegation is so hard for founders (and how Travis is learning to let go)
How to know if your next hire is solving a real business problem
What makes one hire derail a small team, and how to spot it early
The impact of AI and remote work on new grads and entry-level talent
Why great candidates rarely come from job boards
What Travis has learned from replacing founders and building leadership teams
You’ll also hear Travis explain why culture fit isn’t just a buzzword, and how one wrong hire can shift everything in a 10-person team. He shares what he looks for in A-players (hint: it’s not a perfect resume), why so many people ignore the small signals during interviews, and how to structure your hiring process to actually learn what matters.
Whether you’re hiring your first employee or your fiftieth, this episode will give you practical insight into how smart businesses approach recruiting, growth, and building great teams.
Want more from Travis Hann?
Connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-hann
Learn more about Pender & Howe: https://penderhowe.com
Liked this episode?
Please consider leaving a 5-star review and sharing it with another small business owner or founder who’s scaling a team. Every review helps more people find the show and helps us spotlight more brilliant guests like Travis.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, I sit down with Lauren Cockerell, founder and president of Kwedar & Co., a boutique public relations and communications firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. Lauren’s journey from solo consultant to leading a team of eight offers a, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to scale a high-touch service business.
We talk about what Lauren calls the “messy middle,” that critical stage between solopreneurship and sustainable growth, and how she navigated it without burning out or compromising her values. From letting go of control to learning how to hire the right people, Lauren shares the lessons she’s learned as a small business owner trying to do meaningful work in a crowded market.
You’ll learn:
Why Lauren walked away from the corporate world and started her own PR firm while 8 months pregnant
The early fears she had about hiring her first team member, and the mentor advice that gave her the push she needed
How to know when you’ve become the bottleneck in your business
What to look for (and avoid) when hiring for a small team
The power of PR for B2B companies, especially those who think they’re “too boring” to be featured
How storytelling can unlock growth, momentum, and visibility for legacy businesses
Lauren’s framework for working with clients as thought partners, not vendors
Why a “heck yes or no” policy saved her from repeated hiring mistakes
The overlooked PR opportunity most small businesses miss
Whether you're a creative entrepreneur, a founder growing a service business, or a leader in a traditional B2B industry looking to improve your visibility, this conversation is packed with insight. Lauren breaks down the inner workings of running a successful PR agency while staying rooted in empathy, client trust, and long-term relationships.
She also shares one of the most compelling PR success stories from her firm, how a family-owned furniture company went from an overlooked product launch to being celebrated in local and national media once the real story was uncovered.
Topics we cover in this episode:
Scaling a service-based agency
Small business hiring best practices
Leadership growth in creative businesses
Public relations strategy for B2B companies
Why storytelling is a competitive advantage
How to build a team you can trust
Client relationship management
Ideal client profiles and red flags
PR tools, platforms, and common mistakes
Turning a one-time event into long-term momentum
About Lauren:
Lauren Cockerell is the founder of Kwedar & Co., a communications firm specializing in helping legacy B2B businesses clarify their message and earn the visibility they deserve. Her agency supports clients across industries including manufacturing, insurance, and professional services. She’s also the host of The Impatient Entrepreneur podcast, where she offers candid insights for fellow founders learning to scale their businesses with heart and hustle.
Connect with Lauren:
🌐 Website: https://www.kwedarco.com
📱 Instagram: @kwedarco
🎙 Podcast: The Impatient Entrepreneur
What if the reason your business isn’t growing… is you?
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, host Grant Fisher sits down with Jordan Eaton, the founder of Boss Assistants, to talk about one of the most common reasons small business owners stay stuck: trying to do it all.
Jordan built Boss Assistants after seeing too many entrepreneurs crumble under the weight of admin, client work, and everything in between. Her agency helps business owners get out of the weeds and back into their zone of genius through a mix of virtual assistant support, automation, marketing help, and system design.
Whether you’re burning the candle at both ends or wondering when it’s finally time to ask for help, this episode gives you real talk and practical strategies to stop being the bottleneck in your business.
How to know when it’s time to hire a VA (before you burn out)
The biggest mindset shift you need to delegate effectively
What “conscious delegation” means, and why it works
Why Jordan hires only full-time employees (not freelancers)
The red flags she looks for when choosing clients (yes, she interviews them)
How Boss Assistants onboards clients fast without sacrificing quality
Common delegation mistakes that cost business owners time and money
Where AI fits (and where it doesn’t) in building a sustainable business
The ROI of virtual assistants, from inbox management to lead generation
How to keep the human touch in a digital-first, remote-work world
Jordan Eaton is the founder and CEO of Boss Assistants, a Canadian-based agency serving small business owners across North America. Her team of full-time virtual assistants and marketing professionals helps entrepreneurs build businesses that support their lives, not consume them. With a background in executive support and firsthand experience with entrepreneurial burnout, Jordan now helps others reclaim their time, reduce their stress, and scale more intentionally.
Boss Assistants supports clients with everything from inbox cleanup, calendar management, and customer service, to social media, podcast editing, and lead gen, without the complexity of managing freelancers or hiring full-time staff on your own.
If your inbox is out of control, your calendar is packed with low-leverage tasks, and your stress levels are spiking, this conversation is your sign: you don’t have to keep doing it all yourself.
Jordan breaks down the exact process her team uses to integrate with new clients quickly, create calm out of chaos, and help founders regain creative focus. This isn’t a conversation about fluffy mindset. This is about building systems that free you up so your business can scale without you working 24/7.
She also shares how she’s navigating the rise of automation and AI tools, and where the human touch still matters most in virtual support.
Website: https://bossassistants.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-eaton
If this episode gave you something to think about—or made you breathe a little easier, please leave a 5-star review wherever you’re listening. It helps more small business owners find the show and build their own powerful engines.
What if the secret to small business growth isn’t grinding harder, but building smarter?
Small Business, Big Engine is the show where real small business owners share how they’ve built momentum. Hosted by Grant Fisher, a longtime product designer and founder of SingleStack, the podcast takes you behind the scenes of companies across industries, from solo service providers and franchisees to brick-and-mortar owners and creative entrepreneurs.
Each week, Grant sits down with business builders who are doing more than just staying afloat. They’re creating systems, hiring with intention, building visibility, and getting creative with how they serve their customers. These aren’t polished highlight reels. They’re honest, tactical, and often surprising conversations about the challenges and wins of running a small business in today’s world.
You'll hear stories like:
How Andrea Boddeker, a Card My Yard franchise owner, transitioned from independent business ownership to franchising, and the unexpected marketing challenges that came with managing a hyper-local, high-touch service
How Reed Hansen of MarketSurge built a results-first marketing agency by helping small business clients plug the gaps in their lead systems, starting with something as simple (and costly) as missed phone calls
How Darcy Cudmore went from freelancing on Fiverr to running his own successful PR agency, and why trust, relationships, and simplicity drive everything he does
How Jeff Shiffman and Kate Finan of Boom Box Post created a thriving post-production sound studio by intentionally crafting a culture of generosity in a hyper-competitive industry
And how Elyse Petersen of Tealet is using blockchain to disrupt global tea trade and connect farmers directly with consumers, all while navigating the challenges of transparency, scaling, and market education
The show also features guests like:
Jonathan Fisher, who opened a beverage company during the pandemic and shares what it really takes to stay resilient when the hype fades
Brady Lowe, a hospitality entrepreneur who shares why thoughtful engagement is the most overlooked growth strategy in the next decade
Robert Kennedy III, a storytelling expert who helps business owners communicate in ways that actually connect with their audience
And many more creative and resourceful leaders who aren’t waiting for permission, they’re building their own engines
Whether you’re trying to increase your visibility, get more leads, manage your team better, or simply create a business that doesn’t run you into the ground, this podcast is for you.
You’ll walk away from each episode with ideas you can actually put into practice. We cover topics like:
Marketing and content strategy for small teams
Automation tools and systems that save time
Client experience and retention tactics
Hiring, delegation, and leadership for small teams
Building authority in crowded industries
What AI can (and can’t) do for your business
And how to grow without burning out
If you’re tired of vague advice and cookie-cutter growth hacks, you’ll find Small Business, Big Engine refreshingly real.
Grant brings a direct, no-fluff approach to every conversation, asking the questions most business owners don’t get asked — about their decisions, failures, experiments, and wins. It's a podcast built for business owners who are learning as they go but aren’t content to stay stuck.
New episodes drop every week. Subscribe now and start learning from entrepreneurs who are in the trenches, building smart, sustainable businesses on their own terms.
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, host Grant Fisher sits down with Jeff Shiffman and Kate Finan, the co-founders of Boom Box Post, a boutique audio post-production studio based in Burbank, California. Known for their award-winning sound design work on projects for Netflix, Nickelodeon, Disney, Amazon, and more, Jeff and Kate are reshaping what it means to run a creative studio that’s nimble, inclusive, and fiercely independent.
Boom Box Post started as a leap of faith, a breakaway from the corporate world of Warner Bros. to build something smaller, more agile, and more aligned with their values as creatives. What followed was the transformation of a literal auto body shop into a state-of-the-art Dolby Atmos equipped facility with a culture unlike anything else in the sound design world.
In this conversation, we explore how Jeff and Kate built their studio from the ground up, why they prioritize design-focused storytelling, and how they’ve maintained strong client relationships with some of the biggest names in entertainment. We dive into their paid apprenticeship program, their 50/50 gender parity hiring approach, and how fostering a generous, collaborative culture has helped them thrive in one of the most competitive corners of the entertainment industry.
You’ll also hear their candid take on the rise of AI in audio post-production, why transparency and kindness still give them a competitive edge, and how they’re future-proofing their business by expanding into features, podcasts, and digital sound libraries.
Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, studio owner, sound professional, or just curious about how top-tier studios operate behind the scenes, this episode is packed with practical wisdom on how to build a creative business that lasts.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Featured Projects Mentioned:
Resources & Mentions:
Connect with Boom Box Post:
→ Visit: boomboxpost.com
→ Contact: Use their contact form for inquiries, all messages go directly to Jeff and Kate
→ Follow their blog for weekly insights into sound design, team culture, and creative workflows
About the Podcast:
Small Business, Big Engine is a weekly podcast hosted by Grant Fisher, where we explore the stories and strategies of creative entrepreneurs who are building strong, sustainable businesses. Each episode dives into the real-world tools, decisions, and philosophies that power small business success.
Like this episode?
Be sure to leave a 5-star review!
What if your next five clients were already in your database, you just needed a smarter system to catch them before they slipped through the cracks?
In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, I’m joined by Reed Hansen, Chief Growth Officer at MarketSurge.io, who specializes in helping small and local businesses turn lost leads into booked appointments, without adding more hours to the day.
Reed grew up in a family-run landscaping business and watched firsthand what happens when great work isn’t paired with consistent marketing. Today, he’s built a career solving that exact problem for other business owners. At MarketSurge, Reed and his team help solopreneurs, service professionals, and lean teams build repeatable systems for local visibility, reputation management, and lead generation using smart automations, proven SEO strategies, and AI-driven tools.
Whether you're a photographer, HVAC pro, plumber, or boutique agency owner, this conversation is packed with real-world tactics you can apply this week to stay fully booked and build a marketing engine that runs without you.
What We Cover in This Episode:
✅ Reed’s early lessons from a family business, and why marketing made all the difference
✅ The "feast and famine" cycle that traps so many business owners
✅ Why local SEO is still a goldmine (and how to get your Google Business Profile to work for you)
✅ How automation helps you ask for referrals and reviews without lifting a finger
✅ The one simple CRM automation that closes leads from missed calls
✅ How to collect 5-star reviews at scale, and what to do with them afterward
✅ Tips for creating trust at scale through newsletters and podcasts
✅ How to differentiate in a crowded marketing agency space
✅ Reed’s take on AI: tools that are actually useful for small businesses
✅ Templatizing your onboarding process and service delivery to scale smarter
✅ The difference between long-tail brand-building and immediate ROI, and when to invest in both
Who This Episode Is For:
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Reed Hansen:
If this episode gave you an idea or an action step, hit “Follow” and share it with someone else running a growing business. Small Business, Big Engine is here to bring you conversations that help you build smarter, grow leaner, and create engines that work even when you’re not online.
How do you grow from $5 gigs on Fiverr to running a successful digital PR and SEO agency with a growing team? In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Grant Fisher sits down with Darcy Cudmore, founder of RepuLinks, to talk about his journey from freelancer to founder, and how he helps clients land high-authority backlinks through organic media placements.
Darcy breaks down exactly how his agency uses platforms like HARO, Qwoted, and Featured to earn press in outlets like GoDaddy, HubSpot, Entrepreneur, and Vice, all without paid placements, shady tactics, or bloated PR retainers.
You’ll learn:
How to get started with digital PR and link-building
Why organic backlinks are still critical for SEO in 2025
How Darcy built his business off of Fiverr and Upwork
What it takes to grow from solo freelancer to team leader
The exact systems RepuLinks uses to land real media coverage
Whether you’re a startup founder, small business owner, or marketer looking to boost your SEO the right way, this episode will give you real-world strategies that drive long-term visibility.
Learn more about Darcy at repulinks.com
Brady Lowe is the founder of Taste Network, a creative agency known for producing high-impact, story-driven culinary events. In this episode of Small Business, Big Engine, Brady shares the strategies behind his most successful ventures - including the Offset Strategy, a relationship-first approach to event planning that helped him scale Cochon555 into a nationally recognized tour.
We dive into:
How to build events that generate loyalty and buzz
The systems and SOPs Brady used to run a $2M business lean
Why CRM tools and AI are game-changers for scaling engagement
How to package years of experience into a coaching platform
His approach to using social media for high-trust brand building
The mindset shifts entrepreneurs need to grow without burning out
Whether you're in food, hospitality, marketing, or just trying to scale a service-based business, this episode is packed with insight on how to turn vision into action.
Learn more about Brady and Taste Network at https://tastenetwork.com