WNY Entrepreneur

Drew Cerza is affectionately known as the Wing King locally and nationally as the Founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival. As a serial entrepreneur, Drew has been a real estate investor for over 25 years. For ten years Drew founding and ran RMI Promotions Group, a national food promotion company that raised money for local charities. Drew has served on over 15 local non-profit boards as he always believes in giving back to the community. Many accolades including,Buffalo Citizen of the Year, Italian man of the year and Tourism executive of the year has been honored upon Drew in recognition off his work in the community.

Jeremy Ballsmith is a self-made real estate broker and owner of a local property management, sales firm and construction company servicing over 200 owners around the world and assisting them with their local WNY and Rochester real estate needs. With a focus on real estate, his engagements go far beyond. With interests in aviation aircraft leaseback and management, real estate holdings and a new upcoming restaurant venture due to open late 2023 its safe to say he has embraced his ADHD personality and likes to keep moving about.

Our guest today is the Founder of Social Chameleon, a podcast production, distribution, and content company. They specialize in creating audio & video podcasts for entrepreneurs, as well as organizations. He is also the host of MIKE’D UP!, a podcast that showcases inspiring guests and other talented individuals who deliver their personal stories and insights to provide the ammo needed to LEVEL UP and achieve your greatest dreams. Welcome to the show, Mike DiCioccio (Dee-Choh-Choh).

Ginine Capozzi is the Founder and President of KnowledgeForce Consulting, LLC.

She is a strategic, dynamic, and pragmatic Learning and Development professional known for her deep business insights and the ability to create learning experiences grounded in the best practices of adult learning theory and cognitive/behavioral research.

Ginine has earned a Bachelor of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science in Education with a focus on Adult Learning from Buffalo State College, in addition to certifications in Articulate Storyline, HBDI®, Whole Brain® Thinking, and Hogan Assessments.

She has held various roles in education and training throughout her career, including high school teacher, college professor, training facilitator, instructional designer, and learning solutions architect.

In 2012 Ginine founded KnowledgeForce Consulting to support businesses seeking an employee training and development program that goes beyond skill building alone and provides lasting value to learners and organizations. She specializes in helping organizations address change, increase performance and productivity, develop leadership, increase motivation and engagement, and accelerate the pace of learning in the workplace.

Her “Putting the S in L&D: Strategy, Scalability, and Sustainability” model is designed to empower learning that measurably impacts organizations and is the foundation of her approach to “Training Reimagined.”

In addition to her professional experience, Ginine is also a board member of the Association of Talent Development (Buffalo Chapter) and is a founding organizer of DisruptHR Buffalo. In June of 2022, Ginine marked the 10th anniversary of KnowledgeForce Consulting with the launch of Invest in Your Community, a charitable initiative aimed at elevating the work of local non-profit organizations.

Josh Briner is a short-term rental investor, teacher, and entrepreneur.  He and his business partner own short-term rentals throughout Upstate New York and the midwest.  They also own Vibe Short-Term Rental Management, which seeks to provide quality short-term rental management services to owners throughout Upstate New York.  Josh also founded the Facebook group Upstate New York Airbnb Investors which acts as a social networking hub for short-term rental investors in the region.

Wendy is the Founder and Director of the Creative Relationship Center with a background in Relationship and Communication Skills and an Expertise in Enneagram Relationships and better marriages. Having struggled through her own relationship struggles and losses, she looks at the starts and stops of life as an opportunity to integrate your past to heal and accept life in a more positive way. She believes that learning to ‘unstick’ our selves from past destructive relationship styles and relate more honestly and clearly gives us the tools for a successful future. Wendy is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Divorce  and Family Business Mediator and an Enneagram Couples/Marriage Coach. She has served as a Human Resource Director, a Crisis Counselor to high level tragedies and is often called upon by WBEN as the “Relationship Expert” and has been a phenomenal force of transformation for many of her clients. A producer and host of the WKBW show "ALL About Love", Wendy has helped couples to understand the complexities and successes of relationships. She believes developing quality Communication Skills, Emotional Intelligence and Financial Stability are the keys to every successful relationship!

For twenty years I have created companies devoted to elevating construction standards with employees and clients while creating beautiful environments.  I'm perpetually motivated by growth and improvement.

From humble beginnings on Sean’s apartment porch in 2009, The Mac Groups’ award-winning team has grown organically for a decade, evolving to become the Nickel City’s certified Premier Google Partner.

As WNY’s 1st Social Media Agency, The Mac Groups has launched over 200 successful, revenue-generating campaigns – TMG’s expertise recognized through hand-selected invites to Googleplex California, LinkedIn corporate headquarters as well as 1 Hacker Way – Facebook’s main campus. Sean has been the Director of Digital Marketing for Actor/Celebrity Mark Wahlberg for the last 9 years, he has won several awards and continues to share his creative digital experiences with those who need help.

He’s a hyper-responsive leader that can jump into action at a moment’s notice. He answers the phone, responds to email, and he doesn’t let busy days get in the way of our client’s needs.

Most importantly, Sean believes work should be fun. Whether it’s through the super creative concepts he can come up or the engaging campaigns we launch and promote on social media, we know how to take our fun, enthusiastic attitudes and translate them into amazing work for our clients.

Jim Roberts is a true leader. WNY Metro Roberts Realty will do over 400 million dollars in sales and over 2000 sides while paying out over 7 million dollars at 100% commission. Jim Roberts is changing lives.
He also owns:
Jim Roberts Realty and Appraisal
Metro Property Preservation
MRR Property Solutions
MRR Private Lender
WNY Digital Solutions

Tom left a six-figure sales job in insurance to start his own agency from scratch. With only have 1 insurance company to represent, he went on to get contracts with 18 insurance companies. He also started a “cluster” of agencies in Buffalo & Rochester – 8 agency strong now, to have more clout with all those insurance companies.

Stephen is a military officer who brings ten years of experience in operations, recruiting and marketing. Stephen lives the values of servant leadership and believes that this world could benefit from more kindness. Stephen believes in providing autonomy to his employees and provides opportunities to those who lead values-driven lives. Stephen also serves on numerous non-profit boards and believes that "to whom much is given, much is expected". He is a devoted husband to his wife Madeline and is a resident of East Aurora, NY.

Jeff is a guy who understands software tech but talks about why it is important, and how to use it effectively in real life. He is the leader of Creative Data Insights, a team of professionals focused on digital marketing and helping software entrepreneurs tell their stories. They use Product Management best practices and Agile continuous learning to measure and summarize behavior to guide an impactful roadmap.

Matt Riley is a social media marketer, content creator, ultra-runner, and guitarist. He got his start with social media marketing at a young age growing Facebook pages to thousands of followers. In high school, he grew a guitar-related page to over 65 thousand followers. From there he transitioned into freelance social media work and now runs social media accounts full-time.

Mario Rodriguez is President & CEO of Forseti Protection Group, one of the nation’s leading Minority Owned security risk management firms, with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Buffalo, New York. Recognized as a security and law enforcement expert with over 20 years of experience. Mario is also an adjunct professor of criminal justice at a local college in Buffalo, New York and a recent 40 under 40 Honoree. Mario is passionate about keeping the community safe and making an exponential impact.

Feeling Secure in Business - Mario Rodriguez- Founder of Forsetti Group

Lindsay Amico is a certified Mindset Coach and motivational speaker in Buffalo NY. Her business, Picture Perfect Mind LLC, focuses specifically on helping professionals to feel better on a daily basis with mindfulness, thought management, and neuroscience. With an approach that goes beyond stress reduction, Lindsay provides her clients with the power to release limiting beliefs and align with the life they desire. She's worked with organizations such as JW Danforth, Cannon Design, Leadership Buffalo, Roswell Park, and National Fuel and is currently completing her career coaching certification.

To contact Lindsay email her at lindsay.amico@gmail.com

For nearly 25 years, Mike has been providing product, sales and marketing support for some of the largest organizations in healthcare, sports, and entertainment – businesses like Pfizer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Atlantic Records, UFC, the NFL, and the NHL. Through these experiences, Mike has developed an inventive perspective to exceed the demands of Incept’s clients, both large and small.

John Pusateri started business ownership as a carpet cleaner and started getting the itch for mold removal. Literally as we discuss why in this podcast episode. What escalated next, not even John couldn't guess where entrepreneurship would take him next. John is great at understanding where needs are and how he can solve them with his business. Here we talk about that evolution and how he keeps evolving as the years go on. 

Dana Marie Goodemote is the  proud owner and photographer of ADORE Studio. As a fellow business owner and professional she knows how important it is to show up confidently in your brand. After receiving a college degree in photography, she started her business full time at age 23. This was a giant leap of faith, a lot of hard work and a ton of sacrifice. Year to date she has been in business for over 15 years. "I am so glad I made the decision to believe in myself". Over the  course of her career she has made it her mission to help others achieve their professional dreams and to believe in themselves. Having a professional photograph may not seem like a life changing event, but she promises once you start utilizing your photographs in your brand your life will change. You will feel more confident, book more clients and generate more leads. She has created a studio model that specializes in personal branding and headshots, countless hours training and putting together the right team, she is confident that she is offering her clients the best experience and images that they have ever had.

Should your business hire a debt collection company for your past due invoices?

When is the right time? When is the wrong time? What are the fees normally associated with this service?

How do you know if you hired the right collection agency? 

We talk about all this in this podcast episode. 

A little background about the founder, Katie...

Katie began her career as a pediatric nurse. She spent 18 years in healthcare with roles in instructional design, technology training, and IT project management. Beyond Green Solutions applies the principles Katie learned in health care, infuses top notch technology, and helps solve outstanding accounts receivables. She and her team use empathy, critical thinking, and patience to moderate between companies and their customers to find resolutions to past-due payments.

In this podcast episode, we talk with Natale Builders owner, Angelo Natale. We talk about scaling and layering your business as you grow your business. We dive in how he got his start in this business, what he has learned along the way as a business owner and how/why he has diversified his portfolio in the business world.

Natale builders has grown from 8 to 10 homes a year to the most diversified building/developing companies in Western New York. Currently building 60 to 70 homes per year(Both neighborhood and Custom homes), developing land for commercial and residential development, owning and operating 15 office buildings and owning and operating over 300 apartment units.

How is the first 90 days of 2022 going for you and your business? 

If you think the last ninety days went fast, imagine the next 3 months. 

Often, we set yearly goals for the year and then kind of forget about them after a few months. 

In this podcast we talk about recalibrating your 2022 goals and everything in-between. 

Take a listen and don't forget to subscribe.

Dan is the President of Tresca Design, an engineering firm providing end-to-end engineering service for products, components, and machines, with capabilities spanning the entire product lifecycle. Here we talk about what local businesses miss or misunderstand when it comes to engineering of products and software, what questions they should be asking and what he's learned over the years scaling his business and working with great local clients.

His background has always been in engineering, holding his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University at Buffalo. He is passionate about bringing sensible solutions to complex technical problems. Dan has a strong focus on giving back to the community in Western New York that has given him so much in my career, and he currently sits on the boards of two local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations: the Western New York Invention Convention, and the WNY Prosperity Fellowship Inc.

Want to know more about Crypto? This is the podcast episode for you. We interview Michael Colyer, a local Buffalo Native who is the Founding CEO of The Digital Foundry in Rochester NY! They have over 85 Employees and are purchasing a building in Buffalo to build their next mining operation right in our backyard. This is thee local guy to talk to about Crypto. We talk about it all. 

A little bit more information about Michael: Mike joined Foundry as its founding CEO in October 2019. Previously, Mike led business development at Core Scientific, which, during his tenure, grew into North America’s largest cryptocurrency hosting company. He was the President and COO of Savage IO, a small, Western NY-based 3MW mining company, where he continues to serve as a Board member. Mike has spent the last 4+ years navigating the large-scale mining space, building strong relationships with key industry participants. Before his pivot into the crypto industry, Mike was an operational and commercial executive for manufacturing and distribution firms for more than two decades, often serving at the behest of private-equity backers. Mike started his career at GE. In 2007, Mike and his wife, Lisa, co-founded the Clairebear Foundation, a non-profit that supports families with sick children. Mike graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and an MBA in Corporate Finance.

Eric Worral is an affiliate marketer on YouTube with a diverse background of digital, traditional, and event marketing experience. He likes to create and gets bored too easily. 

Here we talked about: 

- What he would do to brand/market any business if he only had $1000 to do so. 

- His tips and journey about making a full time income doing youtube. 

At one point, one way or another; A business needs legal help with something. Whether it be drawing up contracts, becoming an LLC, partnership legality's, and the list goes on. But how do we get the best bang for our buck? What questions do we ask? How do we know if we found the right lawyer for the job? 

These are all questions we ask local Western New York Attorney, Andrea Tashus. Andrea, like a lot of us; started her business/practice from scratch. She did it an unusual way and has learned a lot along the way which we talk about in this podcast episode. 

Andrea provides efficient, accessible, and fair legal services to businesses, business owners, and entrepreneurs through her law practice, Tarshus Law Firm. Clients routinely use her legal services to form new businesses, file legal entity paperwork, draft and execute contracts, negotiate favorable deals, create internal partnership and operating agreements, file trademarks, handle employee issues, assist with compliance with NYS and federal regulations, and resolve legal disputes.

She also has a background in business and operations, and enjoys working with business owners, C-suite executives, and company managers to create a comprehensive legal and business framework that supports operational efficiencies and strategies for growth.

Thought about changing careers or businesses? Wonder why employees really quit? Cathy would know since she is paid  to talk to them about changing careers which means they are leaving their job or business. Want to know if a middle aged single woman TRULY can start a business after a bunch of successful careers?

Cathy is CEO of Inspire Careers, a full-service career marketing firm based in Buffalo and serving job seekers across the country. Inspire Careers specializes in career launches for new college graduates and career marketing strategies for executives and career-minded professionals. Inspire Careers is the home of the Inspire Careers Student Professional Launch Program™, the only new graduate success program in the country, taking recent college grads on the journey from college student to rising professional, landing jobs they have been dreaming of and working toward. A three-time career changer with 15 years of experience in human resources, Cathy provides insights and strategies that help her clients land jobs and create careers they love.

Have You Ever Thought About Writing a Book?

If you are like most entrepreneurs, you've thought about telling your story or writing book. Most don't do it. Why? We talk about that and how Gary's journey started from a thought to actually writing 3 books! Gary Friedman has traveled a long road, interacting with people every step of the way. Gary makes contributions to the betterment of the world every day. Whether in his role as a non-profit volunteer, business owner, coach, counselor, federal employee, or author, it has always been important to Gary to leave the community a better place than when he found it. His home in Western New York has been the backdrop for most of the poignant work he has accomplished so far.

In each of his careers, Gary has made people a priority by observing, listening, and reaching out to those in need and those who need direction. He has authored a series of three inspirational novels, The Shepherd Chronicles, asserting that one man can make a difference, and frequently speaks to audiences promoting that message. Gary’s new novel, Stones and Glass Houses, demonstrates his intrigue with how humanity functions and interacts. His goal is to shake up the reader’s perspective and invoke curiosity and this book does not disappoint.

Enjoying his retirement from the Federal government, Gary spends his days enjoying time with family and friends, traveling and writing.friends, traveling and writing.

Amanda and Deleon Alford, are working hard to build "The Alford Empire." Starting at such a young age, they now own and operate two businesses, "Alford's Angels" and "Nickel City Pet Pantry." Both with differences in experiences and expertise, they formed the perfect business relationship for growth, while raising their 3 children (8years, 5years, 3months). This is inspired by their passion for building Generational Wealth via "The Alford Empire". Deleon Alford is a Changemakers 30 under 30 nominee for 2017. 

Does how we brand our business... really matter?

Absolutely, but how and where do we do this? In this podcast episode, we interview a branding expert, Brandon Wilson.

Mixing a background in Fine Arts and Web Design, Brandon Wilson is a designer who stands out from his counterparts. Using the fundamentals of what makes a good design and merging them with the modern practice of UX Design, his work helps businesses connect with their target audience. His approach to design respects the internal processes of a business without sacrificing the “wow” factor. Brandon Wilson excels at making brands stand out in the market while improving scalability.

Here he shares some of his secrets, where businesses go wrong and right locally here in Western New York.

Greg has started or been a partner in an almost laundry list of companies here in WNY. In 2013 Greg started his entrepreneurship route with the first real estate company he was a partner of.

 *In 2014 with another partnership Greg formed Redline rentals of buffalo and exotic car rental company. 

*In 2016 he started his own accounting firm to look after the main companies. 

*In 2018 he also started a small marketing company to help all his companies. 

*In 2019 with his car business partner they purchased a auto mechanic business and building to house our growing car business but also expand into a related business model.  In the same year Greg bought into a minority share of a restaurant and that didn't go well with Covid. He learned a lot though.

Here we talk about partnerships, real estate, investing in real estate and everything that has shaped his journey as an entrepreneur so far.

Louis Mulone, owner of Two Wine & Liquor stores in Buffalo NY. He never thought he would ever move to NY, let alone Buffalo NY but fate brought him here because of a job. As told in the podcast, he ended up making a whole new reason to stay here and opened up 2 different businesses that he never owned and or operated before. Check out why Louis believes WNY is so special and how he made it work despite a lot of difficulty. We also talked about delegating and how to find and keep good workers in todays tough market where so many businesses can't find employees. 

What makes some of the best companies in the world, the best? They know how to create a raving fan base and take care of their current customers/clients. While most worry about gaining more, the best figure out how to treat their current ones like gold to create raving fans. In this episode we talk about how and why we are doing the same thing with The WNY Entrepreneur and how you can do the same thing with your business.  

Stewart Fonville is mission driven entrepreneur focused on making a difference and leaving a legacy. In his early twenties he took a bet on himself and started a mobile auto detailing business that allowed him to leave his job in corporate America and begin his journey into entrepreneurship. As a speaker he has been tasked with motivating and inspiring  college students, young adults and business owners throughout Western new york. He is a faith driven entrepreneur that is motivated by his family and serving the community.

Rory Allen is a bootstrapping entrepreneur best known for Zoomcopy.com ( a graphic design and print shop) and ZoomBuffalo.com (an online print ordering tool) . In 2003, Rory started Zoomcopy.com with $3,000 in personal savings and a $5000 loan from his parents.  Zoom was started just offering document scanning, traditional print services like mailings, corporate stationery and stickers.  In the last 6 years ZoomCopy.com has become well known for large format printing such as banners and many of the murals around Buffalo. Allen and ZoomBuffalo.com are known for some of the more popular lawn signs popping up everywhere,  like the parody Allen Diggs campaign sign.

Mark Utech is the President of Utech Basement Waterproofing a second generation service contractor operating in Western New York. Mark has been working in basements for over 40 years, beginning his career by spending Saturdays and summer vacations working in the family business since the age of 14.

Mark joined the organization full time in 1989, became partner in 1996 and 100% owner in 2008. Developing extensive knowledge in residential waterproofing and foundation repair methods Mark has helped Utech Basement Waterproofing become a leader in the Western New York Industry. 

One of Mark’s favorite projects was the innovative use of helical piles in the redevelopment of the Lafayette Hotel in downtown Buffalo. In 2015, Mark saw a need for support of small business owners and started Elevate Development LLC a Western New York based startup specializing in the strategic business management and operational control of small to medium sized enterprises. Elevate Development helps its clients reach greater heights in business and personally. Mark currently serves on the board for the local WNY chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, was a past board member of the Home Improvement Council of WNY and mentors other small business owners through the University of Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. Mark earned a BA in business management with a concentration in finance from the University at Buffalo. Mark considers himself a self help junkie and when he is not working or spending time with his wife Kim and 4 children he enjoys boating on Lake Erie.

Eric Bond is the founder of Competitors Mentality, LLC where he is a coach to Entrepreneurs and Athletes. Drawing from his experience as an NCAA student-athlete and 10+ years in leadership in corporate America, Eric created a transformational coaching program to help his clients own big moments in their lives. He is the host of The Competitors Mentality Podcast and has spoken multiple times at national recruiting conferences and to NCAA Athletic Departments about the life after sports journey.

Emily Martin is the Founder of Ally HR Partners LLC, a Buffalo-based HR consulting firm that helps small businesses identify and implement custom solutions to their people problems and opportunities. Throughout over 10 years of experience working with leaders, managers, and owners across industries, sizes, and circumstances, one factor has consistently shown to be a universal game-changer: the people. Emily has made it her passion to help businesses realize and address opportunities that exist within their workforce that are costing them valuable time, money, and sanity to promote a workplace that is not only smart, but also healthy.

Evan Giokas is the founder and principal coach at The College Confidence Coach. For the past eight years he has dedicated his time and passion for helping students and their families discover their instinctive abilities to match and coach them to a right-fit path to college. His efforts have recently been noted by Yahoo Finance where he was named #4 on the “Top 10 Male Coaches Influencing Lives”, list. Through his unique coaching process, students and parents save a fortune on their college costs, but more importantly, they make decisions that are right for them on their first steps into the rest of their lives.

What are the secrets to running a successful local event right here in Western New York? We are glad you asked. David Schaub has promoted, hosted and created hundreds of local events and has been a featured speaker at national events. One of his passions is the art of promotion and getting others tied into a passion project of his. Here is some of his secrets to running local events that he has learned the past 10 years. 

Michael owns and operates an executive coaching practice serving high-performing leaders and teams all over the country. He helps professional men and women, discover, own and leverage their unique strengths so they can create massive success in life and business. Some of his local clients include ACV Auctions, Kaleida Health, and Colombus McKinnon. He's a man of faith, a devoted husband, a family man to the core, and an entrepreneur.

Craig Turner wears a lot of hats. Small business owner with Momentum Public Affairs and its new subsidiary, Momentum – The Business Growth Agency, head of World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara and the Buffalo
Niagara International Trade Gateway Organization, political consultant and founder of The Campaign Coach program, husband, father of four, and in his “spare time,” writes political thriller novels. Craig’s spent the last year engaged in small business recovery efforts in both Erie and Niagara Counties, and talking with entrepreneurs about their challenges on the road
to recovery.

Lawyer turned foodnerd! Sharon grew up in a very poor neighborhood downtown Buffalo and was raised by a single & disabled mother. This is what defined her life's mission. Sharon never wanted her children to feel the pain that she felt watching her mother suffer. This sprang the idea and business to help people live lives that they felt educated on nutrition and had the tools they needed to make healthy and convenient options. Here we talk about what she learned on this journey, from raising funds to food manufacturing to how to market the healthy foods she created so that everyone can afford to eat healthy.

Mike took a chance at 25 and purchased an existing business that was headed for closure. Taking an old gem of the past and making it something that could employ over 25 people and become a destination in the community is his favorite part of the journey. With a lot of prayer and faith, Mike says "I know God has gotten us through every storm and season. If it wasn't for Him, I would be nowhere. My staff is incredible. They have impacted this place more than I could ever dream. Our customers are the greatest in the world. They really showed us how much they care during this last year. " 

Here we talk about how he purchased the business and got into it randomly with no experience in business or banking. We walked through: how he has thrived in a small town in the pandemic, how to avoid burn out and how to manage over 20 employees with different personalities etc..

We believe you'll love this podcast episode after listening to Mike. His energy and positivity are infectious.

Dave Kimelberg is the former General Counsel to SoftBank.  He moved to Buffalo from Boston 12 years ago to start up Seneca Holdings, the economic development arm of the Seneca Nation, which he led from 1 employee to a $100+ million group of operating companies across the US and internationally.  He’s the founding partner of Kimelberg PLLC, which is a law firm focused on venture capital and start up clients.  He’s also the founder of the K Haus, a co-working, art, and incubation space located on Main St in Buffalo.

Andy Moquin is an entrepreneur, ring designer, jeweler, and jewelry store owner.  He’s worked in the jewelry industry for over 30 years. He speaks at industry trade shows and has written some of the most widely-read articles in his product sector.  He founded Andrews Jewelers in 1994, and it has become one of the most successful independent jewelry stores in WNY.  He has been awarded the “The Small Business of the Year Award by the Small Business Administration both in 2006 and in 2018.  He’s always available to provide business and marketing advice for entrepreneur newbies and invites you to contact him.

Lisa is an innovative entrepreneur who co-founded Basic Travel Couple to coach others on maximizing the value of credit cards for cash back or free travel. She is also a real estate investor and trained to save lives at 30,000 feet in the air. She aspires to educate others on life-changing opportunities to travel freely, save money, and generate wealth with side hustles.

Kanishka Wanninayaka is a 23-year old marketing savant and community leader that owns YAMU MEDIA a marketing firm, as well as co-founded Aviate Audio, a venture-backed audio tech startup, is a partner at JECA energy bar, a venture-backed CPG company and lastly, co-founded GROW Buffalo Business, an altruistic business non-profit. He is a deeply principled individual that has consistently supported the growth and scale of everything he has been a part of. In January he raised money from our Buffalo Business community to build a school for 150 impoverished children in a Sri Lankan village where he is from. Kanishka also won 30 under thirty award this past year.

Paul is the CEO of Try It Distributing. A Buffalo owned local beer, wine and spirits, and red bull distributor. The company as a whole has over 500 employees. We talk about how the company has grown immensely since 2000, how and why culture matters, how this business even got started, and all his keys to success as a business owner in WNY. Paul is currently serving as the chairman of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership. He also serves on the boards at Open Buffalo, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency(ECIDA), Buffalo Renaissance Foundation, Founding board member at the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable, and chairman of the FIFCO-Labatt National Business Council.

Irfan Khan is a cardiologist turned entrepreneur. He's the founder and CEO of Circuit Clinical, a 43North winning company that aims to make it easier for all of us to find, understand and choose clinical research as a care option. He's a Clarence dad of 3 teenagers, serves as a Trustee at Nardin, and is married to a very patient radiologist. He likes to read voraciously when he isn't busy transforming clinical research or ferrying his kids around.

Ciminelli has more than 680 properties with 18 million square feet of space in New York and six other states. You can’t drive through Buffalo without seeing a building Paul's company hasn’t built or managed. Paul shares his story and what has made him successful as a big corporate leader in Buffalo and other states. We dove into a lot of keys to business and even how WNY is going to reach its potential.

Colleen founded the Ignite Buffalo small business grant program, which brought $1 million in investment from national partners to WNY and led to the creation of over 100 local jobs. Collen is also the current president of 43 North. Along with all that she is also the owner of Space on Seneca, a Larkinville yoga studio and events space, and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Daemen College. Colleen is a founding board member for both Teach for America Buffalo and Buffalo Collegiate Charter School, an ambassador for Girls Education Collaborative, a former member of the Nichols School Alumni Board and Pro-Zoo Board, and a mentor for Say Yes to Education students.

Before joining the NGTI, Pat served for 8 years as the COO of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. (BNMC). In addition to managing the BNMC day-to-day operations Pat was the BNMC’s unofficial “entrepreneur–in-residence" working to foster collaboration & job creation on campus and throughout the bi-national region.

Among the businesses Pat started is Fulfillment Systems International (FSI), a technology driven logistics services provider. FSI grew from a 1-person startup in '85 to a firm with over 200 employees in 5 locations in Canada, Europe, and the USA before being sold to UPS in 2000. It is now part of UPS Supply Chain Solutions.

Zachary Schneider has over 20 years of experience in advertising and marketing. During his six years as the owner of an interactive shop in Buffalo, NY, he consistently hit marketing demands for clients such as the SixApart, PBS, and Symantec. He also spent one year as the Director of a Buffalo advertising agency working with corporations like M&T Bank and General Electric. As CEO at FIFTEEN, Zack has been an integral part of growing from an agency of 2 to a staff of 25+ agency professionals, 20 merchandisers and another of 30 brand ambassadors. Simultaneously starting a speciality food manufacturer and chain of restaurants, Ru's Pierogi.

Del Reid, creator of #BillsMafia, founder of 26 Tshirts, & Family Man. Del is appreciated and loved by the Buffalo community. Once you meet him and hear his story, you totally understand why. Del gets it. In this podcast episode, we discuss his story from the beginning and how everything came to be. If you haven't heard Del's story, it's time you have.

Jimmy Chebat, an enterprising Buffalo business pioneer, has developed a digital initiative anticipated to address the
paradigm shifts currently plaguing the workforce due in part to the workplace culture identity crisis and the
ever-increasing rate of remote workers.
His portfolio of past business ventures emphasizes his ability to identify challenges facing personnel
management, generating innovative solutions using his experience in data analytics, automated intelligence,
and gamification. The fourth industrial revolution is already here and it’s Jimmy’s fully integrated system that’s leading the digital transformation into the tomorrow we need.

Greg spent most of his food industry career in product innovation for humans, creating many of the foods on our grocery shelves. He received a patent on the product that became known as Funfetti! Greg also created products for many of the largest CPG’s, and foodservice companies bothin the US and around the globe, and now Greg has been running Doggone Raw for the past 5 years. He started a raw dog food diet company for dogs and cats. We talk about Greg's journey. How he finally became an entrepreneur after doing so much amazing work for top food companies in the world.

Joe Town is not only a restaurant owner, he also loves real estate (He enjoys offering clean, modern, and affordable housing as a landlord) and the financial markets. When he's not working he's studying and reading. He intends to add to his resume and his experience by starting law school next Monday.

He feels it's imperative to always be improving and progressing and never forget to give back and help others along the way. (If you'd like we can talk about the traveling I've done and the cities/jobs I've held) I think it is absolutely imperative we talk about the restaurant during covid, the changing business plans along the way, the communication with the city and other restaurants, and also important to talk about Paces Pizzas donation program (fed over 400 pizzas to local first responders)

Larry Mietus is the Founder of Speaking of Strategy. He is an independent business consultant, speaker, educator, podcaster, and author with a wealth of practical, hands on experience. His expertise encompasses leadership development, organizational design, employee engagement, and sales and marketing strategies. His clients run the gamut from "Mom and Pop" businesses to international enterprises. He is a frequent contributor on LinkedIn and numerous business blogs and has been featured on the Business Innovators Radio Network and Buffalo Means Business. Larry has also been quoted in HR Magazine, the most widely read and respected Human Resources publication in the world.

Joe started working at the age of 14, literally sweeping floors and emptying garbage cans for the family business. His business career includes starting 2 businesses, buying 2 businesses, and selling 1. Joe currently owns Buffalo Design And Printing, a commercial printing company that has survived the Digital Revolution even though 50% of his peers have closed.

Joe has been the subject of several Xerox Case Studies, webinars, and industry speaking engagements. He has experience on both sides of the desk in positions of production, sales and management.

He has been married to his wife Pattie for 33 years. They have 3 children, all leading successful lives.

Robbie Raugh is known locally and Internationally as a Health, Fitness and Nutrition Expert who’s been a pioneer in the Industry for 40 years.

She is a Registered Nurse by Trade who says she went from “sick care” to what she’s doing now as a Nutritionist and Fitness Professional in “health care.

She has her own practice called Raw Truth Integrative Health. And Obviously Raw is a play on her last name Raugh.

She is an Author, Keynote Speaker, Radio Host, Podcast Host, and is seen regularly on WKBW TV AM Buffalo, and has been for 4 decades!

She’s also a Fitness Instructor at Catalyst Fitness which hopefully will open again soon!

Mike Anderson is the co-founder of Grow Buffalo Business who just so happens to sell Business Insurance. Mike is caring and always wants to do what's best for people. He enjoys helping others achieve success or helping in a variety of other ways. If you work with Mike, you will not regret it. Here we talk about the nonprofit, GROW Buffalo Business and what it does for local businesses for free. We also talk about business insurance and why you need to know. 

As a graduate student at the University at Buffalo, Darren founded The Tool Library, a community-based tool lending library, in response to his experience renting from an absentee landlord. Darren Cotton has over a decade of experience in the fields of community development, urban planning, and information design. Working as Director of Community Development & Planning at the University District Community Development Association (UDCDA), Darren was responsible for writing and administering over $2 million in grant funding focused on commercial corridor revitalization, small business development, alternative transportation planning, historic preservation, public art, and community capacity building in Buffalo's University District. Prior to this, Darren served as an Associate Planner at the University at Buffalo Regional Institute working on a regional sustainability initiative, the remediation of industrial brownfields, and a form-based overhaul of Buffalo's zoning code.  With a Bachelor's Degree in International Studies and Linguistics and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo, Darren works to bridge the gap between research and policy through planning, design, and grassroots activism and is a strong believer that a small, dedicated group of individuals can change the world.

Tom Anderson is a guy whose passion is helping others, he just so happens to be a financial advisor. After graduating from Canisius College with a finance degree, he didn’t want to go the banking route and loved working with others, so he decided to pursue a career as an advisor. He focuses on helping others achieve their goals no matter what stage of life they are in. He is very involved with the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society, Big Brother Big Sister of WNY, the St. Francis High School Alumni Board, the Canisius college young alumni philanthropy group, and the Hauptman-Woodward Institute. He plays baseball in the summer, skis in the winter and loves photography and traveling as much as he can…He’s certainly not your typical advisor and I think you’ll find that out in this podcast interview. 

Steve always had a passion for golf from a young age. Steve turned that passion into a business. In this podcast we talk about how he started the business, how he got into the big box stores to completely converting it into an online business. 

Political Science major, turns social worker decides to move back to Buffalo and open a dry cleaning business and start a family with $13,000 savings and no business or dry cleaning experience. For 25 years Eric has employed hundreds of employees and paying millions in wages. He grew his business/businesses to over 2m in revenue in an industry that has been contracting since they entered and that has seen many well-established brands close their doors over the last decade.

Here are some the of the questions we went over

a. What’s the best advice you could give to a fellow small business owner?

b.  How has your approach to marketing evolved over the years? What have you found most effective?

c. How much importance do you put on self-development and what do you focus on yourself?

d. What’s your take on this new COVID environment and what do you think it means for businesses?

Hearing Dans Story is quite interesting and has taken a lot of twists and turns. Dan whos only 48 years old, has made over a million dollars in 3 Industries, (Real-estate. The Dot.Com Boom in the 90s and in Network Marketing) - 1st property at 19 years old. He's also married with 4 children. He's a native in Hamburg NY where he still lives today.

Dan has also done some motivational speaker for Market America - Not only has he spoken all across the USA but also in the UK and Canada. 

In this podcast, we talk about how he did all this, how to scale your business, and even parenting while being an Entrepreneur. 

Family and business are two things that have always been at the center of Jason’s life. A product of two, independently successful entrepreneurs, Jason has been groomed as a business builder from a very young age. After graduating from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a BS in Business Administration, Jason embarked on a 12-year career in the banking world with corporate giants Wells Fargo and HSBC Bank. Jason then went back to his roots and took on a new challenge with a family owned, regional payroll company to build out and grow their client and revenue base. After 5+ years leading them with explosive, multi-million-dollar growth, Jason fulfilled a lifelong dream to launch his own sales, marketing and growth consulting agency.

Jason is a highly motivated, ethical and resilient top-performing sales and marketing executive with a consistent record of cross-industry results and goal-oriented success. As President of Nacre Consulting LLC, Jason is equipped with deep sales, marketing, and operations experience, Jason and his team work directly with businesses of all sizes in both B2B and B2C industries. Jason’s career contributions have centered on building sustainable businesses, brand equity, and loyal customer relationships. In addition, his vast leadership skills (i.e. leading, coaching, and training) Jason and his team are developing the next generation of forward-thinking production employees and scaling revenue generating, growth oriented companies nationwide.

Jason is a proud husband and father to his wife Tiffany and their two daughters, Isabella and Julianna. He is extremely involved in DeSales Catholic School serving as the Strategic Lead on their Board of Trustees. He also humbly serves a group of High School Boys at local Christian Ministry (MOVI) at the Chapel Lockport, NY. Jason is charter member of the Entrepreneurial Family Man (EFM) Mastermind group and is passionate about aiding fellow Husbands and Fathers to be all they can be!

John is the founder of social to the limit LLC. He has created millions of organic impressions and built strong digital brands for his clientele. 

He has grown several Instagram accounts with his techniques gaining them thousands of followers. 

His company is quickly expanding in response to the pandemic and helps others build a strong online presence for people's brands and businesses.

If you’re a small business owner you’re probably wondering:

How should I market my business during this time?

Should I even market my business during this time?

What can and should i do differently during this time?

These questions are all answered in this podcast episode while giving you the right tools so you can take your next step in your business during this COVID-19 epidemic.

In this short podcast episode was recorded after I couldn't stop asking myself certain questions the past couple days and week. I want to share my thoughts and insights on what I would do personally if I were ANY type of business during the next couple of weeks and months. Businesses should be thriving, not going out of business during this epidemic. This is how. 

Dr. Fichte is the founding partner of Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare, with a lifelong interest in cataract & laser eye surgery. An FDA clinical trial investigator for the original diffractive multifocal intraocular lens studies, he then studied laser eye surgery in Berlin, Germany. Subsequently, he co-founded the Ultra-lase Refractive Laser Eye Centers in England. Upon FDA approval in the US, he was the first to perform PRK and Lasik surgery in upstate NY and has performed countless thousands of laser eye surgeries.

Dr. Fichte has been a speaker at numerous international and national eye meetings and co-authored numerous papers in peer-reviewed ophthalmic journals and books. His current interests include alternative strategies to prevent future eye disease presentation and progression.

Heather L. Sidorowicz is President and owner of Southtown Audio Video, a custom installation and integration firm based in Hamburg, NY. Heather’s roots are on the front lines; working directly with the client, selling and designing both personalized audio/video solutions and corporate/higher education conference and training spaces. Most recently SAV completed the technology behind Explore & More’s interactive exhibits.

As a female in a predominately male industry, Heather has a unique perspective, believing that technology should balance the home/workplace rather than overtake it, and it's her mission to find technology and products that enhance one's quality of life.

Southtown Audio Video has been Commercial Integrators Top Higher Ed Integration Firms, and in 2015 Heather was selected to be one of their 40 Influencers Under 40. She also received a Legacy Award from Women in Consumer Technology in 2017. Locally, she has mentored for the University at Buffalo’s Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership program and Allstate's Minority and Women’s Emerging Entrepreneurs Program.

Heather is past President of the Hamburg Development Committee’s board, an active member with Economic Development in the Village of Hamburg and she just finished her term on the CEDIA board – a global residential technology association that have brought her to such places as Denver, San Diego and London, England.

Heather is a contributor to both Residential Technology Today, Residential Systems' and other online sites where she muses about the custom installation industry with a passionate and singular style. She has also written for CEDIA EMEA’s prestigious magazine.

In her spare time, she can be found skiing with her husband and two girls, on her yoga mat, cooking fresh meals, and writing in the third person.

If you or a friend owns a storefront/retail store they HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS. There are so many gold nuggets in this podcast episode. I promise you will not be disappointed.

In 1979 Ken Slomovitz arrived in Buffalo New York to start what is today a 40+ year adventure in furniture retailing.  What was a retail store selling Ethan Allen Products today is a leading fashion center for home furnishings.  Throughout the years Ken understood the value of building a team of great employees that understood that the most important part of their business was their customers.  In today's environment with online shopping a viable alternative to shopping at a store, Ken and his team focus not only on the products they sell but more importantly the customer experience which is critically important.  And Ken continues his role in providing the environment in his company that allows it to grow and prosper.

Sean Heidinger brings a unique background in community engagement, entrepreneurship and event planning to his role as the BNMC’s Business Development & Incubation Manager. Joining the BNMC team in 2015 as Curator for DIG, WNY’s largest co-working and event space, Sean has grown to become the primary contact for all of the Innovation Center and BNMC’s entrepreneurial and incubation efforts. Currently, he manages and continues to expand the diverse collection of companies on campus, build the entrepreneurial ecosystem through incubation programs, and seamlessly execute a multitude of networking and social events of all varieties. He remains steadfast in maintaining a professional workspace while providing an unmatched level of service, energy, positivity to the Innovation Center’s entrepreneurs, professionals, and events.

This week I will be sitting down with serial entrepreneur Patrick Engasser. Patrick was born completely blind and has proven that obstacles are meant to be overcome, as he has conquered this challenge on his way to building two successful businesses. After college and a few short months of working in a call center, he realized that working for someone else just wasn’t the right path for him. At 24 years old, Patrick started working as a straight commission insurance agent and built a six figure business in four years. He was promoted to District Sales Coordinator in 2015 and found his passion for coaching emerging professionals who share his commitment to lifestyle design through success in business. Patrick has made it his life mission to mentor those seeking a way to build a life of financial and time freedom for themselves and future generations. He now has a second business teaching entrepreneurs how to create financial independence and residual income through an on line product brokerage platform. Join me this week and find out what we can all learn from someone who has refused to let what some would consider a “disability” stand in the way of his success.

Max Muscato & His Father Marc Muscato founded their non-profit Rock Autism. While many organizations fund scientific research, Rock Autism addresses the issues of people living with autism and their families today. Rock Autism donates funds raised from benefit concerts to organizations serving youth living with autism. Rock Autism contributes to the professional development and growth of every person across the spectrum. We offer program support to organizations connecting youth with autism to a field of study in music, film and the arts while giving them the chance to achieve marketable talents after graduation.

Here we talk about how they started their non-profit and how to start your own if you ever had the dream to do so. We talk about the business side of non-profits, the pros/cons and what you would need to know to start one yourself. 

Dan is a former Town of Amherst Police Officer, a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent, and a Criminal Investigator with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Building on his career in law enforcement, Dan held senior corporate security, real estate and aviation management roles with America Online and Delaware North Companies. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President with HSBC Bank, where he oversaw security risk management operations and technology throughout North America.

Dan left the corporate security profession in 2012 to found a Southtowns focused real estate company where he managed sales growth from zero to nearly $35M in just four years. In their new venture, Emprise Realty Group, LLC, Dan and an experienced team of Realtors utilize their sales and marketing approach to offer their listing and buying clients a new level of exceptional service.

Dan is an investor/partner in several local businesses and real estate development ventures. In addition, Dan has operated a successful e-commerce retail business since 2001, giving him a keen understanding of how to connect buyers and sellers, as well as how to effectively utilize the Internet and technology in sales and marketing.

Dan has an undergraduate degree from Colgate University and a Master of Arts Degree from The George Washington University. He also attended the University at Buffalo Law School, holds numerous industry certifications, and is a past or present member of several industry organizations.

In 2005, Dan and his wife, Jennifer Noah, moved back home to Western New York after spending several years in the Washington, DC area. Dan, a Licensed Real Estate Broker, and Jennifer, an Attorney, reside in Orchard Park with their twin boys.

Enas Latif, one of the top real estate agents in Western New York isn't originally from here. Enas grew up in the country of Jordan. She moved here when she was 18 years old with her husband. In this podcast, we talk about how she built her business on relationships and hard work when she barely knew anyone here originally. Enas now has her own real estate team and is continuing to grow. Enas Latif is an award winning, top producer ranking 4th place company wide and one of the top 1% of local Realtors.

MJ is no stranger to the weight loss struggle. Reaching 220lbs in middle school, she decided to make a change for the better once she got to high school and lost 90lbs.

MJ began working in the fitness industry in 2006 while attending classes at U.B. for Accounting. She worked front desk at a local gym and would often skip classes at school to pick up extra shifts at the gym. That’s when she decided she should switch career paths.

MJ continued to move up at the gym from front desk, to teaching classes and personal training, to becoming the group fitness director. MJ learned from each position and gym and studio she worked at and picked what she liked and didn’t like from each, and that’s how SWEAT 716 was born in 2017.  SWEAT 716 aims to be a safe space in an industry that can be pretty judgmental. MJ has cultivated a warm,  welcoming environment at SWEAT 716 that focuses on fitness being FUN more than anything.

Tammy Pollino is no stranger to the beauty industry with over 20 years of experience.  From stylist, to educator, to salon owner she has worn many hats.  And for the past 12 years she has owned KaLu Salon and Day Spa in Amherst.  She opened in 2007 with just over 2400 square feet of space in the Ellicott Creek Plaza and in 2017 expanded to double the size in her 5000 sq foot facility that services WNY with everything from Hair color and cuts to a full day of relaxation in the day spa.  If that is not enough she also serves as President of the WNY chapter of the American Business Women's Association. 

In this podcast we talk about:

- How she runs a successful business as a single mom in her 40's

- How she changed the culture in her business.

- Why getting a business coach was totally worth it even after being in business for 10+ years. 

We received so much feedback from the "How to market your business for Free" that I decided that I needed to make a part 2. If you haven't listened to part 1 I would listen to that one first. 

Eric Balsom is 3rd generation family ownership of Kenny Carpet and Floors.  Born and raised in Williamsville, Eric has a passion for design and interacting with the local community.  Eric received his business degree from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida before moving back home in 2008.  He recently started his own carpet and upholstery cleaning company Deep Clean 716.  Although he swears he works 8 days a week in his free time he loves to play golf, go out to dinner and is a wine enthusiast.

Anatoliy and his family are immigrants from a small village in Ukraine that moved to US in 2003. He is from a family of twelve, four boys and six girls. Anatoliy and his brothers learned roofing trade from working with another roofing company. After Anatoliys brother-partner Vitaliy had full cancer recovery, they decided to start their own roofing company. A lot has changed since they started AVA roofing, but they still hold on to integrity and family operation. AVA roofing became of the top rated roofing contractors in W.N.Y. in short period of time and very thankful to have such opportunity in the country that gives you freedom to grow your business. Anatoliy and his brother also started AVA Rentals in 2016 and hoping to create residual income from Real estate and Air B&B in the next couple years.

Brian Ellsworth has been a successful entrepreneur in the health and wellness field for the past two decades.  He has averaged a six-figure income and his best year was over half a million in income.  The majority of his career has been part-time.  We also later talk about one of his ventures,  a 35Billion dollar industry he has just moved into.

Tony and Jordan are two young entrepreneurs, childhood friends, college roommates, and graduates of University at Buffalo. They started their business venture, Three Sixty Views, which is a photography/videography content creation company. Through the growing pains of growing a business while being full time college students, they have learned what it takes to hustle and provide exceptional quality content for hundreds of realtors in Western New York. They currently have 5 employees and continue to expand into other industries around Buffalo, providing superior marketing material.

Sandra Haseley, President and Cofounder of Revolution Healthquarters.

Sandra graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a degree in finance and a minor in marketing.  
She went on to begin a career in commercial real estate through underwriting & financial analysis. This led her further into the industry as a director of sales and leasing for commercial developments in WNY.  
She then went on to begin her entrepreneurial career by forming her own professional organizing and interior design company.
Shortly thereafter,  she co-founded what is now Revolution Healthquarters, an all-natural weight loss and chiropractic clinic,  with her husband, Dr. Shawn Haseley.
Aside from running WNY"s highest rated weight loss clinic, Sandra is a business strategy and developmental speaker, profit scaling coach for online entrepreneurs, and mother of 4.

An RIT business graduate from Henrietta, NY. During his studies at RIT, Jake developed a business plan to scale his family’s small restaurant, Nathan’s Soup & Salad from one location to several, including a USDA certified production facility in the Genesee Valley Regional Market. With over 10 years of mastering the restaurant industry, Jake has now pivoted focus to wholesale production and manufacturing. Lean Life Manufacturing was established in 2016 as a prepared meal food manufacturer specializing in product development, testing, manufacturing, fulfillment, and distribution for customers who require flexible and innovative solutions, with an emphasis on quality and nutrition. Seeing the positive impact of healthy nutrition, Jake has recently started a fast growing company, IDLife, that takes the guesswork out of nutrition through personalized assessment and DNA testing. Jake’s belief in a Corporate Social Responsibility has lead to amazing partnerships with Holy Childhood and BOCES to provide job opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Job opportunities are also created with a partnership with CEO Center of Employment opportunities for individuals that recently returning from incarceration. Jake looks forward to continued growth with all three of his business and providing a positive impact on others lives through his products and job opportunities.

Eric Schnirel not only founded Great Lakes Transport in 2015, but also serves as the Managing partner and President of the company.  Eric is Buffalo Born and raised, graduating from Sweet Home High School and continuing on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Medaille College in 2010, and then an MBA in finance from Canisius College 2012.  Eric spent 5 years in the banking and the financial services industry, before opening the doors at Great Lakes Transport.  A tremendous and well-known local athlete Eric captained the Medaille Mavericks men’s soccer program to a birth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in his senior season.  Eric also serves on the board for the UB Foundation for MJS UB Law School Scholarship.  The success of Great Lakes Transport Solutions has fueled the Great Lakes brand, which now includes Great Lakes Real Estate Group and Great Lakes Workers Comp Solutions. In his free time Eric is an avid golfer who lives in East Aurora with his wife Molly.

 Nico Toliano has been an entrepreneur from day one! After college the Niagara Falls native got involved in many different industries until he landed on social media marketing in 2016. He now runs “The Success Agency”, a full service social media marketing agency as well as an Italian Pride business The Wooden Spoon Media and Entertainment! 

  Canvas Salon & Gallery's Owner, Stylist and Curator, Jaime Brawdy has been working in the arts and beauty industry for over 18 years. Her skilled artistry has developed through painting, sculpting & shaping her guests perspectives of themselves in a positive and creative light. Her organized free spirt allows for a creative and productive culture reflective of her carefully curated space which boasts a welcoming atmosphere and hosts a plethora of rotating solo art exhibitions, keeping guests intrigued and comfortable at each visit.   

Nick is one of the owners of Four Mile Brewery in small town Olean NY. Nick talks about starting a business in a small town and the different variables it takes to thrive in it. 

 Joseph Sikorski is a self taught guitarist who has been playing for nearly 20 years.  He has managed to stand out amongst the saturation of media and transition comfortably from career in industrial coatings to a career in music. Varying his creative endeavors, Joe is a band leader, a solo artist, a guitar teacher and a session player and has managed to sustain a living playing music on his terms. His band Insoluble is crafted to stand out and is the culmination of hard work, determination and business savvy. While his main playing style focuses on progressive rock and fusion within his original band, Insoluble, he can play in almost any style ranging from blues to heavy metal, neo-soul to country. Joe is a self employed musician living in Niagara county. 

 70 hour work weeks, 5 computer screens, 5 years. These are what made Andrew Svisco realize that life is short and great footwear is not meant to be under a desk all day. Working as a stock trading analyst, Andrew knew what it took to learn things fast and solve problems. Rather than reading the data, he wanted to help make the data. Tired of seeing bulky work boots and fast-fashion cheap footwear made overseas charged at a premium, he saw that there may be an opening in the market for a different company with different initiatives. This is how Parkhurst Brand started. Andrew tells it all on this podcast to share how he started his company and distributes his product so WNY Entrepreneurs can learn more about this type of business.

Owning a franchise for a publishing company the past 4-5 years I've noticed most businesses are great at what they do but writing articles about themselves? Not so good. Most businesses put out generic, boring and non gripping articles. They are bland and aren't too relate-able. These are my two quick two tips that will really help you with your blogs and articles about your business. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the podcast.

Dan Zajac owner of Precision Mobile Auto Detailing has been in business since 2015. He services all of Erie County specializing in high-end auto detailing and ceramic coatings. In this podcast episode we talk about how got his business on the #1 page in google search for his category. He did this completely on his own and he tells how. Dan has created his own content for his social media page including videos. He talks about how he did that and how anyone can do it. Dan loves what he does. His passion for his craft shows in the time and attention to detail in every vehicle, treating it like it was his own. Dan was awarded 2018 Best Detailed at the Orchard Park Lions Club Car Show for the work he did on a 1977 Chevy Corvette. ALSO a BONUS tip for us western new Yorkers; Dan talks about how to get Salt out of our car during the winter.

Lindsey A. Zajac is an experienced, Human Resources professional with a demonstrated history of excelling in fast-paced organizations including PepsiCo, Eaton Corporation, Saab Sensis and Next Jump. Training and Development, Talent Management, Recruiting, and Succession Planning are Lindsey’s areas of expertise. Most recently, Lindsey was employed with PepsiCo as a Senior Human Resources Manager in Buffalo, NY supporting the largest market in the country. In this role, Lindsey was responsible for providing HR support for 1,100 union & non-union frontline associates and managers across nine Upstate NY locations. Lindsey served as a Strategic Business Partner with the PepsiCo Upstate NY Leadership team.

Lindsey co-led the quarterly “Getting Started as a New Supervisor” training for the entire Northeast Region, training close to one hundred new Supervisors each year. In addition, she helped develop new training content that was later incorporated into the curriculum for Frontline Leader Excellence Training that was rolled out to all Managers across PepsiCo nationwide. Lindsey is a proud recipient of PepsiCo’s most prestigious “You Excel” Award as well as multiple “Way to Go” Awards for delivering exceptional results.

In 2018, Lindsey was recruited to join Ahern, Murphy & Associates, where she is able to leverage her passion for leadership development and coaching to help organizations develop and retain their employees while improving their overall performance. Lindsey is an Advanced Certified Leadership Coach and an authorized Everything DiSC partner.

Lindsey graduated cum laude from Providence College with a BA in Political Science and a Minor in Women’s Studies. Upon graduation, Lindsey moved to New York City to begin her career in Recruiting, where she worked for a staffing agency on Wall Street specializing in the placement of finance and accounting professionals and then joined a Technology Startup, Next Jump, as the head of recruiting to help the company double in size. 

Nicholle Overkamp, MBA is the Founder and CEO of Wilcox Financial Group and PowHERhouse Money Coaching. Their firm specializes in helping women business owners, executives, and couples who are looking to achieve financial goals while living their ideal lifestyle.  
She is the facilitator of the Grow group for women entrepreneurs at the Canisius College women’s business center. She holds the treasurer board member position for the National Association of women-owned businesses for WNY. 

Nicholle feels strongly about guiding women towards their financial goals and feeling confident about their future, so much so that she wrote a book about it! Money Bitch: A no BS guide for smart women to own their financial future was released in 2019. 

Caroline Design has been featured in HGTV's Buyers BootCamp, Southern New England Home Magazine, The Junior League of Buffalo - Decorators Show House, and the Buffalo Magazine. In this podcast we do some myth busting in the interior designing world and give some ideas to local businesses who are either upgrading their brick and mortar business, office or work environment.

Rebecca Mercurio is a Buffalo native who has spent the last 20 years traveling the globe, gathering information, learning techniques and building a unique and highly specialized skill set. She landed back in her hometown 5 years ago and currently owns/ operates Whole Nine Wellness where she helps women and their families navigate pregnancy and birth  through informational, educational and physical support. Through Doula services, yoga and bodywork she offers the “whole
nine yards for the whole nine months”. She is an Ignite Buffalo Small Business Grant winner and all around dynamo  

Owner of Banas Mortgage Company & addicted to real estate investing right here in Western New York. Paul has a ton of investment properties and continues to add and subtract consistently. Paul has been in business for over 25 years and shares what he has learned in his niche. If you're looking for a building for your business, investment properties, buying your first home or just want to know more about the mortgage/investing side of real estate this podcast is for you. Please don't mind Paul as he is fighting a cold on this podcast :)

 Janna Willoughby-Lohr is the owner & artist behind Papercraft Miracles--an eco-friendly handmade paper company. All of their products are fully customizable and each piece is handmade one piece at a time at their solar-powered studio in Buffalo, NY. 
Their solar-powered studio in Buffalo, NY. 
More recently, Janna is on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Buffalo Niagara Chapter and is the chair of the membership committee.  In July 2018, her business won a $25,000 small business Ignite Buffalo grant through a partnership between 43North and Facebook.  Since then, she has been busier than ever and hired her first employee.   

WNY chiropractor Dr. Sara Griffin is the owner of WNY’s newest expanding wellness center, WNY Spinal Solutions. Dr. Sara is a native of Tampa, Florida who has spent most of her life in the Buffalo area. 

In this podcast we talk about:

-How to take over an existing business 

-How to handle fear as a newer business owner 

How she grew her practice

 Christine started E.B. Howard Consulting in 2013 with the idea that proposal preparation and independent/external evaluation services can be useful, effective, efficient, and most importantly AFFORDABLE.  E.B. Howard Consulting is certified as an M/WBE in NYS and NYC, and WOSB with the SBA.  She has completed hundreds of proposals (over $60 Million in funding for our clients) and project evaluation reports for our clients as required by various funding agencies.  

Christine is passionate about funding equity among women and minority-owned start-ups. So passionate, that in 2014, she started compiling a list of various investment firms that will NOT make a funding decision based on your GENDER or ETHNICITY. 

  Mark Metzger is a 26-year-old entrepreneur, business owner, investor, author, and motivational speaker. Mark founded Precision Hockey in 2011 and today he has coached, trained, and mentored over 5,000 players and coaches around the world. He also owns Precision Ice Rinks. Precision Ice manufactures and installs portable ice rinks, ice slides, permanent ice rinks, and cold storage/testing facilities around the country working closely with amusement parks, malls, casinos, private businesses, Fortune 500 companies and municipalities. Mark is passionate about investing in start-ups and established businesses and is constantly looking to invest in his next business venture!  

In this podcast, we talk about:

How his parents were an instrumental part of his success.

How he consulted with NHL Team; Carolina Hurricanes.

How he got an interview with Shark Tank Star Barbara Corcoran. 

Giving back & getting others to the next level.

Educator | Speaker | Entrepreneur | Author | Small Business Advocate 

As one of our community's most passionate advocates for small business, and a business owner himself, Tom intimately understands the power that entrepreneurship has to unlock human potential, create jobs, inspire wealth, and invigorate economies and communities across the globe. Tom has dedicated his personal and professional work to small business advocacy. He is a member of the National Federation for Independent Business Leadership Trust and a sought after speaker on topics concerning the importance of small business and entrepreneurship to the vitality of the American economy. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Dean at the University at Buffalo School of Management, Executive Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad at UB, and Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) where he works with a dedicated team to give small business owners the support they need to thrive. Under Tom’s direction, the Center has expanded its sophisticated interdisciplinary approach to educating business owners through experiential learning and mentoring. CEL has over 1,400 graduates whose businesses employ over 22,000 employees in Western New York.

 Danielle has been doing business in the fitness industry for the past 7 years. She is a certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor. She created the Buffalo Meltdown Weight loss program, won her Body Building Pro card with the Natural Muscle Association, has held state records for power lifting, was a key note speaker for The Buffalo Boss Babes, and one of the winners of the Ignite Buffalo Grant BUT that is not what shes most proud of. She is all about being REAL. It can be scary being yourself, but she did it, and she isnt afraid to be honest about her ups & downs. She has built her business with authentic integrity but mainly compassion for herself on others. 

Bob Moses, Franchise Owner For N2 Publishing built his business from the ground up over 5 years ago to produce neighborhood magazines for some of the most private affluent neighborhoods in the Syracuse Area. The homeowners completely write the neighborhood magazine every month while Bob connects some of the top businesses in each industry to the community. Bob shares his secrets on how he connects and maintains business relationships with hard to reach clientele in Western New York. 

 Joe Ervolina and Rob Meissner have spent the last twenty years proudly growing their elite financial services firm, Cornerstone Capital Wealth Management. They have developed and refined a planning process that puts all the pieces of the financial puzzle in place for their clients. Cornerstone Capital offers full-service, comprehensive financial planning for families, businesses, and non-profits by providing investment solutions and insurance options. They also offer comprehensive planning in areas such as charitable giving, college planning, estate planning, and retirement planning. 

What does hockey equipment, rolled steel, websites, internet technologies and charter schools all have in common? Nothing. But together they provide life experiences that prepare you for anything in business.

Having founded several companies, Greg understands the excitement, pressures, and frustrations entrepreneurs face when launching and growing their companies. Over the past 30 years, Greg has marketed and sold everything from ice hockey equipment in Japan to rolled steel in Texas to websites and digital creative services to clients globally.  In addition, Greg opened and managed a charter school that specialized in serving the at-risk student population. In other words, he’s done a lot. 

Ann started Chez Ann Salon in a 700 square foot location, with one other employee.  Since 1985 Chez Ann Salon has been “Bringing beauty to the world one individual at a time, through dedication, education, and our love of people and our profession.” That has been and continues to be our mission. Now in 2019, it is close to 4000 square feet with 58 amazing employees in the heart of Williamsville at the Walker Center. 

In this podcast interview we talk about:

How she built her business from scratch to one the of most successful salon & spas in Western New York.

Who influenced her in her professional life. 

How she started a salon on her own to now over 55 Employees. 

How she has such a great staff and how its about building their lively hood and making sure they are doing well in their own lives. 

Tony & Derek (who are best friends) are the longest tenured T-Mobile dealer in Upstate New York. They have been in business for almost a decade. Both Tony & Derek started selling Wireless almost 15 years ago and own multiple stores in Western New York. It was cool to see how they have opened, acquired and sold profitable locations in different cities and under demographics that have performed at the highest level through marketing, ethical sales techniques and a platform that is unique. This podcast is very motivating and perfect those who need a nudge in what they are going after. We talk about how they have evolved in an ever so changing wireless industry. *They were the first TPR dealer in Upstate New York and were able to be involved in a program that allowed them to use a platform that integrated all T-Mobile stores across the country in a market that a few years ago wasn’t even an option. 

Robert Giuseppetti: 31 year old. Former national touring drummer. Robert has owned 5 businesses. He grew a home inspection franchise to the biggest in Western N.Y. in only 5 years.  In 2018 his franchise was ranked 44th highest producer out of aprox. 700 franchise locations. Active real estate investor; Robert has owned 23 rental apartments/ homes. Currently owns/ manages 3 business at the same time. Home inspection, real estate acquisition, and a radon laboratory. 

In this podcast we talk about how he started from basically nothing; Living in a home he bought for $3500 cash, to making it barely work to purchase a franchise he now thrives in and fuels his other passions. Robert is very straight to the point and always looking to grow his business. Check out this episode as we walk through all his businesses endeavors. We talk about what has worked and what hasn't. 

Carol Esposito has been a Top Realtor in Buffalo NY the past 10 years. She sold over 20 Million Dollars in Real Estate last year alone! That made her the #1 Howard Hanna Real estate agent in the Buffalo/Niagara region in 2018. She has sold over 15 million each year, the past three years. She's been over 12 million the last 5 years. I think you get the point. Carol Esposito is an absolute rock star in Real Estate here in Western New York. In this episode she shares how she has made this happen and we dive deep into her story on how she became a real estate agent. She did this all while taking care of 5 kids of her own and managing all that comes with it. If you want to learn from a top real estate agent you'll love this podcast. 

 Mike Del Zoppo is the co-owner of Eat Rite Foods, the premier meal prep service in Buffalo NY. Mike has been a competitive bodybuilder for the last 8 years and is a sponsored athlete for the supplement company Optimum Nutrition. Mike & his business partner (Luke Bright) started their meal prep business with no investors, a dream and very little to start with. Their business is now worth over 12 million dollars three years later. During this podcast Mike talks about the challenges and struggles along with success he has come across since starting Eat Rite Foods in January of 2016.  

Jerry West is a Network Marketing professional and motivational leader who went from bankruptcy to multiple 6-figure income earner in a few short years. Jerry has a passion for helping others step outside their comfort zones and reach their full potential. He wrote a book called "52 Lessons from Network Marketing" that is focused on personal development and growth. He's lived in WNY since 1990, is 46 years old and lives in East Aurora NY with his wife and two sons.  

Jerry is authentic. I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as I enjoyed making it. He's just freakin' awesome.

Nick Arnot is recognized as a digital marketing expert by many, including Ford Motor Company & NRG Energy.  

Need some help with your digital marketing? This interview is for you. We go behind the scenes with how Nick started his 5 businesses (That's right 5!) and how they grew to where it is today.

Nick speaks often on business development, advertising, analytics and helps brands navigate the nuances of the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape. His day-to-day is centered around operating his five businesses and consulting on technical and strategic execution of advanced sales and marketing techniques, including scalable solutions for customer relationship management and marketing automation. His experience ranges from print marketing and (viral) content marketing to digital marketing and sales technology integration.