Small Business Origins Beefy Marketing

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

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

Key Quotes:

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

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

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

Main Discussion Points:

- The importance of building relationships in sales, not just trying to force a sale
- Techniques for effective communication and rapport building on sales and support calls
- Why it's important to treat everyone in an organization with respect, not just decision makers
- How to get referrals and repeat business through exceptional customer service
- Why taking time to understand the local culture is key when doing business abroad
- How Costa Rica’s Call Center vets clients to avoid unethical business practices

Links Mentioned:

Costa Rica's Call Center
Beefy Marketing
John Kelley's Links
Small Business Origins Online
Our Sponsor - Wingman

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

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

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

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

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

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

Company Bio:

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

Key Quotes:

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

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

Links Mentioned:

BCCUSA Online
Richard Gusmano LinkedIn
Beefy Marketing
Small Business Origins Online
John Kelley's Links
Wingman

In this episode of Small Business Origins, we talk to Tomball Economic Development Corporation's second success story: Shane Nobles, founder of Pain Train Salsa based in Tomball, Texas. We talk about so much, but the story of transitioning from being a coach to a salsa king couldn't be any more interesting than this.
Tune in to hear:
- How Shane first got inspired to make his own salsa while working as a bartender at Pappasito's (5:55)
- Starting out selling 49 jars at local farmer's markets in Tomball (9:40)
- Expanding to multiple farmer's markets across Houston and the scaling challenges (12:13)
- Transitioning the business from a side hustle while teaching to a full-time endeavor (20:14)
- Obtaining those first retail accounts with local grocery stores (14:12) and larger chains like HEB, Spec's and Central Market (22:56)
- The production process over time - going from home kitchen to commercial kitchen to upgrading with new equipment as the business grew (41:26)
- Managing the supply chain complexities selling a fresh, perishable product (44:55)
- Funding and building a new production facility to meet demand (48:35)
- Giving back to the Tomball community and local schools (36:25)
- Goals for the future including a "Welcome to Tomball, famous for creamy avocado" water tower (55:09)
Shane Nobles is a Tomball, Texas entrepreneur and founder of Pain Train Salsa. He started the business in 2014, selling jars of his homemade salsa at local farmer's markets. Since then, Pain Train Salsa has expanded across Texas, now selling in major grocery store chains while still maintaining Shane's commitment to an all-natural, handcrafted product.

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

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

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

Links Mentioned:
Pain Train Salsa Online
Tomball Economic Development Corporation
Beefy Marketing
Visit Tomball
John Kelley's Links
Small Business Origins Online

This episode is brought to you by the Tomball Economic Development Corporation and features one of their recent success stories, Peter Licata, co-founder of The Field, a co-working space, and office building in Tomball, Texas. Peter shares his journey into commercial real estate and entrepreneurship. Listeners can expect to learn about:
- The benefits of a co-working space for entrepreneurs vs traditional office space
- Peter's hands-on approach to managing and developing commercial real estate properties
- How the Tomball Economic Development Corporation supports local businesses
- Updates on The Field's expansion plans including a new retail center
Key Discussion Points:
- Coworking spaces provide flexibility, lower cost, and amenities compared to traditional office spaces (00:14:11)
- Peter and his family take a personalized approach to managing their properties compared to third-party property managers (00:07:25)
- The Tomball Economic Development Corporation has been tremendously helpful, backing up their support for development projects (00:25:51)
- A new 15,500 square foot retail center next to HEB will be completed by May 2023, with new dining options coming to Tomball (00:27:44)
Guest Bio:
Peter Licata is the co-founder of The Field, a co-working space and office building in Tomball, TX. He has over 15 years of experience in commercial real estate.
Company Bio:
The Field offers flexible coworking spaces and private offices for solopreneurs to small companies. They take a hands-on approach to property management. The Field was created out of a former bank building in Tomball by renovating and updating the space.

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

"I 100% honest, I heard mixed things. I heard, oh my gosh. It's a nightmare to deal with. I heard, oh, no. They're, you know, they're fine. [...] For us, for our group, Tomball, the EDC, the chain they've they've been amazing. It's it's been really refreshing." (00:24:41)
Links Discussed:
Tomball Economic Development Corporation
The Field
Beefy Marketing
John Kelley's Links
Small Business Origins Online

In this episode of Small Business Origins, host John Kelley interviews Rick DellaRatta, founder of Jazz for Peace, a nonprofit organization that uses jazz events to raise funds and awareness for other outstanding causes around the world. Rick shares how his lifelong passion for music led him to realize the power of jazz to bring people together across boundaries. On September 11, 2001, witnessing the attacks inspired Rick to found Jazz for Peace. He discusses how the organization works with small community causes to organize jazz events that support their fundraising and outreach goals.
Main Discussion Points:
- Rick's early years growing up in a musical family and starting piano lessons
- Studying jazz and traveling as a musician around the U.S. and internationally
- Seeing music's ability to connect with people regardless of background
- Being inspired on 9/11 to use jazz to help outstanding causes and bring more peace
- How Jazz for Peace partners with small local causes to organize custom jazz events
- Raising money, awareness, supporters for community organizations in need

Guest Bio:
Rick DellaRatta is now considered by many to be one of the finest Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz. Through his life long endeavor to help advance people to their highest potential through the understanding of Jazz as well as spreading peace worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour", Rick DellaRatta is considered to be an innovator and a visionary.
His unique and original piano playing and composing has been compared in print to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk while his signature vocal sound and style has been likened to Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Joao Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Dr. Billy Taylor put Ricks impact in perspective when commenting on Ricks "Thought Provoking CD - he said: "Rick DellaRatta is one of the people who is taking Jazz to the next level".

Company Bio:
Jazz for Peace is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Rick DellaRatta in New York City in 2002. Its mission is to use jazz performance events to provide substantial funding and well-deserved prestige to outstanding causes and their communities while nurturing cultural enrichment, community goodwill and global cooperation. Over its 20-year history, Jazz for Peace has directed over $1 million in funding plus donated supplies to deserving organizations across the U.S. and in over 30 countries.

Key Quotes:
"Music has a power, has a healing power, it has a communication power, it go breaks through boundaries and barriers, has all these magical qualities are in music." (00:23:42)

"Why don't I take all of this that we already know and do something with it? You know? Do something with it." (00:25:00)

"When you see the people we've, helped, most of most of them are organizations you've never heard of...There's a charity that helps birds. I mean, anything you name it and we've played for it." (00:41:28)

Links Mentioned:
Beefy Marketing
Jazz for Peace Online
X (Formerly Twitter)
Instagram
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Summary
Bullseye the Clown shares his journey from being bullied as a child to becoming a clown and using his platform to raise awareness about bullying. He discusses the impact of clowning on people's lives, particularly in senior living communities and schools. Bullseye also talks about his humanitarian trips to Russia, Morocco, and Mexico, where he brings joy to people in need. He emphasizes the power of laughter and the importance of controlling one's own destiny. Bullseye is working on establishing a 501C3 organization to fund his clowning missions and spread his message further.
Takeaways

Clowning can have a powerful impact on people's lives, bringing joy and laughter to those who need it most.Bullying can have long-lasting effects, but individuals have the power to control their own destiny and overcome their past experiences.Clowning can be used as a tool to raise awareness about bullying and teach children how to navigate and stand up to bullies.Establishing a 501C3 organization can help fund humanitarian trips and expand the reach of clowning missions.

Chapters

00:01:15 Origin Story and Career Aspirations
00:03:29 From Stand-Up Comedy to Clowning: A Journey of Transformation
00:09:00 Clowning as a Form of Connection and Antidote to Bullying
00:13:09 Using the Clown Persona to Combat Bullying and Support Humanitarian Initiatives
00:15:54 John Kelley's Seminars and Travel Plans
00:17:07 Interactive Clown Performance to Address Bullying in Schools
00:20:55 The Power of Overcoming Bullying and Building Confidence
00:23:59 Discussion on Meeting Patch Adams and Overcoming Bullying
00:26:41 Embracing the Clown Persona in Public
00:30:19 Clowning for a Cause: Bringing Joy to Unseen Communities
00:35:29 The Power of Clowning in Healing and Bringing Joy
00:38:44 Interview with Bullseye the Clown on Overcoming Bullying and Finding Purpose

Tweetables:

"Nobody has the authority to bully you unless you give it to them. And you give it to them by not saying anything, by allowing them to do it. And you can take back that authority at any time." - Bullseye The Clown

"How can you deal with these children and truly get this message across if it wasn't something a fire that you had to walk through and something you had to deal with personally?" - Bullseye The Clown

Links Mentioned:

Bullseye The Clown Online
Beefy Marketing
John Kelley's Links
Small Business Origins Online
Wingman (Sponsor)