Unscripted Small Business

Abbey Crane
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  • MARKETING

Our Unscripted Collaborative hosts Keith Bresee, Zaneta Chuniq, Keiron Bailey & 17 year SEO industry expert Jeremy Rivera are having unscripted interviews small business owners, founders and creators across the United States, learning about their challenges, successes and insights into the world of SMBs.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    From Botanicals to Business — Hemp, Mushrooms & the SEO Journey

    In this episode, Jeremy Rivera sits down with Mark Gilliland, founder of Kyoto Botanicals, a THC-free hemp CBD and functional mushroom wellness brand he's been building for six years. Mark shares the science behind broad-spectrum hemp extraction and his brand-new functional mushroom blend, the regulatory patchwork small wellness brands navigate every day, and what it's actually like to go from zero SEO knowledge to a six-month, 10-hours-a-day obsession with organic search. The conversation closes with a powerful hot take on momentum — and why stacking small habits can transform both your health and your business. Read the full episode recap What We Cover The science of hemp extraction — decarboxylization, CO2 pressure, and how Kyoto achieves 0.0% THC Functional mushrooms 101: lion's mane, reishi, chaga & cordyceps — and why dual extraction matters How the 2018 Farm Bill accidentally created the Delta-8 problem and why THC-free positioning is a regulatory superpower Why Mark spent 10 hours a day, 7 days a week teaching himself SEO in a restricted ad category The plumber parable: $5 for hitting the pipe, $95 for knowing which pipe to hit Slow, methodical product expansion vs. corporate SKU proliferation Mark's hot take on momentum — and how habit stacking quietly changed his entire life Episode Highlights “Since the FDA isn't regulating it as a dietary supplement, it's really important that individual consumers do the research on the product and the brand they're buying.” — Mark Gilliland “I've spent the last six months, at least 10 hours a day, seven days a week, teaching myself SEO and just breaking things fast on my site and fixing them.” — Mark Gilliland “It’s $5 for hitting the pipe, but $95 for knowing which pipe to hit, where and when and how hard.” — Jeremy Rivera

    48 min

  2. 26 MAR

    Autonomous Google Ads: What Full AI PPC Management Actually Looks Like

    In this episode, host Jeremy Rivera sits down with David Pourquery, the founder and CEO of Groas — the world's first fully autonomous AI Google Ads management platform. David shares how a background in private equity and late-night e-commerce experimentation led him to build a system that's replacing entire Google Ads teams, why 90–95% of the accounts he inherits from agencies are misconfigured, and how 80% of his customers discover Groas through LLM-powered search — without a single dollar spent on marketing. Topics Covered David's unusual path from private equity to Google Ads automation What makes Groas the first truly autonomous end-to-end campaign management system How hundreds of AI agents process hundreds of thousands of data points per hour Dynamic landing pages — one per ad variant, deployed automatically How Groas handles Google's budget overspend problem The hallucination problem in AI — and how custom-trained models and context solve it Why 90–95% of inherited agency accounts are misconfigured David's hot take: the traditional agency model has an expiry date How Groas grew to $35M/month in managed spend with zero marketing spend What's next: PMAX support, model improvement, and potentially new ad platforms Quotable Moments "We are now essentially replacing entire Google Ads teams. It runs itself 24-7 — measurably better than what a human can do."  — David Pourquery "90, 95% of the accounts we take over — what we see is really tough. Businesses losing money with absolutely no idea why."  — David Pourquery "I haven't spent a dime on marketing. 80% of our customers come from LLMs recommending Groas."  — David Pourquery

    25 min

  3. 23 MAR

    Denise Dubois on Beauty, Wellness & Sustainable Business Growth

    Join host Jeremy Rivera as he sits down with spa industry veteran Denise Dubois, who has been transforming lives through beauty and wellness since 1983. In this revealing conversation, Denise shares her 38-year journey from paper appointment books to a thriving multi-location spa empire with a clean beauty product line. Discover the truth about aging (spoiler: 90% is in your control!), learn why consistency beats quick fixes every time, and get insider advice on building systems that create unforgettable customer experiences. Whether you're in the beauty industry or running any service-based business, Denise's wisdom on turning customer complaints into growth opportunities will change how you think about feedback. What You'll Learn The 90/10 Rule of Aging: Why lifestyle choices matter more than genetics From Rolodex to App: How to evolve your business through technological changes The Membership Model: Building recurring revenue while promoting wellness Systems for Consistency: Creating repeatable excellence in customer experience Clean Beauty Movement: Understanding what goes on your body matters as much as what goes in it Marketing in a Crowded Space: Standing out in beauty and wellness Constructive Feedback: Turning complaints into competitive advantages Key Timestamps [00:18] - Denise's 38-year journey in the spa industry and founding of DuBois Beauty [01:27] - What the "spa lifestyle" really means [03:57] - The science of aging: 10% genetics, 90% lifestyle [05:30] - The hidden dangers in personal care products [07:29] - Evolving from paper books to e-commerce [10:24] - The importance of the human face in marketing [12:09] - Why video testimonials are the #1 lead generator [15:16] - 2026 plans: Focusing on membership and longevity [17:44] - Operating in Albany and Saratoga Springs, NY [20:23] - Essential advice for aspiring spa entrepreneurs Featured Quotes "The American Academy of Dermatology suggests that really about 10% is genetics and about 90% is influenced by our everyday lifestyle choices. So we truly do have control more than we think over how we do age." "We do need to be mindful of not only what we put into our body, but what we put onto our body." "Word of mouth remains the number one lead generator." "Consistency is key. There's no such thing as a one and done treatment to achieve a person's beauty and wellness goals." "Constructive feedback can be what makes the difference between you growing and being the best you can be or choosing to just make excuses about why something happened." About Denise Dubois Denise Dubois is the visionary Founder of DuBois Beauty, an acclaimed Clinical Esthetician and wellness expert with over three decades dedicated to skin health. Her unique perspective comes from running a successful clinical practice (Complexions Spa) and developing a retail brand built on the philosophy that clean, simple, and nature-based ingredients deliver superior, professional results at home. As author of Living Beautifully, Denise bridges the gap between internal health, lifestyle, and external skin appearance, empowering people with actionable, expert-backed advice that demystifies skincare and inspires a balanced approach to beauty and self-care. Guest Links DuBois Beauty (Clean Beauty Brand) https://duboisbeauty.com/ Complexions Spa Locations:...

    20 min

  4. 6 MAR

    Dominating Renovation, Additions & Remodeling In Cookeville, TN: H&H Construction

    The Philosophy of Renovation Join host Jeremy Rivera for a deep dive into the world of residential construction with Alec and Josie Davis, the husband-and-wife team behind H&H Construction in Cookeville, Tennessee. This two-part conversation explores how they've built a thriving renovation business focused on relationship over transactions, creativity over cookie-cutter solutions, and preserving the beauty in old homes while bringing them into the modern age.  Josie shares her unique perspective on what makes home renovations special: "You're taking something that's already there and already has flavor. It already has its own embodiment, and you are tweaking it, aesthetically smoothing it out, maybe changing some of the rhythms there in the space, but you're ultimately still keeping the foundation and the bones the same." Discover why she believes the most beautiful spaces happen when you marry older charm with newer aesthetics. Small Jobs Lead to Big Trust "To me and Alec, there's no small job. Every job has an impact to the customer and to the family that's living in the home." Learn how H&H Construction builds long-term client relationships by starting with small repairs—drywall holes, baseboard fixes—and growing trust over time into major kitchen remodels, bathroom transformations, and home additions. Design Based on Feel, Not Just Function "How you're wanting a space to feel should often dictate how you develop this space." Josie reveals her signature question for every client: "What do you want it to feel like when you walk in?" This approach moves beyond standard kitchen triangles and bathroom layouts to create truly personalized spaces. Forever Home vs. Resale Value The Davis team offers honest consultation about when to invest in customization versus following market standards. "If you're planning to be there forever, then we really want to customize it to what you're wanting to feel." Favorite Projects: Wet Rooms & Historic Homes Josie describes her love for wet rooms—bathrooms where the entire space becomes the shower with seamless tile work that's "almost like artwork." She also shares stories of renovating homes from the 1930s and 40s, preserving original hardwood floors and historic fireplaces while upgrading everything else. When NOT to Build an Addition Josie offers refreshingly honest advice: "Some houses, the way that they're structured, they're just perfect the way they are. Sometimes it's meant to be that way. And so adding onto that changes the feel of that home. I would say, 'Nah, friend, just go ahead and find a new place that you can grow into.'" But when an addition IS right? "You get the right contractor and the right budget, and you can do just about anything." Sunrooms: Being Outside Without Being Outside "A sunroom is being outside and enjoying outside without being outside." Alec and Josie explain the difference between sunrooms and covered patios, climate-controlled versus non-conditioned spaces, and how they've transformed decks, porches, and even sheds into beautiful year-round living areas. Decks Built for Tennessee's Terrain "We're in Cookeville, Tennessee. There's a lot of mountain ranges. You can't have a patio without flat land." Alec shares his passion for custom deck designs: "I love anything that's out of the norm, anything that's different." From multi-level decks to grand staircases, fire pits to octagonal desig...

    23 min

  5. 2 MAR

    Chad T. Jenkins — The Collaboration Formula That Replaced 50+ Businesses

    Listen: unscriptedsmallbusiness.com Host: Jeremy Rivera Guest: Chad T. Jenkins, Founder of SeedSpark & The CoLAB Episode Summary Chad T. Jenkins grew up on a small farm in South Carolina, started his first real estate deal at age 11, and spent 25 years building over 50 businesses across wireless phones, data centers, construction, HVAC, GPS leasing, and more. Then he stopped. Not because he failed — but because he found something better: engineered collaboration. In this episode, Chad breaks down the framework he calls the VCR Formula (Vision + Capability × Reach = Success), explains why most entrepreneurs suffer from a WHO deficiency, and shares how his CoLAB community grew to 700+ collaborations in just 18 months — outpacing his entire 25-year history of starting companies. Jeremy and Chad also dig into the real role of AI in entrepreneurship, how to structure collaboration outcome splits, and why "showing up at the receiving dock" is the ultimate growth strategy. What You'll Learn In This Episode Why an 8-year-old riding horses at auction is the perfect metaphor for understanding leverage The John Baptiste Say definition of an entrepreneur — and how it reframes everything The WHO deficiency: what's really blocking growth for most entrepreneurs and business owners The VCR Formula (Vision + Capability × Reach = Success) — and how to map your P&L to it The four types of Capability: ownership, ability, capacity, and cash The four types of Reach: eyeballs, minds, hearts, and DNA-level Why "Future Backward" planning beats "Current Forward" every time How to structure a collaboration outcome split (the 10-20 / 60-80 / 10-20 rule) What Chad calls the "Idea Economy" — and why the task economy is over How to use AI as a PhD-level assistant without losing your human competitive edge The "Name the Baby" tool for creating intellectual property from collaborations Key Quotes "A true entrepreneur is someone who relentlessly seeks leverage." — Chad T. Jenkins "Stop trying to grow through effort. Start focusing on what you have, combining it with what others have, and ask one question: How do you want to split the outcome?" — Chad T. Jenkins "The only thing cash does is pay for somebody's vision or buy somebody else's capability." — Chad T. Jenkins "Always show up at the receiving dock, not the procurement office. Future money is always up for grabs." — Dean Jackson (via Chad T. Jenkins) Resources Mentioned Chad T. Jenkins / SeedSpark Website: seedspark.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chadtjenkins CoLAB Programs: seedspark.com/programs CoLAB Partner™: seedspark.com/colab-partner Kickstarter Events (twice monthly): seedspark.com/colab-kickstarter CoLABcon (October, Charlotte NC): seedspark.com/events Tools (Name the Baby, Future Backward): seedspark.com/tools Books (Friction Fuel, Just Add a Zero): seedspark.com/resources/books Blog: seedspark.com/resources/blog Real Collaborations: seedspark.com...

    56 min

  6. 19 FEB

    Strategy First: Building Authentic Marketing for Small Businesses with Sara Nay

    Sara Nay, CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, joins Jeremy Rivera to discuss why strategy must come before tactics in small business marketing. With 15 years at Duct Tape Marketing—starting as an intern and rising to CEO—Sara shares the agency's proven approach to building trust through transparency, education, and true partnership. This conversation covers the evolution of SEO in the age of AI, why customer interviews are non-negotiable, how to structure content for both humans and LLMs, and why quarterly planning beats annual marketing plans in today's rapidly shifting landscape. Guest Bio Sara Nay is the CEO of Duct Tape Marketing, where she has spent 15 years helping small businesses build effective marketing strategies. She recently authored Unchained: Breaking Free from Broken Marketing Models, offering a fresh perspective on escaping outdated marketing approaches that no longer serve today's businesses. Connect with Sara Nay Website: ducttapemarketing.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/saranay Book - Unchained: unchainedmodel.com Key Topics Covered [00:00] Introduction and Sara's journey from intern to CEO [01:20] The reporting problem: cutting through vanity metrics [04:14] Why beautiful websites fail without customer journey mapping [06:07] SEO evolution: from keywords to questions in the AI era [08:50] Showing up in AI search results and LLM citations [11:57] Local SEO strategy for service businesses [13:26] The strategy-first process: interviews and customer journey mapping [15:12] The power of leadership and customer interviews [19:15] E-commerce vs. service business strategy differences [21:16] Year one to year two: evolving campaigns with quarterly sprints [24:38] Content strategy for AI visibility [26:50] The future of authority and backlinks [27:30] Co-marketing as a multiplier for small businesses Best Quotes from This Episode "A website should help people get to know, like, trust, and even be able to try your services and buy your services. Yes, it should look nice—that is important. But the content and the journey that you're guiding people on is what I would argue is the most important piece of the puzzle." "We're not just creating marketing strategy for people anymore. We're creating marketing strategy for people AND AI." "When people skip over leadership interviews and ideal client interviews, that's where they waste time, energy, and money on marketing in the long run." "Gone are the days where you can just publish content and hope it shows up. You have to be very focused on what you're putting in the content, but also how you're structuring it." "I believe you can't really plan for marketing further than three months at this time because it's changing, shifting, and evolving so much." Resources & Links Mentioned Duct Tape Marketing Resources Duct Tape Marketing Homepage Fractional CMO Services The Marketing Hourglass / Customer Journey Marketing Hourglass System Ideal Customer Development Google Business Profile Optimization Sara's Book

    28 min

  7. 28 JAN

    Breaking the Consultant Hustle Cycle with Rachel Minion

    If you've ever found yourself trapped in the exhausting cycle of filling your pipeline, delivering to clients, then scrambling to fill your pipeline again—this episode is for you. Rachel Minion, Head Rock Star at Rockstarr & Moon, joins host Zaneta Chuniq Inpower to break down why consultants get stuck in what she calls "the grind cycle" and how to escape it without working more hours. Rachel brings a unique perspective as a third-generation entrepreneur who cut her teeth managing 400 to 1,200 estimates daily at her parents' printing company before moving into corporate marketing roles at Verizon Wireless and Ticketmaster. When the pandemic hit and she was furloughed, she went full-time on her consulting business and never looked back. In this conversation, Rachel shares how her Profit Multiplier program helps consultants find at least $100,000 in hidden profit—with one client already seeing a 52% year-over-year sales increase and another at 42% growth, all without adding staff. She also gets refreshingly honest about the moment every entrepreneur faces when they think "maybe it would be easier to just get a job" and how to push through it. The most tactical segment comes when Rachel describes losing her project manager of three years and her husband's challenge: what if you automated 80% of the role? Three weeks of intensive work later—mapping processes, rewriting SOPs, and building automations—she went from working 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. to finishing by 5:30 for dinner. Her example of turning meeting note-takers into automated task creation systems is something any consultant can implement immediately. Rachel also challenges the common advice to just "talk about yourself more" when marketing your consulting business. Her reframe: make the client the hero of every success story. When you showcase their transformation and challenges, prospective clients see themselves achieving the same results. The conversation touches on why systems beat hustle every time, the importance of interconnected tools rather than disconnected apps, and Rachel's ambitious goal to help 100 small businesses double by 2029. She argues that when small businesses grow, the ripple effects extend far beyond revenue—to their families, communities, local little leagues, and neighboring businesses in ways that large corporations simply don't replicate. For consultants struggling with inconsistent lead flow, Rachel's core message is clear: you're not lacking talent, you're lacking structure. And more hustle won't fix a business that isn't built on a proven growth system. Connect with Rachel directly at rachelminion.com or explore her consulting frameworks at rockstarrandmoon.com—that's Rockstarr with two R's at the end. Rachel's current reading stack includes Alex Hormozi's $100M Offers and $100 Million Leads, which she returns to regularly for fresh ideas on testing and experimentation. About the Host Zaneta Chuniq Inpower is a marketing professional and entrepreneur based in Atlanta with experience across multiple industries including resume writing and personal branding. About the Guest Rachel Minion is the founder and Head Rock Star at Rockstarr & Moon, a RevOps organization helping B2B consultants escape the grind cycle and build predictable, scalable profit. A third-generation entrepreneur...

    24 min

  8. 9 JAN

    Dave Gulas on Customer Service, Entrepreneurship & E-commerce Logistics

    Episode from the Unscripted Small Business Podcast Host: Jeremy Rivera — SEO Arcade Founder & Freelance SEO Consultant Guest: Dave Gulas — President & Co-Founder of EZDC 3PL Sponsored by: Cookeville Sunroom Company About the Guest Dave Gulas is the president and co-founder of EZDC 3PL, providing warehousing, fulfillment, and transportation services for manufacturers and e-commerce brands. With 20 years in medical/pharmaceutical sales and over three years in logistics, Dave brings a customer-first approach to the 3PL industry. Dave also hosts the Beyond Fulfillment Podcast, featuring real stories from entrepreneurs — available on the EZDC Blog and all major podcast platforms. Episode Summary In this conversation, Dave shares how he and his partner identified a gap in the 3PL market — legacy providers weren't delivering the customer service that growing e-commerce brands needed. Three years later, EZDC has built a reputation for responsiveness and genuine care. Key Topics Covered: Why e-commerce brands reach a "graduation point" where outsourcing fulfillment makes sense The importance of warehouse management systems (WMS) and automated integrations Common mistakes when scaling a business — saying yes to the wrong customers Bootstrap vs. funded startups: which succeed more often? The unglamorous reality of entrepreneurship Why personal branding matters more than ever in 2026 Resources & Links Mentioned About EZDC 3PL EZDC 3PL Homepage About EZDC Packaging and Kitting Services Retail Logistics and Warehousing Services The Kentucky Advantage: Why a Central Hub is Key for Nationwide 3PL EZDC Blog & Beyond Fulfillment Podcast Connect with Dave Gulas Dave Gulas on LinkedIn SEO & Marketing Resources From SEO Arcade: SEO Forecasting 101: Methods, Metrics, Tools, and Challenges The Revenue-First SEO Strategy That's Actually Working Opportunity Sizing in SEO How a Podcast Generates Links, Content, Audience, Citations & Authority White Label Podcast Service From Jeremy Rivera SEO: SEO Basics for Small Business Simple, Effective Link Building

    30 min
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Our Unscripted Collaborative hosts Keith Bresee, Zaneta Chuniq, Keiron Bailey & 17 year SEO industry expert Jeremy Rivera are having unscripted interviews small business owners, founders and creators across the United States, learning about their challenges, successes and insights into the world of SMBs.

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