Authentic Business Adventures Podcast

Draw In Customers Business Coach James Kademan
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

The business podcast designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners to be inspired by, listen to, enjoy and take some action from.

  1. 3d ago

    Advertise in the Right Spots

    Travis Spicer - Spotbookr On Sneaky, and a Bit Creepy But Effective, Advertising: "And then now you're seeing it and you're like, oh, how convenient. And then we get to turn you into this zombie to go and buy something." Where should you advertise your business?  You have a great product or service and you need to get the word out to the masses.  But how?  Where do you spend your marketing dollars to turn ad spend into a multiplier of revenue? Spotbookr founder Travis took his marketing experience and started Spotbookr, a tool used to find where your competitors are advertising, so you can learn from them and either duplicate their success, or avoid their failures. Listen as Travis explains how to learn from your competitors about what is working and what is not so you can spend your advertising dollars intelligently. Enjoy! Visit Travis at: https://spotbookr.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Analyzing consumer sentiment data 05:05 Helping international brands target youth 08:51 Choosing Brands Based on Ads 12:33 Understanding your brand's identity 15:21 Knowing Your Brand and Audience 18:03 Creating a unified ad platform during COVID 22:24 Challenges for small business marketing 26:05 Social media's influence on consumers 29:59 How online algorithms personalize ads 31:35 Understanding modern ad tracking 36:13 Understanding Digital Impressions 41:01 Brand recognition vs conversion goals 43:55 The importance of targeted advertising 46:23 Understanding your client's brand 51:59 Understanding Brand Identity Challenges 53:18 Trusting your team and vision

  2. Sep 12

    Mergers and Acquisitions

    Mark Hartmann - Mergers and Acquisitions On the Value of Purpose: "Either you'll exit it vertically, maybe on your own terms, or you'll exit horizontally, maybe not on your own terms. You will exit your business, right?" What happens when a psychotherapist, a negotiator, and a business dealmaker all walk into the same room—and they're all the same person?  Mark Hartmann of Hartmann Rhodes, a specialist in mergers and acquisitions offers stories, strategies, and the kind of hard-earned wisdom you only get from years in the trenches of small business sales. You'll hear why Mark Hartmann warns entrepreneurs not to let “your cousin Vinny” handle their business sale, how blue-collar businesses like HVAC companies are suddenly sizzling hot investments (think tech-level multiples!), and the art of negotiating like a terrorist—but in a good way. We’ll dive into what really determines the value of your business, how to play the tricky game of deal terms, why clean books and owner independence are non-negotiable, and the emotional rollercoaster awaiting every founder ready to exit. You'll get Mark’s top nuggets from his Amazon best-selling book, "Sweat Equity Payday," honest talk about seller’s and buyer’s remorse, and practical advice for buyers, sellers, and anyone thinking about their company’s future. Whether you want to sell, buy, or simply understand the market forces reshaping entrepreneurship, this episode delivers the real stories and insights you won’t get in a business school classroom. Listen as Mark details how to prepare your business for sale and to execute the sale to make sure you get the best price and the best terms. Enjoy! Visit Mark at: https://www.hartmannrhodes.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) 05:03 Valuing a Business for Sale 09:50 Generational shifts in DIY skills 10:50 Electricians' high demand and salaries 14:25 Explaining business market segments 18:36 Evaluating financials and dependencies 20:31 Evaluating business worth 24:08 Negotiating business exit strategies 29:08 Discussing buy-side engagements 31:49 Negotiation strategies with sellers 34:45 Challenges with inexperienced attorneys 39:32 Not the right dealmaker for the job 41:49 Being on the Inc. 5000 list 45:18 Preparing for Business Exit 47:39 Attending the Value Builder Summit 53:12 Advice for buyers and sellers 57:00 Show intro and sponsor shoutout

  3. Sep 4

    Helping Abuse Victims

    Felica Ray Diny - Felicia's Donation Closet On the Value of Purpose: "We're not just bringing a kitchen table, we're bringing it so she can sit down with her children to have a meal together." Sometimes people need a little help, and sometimes people need a lot.  Imagine being an abused woman, with children, trying to escape an abusive relationship with very little, if any, money, and the need to keep your children safe, fed and happy.  That can be a tall order, and the need for help is strong. Felicia Ray Diny saw this need and is doing something about it.  She started Felicia's Donation Closet, a non-profit that collects houses, and distributes furniture and household products to victims of abuse.  Felicia and her amazing team work to collect things like beds, couches, dressers, pots and pans, and the things that most of us have and take for granted.  They then deliver, and often setup, this items for the families that need them most. It is so great to hear about business, it is much greater to hear about people doing good and making the world a better place. Listen as Felicia details her struggles and success in building Felicia's Donation Closet and how this idea has gained a lot of momentum in such a short time.  Truly an inspiring guest. Enjoy! Visit Felicia at: https://feliciasdonationcloset.org/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Helping Families Move to New Homes 03:27 Lessons from a food donation 08:25 Learning about a new industry 10:19 Donating furniture to a family in need 15:29 Application paperwork process 18:00 Selecting personalized gifts 22:30 Managing product turnover 25:47 Organizing move day logistics 29:13 Seeking sponsors and warehouse help 32:02 Dealing with public speaking anxiety 36:04 Meeting at the fundraiser event 39:05 Providing furniture and essentials 41:42 Inspiration and starting the company 44:16 Poker tournament at tasting room 46:59 Helping a mom with support 50:15 Business reality vs. student expectations

  4. Aug 28

    PR through Press Releases

    Mickie Kennedy - eReleases On Good PR: "Every time you're getting ready to issue a press release that you feel is meaningful to you, think about how can I make it meaningful for that audience person, making them want to read it, make it easier for a journalist to say, yeah, I think my audience would love to hear that." When a woman starts a business and/ or becomes successful, often she does this with pain that has been quelling in her for years.  As an entrepreneur, we push through pain, but eventually it may be time to address Advertising is expensive and doesn't always move the needle.  Marketing as a whole has many options, and PR is one of them.  You see, sharing a press release is taking the steps to get your business out of the paid world of eyeballs and into the world of eyeballs that pay to see you.  That is a much better place to be. But how do you get in the news?  What are the rules of the game for writing and sending these press releases, and who do you send them to? Mickie Kennedy has eReleases, a press release company that caters to the small business that wants to grow, knows the value of press releases, yet has no idea where to start and certainly doesn't have the connections in the journalism world to Enjoy! Visit Mickie at: https://www.ereleases.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Improving media strategy overnight 06:10 Basics of a Press Release 07:18 How journalists find stories 13:22 Exploiting AI with press releases 16:00 Challenges with AI in literary writing 18:50 Crafting impactful press quotes 23:43 Media consumption through newswires 27:26 Journalists adapting to digital changes 29:29 AI in Journalism: Current Challenges 32:26 Importance of trade publications 35:59 Choosing the right PR firm 39:40 Turning losses into profits 45:00 Media headlines and interpretations 47:02 Discussing marketing and clickbait headlines 51:12 Getting meaningful survey responses 54:15 Being the contrarian in your industry Podcast Transcription: Mickie Kennedy [00:00:00]: We work with all different types of verticals. We work with authors, used to be mostly self-published authors, but over the past, I would say, 12 to 14 years, we work with a lot of traditionally published authors as well. You know, everything under the sun. We work with a lot of people who appear on Shark Tank, people doing side businesses, hoping that it'll turn into something. Everybody's out there trying to get a little attention and find a way in which they can make press releases work for them. James Kademan [00:00:25]: What is a press release? A press release? Mickie Kennedy [00:00:27]: Basically, it's an announcement to the media. I always tell people, if you are looking to work for— with a PR firm, you want to make sure that you choose one that is in your industry. The biggest mistake that I see and the most amount of money that I've seen people waste is working with a local PR firm thinking that that was the way to go when they should have chosen a PR firm that focused on their industry. James Kademan [00:00:55]: You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found on the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, Calls on Call Extraordinary Answering Service, as well as the Bold Business Book. And today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Mickey Kennedy of eReleases. Mickey, how is it going today? Mickie Kennedy [00:01:23]: Good, good. James Kademan [00:01:25]: Excellent. And tell me, we're talking about press releases for businesses, is that right? Mickie Kennedy [00:01:31]: That's correct, yes. James Kademan [00:01:32]: All right, tell me a story. What is eReleases? Mickie Kennedy [00:01:36]: So, uh, we are a press release distribution company. We send releases out over PR Newswire, which is the oldest and national press release newswire here in the United States. It's basically a duopoly, PR Newswire, then Business Wire. And we have been in business since 1998. We send out about a little over 10,000 press releases a year, giving mostly small businesses, entrepreneurs, startups access to the Wire at a huge discount because the Wire charges about $2,000 for a national press release going out of 600 words or so. And with us, it's about a third of that price. Wow. James Kademan [00:02:17]: All right. And how— tell me about the discount. How were you able to pull that off? Mickie Kennedy [00:02:23]: Because when they reached out to us years ago, they were really trying to promote like a city distribution. And I'm like, well, my clients are really looking for national media attention. And we kept communicating and I went and met their editorial team. And the one thing I noticed is They have an editorial team overnight, but they don't do much, they said. They said, we have to be there in case there's breaking news or, you know, something happens. And I was just like, well, what if I set up all my press releases for next business day so you could set them up overnight? Wouldn't cost you any additional labor. And they also looked at my customer profile, which is really small businesses, mostly people whose budgets are $2,000 or $3,000 a year. their salespeople would not reach out or want to recruit any customers like that. Mickie Kennedy [00:03:13]: They're going for Fortune 500 companies. They're looking for people who are spending $20,000 to $40,000 a year. So in that way, it was just found money for them. And doing 10,000+ releases a year, it's still a significant amount of money that we're sending them, but it is a huge discount. And, you know, some of our customers do graduate and become much larger, and then we just introduce them directly to PR Newswire and they can work directly with them. James Kademan [00:03:40]: Sure. I suppose if the PR actually works the way a business owner wants it to work, then we hope they graduate up. Mickie Kennedy [00:03:46]: Yeah, absolutely. James Kademan [00:03:48]: Right on. Is there a certain vertical of industry that you typically work with? Mickie Kennedy [00:03:52]: We work with all different types of verticals. We work with authors, used to be mostly self-published authors, but over the past, I would say, 12 to 14 years, we work with a lot of traditionally published authors as well. Seems like the publishers aren't doing marketing anymore, even for established presses and publishers that you've heard of. And so, you know, everything under the sun. We work with a lot of people who appear on Shark Tank. The producers recommend that they do a press release before their episode airs, and we get mentioned quite a bit as a good place for them to send their releases. And so, you know, I think that everything under the sun is who we work with. You know, people doing side businesses, hoping that it'll turn into something. Mickie Kennedy [00:04:39]: You know, people who have small businesses that might have 20 or 30 employees. Employees or even more mid-sized companies moving from there. But I would say it's a pretty mix across all different types of industries. We see everything from technology to, like, you know, waste management to, you know, really, you know, a local carpet company in New Jersey. So everybody's out there trying to, you know, get a little attention and find a way in which they can make press releases work for them. James Kademan [00:05:09]: Sure. How do people end up— or business owners, I should say— how do they end up finding you? Mickie Kennedy [00:05:15]: So a lot of it is either word of mouth or they're doing searches. And, you know, they'll come across us as maybe a blog post that we've written. We've been in business for a long time, so we have over 1,000 articles out there. We also advertise on Google and some other places. But I think You know, I would say probably half of all new customers are just direct referrals. And so someone has suggested they give us a try and, you know, they reach out to us. It's more consultative because a lot of people don't know how it works. So they'll either call and speak to one of our editors or chat or email with us. Mickie Kennedy [00:05:56]: And we walk people through their first press release and their first PR campaign on a a weekly basis. James Kademan [00:06:03]: Sure. Let's lay down the foundation of press releases just so that people understand. What is a press release? Mickie Kennedy [00:06:10]: Basically, it's an announcement to the media. It's usually written in the third person. If you're writing in the first person, it's usually a quote, a company quote, or someone being quoted in, in the press release. They're generally— you've probably seen they say for immediate release at the top. They might have a dateline with the city, state, and the date of distribution. And there's usually a media contact towards the bottom, someone that the media could contact if they have more questions or if they need something a little more specific, like, hey, I really like this, but I'd like to get a quote around this topic, you know, and do you feel like that would be a good fit? So, you know, that's what it is. It's a lot of these just go out on a regular basis. Publicly traded companies have to issue these types of things just to keep their public informed about it so that investors don't feel like they're, you know, something happens that's significant and they weren't notified or given some kind of,...

  5. Aug 21

    Her Sovereign Way

    Morrighan Lynne - Her Sovereign Way On the Learning to Break the Chains of No: "So there's this feeling of my value is tied to them liking me, and if I say no to them, they may not like me anymore." When a woman starts a business and/ or becomes successful, often she does this with pain that has been quelling in her for years.  As an entrepreneur, we push through pain, but eventually it may be time to address the pain you are holding to be able to advance to the next level. Morrighan Lynne of Her Sovereign Way helps women do exactly that. The conversation focused on the powerful, often overlooked ways women are taught to prioritize others’ needs above their own.  The toll this takes on their health, happiness, and ambitions can be extreme and a silent killer. The ingrained habit of people pleasing, how it leads to burnout, and why so many choose predictable pain over the unknown risks of change are issues that Morrighan helps women address. A key theme that emerged was the journey to reclaiming sovereignty: empowering women to drop their masks, say no when it serves them, and cultivate a new sense of value rooted in self-awareness and boundaries. Listen as Morrighan details the challenges women face in balancing nurturing roles, entrepreneurship, and self-care, diving into both the science of stress and the emotional roots of self-worth. Including real-life techniques for disrupting old patterns, the unique burnout cycle for women, and why true personal growth often means ruffling feathers in our closest relationships. Enjoy! Visit Morrighan at: https://www.morrighanlynne.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Discussing people-pleasing and burnout 09:39 Creating healthy boundaries 14:13 Learning to Say No 18:03 Building Self-Awareness and Boundaries 26:54 Choosing Predictable Pain Over Unknown 30:10 Going out for a night out 33:46 Breaking out of comfort zones 43:46 Support for Relationship Transitions 47:32 Understanding shadow work 53:27 Exploring the subconscious mind 57:32 Exploring Childhood Core Wounds 01:01:20 Confronting fear for my son 01:10:39 Reading energy through videos 01:13:09 Launching AI support for women Podcast Transcription:

  6. Aug 14

    From Passion to Fashion – Max Retail

    Melodie van der Baan - Max Retail On the Success Secret: "You have to be so obsessed with the problem you're solving because it is going to be so freaking hard that you must have the wherewithal to continue going when it gets tough, when you hit dead ends." Melodie van der Baan has seen some things.  As an experienced entrepreneur in the clothing and retail space, she has learned what to do, what not to do and what new thing should be done. That new thing is Max Retail.  You see, clothing stores and retailers have products on their shelves.  those products need to move, from shelf, to customers arms, through the checkout and out the door.  If that doesn't happen, something has to give.  So if a product isn't moving, it has to go. But where should that non-moving inventory go?  Melodie has united the masses of retailers to allow them to buy and sell excess inventory so they aren't losing money and they are gaining value.  This genius business came from the mind of someone that learned through first hand retail experience. Listen as Melodie details how she brought Max Retail to life and how it has helped countless retailers. Enjoy! Visit Melodie at: https://maxretail.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Retail markdown strategies 04:38 Challenges of retail inventory turnover 07:27 Starting out with no funds 12:30 Adapting to Modern Retail Challenges 16:48 Discovering the art of inventory planning 18:44 How planners manage excess stock 24:03 How MAX Retail data matching works 27:01 Starting Swap Retail in 2016 30:32 Trying e-commerce partnerships 32:58 Rebranding to Max Retail 35:15 Navigating economic ups and downs 38:48 Challenges of starting a retail store 44:44 Sales as a team sport 46:27 Selling seasonal inventory efficiently 51:21 Managing sales team performance 55:16 Pizza Friday gatherings explained Podcast Transcription: Speaker B: What I have learned is that there is nothing more powerful than being human. And when you are human and you treat people like they are people and not a transaction, you will always win. If you chase the American dream in air quotation marks, which says you have to live in a fancy house and you have to drive a fancy car, you will never live the life you want to live. You will be a prisoner to the comparison of others. And if you don't love your dream more than you desire the accolades of others, just don't even bother. There's always going to be someone with more than you. That would probably be my second piece of advice, is instead of keeping up with the Joneses, why don't you make everybody else desire to have the joy and the peace that you have? Speaker B: So instead of going for an object, You're going for a feeling. Speaker A: That's right. Speaker B: And a feeling of wholeness, completeness, happiness. Speaker A: Times are hard. Things will be challenging, but you will always be able to know who you are and, uh, and separate it. Speaker B: You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, as well as The Bold Business Book. And today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Melody of Max Retail. And Melody, uh, let's just start with what is Max Retail? Speaker A: Max Retail is a retail tech platform that helps independent retailers get their cost back on that past season unsold inventory by easily selling it online. Love this. Speaker B: Now, I was so excited when you reached out because I was thinking, uh, so I'm in Wisconsin and Wisconsin stores are very seasonal, and it seems to be the season before the actual season. So if it's January and you want a winter coat, you're a month late. Or if it's, let's say, August and you want a swimsuit, you're a month late. So I always wonder, like, what did they do with all the winter coats? It's August, but they didn't just burn them. So what do retailers typically do with them versus what you offer them to do? Speaker A: Sure. Well, you know, most people assume that an independent retailer is going to just drop it off at TJ Maxx or Marshalls and liquidate it. But that's actually not true at all. Because For the independent retailer, first off, they don't know those guys. And secondly, the money that TJ Maxx or Marshalls would pay the retailer is pennies on the dollar. So for this particular dress that I'm wearing today, let's say it was, you know, $220 retail. Someone like TJ Maxx or Marshalls would probably give me about $7 to $10 for it at most, at most. Speaker B: Wow. All right. Speaker A: So for an independent retailer, we have to pay our vendors, we have to bring in new shipment, we have rent and payroll. So to get rid of a sale rack for pennies on the dollar doesn't make you whole in any way, shape, or form to where you can actually bring in new shipment or run your business. So instead, what retailers do is they mark down that inventory. So this is going to go from $220 to, you know, maybe $180, Then down to $150 and $120 and, you know, $100. And, you know, if it still doesn't go by then, maybe they're going to take it to the sidewalk sale and maybe sell it for like $50 or $80. Still better than, you know, $7 or $10, but still not great. And if it doesn't sell at that warehouse sale, they're going to put it in a box and they're going to put it in the basement. And then next season, When it's warm again, they're going to pull this dress out again and they're going to try to sell it again. Speaker A: But the problem with markdowns that take a long time, or even boxing and bringing out next season, is that you lose time. So in retail, we make money by how many times we can buy and sell inventory in a given time period. So let's say I buy this dress today and I'm a retailer. I buy it today for $100. I sell it tomorrow for $200. Okay, great. What am I gonna do? I'm gonna pocket $100 profit and I'm gonna reinvest the next $100. Now let's say the next day goes by and I'm gonna do it again. Speaker A: I'm gonna buy another one, sell another one, buy it, sell it, buy it, sell it. 10 days goes by. I've made $900 profit off of my $100 investment. But if I buy this dress today for $100 and I don't sell it tomorrow or the next day or the next day or the next day or the next day, and I get to day 10, and on day 10 I sell it for $100, well, did I really win? I got my cost back, but I made no money and I lost time, which is why it is so important. that if something isn't performing well in a store, that retailers have a way to have more distribution, more eyeballs on those amazing products. Because James, the truth is there's nothing wrong with this merchandise. It just needs more people to see it. Speaker B: So how did you get into this? I guess we'd call it, would it be a reseller market or what would you call a market like this? Speaker A: You know, it's interesting. I mean, I call us an excess inventory solution. It's probably like the easiest way to, to describe it. And I, and I speak about this problem because I was a retailer for 9 years. Speaker B: All right. Speaker A: So I had my independent retail store in South Florida. I carried apparel and footwear. And before that, I was a distributor. And a distributor is just a nice word for a young girl in her 20s who had a Sprinter van full of clothes. And I drove from South Florida up to Boston, over to Chicago, down to San Antonio, and everywhere in between, selling to the independent retailers like the one I would become. Speaker B: How did you get into that? Speaker A: Just, I was just really passionate about, about fashion. And funny enough, it all started, if I had to go back to the very beginning, is, uh, I spent 6 months in Israel. Speaker B: Okay. Speaker A: And while I was walking down a street called Bugra Shov, they had boutiques. And I walked into these boutiques and the fashion was amazing. I must— James, I must have been 19 years old at the time, 20 at most. And I looked around and I was so blown away and I said, where can I buy this in the US? And they said, well, we're not sold in the US. How would we get there? And I was so naive. Obviously, I didn't have any fashion background. James, I didn't even go to college. But I had this naive thought and I said, gosh, if only I could help designers get to the United States so that they could be discovered. Speaker A: So I said to myself, I'm going to make an e-commerce site and I'm going to make a place where people can discover this inventory and buy it. And this is at the time of Net-a-Porter and ASOS. And I came up with this whole business plan and I spent about 6 months on it. And then I said, oh geez, you know what? I don't have any money. How would I ever pull this off? So then I said, well, maybe I can place them in stores for a commission. So I went to the local art institute and I found some graduate designers who had nothing to lose. And I said, hey, listen, why don't you let me try to get your collections in store? And they said, oh, sure, why not? I'll pay you based on what you can sell. And so, I just started by sitting at my kitchen table and I picked up the phone and I said, hi, it's Melody calling from JuJu Costa. Speaker A: Can I show you the collection? And the person on the other side of the phone would say, what are the price points? And I'd say, I'll call you right back....

  7. Aug 8

    Hunting and Travel

    Kurt  Belding - Western Obsessions TV On the Ar: "How fast can I calm down, slow my breathing, slow my heart rate to make a good shot?" Building a business around your passion is a dream of most entrepreneurs.  Kurt Belding has done it with Western Obsessions TV. By combining his love of hunting and travel, Kurt can bring real life dramatic hunts to hunting enthusiasts and armchair travelers across the world. Kurt Belding, founded Western Obsessions TV to explore the thrilling world of hunting adventures, content creation, and entrepreneurship. Kurt shares how his love for fitness and the outdoors led him from running multiple businesses in the sports nutrition industry to launching a media and booking company dedicated to epic hunting experiences around the globe. Listen as Kurt details how he navigates the evolving landscape of video production—leveraging YouTube, social media, and AI-powered tools to scale his brand—and hear candid stories about the challenges and successes of turning passion into a profitable business. Enjoy! Visit Kurt at: https://westernobsessionstv.com/ Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Running a Hunting TV Show 05:17 Practicing archery under pressure 09:24 Understanding Caliber Sizes for Hunting 12:49 Understanding Scope Dial Systems 14:27 Adjusting to Western hunting distances 18:26 Learning to Focus and Hunting Ventures 22:55 YouTube content strategy 24:08 Increasing YouTube video engagement 27:06 Starting a Hunting YouTube Channel 32:55 Challenges of wildlife filmmaking 36:52 Dealing with online negativity 40:13 Researching reliable outfitters 41:58 Older clients fulfilling lifelong dreams 47:13 Customizing Elk Hunts for Clients 48:53 Importance of quality content Podcast Transcription: Kurt Belding [00:00:05]: Look, you're traveling, your heart rate's up, you're out of breath. Now you got to calm yourself to make a good accurate shot. That adrenaline hits and you get very nervous and anxious, and your heart rate goes up and your breathing increases. You got to calm yourself down to make a good ethical shot. Called DOPE, it's Data on Previous Engagement. And after so many rounds of so much practice, it's almost like breathing. You just naturally automatically do it. Let's film it and we'll produce it and we'll put it out there for people to watch. Kurt Belding [00:00:31]: And we did That, and I just fell in love with it. It was so much fun. So huge adjustment, like got rid of everything I was doing just to go on these cool hunting adventures and film them. And when you hit 40, you realize like life is well over half done. What did I do the last half of my life? I wanna, I wanna live it the way I really wanna live it. So I changed everything and started doing that. Entrepreneurship, just getting punched in the face every day. I just went down that path, but I just loved what I was doing. Kurt Belding [00:00:59]: So eventually I figured out a way to monetize. James Kademan [00:01:01]: Mm-hmm. Kurt Belding [00:01:03]: to live— man, I am living the exact life that I have dreamt of living. James Kademan [00:01:14]: You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found on the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie. Calls on Call Extraordinary Answering Service, as well as the Bold Business Book. And today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Kurt Building of Western Obsession TV. So Kurt, how is it going today? Kurt Belding [00:01:43]: Hey, I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. James Kademan [00:01:47]: Yeah. Yeah. Let's start with the foundation here. What is Western Obsession TV? Kurt Belding [00:01:54]: So Western Obsessions TV is a hunting company. I do two— there's two major parts of the, of the company. The TV side is I go on these really cool adventures, which is a hunting adventure. I get to film them and produce an episode or a film to try to entertain others, which also helps me a lot with the marketing and content creation side. And then on the other side of the business, I am a booking agency. I consult for hunters that want to go on these cool adventures, and I connect them with outfitters that will fulfill their bucket list hunts or what they really want to do. And, um, so it really plays well into each other for sure. James Kademan [00:02:36]: That's awesome. So are you, where are you located at, Kurt? Kurt Belding [00:02:42]: I live in Colorado, uh, just outside of Denver, just out on a little acreage out east. James Kademan [00:02:50]: Okay. So I was looking at the content that you have and you're traveling all over the world. Is that safe to say? Kurt Belding [00:02:58]: Yeah, I mean, I've been to Africa and I've been to New Zealand and Canada and Mexico. Um, pretty much, you know, the only places I haven't reached yet would be like Europe and hunting in Europe or like Greenland. Um, you know, stuff like that. But Alaska, you know, I've been all over the place. James Kademan [00:03:19]: That's awesome. So it's funny you mentioned Europe and Buddy and I were talking about different Olympic sports and I didn't realize that there's an Olympic sport where you cross-country ski and then shoot. Kurt Belding [00:03:32]: Oh yeah. James Kademan [00:03:33]: And you have to, you keep your skis on and lay down, shoot, and then have to get up and keep doing it. Kurt Belding [00:03:40]: For sure. No, it's a pretty big sport. James Kademan [00:03:42]: Okay. And I wonder, is that what happens in reality when people are hunting in these places? Kurt Belding [00:03:49]: Well, they, they probably don't have skis on, but, uh, but there is a lot of times that I don't know. Yeah, no, there's a lot of times that, you know, the premise of that is like, look, you're traveling, your heart rate's up, you're out of breath. Now you gotta calm yourself to make a good, accurate shot. That's very common in hunting. Even if, obviously, if you're moving and you got, and you stop and you gotta calm your heart rate and calm your breathing. But a lot of times when you're sitting still and you're, that adrenaline hits and you get very nervous and anxious and the, your heart rate goes up and your breathing increases, you gotta calm yourself down to make a good ethical shot. James Kademan [00:04:25]: Yeah. So tell me about that, because that sounds like you have some skills or had to learn how to calm yourself down when you're in those situations. So how do you do that? Kurt Belding [00:04:38]: Yeah, fitness. I've always had a big affinity for fitness. I love fitness. I've been doing that pretty much my entire life. And so, you know, every day I practice that, right? So every day I do a workout, and every day that I increase my heart rate, my breathing, and I try to keep myself calm while I'm working out. And there's a lot of times I'll actually train while I'm shooting. I'll increase my heart rate and then try to calm my heart rate and calm my breathing well enough, fast enough to be able to make a good shot under stress. Super important. James Kademan [00:05:12]: And is this raising your heart rate, like going for a jog or something else? Kurt Belding [00:05:17]: Yeah. As I'm practicing and training, I'm, you know, I might be a, I have a little archery range out here in my house with my bow and I may just do like 10 burpees real quick or some air squats and lunges or jumping jacks or something right there. where I'm next to my bow where I feel like, okay, my breathing's hard, my heart rate's up pretty high. Cool. Grab the bow. How fast can I calm down, slow my breathing, slow my heart rate to make a good shot? But how that transitions into the real world, I do a lot of mountainous backcountry hunting where it's very physical, it's very hard. So I may have to make a move, a stalk on an animal where I have to cut them off or I got to get into a position fast and I'm climbing a mountain. to do it. Kurt Belding [00:05:57]: So by the time I get to that position, I am pretty wiped out. You know, I'm breathing very heavily, my heart's pounding very fast, plus my adrenaline's going. I'm very excited because I'm in that position. So that translates very well. You have to calm down, you got to lower your heart rate, lower your breathing to make a good ethical shot on the animal. James Kademan [00:06:17]: All right. You know, it's interesting, I just got into shooting, I should say, the past couple years, not I haven't gone on any hunts, or at least nothing of that scale. Kurt Belding [00:06:26]: Mm-hmm. James Kademan [00:06:28]: Uh, tell me, so I didn't realize, I just figured you look through the scope, you pull the trigger, you move on with your life. But I didn't realize when you move your head or move the, the rifle, whatever, a billionth of a degree, when you're looking at something way in the distance, that's really 5 yards or something like that. So how do you steady yourself? To that point where you can actually make an accurate shot like that, especially with an animal that may be moving? Kurt Belding [00:06:54]: Well, it's just practice. You got to practice a lot, right? So for your example of on a rifle shooting, you know, that's why you go to the range and you practice out to whatever range you want to be competent at and feel comfortable at. It's called DOPE. It's data on previous engagement. So now that, like,...

  8. Jul 26

    Building a Junk Removal Empire

    DJ Neuville - Haul It All On the Best Skill an Employee Can Have: "The biggest asset in this job is, can you show up? Can you show up? Can you show up on time?." Discover Hidden Savings in Commercial Real Estate Everyone has junk.  Whether the stuff that collects as we live our lives and store stuff in a someday pile, or a house move that brings the option of either moving it and storing it again or just trashing it, we all have junk. DJ Neuville started out in real estate and graduated to building his junk hauling empire.  DJ details how he came across this industry and what has helped his business grow. Listen as DJ explains what it took to start and what he has done to grow his junk hauling business. Enjoy! Visit DJ at: https://callhaulitall.com Sponsors: Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, phone answering for small businesses: https://callsoncall.com Some videos have been recorded with Riverside: https://www.riverside.fm/?utm_campaign=campaign_5&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=rewardful&via=james-kademan   Podcast Overview: 00:00 Partnering with a longtime friend 10:16 Early morning routine and challenges 16:07 Challenges with billing and payments 20:43 Expanding into commercial real estate 23:50 Choosing the right job opportunities 31:28 Doing hoarder cleanouts 35:45 Hiring and adapting work culture 38:40 Adapting to flexible work hours 47:06 Owning and communicating mistakes 50:45 Working with donation centers 55:55 Addressing employee hygiene concerns Podcast Transcription: DJ Neuville [00:00:00]: someone sells a house, you pretty much guarantee there is a junk removal opportunity on every, almost every single house. Almost everybody's got old paint in their house, in the basement that they don't want, that the next buyer doesn't want. They might think the next buyer wants it. They don't want it. They might have a few things left. They might have a full house. It might be a full estate. I mean, that's just the key. James Kademan [00:00:22]: You have found Authentic Business Adventures, the business program that brings you the struggle stories, And triumphant successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at drawincustomers.com. We're locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, Calls On Call Extraordinary Answering Service, as well as the Bold Business Book. And today we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from DJ Newville of Haul It All. And DJ, I believe we're talking junk today. So how is the junk hauling business? DJ Neuville [00:00:55]: It is great. Everybody's got junk. James Kademan [00:00:58]: Turns out, it turns out. So tell me, let's just start from the very foundation here. When did you get into the junk hauling business? DJ Neuville [00:01:05]: When I was selling real estate, he had a house for sale by owner. He had a hard time selling his house. He ended up listing the house with me. I sold it to him for him. And he said, hey, I do junk removal if you ever are looking for side cash. And I go, what? What the heck is junk removal? He's like, well, people pay me to get rid of stuff. I'm like, people pay you to get rid of stuff? I didn't know it ever existed. James Kademan [00:01:29]: Yeah. DJ Neuville [00:01:30]: I said, sure. I like making cash. So whenever you want to call me. And I ended up working with him. Shoot, ended up going pretty much full-time working with him. And then he said, hey, in a few years I'm going to retire. So just start your own business. We'll work together. DJ Neuville [00:01:45]: We'll partner together. And if that doesn't work out, you just split off on your own and do your own thing. So 2019 in December, how it all was started. And we partnered for directly for about a year and we butt heads a lot because we're, we're both about similar stuff. So we decided partner is not a good way to go. And it was really kind of like a, like de facto, not even like a formal partnership. Just say, I have a job, come work with me. We'll split it kind of thing. DJ Neuville [00:02:16]: And then Then we just kind of went back to being friends. Still at breakfast with him yesterday. He's been a great mentor to me and he's pretty much retired. And I mean, business just took off from there. We started with a flatbed trailer and a truck, and then in 2021 I upgraded to a dump trailer. And in 2023 we got rid of the truck and trailer model and we went to box trucks and we started renting U-Hauls. James Kademan [00:02:45]: box trucks. DJ Neuville [00:02:46]: And then 2026, January this year, we bought 2 of our own box trucks. So now we use, we have 2 22-foot box trucks and then we use U-Hauls as an overflow if we need more than that. James Kademan [00:02:59]: All right. I love this, DJ, cuz we interviewed you, or I interviewed you, whatever, in late '22. So you've been, would've been using the trailer and at, at that point in late 2022, I mean, we're talking the tail end of the pandemic-ish. Um, what, how many employees did you have back then? DJ Neuville [00:03:20]: Uh, I was pretty much sole operator. I had one guy that was pretty much full-time, but like full-time, part-time, one guy. James Kademan [00:03:29]: Okay. DJ Neuville [00:03:30]: Now we have, now there's, I have 8 guys. There's 10 of us total. James Kademan [00:03:36]: Wow. That's incredible. DJ Neuville [00:03:37]: In just a few years. I hired a CFO. In January. I'm the CEO now. I'm not just an operator. And then I have, uh, 3 truck leads and then labor guy, labor guys. James Kademan [00:03:50]: All right. So let's talk employees from essentially the hierarchy here. How did you find your CFO? DJ Neuville [00:03:57]: He found me. I went to college with him. I've known him for many years. He invested in real estate and he actually used to be part owner of Harker Heaton and Kuhling. And he sold his shares, I think it was 8 years ago or so, and just got into real estate and different avenues. And then, and I've always just stayed good friends with him. And he came to me in January and, well, late December, early January and said, hey, I'm looking for a new avenue and I thought of you and are you ready to just take this to a whole nother level? And we put together a plan. He bought into the company and Here we are. James Kademan [00:04:36]: All right. You're talking January this year? DJ Neuville [00:04:38]: This year. James Kademan [00:04:39]: Yes. Okay. DJ Neuville [00:04:40]: Yes. James Kademan [00:04:41]: So tell me about that conversation when he first comes to you and he's like, hey, I want to take this to the next level. Were you like, what does this mean? Or what is next level? Or I got this, or this guy's pretty sharp. Let me see what's going on. What was your first reaction? DJ Neuville [00:04:55]: No, I've known that he's always been, everything he's touched for investments have done really well. So. That's why we've always stayed in touch and contact. I did have lots of questions, a lot of skepticalism. I was skeptical about a lot of things because I've always been owner-operator, full control of everything. And he said, hey, if you're interested in not being an owner-operator, then I'm interested. If you want to stay as operating on the truck all the time, And stay small potatoes, no problem. You'll— I know you'll make good money doing that, but that's not what I'm interested in. DJ Neuville [00:05:31]: I'm interested in if we want to build this into something big, like the big franchise competitors and go for that competition. If you're interested, I'm interested. And I did a lot of soul searching. I'm 44 years old. I, I know that my shelf life is limited on when I can be on the truck all the time. I love being on the truck all the time. So it's a difficult transition. But I know that when I'm 50, I'm not gonna love being on the truck all the time. DJ Neuville [00:06:00]: And I get hurt all— my guys all have a running joke. I'm the one that gets hurt the most cuz I always move faster than my brain catches me. So it's really easy to truly tell a new employee, there's nothing you can do that I haven't done cuz I probably have hurt myself. So just be careful. Safety. And when I say safety is my Number one key. It is here, but everybody laughs because I'm the one that would wreck the days since the last injury board. James Kademan [00:06:28]: Funny. DJ Neuville [00:06:30]: Um, so yeah, that's, that was our focus has been now of obviously it's a transition. You can't just go from the truck into the office. So we've been transitioning me completely off the truck. I think it's been almost a month since I've been on an actual job site. Maybe not 3 weeks ago, but it's more now of just training. If I go out and do like a small demo or like when we cut up hot tubs, it's training the new guys of, hey, here's how you do it. So I'm not allowed to go out on a job site by myself. Has to be with someone that's learning. DJ Neuville [00:07:03]: So I'm handing it off. All right. James Kademan [00:07:05]: No, is that a rule that you made or is it my— DJ Neuville [00:07:09]: Well, both, both my So my CFO is Luke Hyer. It's both of ours. It's both of our commitment of, hey, you're not gonna get off of the— we can't scale the business with me being on the truck. It's just, it's hard to do. James Kademan [00:07:23]: Oh. DJ Neuville [00:07:24]: I'm making that commitment. It's difficult mentally. I don't like sitting in front of a— thankfully I have a laptop 'cause I can't just sit in one spot. Um, I love, I love just grabbing my laptop and going anywhere. And doing what I need to do. But yeah, I like the physical labor. That's one of the reasons I got into the job. So there's still always, there'll be some avenues where I'm like, hey, okay, for half a day,...

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About

The business podcast designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners to be inspired by, listen to, enjoy and take some action from.

Information

  • Creator
    Draw In Customers Business Coach James Kademan
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    200
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Authentic Business Adventures Podcast, via Draw In Customers Business Coaching. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Authentic Business Adventures Podcast