The Liquid Lunch Project

Matthew Meehan, Luigi Rosabianca
  • 5.0 (236)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

After decades of experience on Wall Street, in finance and building teams of all sizes in multiple industries, Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca have a world-class understanding of what it takes to scale (and fund) a successful business. They are here to share a No-BS approach to what is involved in growing an empire. A note before you go any further: This show is only for those who want to grow. Every episode of this podcast is going to lay out actionable advice for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to grow their business. We have fun here - but the fact remains that everything you want is on the other side of something difficult. This show will help you get to that other side.

  1. 1D AGO

    AI Receptionists and the Future of Small Business with Laurent Cohen

    Voice AI is moving fast, and small business owners are about to feel it right in the face. In this episode, Matthew and Luigi sit down with Laurent Cohen, founder of GetOblic, to talk about voice AI, local search, customer trust, SEO, and why your dusty old website from 2014 is not going to save you. This is not another "AI will change everything" snoozefest. Laurent gets into the real stuff: why most businesses are using AI wrong, why voice may become the next front door for customers, and why pretending your robot is a human is a fast way to torch trust. 🎁 Special Listener Offer: Laurent is giving Liquid Lunch listeners an exclusive 30-day free trial to create a listing, test the voice AI, and see what your business sounds like in the future of local search. Use code LIQUID30. Claim your free trial here:https://claim.getoblic.com/search-listing?affiliation=271519977   🍸 Episode Highlights: Voice AI is coming for the receptionist desk. Small businesses need trust before tech. AI is not magic. Bad data still makes bad results. Google, Yelp, and Meta are all circling the same prize. Voice search may change how local customers find you. Your AI should not pretend to be you. Creepy is not a strategy. SEO is changing, but nobody has the secret recipe. Small business owners are tired of being told to "show up everywhere."   💡 Notable Takeaway: "An AI agent is only as strong as the data you provide."   👤 About our Guest: Laurent Cohen is the founder of GetOblic, a voice-first AI business directory helping small businesses use voice AI to answer questions, build trust, and stay visible online. Go to getoblic.com, create a listing, and test the voice AI for your business before your competitors figure it out.   🔗 Links + Stuff Website: https://getoblic.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-cohen-usa/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getoblic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GetOblic X (Twitter): https://x.com/OblicStudio YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GetOblic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@oblic_ai Substack: https://laurentcohen.substack.com/  🔔 Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe so you don't miss future conversations on business growth, funding, strategy, and the stuff most people don't explain clearly. If this episode helped, a quick rating or review goes a long way. It helps the show reach more business owners who actually care about getting this right. 🎧 Listen or watch The Liquid Lunch Project Available on all major podcast and video platforms: • Official site: https://theliquidlunchproject.com • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-liquid-lunch-project/ • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12HPEDMmsbfsp8tHt5LiZJ • Audible: https://shorturl.at/6j4vz • YouTube (full episodes + clips): https://www.youtube.com/@Credit_Banc 📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy…without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉 https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca: https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project: https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    32 min

  2. MAY 6

    Why Cheap Shipping Can Cost You More

    Think delivery is just the boring part after the sale? That's where a lot of businesses screw it up. In this episode, Matthew R. Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca sit down with Randy Vlasic, founder of LIWMI Logistics, to talk about what really happens between "it shipped" and "it showed up."  They get into why trucking gets hit first when the economy gets weird, why chasing the cheapest option can blow up in your face, and why delivery is part of your brand whether you like it or not.  Randy also breaks down how smaller trucking operations survive, what strong logistics support actually looks like, and why service still beats price when the stakes are high.   🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: What third-party logistics actually does Why trucking feels market pain before everyone else How fuel spikes wreck transportation costs fast Why "cheap shipping" can become an expensive mistake Delivery is part of the customer experience, not an afterthought How small carriers compete in a fractured market Why long-term shipping relationships beat transactional buying What logistics brokers really do beyond booking freight How Randy scaled with a remote team and support-first model The bigger mission behind Life Is What We Make It   💡 Notable Takeaway: "Trucking is a good indicator of what's happening in the world. They see it first."   👤 About our Guest: Randy Vlasic is the founder of LIWMI Logistics and host of the Life Is What We Make It Podcast. He built his name in logistics by solving ugly business problems, building strong teams, and turning hard lessons into a bigger mission.    🎧 Why Listen: Listen to the full episode, then ask yourself one uncomfortable question: are you buying shipping based on price, or based on what it does to your brand?   🔗 Links + Stuff Website (Logistics): https://liwmilogistics.com Personal Brand: https://randyvlasic.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randyvlasic/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randyvlasic/     🔔 Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe so you don't miss future conversations on business growth, funding, strategy, and the stuff most people don't explain clearly. If this episode helped, a quick rating or review goes a long way. It helps the show reach more business owners who actually care about getting this right.     🎧 Listen or watch The Liquid Lunch Project Available on all major podcast and video platforms: • Official site: https://theliquidlunchproject.com • Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-liquid-lunch-project/ • Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/12HPEDMmsbfsp8tHt5LiZJ • Audible: https://shorturl.at/6j4vz • YouTube (full episodes + clips): https://www.youtube.com/@Credit_Banc     📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy…without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉 https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/     💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA   📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan: https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca: https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project: https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/     💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    37 min

  3. APR 29

    Start Small: A Smarter Way to Use AI in Business

    AI isn't coming. It's already in the room. The real question is whether your business is asleep at the wheel. Michael Finkelstein, founder and CEO of KINETK, joins Matthew and Luigi for a straight-up talk about AI, data, and why most businesses are still thinking way too small. This episode gets into what happens when data stops being static, why hidden relationships matter, and how small businesses can move faster than giant companies stuck in meetings about meetings.   🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: Why data is the real power behind AI What "building for the autonomous era" actually means The difference between using AI as a tool vs using it as an operating layer Why small businesses may have the edge over big companies The trap of AI FOMO and shiny-object syndrome A simple way to start using AI without blowing up your business Why Michael believes the progress clock is broken How hidden data relationships can shape better decisions   💡 Notable Takeaway: "It is not for the weak of heart. You've got to be driven by something besides just money."   👤 About our Guest: Michael Finkelstein is the founder and CEO of KINETK, a company building AI-powered data systems that help businesses move faster, cut friction, and make smarter decisions at scale.   🎧 Why Listen: Want to see how AI can help your business think faster and work smarter? Check out KINETK and connect with Michael to keep the conversation going.   🔗 Links + Stuff Website: www.kinetk.ai LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-finkelstein-1552887/ LinkedIn (company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/kinetk/   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    32 min

  4. APR 22

    How to Break Free From Limiting Beliefs and Family Expectations | Betsy Pepine

    What if the life everyone claps for is the one quietly choking you out? Betsy Pepine joins Matt and Lou for a sharp conversation about the boxes people get shoved into by family, culture, work, gender, and plain old habit. This episode gets into what happens when you stop treating other people's expectations like law and start asking a better question: Does this life even fit?   🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: The "good kid" trap is real. Family pressure can look a lot like love. Some boxes protect you. Some just shrink you. Moms get judged from every angle. Betsy says it out loud. Tradition is great. Forced tradition is not. Your body usually knows before your brain does. Breaking the box is hard. Living with the backlash is harder. Success means nothing if it belongs to somebody else. Grab Betsy's book, then send this episode to the person in your life who's still living by somebody else's script.   💡 Notable Takeaway: "You gotta recognize you're in a box to get out of it."   👤 About our Guest: Betsy Pepine is a serial entrepreneur, author, and speaker focused on helping people break free from limiting beliefs and live on their own terms. She's the author of Breaking Boxes and has built multiple ventures while raising two daughters as a single mom.   🔗 Links + Stuff Betsy Pepine: https://www.betsypepine.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betsypepine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsypepine "Breaking Boxes" is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, and her website.   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    24 min

  5. APR 15

    What Founders Get Wrong About Capital and Exit Strategy

    What if the system isn't broken… it's working exactly how it was designed? Dr. Thomas Powell joins us to break down what founders get wrong about capital, why most businesses trap their owners, and how the same patterns show up in government. This is part entrepreneurship, part constitutional reality check…and a little uncomfortable in all the right ways. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: Why "raising capital" has nothing to do with money The brutal truth behind the Founder's Isolation Paradox Why most founders don't actually own a business… they own a job The real difference between a democracy and a republic Why the administrative state isn't checked the way you think How "helping people" can quietly trap them instead What business owners get wrong when planning an exit   💡 Notable Takeaway: "No matter how many people you have around you, you are still at the center of making the decisions… that's the founder's isolation paradox."         👤 About our Guest: Dr. Thomas Powell is the founder of The Founder's Office and a constitutional law professor who helps business owners raise capital, scale, and actually exit.     🎧 Why Listen: If you're building something (or stuck inside something you built) this episode will hit. Listen now and ask yourself: are you running your business… or is it running you?     🔗 Links + Stuff Website: https://www.brehongroup.com About / Bio: https://thomasjpowell.com/about/   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    40 min

  6. APR 8

    Why The Businesses That Grow Best Usually Do Less

    What if your business is growing... and getting worse at the same time? Most founders think growth means adding more. More offers. More channels. More customers. More moving parts. Yarin says that works early, but somewhere between $2M and $20M in revenue, that same habit starts eating your margin alive. In this episode, Matt and Luigi sit down with Yarin Gaon of Fractional Partners to talk about the Clarity Playbook, a private-equity-style framework built for companies too small for private equity but big enough to need real focus. The conversation gets into why founders confuse friction with execution problems, why "just hustle harder" stops working, and how narrowing the business can make it stronger, cleaner, and more profitable. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: Why growth by addition works early and backfires later The hidden tax of selling too many things to too many people Why profit matters more than revenue when choosing what to scale The three "clarity canvases" Yarin uses with leadership teams How misalignment creates profit leaks Why most founders do not need more tactics. They need better filters. The hardest move for type-A founders: pausing long enough to think Why focus is not playing small. It is how you stop building a mediocre Frankenstein of a business 💡 Notable Takeaway: "Just hustle" doesn't work at that scale.   👤 About our Guest: Yarin is the founder of Fractional Partners and creator of the Clarity Playbook, an open framework designed to help $2M to $20M companies sharpen focus, improve profit, and build a stronger business without handing the keys to private equity.    🎧 Why Listen: If your business is doing enough revenue to feel the friction, but not enough to brute-force through it, listen to this episode and then check out Yarin's Clarity Playbook. It might save you from adding three new problems in the name of growth. 🔗 Links + Stuff FREE Clarify Playbook v2.0: https://playbook.fractional.partners/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaringaon/ Website: https://www.fractional.partners/posts/about-yaringaon   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    30 min

  7. APR 1

    Debt, Tariffs, and the Truth About Today's Global Economy

    What happens when a grown-up economist says the quiet part out loud: the U.S. is acting like it can break the rules forever? Andrés Velasco joins Matt and Luigi for a sharp, no-spin talk on debt, tariffs, copper, central banks, globalization, and why countries that treat boom times like a Vegas weekend usually end up crying in the shower. From Chile's "save it, don't blow it" playbook to America's very expensive habit of pretending deficits don't matter, this episode puts real-world economics back in plain English. 🍸 Episode Highlights: Latin America is doing better than the doom crowd admits. Democracy in the region held up better than many expected. Inflation used to be the norm. Now it is mostly under control. Tariffs on Canada and Mexico get called what they are: nonsense. Chile's copper money worked because they saved when everyone wanted to spend. Commodity booms usually end badly when governments get cocky. AI, electrification, and climate policy are making copper even hotter. Massive public debt stops being funny when rates are no longer near zero. Central banks still have power, but only if politicians keep their hands off. Bitcoin gets no love. Watch this one, then send it to the person who still thinks tariffs are a magic trick and deficits are fake. 💡 Notable Takeaway: "There's no example in human history where a country got rich without a dynamic private sector."   👤 About our Guest: Andrés Velasco is the Dean of the School of Public Policy at the London School of Economics and former Finance Minister of Chile. He is widely known for steering Chile through a global crisis by saving during the copper boom instead of spending like a maniac. 🔗 Links + Stuff Download "The London Consensus" for FREE: https://press.lse.ac.uk/books/e/10.31389/lsepress.tlc London School of Economics Profile: https://www.lse.ac.uk/school-of-public-policy/people/Andr%C3%A9s-Velasco   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    39 min

  8. MAR 25

    How Story-Driven Growth Helps Small Businesses Scale

    What if the thing you've been calling "branding" is actually the backbone of your business? Dan Grech joins Matt and Luigi to make the case that a founder's story is not decoration, not nice-to-have, and not something you slap on a homepage after the real work is done. It's the thing that holds the whole machine together. From getting fired out of journalism to building BizHack Academy, Dan breaks down how story drives revenue, hiring, trust, and the ability to keep going when business gets ugly. 🍸 Key Highlights: Getting fired pushed Dan into business. Most founders are running on old wounds. Dark energy can move you fast. It can also burn you out. A founder story should drive sales, hiring, trust, and staying power. The same core story can be shaped for different moments. Big brands break trust when the story and behavior stop matching. Small business has one unfair advantage: it can still be honest. 🎧 Why Listen? Because this episode gets at the thing most founders screw up: they treat story like decoration when it's really the engine. Dan makes a sharp case for why the right story can help you sell, hire, build trust, and keep your head on straight when business starts punching back. 💡 Notable Takeaway: There is a story behind the story that can actually help grow a business.   👤 About our Guest: Dan Grech is the founder of BizHack Academy and creator of the Story-Driven Growth Framework. He's a former NPR and PBS journalist, and the author of the upcoming book Your Business Is Your Story.   🔗 Links + Stuff Website: https://bizhack.com/business-story-consultation/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dangrech/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bizhackacademy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bizhackacademy X (Twitter): https://x.com/BizHackAcademy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcanK6EyRUPCcmToDfpRdFg Learn more about his upcoming book at thestorydrivenbusiness.com.   📬 Want more than just the podcast? Every Friday, we publish The Weekly. A fast, smart rundown of what actually matters in finance, tech, small business, and the economy...without the noise. Subscribe here: 👉https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/ 💼 Need funding or working capital? If today's conversation raised questions about capital, cash flow, or financing options, you can schedule a conversation with our sponsor, Credit Banc. Credit Banc helps business owners make sense of their options and move forward with a clear plan, without pressure or guesswork. 👉 Book a free 15-minute call here: https://shorturl.at/LwxsA 📲 Connect with the hosts Follow along for behind-the-scenes clips, commentary, and things that don't make it into the episode. • Matt Meehan:https://www.instagram.com/matthew.r.meehan • Luigi Rosabianca:https://www.instagram.com/luigi_rosabianca • The Liquid Lunch Project:https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/ 💬 One last thing Know a business owner who would appreciate this conversation? Send them the episode. That's how this show grows.

    44 min
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5
out of 5
236 Ratings

About

After decades of experience on Wall Street, in finance and building teams of all sizes in multiple industries, Matthew Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca have a world-class understanding of what it takes to scale (and fund) a successful business. They are here to share a No-BS approach to what is involved in growing an empire. A note before you go any further: This show is only for those who want to grow. Every episode of this podcast is going to lay out actionable advice for business owners and entrepreneurs who want to grow their business. We have fun here - but the fact remains that everything you want is on the other side of something difficult. This show will help you get to that other side.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Meehan, Luigi Rosabianca
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    261
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright: shieldadvisorygroup.com
  • Show Website
    The Liquid Lunch Project

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