SCORE Houston's Podcast

SCORE Houston
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

Our podcast features three series: Mentor Conversations — In-depth interviews with experienced SCORE mentors, including former CEOs, industry leaders, and successful entrepreneurs sharing their decades of business expertise. Small Business Success Stories — Real journeys from Houston small business owners who have built thriving companies, often with SCORE mentoring support. Lessons from the Greats — Insights from renowned business leaders and successful global companies, distilled into practical guidance for small business owners. Topics include: starting a business, business planning, financing and SBA loans, marketing and digital strategy, leadership, scaling and growth, financial management, resilience, adaptability, AI for small business, and Houston's evolving business landscape. Whether you are launching a startup, navigating challenges, or scaling your business, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help you succeed. Connect with a free SCORE Houston mentor at scorehouston.org Join the conversation at scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com New episodes weekly. Subscribe and follow on your favorite platform.

  1. Sep 15

    Skincare Business Success: Engineer to Founder — Walmart, $300K Grants & Laser Institute | Ep 44

    Skincare business success from a civil engineering career — Lyndsey Brantley did it without outside investors, starting with a PCOS diagnosis and ending up on Walmart shelves.  She secured over $300,000 through pitch competitions, grants, and non-equity funding — and became the first African American woman to place a natural, alcohol-free unisex shaving solution with Walmart.  In this episode, Lyndsey shares how she built Camellia Alise, LLC — a Leaping Bunny certified natural skincare line, full-service spa, and medical aesthetics training academy in Houston, TX. She covers how a personal health struggle turned into a product, how she kept the business alive during COVID-19 by pivoting to hand sanitizer, and how she went on to open one of the first Black-owned laser institutes in Texas. She was named the SBA Houston District Woman Business Owner of the Year in 2023.  Topics covered: product launch, grant funding for small businesses, pitch competitions, medical aesthetics certification, Black-owned business, Houston entrepreneurship, and building multiple revenue streams under one brand.  0:00 Intro & guest introduction  2:07 Lyndsey welcomed to the show  2:38 PCOS diagnosis and the launch of her skincare line  6:14 Pivoting to hand sanitizer production during COVID-19  7:00 Securing $300K+ in grants and pitch competitions  15:02 Opening one of the first Black-owned laser institutes in Texas  25:47 Her #1 piece of advice for aspiring entrepreneurs  28:54 Closing thoughts and wrap-up   🔗 Learn more about Camellia Alise: https://www.camelliaalise.com/  📅 Book free mentoring with SCORE Houston: www.score.org/houston  📺 Subscribe for new episodes every week  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb  Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb  Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts   SCORE Houston Podcast — Small Business Success Stories, Episode 44. Free, confidential mentoring for entrepreneurs at every stage. Call 713-487-6565 or visit us at 8701 South Gessner, Suite 1200, Houston, TX 77074.  Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Skincare Business Success: Engineer to Founder — Walmart, $300K Grants & Laser Institute | Ep 44

  2. Sep 8

    Small Business Masterclass: 20 Entrepreneur Stories on Bootstrapping & Scaling. Ep 43

    Episodes 22–41 of the SCORE Houston Podcast distilled into one masterclass: what these Houston entrepreneurs actually did to survive early chaos, price with confidence, build closed-loop systems, and create lasting businesses — not just survive, but scale. Founders featured: Heather Lampert (Clear Hope Counseling), Brittany Vinson (Tomé Catering), Sarah Lieberman (Dandelion Cafe), Baha Elabassi (Texas Crown Towing), Felicia Hill (H5 Strategic Alliances), Samantha Snipes (Read 3D), and more. Timestamps: 0:00 – The origin story: from a church closet to a business empire 2:26 – Starting small: businesses born in closets and tiny kitchens 5:36 – Naivety as a superpower (and its limits) 9:42 – Why grit alone can't scale a business 11:01 – Building closed-loop systems (Texas Crown Towing) 14:17 – The psychology of pricing (and why underpricing is dangerous) 16:34 – Digital marketing survival tactics 18:21 – The guerrilla research hack every founder should try 19:31 – Why mentorship is the ultimate unfair advantage 21:11 – From an earning mindset to a creating mindset 🔗 Free business mentoring — SCORE Houston: www.score.org/houston YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts The SCORE Houston Podcast features real entrepreneurs and SCORE mentors sharing practical, experience-based advice for small business owners. SCORE Houston is an SBA resource partner offering free, confidential mentoring — 150+ volunteer mentors, no cost. Series: Small Business Success Stories | Compilation — Episodes 22–41 Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Small Business Masterclass: 20 Entrepreneur Stories on Bootstrapping & Scaling. Ep 43

  3. Aug 25

    How Small Businesses Win Federal Contracts — SBA Experts Explain SAM.gov & Set-Asides Ep 42

    Federal contracting for small businesses: how to register on SAM.gov, qualify for set-asides, and get certified through SBA — explained by two Business Opportunity Specialists from the SBA Houston District Office.   The federal government awarded $179 billion in prime contracts to small businesses in FY 2025 — nearly 28% of all federal spending. In this episode of the SCORE Houston Podcast's SBA Series, host PV Bala sits down with Ida Benson and Jesus Gomez to turn that opportunity into a practical action plan.   What you'll learn:  — What products and services federal agencies buy from small businesses  — Business readiness: cash flow requirements, market research, and SAM.gov registration  — Set-aside contracts and the 23% small business spending goal  — SBA certifications: HUBZone, Women-Owned (WOSB), Veteran-Owned (VOSB/SDVOSB), and Small Disadvantaged Business (8a)  — How to get your UEI number, complete your SAM registration, and identify NAICS codes  — Building past performance from zero — including subcontracting as an entry strategy  — How Apex Accelerators provide free registration, market research, and proposal support  — Where to research contract opportunities: SAM.gov, USAspending.gov, and Acquisition.gov   0:00 – Intro & Welcome to SCORE Houston SBA Series 0:00  0:51 – Meet the Guests: Ida Benson & Jesus Gomez 0:51  2:45 – The Opportunity: $179B in Federal Contracts 2:45  4:08 – Business Readiness Checklist & Cash Flow 4:08  5:51 – Common Reasons Small Businesses Fail 5:51  8:22 – What Are Set-Aside Contracts? 8:22  13:51 – Local vs National Bidding Advantage 13:51  15:01 – Set-Aside Categories: WOSB, VOSB, HUBZone & More 15:01  17:18 – SAM.gov Registration Explained 17:18  20:14 – NAICS Codes: What They Are & Why They Matter 20:14  23:02 – Finding Opportunities & SAM Notifications 23:02  23:40 – Certifications: HUBZone, WOSB, VOSB Benefits 23:40  26:16 – Building Past Performance From Zero 26:16  29:11 – What Is Apex Accelerators? (Free Help) 29:11  32:38 – Capability Statements Explained 32:38  34:04 – Recap: Key Resources & Advice 34:04  38:29 – Action Plan: How to Get Started Today 38:29  40:29 – Closing & Where to Get Free SCORE Mentoring 40:29   Guests:  Ida Benson — Business Opportunity Specialist, SBA Houston District Office  Jesus Gomez — Business Opportunity Specialist, SBA Houston District Office   Host: PV Bala — Certified SCORE Mentor   Free small business mentoring: www.score.org/houston   🔗 SCORE Houston Podcast —  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQb  Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb  Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts  Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    How Small Businesses Win Federal Contracts — SBA Experts Explain SAM.gov & Set-Asides Ep 42

  4. Aug 18

    How Estée Lauder Built a Beauty Business With No Marketing Budget Ep 41

    How Estée Lauder built a global beauty business with zero marketing budget, no business degree, no formal advertising — and what small business owners can learn from her playbook today. Starting from a backyard stable in Queens, New York, she grew a $150 bath oil into a product line generating $150 million a year. Who was Estée Lauder? Born Josephine Esther Mentzer in 1908, she built The Estée Lauder Companies from a kitchen-formula skincare business into one of the world's largest prestige beauty empires — a publicly traded company with revenues exceeding $10 billion. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest self-made entrepreneurs of the 20th century. This episode covers her sales psychology, the "gift with purchase" tactic that permanently changed retail, her word-of-mouth networking strategy that scaled a local brand nationally, the London expansion that proved her international instincts, and the Youth Dew reframe that turned a bath oil into a $150M product line. Part of the Lessons from the Greats series on the SCORE Houston Podcast — practical business lessons drawn from iconic founders, for small business owners building today. Free business mentoring from SCORE Houston: www.score.org/houston Subscribe for weekly episodes: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Cohesion's Lessons from the Greats 00:42 – The stable where it all started 03:07 – Why passion is the foundation of every business 07:38 – The Florence Morris salon: the power of demonstration 08:47 – Inventing the "gift with purchase" 12:19 – Scaling loyalty into a national brand 15:38 – The London expansion masterclass 16:54 – Youth Dew: reframing perfume into a $150M product 18:42 – Trusting your "louder inner voice" 21:55 – Final thoughts: the future of human connection in business  Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    How Estée Lauder Built a Beauty Business With No Marketing Budget Ep 41

  5. Aug 11

    Veteran Entrepreneur Builds America's Largest Scuba Park After Losing Everything. Ep 40

    Veteran entrepreneur Jason Burleson bought an abandoned lake in rural Texas that no bank would touch and no investor would fund. Today, Mammoth Lake Dive Academy in Clute, Texas is the largest dedicated scuba park in the United States. He launched during COVID with no outside capital. Hurricane Beryl destroyed his home and much of what he'd built. He kept going — bootstrapped, debt-free, and now certifying thousands of divers annually including police, firefighters, and military veterans. In this episode of Small Business Success Stories from SCORE Houston, Dr. Jeffrey Ricken sits down with Jason Burleson — 2026 SBA Houston District Rural Small Business Owner of the Year — to walk through the decisions, setbacks, and mentorship that turned a part-time dive instructor into the founder of a Gulf Coast institution. Topics covered: - Buying the lake: what due diligence looked like when there was no playbook - Launching a business during COVID with zero outside funding - Rebuilding after Hurricane Beryl — the mindset shift that made it possible - SBA loan strategy, bootstrapping, and reaching debt-free status - Building a student pipeline from open-water certification to NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab - What the U.S. Air Force taught him about running a small business - AI tools, mentorship, and the gaps his formal education left behind If you run a small business, are considering a career pivot, or want to understand how veteran-owned businesses scale without traditional funding — this episode delivers a clear, practical picture of how it's done.  Chapters 0:00 – Welcome 0:45 – The Lake Nobody Wanted 3:00 – Launching During COVID 6:30 – Building Partnerships That Matter 10:00 – From Air Force to the Ocean Floor 14:00 – Hurricane Beryl: Losing Everything, Starting Over 19:00 – Bootstrapping, SBA, and the Road to Debt-Free 22:00 – Mentorship, AI Tools & What School Doesn't Teach You 26:00 – What the Military Taught Him About Business 28:00 – Final Words Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Veteran Entrepreneur Builds America's Largest Scuba Park After Losing Everything. Ep 40

  6. Aug 4

    Charlie Munger's Mental Models for Small Business: A Practical Framework Ep 39

    Charlie Munger's 14 mental models, applied specifically to small business owners navigating real-world entrepreneurial chaos. Most businesses don't fail from bad products or lack of funding — they fail because founders are running the wrong cognitive operating system. In this episode of the SCORE Houston Podcast's Lessons from the Greats series, we unpack Munger's mental model framework — built around what he called a "cognitive lattice” and translate each model into concrete, actionable strategy for entrepreneurs in Houston and across the USA. The models covered include: The Foundation Layer — Your deepest passion reshapes your perception through the reticular activating system. Taking a simple idea seriously beats adding complexity. Moving too fast accrues "friction debt" that costs exponentially more time and capital downstream. The Human Element — Truth operates on a logarithmic scale: moving from 90% to 99% honesty generates a disproportionate trust advantage. Surrounding yourself with high-caliber people, and aligning incentives to your actual values, determines whether your culture scales or collapses. The Strategy Layer — Shameless cloning caps downside risk by letting large competitors pay the "pioneer tax" before you enter. Segment and dominate a hyper-narrow niche for outsized pricing power. Ruthlessly value your own time and delegate everything below your strategic hourly rate. The Customer Core — Business exists to remove friction from a customer's life; revenue is the output, not the goal. Let customers redesign your business through relentless listening. Extreme quality compounds into self-sustaining word-of-mouth. The Lollapalooza Effect — When multiple mental models align simultaneously, business growth becomes nonlinear. This is the difference between a business that adds incrementally and one that multiplies exponentially. Subscribe & Listen: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJwApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/score-houstons-podcast/id1845697492Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlNpp4FWgp1xdgrhQbAmazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4ac4d74-acb2-43cc-b5f0-433ad259fccb/score-houstons-podcast00:00 Introduction: The Wrong Cognitive Operating System 02:04 Your Deepest Desire Is Your Destiny 03:35 Take a Simple Idea Seriously & Fast Is Slow 05:18 Truth and Trust Are Not Binary 06:44 Surround Yourself with Better People & Incentives 08:16 Be a Shameless Cloner 09:37 Segment and Dominate Your Niche 10:48 Value Your Own Time Ruthlessly 11:48 The Purpose of Business Is to Serve 12:54 Your Customers Will Tell You the Business 14:28 The Lollapalooza Effect & Cascading Models 17:19 Applying the Models: Take Action Photo by Nick - Charlie Munger, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75743370 Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Charlie Munger's Mental Models for Small Business: A Practical Framework Ep 39

  7. Jul 28

    Aging in Place: How Home Modifications Became a Healthcare Strategy | Rosarium Health Ep 38

    Aging in place is becoming a healthcare strategy, not a home improvement project. Cameron Carter, CEO and Co-Founder of Rosarium Health, explains why health plans and hospitals are now paying to modify homes, and how that fits into value-based care. Cameron spent nearly a decade inside major healthcare organizations — including DaVita and Bright Health — before founding Rosarium Health, a company that partners with health plans and hospitals to fund in-home assessments and modifications so older adults and people with disabilities can safely age in place. Rosarium Health is now in-network for over one million Medicaid lives across 30+ states. In this episode of the SCORE Houston Podcast — Small Business Success Stories — host PV Bala covers: ✅ What value-based care means and how it differs from fee-for-service healthcare ✅ Why the home is a critical, overlooked social determinant of health ✅ How Cameron pivoted from a direct-to-consumer model to health plan partnerships ✅ Lessons on raising venture capital for a healthcare startup ✅ How SCORE mentorship — including guidance from mentor Art O'Connor — shaped his path as a founder ✅ Scaling a mission-driven business to serve underserved communities 0:00 — Intro to SCORE Houston1:02 — Guest introduction: Cameron Carter2:15 — What is value-based care?3:18 — Origin story: home modifications and healthcare5:19 — Spotting the business opportunity7:09 — Pivoting from direct-to-consumer to B2B13:46 — Market maturity and industry landscape25:57 — Vision for Rosarium's next five years27:57 — Closing / subscribe reminder28:15 — Outro and contact info🔗 Learn more about Rosarium Health: https://www.rosariumhealth.com/ 🔗 Connect with Cameron Carter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-carter-62117175/ 🔗 Request free SCORE Houston mentoring: https://www.score.org/houston Subscribe: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlN... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4a.  Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/@SCOREHouston/shorts Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    Aging in Place: How Home Modifications Became a Healthcare Strategy | Rosarium Health Ep 38

  8. Jul 21

    How to Start a Mental Health Practice With No Business Background | Clearhope Counseling EP: 37

    How to start a Mental health practice when you have no business background, no business plan, and no startup capital. Heather Lambert did it from a storage closet in a Pasadena, Texas church. Today Clearhope Counseling and Wellness Center employs more than 40 licensed mental health professionals. Starting a mental health business without a business degree — and growing it from a church closet to 40+ licensed professionals. That's Heather Lambert's story. In this episode of Small Business Success Stories, host Dr. Jeffrey Ricken speaks with Heather Lambert, founder of Clearhope Counseling and Wellness Center and the 2026 SBA Houston District Women-Owned Small Business of the Year. After 17 years as a school counselor, Heather left a stable career — paycheck, pension, and benefits — after she was unable to connect a student in crisis to timely mental health care. That gap in access became her mission. She opened Clearhope out of a storage closet in a Pasadena, Texas church with no formal business plan and no entrepreneurial background. Today, the organization employs more than 40 mental health professionals and serves students and families across Texas. Heather shares what it takes to build a purpose-driven small business: navigating Medicaid credentialing, surviving the pandemic, understanding the nonprofit vs. for-profit decision, and why free SCORE mentorship from mentors Art Klebba and John Harris was pivotal to her survival as a first-time entrepreneur. Topics covered in this episode: • How to start a mental health practice with no business background • Making the leap from public sector employment to entrepreneurship • Medicaid credentialing and billing for mental health providers • Nonprofit vs. for-profit: how to decide which structure fits your mission • How free SCORE mentoring helped a women-owned business survive and scale 0:00 – Intro / SCORE Houston introduction0:41 – Subscribe reminder1:02 – Guest introduction: Heather Lampert, Clear Hope Counseling1:53 – Heather reflects on humble beginnings2:13 – Her 17 years as an educator/counselor2:30 – The student crisis that changed everything4:46 – Deciding to start Clear Hope ("someone has to do something")5:30 – Resigning from her 17-year career, starting in a church storage closet7:11 – Practice growing, needing more office space8:13 – Seeking help from SCORE mentors10:13 – Incorporating as a professional corp / S-corp, signing a lease12:38 – Growth to 50 team members14:16 – Mission-driven approach vs. cash-pay industry trend17:53 – Operating through the pandemic19:16 – Planning for the future of mental healthcare21:13 – Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs25:03 – On passion vs. chasing money/influencer life27:27 – Closing thoughts on team and mission28:38 – About SCORE and how to get mentorship29:45 – Outro / subscribe reminder🔗 Clear Hope Counseling and Wellness Center: www.clearhopecounseling.com 🔗 Free SCORE Houston mentoring (no cost, no catch): https://www.score.org/houston 🔗 Subscribe to the SCORE Houston Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwYwZdflYjHJeI8oTA_fRJw 🔗 Listen on Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Amazon Music:  Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DTCZlN... Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/b4a.  Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes. Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.

    How to Start a Mental Health Practice With No Business Background | Clearhope Counseling EP: 37
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Our podcast features three series: Mentor Conversations — In-depth interviews with experienced SCORE mentors, including former CEOs, industry leaders, and successful entrepreneurs sharing their decades of business expertise. Small Business Success Stories — Real journeys from Houston small business owners who have built thriving companies, often with SCORE mentoring support. Lessons from the Greats — Insights from renowned business leaders and successful global companies, distilled into practical guidance for small business owners. Topics include: starting a business, business planning, financing and SBA loans, marketing and digital strategy, leadership, scaling and growth, financial management, resilience, adaptability, AI for small business, and Houston's evolving business landscape. Whether you are launching a startup, navigating challenges, or scaling your business, this podcast delivers actionable insights to help you succeed. Connect with a free SCORE Houston mentor at scorehouston.org Join the conversation at scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com New episodes weekly. Subscribe and follow on your favorite platform.

Information

  • Creator
    SCORE Houston
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SCORE Houston's Podcast
  • Show Website
    SCORE Houston's Podcast

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