Beyond The Hustle

Corey Barkach
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  • Entrepreneurship

BEYOND THE HUSTLE dives deep into the real stories behind success. Each episode features raw, honest conversations with entrepreneurs, creatives, community leaders, and high performers who’ve pushed past the noise of the daily grind to build something meaningful. These are the unfiltered stories of resilience, reinvention, and the rise that comes after the struggle. Because let’s be honest—no one makes it without the hustle. But the ones who go beyond it? That’s where the real magic happens.

  1. 10h ago

    He Makes Up To 80% Of All Cannabis Beverages In Michigan | Matthew McAlpine

    Matt McAlpine went from washing kegs at a cider farm to running Michigan's largest cannabis beverage operation. The early days at Blake’s Hard Cider were tough… Their first big bet (getting non-smokers into dispensaries with a 2mg drink) didn't land the way they planned. They adjusted and deployed 150 refrigerators into dispensaries which doubled average sales per store. And they went from near zero to manufacturing 60%-80% of all cannabis beverages in Michigan. In our episode we covered: → How Matt scaled Blake's Hard Cider from 10,000 to 1.3 million cases → Why the "get canna-curious consumers into dispensaries" strategy failed → The play that unlocked 51 dispensaries and doubled their average order size → How Michigan stacks up as a cannabis beverage market → How 37,000 Michigan liquor stores present the real opportunity Matt thanks for coming by the studio to record and share your story of struggles and successes! Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Who is Matt McAlpine 03:14 Chrysler and the manufacturing leadership program 05:50 Leaving corporate for Blake's Hard Cider 07:53 Scaling Blake's from 10,000 to 1.3 million cases 10:05 Blake's Beverage Company and acquiring regional cider brands 13:40 How Emerald Canning Partners was formed 15:37 Building the facility and the early product launch struggles 20:35 Who the real cannabis beverage consumer is 24:24 Brand partners, the full portfolio, and owning the fridge 30:38 Michigan's market share and the 37,000 liquor store opportunity 36:43 Why cannabis beverages beat alcohol for recovery 44:00 Operations, team building, and the hire slow fire quick mentality 50:00 What fires Matt up and where ECP is headed ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative: 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle Prefer to listen? https://pod.link/1896663240 Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    1h 2m

  2. Jun 24

    Nobody Talks About This Side Of Success | Kelly Siegel

    Kelly grew up in Eight Mile in Michigan, the same streets Eminem rapped about. His house was absolute chaos: a drunk stepfather, a drunk mother who once stabbed her husband and set the house on fire, and a kid who learned to survive by reading the room before anything else. By the time he got to college, he was selling drugs, racking up arrests, and lying on every job application about his two felonies. Then he went to jail. That four months in a cell changed him forever: Kelly realized he was good at sales and started a telecom brokerage from nothing. He built it into a multimillion-dollar company even without a website. Kelly wrote Harder Than Life. Then Happier Than Life. He built a podcast and an AI-driven cybersecurity company. And he keeps going back into the hard stuff because he's learned feeling it is the only way through it. In this episode, we tackled: → Why alcohol and drugs are always a symptom of the disease → The childhood trauma that drove his addiction for decades → His TLC framework for rebuilding your mind, body, and life → What faith, surrender, and a specific prayer to God have done for his business → Why the thing you keep avoiding is your actual portal to growth Kelly told me you can't heal what you're unwilling to reveal… Everything opened up once he stopped sugarcoating how bad things really were. Thank you Kelly for bringing this level of honesty into the room! Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 1:00 - Kelly's Background: Eight Mile, Eminem, and Growing Up Poor 3:30 - Selling Drugs, Getting Arrested, and Two Felonies 6:45 - Jail, the Wake-Up Call, and the First Honest Job 10:30 - Dillon Shares His Own Story: Heroin at 18 14:00 - Faith, God Moments, and the Power of a Specific Ask 17:00 - Why Kelly Stopped Drinking and What Happened Next 21:30 - The 15 Days of Anxiety: Healing Childhood Trauma 25:00 - What Being Happier Than Life Actually Looks Like 27:30 - The TLC Framework: Train, Learn, Coach 32:00 - Finding Common Ground in a Divided World 35:30 - Final Message: TLC, Truth, and How to Get Both Books Free ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative: 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle Prefer to watch? YouTube → https://youtu.be/T8LzJkBrfAc Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    39 min

  3. Jun 17

    Why Knowing Your Stuff Matters More Than Your Age | Dan Russell

    Early on in his sales career, Dan received a $0 commission check. With a wife and kids at home to take care of, it was a moment that changed him forever… Dan Russell is VP of National Sales at Trion Solutions, overseeing payroll, HR, and benefits for over a million employees across the globe. But before any of that, he was a mortgage banker trying to do right by his clients in an industry that stopped letting him. In this episode we tackled: → Why Dan walked away from mortgage banking at its peak → What a $0 commission check teaches you that success never will → How Trion handled an employee dying on a client's floor in real time → Why asking for help is the most underrated skill in business → What community investment actually looks like when no one's watching A huge takeaway from my time with Dan was that asking for help isn't a sign you don't have it together… it's how people who actually have it together got there. Dan, thanks a ton for coming in and being so open about the hard moments. Appreciate you dude! Chapters 0:00 - Introduction & Welcome 1:00 - What Dan Does at Trion Solutions 1:55 - How Dan's Company Got Acquired 2:49 - The Mortgage Banking Days 4:35 - The $0 Commission Check 5:43 - Why Dan Left Banking and Found PEO 8:20 - Sink or Swim: Learning a Brand New Industry 10:55 - Why You Have to Know Your Product 21:55 - What the Best Business Owners Have in Common 27:48 - When a Client Called About a Dead Employee 34:36 - Community Work: Covenant House and Beyond 38:45 - Homeless Youth and the "Lost Generation" 41:53 - Advice to His Younger Self 46:39 - Stop Trying to Do It Alone 47:07 - Why Starting Matters More Than Being Ready 49:39 - Gratitude as a Practice, Not a Feeling ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle Prefer to watch? YouTube → https://youtu.be/nPJQmvcdogY Have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    53 min

  4. Jun 10

    Criminal Defense Secrets: What Lawyers Know That You Don't | Maggie George

    Maggie George is a criminal defense attorney and partner at George Law Firm in Royal Oak, Michigan. Before she ever set foot in a courtroom, she spent 13 years with a mortgage lender, worked a stint on Capitol Hill, and raised a one-year-old while taking the LSAT on maternity leave. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle we covered: → What it's actually like to defend someone you know is guilty → The drunk driving death trial that almost ended in a mistrial → How AI is already changing who walks through a defense attorney's door → What running a law firm with your husband looks like when it actually works Maggie told me that she never wants to be the smartest person in the room, and if she is, she’s in the wrong room. Chapters 0:00 - Introduction & Teaser 1:00 - Meet Maggie George: Attorney, Partner, and Career Chameleon 3:00 - What Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Actually Mean 5:00 - From Capitol Hill to Quicken Loans to Law School 9:00 - Running a Law Firm With Your Husband 12:00 - What Happens When You Know Your Client Did It 15:00 - The Drunk Driving Death Trial That Almost Ended in a Mistrial 19:00 - What Law School Doesn't Teach You 22:00 - The Clients Who Come Back Sober 25:00 - Building a Brand in a New Market: The Florida Expansion 30:00 - How AI Is Already Changing Criminal Defense 36:00 - What George Law Does and Who They Help 37:00 - The Best Advice for Anyone Starting in Law ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle Prefer to listen? Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/033gI3Y3rhCbWjbPqfVmMf?si=3ad1a107ca2244fa Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-hustle/id1896663240 Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    39 min

  5. Jun 3

    Why Real Experience Beats an MBA in the M&A World | Billy Baumann

    Business has always been Billy Baumann's love language. Billy is the founder of Second Chair Advisory, where he helps private equity firms find the deals nobody else is seeing. But the path to get here wasn't a straight line… It was winding, expensive, and completely humbling. But what came out the other side was someone who speaks a language most M&A advisors can't: the language of someone who's actually been broke, actually made payroll decisions at 2 am, and actually knows what it costs to build something from zero. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we go into: → How to use your personal network to get your first clients when you have no money and no credibility → Why profitable and actually making money are two completely different things on a balance sheet → How Billy is using AI agents to generate proprietary deal flow for private equity firms → What the M&A world looks like for trade business owners who've never heard of EBITDA → Why seasons matter in business and why some people are only meant to be in your story for a chapter Billy, thank you for coming on the show and getting deep. Appreciate you man! Chapters 0:00 - Intro & Welcome 1:00 - Meet Billy Baumann 4:00 - Business as a Love Language: The Donut Shop Story 8:30 - How Billy's Entrepreneurial Mind Showed Up as a Kid 10:45 - College, Failing Out (Twice), and Finding His Way Back 13:00 - Early Sales Jobs: GNC, AT&T, and Learning to Sell 19:45 - First Real Business Opportunity and Building a Team from Scratch 23:15 - Going Broke, Defaulting on Credit Cards, and Betting on Yourself 27:00 - Landing the First Big Placement and Growing Through Referrals 31:30 - The Grant Cardone Era and Getting Shredded on Stage 36:40 - 2023: Losing His Father and What Came After 41:00 - The Home Care Company, the Pivot, and Finding M&A 47:30 - How AI Is Changing Deal Flow for Private Equity Firms 55:00 - A Step-by-Step Example of Using Claude to Build a Business Plan 1:09:26 - One Piece of Advice for Every Entrepreneur Starting Out ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle Prefer to listen? Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/033gI3Y3rhCbWjbPqfVmMf?si=3ad1a107ca2244fa Apple → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-the-hustle/id1896663240 Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    1h 11m

  6. May 28

    What We Got Wrong About Running a Business 10 Years In | Dan Dulka

    Dan Dulka and I started Drive Creative over 10 years ago but that’s when the real education began. The first year or two was mostly brute force since cash was tight.. Right when we landed manufacturing clients and a public company with $2 billion in annual revenue, Covid hit. We lost most of our business overnight. But instead of pivoting fast, Dan shared how we held on and hoped. But hope is NOT a good strategy. In this episode, we tackled: → How Covid forced a full pivot → Why implementing EOS changed our partnership and the way we ran the company → How we’re rebuilding our team model around AI to create more leverage without losing culture → What "AI Thursdays" looks like and why we started it Though it’s taken 10 years, it really does feel like something shifted three years ago. Like we went from hustling through the work to actually building something with intention. Dan, thanks for coming on the show and sharing the story of Drive Creative! Chapters 0:00 - Introduction 1:10 - Who Is Dan Dulka and What Does Drive Do? 3:15 - Building the Team: AI as Leverage, Not a Replacement 6:00 - Training AI Like You'd Train an Employee 9:23 - AI Thursdays: How Drive Is Getting Their Team Up to Speed 13:33 - How Drive Started 10 Years Ago 15:20 - The Early Grind: Cash, Clients, and Brute Force 17:05 - How Covid Devastated Their Manufacturing Focus 18:37 - The Three Pivots That Turned Things Around 23:06 - How EOS Fixed a Fractured Partnership 27:47 - What the Operating System Actually Does for a Small Business 33:18 - What Entrepreneurship Gives You That a 9-to-5 Doesn't 39:55 - Facing Fear: Everest Base Camp With a Heights Phobia 44:21 - Bravery in Business Is the Same as Bravery on a Mountain 49:12 - What We'd Tell Ourselves on Day One ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push Beyond The Hustle. Prefer to watch? YouTube → https://youtu.be/0WBF1-0kicU Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting https://www.beyondthehustle.show

    51 min

  7. May 27

    Jake Smith on Career Growth & Building Long-Term Wealth

    In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Jake Smith, Financial Advisor at M1 Capital Management. Jake shares his journey into the financial industry, the experiences that shaped his career, and the lessons he’s learned while helping individuals and families plan for their financial future. We also discuss the importance of long-term financial planning, building trust with clients, navigating career growth, and practical financial advice for professionals and business owners looking to create stability and wealth over time. Connect with Jake: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jake-smith-mba-cpfa%C2%AE-71197a38 M1 Capital Management: m1capitalmanagement.com Subscribe for more candid conversations with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators pushing beyond the hustle. Interested in being a guest on Beyond The Hustle? Visit: beyondthehustle.show

    43 min

  8. May 27

    Sterling Hughey on Building Sterling Construction & Roofing

    In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we sit down with Sterling Hughey, owner of Sterling Construction and Roofing. Sterling shares how he got his start working for his father in high school before launching his own roofing company. We also talk about the trials and growing pains of entrepreneurship, and how Sterling Construction and Roofing has grown into a trusted provider in the industry. Connect with Sterling: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sterling-hughey-685099186 Sterling Construction: sterlingconst.com Subscribe for more candid conversations with entrepreneurs and innovators who push beyond the hustle. Do you have a story to tell? We’d love to hear from you! Learn more about being a guest on Beyond The Hustle by visiting beyondthehustle.show

    47 min
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About

BEYOND THE HUSTLE dives deep into the real stories behind success. Each episode features raw, honest conversations with entrepreneurs, creatives, community leaders, and high performers who’ve pushed past the noise of the daily grind to build something meaningful. These are the unfiltered stories of resilience, reinvention, and the rise that comes after the struggle. Because let’s be honest—no one makes it without the hustle. But the ones who go beyond it? That’s where the real magic happens.

Information

  • Creator
    Corey Barkach
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Hustle