Beyond The Hustle

Corey Barkach
  • 0.0 (0)
  • 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. 1d ago

    His Side Hustle Became His Store | Andy Buss

    When Andy Buss founded mi State of Mind, a Michigan apparel brand, he went door to door selling stickers to stores, and eventually to figuring out t shirts, hoodies, and wholesale pricing on the fly. Then Covid hit. His wholesale accounts shut down, blank hoodie costs nearly doubled, and a year of orders disappeared. So he adapted. He doubled down on the store and the website. He built tastings into the retail experience with hard cider and Michigan wine. And earlier this year he launched a new MCHGN logo that's pulling in a whole new generation of customers. What we covered: → Going door to door with a box of stickers → How Covid doubled his costs and wiped out a year of wholesale → What a brand protection attorney actually does on Amazon → Why MI State of Mind will never be sold on Amazon → Hard cider tastings and making retail an experience Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:00 Meet Andy and mi State of Mind 6:06 From stickers to a storefront 10:32 Covid and the wholesale crash 15:28 Going direct to consumer 18:32 Where the MCHGN idea came from 20:07 Juggling the side hustle and the 9 to 5 28:11 Brand protection: the day job 31:32 Why the brand stays off Amazon 39:21 Tastings and experiential retail ~~~ 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

  2. Sep 9

    CEO: “I Finally Found What Matters” | Coach Bob Shenefelt

    Coach Bob Shenefelt built a distribution company that landed on Inc. Magazine's fastest growing list. But he was also working 110 hours a week and miserable. His priorities were a mess: his wife and kids were getting the leftovers, and the money didn't fix the problems. When he stepped away from his business and came back, his own team told him they didn't want him doing what he used to do, which left him with a question: “Who am I without the work?” The answer became iMatter, a human operating system Bob built for himself first. He now coaches Visionaries who have the team and systems in place but still feel like something's missing. Here’s what we covered: → Getting promoted to sales manager, hating it, and starting his own company instead → The poker table lesson about image and who's actually winning → His 3-3-1 morning routine and why he shares it with 25 people a day → What to do when your business outgrows you Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:00 Mistake number 101: from salesman to founder 3:41 Adversity and the empty win 10:06 The poker table image game 14:33 The what matters most exercise 15:41 Health, injuries, and 75 Hard 20:00 The 3-3-1 morning routine 26:32 His first client: rent a friend 28:22 Hiring an AI chief of staff 36:51 Go to the mountain ~~~ 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

  3. Sep 2

    Lawyers Are Entering The AI Era | Brian Rolfe

    Brian Rolfe is the President and CEO of Kemp Klein Law Firm. His story began when his parents divorced when he was three. His mom raised two boys with no degree and no skills, so she went back to school and became a probation officer to change her family’s trajectory. Brian grew up around courthouses because of her. Brian’s now the one guiding business owners through the biggest wave of transitions we've ever seen: boomers built companies for decades but their kids don't want them. Brian's job is getting those owners ready to sell before it's too late. On this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we covered: → Do you own a business or just a job? How to tell the difference before you try to sell → The silver tsunami and why succession planning can't wait → How young lawyers actually build a book of business → Legal research that took a day and a half now takes 30 seconds. What that means for the profession → The electronic tether. Why nobody has boundaries anymore Thanks for coming on, Brian. Appreciate your time, and I'm holding you to that round of golf! Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:00 Golf and the 75 Hard challenge 3:06 Who is Brian Rolfe 5:08 The silver tsunami and selling your business 9:21 What young lawyers actually want 13:27 Building a book of business 17:09 From the law library to AI 22:11 Food stamps, a single mom, and the law 26:31 The electronic tether 35:48 The golf outing and an open invitation ~~~ 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

  4. Aug 26

    Why His Clients Always Come Back | Frank Abbruzzese

    Frank Abbruzzese has spent 38 years in IT. He's the outgoing president of AlphaKOR, a company based in Windsor, Ontario that now runs 85 people across Canada. He built the company on follow-up. He talks about calling one prospect fifty times until he was told he would give him the business just to make him stop calling. That discipline, plus a decision to buy a building during the 2008 crash, took AlphaKOR from a small team to 12,000 square feet on two acres. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we got into: → How he cold called his way to AlphaKOR's first client → Building a LinkedIn networking group that had 40 people in 24 hours → Turning Covid into Wednesday Wisdom, a community that still runs today → AI, cybersecurity, and what he calls managed intelligence → What he wishes he knew about banking, lawyers, and cash flow before he started Frank came in from Canada to sit down for this one. Appreciate you making the time, man! Chapters 0:00 Intro 02:28 From retail sales to IT 04:39 The first client and the cold call 08:43 Building nonprofits from a hockey rink conversation 14:41 Forty people in 24 hours on LinkedIn 17:06 Stepping back after 38 years 21:48 Lessons from the farm 31:24 AI, cybersecurity and managed intelligence 39:11 The customer nobody else would help 45:01 Banker, lawyer, accountant and knowing your numbers ~~~ 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

  5. Aug 18

    The Biggest AI Opportunity Is Here | Randy Tobbe

    Randy Tobbe started his entrepreneurial journey with a power washing business. 20 years later, he's built and sold two software companies. The first software company sold to a company that eventually owned by Zillow. The second started out as a side project to help a friend build a CRM, which later became LionDesk. In 5 years it went from 0 customers to 165,000 monthly paying users - they sold three years ago. Now Randy runs RanToro Group, to help companies in telehealth, ecommerce, and legal use AI to cut costs and get their time back. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we covered: → Why Randy’s first exit was “mediocre” but the second wasn't → How and why he built a live dashboard in 15 minutes for a client → Why enterprise software is losing to tools companies build themselves → The short window before AI levels the playing field for good → Why chasing the Instagram flex is the wrong game entirely My big takeaway: the businesses that’ll win the next five years are the ones willing to build a decent version first, fix it later and get known in the market. Thanks to Randy for making time between running his own company. Appreciate you being here, brother. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:09 From power washing to software, twenty years in business 01:58 Building Realty Commander by accident and selling to Zillow 05:08 Why the first exit was mediocre and LionDesk wasn't 08:23 The ripple effect, impact beyond the paycheck 10:12 Why he skips the Instagram flex 12:56 Imposter syndrome, even for the guys who've done it before 22:23 AI, efficiency, and the coming creative renaissance 30:24 Why enterprise software is losing to homemade tools 40:28 Building Mission Control, a live dashboard, in 15 minutes ~~~ 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

  6. Aug 12

    Why Every Restaurant Needs a Pivot | John Spreitzer

    John Spreitzer runs Green Lantern Pizza. He has seventeen stores across Metro Detroit, two more opening, and a franchise company being built behind the operation. He opened his Berkeley location in February 2020. But three weeks later, Covid shut it down. Everything he had was tied up in his store. He didn't even know if he'd lose his house… They made it through and learned from the experience. Now he's building a franchise model, aiming to hit a hundred stores over the next ten years. In this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we covered: → Growing from one location to seventeen stores → Why minimum wage is the biggest threat to the business → The real story behind the Pepperoni King brand → Marketing in the age of AI and managing reviews across every location → Why he helps competitors down the street instead of ignoring them Thanks John for making the time to sit down and and share with our listeners! Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:04 Meet John Spreitzer and the story of Green Lantern Pizza 3:00 Franchising 17 stores and building the company behind them 5:51 Off the grid bear hunting in Quebec 9:48 The vision to scale to 100 stores 12:13 Minimum wage, food costs, and the economics of running pizza shops 18:29 Road construction, real competitors, and supporting the neighborhood 20:44 Cup and char pepperoni and building the Pepperoni King brand 30:43 Marketing in the age of AI and managing reviews across 17 locations 35:25 Almost losing everything during Covid, and his advice for anyone starting a restaurant ~~~ 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

  7. Aug 5

    Turning Near-Bankruptcy into Record Growth | Ivan Katz

    Ivan Katz has run Great Lakes Landscape Design for 37 years. He's been embezzled from, close to bankruptcy, and had run-ins with the IRS… all from putting trust in the wrong people and not having the right controls in place. But between 2021 and 2024 he nearly tripled his revenue and headcount, by fixing the people-side of the business and creating a culture of honest feedback with great core values. On this episode of Beyond The Hustle, we covered: → How a paper route and a flower planting side hustle turned into a real business → Surviving embezzlement, IRS trouble, and near bankruptcy → Building a culture around feedback and core values → Getting sober at 30 and replacing addiction with endurance racing → Why communication is the hardest skill in business and in life Thanks Ivan for making the time to sit down and talk shop. Appreciate you, man! Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:00 Planting flowers for four bucks a flat 09:56 Near bankruptcy, an embezzlement, and owning it all 12:39 Fixing the people problem with feedback and core values 16:18 Building a culture around honesty, safety, and innovation 19:05 Getting sober and finding structure in exercise 23:47 The mindset behind finishing a race no matter what 30:23 What sobriety actually taught him 38:19 Being honest about recovery with everyone 42:07 What's next: the Summer Summit and the human element in an AI world ~~~ 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

  8. Jul 29

    He made $50,000 on one flip and quit his engineering job for good | Teo Bogdan

    Teo Bogdan came to Michigan from Romania at 10 years old. He grew up to get a mechanical engineering degree and land a good corporate job at a Japanese auto supplier. But sitting in that office, and looking out over the parking lot at his dream car while feeling completely trapped, he knew it wasn't his endgame. After a single real estate flip netted him $50,000 in two weeks, the illusion of corporate security shattered. He walked away to pursue business on his own terms. Today, Teo is rewriting the playbook on "Entrepreneurship through Acquisition." Two and a half years ago, he bought A Plus Heating and Cooling, and he’s scaling it the right way: by treating it like a system, not a job. What we covered: → Why the scale of American business looked so "insane" to him at 10 → The specific moment he realized he was done with the corporate grind → Why he avoided starting from scratch and chose to acquire an existing HVAC company → Building a shop that creates techs from high school grads. → Why answering the phone within 5 minutes matters more than your SEO → Why you need to watch out for fake local companies Thanks Teo for sharing the blueprint on how to build a business that runs without you… Appreciate you dude! Chapters 00:00 Intro 1:00 From Romania to a mechanical engineering degree 3:52 Stuck in the corporate grind at Denso 5:12 From real estate to trades 5:55 Buying A Plus Heating and Cooling 9:29 The growth strategy: master HVAC before anything else 11:27 Hiring and training techs the right way 19:06 The flip that changed everything 28:12 Answering the phone, AI search, and why reviews win the job 38:09 Watch out for fake local companies ~~~ 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

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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
    2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Hustle