Celebrating Small Family Businesses Kuder Consulting Group

In this episode, we celebrate the inspiring journey of Allen and Barbara Doeringer, the dynamic duo behind Whippet Properties.
From their serendipitous meeting in the real estate industry to enduring personal challenges, they have successfully navigated their professional and personal lives together for over 25 years.
The discussion explores their start in a manufactured home community, the establishment of their real estate careers, and the formation of their own brokerage. We found many parallels between our lives in this story, because our own business journey included developing a mobile home park a few miles from where the Doeringers worked and a later transition into real estate brokerage.
They share insights on working as a team, handling crises like terminal illness and divorce, and the impact of COVID-19 on their business.
Their story highlights the importance of leveraging individual strengths, the value of patience, mutual respect, and the benefits of creativity in overcoming market challenges.
Join us for an engaging conversation filled with wisdom, resilience, and the power of teamwork.
Contact them through their website at https://whippetpropertiesflorida.com/ or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Whippetpropertiesflorida/
00:00 Introduction to Allen and Barbara Doeringer
00:21 How Allen and Barbara Met
02:43 Starting Their Real Estate Journey
03:16 Personal Challenges and Growing Together
06:14 Building Their Own Brokerage
10:54 Naming Whippet Properties
14:08 Working as a Team
19:15 Navigating the Real Estate Market
24:54 Overcoming Challenges and Future Plans
33:17 Conclusion and Contact Information

In this episode of 'celebrating small family businesses,' hosts Natalie and JJ, the dynamic sister duo behind the podcast 'Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver,' share their heartfelt journey of growing up in a tight-knit, small-town family in Tennessee.
They discuss their upbringing, accentuated by strong familial bonds and community involvement, which deeply influenced their current roles as podcasters and businesswomen.
The episode highlights their grandparents' impactful legacy as community-minded small business owners, the sisters' seamless transition into launching a successful podcast, and the invaluable lessons learned from working together despite their differing personalities and professional backgrounds.
Through candid conversations, they underscore the importance of passion, authenticity, and maintaining strong family relationships in both personal and professional realms.
We had a very insightful and entertaining conversation with these two dynamic personalities and are proud to share that here.
You can find more information and their podcast and their larger mission at https://www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com/ or
Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ConfessionsOfAReluctantCaregiver
Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/confessionsofareluctantcaregiver/
Watch the video version on YouTube at https://youtu.be/BL9MOjX5IcQ
Visit the Kuder Consulting Group website to learn more about additional ways we support small family businesses in their journey. https://kuderconsultinggroup.com
00:00 Welcome to Celebrating Small Family Businesses
00:43 The Story of Three Sisters from Tennessee
01:41 The Legacy of Family Business and Community Service
05:05 Childhood Memories in the Family Business
13:29 Launching a Podcast: From Idea to Reality
20:49 The Impact of Personal Stories on Business Success
25:13 Embracing the Personal Brand in Business
28:57 The Essence of Family Businesses
28:57 The Power of Branding and Community in Business
29:29 Navigating Privacy and Publicity in Family Business
30:00 The Rich History and Emotional Ties of Family Businesses
31:21 Sisterhood and Business: A Dynamic Duo
33:13 The Challenges and Triumphs of Working with Family
38:30 Understanding and Respecting Different Work Styles
41:09 The Importance of Communication and Relationship Maintenance
43:18 Balancing Family and Business: A Personal Journey
50:18 Reflecting on Family Legacy and the Future

In this episode, we follow John's journey as a young man as he navigates a path from working at his family's egg farm to the mobile home park they developed and then to the citrus and land business balanced with technology consulting.
Faced with unclear opportunities, he transitions into managing operations at a family-run mobile home park, where he acquires a real estate license and hones his sales and marketing skills.
Despite challenges with the business model in the highest interest rate environment in a century, he creates a customer service department from scratch, emphasizing inspection and quality control to improve customer experiences.
His interest in processes and systems continues through a series of ventures, including involvement in early computerized trading systems and software development.
From becoming the best student of a niche trading product to leading workshops across the USA, his versatile skill set and proactive approach reveal significant lessons on adaptability, learning, and customer service.
00:00 Early Career Moves and Challenges
00:34 Learning the Ropes in Real Estate and Customer Service
02:10 Mastering Customer Service and Process Improvement
05:06 Venturing into Software and Subscription Products
05:35 Deep Dive into Trading and Investment Software
09:51 Expanding Skills into Workshops and Customer Support
10:34 Innovations in Newsletter Automation and Programming
12:01 Reflections on a Diverse Career and Skill Set

This episode of 'Celebrating Small Family Businesses' features Chris and Ed Farrell of Alternative Transportation Systems in Arlington, Massachusetts, providing an in-depth look into their journey and success as a multi-generational family business.
2024 marks the 20th anniversary of their transportation business, which Chris has helped grow from a driver to his current role as general manager.
From its origins in the 1940s in the heating oil sector to its expansion into auto repair, retail, and transportation, the Farrells detail the evolution of their business, emphasizing the importance of leveraging individual family members' strengths and mixing business savvy with passion.
Chris shares his experience starting as a driver and working up to general manager, underscoring the value of understanding every aspect of the business.
The Farrells also delve into the challenges and adaptations required during the pandemic, highlighting their commitment to safe and quality transport services.
The discussion covers the uniqueness of a family-run business, the significance of internal culture, and the balance between professional growth and maintaining core values.
The episode is a testament to the resilience, innovation, and familial solidarity that have defined Alternative Transportation Systems for decades.
Learn more or schedule a ride on their website at https://www.ridewithats.com/
Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AlternativeTransportationSystems/
Connect with Ed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-farrell-56b20924/
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-farrell-mba-03472098/
00:00 Welcome to Celebrating Small Family Businesses!
00:32 The Origins and Evolution of a Family Business
01:53 Diving Deep into the Transportation Business
02:15 Chris's Journey from Driver to General Manager
04:41 Unique Aspects of the Business Model
08:43 Embracing Technology and Enhancing Human Interaction
10:40 The Importance of Training and Safety Measures
11:16 Mission and Culture: The Heart of the Business
16:10 Challenges and Triumphs: Navigating the Pandemic
24:12 Learning and Growing in a Family Business
30:01 Community Engagement and Networking
31:41 Expanding Reach and Accessibility
36:05 A Heartfelt Conclusion and Future Outlook

This episode of 'Celebrating Small Family Businesses' features John Chan and Jenn Lo, a dynamic couple running a marketing agency called 2X, based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
They share their journey, starting from their first collaboration on a software project in 2013, through the challenges of running a conversion rate optimization agency, to the present digital marketing agency specializing in e-commerce and SAAS.
They discuss their unique advantage from combining technical development skills, UX design, and CRO marketing to serve e-commerce and SAAS clients.
The couple delves into the complexities of working together as a married couple, emphasizing the importance of respecting each other's strengths, learning to delegate, and adapting to each other's working styles.
Thanks to their remarkable openness, this episode offers a deep dive into the interplay between personal and professional growth within a family business context.
John Chan is an entrepreneur, renowned for his expertise in web/UX design and digital marketing. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, John dropped out of university at the age of 19 to start his own web design consultancy. Since then, he has worked for several prestigious companies, including UBC and Basecamp, before co-founding 2x Growth Agency. The agency specializes in helping e-commerce and DTC brands grow and scale with paid ads and ad creative development. Under John's leadership, 2x Growth Agency has managed over $6M of ad spend and helped generate over $30M in revenue for their clients.
Their business website is https://2x.agency/
Connect with John on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtcchan/ , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jtcchan/, Twitter https://twitter.com/jtcchan
Connect with Jenn Lo at linkedin.com/in/jennifertklo or https://twitter.com/jennlo_

In this episode of Celebrating Small Family Businesses, hosts John and Connie Kuder interview Kieron and Carmen James, father and daughter co-founders of two businesses named Wonderful. Wonderful.org began as an online charity giving platform and the success of that led to expanding into a FinTech payment business, Wonderful.co.uk, leveraging open banking to eliminate card processing fees for donations.
They share the inspiration behind their ventures, the journey from frustration over traditional fundraising platforms to developing a completely fee-free service for charities, and how they navigated transforming this solution into a broader payment processing system for small businesses.
The discussion covers the origins of Wonderful, their venture into open banking, insights on running a family business, and their experiences with technology and regulatory challenges.
Additionally, Kieron shares his hobby in deep house music, illustrating the diverse interests that enrich the entrepreneurial journey.
Their charitable giving platform, free for charities to use, is https://wonderful.org/
Their e-commerce payment platform is https://wonderful.co.uk/
The Wonderful Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wonderful-podcast/id1731346923
00:00 Welcome to Celebrating Small Family Businesses!
00:08 Introducing Wonderful.org: A Journey from Charity to FinTech
01:14 The Genesis of a Fee-Free Fundraising Platform
04:33 Embracing Open Banking: A Game-Changer for Fundraising
06:55 Navigating the Early Stages of Open Banking Adoption
15:33 The Family Dynamic in Business: Roles and Relationships
22:18 Transitioning the Team to a New Industry
24:24 The Remote Work Revolution and Startup Culture
24:46 The Early Days of Internet Entrepreneurship
26:20 The Unique Dynamics of Working with Family
28:45 Navigating the Challenges of Family Business
30:59 Future Plans and Open Banking Expansion
32:44 Leveraging Past Experiences for New Ventures
38:25 Advice for Small Family Businesses
42:44 Exploring Personal Passions: Deep House Music