Epic Entrepreneurs

Bill Gilliland
  • 5.0 (1)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to Epic Entrepreneurs! What does it take to build a real and thriving business in today’s world? As entrepreneurs and business owners, we went into business to have more freedom of time and money. Yet, the path of growing a business isn’t always filled with sunshine and rainbows. In this chart-topping show, host Bill Gilliland; author of the best-selling book “The Coach Approach” leverages his decades of experience coaching proven entrepreneurs to make more money, grow the right teams, and find the freedom of EPIC Entrepreneurship.

  1. 1D AGO

    We Put Graffiti On Trucks And The Phone Wouldn’t Stop Ringing with Brendan Hogan Asheville Area Movers

    What does it take to come back from losing every single truck overnight? We sit down with Brendan Hogan of Asheville Area Movers to unpack a hard-won playbook for rebuilding stronger: bold branding that makes phones ring, smart technology that shrinks overhead, and a people-first culture that turns stressful move days into positive stories customers tell their friends. Brendan shares the moment he saw water over the trucks, the three-day low that followed, and the switch that flipped when he realized the crisis could be a reset. From commissioning local artists to turn each truck into a rolling landmark to moving the yard to higher ground, the strategy blended community roots with pragmatic risk control. We dig into Google Local Services Ads, why they’re expensive yet indispensable, and how consistent offline visibility—yard signs, print, uniforms—keeps the brand top of mind long after a search ad disappears. On the operations side, we break down how a mover-specific CRM handles scheduling, bill of lading, payments, and customer history, enabling a two-person office to coordinate 35 movers without drowning in paper. Brendan is candid about hiring in a tough labor market: punctuality trumps everything, attitude beats experience, and paying above market plus clear upsell incentives creates buy-in. We talk stress management, the myth of entrepreneurial free time, and the power of an operations partner who can swap in when life happens. Looking ahead, Brendan explains the decision to expand into Atlanta with a trusted team member at the helm and the plan to centralize support in Asheville to create better local jobs. If you’re a founder navigating setbacks, wondering whether to invest in brand, or debating the ROI of LSAs and industry-specific software, this story delivers practical steps you can apply this week. Enjoy the conversation, then subscribe, share with a builder who needs a boost, and drop a review with your top takeaway. Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    23 min
  2. Leading Through Chaos With Futurist Thinking with Wendy White

    3D AGO

    Leading Through Chaos With Futurist Thinking with Wendy White

    What if you could spot disruption weeks before it hits and turn it into momentum? That question drives our conversation with Wendy White, co-founder and CEO of Continuum Consulting Services, whose 30-year path runs from ropes courses and catamarans to culture design, change management, and multi-sector collaboration. We unpack how a single signal from a pharma client led her team to scenario-plan early for COVID, pivot their services online, and meet clients where they were—proving that curiosity, speed, and small reversible bets can outpace chaos. We open up the toolbox leaders need right now: a futurist’s habit of scanning the horizon, practical routines for identifying weak signals, and 90-day strategic cycles that keep vision steady while tactics flex. Wendy explains why diversification across industries cushions shocks, how risk tolerance separates founders from spectators, and what it takes to build teams that bring energy without burning out. Instead of chasing balance, she champions integration—protecting health, pursuing inspiration beyond work, and using “geographical resets” to refresh perspective and creativity. We also dive into Crossroads Collaboratories, Continuum’s live, transformational gatherings designed to tackle “gnarly” challenges like climate resilience and the future of healthcare. By convening scientists, youth leaders, Indigenous voices, and change-makers, these sessions move beyond doom narratives to shared action. Alongside this is Let’s Choose Love, a nonprofit funding grassroots projects with coaching support, turning business into a vehicle for community impact. If you’re navigating uncertainty, rethinking planning, or searching for a more human way to lead, this conversation offers a clear, proven path forward. Enjoy the episode? Follow and share it with someone who’s steering through change. Subscribe for more conversations with builders and innovators, and leave a review to tell us which signal you’re watching next. Guest contact info:  wendy@continuumcs.com www.continuumcs.com - Continuum Consulting Services Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    34 min
  3. Stress Relief On Moving Day; How College H.U.N.K.S. Delivers Peace Of Mind with Anne Smith

    NOV 7

    Stress Relief On Moving Day; How College H.U.N.K.S. Delivers Peace Of Mind with Anne Smith

    Moving day can feel like a storm. We sat down with Anne Smith of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving in Asheville to unpack how her team turns chaos into calm through mindset, leadership development, and community-rooted service. From the moment they step on-site, their mission is simple: reduce stress. Anne explains why HUNKS—Honest, Uniformed, Nice, Knowledgeable, Service—is more than a catchy acronym; it’s the operating system for hiring, training, and customer experience. We get real about entrepreneurship: launching mid-pandemic, learning to protect energy, and building a support network that actually supports. Anne shares why good networking is about being a resource, not working a room, and how partnerships with Homeward Bound, Habitat for Humanity, and Asheville Tool Closet turn junk into impact. She also highlights a powerful brand initiative—free moves with domestic violence shelters in October—that reframes what service businesses can do for their cities. Inside the operation, Anne hires for coachability and empathy, then grows leaders through clear paths from wingman to captain. Morning huddles, gratitude routines, and continuous education make the culture tangible. We walk through the EPIC framework: bring energy with intention, prioritize education, plan with the flexibility to pivot, and live commitment through core values that stick. Along the way, Anne debunks myths about business ownership, talks boundaries, and shares how mindset shapes every job and every customer interaction. If you want practical insight on reducing client stress, building a values-driven team, and growing through relationships, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning a move, and leave a review with your best tip for staying calm on moving day. Guest Contact Info: Anne.Smith@chhj.com https://www.collegehunkshaulingjunk.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CollegeHunksHaulingJunkandMoving/ https://www.instagram.com/collegehunks/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/college-hunks-hauling-junk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-zo_ofBvBf5jTrjpvit_ow https://twitter.com/CollegeHunks Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    24 min
  4. How Carolina Outdoor Lighting Built A People-First Business with Maja Potocki

    NOV 3

    How Carolina Outdoor Lighting Built A People-First Business with Maja Potocki

    What does it really take to turn a two-person hustle into a durable, people-first business? We sit down with Maja, co-founder of Carolina Outdoor Lighting, to trace the arc from answering irrigation clients’ lighting requests to building a design-led brand known for craft, culture, and steady growth. From the first two-day crash course to a recent acquisition in Brevard, Maya shares the decisions that mattered most—and the ones she’d make sooner if starting over. We get practical about hiring early, even when it dents short-term profit, and why the right attitude beats prior experience in a niche trade like landscape lighting. Maja walks us through the company’s weekly LIONS rhythm—last week, issues, opportunities, next week—and how it keeps projects moving while opening space for personal vision work. You’ll hear how she and Jason divide roles—she leads operations and people; he leads field design and technical excellence—to reduce context switching and keep both the business and the craft moving forward. If you’ve ever believed the myth that running a business means more freedom, Maja offers a grounded counterpoint: responsibility grows with the team, which is why planning, process, and values matter. We dig into core values like integrity, excellence, and creative innovation, plus the tangible tools that lift morale—ongoing education, certifications, and simple recognition rituals that make good work visible. We also explore the lessons from acquiring a competitor: gaps you only discover mid-integration, the questions to ask next time, and why fear, when paired with a solid plan, can be a reliable compass for bold moves. Looking to grow your company without losing your soul? This conversation delivers a clear playbook: hire sooner, plan before you implement, teach constantly, and let your values steer the hard calls. If the next step still feels scary after you’ve planned it, that might be your signal to go. Subscribe, share this with a builder in your life, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we’d love to hear what you’ll try next. Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    21 min
  5. From Chaos To Calm with Jess Reed Green Mountain Space

    OCT 31

    From Chaos To Calm with Jess Reed Green Mountain Space

    Imagine walking into a home that felt chaotic yesterday and feels peaceful today. That’s the promise behind luxury organizing done right, and we brought back Jess Reed of Green Mountain Space to unpack exactly how her team delivers one‑day transformations, even across seven counties in Western North Carolina. From the first consult to the final label, Jess shares the systems, values, and leadership habits that turn a deeply personal service into a scalable, resilient business. We talk through why her model keeps inventory and vendor management in‑house, how a warehouse and pre‑planning make rural logistics workable, and what “concierge‑level” actually means for moves, renovations, and holiday setup. Jess opens her playbook on SOPs and training with Loom, regular audits that keep quality high, and the role of project managers, lead organizers, assistants, and an inventory manager in delivering consistent results. The conversation also gets candid about entrepreneurship myths—early reinvestment, thin paychecks, and the long game—and how networking and vendor partners quietly fuel sustainable growth. What stands out is culture. Jess’s PEACE values—People, Education, Accountability, Communication, Evolve—anchor hiring, feedback, and client care. We dig into adaptability on the job when emotions and decisions shift, hyper‑communication that prevents surprises, and calendaring that ties goals to actual time, especially as a new parent. Expect practical takeaways: planning in October for the year ahead, keeping a “hopes and dreams” brain dump, scheduling joy alongside work, and building a team as committed as your most committed member. We wrap with expansion plans toward Hendersonville and where to connect if you want your time—and your space—back. If this conversation sparked an idea or helped you rethink your systems, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more builders can find it. Guest Contact Info: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenmountainspace Facebook: Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    28 min
  6. Own Your Energy: Coaching For Hospitality Growth with Christine Smith

    OCT 29

    Own Your Energy: Coaching For Hospitality Growth with Christine Smith

    What if the biggest block to your team’s performance isn’t strategy, but unspoken tension? We sit down with hospitality business coach Christine Smith to unpack how emotional intelligence, honest conversation, and patient self-trust can transform culture and results. Christine works with owners and small teams to clear friction, create safe spaces, and align people around goals without forcing anyone to hide behind a role. We trace the arc from intuition to execution: how to listen to your body, separate your values from other people’s expectations, and practice discernment until it becomes a reliable tool. Christine challenges common myths—like “you need tons of money to start” or “the owner must be rich”—and shows how resourcefulness, tiny tests, and community support can move a business faster than a big budget. Her insights land especially well for restaurants, hotels, and venues where service quality lives or dies on team dynamics. Christine also walks through the B EPIC framework: bring the energy you truly have and own it; pursue education as a lifelong habit; plan with intention and pivot without shame; find inspiration rooted in your values; and commit to what’s bigger than you while staying flexible on timing. We talk identity, boundaries, and the courage to be seen—why visibility matters for opportunities, hiring, and trust. If you’re looking to simplify your roadmap, reduce team friction, and grow with integrity, this conversation offers practical steps and a mindset reset. Enjoy the episode, then share it with a fellow owner who needs a nudge toward clarity. If the ideas resonate, follow the show, leave a review, and tell us: what truth are you holding back in your business? Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    25 min

  7. OCT 27

    From Small Excavator to Booked Solid: How Craft, Focus, and Integrity Built a Local Powerhouse with Ryan Wooten

    What does it look like to grow a local contracting business without billboards, gimmicks, or chaos? We sit down with owner-operator Ryan Wooten, who went from a single excavator to a respected residential grading and retaining wall company by doing one thing uncommonly well: finishing what he starts and making clients glad they hired him. Ryan opens up about turning down septic installs that slowed the crew, tightening his focus to driveway work, excavation, and boulder or block retaining walls, and building a culture where showing up, learning fast, and not pretending to know everything beats bravado. We dig into the backbone of his process—planning the job with the end in mind, sequencing work so there are no half-finished projects, and keeping timelines honest when winter storms threaten progress in Wolf Laurel. Ryan shares why mindset matters more than hype, how math, soil, and drainage drive practical decisions, and why he’ll occasionally take a hit to make a customer right while guarding against a pattern that could sink margins. His hiring lens is simple and sharp: show up, care about the craft, follow through. That clarity sustains a crew that needs little micromanagement and produces the kind of results that travel by word-of-mouth. The heart of the conversation is time: Ryan has seven kids and a hard stop at five. He makes games, shows up for milestones, and treats presence as a non-negotiable. That boundary doesn’t slow growth—it powers it—because clients feel the same discipline in how he runs projects. If you’re a service business owner chasing reliable referrals, better project flow, and a healthier life outside work, this story offers a field-tested blueprint you can adapt tomorrow. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who builds for a living, and leave a quick review—your words help more builders and owners find us. Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    20 min
  8. How a 26-Year-Old Turned Painting Into Premium Hospitality with Cedric Merrills of WOW Painting

    OCT 20

    How a 26-Year-Old Turned Painting Into Premium Hospitality with Cedric Merrills of WOW Painting

    What if your contractor experience felt more like a five-star hotel stay than a gamble with your calendar and patience? That’s the challenge Cedric Merrills took on when he left wedding photography to build WOW 1 Day Painting in Asheville—a company that pairs speed with hospitality and backs it with systems anyone can understand. We talk about the surprising power of basic promises kept: estimates delivered before leaving the consultation, photo updates during the job, clear walk-throughs at the end, and a team trained to solve problems on the spot without waiting for permission. Cedric opens up about hiring for character and teaching the craft—why professionalism, trust and ambition beat years of patchy “experience,” and how that approach grows a team clients mention by name in reviews. He breaks down the unit economics behind premium service, from lead costs to labor hours, and shares a simple truth: you can’t deliver excellence if you’re racing to be cheapest. Instead, he borrows moves from luxury restaurants and hotels—crew bios texted before arrival, name tags, small gifts, and a transparent status tracker—because confidence and clarity turn anxious buyers into lifelong fans. We also dive into his bold next step: a lifetime touch-up guarantee. Once a year, during the slow winter season, his crew returns to refresh scuffs and marks for any interior they painted—for as long as you live in the home. It’s a retention engine disguised as kindness and a smart use of idle capacity. If you’re an entrepreneur or a homeowner who values reliability, communication, and quality that lasts, this conversation is a roadmap for raising both your price and your standards. Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share it with a friend who runs a service business, and leave a quick review—your feedback helps more listeners find us and fuels future episodes. Thanks for Listening. You may contact me or our team at https://billgilliland.biz/All the best!Bill Thanks for listening. Please hit the subscribe button, leave us a 5 star review, and share this podcast. You can reach me at williamgilliland@actioncoach.com or at https://billgilliland.biz/ All the best! Bill

    31 min
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About

Welcome to Epic Entrepreneurs! What does it take to build a real and thriving business in today’s world? As entrepreneurs and business owners, we went into business to have more freedom of time and money. Yet, the path of growing a business isn’t always filled with sunshine and rainbows. In this chart-topping show, host Bill Gilliland; author of the best-selling book “The Coach Approach” leverages his decades of experience coaching proven entrepreneurs to make more money, grow the right teams, and find the freedom of EPIC Entrepreneurship.

Information

  • Creator
    Bill Gilliland
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    234
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Epic Entrepreneurs
  • Show Website
    Epic Entrepreneurs