Ground Up Growth

Paul Hopper & Hannah Pittman

Ground Up Growth brings insightful stories around entrepreneurs, business leaders and self-development. This podcast is hosted by Paul Hopper, a Mississippi real estate broker and developer with over $1B in company sales. Join Paul as he dives into personal & business strategies, entrepreneurial insights and growing pains faced along the way. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, ”Ground Up Growth” delivers actionable advice and inspiring stories to help fuel your journey and build success from the ground up.

  1. 22h ago

    Selling Coffee in Mississippi to Fund Wells in Kenya | Part 2 with Taylor and Katie Summers

    Taylor and Katie Summers pitched their board a coffee shop as a five year plan. The board brushed it off. Then COVID evacuated them out of Kenya on 12 hours notice, and they opened the first one seven months later anyway. In part two, they walk through how Zoe Ministries ended up in the coffee business. The 3 a.m. phone call from Nairobi to Kitale, the flight rerouted through Dubai to avoid Europe, and the conversation on a Birmingham couch that turned into three coffee shops. Their accountant projected $50,000 in annual revenue for the Cleveland location. That is now a normal month. They get into: Why they cold called a roaster in Illinois and asked for help Telling the board they were not asking permission The CFO question that changed everything, what does a cup of coffee actually cost Flying to Kenya for a court case two days before opening day Why Greenwood was a hard no until Viking talked them into it Sending a weak drink back, and why charity does not excuse a bad cup of coffee The staffing lesson that took a decade to learn Storytelling instead of asking, and why a pledge card on the table makes them check out Coffee Outpost in Livingston opens Monday the 20th. Beans from Native Coffee and Soapbox Roasters. Learn more at zoemeanslife.org Follow @coffeeoutpost If you missed part one, go back and listen. That episode covers the ministry itself, from a $350 bank account to twelve homes, 200 well repairs a year, and a pastoral training center in rural Kenya. Thank you to our sponsors, Service Specialists and Environment Masters.

  2. Jul 21

    Taylor & Katie Summers: Founders, Zoe Ministries & Zoe Coffee Co

    Taylor and Katie Summers built Zoe Ministries from a $350 bank account into twelve homes, a clean water program, and a pastoral training center in rural Kenya. Now they are opening a coffee shop in Livingston, Mississippi to help fund it. Taylor graduated from Delta State on a Saturday and moved to Kenya two days later, living in a 250 square foot house and getting around on a 125cc motorcycle. Katie was a pediatric nurse at Batson Children's Hospital before spending two years in Haiti. Mutual friends connected them, they dated across two continents for 15 months, and ten years later they are still flying back every three to four months, now with three kids in tow. This is part one of a two part conversation. Here they walk through the ministry itself. Part two covers how a nonprofit ended up in the coffee business.

  3. Jul 14

    Buying a Franchise vs. Building From Scratch with Jeff and Shelby Taylor

    Ground Up Growth

  4. Jul 7

    Jeff and Shelby Taylor: Franchisees, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

    This week on Ground Up Growth, we sit down with Jeff and Shelby Taylor of Two Men and a Truck in Ridgeland — a father-daughter duo running one of the most recognized service brands in the country. Jeff shares how a chance encounter behind a moving truck on the way to an Auburn game led him from engineering and NASA to franchise ownership in 1999, back when marketing meant a half-page ad in the phone book and a bag phone bolted to the console. We talk about what it really takes to build a team people stay with for 10, 15, 20+ years — and why culture has to be more than pool tables and ping pong. Jeff opens up about walking through his late wife's five-year cancer battle while running the business from Houston, and how the team he'd built held everything together without missing a beat. Shelby shares her own path into the family business through marketing and PR, and what it's like to build something alongside your dad without losing the "dad" part of the relationship. If you've ever wondered what's really behind the trucks you pass on the highway — or what it takes to build a legacy business that survives the hardest seasons of life — this one's for you. Sponsored by HomeWell Care Services.

  5. Jun 30

    From Hobby to Thriving Business: Cedar Hill Gardens Founder, Emily Grohovsky

    In part two of our conversation with Emily Grohovsky of Cedar Hill Gardens, we shift from the origin story to the business behind the business. Emily walks us through the early days of hiring help straight off the floor at Home Depot, the gradual transition from nursing to running Cedar Hill full time, and the lessons that came from learning as she went rather than following a roadmap. We talk about what it actually takes to grow a service business in a niche most people see as a hobby: building multiple revenue streams so a rainy week doesn't stall the whole operation, choosing materials and offerings based on what a client's lifestyle can sustain, and why teaching clients to care for their own gardens has built more loyalty than any sales pitch could. Emily also gets candid about social media growth, including the Valentine's Day reel that unexpectedly hit a million views, why she's stopped chasing follower counts, and how speaking engagements have become one of her most effective ways to grow trust and reach. We close with a conversation about knowing your season of life and giving yourself permission to grow at the pace that fits it, not the one everyone else expects. If you missed part one, go back and listen first. It covers how Emily got started and the foundation that made all of this possible. Learn more about Emily and Cedar Hill Gardens: cedarhillgardens.com This episode is brought to you by HomeWell Care Services. HomeWell brings trusted, compassionate caregivers into your home, offering companion care, personal care, and specialty care for needs like dementia or chronic conditions. Every client gets a dedicated care manager at no extra cost, so the plan is tailored to your family and adjusts as needs change. Learn more at homewellcares.com.

  6. Jun 23

    Emily Grohovsky: Owner, Cedar Hill Gardens

    What started as a 30x40 plot of Mississippi clay during the loneliest season of the pandemic turned into a thriving business, a 100+ member community, and a third life entirely. Hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Emily Grohovsky, founder of Cedar Hill Gardens, to talk about how a stay-at-home mom with two babies under two and a serious case of postpartum cabin fever became "the Garden Lady" of Madison, Mississippi. Emily walks through her unlikely path from NICU nurse to custom vegetable garden builder, the moment a neighbor's request turned a hobby into a business, and how Cedar Hill Gardens grew to 22 installed gardens in its first year and a membership community that has grown from 14 to over 100 members. She shares why staying focused on Zone 8 gardening (and not landscaping) became her competitive edge, the story behind her bestselling zone-specific planting calendar, and why organic pest control using companion flowers works better than chemicals ever did. In this episode you'll hear how a COVID garden turned into a full-time business, why most "black thumbs" are really just following the wrong advice for their growing zone, the difference between trap crops and companion planting, the best vegetables to plant if kids are involved (hint: anything they can dig up), and how gardening became a place of healing for Emily's clients facing illness, grief, and burnout.

  7. Jun 16

    Cybersecurity, AI, Smart Home Technology, and the Future of How We Live and Work

    The future is already here, and Jake Manning is installing it. In Part 2, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman continue their conversation with Mississippi Smart Homes founder Jake Manning to go deeper on the technology trends reshaping everyday life, and what it means for homeowners, business owners, and entrepreneurs paying attention. Jake breaks down the real story on Starlink, why cybersecurity matters more than most people realize, and how his team is using AI right now to work faster and smarter. He also shares one of the most moving stories of the episode, how assistive smart home technology gave an ALS patient independence back and gave his wife peace of mind, and why that kind of work is fueling the next chapter of Mississippi Smart Homes. In this episode you will hear about how Starlink is changing internet access in rural Mississippi, practical cybersecurity tips every homeowner and business owner needs to know, how AI is democratizing access to expert level advice, the future of Jarvis style smart homes and what is coming in the next three to five years, and why assistive technology may be the most meaningful work Jake does.

  8. Jun 9

    Jake Manning: Owner, Mississippi Smart Homes

    What happens when a biomedical engineering student gets a curveball from his dad junior year of college, graduates into a global pandemic, and decides to bet on himself anyway? You get Jake Manning and Mississippi Smart Homes. In Part 1, hosts Paul Hopper and Hannah Pittman sit down with Ridgeland entrepreneur Jake Manning to unpack the unconventional path that led him from double engineering degrees at Mississippi State — including a stint as student body president during Covid — to building one of Mississippi's most unique smart home and technology companies from the ground up. Jake breaks down what Mississippi Smart Homes actually does, why most people end up with a tank when all they needed was a car, and how his commitment to honest, white glove service in a space full of confusing technology is setting them apart in a crowded market. In this episode you will hear about turning a pandemic pivot into a thriving business, why smart home technology is more accessible than people think, the one stop shop advantage for residential and commercial clients, selling people only what they actually need, and where AI is taking the smart home industry next.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

Ground Up Growth brings insightful stories around entrepreneurs, business leaders and self-development. This podcast is hosted by Paul Hopper, a Mississippi real estate broker and developer with over $1B in company sales. Join Paul as he dives into personal & business strategies, entrepreneurial insights and growing pains faced along the way. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, ”Ground Up Growth” delivers actionable advice and inspiring stories to help fuel your journey and build success from the ground up.

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Hopper & Hannah Pittman
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    52
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Ground Up Growth

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