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. 4d ago

    Your Comfort Zone Is Where You Die | Dominic Moceri

    Homebuilder Dominic Moceri reveals why showing up on time means you're already late, why your comfort zone is where you die, how his family built over 100,000 homes across Southeast Michigan, and why he refuses to chase dreams AT ALL! Dominic J. Moceri is Partner, Finance and Acquisition at Moceri Companies, the Michigan homebuilder his father Dominic S. Moceri founded in 1958, which has created more than 55,000 residences across four generations. A University of Detroit finance graduate and former NASDAQ and NYSE registered representative, he served as President of the Building Industry Association of Southeast Michigan and sits on the board of the Michigan Association of Home Builders. He explains: 🡒 Why showing up on time actually means you're already late 🡒 Why he doesn't have dreams, only goals, and only asks his team for 80% of his vision 🡒 Why his grandfather's Detroit grocery store, the only one open on Sundays, made the region's biggest supermarkets change their rules 🡒 Why he refuses to build senior housing anywhere he wouldn't live himself 🡒 How an 1880 grain elevator that was slated to be torn down became 30 residences in downtown Rochester Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:50 Saving an 1880 grain elevator 03:51 Residences, not units 07:30 Homes, not subdivisions 09:30 A family of immigrants and 100,000 homes 10:50 Schools first and the senior housing rule 12:46 The lessons that stuck early 13:59 80% of the vision 17:27 Artemis, Lavender Ridge and 55,000 plants 21:09 The grocery store open on Sundays ~~~ This episode is powered by Drive Creative: 🌐 https://drivecreativeagency.com/ Subscribe for more 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 https://www.beyondthehustle.show

  2. Oct 7

    How I Got Better At Saying No | Hollie Clement

    Do you trust the people leading you, or do you say yes to everything because you're afraid of what happens if you don't? Learn how Hollie Clement, a Drive Creative project manager, went from doubting every leader she worked for to holding her ground with clients and keeping them happy. Hollie Clement is a Marketing Project Manager at Drive Creative Agency, where she has run production, scope, and timelines for client work since 2022. She started playing soccer at five in France, was scouted at 13, moved to London alone at 16 to play for Chelsea, and earned a full ride to Oakland University. Today she manages agency projects, coaches youth soccer, and raises her one and a half year old daughter. In this episode, she explains: 🡒 The Yes Trap: Why saying yes to every request costs you something else, and the one question she now asks instead. 🡒 The Authority Hangover: How one college coach left her unable to trust any leader, and what it took to finally believe her bosses weren't working an angle. 🡒 The Soft Generation: Why she believes her age group struggles to take criticism, and how sport spared her from the same problem. 🡒 The Swan Rule: What she as a project manager is really doing beneath the calm surface, and why there's a fire to put out almost every day. 🡒 The $20 a Day Problem: Why a tiny ad budget goes nowhere, and the 30, 60, 90 day window before marketing starts to show traction. Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:57 What a project manager actually does all day 04:28 From Chelsea at 16 to a full ride in Michigan 07:30 The college coach who broke her trust in authority 08:59 A normal Tuesday: mom, PM, and soccer coach 11:45 Advice for college grads entering the agency world 13:55 Learning to say no to clients 17:25 Perfect clients, small budgets, and when to hire an agency 21:15 Where Hollie and Drive are headed, and the culture behind it 29:26 Rapid fire: spice, 90s nostalgia, and the royal question ~~~ 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.sho

  3. Sep 30

    The Michigan Shop Building Parts For SpaceX's Starship | Chad Peterson

    Prototype manufacturing executive Chad Peterson reveals how his parts ended up on SpaceX's Starship, why Tesla builds in under a year what GM says takes two, the 31 hour workday that keeps production lines moving, and why America's bridges weren't built for an ALL electric future. Chad Peterson is the Vice President of Sales at Sequoia Tool, a family owned prototype manufacturer that has spent 35 years building parts for automotive, aerospace, defense, and data center programs. He started on the shop floor as a machinist at 3-Dimensional Services Group, where his father was a managing partner, and worked his way up to General Manager over 14 years. He's also the founder of Accelerated Manufacturing Solutions, a manufacturing and engineering consulting firm. He explains: 🡒 Why Tesla and SpaceX hit timelines in under a year that GM says take a couple of years 🡒 How walking into a room of furious executives became the fastest way to earn a customer for life 🡒 Why skipping college put him years ahead of his peers, and why the trades are the smartest bet 🡒 Why the quiet guy in the room always wins, and the mistake every young salesperson makes 🡒 Why gas engines aren't going anywhere, and the infrastructure problem the EV push never planned for Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:54 Building cars years before you see them 02:50 Parts on Starship and the Elon timeline 04:33 Growing up in the shop and the 31 hour day 08:19 Raising the next generation 13:30 Skipping college and betting on the trades 18:34 Becoming the cleanup man 21:24 Breaking into sales at 24 26:01 Why EVs won't replace gas anytime soon 30:08 Building a business on the side and the comeback story ~~~ 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

  4. Sep 23

    I Had Nothing Left To Lose | Corey Barkach of Drive Creative

    Corey’s sitting down in the guest seat for this show to share the real story of building Drive Creative… Corey and Dan left steady agency jobs to start Drive with no business plan, no money, and one GTM strategy: cold call manufacturers and figure it out. The early funding fell through, and there were pay periods that came down to the wire. They hired people before they could afford them because they believed they'd grow into it. Ten years later, that bet paid off: a team that actually cares and clients who treat Drive like an extension of their own company. Here’s also what was covered: → Why Corey and Dan left to start their own agency → Building the first client base with cold calls and no plan → How Drive protects its culture → What poker taught Corey about strategy and decision making → Where the company is headed next Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:36 Boss and employee: first impressions 8:10 Why we left to start Drive 11:00 Six figures to a taco truck 14:35 Year one vs now 20:49 The hardest stretch: payroll and Covid 26:56 Getting sober 39:45 Amanda, kids, and what success means 49:04 What poker taught me about business 58:19 The biggest bluff, AI, and rapid fire ~~~ 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

  5. Sep 16

    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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

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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
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Beyond The Hustle