The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast Michael W. Rogers

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Erick Stewart, owner of LAGNIAPPE Strategic Consulting in Battle Creek. Erick is serving as SBAM's Board Chair for 2024-2025. “We're a great organization, and we're scrappy, and I want to continue that scrappiness because being scrappy, you're ready for whatever comes around the corner,” he says. “We take our members through that as we deal with all types of legislative issues, we deal with having input and all types of things that happen throughout the state.” 
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Camron Gnass, founder of Lansing-based creative studio Traction. Among many other community activities, he is a founding member of the Capital City Film Festival. “Our intention was to prove that there is a desire for people to come together and have a shared experience,” he says. “What we did is we began finding venues or buildings that were either shuttered or getting ready to come online, other pretty non-traditional gathering spaces, and created community gathering spaces over the course of what started as four days to now expanded to 11 days. It really gives people an opportunity to be a part of the community culture that's here to get a lens into other cultures that are existing in different parts of the world.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Kevin Sodermark, Vice President of L&C Enterprises-USA d/b/a Delta Fence & Construction. They were recently recognized by Michigan Celebrates Small Business as one of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch for 2024. “We support many different things around the community, and then doing quality work, I think, is one of the main things,” he says. “They're happy with our product. They tell their neighbors, they tell their family to come to us. We do work all over the UP into northern Wisconsin, and a lot of that is you've done work for my sister, you've done work for my mom. I mean, we get a lot of that. So with quality work comes more work, and our name is respected in the community for that. So it's if you do good work, you have good customer service, the work will find you.” 
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Matt Stephens and Josh Stephens, co-founders of Sticker Blitz, creators of high quality custom stickers. The company was recently honored by being named by Michigan Celebrates Small Business to the list of Michigan 50 Companies to Watch. “We're super proud to be a Macomb County-based company and Michigan-based company,” they say. “There's been a lot of super great resources that we've been able to utilize in Michigan, including SBAM. We really appreciate everything that SBAM has done for us over the years.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Jim Stowe, president of FreshHR. He helps small and medium sized companies deal with a wide range of challenges when managing employees. “The battle for talent, acquiring and retaining talent, is something that's still a challenge for most folks, although we've seen a little bit of daylight,” he says. “But it's still finding ways to be a unique and an attractive employer to attract and retain the best people you can, so they take the best care of your clients or help drive profitability.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)

On today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Nick Jacqmain, CEO and President of Springfield Commercial Roofing and Transport, with locations in Kingsley and Big Rapids. He recently wrote an article for SBAM's Focus magazine on The Value of Apprenticeships for Small Businesses. “You're going to find that you're attracting more employees, you're going to find that you're attracting higher quality candidates, and you're going to find the retention process to be a lot better and a lot easier,” he says “Employees will be more engaged and they'll want to grow.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own. 
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)