Épisodes

  • When Hustle Stops Working: Developing People Who Can Grow With the Business

    When Hustle Stops Working: Developing People Who Can Grow With the Business
    Oct 22 2026
    Chris Jungjohann, Founder and CEO of Recess Creative in Cleveland, Ohio, shares how an early career in photography and design unexpectedly turned into 17 years of entrepreneurship. Growing up around his family’s restaurant gave him early exposure to business ownership, but he ultimately pursued art and design before realizing he wanted the creative freedom of a smaller agency combined with the opportunity to work with larger clients. That realization eventually led him to start Recess Creative from his basement. Pasted textToday, Chris has expanded beyond Recess Creative to build Buds & Pals, a video, photography, animation, and content studio, and Super Average. He explains that his ability to expand into additional businesses came largely from building a strong team at Recess, including employees who have stayed with the company for 10 to 15 years. One of his biggest leadership lessons has been learning to hire people who are better than he is at specific disciplines and then actually letting go. Pasted textLearning and development are deeply embedded in Chris’s approach to leadership. Recess encourages employees to pursue classes, tutorials, outside projects, freelance opportunities, and emerging tools such as AI. Rather than expecting every creative professional to develop in the same way, Chris recognizes that people bring different strengths and encourages continued learning both inside and outside the agency. Pasted textHis passion for development also comes from his experience teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art and community college. That same philosophy now appears in Recess Creative’s rolling internship program. Interns are treated as members of the professional team and given opportunities to participate in real brainstorming sessions, client projects, pitches, and presentations rather than being relegated to administrative work. Three former interns have become full time employees, including Recess Creative’s creative director, who began as an intern 11 years ago. Pasted text Pasted textChris also speaks candidly about the personal cost of entrepreneurship. During the early years, balancing young children, teaching, and building the agency forced him to make choices about where to invest his time. Today, part of his definition of success is being able to be present for his team when he is working and present as a father when he is home. Building the right team has been critical to making that possible. Pasted textUltimately, Chris says business ownership requires belief, hunger, passion, energy, continual learning, adaptability, and even a little bit of “delusion.” Owners have to believe they will find a way through difficult periods while remaining willing to learn and evolve as technology, their people, and the marketplace change. Pasted textKey Episode NotesThe accidental entrepreneur: Chris grew up around entrepreneurship through his family’s restaurant in Western New York, where his first jobs included bussing tables and washing dishes. He later studied photography and design, worked in education and agencies, and eventually realized he wanted to combine small agency culture, big client work, and creative freedom. Pasted textBuilding beyond yourself: One of Chris’s biggest lessons has been surrounding himself with talented people who share the vision. His growth as a leader required recognizing when someone else was better at something and giving that person the freedom to own it. Pasted textLearning cannot stop: Chris encourages formal and informal education, experimentation with AI, outside projects, freelance work, and personal brand development. Learning is not limited to company directed training. Pasted textInternships should provide real experience: Recess Creative's philosophy is essentially “make art, not coffee.” Interns work on actual client projects and can participate in pitches and presentations. Chris sees the relationship as mutually beneficial because young professionals receive experience while the agency benefits from their fresh perspective and energy. Pasted text Pasted textFailure is part of development: Chris views failure as necessary to learning and success. Rather than protecting interns from meaningful work because they may fail, Recess gives them opportunities to participate in professional projects where their ideas may either be discarded or make it all the way to senior client decision makers. Pasted textDevelop leaders over time: Three former Recess interns are now full time employees. One progressed all the way to creative director after joining the company as an intern 11 years earlier. Chris’s own mentoring role has consequently changed because that creative director now develops newer members of the team. Pasted text Pasted textLeadership requires selective transparency: Chris discusses protecting employees from some of the pressures owners experience. Business can be a roller coaster, with a major win in the morning ...
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    25 min
  • We Built It Bigger. Then We Built It Better

    We Built It Bigger. Then We Built It Better
    Oct 15 2026
    In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Victor Huynh, cofounder and CEO of Ready Artwork, shares what more than 22 years in business have taught him about learning, adapting, and staying relevant through constant change.Victor and his cofounder Emily started Ready Artwork almost accidentally. Both had full time jobs when freelance design projects began piling up. Eventually, they decided they were young enough to take the risk, make mistakes, and go back to traditional employment if the business failed. Pasted textTheir original business centered on graphic design, packaging, branding, and print. When the financial crisis brought business nearly to zero, they were forced to reinvent themselves. They recognized an opportunity between technology focused web companies that lacked design expertise and designers who lacked technical expertise. That became Ready Artwork’s next evolution. Over time, the company continued adding and removing services as the market changed until it found another sweet spot serving technical B2B and industrial companies. Pasted textThat pattern of reinvention became one of the central themes of the conversation. Victor describes Ready Artwork’s 22 year journey in one word: pivoting. Rather than viewing change as an interruption to business, he sees the ability to change as fundamental to surviving in business. Pasted textVictor also discusses the latest major disruption facing his industry: AI. He compares the current transition from traditional search to AI driven answers with the earlier transition from search engines such as Yahoo and AOL to Google. While the technology feels revolutionary, Victor believes businesses that have lived through previous digital shifts recognize a familiar pattern. The platform changes, customer behavior changes, and companies have to learn how to become relevant within the new environment. Pasted textThe conversation also explores how AI is changing talent and development inside agencies. Work that was previously outsourced can increasingly be completed with AI, which means Victor believes agencies must move toward higher level strategy and become even more human centered. Technology can handle more execution, but he sees human relationships, judgment, guidance, and communication as increasingly important differentiators. Pasted textVictor shares another important learning point from his partnership with Emily. Early in the company, they were both doing essentially the same creative work. Victor eventually made the difficult decision to step away from the creative work he loved and focus on sales and client relationships while Emily concentrated on creative and production. That division allowed each founder to develop a distinct role and helped accelerate the company's growth. Pasted textEven after decades in business, Victor continues having to challenge his own preferences. One example was remote work. Although both founders prefer working in the office, Victor realized the company needed to become more flexible. After trying hybrid work and finding that managing it created additional complexity, Ready Artwork moved toward remote work while maintaining office space for employees who want it. Pasted textVictor ultimately brings the conversation back to the lesson that has defined his entrepreneurial career: business owners have to embrace change. His answer to what it takes to be a business owner is simple: pivot, adapt, and recognize that refusing to change eventually means being left behind. Pasted textKey Episode NotesPrimary theme: Learning and DevelopmentStrong secondary themes: Adaptability, continuous learning, AI, business evolution, cofounder dynamics, specialization, changing workforce expectations, remote work, human connection.Victor’s business journey: Freelance graphic design → print and branding → financial crisis → websites → SEO → digital advertising → B2B industrial specialization → AI driven marketing evolution. Pasted textBiggest Learning and Development takeaway: Learning is not presented as formal training. Victor’s story demonstrates organizational learning through continuous experimentation, recognizing when something no longer works, developing new capabilities, abandoning services that are not a fit, and changing individual roles as the company evolves.Strongest founder lesson: Victor had to stop doing creative work he loved so that he and Emily could develop complementary roles. He moved toward sales, relationships, and company direction while Emily focused on creative, production, and strategy. Pasted textStrongest current business insight: AI may make lower level execution easier and cheaper, but Victor believes that increases the importance of strategy and human connection rather than eliminating them. Pasted textSignature answer: What does it take to be a business owner? Pivoting and embracing change. Victor says that is the essence of business because, “If you don’t ...
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    22 min
  • Growth Creates Problems. Strategy Creates Scale.

    Growth Creates Problems. Strategy Creates Scale.
    Oct 8 2026
    Eddie DeAngelis’s story is ultimately about learning through experience and becoming a different kind of leader as the business grows. He began more than 30 years ago selling imitation perfume and cologne in Northeast Philadelphia, eventually building retail and wholesale operations, spending nearly two decades in screen printing and embroidery, and later transitioning into commercial finance. Pasted textA major theme throughout the conversation was Eddie’s willingness to acknowledge what he did wrong for years. In his earlier businesses, he believed he needed to touch everything himself: every large sale, client relationship, order, and decision. Looking back, he believes his inability to delegate kept those companies from growing beyond roughly $2 million in revenue. Learning to build a team rather than remaining at the center of everything became one of his biggest leadership lessons. Pasted textLearning & Development NotesHiring is part of development. Eddie said his earlier approach was essentially to find someone quickly, hire them, put them to work, and expect them to learn as they went. QualiFi now treats hiring as an actual process, using multiple interviews, multiple perspectives, prepared questions, assessments, and post interview feedback. His lesson is that investing more time before hiring dramatically improves what happens afterward. Pasted textYou cannot develop motivation into someone who does not have it. Eddie admitted that he used to retain underperformers for 12, 18, or even 24 months because he believed he could eventually motivate them. One of his biggest lessons was recognizing that motivation has to come from within. Leaders can train, support, coach, and create opportunity, but the employee has to want it. Pasted textDevelopment does not stop after onboarding. QualiFi now provides six to eight weeks of structured training. Eddie and his daughter created the training manual, and they use interactive tools such as Kahoot to keep people engaged. After formal training ends, employees continue receiving significant management support. Eddie described having three sales managers supporting 19 sales representatives and still feeling that additional support could be valuable. Pasted textListening is part of leadership development. Eddie contrasted his current leadership style with the traditional CEO who dictates how everything should be done. He now sees tremendous value in listening to employees who are closest to customers, partners, and day to day operations. QualiFi intentionally tries to create a culture where everyone has a seat at the table and can challenge something that is not working. Pasted textCulture became real to him only after seeing a larger organization operate. Eddie said that five years earlier he would have considered culture little more than a buzzword. His experience after his prior brokerage was acquired exposed him to a larger corporate environment with departments, managers, systems, processes, and a deliberate focus on people. That experience heavily influenced how he later built QualiFi. Pasted textGreat people can materially change a small company. One of Eddie’s strongest observations was that just two excellent hires can change the trajectory of a small business. He has watched highly motivated employees and managers elevate not only performance but even his own energy and thinking as the owner. Conversely, two poor hires can pull the organization in the opposite direction. Pasted textAdditional Business LessonsEddie repeatedly connected people development to systems and processes. His philosophy today is to look at each component of the company almost as its own business. Hiring has a process. Onboarding has a process. Training has a process. The client journey has a process. He recommends mapping the customer's experience from the first point of contact through the final outcome and continuously improving each stage. Pasted textHe also emphasized client experience as a competitive advantage. One lesson he carried forward from former Nav Technologies CEO Greg Ott was to continually focus on the client experience. Eddie's takeaway was that when a company builds a great product, makes customers happy, improves its process, and gets incrementally better, financial results become a byproduct. Pasted textTechnology is another component of development and scale. QualiFi has used API integrations and other technology to turn processes that once required multiple people and 15 to 30 minutes into tasks that can now happen in roughly a minute. His point was not that technology replaces people, but that the right technology allows good people and good processes to perform significantly better. Pasted textSignature Question: What Does It Take to Be a Business Owner?Eddie’s answer centered on resilience.He connected his ability to navigate entrepreneurial chaos to his childhood experience growing up in a family affected by addiction. He believes those ...
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    37 min
  • Reverse the Process: Turning an Industry Problem Into a Business

    Reverse the Process: Turning an Industry Problem Into a Business
    Sep 3 2026
    In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Boris Zhukov, Co-Founder and CEO of LetYouKnow®, shares how his background in economics, statistics, and mathematics helped him build a marketplace designed to reverse the traditional buying process.Boris explains that his vision goes beyond simply making car buying more convenient. His goal is to shift transactional power toward consumers, allowing them to research the market, determine what they are willing to pay, and instantly discover whether a seller will accept their offer. Convenience and eliminating negotiation are benefits, but Boris repeatedly emphasizes that they are byproducts of the larger objective: empowering consumers to take control of transactions and save money.The conversation also explores the strategic challenge of getting dealerships to participate in a model that initially appears to compete with their existing sales. Boris explains that LetYouKnow was intentionally structured to provide incremental business rather than replace a dealer's normal sales channels. Dealers establish hidden pricing thresholds that operate automatically, allowing transactions to occur without manually reviewing individual bids. The platform also generates demand data from unsuccessful bids, which businesses can use to evaluate pricing and potential demand.One of the larger strategic themes of the episode is building for expansion from the beginning. Boris says LetYouKnow intentionally started with automotive because of its complexity. By solving for a difficult industry first, the company could create infrastructure capable of expanding into restaurants, hotels, storage, services, and potentially virtually any other industry without continually rebuilding the underlying system.Boris also discusses how the company's strategy has evolved since 2019. One significant lesson came from initially expecting dealerships to actively manage their pricing within the system. He eventually concluded that this was neither feasible nor desirable. Feedback from dealership owners, including some who became shareholders, pushed the company toward creating a hands-free, automated system instead.That feedback also revealed an opportunity Boris had not originally anticipated: the value of unsuccessful bids as demand data. Rather than seeing only completed transactions, businesses could potentially understand transactions they could have had at different price points and use that information to improve pricing decisions.The discussion ultimately moves from process management into leadership. Boris says one of the skills he had to develop was recognizing individual team members' strengths and weaknesses and positioning people accordingly. He credits much of LetYouKnow's evolution to surrounding himself with experienced business owners, shareholders, and advisors who could challenge assumptions and contribute practical expertise.When asked what it really takes to be a business owner, Boris identifies optimism, perseverance, hard work, honest evaluation of progress, and the willingness to keep solving difficult problems. Rather than viewing obstacles as evidence that something is going wrong, he argues that genuinely difficult problems can be evidence that a company has reached the frontier where meaningful innovation happens.Key Episode NotesCore theme: Process Management / StrategyMajor discussion points:Boris's economics, mathematics, and statistics background became foundational to building LetYouKnow's marketplace and matching methodology.His motivation is not simply eliminating an unpleasant dealership experience. He wants consumers to control transactions and get better deals instantly.LetYouKnow's model is designed so businesses establish hidden thresholds rather than manually accepting or rejecting individual bids.Boris views the platform as a source of incremental business, rather than a replacement for a company's existing sales process.Missed bids create valuable demand data by showing businesses transactions that potentially could have occurred at other prices.The long-term vision extends beyond automotive into restaurants, services, hospitality, storage, nonprofits, and other industries.Boris uses opportunity cost as a framework for strategic decision-making and expansion.Starting with automotive was intentional because solving for a complicated industry created infrastructure that could later support simpler industries.A major operational pivot was moving away from expecting dealerships to continually manage their own pricing toward creating a largely hands-free system.Dealer and shareholder feedback became an important source of product and process innovation.Boris learned that leadership requires understanding people's individual strengths and putting them in positions where those strengths can produce the best results.He believes meaningful progress should be measured over longer intervals rather than expecting visible results every day.Difficult ...
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    39 min
  • More Than a Great Pitch: Building a Business That Lasts

    More Than a Great Pitch: Building a Business That Lasts
    Aug 27 2026
    Matt Kovacs, President of Blaze PR, joins Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes to discuss what happens behind the scenes of building and managing a successful PR agency. Drawing on more than two decades in public relations, Matt explains how Blaze has built processes that provide structure while allowing the team to remain nimble in an industry where the media landscape, technology, and client needs are constantly changing.Matt’s approach to process management starts with communication rather than rigid systems. Blaze uses regular Monday and Thursday team touchpoints, client meetings, timelines, and software to keep campaigns moving, but Matt emphasizes that effective processes also require understanding what team members and clients are experiencing. The agency views itself as a partner and counselor to its clients rather than simply an order taker.One of the central themes of the conversation is the balance between repeatability and adaptability. There are proven PR fundamentals, such as press releases, press kits, and media training, but Matt says those fundamentals must continually evolve. He points to AI as an example: rather than eliminating the need for PR, changes in AI and large language models are creating new considerations around how information is structured, distributed, and discovered. His team therefore has to continually learn while proactively creating new opportunities for clients.Strategy at Blaze begins by understanding the client's actual business objective. Matt's team asks whether the client is seeking investment, preparing for an eventual sale, building its brand, increasing sales, or pursuing another goal. From there, they map PR activity around launches, trade shows, seasonal opportunities, retail initiatives, and other important business moments. The objective is to ensure they aren't simply "doing PR for PR's sake," but connecting PR activity to meaningful business outcomes.Matt also discusses the importance of giving employees genuine ownership. Rather than requiring every idea or process improvement to originate with leadership, Blaze incorporates the experiences and perspectives of its team. Matt describes the company as "all our worlds," rather than his alone, and believes people should feel that their decisions matter.That philosophy has also allowed Matt to move away from being the decision maker for everything. After working together for years, his core team has developed the judgment and confidence to make decisions independently. Instead of focusing only on completing PR tasks or securing individual pieces of coverage, Matt teaches employees to think about each client's business as though it were their own and ask how their work can contribute to the client's larger objectives.The conversation closes with Matt's broader perspective on business ownership. For him, success isn't primarily about finding shortcuts or pursuing growth at all costs. It's built through "all the little things": remembering people's names, treating people well, being direct, doing the work, and investing in relationships. Those lessons trace back in part to his father, a third-grade teacher who emphasized the Golden Rule.Episode Notes & Key TakeawaysBuild structure without eliminating flexibility. Processes should create consistency while leaving room for teams to react to changing circumstances.Communication is part of the process. Blaze uses short, consistent team touchpoints to reset priorities and keep everyone connected.Start strategy with the business objective. Before deciding what tactics to use, understand what the client is actually trying to accomplish.Don't create processes simply because you can. Systems should support the strategy and ultimately affect the business.Create the newness. In a rapidly changing industry, waiting for the next opportunity isn't enough. Matt believes agencies have to continually generate fresh ideas.Give employees decision-making confidence. Matt doesn't believe everything should require his approval. Trust develops when people understand the business, clients, and reasoning behind decisions.Teach people the "why," not simply the task. Blaze encourages team members to understand why their work matters rather than simply completing a checklist.Think beyond transactions. A single PR placement may be useful, but Matt's focus is on long-term brand building, validation, and business impact.Relationships remain foundational. Even as technology changes PR, Matt believes knowing people, remembering details, and treating them well still creates lasting value.There are no sustainable shortcuts. Business ownership requires consistent work and attention to details that can easily be overlooked.Memorable Quotes"The kiss of death of any agency is, 'Well, you didn't do anything new.'"— Matt Kovacs"It's not my world, it's all our worlds."— Matt Kovacs"We want participants, not hostages."— Matt Kovacs, referencing Mike Tomlin"I don't need to sign off on ...
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    20 min
  • The Anti Agency Blueprint for Business Growth

    The Anti Agency Blueprint for Business Growth
    Aug 20 2026
    Jason Yormark shares how more than 30 years in marketing, including work with major organizations such as Microsoft, ultimately led him to entrepreneurship and the creation of Socialistics. For years, Jason felt like a “square peg in a round hole” professionally and wanted to build something of his own, but the perceived security of a traditional paycheck kept him from making the leap.Rather than abruptly leaving his career, Jason intentionally built a runway. He developed momentum while still employed so that entrepreneurship would be a calculated transition rather than a blind leap. When his final traditional job ended, he committed fully to Socialistics. He credits overcoming fear and committing wholeheartedly as important pieces of eventually building a seven figure business and creating greater freedom in his life.Key Takeaways and Discussion NotesBuild a runway before taking the leap.Jason's approach to entrepreneurship centered on mitigating risk. He didn't believe starting a business had to mean immediately abandoning financial security. He built momentum first, creating a stronger foundation before committing full time.Know what kind of business you actually want to build.From the beginning, Jason wasn't interested in simply maximizing revenue. He wanted a business built around relationships, freedom, culture, and meaningful work. That meant accepting that Socialistics might grow more slowly or remain smaller than an agency focused purely on maximizing revenue.Learn to say no.One of Jason's biggest lessons as a business owner has been learning not to accept every opportunity simply because it generates revenue. Early businesses sometimes have to take work they might later decline, but the goal should be reaching a position where the company can deliberately choose the right clients and relationships.Client retention can matter more than client acquisition.Jason deliberately prioritizes long term client relationships instead of operating a “churn and burn” agency model. His philosophy is that choosing the right work and creating mutually beneficial relationships produces deeper partnerships, stronger culture, and a more fulfilling business.Freedom is a business objective, not just a personal benefit.Freedom is Socialistics' number one core value and central to Jason's definition of success. His team is evaluated on the quality of their work and their commitments rather than where, when, or exactly how long they work. Socialistics doesn't even use traditional time tracking, despite the additional challenges that creates when measuring profitability.Build a company that doesn't depend entirely on the owner.Jason was advised early that if he ever wanted the option of selling his company, the business couldn't depend on him. Finding Joanna, his Director of Operations, allowed him to intentionally remove himself from much of Socialistics' day to day operation.Hire for what can't easily be taught.Rather than concentrating primarily on technical skills, Jason looks for what he calls “untrainable traits,” including communication, emotional intelligence, authenticity, and genuine care for other people. Tools and technology can be taught. Those foundational characteristics are much harder to manufacture.Make employees feel like they're building the company with you.Jason wants team members to feel ownership in the business rather than simply seeing themselves as employees. Profit sharing, compensation, autonomy, and culture all support that philosophy.Eliminate friction wherever possible.Jason describes one of his core business philosophies as eliminating the things that interfere with winning and retaining great customers and great employees. That can mean reconsidering long term contracts, workload expectations, traditional agency practices, and anything else that makes it unnecessarily difficult for people to say yes or remain committed.Don't optimize revenue at the expense of the business you wanted to create.Jason acknowledges that Socialistics could potentially make more money with a higher volume, higher churn model. Instead, he deliberately protects capacity so his team has room to think creatively about existing clients. He's comfortable with a potential $3 million to $5 million ceiling if that allows him and his team to maintain the lives and culture they want.Niche down, and sometimes sub niche even further.Jason sees trying to be everything to everybody as one of today's biggest entrepreneurial mistakes. Socialistics eventually focused specifically on nonprofits, and he argues that newer service businesses may benefit from narrowing even further. Becoming highly specialized helps a company cut through competitive noise and establish itself as an authority.Business planning requires commitment after the decision is made.Choosing a niche or strategic direction isn't enough. Jason stresses that business owners need to stay the course rather than continually abandoning their strategy ...
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    21 min
  • From Vision to Execution: What It Really Takes to Build a Business with Glen Fields

    From Vision to Execution: What It Really Takes to Build a Business with Glen Fields
    Aug 6 2026
    In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Glen Fields, CEO and Co-Founder of Big Deal Agency in Greenacres, Florida, to discuss how strategic business planning, accountability, and measurable results have fueled the growth of his agency.Glen shares his unconventional path to entrepreneurship, beginning with his work at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and later transitioning into public relations during the early days of digital advertising. Recognizing that online advertising would become the future of marketing, he made the difficult decision to leave a traditional PR firm and launch Big Deal Agency after his vision for digital marketing wasn't shared.The conversation explores how Glen built a results-driven agency focused on transparency and ROI instead of vague marketing promises. He explains why he abandoned the traditional retainer model in favor of a billable-hours approach, allowing his agency to eliminate scope creep, improve profitability, and better manage both client expectations and employee accountability.Throughout the discussion, Glen emphasizes that business planning isn't just about creating goals, it's about building systems that support sustainable growth, measuring performance, adapting when necessary, and having the courage to make difficult operational changes.The episode concludes with Glen's thoughts on what truly separates successful entrepreneurs: passion, resilience, patience, and the ability to learn from failure without allowing setbacks to define the future.Key TakeawaysSeeing Opportunity Before Everyone ElseGlen recognized the potential of digital advertising long before it became mainstream. His willingness to act on that vision ultimately led to the creation of Big Deal Agency.Results Should Always Be MeasurableOne of Glen's guiding principles is that marketing should never rely on hope or vague promises. Every client should understand exactly what they're paying for and the results they're receiving.Business Planning Evolves with GrowthAs the company expanded, Glen realized that his original retainer model no longer supported sustainable growth. Transitioning to a billable-hours model improved profitability, reduced burnout, and created clearer expectations for clients and employees.Scope Creep Can Destroy ProfitabilityAllowing unlimited client requests under a fixed retainer created operational challenges. Tracking billable hours provided an objective way to manage additional requests while maintaining healthy client relationships.Leaders Need to Understand Their BusinessGlen believes founders should understand every major function of their company, especially during the early growth stages. Learning different aspects of the business allows leaders to better estimate workloads, coach employees, and make informed decisions.Accountability Builds TrustWhether managing employees or clients, Glen believes accountability begins with measurable expectations and complete transparency.Never Be Afraid to Ask QuestionsFor business owners hiring outside experts, Glen encourages asking questions until you fully understand where your money is going.Passion Comes Before PlanningBusiness planning matters, but Glen believes successful entrepreneurs first need genuine passion for solving a real problem in a better way than what's currently available.Failure Is Part of Business OwnershipEntrepreneurs should expect setbacks and develop the resilience to move past them without allowing one failure to affect future opportunities.Memorable Quotes"Marketing and advertising has to come with accountability and results.""People actually pay for results. People understand what they're getting.""Nowadays, I'm running my agency like a law office.""It's your money. If you don't understand what that money's being spent for, then the agency's not doing their job.""Don't be intimidated by the marketing lingo.""Learn how to do it." (Advice to founders about understanding every function of their business.)"Have passion for what you're doing.""If you believe that you can deliver quality work faster, cheaper, or just much better than others, then that's your cue to get started.""That's not a recipe for success." (On starting a business simply because others are doing it.)"Business ownership is so much about failure.""Seven failures out of ten gets you into the Hall of Fame.""Every client is now your boss.""Take the joy of the little successes that you have, and build on them."
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    25 min
  • Building Luxury Experiences That Scale

    Building Luxury Experiences That Scale
    Jul 30 2026

    In this episode of Business Owners Tell All: What It Takes, Jamie Seeker sits down with Nikita Khandheria, Founder and CEO of ERIA, to explore how thoughtful business planning has fueled her entrepreneurial journey from launching her first venture as a teenager to building one of Northern California's fastest-growing hospitality and experiential brands.

    Nikita shares how she discovered entrepreneurship at a young age, the pivots that shaped her career, and why she believes successful founders should focus less on rigid plans and more on having a clear long-term vision with the flexibility to adapt along the way.

    Throughout the conversation, she discusses evaluating opportunities, choosing mentors, budgeting during different stages of growth, and building a business around meaningful experiences rather than simply providing services. She also explains her personal "Compass Method," a planning framework that starts with defining the life she wants decades into the future and then working backward to make today's decisions.

    Whether you're launching your first company or scaling an established business, this episode offers practical insights into strategic planning, decision-making, and building a business that aligns with your long-term vision.

    Episode NotesIn this episode, you'll learn:
    • How Nikita's entrepreneurial journey began with nonprofit clinics before entering hospitality.
    • Why she believes every successful entrepreneur should embrace pivots instead of fearing them.
    • How buying out investors and reinventing her business ultimately led to the creation of ERIA.
    • Why planning should provide direction without becoming restrictive.
    • The importance of evaluating opportunities based on long-term goals instead of short-term excitement.
    • How she determines which mentors and advice are worth following.
    • The role of reinvestment during high-growth phases of a business.
    • Why flexibility is one of the most valuable business planning skills.
    • The "Compass Method" she uses to make major business decisions.
    • Advice for entrepreneurs creating their first business plan.

    Key Takeaways
    • Business plans should evolve as the business evolves.
    • A clear long-term vision makes short-term decisions easier.
    • Great opportunities are measured by alignment, not excitement.
    • Reinvestment priorities change as a company matures.
    • Flexibility allows businesses to adapt without losing momentum.
    • Experience design is ultimately about creating lasting emotional connections.

    Memorable Quotes"I'm in the business of making life a little bit more fun.""You only live once. I want to experience everything.""It's about taking the next step forward and taking the step that gets you closer to where you want to be.""When you're good at what you do, the next steps will automatically come in front of you.""Why take learnings from someone who isn't where you want to be?""I know exactly where I want to end up. I just need to figure out how to get there.""Business planning isn't about having every answer. It's about knowing your direction.""When you're growing, you're reinvesting a lot more than when you're in a steady state.""I try not to set too many hard rules because sometimes the best opportunities require you to pivot.""The experiences people remember are the ones that make them feel something."
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    30 min