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In this episode, Dr. Jeff Rickon sits down with Martin Estill — serial entrepreneur, former Chief Revenue Officer, and SCORE Houston volunteer mentor — for an in-depth conversation about how to start, grow, fund, and scale a small business.

With 30+ years of real-world experience across oil & gas, software, retail, and B2B marketing, Martin breaks down the exact mistakes most entrepreneurs make — and what to do instead.

In this episode you'll learn: ✅ How to write a business plan (and why most people skip it — and fail) ✅ Where to get funding for your startup — from your own pocket to angel investors & venture capital ✅ How to get your first customers using referential sales (without paying for ads) ✅ The #1 mistake new entrepreneurs make going from idea to execution ✅ How to build a sales & marketing strategy that actually works ✅ When and how to scale your business and delegate effectively ✅ How to find a business partner and structure equity deals ✅ How to sell or exit a business for maximum value ✅ Why SCORE mentoring is the best-kept secret for small business owners

🕐 Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction

03:00 – Martin's background in oil & gas entrepreneurship

07:00 – The 3 biggest mistakes small business owners make

12:00 – How to write a business plan

18:00 – How to fund your business (funding hierarchy explained)

25:00 – How to get your first customers (the bullseye model)

32:00 – How to scale, delegate & sell your business

38:00 – How SCORE mentoring works & how to get free help

Let us know what you think of this episode. What subjects you would like us to cover in next episodes.

Give your comments at https://scorehoustonpodcast.blogspot.com or write to pv.bala@scorevolunteer.org. Let us know what you like of this episode and suggest subjects on which you wish to know more.