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Mark Rollins

There are 30,000 insurance brokers in the US.  How do you stand out?  Offer something different…duh!  Mark Rollins talked with me about not only creating a solution that stands out in the marketplace, but also about doing business that aligns with your passion.  While on a trip with his son to Nicaragua, Mark realized that there was more to life than making the almighty dollar.  Continuing with this, he started to get involved more and more with non-profit organizations that made a difference in the lives of others.  Out of this passion, he started NonProfit Guard: a division of the Rollins Insurance Agency.  It is here, that Mark is able to fulfill his passion of helping those that have a passion for helping others.  You can read more about them on their blog.

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Shennandoah Diaz

Ok, we sensationalalized just a bit.  CRAP does stand for something, but you will have to listen to hear and find out. Shennandoah owns Brass Knuckles Media and shared with us some keys we need to know as small business owners as we look at branding.  To find out more about Brass Knuckles Media, you can visit them on their website.http://www.brassknucklesmedia.com

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Wende Curtis

We had a great time talking with Wende from the Comedy Works.  Not sure we stopped laughing the whole time.   Wende must be one of the hardest workers in comedy.  She not only owns two locations here in Denver, but helps comics from coast to cost.  Wende was a joy to get to know, and we know that you will learn a ton from this interview.  One of the best ones we’ve done!

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Nick and Johnny talk with Scott and Jessica from The Northern Maine Distilling Company from Houlton, Maine, makers of Twenty 2 Vodka.  We also talk with Kevin Selvy who started Crazy Mountain Brewery in Vail, CO, who brew about 10 different beers.

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Forrest Pickett

Have you ever had your computer go down due to a virus?  How do you protect it against all the junk out there?  Forrest Pickett, owner of a Fast-Teks franchise in Denver joins us today to teach us what we need to do to protect one of our most valuable tools in small business…our computer.  In this Small Business Access, we talk about fire walls, anti-virus, and what can happen if you don’t do the right things.  If you need someone to help you FAST, call Forrest and his techs at Fast-Tek here in Denver at 303-221-FAST (3278).

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John Walske

Today we spoke with John from the Zappos Insight team.  This interview is a little different than what Nick and Johnny usually do, but we felt it was a must do interview for small business owners.  These guys at Zappos are really doing it right.  They have this commitment to customer service like no other business we’ve seen, and we learned a ton from John on what we need to do in our businesses to provide great customer service. 

Zappos is a little different place to work…it really is like family.  We read Tony Hsieh’s (Zappos’ CEO) book called Delivering Happiness, and we convinced that they are doing a lot of things right.  Zappos is a huge company, but their story is something all small business owners can relate to.  It started with an idea.  There were tons of struggles along the way.  In the end, they created a behemoth company that got bought out by Amazon, but the things they learned along the way are great for us all.  Visit them at www.zappos.com.

We are launching a new series of interviews via our podcast stream called Small Business Access.  These interviews will be comprised of industry experts on a wide variety of topics from marketing to accounting, and all will be less than 20 minutes in length, but all specifically created for the small business owner.

As business owners, we all wear many hats, but where do you learn how to do all these things?  We want to provide you with some resources.  As of right now, subscribe to our podcast feed so you don’t miss any of the interviews.  Eventually (maybe in about a month) we will launch a page on our site where you will be able to find all the podcasts in an easy to search directory. 

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Walter and Patrick Hessert

This week we spoke with Walter and Patrick, two brothers on a mission to encourage and motivate true small businesses across the country.  They bought an Airstream trailer and are driving the country to hear their stories, tell their stories, and to give out grants. 

Meeting business owners in small towns across America, they have really spoken to some of the most exciting businesses that are working in their passion.  They told us about the folks about Perky Jerky and Ink Monstr in Denver, a brewery in Austin, TX, a cigar company in Montana, and a ton of others. 

We learn about them outside the business as well in our Getting Naked Section:  where are they from, what’s hard about being on the road, relationship status (which got interesting), and their best pick up line…”I’m Walter, and I live in a trailer.”

On the business side, they shared with us their unique ability to fund their road trip business.  With a 90% closing ratio, they have been able to obtain a ton of sponsorships…over $150,000 to date. If you want to follow Patrick and Walter’s adventure, check out their website, but we will be checking in with these brothers from time to time as well.

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The 5 areas to grow your business today without spending big bucks

Today, we talked with Larry Turner of Roundhouse Advisors about growing the bottom line.  It has everything to do with sales.  But how do we do that?  Larry would say it takes going to see them, focusing on the ones you have, and having good employee communications.  Listen to this podcast to find out some great tips on increasing your sales…if that’s important to you.  I think it’s crucial. 

Larry Turner owns Roundhouse Advisors does a lot of things, but when it comes down to it, they help businesses make more money.  Visit them at their website:  Roundhouseadvisors.com or call Lary at 719-481-2812.

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Nigel Clayton

Today I talked to a friend of mine that helped me realize what success looks like.  I think it was about 4 years ago, Nigel asked me what would I do I money wasn’t an issue?  What would I do if I won the lottery and could just do what I wanted? 

Today I talked to him about what you need to be successful, and I believe this is the key.  We get all these notions of what we are suppose to do.  What our parents want us to do.  What society says we should do.  But I believe that God has created each and every one of us to be unique, and to be used for a certain purpose.  If we can figure out what that is, I believe we are well on our way to discover what true success looks like.  If you want to get in contact with Nigel, you can visit him at www.nigelclaytoncoaching.com