Scaling Smartly | Brian Smith

In this powerful episode of Business Story of the Week, Shaahin Cheyene chats with Brian Smith, founder and CEO of Strategy Ladders, a company that helps B2B service businesses scale rapidly and sustainably.  Brian shares his 17-year entrepreneurial journey filled with high growth, setbacks, and valuable lessons. From weathering the impact of COVID on his ventures to building a business that frees founders from the grind of sales, operations, and management, Brian offers actionable insights on smart scaling, choosing the right partners, and taking bold risks when it counts. If you want to unlock explosive growth for your business, this episode is for you!

In this dynamic episode of Business Story of the Week, Shaahin Cheyene talks with John Tillman — a seasoned entrepreneur who has built and sold multiple businesses across industries, from retail to tech.  John shares his rollercoaster journey: how he faced near-bankruptcy, overcame fear, and found resilience to rise again. Hear about his current ventures — the uplifting feedback platform BeKinder and the visionary Entrepreneurial Hall of Giants — and get valuable insights on turning ideas into action, focusing on vision, and conquering fear of failure.  This episode is packed with inspiration for entrepreneurs at every stage!

In this inspiring episode of Business Story of the Week, Shaahin Cheyene sits down with Gloria Flora — a pioneering landscape architect, permaculturist, and founder of the US Biochar Initiative. Gloria shares her remarkable journey from leading roles in the US Forest Service to creating transformative nonprofit organizations that protect public lands and promote sustainability.  Discover how she turned personal sacrifice into opportunities for change, and learn how targeted communication and integrity can amplify your mission.  This is an episode filled with wisdom for entrepreneurs, changemakers, and anyone passionate about sustainability and resilience.

In this episode of Business Story of the Week, we sit down with Jeff Holman, founder of Intellectual Strategies, to explore how he's transforming the traditional legal model through Fractional Legal Services. Jeff shares how working alongside CEOs and CFOs taught him that most law firms don’t deliver what startups and small businesses truly need — and how he’s fixing that. We dive into how his firm provides scalable, right-time legal support to innovators, empowering entrepreneurs to focus on building their vision while Jeff’s team takes care of the legal complexities. He also opens up about a personal mindset shift, the importance of action in conquering fear, and how podcasting has become a key strategy for reaching new audiences. Whether you’re a founder, creator, or small business owner, this episode will leave you inspired to innovate with confidence.

In this episode of Business Story of the Week, host Shaahin Cheyene sits down with the dynamic and trailblazing Jackie Lapin, a true serial pioneer. From becoming one of the first female sports writers in America before age 22 to leading a top-tier sports PR agency and later pivoting into spiritual authorship and podcast marketing — Jackie has reinvented herself time and time again. Now, she's on her most personal and passion-driven mission yet: The Historic Traveler, a global platform and community for lovers of history, books, travel, and storytelling. Jackie shares her journey through failure, transformation, and building meaningful impact by doing what she loves. Whether you're a business founder, creator, or someone navigating your next chapter — Jackie's story offers not just inspiration but also tangible wisdom on resilience, strategic pivots, and purpose-driven living.

In this compelling episode of Business Story of the Week, Shaahin Cheyene sits down with Dr. Scott Dell—a seasoned entrepreneur, CPA, academic, and AI advocate who’s spent decades straddling both the traditional and the bleeding edge of business. From selling vacuum cleaners and cars to teaching students the power of success skills in the AI age, Dr. Dell’s journey is as diverse as it is inspiring. He opens up about: Navigating ethical challenges in sales Why AI is as transformative as the Gutenberg Press His philosophy on “learning experiences” vs. failure How to engage in today’s noisy digital world using LinkedIn The importance of lifelong learning and just taking action Whether you're a business leader, student, or tech enthusiast, this episode is packed with gold nuggets that will shift your perspective on business, technology, and personal growth.

In this powerful episode of Business Story of the Week, we sit down with Rafael McMaster, founder of Indivisible Arts, a nonprofit that is changing the narrative around mental and emotional health through creativity and consciousness. Rafael shares the origin and evolution of Indivisible Arts, how his team uses art to teach youth fundamental life tools, and the upcoming launch of the Emerging Consciousness Broadcast Center—a revolutionary digital platform designed to make mental health resources accessible to every struggling teen, no matter where they are. He gets real about the challenges of fundraising, the impact of community-driven marketing, and the single most important lesson he teaches and lives by: You are not your thoughts. This episode is a wake-up call for creatives, educators, and anyone looking to empower the next generation through awareness, art, and action.

In this inspiring episode of Business Story of the Week, we sit down with Cathy Fyock, The Business Book Strategist, to talk about why writing a book isn't just a dream—it's a bold strategy to grow your business, brand, and thought leadership. With over a decade of experience coaching professionals and thought leaders, Cathy shares her journey from corporate teams to solo entrepreneurship, the lessons she learned the hard way, and how her latest book Writer Crisis Hotline is helping authors around the world get unstuck. If you've ever thought, “I should write a book…”, this episode will spark that fire. Cathy gives practical, motivational insights on how to think bigger, how to start, and why your story matters. Whether you're an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, or creative, this conversation will remind you: your book could be your biggest business card.

What happens when a Harvard-trained mind scientist and a systems engineer with corporate battle scars team up? You get a revolution in how we understand people—and how businesses communicate with them. In this powerful episode of Business Story of the Week, we sit down with Dr. Howard Moskowitz, a pioneer of mind genomics, and Tim Morford, tech visionary and business strategist. They reveal their decades-long journey creating AI-driven systems that personalize messaging, predict consumer behavior, and even improve medical compliance—all before it was cool. From early failures and corporate skepticism to the modern power of generative AI and LLMs, Howard and Tim share how timing, persistence, and purpose-driven innovation turned their vision into a movement. Whether you're in tech, marketing, healthcare, or education, this episode will stretch your thinking on how storytelling, science, and software can change the world. Plus, hear how their work is shaping the future of child education, healthcare outreach, and small business marketing—with no two messages ever being the same.

In this week's Business Story of the Week, meet Joe Kavanagh — a seasoned entrepreneur and real estate veteran with over 45 years of business experience. Joe opens up about his biggest wins, his most painful failures (including the 2008 crash that wiped out half his real estate empire), and how he turned his setbacks into fuel for launching a powerful coaching business. Now thriving as a mentor to entrepreneurs, Joe shares unfiltered insights on the value of hiring coaches, investing in yourself, and the mindset shift needed to survive tough times and come out stronger. Whether you're just starting out or rebounding from a hit, Joe’s story is proof that you can rebuild — and come back even better. #JoeKavanagh #businessstoryoftheweek #BSOTW #ShaahinCheyene #PodcastCola #RealEstateJourney #EntrepreneurCoach #CrashAndComeback #CoachingSuccess #InvestInYourself #VeteranEntrepreneur #RebuildYourBusiness #MindsetMatters #BusinessResilience #LearnFromFailure #HireACoach #CoachTheCoach #RealEstateVeteran #BusinessStorytelling #PodcastInterview #BSOTWGuest