Behind the Counter

Send us Fan MailOne social media post can change your life, especially when the thing you’re posting is a tray of custom cookies you’re convinced are “hideous.” We talk with Eva Armenta-Ketchell, the woman-owned force behind Sweet Cheeks Bakery in Farmington, New Mexico, about how royal icing experiments turned into nonstop demand, a loyal local following, and custom cookie orders shipping far beyond the Four Corners.Eva walks us through what custom decorated cookies actually require: a true multi-day workflow, drying time to prevent color bleed, and the constant balance between soft cookies and icing that will finally set. We also get into the tools and tech that make modern cookie art possible, including edible printing for logos and detailed designs, plus the creative problem-solving needed when customers request themes you’ve never heard of.We keep it honest on the business side too: why Instagram and Facebook marketing works and why posting can feel like creating more work, how she tracks orders without losing her mind, and why “staying small” can be the smartest growth strategy when quality matters. If you’re building a local business, a cottage bakery, or any creative side hustle, this conversation is packed with practical lessons and a refreshing dose of reality. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves small business stories, and leave a review with your dream cookie theme. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailA hardware store that’s lasted since 1946 has to be more than a place to grab a bolt. Sitting down with Evan Noel of Noel's Inc. in Farmington, New Mexico, we get into the real reason certain small businesses become permanent fixtures in the Four Corners: they earn trust one customer at a time, then protect it with consistency. Evan shares how he grew from working in the store as a teenager to leading a third generation, family-owned hardware business built on advice, problem solving, and relationships that span decades.We talk candidly about what modern retail feels like from the owner’s seat: customers who want expert help but also want the lowest possible price, the constant pressure from online shopping, and why word of mouth still matters in a relationship-driven community. Evan explains why being out on the floor matters for leadership, how customer service becomes a competitive edge against big box stores, and what it takes to sell solutions across a huge product mix that ranges from industrial supplies to homeowner tools.Then we go behind the scenes into operations and growth. Evan breaks down the time sink of paperwork, ordering, payroll, benefits, and compliance, plus the pain and payoff of switching ERP software to support better logistics and distribution. We also dig into a challenge many small retailers recognize instantly: major brands often hold the power on margins and support, and small businesses have to fight to be heard. The conversation closes with what success looks like next, including employee retention, sustainable growth, and expanding distribution beyond San Juan County and the Rockies region.If you care about small business, customer experience, leadership, or the future of local retail in Farmington and the Four Corners, this one is packed with practical insight. Subscribe, share this with a business owner you respect, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailA lot of people think running a plumbing company is all wrenches and water lines, but the real test starts when the job is done and the paperwork begins. We’re joined by Jason Judah, owner of Creative Mechanical Solutions Plumbing (CMS Plumbing) in Aztec, New Mexico, to talk about building a trusted trade business in the Four Corners and what it takes to compete when bigger names have bigger budgets.Jason shares how he got his start in plumbing in Phoenix, why he came back home, and what surprised him most once he became the owner. We dig into the unglamorous reality of estimates, commercial bids, scheduling crews, and setting up systems so the office side doesn’t drown the field work. He also breaks down how a plumber has to think mechanically and plan ahead, from stocking the right materials to handling code-heavy commercial projects.Because this is a rural market, we also talk septic system installation, leach fields, high water tables, environmental permits, and when above-ground berm systems come into play. Jason explains what marketing works in a small town, why word of mouth is everything, and how a smaller local contractor can beat big chain plumbing companies by being faster, more flexible, and more personal. We close with hard-earned lessons on pacing growth, branding, hiring and training, and why the skilled trades still offer one of the clearest paths to a strong living without a college degree.If you like honest small business stories and practical advice for contractors, subscribe, share this with a friend in the trades, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a disaster-response leader gets pulled back home by a family tragedy and suddenly has to run a deeply regulated health care company that shows up in people’s living rooms instead of a clinic? That’s the heart of our conversation with Vince Moffitt of Basin Health Companies, the locally owned provider serving Farmington and communities across Northwest New Mexico with home health care, hospice, and caregiving. We get real about what “keeping seniors at home” actually requires: clinical standards, caregiver training, patient goals, and a documentation burden so strict that a small mistake in a chart can have massive consequences during a CMS audit. Vince also explains how breaking out of organizational silos and leaning on state and national associations helped drive a full cultural shift and earn five-star home health outcomes. Then we dig into the money and policy forces shaping care, including Medicare reimbursement cuts and the growing influence of Medicare Advantage plans. Vince shares why denials and minimal approvals can leave patients without meaningful therapy, and why advocacy in Santa Fe and Washington, DC is not optional if communities want sustainable home-based care. We also touch palliative care expansion, rural health care logistics, and the unique cultural realities of serving Navajo Nation families with respect and clarity. If you care about aging in place, hospice support, rural health care, or how local businesses survive in a world of national chains, listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailFarmington’s streets are a living portfolio of local work, and Ram Studios has quietly shaped that look for 36 years. We sat down with Mike and Monica Mordecki to hear how a family-owned sign company goes from one early job and pure word of mouth to producing everything from vinyl decals and vehicle wraps to monument signs, pole signs, and major rebrands across the Four Corners.We get specific about what “making signs” actually means: scheduling installers across a 250 to 300 mile radius, lining up digs and concrete, managing travel, keeping crews productive, and navigating permits and municipal regulations that can change from town to town. They also share why administration often becomes the real engine of a successful custom signage business, and how they’ve had to evolve their systems and project management software as their workload and complexity grew.The conversation moves into the modern sign industry, where CNC routing, robotic letter systems, LED message centers, and subscription-based software have replaced the older hand-painted world. One of the most useful takeaways for any business owner is their marketing lens: a sign is advertising, and advertising goes invisible when it never changes. We also talk about the hardest part of leadership, the challenge of employees, and the long-game lesson of building a life that includes time away from work.If you care about small business, local branding, and what it takes to grow in Farmington NM and the Four Corners region, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a local owner who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailA lot of people think custom engraving is just pushing a button on a laser. Then you meet Bonnie Cummings, owner of Third Axis Custom Engraving in Farmington, New Mexico, and you realize the real craft is equal parts creativity, technical mastery, and staying power when life gets heavy. She shares how she starts with crystal engraving that creates 2D and 3D images inside blank crystals, then steadily expands into laser engraving on all kinds of materials, metal engraving, and full-color sublimation printing. We dig into what it takes to grow a home-based small business in the Four Corners area: multiple moves, the overhead squeeze, and the double shock of construction plus COVID. Bonnie explains why cutting fixed costs can be the difference between closing and continuing, and how she builds a customer-first approach that turns first-time buyers into people who call back years later because they remember how she made them feel. You’ll also hear the unglamorous truth behind personalized gifts and one-of-a-kind awards: pixelated logos, rushed deadlines, hours of image editing, and the importance of deposits and pricing your time. Bonnie breaks down why you’re not selling “materials” as much as you’re selling experience, design judgment, and the ability to run expensive equipment reliably. We wrap with her advice to other entrepreneurs: keep going one step at a time, learn something new every day, and let systems free you up to focus on the people and the meaning behind the work. If you enjoy stories about local business, customer service, laser engraving, crystal engraving, sublimation, and real-world entrepreneurship, subscribe, share this with a creative friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailA family restaurant can feed a town, but it also ends up raising it. We’re joined by Carrie West, third-generation owner of The Spare Rib BBQ in Farmington, New Mexico, for a candid talk about what it takes to protect a legacy while stepping fully into modern small business ownership in the Four Corners. From the early days of the shop to taking over “for real” with payroll, taxes, and nonstop responsibility, Carrie explains how the job changes when the risk has your name on it. We get into the practical side of running a successful barbecue restaurant: ordering and inventory, equipment upgrades that reduce stress in the kitchen, and why staying consistent matters more than chasing constant change. Carrie also shares the mindset that keeps her steady when the cooler breaks or the day goes sideways, plus the leadership lesson many owners learn late: your mood sets the tone, and your tone becomes the culture. Along the way, we talk customer service and community support, watching families grow up as regulars, and the “country wisdom” that keeps the team grounded in roots and gratitude. Carrie also hints at future plans, including the possibility of a pickup window, while staying committed to the same clean dining room, friendly service, and quality food people remember when they come back home. If you care about family-owned restaurants, restaurant management, and what makes local businesses last, hit play, share this with a friend who loves BBQ, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailOpportunity doesn’t always announce itself; sometimes it looks like a rent hike that forces you to choose who you really are. We sat down with Clay Jaqua, owner of 505 Motorsports in Farmington, to unpack how a near-crisis became the catalyst for a smarter move, stronger numbers, and a clearer lane. Clay’s story runs from a 20-year-old dad asked to leave college, to fourteen formative years in a Ford store, to a Dairy Queen detour that sharpened his love for the car business. Along the way he built a community-first dealership with a showroom of classics and performance gems, and a lot tuned to a $15–20K sweet spot that actually matches how locals buy.We dig into what most people get wrong about selling cars: it’s not the metal, it’s the options, the financing, the trust, and the follow-through. Clay lays out why small, nimble operations can adapt faster than big lots, how to pivot without losing your brand, and how to use consignment and bank relationships to make deals frictionless. He shares the mindset shift from “get rich quick” to “build slow, protect the downside,” plus the unsexy habits that create staying power: own your building when you can, avoid overextension, and let small margins add up. In a small town, reputation is oxygen—fix what you can, don’t duck hard conversations, and put people over the policy when it really counts.We also talk creative marketing that actually works. Clay’s viral social videos aren’t slick; they’re genuine, funny, and unmistakably local—proof that a clear voice beats a big budget. For owners chasing discoverability, we cover local SEO, Google Business Profile basics, and why consistent YouTube walkarounds plus TikTok and Instagram Reels can lift brand search for terms like “505 Motorsports,” “Farmington used cars,” and “classic cars Farmington.” Finally, Clay opens up about freedom, family, and a new bourbon venture—Burnt Tavern—as the next chapter in staying curious without overreaching. If you’re building a resilient business in a volatile market, this conversation is a field guide: stay open to opportunity, make risk survivable, take care of your people, and keep your sense of humor.Enjoy the episode? Follow, share with a friend who’s building something, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat does it look like to build a business after the kids leave home—and turn it into the heartbeat of a local running community? We sit down with Jeri Hogue, owner of Southwest Runners, for a candid conversation about risk, resilience, and the long game of showing up when no one else does. Jerry shares how a seventh-grade PE nudge became a lifelong passion, why her husband’s steady support mattered when the tears came, and how a small decision—hosting a twice-weekly trail run—grew from a family jog into a 45+ person crew.We dive into the realities most small business owners recognize: wearing every hat from buyer to bookkeeper, learning the unique tastes of a town like Farmington, and competing with the ease of online shopping. Jeri walks through practical lessons on fitting shoes to prevent injury, keeping runners on the trails safely, and creating an experience the internet can’t match. She also opens up about identity and confidence—how entrepreneurship turned an introvert into a coach who guides first marathons and cheers big life changes, from weight loss to new PRs.There’s momentum ahead, too. Jeri and Southwest Runners are partnering with Tonique Racing to support Hood Mesa trail events with 5, 9, and 15-mile options, plus brand partners like Brooks, Saucony, and Mizuno stepping in to elevate race day. The bigger takeaway: success has shifted from chasing profit to building trust, health, and community—mile by mile. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start, or how to anchor a brick-and-mortar shop in a digital world, this story will meet you right where you are.If this resonates, follow the show, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a quick review—what risk will you take this week? Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show

Send us Fan MailWhat does it take to turn a family pub into a community anchor that thrives on and off-site? Louie McMullen, co-owner of Clancy’s Pub, opens up about the long game: honoring a legacy that began in 1978 while building a modern operation that wins at events, navigates complex liquor laws, and keeps a small town coming back for more. From the first days serving under his parents to signing the paperwork, Louie explains how ownership sharpened his decision-making, filtered risky ideas, and turned a controversial bet—a 20-foot mobile bar trailer—into a profit engine that paid for itself in a year.We walk through the hidden skill set of hospitality leadership: studying special dispenser permits to outmaneuver confusion, training a team of 57 to stay compliant as rules shift, and designing a customer experience that outshines the menu’s wild range—sushi, tacos, burgers, and steak alongside live music and wildly popular Singo Thursdays. Louie shares why consistency is everything, how “A1 emergencies” start with skipped details, and the routines that keep a high-volume restaurant from tipping into chaos. He also gets candid about fear of back-office logistics and how the right people made it manageable without losing sight of the numbers.The heart of Clancy’s is culture. We talk benefits uncommon for local restaurants, including a 401(k), team trips to food shows, and a genuine safety net when life falls apart. Quiet giving—funeral meals, donations, shelter support—has built deep trust, and partnerships like the Farmington Civic Center liquor contract now function like a second business line. Looking ahead, a mobile kitchen will extend Clancy’s reach to big events and oilfield jobs, while the five-year vision stays grounded: be the place people feel at home across the Four Corners.If you care about small business growth, restaurant realities, and how community-driven brands scale without losing their soul, this story will stick with you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves hospitality, and leave a review with your favorite takeaway. Be sure to follow or subscribe!  And, if you're a local business owner who'd like to be featured - or know someone whose story should be told - get in touch at [email protected] show is brought to you by Strategic Horizons Consulting (a division of Ken Collins Marketing).Support the show