Mind The Business: Small Business Success Stories

In this very special episode, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Jannese Torres have a powerful discussion with the winners of the Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program. These incredible entrepreneurs will give valuable insight into how their businesses supports, and receives support from, the community around them. From founder of Dank Burrito, Clarke Merrell's heroic work providing food in the wake of natural disasters, to The Baby Pantry's founder, Chlorey Campbell, and her important mission to bring safety and security to newborns who need it most, to Victoria Chantel's altruistic and inspiring work creating and running The Botanical Bar, you'll hear the inspiring true stories of how the success of a local business raises the quality of life of everyone around it. And you'll hear about Austin and Jannese's own journeys to empower their communities as well, in addition to learning how to nominate a business for future grants from the Intuit QuickBooks and Mailchimp Small Business Hero Program. Don't miss it! Visit intuit.com/heroprogram to learn more about the program or nominate a small business hero to win a grant and other resources to help their business thrive. To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing your business can sometimes be harder than getting started. In this episode hosts Jannese Torres and Austin Hankwitz share their own experiences regarding professional growth and then chat with Christy Lee who founded a Chicago-based marketing agency called Seventh House Marketing. Christy was able to do what few others have done and actually scale a business in a historically unscalable industry. You'll get her insider tips on how she grew strategically - by making targeted moves and even scaling her business downward so that she could position herself to spring back up higher than before. This episode is filled with pointers, advice, and uplifting stories. Check it out!To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For episode 3 hosts Jannese Torres and Austin Hankwitz are talking to the 3 co-founders of Sensori, an exciting company in the skyrocketing non-alcoholic beverage industry. Shanna Watkins, Ashlyn Knox, and Darean Rhodes are three good friends who dove headfirst into a fast moving market with a culture-changing product, but it hasn't been easy. From looking for the captial needed to get started in the first place, to a truck filled with an important shipment getting stuck in a ditch, and other crises big and small, we'll hear their riveting stories and discuss how small business owners can adapt to and overcome everything that gets thrown at them. Packed with practical advice as well as inpiration, this episode is a must-listen for entrepreneurs everywhere!To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time managment is the theme of our second episode as hosts Austin Hankwitz and Jannese Torres talk about their strategies for maximizing the hours in a day. Then we sit down with Anna Cobb, the founder of Rejuvenation, who turned a harrowing near-death experience into a passion for healthy energy alternatives that has bloomed into a thriving business. You'll hear about how she harnesses her own time management using AI and other strategies to keep her ventures growing, and come away with tricks of the trade that you can use too. You definitely don't want to miss it!To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the first episode of Season 4, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Jannese Torres sit down with Pabel Martinez who created Plurawl, an app that uses AI to help people overcome negative thoughts and remake self-care in their own words - literally. They'll talk about the power of artificial intelligence as an augment for human touch in everything from the daily duties of business to automating mundane tasks. We'll talk about positive workplace culture, becomming our best selves, and using AI to help with all of that and more in the small business world and beyond. To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey entrepreneurs! Your favorite hosts Jannese Torres (Yo Quiero Dinero & Financially Lit!) and Austin Hankwitz (Rate of Return & Rich Habits) are back for Season 4 of “Mind the Business: Small Business Success Stories", brought to you by iHeartMedia’s Ruby Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.  This time around, we're diving deep with more exciting small business owners at the cutting edge of their fields. We'll be discussing overcoming challenges and celebrating successes – as well as practical takeaways from utilizing AI, to automating services, to time management, and all the other things that come with being your own boss. Join us for another inspiring season to hear from the entrepreneurs themselves how they’ve found their success, and learn about the grit, elbow grease, and know-how required to get your own business off the ground – and how QuickBooks on the Intuit platform can help, all in one streamlined place.  Listen to new episodes every other Thursday beginning December 4th and discover what it takes to run a business that not only survives, but thrives! To learn more about how you can outdo it with Intuit QuickBooks, visit: quickbooks.com/mtbSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hitting plateaus is a common milestone in business, but there’s a difference between stability and a rut. In the last installment of this season, we’ll dive into the ways small business owners push beyond plateaus and find new ways to achieve revenue growth. Jannese and Austin wrap up their time in Nashville, Tennessee with a wonderful visit to  N.B. Goods to speak with owner Camille Alston. Camille details the times where she hit a wall with profits, the strategies she implemented to increase revenue, what worked, what didn’t, and the important lessons she learned in the process. You won’t want to miss this informative final chapter! Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building a thriving business isn't always about rapid expansion. When should you hit the accelerator on growth, and when should you pump the brakes? Jannese and Austin are in Nashville, Tennessee to talk with Taku Zhou and Sibusiso Ajayi of TKZ Architecture LLC to explore this crucial entrepreneurial crossroads. The duo shares candid insights from their journey building TKZ Architecture, revealing the moments they knew it was time to scale – and importantly, when it wasn't. They discuss how they balanced the allure of growth against the need to strengthen their foundation through refined workflows, established protocols, and market positioning. Tune in as we unpack the strategic decision-making that goes into sustainable business expansion and learn the telltale signs that you're ready for growth and how to execute that transition successfully. Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI isn't about replacement – it's about enhancement. Austin and Jannese travel to Tampa, Florida to meet Alexa Kritis Mancuso, founder of Alexa Kritis Events, who reveals how she masterfully blends artificial intelligence with the personal connection essential to event planning. Discover how Alexa shares how she leverages AI platforms to handle routine tasks as well as showing clients how she can bring their creative visions to life. Like QuickBooks, there’s a perfect combination of AI-driven processes and human expertise that can help free up your time to make more money and focus on the things that matter.  Whether you're AI-curious or AI-cautious, Alexa explains how to harness this technology to boost your bottom line while creating deeper connections with your customers.   Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our second installment of the Small Business Starter Kit series - we’re tackling a topic that’s sometimes tricky, sometimes confusing, but ever-present: taxes. Hosts Austin and Jannese have an insightful conversation with entrepreneur Isabella Rosal who started 7th Sky Ventures, an exporter and distributor of craft spirits, beer, and wine. Having lived and worked in two different countries and started a company in a heavily-regulated field, Isabella is no stranger to navigating the paperwork-laden and jargon-infused maze of properly understanding taxes for a newly formed small business. Join us as she shares her story and provides valuable insight into how to tackle your business’ taxes - so they don’t tackle you.    Learn more about how QuickBooks can help you grow your business: QuickBooks.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.