How I Built My Small Business
Anne McGinty
2025 Communicator Award of Excellence in the Educational Series category2024 + 2025 People's Choice Podcast Awards Finalist Nominee x 2Named "One of the Best Business Podcasts" by RamseyIn 'How I Built My Small Business,' we explore real-life entrepreneurship and building a meaningful, balanced life. The show’s guests (diverse in industry, experience, and background) open up about the real stories behind building a business: the wins, the mistakes, and the values that shape their choices.This is not a business show focused on the numbers of the game. It’s about the founder’s journey and their way of thinking. If you are looking for a show that talks about top line, bottom line, profit margin, and mainly financial info… this is not the show for you. While you’ll find some episodes in Season One (and sporadically thereafter) that include financials, the host’s interest is more in the human(s) behind the business.Sometimes an episode is a masterclass, other times it’s an honest, heart-opening connection between two people. There’s always curiosity, growth, and learning through storytelling… with a sprinkle of life wisdom.Every guest has started a business at some point in their journey, and the line-up includes a 50/50 split of women and men.Whether you're a founder, dreamer, curious individual or lifelong learner, I hope each episode makes you think or leaves you with at least one spark that inspires your own path or broadens your perspective.Thank you for listening. Let’s learn together.My Website: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcginty/Behind-The-Scenes: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 29, 2024 • 44min
Jack Brewster - How NEWSREEL is Tackling Misinformation in Today’s News Landscape
Let's dive into a topic that affects all of us - how cellphones, social media, and AI are fundamentally reshaping the way we consume news and engage in politics.Jack Brewster is the Founder and CEO of Newsreel, an app designed to make news more accessible for young people and those that are digitally exhausted. As a Fullbright scholar in Germany, he researched how young people consume news and how journalism can adapt to these changing behaviors. He is also the Enterprise Editor at NewsGuard, which rates the credibility of news sources and works to combat misinformation in media.Before founding Newsreel, Jack was a reporter at Forbes Magazine, where he covered politics and online extremism. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, VICE, Fortune, and Newsweek. Jacks’ reporting has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNN, and The Washington Post. Connect with Jack Brewster:Jack Brewster on LinkedInTry Newsreel hereNewsreel on InstagramPodcast recommendations from Jack:Plain English with Derek ThompsonUp FirstThe DailyA Balanced News Diet from Jack (Both Liberal and Conservative):AxiosAMThe Rundown - an AI newsletterMainstream Conservative - The Dispatch, The National ReviewTortoise - British media publication Nate Silver’s substackIf you’re looking for a new news diet starting point, UpFirst gives the headlines in a succinct mannerSubscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Oct 22, 2024 • 31min
Jason Feifer - Unlocking Opportunity with ENTREPRENEUR Editor-in-Chief
Jason is the Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine and is widely recognized as an authority on business and adapting to change. He's the author of the bestselling book Build for Tomorrow, host of the Help Wanted and Problem Solvers podcast and has been named a "Top Voice in Entrepreneurship" on LinkedIn. With decades of experience in national media, Jason has held editor roles at Men's Health, Fast Company, Maxim and Boston Magazine and has written about business and technology for the Washington Post, Slate, New York Magazine and many more.Connect with Jason Feifer:Twitter: @heyfeiferInstagram: @heyfeiferFacebook: @heyfeiferLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jasonfeiferWebsite: jasonfeifer.comNewsletter: jasonfeifer.com/newsletterSubscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Oct 15, 2024 • 49min
Ana Homayoun - Why Traditional Success Is Outdated: ERASING THE FINISH LINE
Ana Homayoun shares insights gained from over two decades of working with young people.Ana is the founder of Silicon Valley-based Green Ivy Educational Consulting and the executive director of Luminaria Learning Solutions, a non-profit focused on developing executive functioning skills in classrooms. She’s the author of four books, including her latest, Erasing the Finish Line: The New Blueprint for Success Beyond Grades and College Admissions, which highlights the essential skills students and young adults need to thrive.As an academic advisor and early career development expert, Ana blends executive functioning, technology, and personal development, working directly with students, schools, and global organizations. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Fast Company, and NPR.Connect with Ana Homayoun:www.greenivyed.com www.anahomayoun.comwww.luminarialearning.orgSubscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Oct 8, 2024 • 41min
Duran Morley - No College? No Problem. 17 year old started VANSPEED instead.
Today, we're joined by Duran Morley, an action sports enthusiast who has built a thriving business centered around adventure living. Duran is the founder and CEO of VanSpeed, a company that converts sprinter vans into recreational vehicles for adventure-seeking customers. College wasn't the right path for Duran, and he found that he learned best by doing. At just 17 years old, he opened the Van Mart, an e-commerce store selling van accessories. That venture has since snowballed into a full-scale, eight-figure annual revenue sprinter van conversion business, customizing vehicles not only for recreational use but also for mobile business opportunities. And he's only 24.Duran has taken the outdated 1980s RV design and transformed it into something modern, efficient and visually appealing. As an avid surfer, motorcyclist and camper van traveler, duran is the end user of his own products. His work has been featured in American Iron Magazine, hot Bike Magazine, roadkill Magazine and Hot Rod Magazine.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Oct 1, 2024 • 57min
Sophie Milliken MBE - From UNKNOWN TO UNFORGETTABLE: A Blueprint for Every Business Owner!
Sophie Milliken is a remarkable entrepreneur and leader with contributions that extend far beyond business. She co-founded City Ladies Networking, chairs the UK Charity Smart Works Newcastle, and serves as a Founding Ambassador for Every Child Needs a Mentor. Her dedication was recognized in 2023 when she was awarded an MBE by the Order of the British Empire for her services to Business and Education.Sophie founded SRS Recruitment and Employability in 2013, successfully scaling it before selling in 2019. Now, as the Founder and CEO of Moja Group, an award-winning modern PR agency, Sophie continues to break new ground.She is the host of the popular podcast Beyond The Bio which consistently ranks on the UK marketing podcast chart. Sophie has written two best-selling books, with a third on the way titled From Unknown to Unforgettable: How to Build a Personal Brand that Goes Beyond the Bio. Connect with Sophie! Buy Sophie's latest book From Unknown to Unforgettable LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/sophie-milliken Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/moja_sophie/Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Sep 24, 2024 • 43min
Harshal Chokhawala - ZYMOCHEM’s Game-Changing Bio-Based Materials: Affordable and Sustainable!
Today we have Dr. Harshal Chokhawala chatting with us about starting a biotech company. Harshal is the CEO and Co-Founder of Zymochem, which he founded in 2015 and recently celebrated a major milestone by closing a Series A funding round in January this year.As a speaker at the SynBioBeta conference in San Francisco and the Rethinking Materials conference in London, he is passionate about about bringing sustainability to everyday materials and reducing humanity's dependency on plastic. After hearing that microplastics can be carried through the placenta from mother to baby, Harshal doubled down on his mission to bring breakthrough technology products to everyday materials. Zymochem recently introduced Bayse, a biodegradable, bio-based super absorbent polymer that can be used to make diapers, the third-largest item in landfills. He aims not only to tackle the hygiene industry, but coatings, textiles, and plastics.Zymochem has partnered with well-known including Toyota and Lululemon.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Sep 17, 2024 • 30min
Kimi Chadwick - Beyond the Pumpkin Patch: CRAVEN FARM’s Journey of Innovation and Growth
Kimi Chadwick chats with us about running a pumpkin patch without any farming experience! Kimi is the co-owner of Craven Farm, winners of the Best of Snohomish County two years in a row. She and her husband are incredibly savvy business owners who are utilizing vertical integration in nearly all aspects of their business, including a fleet of in-house concessions and floral design. It's no surprise that on the day of our interview, they closed on the purchase of Whitewall Brewing Company, a local brewery that had been considering shutting down. They will be able to breathe new life and energy into the brewery, while also expanding on their existing offerings by possibly bringing Whitewall Brewery to their farm. Kimi is smart, yet incredibly humble, and I absolutely love her and her husband's innovative business approach.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Sep 10, 2024 • 34min
Collin Hathaway - Private Equity Perspective: Secrets to Scaling from Small to Mid-Sized
Collin Hathaway shares strategies for scaling small businesses to mid-sized enterprises.Collin is the founder of Skylight Capital, a micro-private equity investor that acquires companies in the U.S. with $500,000 to $4m EBITDA. As part of his journey, he founded Flint Group, a collection of seven small residential home service businesses in HVAC and plumbing across five states, more than doubling revenue in four years. In 2017, he bought into ownership of Guardian Roofing in Western Washington and has tripled business within seven years. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and in 2017 was awarded Puget Sound Business Journal’s Top 40 under 40. In his free time, he volunteer coaches his son’s select baseball team.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Sep 3, 2024 • 26min
Sandi Carter - No College? No Problem. From 22 to NZ’s "Beauty Salon of the Year" at 25
Sandi Carter calls in from New Zealand to share her story starting a skin clinic. Sandi is the founder CEO of Blush Skin Clinic, which she started in 2017 at the age of 22. Just three years later, she won a prestigious national award "New Zealand's Beauty Salon of the Year," which also landed her a feature in the national newspaper, the New Zealand Herald. At just 29 years old, she now has two locations one on the North Island, in Whangarei, and one on the South Island in Christchurch. Her world-class spa uses state-of-the-art technologies with proven life-changing skin results. Just peruse the fascinating procedures with before and after results on her Instagram page and you will see how passionate she is about skin health.Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
Aug 27, 2024 • 1h 1min
Jak Wonderly - Becoming a NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Photographer
Today we have Jak Wonderly in the studio chatting with us about his journey to becoming a National Geographic photographer. Jak is an award-winning commercial and editorial photographer based in Northern California. His remarkable work has been featured in esteemed publications such as Smithsonian Life and the New York Times, with over a thousand images in the National Geographic Image Collection and contributions to more than 25 National Geographic books. Wonderly's photography captures the beauty and complexity of the natural world. He achieved first place in the prestigious Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition and has had his work exhibited in several museums. A passionate advocate for conservation, Wonderly has lectured on conservation photography at Stanford University and the California Academy of Sciences. Through his lens, Jak not only documents the world but also inspires action to protect it, making him a significant figure in both the artistic and environmental communities. Subscribe on Apple Podcast , Spotify or YouTube.Let’s connect!Subscribe to my newsletter: Time To Live: Thriving in Business and BeyondWebsite: https://www.annemcginty.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemcgintyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/annemcgintyhost
