Eyes in the Sky: Flying Lion

Barry Brennan and Steven Katz built Flying Lion around a simple but ambitious idea — put drones in the sky to protect people on the ground. They pioneered a “drone as first responder” business for private security and commercial operations. It was a niche few were willing to bet on, but Barry went …

Who You Work With: Multi-Axis Technologies

Daisy Kelly and Jay Simpson met working at Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos. When they decided to start Multi-Axis Technologies — a machine shop in Kent, Washington — they used personal savings to purchase secondhand machines and sign a five-year lease before they had a sing…

Built to Keep Going: Elon Elezra

Elon Elezra moved to Alabama for college and never left. A gig fixing iPhones in his dorm room turned into running storefronts for the largest reselling platform in the world, doing roofing repair, and buying real estate. He spent years treating every venture as a classroom, seeing a lesson in ever…

The Hat That Changed Everything: Siegelman Stable

Max Siegelman had a logo before he had a brand — borrowed from his father's harness racing stable, Siegelman Stable. The logo felt like it was meant to be on a hat, so when the pandemic hit, Max put $600 down and started making them. No outside money, no rapid scaling. He funded each production run…

BONUS: How Small Businesses Endure for Generations

How do some small businesses stand the test of time? In today’s mini episode, Maya talks with Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of “The Unshakeables” podcast, about what helps businesses endure across generations – from adaptability and grit to a deep connection with their communities.…

Ninety Years of Noodles: Borgatti's Ravioli & Egg Noodles

Christopher Borgatti learned the business from his father. His son, Christopher, learned it from him. Since 1935, four generations of Borgattis have been rolling pasta in the same Bronx shop through the Depression, through WWII, through changing neighborhoods, through the internet age and through a…

Unravel, Rebuild, Repeat: OSOMTEX

Patricia Ermecheo always knew she would build something. She just didn’t know what — until she saw mountains of discarded clothing headed for landfills. When she couldn’t find a way to break textiles back down into usable fiber, she built one. That company became OSOMTEX. But building a solution no…

The Refugee Who Led a Software Revolution - with Ben Walter

Millionaire-making tech start-ups are most often associated with Silicon Valley. But this software revolution begins on a woman’s kitchen table in rural Britain in the 1960s. Steve Shirley faced extraordinary odds. After escaping Nazi Germany as a child, she later encountered workplace discriminati…

Is AI Here to Help You Grow, Build, or Replace Your Business?: Live from SXSW

Everyone's talking about AI. In boardrooms, in government and around the kitchen tables — it's everywhere. But what does it actually mean for small businesses, and how are they using it to get ahead?   Recorded live at South by Southwest, Ben and Kathleen are joined onstage by Oz Woloshyn — journ…

Who’s Running the Shop?: Gretna Machine Shop

Nubia Perez had a plan for her life — marry abroad, raise trilingual kids and build something global. But when her father fell ill, Gretna Machine Shop needed her more than her plans did. The family business was suddenly without direction, and Nubia stepped in to put out fires. But the business did…