Every marked moment from 50 conversations

Getting started

52 moments. Where the founders came from, and how each business got its start.

The first customer or location

10 moments. The first sale, the first order, the first door opened.

14:30

Landing the Rockfish/WPP acquisition deal out of the gate, giving the new firm instant credibility

Ep. 49 · Jim Smith & Rebecca Hurst, Smith Hurst, PLC

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19:02

Landing the manufacturer, the $30,000 first order, and pallets in the garage

Ep. 48 · Sarah Autry, Stephanie Peters and Garrett Peters, Duncan & Stone Paper Co.

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8:30

Opening Table Mesa

Ep. 25 · Carl Garrett, Table Mesa Restaurant Group

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15:00

Launching Mamaka's first ever location in Fayetteville

Ep. 14 · KK Goodwin, Mamaka Bowls

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30:00

First year emotions

Ep. 14 · KK Goodwin, Mamaka Bowls

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26:45

Landing the first enterprise customer and proving ROI

Ep. 10 · Tanner Green, Ox

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15:45

The 40-day challenge: How they launched their first location

Ep. 7 · Sam Russell, The Buttered Biscuit

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24:10

Lessons learned from early operational mistakes

Ep. 7 · Sam Russell, The Buttered Biscuit

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30:00

Opening the original location

Ep. 4 · Jordan Wright, Wright's BBQ

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30:00

Pool house beginnings

Ep. 3 · Blake Hanby, City Title

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Money

6 moments. How the money works: raising capital, taking a loan, and staying out of debt.

Buying a business

9 moments. Buying a company, buying into one, or buying one back.

Hiring, team and culture

23 moments. Building a team, leading it, and the culture it works in.

Growing

46 moments. Scaling, more locations, new products and new markets.

Hard years

9 moments. Recessions, COVID and a decline, filed only where the chapter itself names the hard years.

Family and succession

10 moments. Family businesses, working with a spouse, and handing a company on.

What's next

30 moments. Where each company is headed, and the plans to get there.

About the company

77 moments. What each company does, how its trade works, and what sets it apart.

More moments

34 moments. Chapters not filed to a stage, by episode.

306 moments

Got a drive?

Getting started

Their competitive edge: relationships, not the firm name, 738 files moved in two weeks

Origin story: Sarah's stationery side hustle and the pregnancy prayer cards

Garrett quits his job to go all-in on the company

Steve's origin story: choosing philosophy/theology over law, and eventually founding Cornerstone with Tom Addington.

"A man with a testimony is never at the mercy of a man with an argument", on overcoming the "age barrier" as a young coach.

The llama business and other early entrepreneurial swings before construction took over

How a physical therapy student became a CPG marketer: the curiosity pivot that launched a 20-year agency and brand career

College project turned company

Why is Are building in NWA?

Are's other companies (Thumbplay, Tapad)

Origin of Simmons Foods (Bill Simmons)

KenzKustomz origin story

T.J.s background

Afraid of taking risks?

Starting Zweig Group

Starting a Business in NWA

Starting Sage Partners

Starting Hanna's Candle Company

Charley's background in the trades

How Carl found his way into hospitality

Joe’s origin

Founding RMP

The origins of High Street

Launching Bennett CRE

Leaving corporate to start Gratsy

Building a home-based startup

Early beginnings: high school gigs, gear collecting, and church events

Founding avad3

The origin of Fowlco: three friends, one pit blind, and a whole lot of passion

Origins of Mamaka Bowls

The Origins of Generations Bank in Harrell, Arkansas

Humble beginnings and the philosophy behind their design approach

Marlon’s unconventional path from Bible salesman to architect

Early struggles: job-hunting with $7 in your pocket

Tanner’s early entrepreneurial ventures and passion for technology

How Charu’s research led to the founding of Ox

How Children’s T.E.A.M. began: Two founders, one mission

Building careers in pediatric therapy and answering the community’s call

Carter’s background in finance and the early inspiration for AcreTrader

The vision behind Buttered Biscuit: identifying a market need

From corporate America to hospitality: Sam’s transition

Starting Onyx: the early days, purpose, and creative drive

Humble beginnings in Augusta, AR

Career in healthcare, managing nursing homes, and shifting leadership models

Early days of Collier & Associates

Starting Wright's BBQ

The early days

Blake’s Springdale roots

Leaving a stable job to start City Title in 2011

Growing up in Fayetteville

The Colorado trip that inspired Feed & Folly

Founding the principles of Harvest Group

The first customer or location

Landing the Rockfish/WPP acquisition deal out of the gate, giving the new firm instant credibility

Landing the manufacturer, the $30,000 first order, and pallets in the garage

Opening Table Mesa

Launching Mamaka's first ever location in Fayetteville

First year emotions

Landing the first enterprise customer and proving ROI

The 40-day challenge: How they launched their first location

Lessons learned from early operational mistakes

Opening the original location

Pool house beginnings

Money

Raising capital for expansion

Raising the 1st Fund

Aversion to debt

Building Natural Capital to keep opportunity in Arkansas

Raising venture capital in Arkansas: Challenges and lessons learned

Raising venture capital outside of Silicon Valley: Myths vs. reality

Buying a business

How Alex got his start: the "crazy young guy" who approached Miss Hunt at Sage, bought a landscaping company with an SBA loan, and doubled revenue in year one

Buying the family business

Acquiring Backwoods Adventure

Polymath Acquisition + Growth Season

Buying back Zweig Group

Acquisitions