Built By Doing

Built By Doing

What does it actually take to build a successful business? Built By Doing explores the real stories behind entrepreneurship. Hosted by David Alan, founder of David Alan Clothing, and Stan Kleja, the show pulls back the curtain on the journey of building a business. After starting his career in medical sales, David took the leap into entrepreneurship and built a custom fashion brand that styles professional athletes, celebrities, and leaders across industries - including clients like John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Each episode shares the lessons behind building something real.

Episodes

Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Get Easier. The Problems Just Change.

September 7, 2026 • 25 mins
Does entrepreneurship ever actually get easier? Year one is hard. Year five is hard. Year ten is hard. The difference is why. In Episode 28 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja break down how the challenges of entrepreneurship change as a business grows — from fighting to survive in the early years to learning how to lead people, delegate responsibility, manage multiple companies and decide which opportunities are ...
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Our August Goals Didn’t Go to Plan. Now What?

August 31, 2026 • 35 mins
What happens when you set ambitious business goals and reality has other plans? In Episode 27 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja revisit the goals they publicly set for August and give an unfiltered assessment of what worked, what failed, what got delayed, and what those setbacks actually cost. The biggest miss? The new Columbus location still isn't open. Construction delays, permitting issues, architectural decisions a...
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7 Business Problems Every Entrepreneur Eventually Faces – Q&A

August 24, 2026 • 21 mins
What happens when your business starts working, but suddenly you become the bottleneck? In Episode 26 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja answer real questions from entrepreneurs and small business owners navigating the challenges that come with starting, running and growing a business. From building systems and learning to delegate to securing business financing, opening a second location, managing seasonal cash flow and ...
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You’re Going to Want to Quit. Don’t. The Reality of Entrepreneurship

August 17, 2026 • 31 mins
Entrepreneurship looks exciting when you're watching the wins. But what happens when you're exhausted, overwhelmed, burned out, and the work still has to get done? In Episode 25 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja get candid about one of the hardest realities of building a business: staying disciplined when the motivation is gone. David shares one of the wildest stories from the early years of David Alan Clothing, a hig...
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The Worst Business Advice I Ever Received: “Go Get a Job”

August 10, 2026 • 30 mins
When you start a business, pursue an entrepreneurial idea, or try to grow something that doesn't fit the traditional mold, everyone seems to have an opinion. Some advice can change the trajectory of your business. Other advice can create doubt, unnecessary complexity, wasted money, or convince you to give up before you've really started. In Episode 24 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan break down how entrepreneurs should appro...
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The Plan vs. What Actually Happens

August 3, 2026 • 29 mins
Nothing goes smooth. Ever. In Episode 23 of Built By Doing, David and Stan open a new monthly series: every month they lay out exactly what they're working on across the David Alan businesses, then come back the next month and grade themselves on what actually happened. This month: the Columbus store was supposed to open in June. It's August. The landlord sent the wrong address, the internet contract collapsed, and an HVAC unit th...
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Real Business Owners. Real Questions. Real Answers. (Q&A)

July 27, 2026 • 27 mins
A med spa owner asked when she should hire help. David's answer: six months ago. That's the energy of this entire episode, real business owners asking the hard questions, and David and Stan answering from experience, not theory. In Episode 22 of Built By Doing, David and Stan field questions from business owners across different industries; from pricing and profit margins to hiring, outsourcing, employee retention, and how long it...
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Everyone Told Me To Quit, 10 Years Later The Dream Came True

July 20, 2026 • 32 mins
David's first business was selling creepy crawlers for 25 cents at school. He got sent to the principal's office. Decades later, he's built an expanding successful brand that's donated over half a million dollars to charity. That arc, from getting in trouble for hustling in first grade to running David Alan Clothing and David Alan Dreams, is the whole point of this episode. It all started with a dream. In Episode 21 of Built By D...
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A Client Spent $12,000 at Midnight. Here's Why He'll Never Leave.

July 13, 2026 • 31 mins
David once met a client in need at 11pm on a Monday night. The gentleman spent $12,000 in two hours. He’s been a client for life ever since. That’s not a sales story. That’s an experience story. In Episode 20 of Built By Doing, David and Stan break down why the experience you provide matters more than the product you sell — and how the smallest details (a bad hanger, a missing text update, a 6-hour service...
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The Real Reason Businesses Fall Apart When They Start Growing

July 6, 2026 • 37 mins
David is expanding David Alan Clothing from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Nashville, Charleston, and beyond. This isn't a "how to scale" episode. They're in the middle of it right now — negotiations, construction delays, hiring people willing to relocate their families, figuring out what happens when your founder isn't in the building every day. In Episode 19 of Built By Doing, David and Stan pull back the curtain on the hardest ...
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How Smart Entrepreneurs Actually Use Debt

June 29, 2026 • 35 mins
Debt has a bad reputation. But is debt actually the problem... or is it how entrepreneurs use it? In Episode 18 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja dive into one of the most misunderstood topics in business: debt. From business loans and lines of credit to credit cards, private equity, personal guarantees, bank financing, and cash flow management, they share the real lessons learned from building and expanding multiple s...
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Investors, Loans & Partnerships: How Smart Businesses Scale

June 22, 2026 • 37 mins
Should you take investors? Borrow money? Bring on partners? Or fund your business yourself? In Episode 17 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan break down the realities of business funding, private investors, bank loans, equity partnerships, and what every entrepreneur should understand before giving away ownership in their company. From self-funding and reinvesting revenue to navigating private equity, expansion, and strategic ...
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The Entrepreneurs Who Win Will Use AI

June 15, 2026 • 29 mins
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing, hiring, productivity, and everyday business operations. Whether you're a small business owner, startup founder, executive, or entrepreneur, AI is quickly becoming one of the most valuable tools available. The conversation explores practical ways business owners can leverage AI for marketing strategies, business planning, hiring decisions, customer...
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Small Business Q&A: Real Questions Every Business Owner Needs Answered

June 8, 2026 • 41 mins
In this special Q&A episode of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja answer real questions submitted by listeners from entrepreneurs preparing to launch their first business to experienced business owners facing challenges with marketing, pricing, profitability, cash flow, hiring, and growth. Topics include: • How do you know if your business is actually profitable? • What should you spend on marketing? • How do you get yo...
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Why Great Employees Are So Hard to Find (And Keep)

June 1, 2026 • 36 mins
As businesses grow, one challenge never goes away: finding the right people to step up, take ownership, and help move the company forward. In this episode, David Alan and Stan discuss leadership, employee development, company culture, hiring challenges, accountability, motivation, and what separates top performers from everyone else. They dive into the realities of building teams, developing future leaders, coaching employees, se...
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Has Your Business Outgrown Your Original Customer?

May 26, 2026 • 39 mins
What happens when your business outgrows its original customer? In Episode 13 of Built By Doing, David Alan and Stan Kleja dive into one of the hardest realities of entrepreneurship: raising prices, evolving your business model, and understanding that not every customer or client is meant to stay with you forever. From David Alan Clothing’s early days selling custom suits for just a few hundred dollars to scaling a premium ...
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Social Media Is Lying About Business Growth

May 18, 2026 • 33 mins
What does real business growth actually look like? In Episode 12 of Built By Doing, David and Stan break down one of the biggest misconceptions in entrepreneurship: the idea that more revenue automatically means a healthier or more successful business. From profit margins and overhead to scaling too quickly, hiring too soon, opening multiple locations, social media comparison, and defining your own version of success, this episod...
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When Is the Right Time to Expand Your Business?

May 11, 2026 • 32 mins
What does it actually take to expand a business successfully? In Episode 11 of Built By Doing, David and Stan break down the real-world process behind expanding a company into new markets, opening additional locations, building systems, hiring teams, and scaling without losing the culture that made the business successful in the first place. With David Alan Clothing actively expanding into Columbus, Nashville, and other major met...
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Why Small Businesses Drive the American Economy

May 4, 2026 • 39 mins
Small businesses power nearly half of the American economy—but most people don’t realize just how important they are. In this episode of Built By Doing, David and Stan break down eye-opening small business statistics, entrepreneurship realities, and what it truly takes to build, grow, and sustain a business over time. From startup survival rates and small business employment numbers to the sacrifices entrepreneurs mak...
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The Marketing Decisions That Changed Our Business Forever

April 27, 2026 • 40 mins
In Episode 9 of Built By Doing, we break down one of the most misunderstood and most important parts of building a successful business: marketing, branding, advertising, and how to actually attract customers. From startup mistakes and early marketing experiments to digital advertising, brand identity, customer psychology, and long-term growth strategy, this episode gives an honest look at what business owners need to understand be...
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