The Small Business Safari
Have you ever sat there and wondered "What am I doing here stuck in the concrete zoo of the corporate world?" Are you itching to get out? Chris Lalomia and his co-host Alan Wyatt traverse the jungle of entrepreneurship. Together they share their stories and help you explore the wild world of SCALING your business. With many years of owning their own small businesses, they love to give insight to the aspiring entrepreneur. So, are you ready to make the jump?
Episodes
Fernando Melo shares his incredible journey from Brazilian immigrant to successful business owner with M&M Home Exteriors, providing roofing, siding, gutters, windows, doors, painting and deck services throughout Atlanta.
• Fernando's dream to visit America and Disney World as a child led to his immigration in 2000
• Started with zero English skills, sleeping on a stranger's couch while atte...
Michael shares his journey from Enterprise Rent-A-Car to real estate entrepreneurship, highlighting how each career step taught valuable lessons about leadership, influence, and customer service. His decision to leave corporate America wasn't about dissatisfaction but about creating a life and business fully aligned with his and his wife Cristi's deeper goals.
• Starting as a rental car agent and wi...
Christi shares her remarkable journey from military police to Phoenix PD sex crimes detective to successful real estate entrepreneur in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Her story reveals how transferable skills and authentic networking can lead to success in an entirely new field.
• Began career as Military Police after ROTC college scholarship
• Spent nearly 22 years with Phoenix Police Department, primarily in the ...
Every job is a sales job, and every interaction is a sales interaction. Learning to understand needs, help people, find solutions collaboratively, and remove the "ick factor" from the sales process transforms how we approach all our business relationships.
• Sales begins with selling yourself authentically and consistently
• Your body language constitutes 80% of communication, even in virtual se...
Ryan Lee joins the podcast to discuss his journey o to successful landscape lighting entrepreneur, he discusses how focusing on a specific niche can lead to massive business growth in home services.
GOLD NUGGETS
Dominate a niche. By dropping every service except landscape lighting, Ryan positioned himself as the expert, commanded premium pricing, and built a brand that buyers noticed.
Marinate your price. Share pric...
Liz Steblay joins us to share her expertise on successful solopreneurship, drawing from her experience building multimillion-dollar businesses without employees. She reveals the essential strategies that help independent consultants and service providers build wealth and create sustainable businesses.
• Definition of solopreneur: self-employed person without employees who doesn't aim to grow beyond thems...
Lance Cayko shares his remarkable journey from North Dakota farm boy to Colorado architect, builder, and developer, revealing how one summer job at age 13 sparked his entrepreneurial path.
• Finding his passion in construction after quitting farm work with his father after just one week
• Learning the multiplier concept and business fundamentals from his first mentor, Bruce
• Working in different trad...
Rosco Graves, founder and CEO of Polaxis, shares his journey from corporate finance to entrepreneurship and explains how fractional CFO services can transform small business operations and profitability.
• Building trust with clients starts with understanding their unique needs and personalities
• The value of storytelling in financial services—translating numbers into meaningful narratives
• Why &quo...
Collin Graves shares his journey from Air Force mechanic working on B-1 bombers to founding successful cloud computing and data analytics companies. He discovered his entrepreneurial path by identifying specific pain points for construction companies, creating cloud-based file-sharing solutions, and eventually building North Labs, where his team develops data analytics systems that transform businesses.
• Bui...
Will transformed his background in digital marketing to create a thriving dog waste removal business, turning a simple concept into a multi-million dollar enterprise within just a few years. His journey proves that finding underserved niches and applying sound business principles can create extraordinary opportunities even in seemingly ordinary services.
• Started with digital marketing background before real...
Al Levy transformed his family's heating business into a multi-trade powerhouse spanning four generations by developing comprehensive systems, training programs, and clearly defined organizational structures.
• Building operating manuals that defined processes objectively in writing
• Creating a corresponding training center to transform willing apprentices into skilled technicians
• Implementing...
Gabrielle Mills and her mother Chrissy took an unconventional path to entrepreneurship. After six years of searching for the perfect business model, they decided to invest in themselves instead of a franchise—starting what would become Sourced, a comprehensive back-office services company, from Chrissy's basement.
What makes their story remarkable isn't just the mother-daughter dynamic (though famil...
Your small business is vulnerable to cyber attacks whether you realize it or not. In this eye-opening conversation, IT expert James Sanford reveals the shocking truth that companies like yours face dozens of digital attacks daily—even if you're "just a handyman company" or small service business.
James takes us through his journey from solo IT consultant to managed service provider, explaining ...
Karl Maier didn't set out to become a business growth advisor. After studying economics and systems in college, he reluctantly joined his family's industrial distribution business—only to help scale it an impressive five times larger in just three years. That journey through entrepreneurship's trenches taught him lessons no classroom could provide, especially after a break-in left them with stolen compu...
Luann Russian's entrepreneurial journey defies conventional wisdom about network marketing. A former pharmaceutical rep of the year, she left corporate life when her manager asked if she could "stay and be mediocre" while raising children. Twenty years later, her decision to join Arbonne has created both financial freedom and unexpected health transformation.
Unlike most who enter network marke...
What happens when your $3.50 breakfast sandwich suddenly costs $12.50? When your skilled workers demand $30/hour instead of $18? When your commercial lease jumps 50%? Welcome to the economic reality of 2025 – a landscape transformed by persistent inflation, potential tariffs, and permanently reset price expectations.
This candid, unfiltered conversation dives deep into the practical challenges small business ...
Step into the world of music entrepreneurship with our captivating discussion featuring Jay Maurice, founder of "Lessons in Your Home." In this episode, Jay shares the exhilarating journey of turning his passion for music into a successful nationwide business teaching music lessons. As he unfolds his story, listeners are invited to reflect on the passion that drives them and how significant relationships wit...
Sales is more than just closing a deal—it's about the mindset that drives your interactions with potential clients. In this episode, we sit down with Jacob Hicks to unpack the nuances of a successful sales mindset. We explore why understanding the value of every interaction can have a profound effect on your business growth. Jacob emphasizes the importance of being genuinely curious about your customers' pai...
From the Zoo to Wild is a book for entrepreneurs passionate about home services, looking to move away from corporate jobs. Chris Lalomia, a former executive, shares his path, discoveries, and tools to succeed as a small business owner in home improvement retail. The book provides the mindset, habits, leadership style, and customer-oriented processes necessary to succeed as a small business owner in home services.
This episode dives into the power of mindset in business, exploring how our thoughts can hinder or help our success. Ricky Kalmon shares practical strategies to overcome self-doubt and foster a positive mindset, emphasizing ongoing personal growth and awareness are keys to achieving your goals.
• Recognizing the importance of mindset in personal and professional growth
• Addressing self-doubt and the comm...
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