This Is Small Business

What would you do if family duty came calling – along with a big ol’ guilt trip? For Adia Howard, the COO of her family business RA Cosmetics, it meant leaving behind her steady career as an occupational therapist to dive into the unknown world of entrepreneurship. Andrea Marquez sits down with Adia to talk about how she’s not only redefining leadership but also carrying her family’s legacy forward.

Find out how Adia navigates t...

Entrepreneurship will always involve risk so how do you learn to control it instead of fear it? Dr. Lois Shelton, Professor of Management at the Nazarian College of Business and Economics at California State University Northridge, joins host Andrea Marquez to break down why the most successful founders aren’t thrill-seekers. They’re calculated decision-makers who know how to test ideas, filter ...

What if the thing that keeps your business alive isn’t a perfect plan but your ability to pivot, stay curious, and take risks along the way? Zoya Biglary, the founder of Fysh Foods, didn’t set out to become the internet’s fruit peeler but when her savings started to run out and her product needed a lifeline, she turned to the one thing she always relied on: the drive to figure it out.

What if the key to growth isn’t playing it safe – but learning how to manage risk when things start going sideways? That’s been the story for John Trimble, founder and CEO of Hot Crispy Oil. He didn’t set out to start a condiment company. But when the pandemic forced his family’s 44-year-old restaurant to close, John took a homemade chili oil recipe from his kitchen and turned it into a fast gr...

What if risk isn’t about jumping off a cliff — but learning how to build the bridge as you go? That’s exactly what Lauren Goldstein, the Founder and CEO of Golden Key Partnership, had to figure out after walking away from a decade in medicine with no backup plan.

Host Andrea Marquez explores how to take smaller, intentional risks that actually mov...

What if the riskiest move isn’t going all in but walking away when something no longer fits? Kim Kerton didn’t leave her media career with a clear plan. She left because she knew something wasn’t right. What followed was a search for a business idea that took her through yoga, ceramics, and creative experiments in remote Tasmania, all of which eventually led to her podcast and business, Unemplo...

What if the riskiest ingredient in your recipe for success was your own story? Jing Gao walked away from a secure tech career with no safety net to rediscover her Sichuan roots through food. She launched a fast-casual restaurant in Shanghai, apprenticed under a Michelin-caliber chef, and transformed a home-kitchen supper club into a crowdfunded CPG phenomenon—all to challenge stereotypes and re...

What happens when you risk a profitable side hustle for the chance to scale? Maurice Contreras, the founder of Volcanica coffee, spent 15 years building a side hustle and then bet a big portion of his retirement savings and personal funds (plus zero-interest credit cards) to build a 14,000 sq ft roastery after his son pushed him to think bigger. Host Andrea Marquez walks you through how Maurice...

What do you do when your only options are a job you don’t want or a business that doesn’t exist yet? Angus Willows, the founder of Kangaroo Hanger, chose the harder path — and made it work. As a college student with a 3D printer under his bed, he designed a better hanger, taught himself how to file a patent, launched a second business to fund it and bet everything on a TikTok challenge that changed his life.

But this isn’t just ...

What if the riskiest part of your business was just saying what it is out loud? Katie Diasti didn’t plan to start a company about periods – especially not one she’d pitch to rooms full of confused, uncomfortable investors. But when a college class project opened her eyes to just how outdated and wasteful the period care aisle was, she couldn’t unsee it. That spark turned into Viv, a sustainable, stigma-smashing brand that’s changin...

What if the real barrier to your success isn’t risk but uncertainty? Dr. Matt Rutherford, John de Pope Chair in Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University, joins host Andrea Marquez to redefine risk for founders and show you how to make every risk you take more manageable. You’ll get to hear the six types of entrepreneurial risk, learn why distinguishing risk from uncertainty is crucial, and discover how pinpointing the risks yo...

What happens when your viral moment finally comes — and you’re not ready for it?

Aliett Buttleman, co-founder of Fazit, only had 300 TikTok followers when she said her goal was to get Taylor Swift to wear her product. And she made it happen. But that moment wasn’t luck. It was the result of two scrappy founders, a small but strategically allocated budget, and years of rejection, pivots, and TikTok experiments. Host Andrea Marquez un...

What were you doing when you were 12? Blake Shook, the founder of Desert Creek Honey, was wrangling swarms of bees and selling honey – all before middle school let out. What began as a childhood hobby sparked a decades-long entrepreneurial journey that led to the creation of a multi-million honey empire with over 120 employees. But before reaching that level of success, Blake lost his entire bee population – just as he was deciding...

What if your business took off before you were ready? No team. No investors. Just a homemade product and a sudden wave of demand. That’s exactly what happened to Adria Marshall, founder of Ecoslay. When her flaxseed hair gel went viral overnight, she had to decide: shut it down or take the risk and build something bigger. Host Andrea Marquez unpacks how Adria scaled her side hustle into a purpose-driven brand, why staying small was...

When Partake Foods founder Denise Woodard’s daughter had a life-threatening allergic reaction, everything changed. That moment inspired Denise to launch an allergy-friendly snack company that’s now worth millions and serves thousands of families across the U.S. But starting a food business from scratch with no baking experience and no outside funding meant taking one bold risk after another. Host Andrea Marquez talks with Denise ab...

What do you do when your glasses don’t fit well – and the eyewear industry doesn’t see the problem? For best friends Tracy Green and Nancey Harris, co-founders of Vontélle Eyewear, the answer was bold: start their own company. In the season six premiere of This is Small Business, host Andrea Marquez kicks off her personal mission to become more of a risk-taker so she could eventually start her own business by learning from two wome...

What if your customers could become your best marketers?

In this minisode of Small Business Bytes on This is Small Business, host Andrea Marquez dives into the power of user-generated content (UGC) and why UGC is a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. You’ll learn how UGC builds trust, loyalty, and engagement with your audience, discover simple ways to encourage your customers to create content, and get actionable tips to u...

Your pitch is more than just words – it’s your first impression, your story, and your chance to stand out. But how do you pack all that into just 60 seconds or less?

In this minisode of Small Business Bytes on This is Small Business, host Andrea Marquez walks you through how to craft an elevator pitch that grabs attention, tells a compelling story, and leaves people wanting more. Whether you’re pitching to a potential customer, ...

People don’t just buy products – they buy stories. So how do you tell yours in a way that sticks, connects, and builds loyalty?

In this minisode of Small Business Bytes on This is Small Business, host Andrea Marquez explains how you can write a brand story that does more than just sell – it builds a loyal customer base. You’ll learn how to craft your story, why embracing your struggles can make your brand more relatable and insp...