Built In Iowa Podcast

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Matthew Bradner from Iowa Home Consulting. Matthew founded Iowa Home Consulting in 2008 right after he graduated from Iowa State University. Matthew had very little experience in the home contractor industry, but took his business expertise to disrupt a specific industry that was ripe for change. Iowa Home Consulting has two sides of the business, home contracting, which includes essentially any remodel to your home as well as a moving business. Iowa Home Consulting has two locations, Ames and Des Moines as well as 22 employees.Matthew has a passion for animal rescue and has intertwined that in his business, very cool for Iowa Home Consulting to take a passion in their business. Enjoy the episode!Iowa Home Consulting Facebook is HEREIowa Home Consulting Website is HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today’s episode we have William Burt from Kut Kings Mobile Barber Shop. William founded Kut Kings in 2017. He founded the mobile barber shop to differentiate himself from other barbers and also to serve the under served that may not be able to travel to a barber shop, so he will bring the barber shop to you.The crazy part of William founding Kut Kings is that when he founded Kut Kings, the law stated to operate a barber shop, you have to do so out of a physical address. William spent months trying to get the law changed with the help of other individuals, and in March of 2020 Governor Reynolds signed the law that you don’t need to operate a barber shop out of a fixed location. He now needs the Barber Board to set up guidelines so he can operate out of a mobile location. In the 1990’s and early 2000’s William spent time in and out of prison and jail. He learned to cut hair as he says “from start to finish” and that motivated him to become a barber. William has been incredibly persistent, both professionally and personally throughout his life. Enjoy the Episode!Kut Kings Mobile Barber Shop Facebook is HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today’s episode we have David and Jamie Popper from Blue 9 Pet Products. Blue 9 Pet Products is located in Eastern Iowa and was founded in 2014. Blue-9 Pet Products is an e-commerce based company and they also sell through a partner channel. They have done an incredible job building out MAP pricing and value their partners greatly. Blue-9 creates quality dog training accessories for canines and their owners. They make life easier by developing great products for training and working with your beloved dog!This episode is a great example of building out an e-commerce company as well as prototyping products and bringing them to market. David & Jamie work hard at Blue-9, and have also created a fun culture that rewards hard work.Enjoy the episode!You can find Blue-9 Pet Products website HEREYou can find Blue-9 Pet Products Facebook HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today’s episode we have Don McDowell from Iowa Adventurer. Don founded Iowa Adventurer as a hobby and side hustle in 2017. Iowa Adventurer is a travel website and blog that focuses on the State of Iowa. This episode is a little different than we have done in the past. Iowa Adventurer is a side hustle for Don, and he has a huge passion for Iowa, just like we do!Don has traveled to every corner in the State of Iowa to identify the best ice cream shops, restaurants, state parks, etc. Check this weeks podcast out to find the most interesting hotspots in the state of Iowa!Enjoy the episode!You can find Iowa Adventurers website HEREYou can find Iowa Adventurers Facebook HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Garik Himebaugh from Eco-Stylist. Eco-Stylist is located in Iowa City and Garik founded the company in 2018. Garik is originally from Washington, DC and moved to Iowa to attend the MBA program at the University of Iowa. While in the MBA program, Garik won startup weekend with an idea that was the beginning of Eco-Stylist. Eco-Stylist is a marketplace for ethical and sustainable men's clothes. They feature and curate over 200 items and 40 different brands on their website. Eco-Stylist generates their revenue by being an affiliate to sustainable clothing brands. Eco-Stylist helps men look sharp by featuring brands that are good for the people that make their clothes, and for the planet. Enjoy the episode!You can find Eco-Stylist website HEREYou can find Eco-Stylist Facebook HEREYou can Find Eco-Stylist Instagram HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Nate Beaird from Housewolf Projects. Housewolf is located in Ankeny and was founded in 2016 as a side hustle after the woodworking bug hit him hard. Nate founded the company out of his garage and they still operate there today. With the support of his wife, he went full time with Housewolf in 2018. They currently have two employees but are growing!Nate built the Housewolf Projects business on the Etsy platform and they sell direct to consumer with the Etsy e-commerce platform. Housewolf builds most woodworking items you would need or want in your house. Their most popular products are house numbers, and it is easy to see why. We bought it for our house, and they make our front porch pop!In this episode Nate talks about leaving his full time job for his side hustle, building Housewolf from the ground up with organic growth utilizing social media and lessons he has learned from running his own business.Enjoy the podcast!Housewolf Projects website is HEREHousewolf Projects facebook is HEREHousewolf Instagram is HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Rena Striegel from Transition Point Business Advisors. Transition Point was founded in 2014 and Rena purchased the company in 2019. Transition Point is located in the Des Moines area.Transition Point Business Advisors is a fascinating business! Transition Point is a consultant company and their focus is succession planing in family owned businesses, specifically in the agricultural industry with farmers. The stories in today's podcast are interesting inside the world of family owned business transitions.They have two employees and multiple consultants that aid in a successful business transition. Transition Point has big goals, as they are evaluating how to add value with new, digital products, that are aimed at smaller organizations where consultants may not be as accessible. Transition Point Advisors works all over the country with clients.The biggest caveat of this all, they were able to grow and sustain their business with virtually no marketing or advertising, yet word of mouth!Enjoy the podcast!Transition Point Advisors website is HERETransition Point Advisors Facebook is HERETransition Point Advisors LinkedIn is HERERena's LinkedIn is HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Meagan Ausborn from Bluemoon Holistic Wellness. Bluemoon was founded in 2019 in Nevada, Iowa. Bluemoon specializes in Yoga and Reiki, you will need to listen to the episode to learn more about Reiki, its fascinating! Meagan has customers as far away as Switzerland! Bluemoon offers classes online as well as an in person studio. Meagan is very passionate about the holistic approach to healing your body and it shows with her energy in this episode. Meagan has a future vision of expanding the services of Bluemoon to rural Iowa and sees a great need for Yoga and Reiki in different parts of the state. Enjoy the episode!Bluemoon Holistic Wellness website is HEREBluemoon Holistic Wellness Facebook is HEREBluemoon Holistic Wellness Instagram is HEREHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out the Built in Iowa Facebook HERECheck our the Built in Iowa Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Brian Duffy & Brad Duffy from Per Mar Security Services. Per Mar was founded in 1953 by John and Eleanor Duffy in Davenport, Iowa. Brian and Brad are third generation, and their father, Mike, is the current CEO. John and Eleanor founded Per Mar out of pure necessity, they needed money! What is even crazier, they were just driving through Davenport on their way to Denver to start a business. Their car broke down and they decided that Davenport was the place to start their business.Per Mar's headquarters are still in Davenport, Iowa and they have multiple offices around the midwest. They currently have 2,000 employees and are privately owned! Brian & Brad talk about what it was like growing up in the business, and going through the process of coming into the family business after they worked for three years outside Per Mar at other organizations. Per Mar is a full service security company. They provide security officer services, commercial alarms, home alarms, and fire alarms. Per Mar has acquired around 80 companies in their lifetime and they average a couple sizable acquisitions a year, truly remarkable! Enjoy the episode!You can find Per Mar Security website hereYou can find Per Mar Security Facebook hereYou can find Per Mar Security LinkedIn hereYou can find Midwest Fire Alarm website hereBrian's LinkedIn is hereBrad's LinkedIn is hereHead to our website and subscribe to the newsletter hereCheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook hereCheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter here

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have James Rhodes from FiXT.FiXT was founded in 2006 by popular artist Klayton, also known as Celldweller, and James. James heads up the operations office located in Burlington, Iowa. They have offices located around the world where their 20 employees work.FiXT was is an independent artist owned record label. They currently have 25 artist signed and nearly 2 billion streams between all of them! Their music has been in Superbowl commercials and many of your favorite video games and movies. James got into the industry when he started working with Klayton in the early 2000's as part of his street team, which was originally a volunteer position. James was later promoted to the street team manager; and in 2006 after Klayton had trouble with how distributors positioned his music and this is how FiXT was born. They have since launched FiXT Neon, which caters to a different music genre. Enjoy the episode!You can find FiXT website hereYou can find FiXT Neon website hereYou can find FiXT Facebook hereYou can find FiXT Neon Facebook here Head to our website and subscribe to the newsletter hereCheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook hereCheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter here

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Lindsy Trotter from Chilled Freezer Meals.Chilled Freezer Meals is located in Center Point, Iowa and was founded by Lindsy Trotter in 2018. Chilled offers fully frozen meals for local pick up and home delivery in Eastern Iowa, as well as shipping nationwide. Chilled has gluten friendly, keto, paleo or Whole30 meal choices. Lindsy had the idea to found Chilled after her daughter had food sensitivity and it was impossible to come home after work and order a pizza. She started posting about it on social media and had some friends that were interested in ordering and the idea was born. Chilled has four product categories; meals, snacks, seasoning mixes, and digital recipes. About 90% of the revenue comes from food products. Lindsy wants to start growing the digital products as it is easier to scale. Lindsy built her website on the Shopify platform and to grow her company she primarily relies on organic marketing. Chilled’s only marketing ad spend is a $1 Facebook ad. Lindsy was very resourceful starting Chilled Freezer Meals. She had no interest in investors or loans to test her proof of concept, so she decided to reach out to a local coffee shop to rent out their commercial kitchen instead of building her own commercial kitchen. Once the idea proved out, Chilled moved into a commercial kitchen about a year later. Lindsy currently has two employees, as well as an outside marketing agency and a virtual assistant to keep her business rolling. Enjoy the episode!You can find Chilled Freezer Meals website HEREYou can find Chilled Freezer Meals Facebook HEREAre you looking to save money with your company? Check out Grey Trunk RFID and stop losing your company's capital assets. They use cutting edge technology and they are located in Iowa! Click here to get 20% off your subscription. Head to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Mark Charter from Charter House Real Estate. Charter House is located in Ankeny and was founded in 2016. Charter House does real estate differently. They charge a flat fee of $2,495 + 3%. The traditional model is 6% or 7% depending on where you are located. If you were to sell your house that is $300,000, that would cost you $18,000. With Charter House, that would cost you $11,495. Taking this approach, Charter House is certainly shaking up the real estate market in the Des Moines metro. When you do things differently, you get some kickback for that. Mark talks about that during the episode.Mark grew up in Ames and first got into real estate in 2005. In 2016 he wanted to venture out on his own and bootstrapped to get going. He now has 11 real estate agents on his team and they continue to grow and push the limits. Real estate is an interesting business and Mark shares a lot of good information!Enjoy the episode!You can find Charter House website HEREYou can find Charter House Facebook HEREAre you looking to save money? Check our Grey Trunk RFID to stop losing your company's capital assets. They use cutting edge technology and offer the lowest prices in the market. AND they are located in Iowa! Click here to get 20% off your subscription. Head to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!Jon & Christian discussed these key points in starting a business:Using a third party software development firm to build their platformTheir process of getting introduced and matched as a Co-FoundersBootstrapping to get the business startedRaising $500,000 and the process they went throughOn today's episode we have Jon Lensing & Christian Williams from Apollo. Apollo is located in Iowa City and was founded in January of 2020. Apollo is a healthcare tech startup that matches healthcare professionals with healthcare organizations. They help Doctors in residency find accessible moonlight opportunities.I interviewed Jon & Christian in February, right as Coronavirus cases started in the United States. Apollo was on a timeline for a three month beta and to go live in June. The Federal Government passed legislation that allowed providers to cross state lines without having state specific licenses to practice. When this happened, Apollo responded to help combat the Coronavirus and opened up their platform for hospital systems and providers to start filling roles in areas that may be harder hit by Coronavirus. Huge kudos to the Apollo team!Apollo has three founders; Jon Lensing, Christian Williams, and Matt Grossmann. Jon and Matt are both Doctors and just recently graduated (they started a company while they were in medical school, insane!). Matt has a contractual obligation and will be exiting the company, while Jon is forgoing residency and is full time in Apollo. Christian played football at the University of Missouri and worked in St. Louis for a few years before starting his own company. Jon and Christian got matched up as Co-Founders and are full speed ahead.Enjoy the episode!You can find Apollo's Website HEREYou can find Apollo's Facebook HEREYou can find Apollo's Twitter HEREYou can find Jon's LinkedIn HEREYou can find Christian's LinkedIn HEREAre you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based Company! They use cutting edge technology and are the most cost-effective solution in the industry. Click HERE to get 20% off your annual subscription. Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to the newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Sarah Banowetz from Banowetz Marketing. Banowetz marketing is a full service marketing agency based out of Cedar Rapids. Sarah started the company in 2018. Sarah bootstrapped the business to start and has 6 employees. Banowetz marketing focuses on helping family owned businesses scale their marketing team.Sarah is an absolute hustler and shares a ton of different wisdom in this episode. She talks about scaling the business with cash and how to hire your first employee and the mistakes she made during this process and what she learned. Sarah didn't take a salary when she started the business and just recently started taking a $500 salary a month.Sarah has big goals and a vision to open a second location in Ethiopia. She has a huge passion for Ethiopia and has visited numerous times.You can find Banowetz Marketing website HEREYou can find Banowetz Marketing Facebook HEREYou can find Banowetz Marketing Twitter HEREAre you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based company located in Clear Lake that utilizes cutting edge technology and the best prices in the industry! Click HERE and get 20% off an annual subscription, Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE!

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Dane Kuper from Performance Livestock Analytics. On April 8th, Zoetis acquired Performance Livestock Analytics! PLA is located in Ames, Iowa and has 43 employees. PLA is a digital platform for the livestock industry and they solve the problem of business management on farms. Dane's Co-Founder, Dustin Balsley is also from Iowa and they had worked together prior to PLA. Dane and Dustin started this as a side-hustle and bootstrapped it with their own money. How they built their minimum viable product was very unique; they hired a sophomore that was on a full ride scholarship from Iowa State to build out their product, and that same engineer is still on their team today. Their biggest competitor is pen and paper, and how PLA on-boards their customer to introduce technology is truly impressive. The average user spends 4.5 hours per day on the PLA platform seven days a week - this is a truly impressive number!In this episode, Dane shared the advantages and disadvantages of building a tech company in Iowa versus Silicon Valley. Dane grew up on a farm in North Central Iowa, then went on to wrestle at Iowa State. Dane worked for a couple different technology organizations based out of San Fransisco prior to starting PLA in 2015.Here is the link to the press release of Zoetis acquiring Performance Livestock Analytics You can find Performance Livestock Analytics website HEREYou can find Performance Livestock Analytics Facebook HEREYou can find Performance Livestock Analytics Twitter HEREYou can find Performance Livestock Analytics LinkedIn HEREYou can find Dane's LinkedIn HEREAre you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based company located in Clear Lake that utilizes cutting edge technology and the best prices in the industry! Click HERE and get 20% off an annual subscription, Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE!

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Melissa Pepper from Total Solutions. Total Solutions was founded in 2015 in Davenport, Iowa by Aaron Tennant. Total Solutions focuses on tasks that business owners don't want to do; payroll, high level accounting, HR, IT, and marketing. They give time to SMB's that don't have time to focus on these tasks. Their customers typically have between 10 - 25 employees on their team. Total Solutions has 13 employees and their team is still growing. Melissa has been President at Total Solutions for a little over a year.Melissa has been President at Total Solutions for a little over a year. She also founded Lead(h)er in 2016 as a non-profit that has a mission is to connect women with experienced leaders to fuel their careers and community engagement. That is how she met Aaron Tennant who eventually hired her at Total Solutions. Melissa is still on the BOD at Lead(h)er and is actively involved! If you are a small business and need help with any of these area's give Total Solutions a shout. Melissa is a rockstar and loves to win and see her clients win!You can find Total Solutions Website HEREYou can find Total Solutions Facebook HEREYou can find Total Solutions LinkedIn HEREYou can find Melissa's LinkedIn HEREAre you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based company located in Clear Lake that utilizes cutting edge technology and the best prices in the industry! Click HERE and get 20% off an annual subscription, Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE!

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Jordan Andrews from Heartland Soles. Jordan and his wife founded Heartland Soles 2016 in Des Moines. Jordan and his wife are originally from Kansas City and both ran Cross Country in College. Lindsey won a team national title at the University of New Mexico. While they were living in New Mexico Jordan bought the guts of a running store that closed in New Mexico for $500, and that is the beginning of Heartland Soles!Jordan and Lindsey got started by being creative while bootstrapping and a line of credit from Jordan's parents. They were cash flow positive within three months of opening their store in Des Moines, an incredible accomplishment! Heartland Soles is a brick and mortar retail shoe store that focuses on running with locations in Des Moines and Iowa City. Heartland Soles focuses on premier customer service to compete with B2C and big box retailersThe grit and hustle that Jordan and Lindsey had when they started Heartland Soles was exceptional. They would go to trails in the Des Moines area and hand out water to runners to get their name out. They grew their business organically, and that is a testament to their creativity and hard work. Heartland Soles has 12 employees and did just under $1 Million in 2019!I spoke with Jordan in February before Coronavirus was impacting us in Iowa. They had to shut down their brick and mortar locations due to state regulations and go totally e-commerce. If you need running shoes head to their website here; Jordan and Lindsey will take care of you!You can find Heartland Soles website HERE!You can find Heartland Soles Facebook HERE!Are you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based company located in Clear Lake that utilizes cutting edge technology and the best prices in the industry! Click HERE and get 20% off an annual subscription, Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Rob Hach from Trusted Energy. Trusted Energy is located in Storm Lake, IA and is a renewable energy developer. Rob started the company in 2002 around wind farms and in 2008 diversified and invested into the solar business. Rob worked at Enron and wanted to go out on his own out of necessity. Rob's father got started in the wind energy business in 1978 and Rob has always had an interest in renewable energy. Trusted Energy has 20 employees and is actively growing their organization. Trusted Energy business model is focused on Commercial and MUSH (municipals, universities, schools, and hospitals) projects.Rob has stated that it is tough to hire in Storm Lake, but they have been creative and built out a remote team to help them grow for now and the future. Rob literally put his life savings on the line to start Trusted Energy; he cashed out his 401k and his life insurance and took a small loan from his parents. Rob feels strongly about keeping his company private and spinning out renewable portfolios for long term revenue. Trusted Energy has a revenue range between $5 - $10 Million. You can find Trusted Energy's website HEREYou can find Trusted Energy's Facebook HEREAre you looking to save money? Are you currently tracking your capital assets? Stop losing your company laptops and invest in asset tracking software with Grey Trunk RFID. Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based company located in Clear Lake that utilizes cutting edge technology and the best prices in the industry! Click HERE and get 20% off an annual subscription, Tyler will take care of you!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE.Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Tyler Anderson from Roller City, Tyler also owns Escape Iowa, which he started in 2016. Both businesses are located in North Iowa. Roller City is in Mason City and Escape Iowa has two locations; one in Mason City and Clear Lake. Tyler purchased Roller City in 2011 for $550,000. He was able to purchase Roller City with an anonymous $5,000 gift and a $5,000 lien on a van as a downpayment and owner financing over 20 years. Total revenue for both businesses is about $400,000. Tyler bought the business with a business partner and ended up buying his partner out due to a falling out. He provided good advice on having a business partner exiting the business. An interesting point Tyler brought up regarding his Escape Rooms is that they are fantastic team building exercises and he has seen huge success with that. Between both businesses Tyler has 14 employees that are mostly part time. Tyler is from Belmond, Iowa and was working at a a small Bible College in Missouri then decided it was time for his family to move back to Iowa. They ended up in Mason City and he got a job at UPS going to work at 2:00 in the morning and driving past Roller City in the morning on the way to work. That is how he originally was interested in purchasing Roller City. Tyler has big plans for his businesses in North Iowa and will continue to scale and add entertainment attractions to his business.You can find Roller City's website HEREYou can find Escape Iowa's website HEREYou can find Roller City's Facebook HEREYou can find Escape Iowa's Facebook HEREDoes your business need help tracking their assets? Check out Grey Trunk RFID for a low cost, out of the box solution that be setup in under a day! Grey Trunk RFID is an Iowa based business and located in Clear Lake.Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast! On today's episode we have Dannie Strable from RackHouse Whiskey Club. RackHouse Whiskey Club was founded in 2017 and is located in Central Iowa. RackHouse is a whiskey subscription service that ships two bottles of craft whiskey from distillery's around the country to your home every other month. Dannie had the idea after he toured a craft distillery in Florida and heard the incredible story. The next time he had a glass of whiskey it tasted different. Dannie noted that a lot of these craft distilleries struggled with their marketing and filled the void with their storytelling expertise. Dannie has two co-founders that have been on this journey together. RackHouse started founder bootstrapped, friends & family, and outside investment. They are focusing on running a lean and mean operation. Dannie alluded to that raising investment may not always be the best idea, but it may take a little bit longer to grow. RackHouse really focuses on the customer experience, so much so, that Dannie will personally write letters to members as well as call them on the phone. Dannie mentions that it is perfectly okay to not now what you are doing when you are starting out as a new founder or entrepreneur. You can find RackHouse Whiskey Club's website HEREYou can find RackHouse Whiskey Club's Facebook HEREYou can find RackHouse Whiskey Club's Twitter HEREYou can find RackHouse Whiskey Club's LinkedIn HEREDoes your business need help tracking their assets? Check out Grey Trunk RFID for a low cost, out of the box solution that can be setup in under a day!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast! On today's episode we have Brad & Lynette Grimm from the Grimm Company. They are located in Wapello, Iowa but have a solid geographic reach. The Grimm company is a video production company that focuses on business to business storytelling. Brad started the company as a side hustle in 2014 to help a friend in Uganda help tell the story of an orphanage. Brad & Lynette went full time with the business in 2018, and Lynette says it was terrifying! They started with weddings then shifted their focus to business to business video storytelling. They are focused on SMB's that are growth focused within their respective industries. Brad & Lynette are a husband and wife team that are knocking it out of the park as business partners. They are complimentary to each other but agree that their path to success has been communication. Some of the best advice I have heard from Brad is that when they focused on core competencies they thrive, but Brad acknowledged they have strayed from their core competencies and fallen flat on their face. Enjoy the show!You can find the Grimm Company's website HEREYou can find the Grimm Company's Facebook HEREYou can find the Grimm Company's LinkedIn HEREDoes your business need help tracking their assets? Check out Grey Trunk RFID for a low cost, out of the box solution that can be setup in under a day!Head to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built in Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built in Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Steve Doerfler, CEO and Kyle Bermel, COO of Metalcraft.Metalcraft is located in Mason City, Iowa and was founded in 1950. Metalcraft manufacturers of ID plates and labels. They help B2B organizations and businesses solve their problem of tracking their assets so they don't get lost. Metalcraft has a 46,000 square foot facility as well as a wholly owned subsidiary, ARK Business Systems located in Clear Lake, Iowa. Metalcraft is an ESOP company which means their members are owners and have equity in the company. Metalcraft has 120 employees and has a revenue range of over $20,000,000.Metalcraft has shifted their capacity and focus to help manufacturer face shields for the healthcare industry. Kyle started developing prototypes over a week ago and they quickly designed prototypes with their 3D printer. They hope to go full scale this week and produce 10s of thousands of face shields per week. Kyle is very passionate about helping the healthcare industry with their PPE shortage. Metalcraft has received numerous phone calls around the midwest and will begin to ship product this week.This is a huge kudos to an Iowa based company calling on their patriotic duty to help battle Coronavirus.Enjoy the show!You can find Metalcraft's website HEREYou can find Metalcraft's Facebook HEREYou can find Metalcraft's Twitter HEREYou can find Metalcraft's LinkedIn HEREDoes your business need help tracking their assets? Check out Grey Trunk RFID for a low cost, out of the box solution that can be setup in under a day!Head to our website and subscriber to our newsletter HERE!Check out Built In Iowa's Facebook HERECheck out Built In Iowa's Twitter HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have David Krohse, Owner Compass Chiro. David is a Chiropractor in the Des Moines metro area. David opened his office in 2008 with 135,000 in student loans and had no idea what he was doing to grow his business. David turned the tide after he started to do lunch and learns with local companies to bring awareness to his clinic. It worked very well for him and made his clinic sustainable. After his experience with growing his clinic, he decided to start a side hustle, "20 calls per week", which is an online course that targets medical practice clinics to improve their marketing and grow their medical clinic. David got interested in Chiropractor care after his brother was in a terrible car accident. His brother had multiple surgeries and turned to Chiropractic care and it greatly improved his quality of life. To get his clinic started, his parents co-signed a loan for him. David moved to Des Moines with $245,000 in student loans and business loans. David said Thanksgiving Dinner tasted much differently and would not recommend a new entrepreneur to leverage yourself as much as he did. Enjoy the show!You can find Compass Chiro websites HEREYou can find Compass Chiro Facebook HEREHead to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Built in Iowa Facebook is HEREBuilt in Iowa Twitter is HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On Today's episode we have Teeg Stouffer, Co-Founder of American Association of Event Professionals.Teeg brought the energy to today's episode! Teeg co-founded AAEP in late 2019 with his two co-founders. Teeg currently resides in Cedar Rapids, IA, and his two other co-founders are remote as they are building this national organization. AAEP is a national association of event and experiential marketing. A good example of experiential marketing is the Oscar Meyer wiener mobile as it goes from town to town to bring experience and brand awareness to buy Oscar Meyer products. AAEP was founded to serve brand ambassadors within experiential marketing to provide stability and accountability to the industry. AAEP is being bootstrapped to start and they are currently in startup mode! Teeg got his start originally in radio and lived in England and around the United States. Teeg and his wife abruptly quit their jobs and packed a few suitcases and traveled the country for two years working and producing events. They ended up setting in the Pacific Northwest, then moved back to Iowa to settle down. Teeg also founded Recycled Fish in 2003 that is the de-facto organization for the sport of ice-fishing. Teeg had great advice for new founders and that is to ask for help when you are building!Enjoy the show!You can find AAEP's website HEREYou can find AAEP's Facebook HEREYou can find AAEP's LinkedIn HEREYou can find Teeg Stouffer's LinkedIn HEREHead to our website and subscribe to our newsletter HERE!Built In Iowa Facebook is HEREBuilt In Iowa Twitter is HERE

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today's episode we have Sydney Sjaardema & Haley Aleman, Co-Founders and Owners of Bark Avenue Pet Resorts.Bark Avenue Pet Resorts was founded in Ankeny, IA in 2008 by two sisters. Haley originally founded the company in her parents garage then later moved to a small 1,300 square foot building. They currently have locations in Ankeny, West Des Moines, and Waukee. Their banner and largest location in Ankeny is 17,000 square feet! Bark Avenue Pet Resorts is a full service pet resort. They do overnight lodging, dog training, doggy daycare, and grooming. Bark Avenue Pet Resorts has 70 employees and they pride themselves in investing in their employees to make them better personally and professionally. Haley was just 22 and Sydney was just 16 years old when they began this journey. They have had nearly every excuse to quit and not follow through with their dream since they began. They founded Bark Avenue in the recession in 2008. Haley gave birth to her son and was only able to take one week off work when she founded the business. Sydney graduated college, but had to sacrifice the traditional college route and took classes on Tuesday and Thursday then worked the remaining five days per week to get started. They funded their business with collateral on their father's Harley Davidson! Their story is inspiring and motivating for future builders and innovators - never give up on your dream!Enjoy the show!Bark Avenue Pet Resorts Website is HEREBark Avenue Ankeny Facebook is HEREBark Avenue West Des Moines Facebook is HEREBark Avenue Waukee Facebook is HEREBark Avenue Instagram is HEREHead to our website to subscribe to our newsletter! https://www.builtiniowa.co/Built In Iowa Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuiltInIowa/Built In Iowa Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuiltInIowa

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast!On today’s episode we have Drew Allen, VP of Strategic Development of Grace Engineered Products and CEO of Percev.Grace Engineered Products is located in Davenport, IA. Grace prides themselves in making maintenance smarter, safer, and more productive. They also have three distinctive product lines. Grace was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of their main business, which was system integration. Grace’s facility in Davenport is 45,000 square feet, and they currently have 45 employees. Grace Engineered Products currently has a revenue range of $15 Million to $20 Million. Grace sells to fortune 2000 industrial companies like Alcoa and Procter & Gamble. Grace is a family-owned business and Drew is the 2nd generation. Drew talks about the importance of communication to have a successful family-owned organization. They enrolled themselves in the Loyola Family Business Center to work on communication and setting boundaries. Drew skipped two grades in high school and enrolled early in Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. After college, Drew moved to Hong Kong to work for 3M. His mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, so Drew and his wife moved back to the Quad Cities and Drew began working at Grace. Enjoy the show!Stop wasting money on sunglasses and join the Knockaround crew and get 20% off.Link to AWESOME Knockaround Sunglasses: CLICK HERE use the code PODCAST to get 20% off. Grace Engineered Products Website: https://www.graceport.com/Grace Engineered Products Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracengineered/Head to our website to subscribe to our newsletter! https://www.builtiniowa.co/Built In Iowa Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuiltInIowa/Built In Iowa Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuiltInIowa

Welcome to the Built in Iowa Podcast! On today's episode we have George Jessen, President and Principal Owner of Heartland Asphalt.Heartland Asphalt is located in Mason City, IA and is a full service asphalt construction company with a small concrete division. Heartland was founded in 1990 as part of a handshake deal George Jessen had with the Fred Carlson Company out of Decorah. In 1997 George led a buyout to get Principal ownership in Heartland. Heartland has 100 employees with a revenue between $30 Million and $35 Million. Heartland serves the North Iowa region and has worked on many popular projects that we drive on today, most recently I-35 re-surfacing north of Highway 20 up to the Minnesota boarder. When George led the buyout in 1997 he leveraged everything he had. He had a 120% mortgage on his house and put all the chips in the middle of the table. George is a leader by example, this was obvious when Heartland won a contract that they could only work on at night. Heartland was short-staffed, so George operated heavy equipment during the night, slept for a few hours then went to lead the company in the afternoon. George's biggest advice is to begin with the end in mind, meaning have a vision and a plan in place when you start something.Enjoy the show!Stop wasting money on sunglasses and join the Knockaround crew and get 20% off.Link to AWESOME Knockaround Sunglasses: http://shrsl.com/1cbyw-1uif-s9zx use the code PODCAST to get 20% off. Heartland Asphalt Website: https://heartlandasphalt.com/Heartland Asphalt Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeartlandAsphalt/Head to our website to subscribe to our newsletter! https://www.builtiniowa.co/Built In Iowa Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuiltInIowa/Built In Iowa Podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/BuiltInIowa