Podcasts about Great Recession

Chris Markowski, the Watchdog of Wall Street, discusses the current state of the financial markets, emphasizing the importance of understanding market psychology and investor behavior. He reflects on lessons learned from the Great Recession, the challenges posed by inflation, and the realities of investing in IPOs. Markowski advocates for long-term investment strategies and warns against emotional decision-making that can lead to poor financial outcomes. He encourages listeners to embrace difficult market conditions and to seek guidance in navigating their financial futures.

Storytelling isn't just a marketing tool; it's a competitive advantage. In this episode of the Title Agents Podcast, Mo Choumil sits down with industry veteran and writer Michael Holden of AmTrust Title to explore how storytelling, history, and human connection shape the future of the title business. From his early days in a family-owned agency to navigating the Great Recession, building thought leadership through Ramblings of a Title Man, and witnessing seismic shifts in technology, automation, and fraud risk, Michael offers a grounded, honest look at where the industry has been and where it's heading next.   What you'll learn from this episode Why the role of the title professional has shifted from title examination to experience-driven closings What the 2008 recession taught about resilience, scalability, and agency survival The reasons smaller, agile underwriters are driving innovation across the industry How automation and AI will reshape title examination while elevating the importance of closings Main essential for modern title professionals you need to know   Resources mentioned in this episode  The Ramblings of a Title man  1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin | Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover   About Michael Holden Michael Holden is a senior leader at AmTrust Title, where he works with real estate professionals, lenders, and industry partners to deliver reliable, compliance-driven title and settlement solutions nationwide. With deep experience in title insurance operations, risk management, and relationship development, Michael is known for his practical approach to navigating complex transactions and evolving regulatory environments. His work focuses on protecting property rights, streamlining closings, and supporting real estate professionals with responsive service and national scale.   Connect with Michael  Website: AmTrust Financial  LinkedIn: Michael Holden, NTP, CLTP   Connect With Us Love what you're hearing? Don't miss an episode! Follow us on our social media channels and stay connected.    Explore more on our website: www.alltechnational.com/podcast Stay updated with our newsletter: www.mochoumil.com Follow Mo on LinkedIn: Mo Choumil Stop waiting on underwriter emails or callbacks—TitleGPT.ai gives you instant, reliable answers to your title questions. Whether it's underwriting, compliance, or tricky closings, the information you need is just a click away. No more delays—work smarter, close faster. Try it now at www.TitleGPT.ai. Closing more deals starts with more appointments. At Alltech National Title, our inside sales team works behind the scenes to fill your pipeline, so you can focus on building relationships and closing business. No more cold calling—just real opportunities. Get started at AlltechNationalTitle.com. Extra hands without extra overhead—that's Safi Virtual. Our trained virtual assistants specialize in the title industry, handling admin work, client communication, and data entry so you can stay focused on closing deals. Scale smarter and work faster at SafiVirtual.com.  

Honey, I shrunk the stimulus! In their third entry on the Great Recession, the Shuffle Bois trace President Obama's response to a cratering economy. After introducing the cast of neolib ghouls with whom Obama surrounded himself, they go through the history of Fall and Winter 2008/9 up to Obama's signing of the stimulus package. They also discuss Keynesianism, the Cassandras of the time, what might have been, and the Clintonite presidency that we actually got. Check out our website to search for episodes at: remembershuffle.comGive Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests. And don't forget to check out our patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/RememberShuffle

STREAMING THE MAKING OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, FEATURING THADDEUS MCCOTTER, 6-2-2026BRUSSELS1810 ANTWERP GATE BRUSSELSThis dialogue explores the significant political and economic challenges facing the Republican party during an election cycle. The speakers highlight record-low economic confidence among independent voters, noting that current dissatisfaction levels rival those seen during the Great Recession and the 1980s. This domestic frustration is further complicated by a conflicting and confusing foreign policy, specifically regarding the administration's handling of Middle Eastern conflicts and the Iranian regime. The participants argue that the interconnected nature of global instability and domestic inflation poses a severe threat to incumbent candidates. Ultimately, the discussion suggests that unless the administration can demonstrate concrete economic progress and clear diplomatic leadership, they risk losing the support of critical swing voters.

In this interview, Nathan Jameson shares insights from his 25+ years in the housing industry, including lessons learned during the Great Recession and his focus on affordable housing investments such as manufactured homes, RV parks, and self-storage. He also discusses leadership, relationship building, faith, and sustainable business growth.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

What happens when a founder nearly loses everything?In this episode of The Authority Company Podcast, Joe Pardavila sits down with neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and Clinilabs founder Dr. Gary Zammit to discuss the emotional reality of entrepreneurship, surviving the Great Recession, building elite teams, and the future of AI in medicine.Gary shares brutally honest stories about nearly losing his company, struggling to make payroll, and even telling his wife she should divorce him to protect their family financially. He also explains why the future of life sciences depends on more than innovation alone.This conversation explores resilience, leadership, culture, clinical trials, pharmaceutical misconceptions, and the people behind breakthrough medicine.Topics Covered:• The emotional cost of entrepreneurship• Surviving financial collapse during the recession• Why pharmaceutical companies get misunderstood• The difference between A players and superstars• How elite teams are built• Why company culture matters during chaos• The future of AI in healthcare and drug development• Clinical trials explained simply• Leadership lessons from failure• Persistence and resilience in business Chapters00:00 Intro00:01 Why Pharma Gets Such Bad Press02:47 Revealing the Hidden Struggles Behind the Business05:03 Nearly Losing the Company During the Recession07:12 The Moment He Asked His Wife for a Divorce09:08 Managing Morale During Financial Collapse11:21 Explaining Neuropsychiatric Drug Development12:39 Why CNS Research Became So Risky15:23 How the Company Turned Around17:07 Building and Retaining A Players19:25 Can You Create an A Player?21:00 A Players vs Superstars22:19 Building World-Class Processes23:14 How Technology Changed Clinical Trials25:27 AI and the Future of Medicine28:29 The Current State of Clinical Research30:00 Persistence Through Adversity31:02 Outro

In this episode of Anything But Typical, Gary Frey and Ben McDonald sit down with Ben Kinney, publisher of Business North Carolina, SouthPark Magazine, and North Carolina Tribune. Ben shares how growing up as the son of a journalist, moving from city to city, and constantly being the new kid shaped his ability to communicate, adapt, and connect with people. What started as a life of transition eventually became a career built around storytelling, leadership, media, and relationships. The conversation explores Ben's unexpected path from studying history and planning to become a teacher, to working in advertising sales, to stepping into leadership at Business North Carolina during a difficult season for the company. Ben also talks about the evolution of media, leading through uncertainty, surviving the Great Recession and COVID, and why authentic storytelling still matters in a world increasingly shaped by digital noise and AI. This episode is a thoughtful conversation about resilience, connection, leadership, and the power of having a real voice in business. In This Episode Gary, Ben McDonald, and Ben Kinney discuss: Ben's childhood moving through Burlington, Winston-Salem, New York City, South Florida, and Charlotte How being the “new kid” helped Ben learn communication, adaptability, and connection Why Ben originally planned to become a high school history teacher How he fell into classified advertising and business media What it was like stepping into leadership at Business North Carolina after tragedy The challenges of working in a family business How media has changed across print, digital, newsletters, podcasts, video, and social platforms Why great content still matters, even as distribution continues to evolve How Business North Carolina adapted through the Great Recession and COVID Ben's leadership philosophy and the importance of hiring the right people Why authenticity, voice, and storytelling still matter in the age of AI The value of strong editing, concise writing, and human connection Key Takeaways Connection is often built through life experience. Ben's ability to connect with people came from years of adapting to new environments, new schools, and new communities. Leadership sometimes begins with simply stepping in to help. Ben did not enter publishing with a perfect master plan. He stepped in when the family business needed him and learned through pressure. Content is still king, but distribution has changed. Strong journalism and storytelling still matter, but today's media companies have to think across print, email, social media, podcasts, video, and digital platforms. Survival requires thoughtful reaction. Ben explains that small businesses have to move quickly, but leaders still need to respond with care, perspective, and intention. Authenticity creates trust. Ben's personal writing in The Daily Digest connected with readers because it felt genuine, human, and different from typical business commentary. AI cannot replace real storytelling. AI may help generate information, but it cannot replace voice, judgment, perspective, editing, and authentic human connection. Memorable Quotes “He knows a lot of folks. He's got a great sense of humor. And he really can connect people.” “I always like to talk about myself growing up as my parents and I grew up together.” “I was always the new kid at every school.” “It was trial by fire. It was trial by volcanic fire.” “You gotta kinda react to things in a thoughtful way.” “But it can't replace storytelling, and that's what we're all doing, is telling stories.” “The key is be entertaining, be engaging, and have a voice.” “Good editing is so hard to find.” Connect with Ben Kinney LinkedIn: Ben Kinney Business North Carolina: businessnc.com SouthPark Magazine: southparkmagazine.com North Carolina Tribune: nctribune.com Email: bkinney@businessnc.com X/Twitter: @BenKinneyBNC

The seeds of success are often planted during challenging times. Beth Hobart began her real estate career shortly before the Great Recession, but weathered that tsunami of foreclosures, focused on relationships and leveraged her background in marketing and advertising to build her business. In this episode, OBJ Editor-in-Chief Richard Bilbao invites Hobart to share her career journey, perspective as a woman business leader, and a market update.

Special Episode! Look back at history and ahead to the future as Ophira Edut of The AstroTwins guides you through an 18.6-year repeating cycle in astrology, known as the McWhirter Cycle, that's accompanied our most famous booms and busts. Learn why we've named 2026, 2027 and 2028 "The Great Compression"How the Leo and Aquarius north node cycles could impact AI, Wall Street, crypto and moreLearn how 2026-28 echoes key moments in American history from Jamestown (1607) to the Declaration of Independence (1776) to the Great Depression, the Gold Standard, the Dotcom Boom, the Great Recession of 2008, to the rise of machine learning and the crypto bubble of 2017-18. Also: a special note about solar energy for the 2036-37 Leo north node cycle and what the means right now.Meet the (mostly women!) "profits of prophets" who influenced JP Morgan, Cornelius VanderbiltThe eerie parallel in timing between the astrological (lunar node) cycles and a cycle rhythm discovered by Herbert Hoover's Chief Economic Analyst after the Great DepressionPlus...Meet the (mostly women!) "profits of prophets" who influenced JP Morgan, Cornelius VanderbiltThe eerie parallel in timing between the astrological (lunar node) cycles and a cycle rhythm discovered by Herbert Hoover's Chief Economic Analyst after the Great Depression

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  New economic data is raising red flags as Americans drain savings, rack up credit card debt, and struggle to keep up with rising prices. Personal savings rates are near Great Recession lows, GDP growth is slowing, and much of the economy's recent strength is being driven almost entirely by AI and tech spending. This breakdown explores why consumers may be approaching a financial breaking point — and why both parties continue ignoring the growing debt crisis.

Losing a client is never fun, even when you saw the writing on the wall. The only question is how you choose to handle it. In this episode, Chip and Gini cover the practical and emotional side of client departures, from the moment you get the news to the lessons you take away. Gini points out that there are plenty of reasons a client could terminate the relationship, which may have nothing to do with your work. Strategy changes, budget cuts, and leadership turnover all end client relationships that were otherwise going fine. Chip’s advice is to not react immediately. Ask for a couple of days to review the agreement and put together a transition plan. That space lets you get the emotion out before you say something you’ll regret. Once you have your bearings, focus on making the exit clean. Read your actual contract, confirm the notice terms, and hand over everything the client needs: documents, passwords, contacts, work in progress. Chip is blunt about agencies that fight clients on the way out — it accomplishes nothing and just guarantees a bad final impression. Don't burn any bridges and you just might see those clients come back or send you referrals. Finally, be honest with your team about what the loss means for the business. If there are financial implications, say so before people start drawing their own conclusions. Key takeaways Chip Griffin: “You never want to react immediately to the news in such a way that you perhaps compound a difficult situation, or at the very least you don’t make it as easy as it should be.” Gini Dietrich: “I always say that you’re remembered by how you left an organization versus the work that you did. And so you never want to burn a bridge, even if you’re caught by surprise, even if you wanted to fire the client and you’re happy about it.” Chip Griffin: “If the client is coming to you and canceling because they’re having financial issues, you’re probably not going to get the money anyway. So rather than fighting for something that probably isn’t there, why don’t you try to make it as painless as possible and get whatever you can so that you’ve built some goodwill potentially for the future?” Gini Dietrich: “Be honest and open with your team because I think they will come with solutions that you may not have thought of or that you may have assumed they’re not willing to do.” Related Why do agencies lose clients? Agency client cancellation policies Agency owners need to put themselves in other people's shoes How to protect yourself from an unexpected client breakup View Transcript The following is a computer-generated transcript. Please listen to the audio to confirm accuracy. Chip Griffin: Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Agency Leadership Podcast. I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: And I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And Gini, as a famous American once said, “You’re fired.” Gini Dietrich: Oh, no. Chip Griffin: Okay. Maybe … pack your knives and go. Um- Oh … what would you like to go with instead? Gini Dietrich: Yeah, let’s, maybe we’ll do that one. I like that. Chip Griffin: Pack your knives and go. Top Chef is a great show. Gini Dietrich: I love Top Chef. Chip Griffin: Not as good as it was in the early days, but- Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I agree. Yeah … Chip Griffin: it’s still, it’s still kind of fun occasionally, and I, I still- Yeah … do watch part of each season. Yeah. From Restaurant Wars on. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I did love, I did love a little Top Chef. I agree. Chip Griffin:  Jen and one of my kids watch it up until Restaurant Wars, then they let me know, and I come in and I watch Restaurant Wars through the end. Gini Dietrich: That’s funny. They’re like, “Okay, your turn.” Chip Griffin: Yeah. I mean, that’s where it starts to get interesting, so. Gini Dietrich: That’s funny. Yeah. Chip Griffin: Anyway, no, we are gonna talk about getting fired. Not fired as an owner. We’re, we’re not at that point yet. We don’t have boards that are gonna fire us, most of us at least. Gini Dietrich: Right, right. Chip Griffin: But clients do fire us from time to time, and we’ve had conversations in the past about firing clients ourselves and, and those sorts of things. But, what happens, what do you do when a client calls you up or, worse, sends you an email and says, “We’re done. We’re out”? Yeah, you know, it’s- What are things you should be thinking about at that point? Gini Dietrich: I think so. The, I think there’s a couple of things here. One is that the word, using the word “fired” makes it sound so bad. Sometimes it’s because there’s been a strategy change, there’s been a budget reallocation, maybe leadership has changed, maybe there’s a new VP of marketing or a CCO. Like, there are lots of reasons, right, that have nothing to do with you or the agency or your work. And so saying that you got fired is, I, I just don’t like that term. Now that I have that off my chest, I’ll step down off my soapbox and say, like, there, I think we should always be prepared for the eventual loss of a client. And because we don’t know, right? We don’t- Uh-huh … we can kind of guess, you know, if there are big changes at a leadership level, or if there’s been a reorg, or if the company has sold or things like that, we can guess. Like, we’re probably not gonna be working with that client much longer. We could also sort of read the tea leaves from the perspective of they’ve been ghosting us, and we haven’t been able to get any work done. They’ve been declining meetings or not showing up for meetings. Like, there are lots of reasons that you can kind of read those tea leaves. And so I always think it’s, it’s really good to be prepared. It should never come as a surprise when you lose a client, and you should be prepared. You should have, you should know what you’re going to say, you should know how, what a transition looks like, and you should have a full pipeline that will replace that client fairly quickly, even in a chaotic world that we’re living in right now, so that you’re not caught off guard. Chip Griffin: Yeah. I mean, I think the, you know, the first step when you get this news is, probably 95% of the time you’re gonna be annoyed, upset, unhappy. Gini Dietrich: Sure. Absolutely. Chip Griffin: Some negative emotion. A small percentage of the time you’ll be like, “Oh, thank God, I just- … I, I really wanted to get rid of them anyway.” Yeah. You know? So. Gini Dietrich: Blessing in disguise, yep. Right. Chip Griffin: So, so sometimes that’ll be your reaction, but most of the time it’s not gonna be a happy reaction that you have. And so I think the, the first thing is to just, whether it’s on a call with them or you get it by email or, you know, carrier pigeon or whatever, take a deep breath. Yes. Right? Yes … you, you don’t ever want to react immediately to the news in such a way that you perhaps compound a difficult situation, or at the very least you don’t make it as easy as it could or should be. And I think your advice to, to be prepared for this, certainly if you see the signs on the wall you need to be even more prepared. But sometimes these things are, you know, in retrospect they won’t be a surprise, but you might feel surprised in the moment because you didn’t pick up on all of the little signals along the way and, and that then becomes a learning experience. And I think that’s… to me, that’s one of the most valuable things when you lose a client for whatever reason, is taking advantage of that to learn for the future. Learn the signs to look for. Yep. Learn what you could do differently potentially to maintain the relationship, retain the client. Learn to target better ideal clients, whatever it is. But I, I always like to turn these things into a learning experience as much as possible. But you also have the logistics to actually handle the end of the client relationship, so why don’t we talk about that for a little bit. What, you know, it, it’s not just about the learnings that you can take for the future, it’s how do you handle that immediately? How do you transition the client out? Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I think, you know, I always say that you’re always remembered by how you left an organization versus the work that you did. And so you never wanna burn a bridge, even if you’re caught by surprise, even if you wanted to fire the client and you’re happy about it, you should never burn a bridge because you just never know, right? So understanding what contract they signed and what the terms of agreement are, you know? We had a situation where I was working with a girlfriend and, she lost a big, big, big, big client. It came out of the blue, that she was not expecting it because she’d had a conversation a week prior that everything was fine. And so she works with several contractors, and we had to say like, “We’re really sorry. We know that we thought you were gonna be doing work in May and June,” and, like, we go, “The client’s gone.” So, and she had one person come back to her and say, like, “We have a 30-day agreement,” blah, blah, blah. They didn’t have a 30-day agreement, but in her mind they had a 30-day agreement. Sure. In the paperwork, there was no 30-day agreement. So I use that as an example because in your mind you may have a 30 or 60 or 90-day termination clause that may not have made it to the final piece. Maybe you have it for some clients and not others. Like, you have to really do your research to, and go back and read the executed agreement so you know what those terms are. And then spend that time ensuring that there’s a seamless transition, that they’re getting all the documents that you’ve created, that they understand where things are, that they understand where the passwords are, where you, what you have access to, all of those kinds of things. ‘Cause I will tell you, there have been situations where we’ve lost a client and we’re still in their Google Analytics. We’re still the admin on their Facebook page. Like, stuff like that, I’m like, “You guys, we’re not gonna do anything bad, but you really need to take us off.” Chip Griffin: Right, right. I mean, I’ve had former clients where, where I have had admin level access to a lot of their stuff- Yes … for as much as a decade afterwards. Gini Dietrich: Yes, yes. Chip Griffin: Even when I flag it for them and say, “Hey, guys- Gini Dietrich: Yes … Chip Griffin: you might wanna take me out.” Gini Dietrich: Yes, yes. Chip Griffin: It, it’s kind of amazing at times that- It, it is, yeah … the things that, that people don’t pay attention to. But, I mean, I think that that’s great advice to, you know, to understand what your agreements say, and to really just focus on how do you make it as smooth a transition as possible. No matter how frustrated you are, you need to try to think through how do we make this as pain-free for everybody? Because you can make it difficult for them, but that’s really just gonna make it difficult for you. Yep. And to your point, that’s how you’re gonna be remembered, as the person who made it difficult. And so, you know, if you get it on a, if you get the information on a call, you know, certainly say, “Hey, look, you know, let’s, let’s put together a wind-down plan or transition plan,” or however you wanna frame it. Part of that will depend on how sudden it is. You know, are, are they saying, “We’re not gonna renew in, you know, three months,” or is it, you know, “We’re giving you as short a notice as possible”? That will affect the timelines- Sure … and those sorts of things. Yep, yep. But, but it doesn’t affect the fact that you want to try to make sure that you are making it smooth and clean and painless. And don’t hesitate to say, “Hey, let me, let me think about this and come back to you with a plan-” Right “for how we do it.” Right, right. You don’t have to have every answer in the moment, and, and giving yourself that time to step back and absorb it may allow you to come forward with a more productive plan all the way around. Because your goal has to be to make sure that you’re fulfilling your contract, while at the same time trying to get them to fulfill their end of it. Right. And, and the more that you fight, the less likely you are to even get what you are due under the agreement. And so, you know, you wanna try to make it as, as friendly as possible in, in how you wind it down to make sure that you do get those payments that you are still owed. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, and I think, you know, if it comes as a surprise, I think you’re absolutely right that saying things like, “You know, gosh, I’m really sorry to hear this. I’ve really enjoyed working with you. Let me take a couple of days to craft a transition plan.” That gives you time. They, from their perspective, they’re like, “Okay, they’re being thoughtful about this and, you know, strategic about it, and they’re gonna be helpful.” And that gives you time to settle yourself and, you know, be, get all the emotion out of it and actually create something productive. Chip Griffin: Right. And it can be a, particularly if it’s done over the phone, it gives you that opportunity to sit down and take a look at the contract and see- Yeah … what it says. Yeah. Because then you can, you can go back to them and say, “Okay, you know, in order to make sure we do this the right way, you know, we’ll need the notification in writing so that, you know, we can memorialize this properly to protect both of us.” And I think you always wanna use that kind of language when you’re dealing with contract stuff. This is for both of our benefit, even if really maybe it’s more for you- Yeah … than for them, but you wanna stress the, the for both of us. And that’s also your opportunity to then look at other clauses in there that, that maybe are to your benefit, like the notification period, that maybe you didn’t bring up on the call. You know, you can say, “Hey, you know, we need to make sure we get this in writing, and of course, as, as you know from this agreement, you have 30, 60, 90, whatever the notification period is. So, you know, we’ll work to that, as we wind this down.” Gini Dietrich: Yeah. And I think, you know, there are, we, and we’ve talked about this before too, like our contracts say 90 days, and there are some clients where I’m like, “I don’t need to hold you to that. We’re good.” Like some- Right. Right? And then there are situations- Chip Griffin: How about, how about 90 minutes? How about 90 minutes? Can we, can we just be- 90 seconds? 90 seconds? We can be done now. We’re just, I’m out. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, I’m good. Yep. Good. Yep. See ya. Yep. But then there are also situations, you know, we had the Great Recession, we had COVID. There are some situations where you’re just like, you just be, you can be understanding and be like, “Gosh, I’m really, yeah, I’m really sorry to hear business sucks, and we have a 90-day termination clause, but let me, let me waive that for you, and let’s do this instead.” And you’re always seen in good light when you do those things. Yep. And in fact, every time I have done that, either that business has come back or they’ve referred business to us. So you don’t wanna do that in every situation, and you don’t wanna hurt your cash flow, you know, if it’s, if it’s gonna be detrimental. But there are situations where you can be a little more understanding and use, use that kind of language so that they understand that you’re doing them a favor, ’cause you’re, you really are doing them a favor in some cases. Chip Griffin: Well, more to the point, if the client is coming to you and canceling because they’re having financial issues, whether it’s because of a global pandemic or there’s just something specific to their business, you’re probably not gonna get the money anyway. Gini Dietrich: Fair. Chip Griffin: Right? So, so rather than fighting for something that probably isn’t there anyway, why don’t you try to make it as painless as possible and get whatever you can so that you’ve built some goodwill potentially for the future? Because you also have to keep in mind that most of the time we’re not working with the actual owner of the business. Most of the time, even in a mid-sized business, we’re working with someone at least a step or two removed from that level. And so why are we making their life more difficult when it’s not, you know, it may not even be their ability to make a decision, particularly if it’s financially related. So, you know, think about that, and put yourself in their shoes if you were in a position. If you’ve got contractors, think about, you know, you want to react to them the same way you want your contractors to react to you. Gini Dietrich: Right. Yep. Chip Griffin: And, you don’t want your contractors coming at you, right? Yeah, yep. And you wanna try to work something out amicably. You should be doing the same thing upstream from you in the relationship as well. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I just, I think your earlier point about taking some time, and just, you know, it’s, it usually comes as a shock. Even if, even if we’ve read the tea leaves, it still is surprising. It still is stressful. It still has some risk involved. And so just take a beat and use the language of, you know, “Give me a couple of days to put together a transition plan.” And I think that helps you process it all, get the emotion out, and then start to salvage the relationship as best you can so that there is referral business later, or maybe they do come back later, or whatever happens to be. Chip Griffin: Right. I mean, time is your friend on these things in order to, you know, to formulate a better response. And most of the time when we react too quickly, it’s when we end up regretting it somewhere down the road. So- you know, buy yourself the time to avoid that future regret. Gini Dietrich: I will, I will tell you that 100 years ago when I started my agency, the first client I lost, I cried. And the client felt really, really bad, and I was mortified, but I cried. Chip Griffin: Oh, you, you cried when the client told you? Oh, wow. Gini Dietrich: I did. Uh-huh. Okay. So I will say that, you know, you learn and you grow, and you understand that sometimes it’s just not personal. I took it very personally because it was the first time it had ever happened. Like, I’d, I’d never been fired from a job. I’d never like … it was the first time it had ever happened. So I, I did. I’ve matured since then, but there are, you know, there are things that you’re just like, it’s an emotional time. Chip Griffin: Sure. I mean, nobody would ever enjoy that kind of- Gini Dietrich: Yeah Chip Griffin: experience. Mm-mm. Yeah. I, I mean, certainly any time I’ve ever had a contract end, I, I haven’t been like, “Yay!” Gini Dietrich: Right? Chip Griffin: I mean- Gini Dietrich: Woo-hoo! … Chip Griffin: it, it sucks. Yeah. I can’t say that I’ve ever cried when I’ve gotten that news, but may have hung up the phone and had a few choice words for the atmosphere around me or something like that. But, you know, it is what it is. So okay, so, you know, we’re, we’re thinking through the actual communications with the client who has fired us. Sorry, terminated the agreement- Let us go … or shared the decision. Mm, right. Whatever. Yeah. Whatever language you wanna use. I’m, I’m still a fan of firing because that’s kinda what it is. So now we need to think about two things, I think immediately. One is how do we communicate it to our team, whether that’s contractors or employees, and as a corollary to that, how are we going to act as a client for the remainder of the relationship that we have? So not the technical details of working out the trip, but the, you know, how do we continue to service them in that moment? And those two are related because as soon as you tell your team, you know, “Hey, this, this agreement is ending,” they’re probably gonna start mentally checking out of that relationship just as you have. Gini Dietrich: Of course. Yep. Chip Griffin: And I think we need to really fight that urge. Yep. Because, because it, uh, as you say, it is how you exit that people remember you, and a lot of that comes down to if you had, particularly if you have a longer notice period, right? If you’ve got a, you know, say a 60 or 90-day notice period, you can’t just, you know, put pens down unless they, the client is like, “No, we just, we’re, we’re done. We’ll just keep paying you, but we’re not.” Sometimes that does happen- It sure does, yep … where they treat it as sort of severance for the agency. It’s not super common, but it does happen. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: But it needs to be on them to reduce your workload, not on you to say, “Eh, we don’t care anymore.” Gini Dietrich: Right. And I think, you know, if you’re doing things like media relations, it’s ensuring that those, the stories that are in progress or the things that are in progress, the pitches that are in progress, those get transferred over. If you, like we said, if you hold the keys to anything, you have to make sure that those are transferred over. All of the things that you have in progress, understand, you know, to your point, that it may be like they just want you to stop work immediately and hand everything over, or they may want you to continue, finish, they want you to finish things that are in progress. But understand what that is so that you can ensure that. And one of the things I always say to my team, and I repeat that, repeat what I said at the beginning, which is, you know, you’re always remembered how, by how you left. It is our job to transition smoothly and make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Yep. And I understand that you’re checked out. I’m checked out. I’m surprised by this. It’s not, you know, this, this is gonna be a little bit of a painful process, but we have to be professional, and we have to ensure that we’re transitioning cleanly. Chip Griffin: Yeah, and please do not fight them. It’s, I mean, ’cause that’s even worse than-you know, we, we just kinda give up. But I’ve seen many agencies where they basically fight clients on the way out the door, and the client will say, “Can I have this? Can I have the latest draft of this even though it’s not finished?” And they’ll be like, “Well, no, because, you know, we’re not gonna be working with you anymore, and so, you know, you don’t get the draft. You only get the final version.” No. Gini Dietrich: Absolutely not. No. No. Yeah. Chip Griffin: If you’re doing media relations and they wanna know who you’ve reached out to about a press release- Yes … just tell them. Gini Dietrich: Just tell them, yes. Chip Griffin: Do not fight them on this. I agree. I, I, for the life of me, I do not understand- Gini Dietrich: Yep. I totally agree with that Chip Griffin: the, the way, particularly the PR agencies seem to be particularly guilty of this in my view, where they just will not share with the client anything that they’re doing in terms of detail around outreach or those kinds of things because, well, then they can do it on their own. Okay, fine. Let them, right? They’ll figure out it’s not that easy. It’s not just having the spreadsheet of what contacts you’ve made. Yeah. I’m not saying you need to give them your whole database with all of your personal notations about, you know, stuff that you do across other clients. But if it’s pitch work that you’ve done for this client, give them the information. Come on, man. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, yeah. I mean, especially if it’s in progress and there’s, like- Yes … something’s happening, like, there’s no reason on Earth not to give them that information. Chip Griffin: No, no reason. And, look, if all you’re good for is, is a spreadsheet, it probably wasn’t worth hiring you anyway. Yeah. So, you know, you, you’ve got to be realistic about these kinds of things. But as you’re communicating with your team, you want them to understand that, that they need to have this same mentality of being helpful and making sure they finish strong. I think the other thing is to, to make sure that, that you’re communicating clearly with your contractors and employees about what this means. Hopefully, what it means is you’ve got a strong pipeline, and so, you know, it’s a bump in the road, but it’s not a big deal. But if it is a big deal, don’t try to hide that fact, right? I mean, you don’t have to like terrify them. Gini Dietrich: Yep. Chip Griffin: But, but if it does, if you’ve got a contractor and it’s probably gonna mean that you’re gonna have to cut them altogether or partially, if you think it’s, you know, a giant client and it might lead to layoffs, be honest with people sooner rather than later. Because the more you put this off, the harder it is to deal with. Yeah. And again, it’s a balancing act, ’cause you can’t, you can’t just be, you know, like panicking them, which is again another argument for taking a deep breath, absorbing the information, figuring out your plan. You don’t have to hang up the phone and then immediately call up all your team and say, “Oh my God, we just lost Acme Pharmaceuticals,” right? I mean, that doesn’t help anybody. Take the time, think it through, think through the questions you’re likely to get so that you can communicate confidently, but also honestly. Gini Dietrich: Yeah, and I would say If you have access to an HR team or person, if you have access to a legal team or an attorney, reach out to them as well because as you’re crafting this plan because they’re gonna have a different… They’re gonna look at it through a different lens. They’re gonna have a different perspective, especially if you have a team, getting HR involved in that to say, “Okay, here’s scenarios A, B, and C” to help you plan so that when an employee asks, you have a response, and it’s not just shot from the hip a little bit. Right. And I, I know I’ve told this story before, but during the Great Recession, you know, we had 95% of our clients left between Christmas and New Year’s of 2008, 2009, and I had to go back to the office and lay everybody off. And the biggest mistake I made, I made two big mistakes in that. One is that everybody was talking about the economy and the Great Recession and all this stuff for a year, but I didn’t pay any attention. I didn’t… Like, I wouldn’t, I wasn’t mature enough. I wasn’t experienced enough, and so I just kind of put my blinders on and was like, “Everything’s great. We’re growing.” You know? Yeah. And so I didn’t plan. And the second thing I did, mistake I made is I didn’t let the team know ahead of time, and I didn’t think I could. And I’ll never forget this as long as I live. One of my employees came up to me after I let everybody know, and she said, “I wish you had told us because I would’ve been happy to go part-time.” And I was like, ohhh. Chip Griffin: Right. Gini Dietrich: You know? Like, yeah. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Gini Dietrich: So be honest and open because I think they will come with solutions too that you may not have thought of or that you may have assumed they’re not willing to do when they are. Chip Griffin: Right. Absolutely. So then I think that takes us to that, that final piece, as we’re wrapping up here, and, and that is to take lessons away from it. Because there’s something to be learned from the end of every relationship, whether it’s because it was a project and it just, it naturally ran its course, or because you were on a retainer and they decided to end it or what have you. Yep. There are always lessons to be learned, and I think it’s, it’s really helpful to sit down with your team, not just at the end, but at key milestone points as well and say, “Okay, you know, what, what have we learned from this? What could we have done differently? What should we do differently, not just with this client but with others in the future?” And make sure that you treat as much of what you’re doing as a learning experience as possible because that’s how you really grow- both individually and as a business. If you just keep doing the same old, same old, you might do okay, but you’re not gonna do as well as you could if you’re actually studying what you’ve done in the past. Gini Dietrich: Yeah. I mean, that’s the example I just gave is a great example of that. Yeah. Now I know. Chip Griffin: Yeah. Gini Dietrich: That’s a great lesson. Chip Griffin: It’s why, again, I watch all of these episodes back so that I can sit there and say, “Okay, you know, what would I do differently next time?” Maybe I’ll lower the microphone a little bit, raise my voice a little bit, talk a little bit less so that we can actually hear from Gini, and I don’t just monopolize all the time. You don’t monopolize the time. And have Jen tell me what percentage of time I’ve spoken versus… I do talk a lot. I understand that. But it’s, it’s something I consciously work on every podcast that I’m on because I know that I have a tendency to talk a lot. Gini Dietrich: Okay. I don’t think you monopolize the time here. No. Chip Griffin: Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Gini Dietrich: You’re welcome. Chip Griffin: So, I guess we’re not gonna monopolize any more of your time as a listener, so we will wrap up today’s episode, but hopefully we’ve given you a few things to think about the next time that you get that dreaded call or email from a client who is not firing you, but ending the relationship in whatever fashion we wanna call it, so. Gini Dietrich: It’s not always being fired. Chip Griffin: Okay. Gini Dietrich: Fired, fired means that you did a bad job. Chip Griffin: Okay. On that note, I’m Chip Griffin. Gini Dietrich: I’m Gini Dietrich. Chip Griffin: And it depends.

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” — Warren BuffettIn this episode, Jay sits down with Ryan Chiodo, one of the top luxury real estate advisors in Naples, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, trust, service, relationships, and what it actually takes to build a reputation at the highest level.Ryan's story is not a straight line.From bartending in his family's Italian restaurant…to learning the builder and developer side of real estate…to navigating REOs, short sales, and distressed assets during the Great Recession…to serving luxury and ultra-luxury clientele in one of the most competitive markets in the country…This episode is a masterclass in mastering your craft over decades.Inside this conversation:* Why communication and hospitality became Ryan's unfair advantage in real estate* The hidden value of working in restaurants and customer service early in life* Why the luxury market is ultimately a relationship and trust business* The realities of serving affluent clients and what they actually expect* How the Great Recession shaped Ryan's perspective on leverage, investing, and risk* Why many people underestimate how difficult real estate truly is* The importance of becoming a true subject matter expert in your field* Why over-communication creates trust and long-term referrals* How systems, teams, and delegation allow entrepreneurs to scale* The difference between working with buyers versus sellers* Negotiation strategies, creative deal structures, and thinking beyond price aloneOne of the biggest themes throughout this episode is simple:The people at the top are rarely doing complicated things.They are doing simple things with extraordinary consistency. Ryan also shares the daily disciplines that built his business over 24 years:* Reviewing the market every single day* Staying proactive with clients* Bringing value instead of “just checking in”* Responding quickly* Knowing the details better than anyone else in the roomThis episode is especially valuable for:* Entrepreneurs building a book of business* Realtors and mortgage professionals* Salespeople trying to create long-term referral networks* Anyone interested in luxury markets and relationship-driven business* Professionals looking to build mastery over time instead of chasing shortcutsA standout takeaway from the conversation:“You have to get in the room. But once you're in the room, you better know what you're doing.” This is a conversation about trust earned through preparation, consistency, and decades of repetition.Because in the end, luxury is not about flash.It's about confidence, competence, and delivering an experience people never forget.

In this episode of The Intelligent Developers Podcast, we sit down with Ed Poteat for a powerful conversation on entrepreneurship, affordable housing development, capital relationships, and navigating multiple real estate cycles in New York City.Ed shares his journey growing up in Harlem during the 1980s, studying economics at Yale University, spending time on Wall Street at JPMorgan Chase, and ultimately leaving corporate America at just 26 years old to pursue real estate entrepreneurship full-time.The conversation explores how New York City once empowered small local developers to revitalize distressed neighborhoods, how Ed and his team scaled into major affordable housing development projects, and the hard lessons learned during the Great Recession around leverage, capital structure, and profitability.This episode is a masterclass in resilience, affordable housing development, and building long-term success in one of the toughest real estate markets in the world.

Newt talks with Senator Lamar Alexander, former Governor of Tennessee and U.S. Education Secretary, about his memoir, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.” He traces his public life from a 1963 Justice Department job under Robert Kennedy, where he heard Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, through the rise of “digital democracy,” social media, globalization, the Great Recession, and the Obama and Trump eras, arguing that social media and economic disruption have transformed American politics since around 2008. Alexander contrasts gubernatorial and senatorial leadership, likening governors to Moses and Senate leaders to drum majors who must recruit, align, and manage diverse “marchers,” and notes that many governors find the Senate frustrating while some senators struggle as pragmatic executives. He credits Howard Baker with teaching him to be an “eloquent listener,” to “learn to count” votes, and to remember “the other fellow might be right.” Relationships, he argues, are the essence of the Senate: he cultivated them by visiting House counterparts, maintaining courtesy, and hosting about 60 Senate couples, both Republicans and Democrats alike, at his Tennessee home. Alexander reflects on his own presidential bids, which he compares to moving from eighth-grade basketball to the NBA finals. He warns that presidential politics are increasingly dominated by “media and money,” recalling a 1999 quip predicting a Trump-like figure emerging from this environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From sketching fashion designs as a kid to leading complex M&A and private equity deals, Sara Mostafa shares what separates true dealmaking attorneys from ordinary transactional lawyers, why minority investment deals are like marriages with prenups, and what founders should understand before bringing in growth capital. In this episode of the DealQuest Podcast, host Corey Kupfer sits down with Sara Mostafa, the newest partner at Kupfer. Sara has spent more than two decades representing private companies and entrepreneurs across M&A, financing, private equity, governance, employment, real estate, and outside general counsel matters. Like Corey, she came out of big law and built a relationship-first practice that supports clients from inception through exit. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: In this episode, Sara explains what separates a true dealmaking attorney from an ordinary transactional lawyer, why minority investment deals require “eyes wide open,” and how experienced attorneys balance legal risk against business upside without over-lawyering. She also discusses why AI-related transactions are dominating parts of the California M&A market, why dental and medical practices are commanding strong multiples, what the 2008 recession taught her about resilience and pivoting, and how long-term client relationships often evolve into serving the next generation of entrepreneurs. GUEST'S JOURNEY: Sara originally wanted to be a fashion designer, inspired by her aunt and her childhood love of sketching clothes. While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, she unexpectedly completed her degree requirements early and took a paralegal role at Drinker Biddle & Reath in Philadelphia, which inspired her to pursue law school. She began her legal career at Cooley in San Diego, working on biotech M&A deals before deciding big law was not the long-term fit she wanted. During the 2008 Great Recession, she pivoted to immigration law and nonprofit work in Hawaii before returning full-time to business transactions. She remains licensed in both California and Hawaii. THE DESIGNER DEALMAKER: Outside of law, Sara continues to pursue creative work. Last year she bought a sewing machine and now spends much of her free time designing and making clothes, including garments she is exhibiting at the San Diego County Fair. Like others at Kupfer, she believes building a successful legal career does not require abandoning personal passions or entrepreneurial pursuits. KEY INSIGHTS: A true dealmaking attorney focuses on helping both sides move forward rather than over-lawyering every issue. Business-mindedness, perspective, and the ability to negotiate practical middle ground matter as much as technical legal skill. Minority investment deals can dramatically change how founders operate. Investors often require approval rights over major decisions and expect a future exit, which means founders need to fully understand both the growth opportunity and the downside risk. Sara believes lawyers must balance risk against opportunity. Businesses cannot grow without taking risks, and experienced attorneys help clients evaluate likelihood and impact rather than simply redlining every possible issue. She also explains that curiosity and adaptability matter more than narrow industry specialization in most transactional work. Over her career, she has represented clients across industries ranging from restaurants and fitness centers to technology, healthcare, entertainment, and construction. Perfect for founders considering outside capital, business owners planning an exit, and entrepreneurs evaluating whether their attorney is truly helping get deals done or simply executing documents. FOR MORE ON THIS EPISODE: https://www.coreykupfer.com/blog/saramostafa FOR MORE ON SARA MOSTAFA:https://www.kupferlaw.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sara-mostafa-02404211/ FOR MORE ON COREY KUPFER: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreykupfer/ https://www.coreykupfer.com/ Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker. He has more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker. He is deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is also the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast. Get deal-ready with the DealQuest Podcast with Corey Kupfer, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business leaders converge, share insights and challenges, and success stories. Equip yourself with the tools, resources, and support necessary to navigate the complex yet rewarding world of dealmaking. Dive into the world of deal-driven growth today! Episode Highlights with Timestamps:[00:00:03] Introduction: Sara Mostafa's two decades of transactional experience and her arrival as the newest partner at Kupfer [00:03:28] The sewing machine bought last September and exhibiting garments at the San Diego County Fair [00:08:12] Why transactional work appealed and the value of staying with clients through the full business life cycle [00:17:45] The 2008 Great Recession as the only real slowdown and pivoting to Hawaii [00:23:46] Minority investment deals as marriages with prenups [00:29:41] What separates a real dealmaker from a transactional attorney [00:38:43] What client trust really means to Sara [00:43:11] The children of exited clients calling her for their own ventures [00:45:28] What freedom means: peace of mind Guest Bio:Sara Mostafa is a partner at Kupfer with over two decades of experience representing private companies and individuals across a wide range of transactional matters. Her practice encompasses contract negotiation, entity formation, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, financing transactions, employment matters, real estate transactions, and outside general counsel services. She has represented companies in technology, wealth management, retail, entertainment, wholesale, construction, restaurants, medical practices, marketing, fitness, and nutrition, among others. Host Bio:Corey Kupfer is an expert strategist, negotiator, and dealmaker with more than 35 years of professional deal-making and negotiating experience. Corey is a successful entrepreneur, attorney, consultant, author, and professional speaker deeply passionate about deal-driven growth. He is the creator and host of the DealQuest Podcast.Related Episodes:Episode 293 - Sunny Vanderbeck: Building Relationships and Selling With Purpose Episode 350 - Tom Dillon: Understanding Business Valuation and Exit Planning Realities Episode 366 - Jodi Hume: Founder Exits and the Emotional Journey Behind Major DecisionsKeywords/Tags:M&A counsel, transactional attorney, dealmaking attorney, minority investment deals, private equity transactions, outside general counsel, California M&A market, AI valuations, dental practice multiples, medical practice multiples, Kupfer Law partner, big law transition, exit preparation, business life cycle counsel, relationship-driven dealmaking, risk versus upside, over-lawyering, corporate governance, entity formation, capital raising, next generation clients, peace of mind freedom

On his 40th birthday, Derek Thompson takes a step back and looks at how his thinking on the national debt has changed. Back when he first covered fiscal policy, concern about government borrowing was mostly a conservative position, with many liberals arguing it was overblown. That's starting to shift. The U.S. now spends far more than it brings in, and the gap is still growing. For the first time, interest payments on the debt have surpassed military spending. And deficits that once rose during crises like the Great Recession and the COVID pandemic haven't really come back down. So what changed, and how worried should we be? Derek is joined by economist Justin Wolfers to walk through the basics of the federal budget, the evolving debate around the national debt, and why more economists are starting to take persistent deficits seriously. Host: Derek Thompson Guest: Justin Wolfers Producer: Devon Baroldi Additional Production Support: Ben Glicksman Visit https://www.uber.com/safety to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Portland's commercial real estate isn't just in decline — it's now performing worse than the bottom of the 2008 financial crisis. A downtown tower that sold during the depths of the 2010 Great Recession just changed hands again at a 20% loss from that price. Not down from peak. Down from the floor of the last catastrophe. That is not a correction. That is a city actively destroying capital.Progressive Portland spent the better part of a decade running businesses out of downtown, tolerating open-air drug markets, defunding police, and celebrating every employer departure as a victory for the working class. The employers left. The workers left. The tax base left. What remained were buildings nobody wants to buy at any price that pencils out — and now sellers are proving it in court filings and deed transfers.Seattle, Tacoma, and every other Pacific Northwest city governed by the same ideological coalition are watching this play out in real time. The Portland experiment is not a cautionary tale anymore. It is a documented outcome. The only variable left is whether neighboring cities choose to learn from it or repeat it.CHAPTERS0:00 PORTLAND REAL ESTATE MELTDOWN: 20%…2:22 Portland Tower Sells Below 2010 Price3:46 CEOs Reversed Course on Remote Work5:03 Who Is Buying Downtown Portland Condos5:43 Guardian Real Estate Buys Ladd Tower7:24 Ladd Sale Price Falls 20% Below 20109:06 $2.77 Billion Spent on Portland…9:57 Ladd Tower Changed Hands Three Times10:54 Starbucks Cuts Seattle Jobs, Invests…13:03 Big Pink Sells for $45 Million14:42 Big Pink Dropped 85% From Its Peak16:25 Bottom Feeders Bet on Portland Recovery16:59 Seattle Follows Chicago Into Decline18:44 91% of Washington Businesses Halting…Subscribe to @reasonablenews for daily coverage of Pacific Northwest politics and the stories the local press won't touch.#Portland #RealEstate #EconomicCollapse

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.comJerusalem is a journalist and entrepreneur. She's a former staff writer at The Atlantic and a former policy writer and podcaster at Vox. Last year she founded The Argument, a liberal magazine on Substack, where she serves as CEO and editor-in-chief. We went at it on liberalism and how to reform the Democrats.For two clips of the episode — on Biden's biggest mistakes, and how DEI went off the rails — head to our YouTube page.Other topics: born in Ethiopia as an Eritrean Christian; why her father became an atheist then converted back to Christianity; growing up in suburban Maryland and becoming a citizen at age 14; the formative influence of Amartya Sen's The Argumentative Indian; being a Christian in a secular-left bubble; the stagnation in England before Thatcher; imposing liberalism on Iraq; torture under Bush; the long Great Recession; the American Rescue Plan and inflation; Biden ceding order on immigration; Greg Abbott exporting migrants to liberal cities; rural and retired voters most against immigration but least affected; cancel culture; the race card on immigration; the antisemite card on Israel; US aid to Israel; Hormuz and oil prices; Jerome Powell; DEI and the NYT lawsuit; diversity vs quotas; trans issues; the suicide canard; orgasm loss and FGM; opposition to bathroom bills reversed; Bostock; housing policy and abundance; ICE in Minneapolis; JD Vance; Kamala and Hillary; Jon Ossoff; and Keir's cautionary tale for moderate liberals.Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy. We have some real stars coming up: Ben Rhodes on Iran and speech-writing, Harvey Mansfield on modernity, HW Brands on the life of George Washington, John Gray on Trump's new world, Bob Wright on the evolutionary force of AI, Tiffany Jenkins on privacy in a liberal democracy, Daniel McCarthy on conservatism, Stephen Grosz on the struggles of love, and Robby George on all our disagreements. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.

Chuck Todd opens by previewing Mark Zandi's sobering economic forecast from this episode and arrives at a simple, devastating conclusion: every single policy decision Trump has made has made the economy worse, tax refunds have already been gobbled up by inflation, and the math guarantees voters will feel even worse by the midterms — meaning Republicans on the ballot should be furious with the president, and those in swing districts have no choice but to start distancing themselves from his policies now. But the real heat in this episode comes from his analysis of Trump's trip to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping, which he frames as the diplomatic equivalent of going hat in hand. He argues there's simply no winning a trade war with China, that scrapping the TPP and the JCPOA will go down as two of the most colossal strategic mistakes of the modern era, and that Trump's combined Iran and China policies have somehow managed to strengthen both adversaries simultaneously — to the point that his foreign policy decisions are starting to make him look, in Chuck’s words, like a Manchurian candidate. The world is now beginning to view the United States itself as the global boogeyman, and Trump's presidency is doing damage to America's long-term standing that will take a generation to repair. The brutal irony, he notes, is that Trump now needs more from China than China needs from America: China is the only country with real leverage over Iran, defenders of Taiwanese independence are quietly terrified that Trump could trade them away for an economic off-ramp, and Xi gets to sit across the table from a desperate American president whose negotiating position keeps eroding by the day. Then, Mark Zandi — chief economist at Moody's Analytics and one of the most quoted forecasters in America — joins the Chuck Toddcast to deliver a remarkably sobering verdict on where the economy actually stands: without the $700 billion currently being poured into AI investment, the United States would already be in or close to recession. The latest CPI and PPI reports came back ugly and uglier, oil shocks from the Iran war will keep prices elevated through 2027 even if the war ended tomorrow (Zandi says don't expect $3 gas again until then), real disposable income has been flat or falling for a year, FHA mortgage delinquencies are at their highest level since the Great Recession, and the bottom 40% of earners are living genuinely paycheck to paycheck. Zandi pushes back on lazy comparisons to the 1970s — conditions were objectively worse then, with a self-reinforcing wage-price loop that took a brutal recession to break — but warns that nominating Kevin Warsh as Fed chair specifically to cut rates would risk replaying exactly that movie, and that a policy of low rates at any cost would be catastrophic. The deeper diagnosis is brutal: employment was growing steadily and inflation was easing until Liberation Day, when both reversed simultaneously — meaning Trump's tariffs are the most obvious thing to cut, and the question of who actually benefits from them gets harder to answer every month. The mass deportation policy is costing the country roughly 0.5-0.7% of GDP growth that normal immigration would have provided, with agriculture, construction, hospitality and services taking direct hits. Zandi sees economic weakness most pronounced in the South and West, healthcare-anchored cities like Philadelphia outperforming Florida and Texas, and a national debt now exceeding GDP that's setting the conditions for a potential bond market sell-off — with global investors already being advised to diversify away from the dollar as America deglobalizes and the world quietly pulls away. His most striking observation: the fixes are all sitting on the shelf. America doesn't need new ideas to solve any of this — it needs the political will to use the ones we already have, and that will probably won't materialize until a genuine crisis forces it. By the midterms, voters will be feeling the worst of it, and while partisan media can try to spin the numbers all it wants — reality is much harder to spin. Finally, Chuck answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment. Try ShipStation free for 60 days with full access to all features, No credit card needed! Go to https://ShipStation.com and use code TODDCAST for 60 days for free! Thank you Wildgrain for sponsoring. Visit http://wildgrain.com/TODDCAST and use the code "TODDCAST" at checkout to receive $30 off your first box PLUS free Croissants for life! Link in bio or go to https://getsoul.com & enter code TODDCAST for 30% off your first order. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Chuck Todd’s introduction 01:00 Mark Zandi paints a sobering picture about state of the economy 02:30 Every Trump policy decision has made has made the economy worse 03:45 Tax refunds have been gobbled up by inflation 04:15 The economy will only feel worse to people by midterm elections 06:30 Republicans on the ballot should be furious with Trump 07:15 Republicans in swing areas have to distance from Trump policies 08:15 Trump in China to meet with Xi Jinping 09:00 There’s no winning a trade war with China 10:30 Getting rid of the TPP & JCPOA were colossal mistakes 11:30 Trump is losing the Iran war and strengthened Iran & China 12:00 Trump’s policies make him look like a Manchurian candidate 12:30 The world is now starting to view the US as the boogeyman 13:15 Trump’s presidency has been terribly damaging long term to the US 14:30 We need more from China than they need from us 15:00 China is the only country that could lean on Iran 15:45 Defenders of Taiwan independence worried Trump could cave 16:45 Trump is desperate for Xi’s help 21:00 Mark Zandi joins the Chuck ToddCast 21:45 CPI inflation and PPI inflation reports came back ugly & uglier 23:00 The through lines are ugly and going to get worse due to oil prices 23:45 Even if the war ended today, higher prices would last all year 24:15 Inflation has been accelerating under Trump, was on track under Biden 25:15 Inflation was worse during Covid combined with start of Ukraine war 28:00 Economy and stagflation were much worse in the 70s than now 28:45 Conditions different from 70s, there was a self-reinforcing loop in 70s 29:30 The only way out of 70s stagflation was a very severe recession 30:15 Kevin Warsh nominated for Fed chair to lower interest rates 31:00 If Warsh cuts interest rates, we risk a repeat of the 70s 31:45 A policy of low rates at any cost would be catastrophic 32:15 Rate cuts won’t happen since they are set by a board 32:45 Economy won’t have time to recover in time for the midterm elections 34:00 Partisan media can try to spin the economy, but reality is hard to spin 35:15 We won’t be back to $3/gallon gas until 2027 most likely 35:45 Last 3 months, the economy got a boost due to tax refunds that are fading 37:00 Real disposable income has fallen or stayed stagnant the past year 37:45 Bottom 40% earners are struggling badly, living paycheck to paycheck 38:45 FHA mortgage delinquency rates are rising, highest since great recession 40:00 Things will feel worse economically by the midterm election 41:30 Without $700B in AI investment, we’d be close to, or in a recession 43:45 Last two jobs reports better than expected, tax cuts acted as stimulus 44:30 The job market is still very weak 45:30 With normal immigration we’d grow GDP by 0.5-0.7%, and lost that 46:30 Data shows immigrants don’t take jobs native born workers have 47:30 Lack of immigrants will hit state & local government budgets hard 48:15 Agriculture, construction, hospitality and services hit hard by deportations 50:00 Air travel hasn’t fallen off due to economic conditions… yet 50:45 High end consumer spending on recreation hasn’t fallen off at all 51:45 Is the proposal to cap credit card interest rate at 10% a good idea? 52:30 Companies won’t offer credit lines to consumers without great credit scores 53:15 Trump cutting the tariffs is the most obvious solution to higher prices 54:00 Employment was increasing regularly until Liberation Day tariffs 54:30 Inflation also took off on Liberation Day 55:15 Who actually benefits from Trump’s tariffs? 56:30 Suspending gas tax would result in .10-.15c lower prices at pump 58:30 Cutting the gas tax likely won’t result in any political benefit 1:00:00 Economic weakness most pronounced in the south & the west 1:02:00 Cities with big healthcare industries having most job growth, Philly leading 1:03:45 Pennsylvania economy rowing faster than Florida or Texas 1:04:15 America’s national debt exceeds GDP, how concerned should we be? 1:06:30 Indicators show we having a massive debt and deficit problem 1:08:00 The conditions for a sell off in the bond market are in place 1:08:30 It’s going to take a crisis to generate political will to act on the debt 1:09:45 America is deglobalizing, and world pulling away from us 1:10:15 Investors being advised to diversify away from the dollar 1:11:30 The fixes to the economy are all sitting on the shelf. Don’t need new ideas 1:13:00 AI job displacement hasn’t hit hard yet, but could be coming soon 1:16:15 Need a stiff drink after the interview with Mark Zandi 1:16:45 Ask Chuck 1:17:00 Alternative idea for formula to expand the house of representatives? 1:21:45 Will there be any impact from Susan Collins disclosing her tremors? 1:25:30 Thanks for interview with lawyers suing big tech, screen time is down 1:26:45 Could you argue that SCOTUS striking down New Deal policy was most impactful? 1:28:45 Is Dems gerrymandering more about deterrence and not pure hypocrisy? 1:33:15 If a justice steps down, who would Trump nominate. What would impacts be? 1:37:45 Thanks for the pod. It’s helped me get through long dialysis sessions 1:39:15 NBA playoffs reactionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Zandi — chief economist at Moody's Analytics and one of the most quoted forecasters in America — joins the Chuck Toddcast to deliver a remarkably sobering verdict on where the economy actually stands: without the $700 billion currently being poured into AI investment, the United States would already be in or close to recession. The latest CPI and PPI reports came back ugly and uglier, oil shocks from the Iran war will keep prices elevated through 2027 even if the war ended tomorrow (Zandi says don't expect $3 gas again until then), real disposable income has been flat or falling for a year, FHA mortgage delinquencies are at their highest level since the Great Recession, and the bottom 40% of earners are living genuinely paycheck to paycheck. Zandi pushes back on lazy comparisons to the 1970s — conditions were objectively worse then, with a self-reinforcing wage-price loop that took a brutal recession to break — but warns that nominating Kevin Warsh as Fed chair specifically to cut rates would risk replaying exactly that movie, and that a policy of low rates at any cost would be catastrophic. The deeper diagnosis is brutal: employment was growing steadily and inflation was easing until Liberation Day, when both reversed simultaneously — meaning Trump's tariffs are the most obvious thing to cut, and the question of who actually benefits from them gets harder to answer every month. The mass deportation policy is costing the country roughly 0.5-0.7% of GDP growth that normal immigration would have provided, with agriculture, construction, hospitality and services taking direct hits. Zandi sees economic weakness most pronounced in the South and West, healthcare-anchored cities like Philadelphia outperforming Florida and Texas, and a national debt now exceeding GDP that's setting the conditions for a potential bond market sell-off — with global investors already being advised to diversify away from the dollar as America deglobalizes and the world quietly pulls away. His most striking observation: the fixes are all sitting on the shelf. America doesn't need new ideas to solve any of this — it needs the political will to use the ones we already have, and that will probably won't materialize until a genuine crisis forces it. By the midterms, voters will be feeling the worst of it, and while partisan media can try to spin the numbers all it wants — reality is much harder to spin. Timeline: (Timestamps may vary based on advertisements) 00:00 Mark Zandi joins the Chuck ToddCast 00:45 CPI inflation and PPI inflation reports came back ugly & uglier 02:00 The through lines are ugly and going to get worse due to oil prices 02:45 Even if the war ended today, higher prices would last all year 03:15 Inflation has been accelerating under Trump, was on track under Biden 04:15 Inflation was worse during Covid combined with start of Ukraine war 07:00 Economy and stagflation were much worse in the 70s than now 07:45 Conditions different from 70s, there was a self-reinforcing loop in 70s 08:30 The only way out of 70s stagflation was a very severe recession 09:15 Kevin Warsh nominated for Fed chair to lower interest rates 10:00 If Warsh cuts interest rates, we risk a repeat of the 70s 10:45 A policy of low rates at any cost would be catastrophic 11:15 Rate cuts won’t happen since they are set by a board 11:45 Economy won’t have time to recover in time for the midterm elections 13:00 Partisan media can try to spin the economy, but reality is hard to spin 14:15 We won’t be back to $3/gallon gas until 2027 most likely 14:45 Last 3 months, the economy got a boost due to tax refunds that are fading 16:00 Real disposable income has fallen or stayed stagnant the past year 16:45 Bottom 40% earners are struggling badly, living paycheck to paycheck 17:45 FHA mortgage delinquency rates are rising, highest since great recession 19:00 Things will feel worse economically by the midterm election 20:30 Without $700B in AI investment, we’d be close to, or in a recession 22:45 Last two jobs reports better than expected, tax cuts acted as stimulus 23:30 The job market is still very weak 24:30 With normal immigration we’d grow GDP by 0.5-0.7%, and lost that 25:30 Data shows immigrants don’t take jobs native born workers have 26:30 Lack of immigrants will hit state & local government budgets hard 27:15 Agriculture, construction, hospitality and services hit hard by deportations 29:00 Air travel hasn’t fallen off due to economic conditions… yet 29:45 High end consumer spending on recreation hasn’t fallen off at all 30:45 Is the proposal to cap credit card interest rate at 10% a good idea? 31:30 Companies won’t offer credit lines to consumers without great credit scores 32:15 Trump cutting the tariffs is the most obvious solution to higher prices 33:00 Employment was increasing regularly until Liberation Day tariffs 33:30 Inflation also took off on Liberation Day 34:15 Who actually benefits from Trump’s tariffs? 35:30 Suspending gas tax would result in .10-.15c lower prices at pump 37:30 Cutting the gas tax likely won’t result in any political benefit 39:00 Economic weakness most pronounced in the south & the west 41:00 Cities with big healthcare industries having most job growth, Philly leading 42:45 Pennsylvania economy rowing faster than Florida or Texas 43:15 America’s national debt exceeds GDP, how concerned should we be? 45:30 Indicators show we having a massive debt and deficit problem 47:00 The conditions for a sell off in the bond market are in place 47:30 It’s going to take a crisis to generate political will to act on the debt 48:45 America is deglobalizing, and world pulling away from us 49:15 Investors being advised to diversify away from the dollar 50:30 The fixes to the economy are all sitting on the shelf. Don’t need new ideas 52:00 AI job displacement hasn’t hit hard yet, but could be coming soonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 991 of The Professional Left starts with a question that sounds absurd on its face — are Americans "underbabied"? — and then spends an hour making the case that the people asking that question are the same ones who have spent decades doing everything in their power to make starting a family feel financially impossible. Driftglass and Blue Gal trace the long arc from the post-war baby boom through the Reagan era's war on the social safety net, showing how decades of Republican policy quietly transformed children from a shared public good into a personal lifestyle choice that you'd better be able to afford on your own. A detour through the Enron collapse and the Great Recession ties it all together — because low birth rates aren't the disease, they're the symptom, and this episode lays out exactly what's causing them.Stay in Touch! Email: proleftpodcast@gmail.com Website: proleftpod.com Support via Patreon: patreon.com/proleftpod or Donate in the Venmo App @proleftpodMail: The Professional Left, PO Box 9133, Springfield, Illinois, 62791Artwork courtesy of "america has rabies" on BlueSky @thebatshitsutras.bsky.socialSupport the show

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/watchdog-on-wall-street-with-chris-markowski/id570687608 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2PtgPvJvqc2gkpGIkNMR5i WATCH and SUBSCRIBE on:https://www.youtube.com/@WatchdogOnWallstreet/featured  Student loan defaults are surging, credit card delinquencies are nearing Great Recession levels, and more Americans are asking how to survive layoffs and financial stress. This segment examines the warning signs building beneath the surface of the economy — from debt-fueled education and rising defaults to the growing disconnect between official data and everyday reality.

The Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye led the state judiciary through the Great Recession's budget crisis, bail reform advocacy, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Now she has three new roles: President and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, a neutral at ADR Services, and a founding voice of the Alliance of Former Chief Justices.CJ Cantil-Sakauye talks with Tim Kowal and Jeff Lewis about what actually gets petitions for review granted. If the Supreme Court's job is not to correct errors, then what is it?The justices look for issues that surface conflict, systemic mischief, or other need to weigh in to avoid broader problems.So how do you find those issues? Each justice has a mental list—sometimes those are visible in their concurrences and dissents.Other places to look: amicus briefs from government entities.CJ Cantil-Sakauye also addresses why her Court viewed depublication as heavy-handed and preferred granting review to provide legal explanationAnd why grant-and-transfer requires diplomatic restraint to avoid appearing to rebuke Court of Appeal colleagues.We also discuss:Why rescue missions almost always failWhy Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye's court limited depublication to the rarest circumstances and changed the rules to keep granted cases citableThe mediation stumbling blocks she encounters when trial counsel defends the trial record instead of negotiating settlementHow COVID permanently transformed access to justice through electronic filing and remote appearancesThe structural tension created by California's legislative control over civil procedure, unlike most states where supreme courts govern procedural rulesWhat's the biggest factor you think makes the California Supreme Court take a case?

A year into the Great Recession, one film was brave enough to ask, "But what about the corporate consultants?" We discuss Jason Reitman's onetime critical darling UP IN THE AIR (2009), a film that invites us to have sympathy for the downsizers. Join us on Patreon for an extra episode every week - https://www.patreon.com/michaelandus

In episode two of their ongoing series on The Great Recession, the Shuffle Bois turn to the folks who profited from the collapse of the housing market, as described and immortalized in Michael Lewis' book "The Big Short" and its 2015 film adaptation. After describing the major characters of this story, they then turn to a plot summary of the film, peppering in some digressions on 2000s culture and the nature of sub prime lending companies. Then, as always, they turn to their themes and big ideas, including the enrichment of the contemptible and the noxious social effects of Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy.Check out our website to search for episodes at: ⁠remembershuffle.com⁠⁠Give Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests. And be sure to check out our ⁠Patreon⁠!Bibliography:Bethany McLean and Joseph Nocera, All the Devils are Here (New York: Penguin), 2011Gregory Zuckerman The Greatest Trade Ever Made (New York: Crown Business), 2010Michael Lewis, The Big Short (San Francisco: Hyperink), 2012

677. This week, we talk to Dustin Granger about  Louisiana politics. As a seasoned financial advisor with over two decades of experience, Dustin Granger has built his career helping Louisiana families navigate the turbulent waters of the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recurring hurricanes that shape life on the Gulf Coast. A lifelong resident and LSU alumnus, Granger now serves as the Treasurer of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Granger is a leading voice for economic reform and climate resilience. He advocates for a "New Louisiana" that breaks away from traditional corporate-heavy investments to embrace renewable energy, fair taxation, and sustainable infrastructure. In this interview, we discuss his recommendations for the current voting season, his strategies for stabilizing property insurance, his commitment to strengthening the state's middle class, and his ongoing work to revitalize the Democratic infrastructure across the Bayou State. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Charles Asbury Stephens. The Ark of 1803.     It was a voyage of untold perils. Every year an increasing number of white outlaws, hidden in the caves along the river, harried and robbed the boatmen who floated down from the upper settlements. There were lurking bands of hostile Indians. And there was the river itself with its treacheries; its snags; its mud bars and its floods. It was no unusual thing for an ark to set out as this one was about to do, provided against all foreseeable disasters, and never be heard from afterward. Some were wrecked, some were robbed and their crews obscurely murdered. But no tidings of their fate came back to the solitary homes on the upper Ohio.     To set out on such a voyage with a single man or boy who could not be trusted, might mean the loss of the boat or even of every life on board of her. This week in Louisiana history. May 8, 1823. First gas lighting used in the American Theater of New Orleans. This week in New Orleans history. May 8, 1884: The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition opened in what is now Audubon Park, showcasing New Orleans as a global trade hub. This week in Louisiana. Creole Nature Trail All‑American Road Louisiana Highway 27 & Highway 82 Corridor Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes, LA Open year‑round; ideal for spring wildlife viewing and coastal drives Website: creolenaturetrail.org Email: info@visitlakecharles.org Phone: (337) 436‑9588 The Creole Nature Trail is one of America's first National Scenic Byways, offering 180 miles of Gulf Coast marshes, beaches, wildlife refuges, and birding hotspots throughout the year: Scenic Wildlife Drives: Alligators, wading birds, and migratory species visible from roadside pull‑offs. Gulf Beaches: Access to quiet stretches of shoreline along the Cameron coast. Refuge Access: Connects to Sabine, Cameron Prairie, and Lacassine National Wildlife Refuges. Postcards from Louisiana. The Rock Block Band at Felix's Restaurant and Oyster Bar. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook. 

George Wright III interviews Paul Roberts, founder of OC Talk Radio, about his shift from traditional radio and PR into digital podcasting after the Great Recession disrupted legacy media. Roberts explains why entrepreneurs struggle with content—lack of value, compelling storytelling, and consistent publishing—and argues businesses must become their own media companies to build authority and control the narrative. He contrasts earned PR with advertising and describes how podcasting evolved from audio to video, with YouTube becoming a primary platform, enabling one conversation to be repurposed into audio, video, clips, and written content. Roberts emphasizes human-centered stories over product pitches, and he advocates live streaming for urgency, authenticity, guest reliability, and built-in promotion. He sees online, hyper-local “narrowcasting” as the future of local media and shares.01:20 Paul's Radio Origin Story02:02 Recession to Podcast Pivot04:06 Why Content Fails05:15 Consistency Builds Audience06:37 PR vs Owned Media10:37 Podcasting Evolves to Video12:06 Repurposing Content Ecosystem14:03 Storytelling That Connects15:15 Getting Comfortable On Camera17:08 Why Live Streaming Wins19:30 Building Local Authority22:36 Future of NarrowcastingThanks for listening, and Please Share this Episode with someone. It would really help us to grow our show and share these valuable tips and strategies with others. Have a great day.George Wright III“It's Never Too Late to Start Living the Life You Were Meant to Live”FREE Daily Mastermind Resources:CONNECT with George & Access Tons of ResourcesGet access to Proven Strategies and Time-Test Principles for Success. Plus, download and access tons of FREE resources and online events by joining our Exclusive Community of Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, and High Achievers like YOU.Join FREE at DailyMastermind.comFollow me on social media Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok | YoutubeGrow Your Authority and Personal Brand with a FREE Interview in a Top Global Magazine HERE.About the GuestPaul Roberts is the founder of OC Talk Radio, Orange County's premier online business radio and live stream production platform. As a digital media consultant and pioneer in live podcasting, he leverages over 20 years of experience to help entrepreneurs transition from traditional media to modern digital distribution. His credibility is rooted in a diverse career ranging from rock-and-roll radio DJing to corporate PR, making him an expert in building brand authority through long-form storytelling.Guest Resources:Website: https://www.octalkradio.biz/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/octalkradio/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OCTalkRadioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultroberts/

Chances are, you've been to one of Gina Mariko Rosales' events, even if you weren't aware. In this episode, which kicks off our Asian-American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month programming, meet Gina. Born in Daly City, she's lived most of her life on the Peninsula and in San Francisco. But let's talk about how she got to where she is today. Gina was born at Seton hospital in Daly City and her parents raised her in Pacifica. In her words, Gina "grew up with a bunch of skaters and surfers." Sounds fun. But she was one of only a few Filipinas in her hometown. She was also shaped from an early age by her time in Catholic school, which she went to beginning with her preschool days. She also a performer, dancing specifically, but we'll get to that. Gina is part of the first generation in her family to be born in the US. Her parents, Armando and Lillian, both came to this country from the Philippines for college in Ohio, where they met. Lillian's family moved around the Philippines because her dad was an engineer. Gina's dad is half-Filipino and half-Japanese—his Japanese lineage is from Okinawa. Lillian came to The States to pursue international law. But life had other plans. She ended up getting married and having kids, and instead did consulting work. In starting to talk more about her dad, Gina goes on a tangent about how, in 2025, she was able to visit both her mom's homeland in the Philippines and her dad's in Okinawa. Gina's mom was the first in her family to come to the US. Then one of Gina's aunts came. Then slowly, the family starting working on getting more and more members to relocate. Eventually, her grandparents and all her mom's siblings arrived in The Bay. Suddenly, Gina had hella cousins around. Her mom's family has done quite a job tracing their own lineage. Gina says they've been able to trace the line back six or seven generations. And many living members of that clan get together every couple of years for massive family reunions. Think 250–300 folks. I love that. Though she's not 100-percent certain, Gina believes that it was jobs that brought her parents the The Bay after they met at college in Ohio. Lillian worked at Levi's and Armando at Charles Schwab. They had their first child, Gina's older brother, out here. That was the early Eighties. Around mid-decade, Gina was born. Her early memories are of her time in Catholic preschool. Her school was pre-K through eighth grade, so Gina says that once you're labeled by your peers, it sticks. And those students are with you for a minute. Ninth grade provided a chance for Gina to get out of that situation. She "busted out" and attended Sacred Heart here in The City. She remembers being pretty little and visiting her mom at Levi's in San Francisco. She climbed on and ran around the now-defunct Vaillancourt Fountain. They'd go to Fisherman's Wharf. And they'd visit her grandfather's grave at the San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio, followed by trips to Japantown for sushi. We sidetrack here after Gina talks about how St. Mary's was their church and I mention that it's the "washing machine" and "city titty" church. Gina wasn't familiar with either term and I'll characterize her reaction as, simply, mind blown. Because her school, Sacred Heart, was nearby, Gina describes the scarce parking available for students and a lottery system they all had to operate under. We go on another sidetrack here to talk about ways to get around DPT's trickery—chalk marks and all that. At her school, Gina was in the choir and she was a member of the step team. She'd often stay around after a day of school to participate in both groups. She and her friends would frequent 1000 Van Ness movie theater and Venture Frogs, where they'd drink boba and eat popcorn chicken. I remember both spots from my early days in The City, around the year 2000. Gina says starting at Sacred Heart after doing K–8th in Pacifica was refreshing. She made friends with people who looked like her, finally. She was part of an Asian girl crew, in fact. Most of those girls were also on the step team and so much bonding was happening. So was "parking lot pimpin'," whether it was in San Francisco or Daly City, after school or on the weekends. She talks about the prevalence of unhoused folks around her school. Sacred Heart would have outreach days where students would make sandwiches to take to those people. Gina looks back fondly on that time. She and her friends would also hang out in Japantown, taking the bus up Geary or just walking the few blocks down. They also went to hella under-18 parties that had names and themes. There were rave rooms and hip-hop rooms. Gina calls them "the early party days." These were the days before "face the DJ" parties. For college, Gina went across The Bay to UC Berkeley. That meant moving out of her house in Pacifica for the first time. She lived in a dorm her first year, then moved into a co-op house and eventually into an apartment with friends. Philosophy and education were Gina's majors. She intended to graduate and become an English teacher. We go on another sidetrack about studying philosophy (something we have in common) before Gina explains how grad school ended up not working out for her. And we end Part 1 with Gina's story of graduating college in 2008 when the Great Recession hit. Her dreams were dashed and she moved back to Pacifica to live with her parents. She applied for countless jobs and ended up getting into AmeriCorps VISTA, a branch of the larger organization that focuses on alleviating poverty. The program wants its members to experience a level of poverty themselves. It paid just enough for Gina to move to San Francisco. Check back Thursday to hear Part 2 and the rest of Gina's story. We recorded this episode in the Brave New Spaces at Make It Mariko in South of Market/SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Heritage District in March 2026. Photography Mason J.

What if a severance package wasn't just a safety net, but a strategic asset?In this episode of the Hire Yourself Podcast, Pete Gilfillan reframes the concept of the “golden handshake,” drawing from his own experience during the early stages of the Great Recession when he was offered a voluntary separation package. What initially appears as an unexpected disruption can, when approached deliberately, become a catalyst for long-term control and ownership.Pete breaks down a key distinction: most people treat severance as a temporary bridge between jobs, but it can instead function as seed capital, funding both the launch of a business and the personal runway needed to build it without immediate financial pressure.This episode explores how to think strategically about that capital, including how to allocate it between business investment and living expenses, and why timing, cash flow planning, and operational stability are critical in the early stages of entrepreneurship.Pete also explains why franchising can be a particularly effective model in this transition. With established systems, brand recognition, and built-in support, franchise ownership reduces the uncertainty that typically comes with starting from scratch, allowing professionals to leverage their existing skill sets within a proven framework.Key themes explored in this episode include:Why severance packages can be reframed as opportunity rather than lossThe difference between using severance as a bridge vs. using it as seed capitalHow to create both financial runway and business momentum simultaneouslyThe importance of cash flow timing and low-overhead startup strategiesWhy franchise models provide structure, support, and scalabilityThe psychological shift from reacting to circumstances to making intentional decisionsHow control, not certainty, reduces perceived risk in career transitionsIf you've recently received a separation package, or want to be prepared if that moment comes, this episode offers a practical framework for turning uncertainty into a calculated move toward business ownership.CONNECT WITH PETE GILFILLAN:

Send us Fan MailStocks hit records and gold surges, but we can't shake the feeling that the real economy is cracking underneath. We start with the two-tier U.S. economy and a harsh leading indicator: auto loan delinquency. When people fall behind on car payments and repossessions rise, it's often a sign that rent, credit cards, and everything else are already under strain, especially for households making under $100,000. If consumer spending is increasingly carried by the top 10%, even a small pullback can tip the balance toward recession.From there, we follow two unexpected signals. First, a huge jump in LSAT registrations, echoing Great Recession behavior where people retreat into grad school when jobs evaporate. Then we talk about what makes this cycle different: the Grad PLUS loan cap, the risk of being pushed into private student loans, and how AI could reshape early-career legal work faster than most schools admit. We also dig into the “AI fake cases” problem and why verification and accountability may become the new bottleneck in law.Next we hit housing affordability and the mortgage-rate lock-in standoff, then move into health care as Affordable Care Act subsidies expire and premiums spike across multiple states. Finally, we zoom out to the political economy: how culture war outrage, including coordinated attacks on transgender people, can keep attention off wages, health insurance costs, and inequality. We close with the push for a taxpayer-funded White House ballroom, questions about contracting and incentives, and an interview on Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Peter Thiel and the power networks around tech, crypto, and intelligence. If this conversation helped you see the patterns more clearly, subscribe, share the show, and leave us a review. Support the show

In this episode of Atlanta Business Radio, host Lee Kantor interviews Josh Friedensohn, co-owner of Greenleaf Management. Josh shares how he and partner Dave Codrea built a real estate investment company focused on acquiring and revitalizing distressed properties across Atlanta and the Southeast. Starting during the Great Recession, they capitalized on undervalued properties, renovating them […]

https://youtu.be/N-og1bznPbs Andy Seeley, CEO of Creatively Disruptive and Ashworth Strategy, is on a mission to become the “8:00 AM call” for small business owners—the trusted partner they can turn to after those sleepless 3:00 AM nights filled with uncertainty. Having experienced the stress and isolation of entrepreneurship firsthand, Andy now helps technician-turned-business-owners (plumbers, gym owners, bakers, and more) build scalable, sustainable businesses with the right systems, strategy, and support. We explore Andy's perspective on success—not as a shortcut, but as a combination of fundamentals: embracing failure, never giving up, and most importantly, building the right team. He shares how most small business owners get stuck because they try to do everything themselves, and why true growth comes from surrounding yourself with smart, hardworking people of strong character. Andy also dives into a critical operational insight: sequencing—doing the right things in the right order—to avoid overwhelming clients (and yourself) while still driving meaningful results. — Help Your Clients Sleep Soundly with Andy Seeley  Good day, dear listeners. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint Podcast, and today my guest is Andy Seeley, the CEO of Creatively Disruptive, an agency supporting local, community-based small businesses, and Ashworth Strategy, an e-commerce, multi-channel marketing agency that is creating sustainable growth for beauty, apparel, pets, and kids industry businesses. Andy, welcome to the show.  Thank you. I’m very happy to be here. Nice to see you, Steve.  Yeah, I’m excited to talk to you. It’s a very interesting combination that you have going here, but I’d like to start with my favorite question: what is your personal “why,” and how are you manifesting it in your businesses? I think the personal “why” kind of straddles all the businesses that we deal with. We typically don't work with large corporate brands. We don’t typically deal with, not that we wouldn’t want to, but we typically don’t, and we don’t actually even try to focus on them. Because the main  why”, the founding of our business came from when my partner and I were talking—we weren't very happy with the two different businesses we were operating. We were both working on one project together, but he had his own thing, and I had another thing. We were both there, we’d both gone through some really tough times ourselves and had experiences of feeling very alone, trying to figure things out—sometimes successfully, sometimes very unsuccessfully. And we both talking about our troubles and tribulations, and all of those kind of things. And we were like, wouldn’t it have been nice, wouldn’t it have been good if there was someone there to help us? That “staring at the ceiling at 3:00 AM” in the morning. And the morning is a thing that a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners are very familiar with, right? You wake up at 3:00 AM, staring at the ceiling, thinking, “I've got all these things to do.” Or if it's tough times—how do I make payroll? If there's a legal issue—what am I going to do about that? Whatever it is, there's always something. Even in good times, there's often something. What we thought to ourselves was we are oftentimes, when we were in that situation, we didn’t really have anybody to go to. That 3:00 AM turns into 4:00 AM, then 5:00 AM, and sometimes we were just like, well, I’m just going to get up. And then there are sleepless nights. And we thought if we come from the standpoint, it's a real thing. It's something we're passionate about is that most small business owners are technicians.Share on X Most small business owners are very good at a thing, like they’re a plumber and they start a plumbing company, or a baker who starts a bakery. The E-Myth.  This is the E-Myth concept.  Right. They're a gymnastics coach, so they start a gymnastics gym. Most business owners are technicians, which means they’re very good at a very specific thing, not so good at many other things that you have to be. And we wanted to be that 8:00 AM. We wanted to be their 8:00 AM. And what that means is—staring at the ceiling at 3:00 AM, maybe their mind racing for 30 minutes or so—but then they can say, “You know what, we'll reach out to Andy and Russ at Creatively Disruptive at 8:00 AM. I'll get some sleep. We'll get to the bottom of this idea. We’ll get to the bottom of this problem. We’ll get to the bottom of it. And that was really important to us. And it really was a guiding light. That's why, from a marketing standpoint—you could call us a marketing agency—but I don't think it really is what we are. Because we do consultancy work. We work through exit strategies. We work through financial goals. We work through a whole bunch of stuff that does not include putting an ad up on Facebook, Instagram, or Google, or building websites. We ask—why are you doing all that stuff? I love your first question, because what's the point of it all, right? I had a conversation with a frustrated client yesterday, and at the end of the frustration that the client had, they were not frustrated. And I said to them, “Look, we're talking about a lot of different things, and the reality is what’s going on with you when working with us is there’s some amazing things happening, which you agree with.” But the reality is, you are not talking to us about running a Facebook ad. You didn’t come to us because you desperately want a Facebook ad run, or come to us because you would love your company on Google. That’s not the reason why you came to us. The reason why you came to us is something that those things will change in your life for the better. That's why you're talking to us. There’s a reason why you bought this business. So our “why” is really to help those small business owners—who are often technicians, very specialized people—develop a broader skill set and a team that can help them through their challenges.Share on X The beauty of what we do is—we have 120 clients, all dealing with different issues and different situations. Because we engage with them at a consultative level, we hear it all. We hear, many times many subjects, here’s what not to do—and on those same subjects, here’s what to do. And we actually collate that stuff. As you saw on our Zoom, there was a Zoom link we used—you saw my Read.ai. that read.ai As much as it’s for us to make sure that we have our ducks in order when we’re talking to somebody, it’s also an archive for us to make sure that some things that we spoke about, we learned about that now we can put that in our database to help other clients. And it’s not that we show other clients what we’ve spoken about and give state secrets and so forth.  It’s a repository of company knowledge that you have developed.  Absolutely. Me and you having a conversation like this, Steve, is all well and good. The fact that we are recording it is going to allow loads of other people to understand it. For us internally, it allows my team and us to look at stuff and go, okay, well this is a really good thing, let’s actually turn that into a process. Yeah. Love it. So a very long-winded, long thing. The “why” is, we want to be that 8:00 AM call after you’ve had a 3:00 AM wake up. Love it. I mean, that is the definition of trust. If you are the person that they call at 8:00 AM, then they know that they can sleep well because you’re there.  And the big, burning part of that “why” is that we didn't have it—and it was tough. It was emotionally tough to be so concerned. I had a lot of 3:00 AM wake-up calls during the Great Recession in 2008–2009. It was a very worrying time. There was a market crash. Our house went from being worth $400,000 to being worth $100,000. We owed $300,000 on that house. We had a business that income went from about $500,000 a month. It was a gymnastics gym that my wife ran to making about $200,000 in a two month period, because so many layoffs were happening. My job, which was working for a TV station, we had loads of clients calling in, asking to cancel, trying to figure out how, so there was so much going on. Those 3:00 AMs were very regular thoughts that came up, and I would just sit there not knowing what to do and having no one to talk to. I desperately want to at least be someone that someone can think of, “You know what, we can call Andy. We can call the CD team, and we'll figure this out.” So anyway, there you go.  Okay, so this is a great segue, because you mentioned Read.ai and how you're thinking about about processes—and how to use the 120 clients you have and the challenges you solve. How do you turn that into a process so other clients can easily access to it? So this podcast is really about this kind of stuff. It’s called Management Blueprint, and I’m always looking for shortcuts—business shortcuts, frameworks that entrepreneurs have discovered along the way and that they could share with the listeners and could help other people listening to have a better process. It could be anything—three to five steps—looking at something, seeing something in a different light. So what do you have in mind for us?  So a shortcut to success—I'm always a little bit leery of statements like that. “Shortcuts to success”. It always feels a little bit like a 2:00 AM infomercial—blah, blah, blah—and you get steak knives with it. Because the reality is, oftentimes there's no shortcut. I'm sure you've asked this question a million times, and a lot of people say, “Here are the shortcuts.” But my experience is—the real truth is—there are a couple of fundamentals to success. One is being okay with not having it right? That's a “shortcut,” if you want to call it that. Failure is actually the journey to success. Being okay with failure. There’s a reason why 95% of humanity doesn’t run a business, and it’s because they find failure difficult, and we’ve been trained as humans to not embrace failure.  Failure is the journey to success. It's where you learn. The other part—which is linked to failure—is never giving up.Share on X I don’t know if that’s a shortcut, but you only lose when you give up. Now, some people might say—sunk costs and things like that—at some point, you've got to stop putting into something that's not working. But the reality is, if you believe in what you're doing, there are going to be troubles, there’s going to be failures, there’s going to be difficulties. And as long as you don’t give up, and you learn from each mistake in each thing that happens, you will have success. You only won't have success if you decide to give up. I really, truly believe that. I live that.  I resonate with that, and I wouldn't even say that the 3:00 AM wake-up is a bad thing. It's really a forcing function. It's forcing you, as the entrepreneur, not to give up—to put the energy in and figure the problem out so that you can move forward. Because if you sleep until 7:00 AM, then 8:00 AM the day starts, and you still haven't solved the problem. You're just snowballing it.  But I would say—and those are more operational, ongoing things—so they don't really fit your question of a shortcut to success. To me, that's more the ingredients or material of success, right? But one of the things I would say would be a pattern of success that I’ve seen across hundreds of businesses that I’ve worked with—and that we currently work with—is building a team around you. Almost all of the successful people that I know—and when I say successful, I mean way more successful than I am, with multimillions of income and so forth—and I know a few of these guys… all of them have teams. All of them have people who are experts in certain areas. And almost all of them, to a T, are pretty good at building teams—finding people and putting them together.  And what I would suggest, any business owner, if you are going to think that you are going to become wealthy and do well by doing everything yourself—one, I think you'll fail. I don't know anyone with no team who has achieved strong success. And two, your life’s going to suck. I would say, it’s going to be tough, right? So if I had to choose something—even though I don't like the word “shortcut,” if I’m honest with you, and I know that was a question that was coming up and I did think hard about it, and I kind of feel like I could give you a cheesy one-liner, but that kind of is like nahh. But the reality is, I think our success with our companies is probably my ability to actually find good people. And my philosophy is: hire smart, hardworking people of good character—and then train them.Share on X And if I can find somebody who is smart, hardworking, and of good character, and also has a skill set—that's a bonus. What I'm really looking for are those first three. A smart, hardworking person of character—you can train them, if they have an interest in what they're learning.  So how do you do it? So maybe that's the framework. “Shortcut” is actually—I agree—the wrong word. I meant a business framework.  Okay.  Maybe I shortcutted the expression. So how do you find that smart, hardworking person of character? Do you have specific questions you ask to figure that out?  A lot of what we do is—I'll ask questions around what they've done in past jobs, even past personal lives. I'm not looking for something too narrow—more broad, like: tell me about a situation where you saw something bad happening. What did you do? It’s kind of open-ended, and it’s not telling them the answer. But you know, something bad was happening. Tell me what the bad thing was. And they might say, “Well, it was this kid, and they were drowning in a pool.” Okay—what did you do? Did you run to get someone to help? Did you turn away and walk off? Did you pull out your phone and film it? Or did you jump in and save the kid? What did you do? That gives you an understanding of what kind of person they might be. And then part of it, for me, is I feel I have a decent gauge of whether people are lying to me. Sometimes I don’t get it right, but I feel I have a decent gauge when they’re saying it. In my mind, I'm noting—does this sound like a real story? Does it feel real? Does their face look like they're revisiting that moment that what they’re doing and what they’re telling me? Or does it feel like a story being made up? And then I put that down. And if it’s like, the person said that they jumped into the pool and saved the kid, and I could see the emotion in them and it feels like they revisited, this feels real to me. Check. There would be multiple questions along those lines. It would tell me about a time when maybe you’re ending the day and some things are missing or some things haven’t happened, or blah, blah, blah. What is your thought and what is your plan to address that? And are they going to go back and spend more time working? That might be a good answer—or not. Are they going to note it and handle it first thing in the morning? Or do they say, “Ah, someone else will take care of it”? Getting those kind of answers of how their mind thinks about real world things that they’ve done in the past. Trying to keep it open so it’s not so specific that they say, oh, I’ve never had that experience before gives you an idea of what their character is, right? It also gives you a sense of how hard they work. And I'd say a hard worker should also be balanced with being an organized worker. How organized they are. Are they on top of things? Because I’m okay with you not being such a hard worker, Steve, if you’re very well organized and you get stuff done. You might not be busting your butt, working long hours and saying, Oh my God, I’m working so hard and lots of long hours, but you’re so organized and you’ve got yourself in such good order that you actually outproduce everybody else, because you're more efficient. That, to me, would fall under the hard work category, right? Yeah. Yeah. So a good answer to something wasn’t done that needed to be done, and it’s the end of the day.  A good answer might be, I looked at it and I was like, I can wait until about midday next day. I put it on my list of the first thing that I’m going to do in the morning. Then the next morning I came in, I got it done within 25 minutes, and everything was great. I would look at that and go, okay, that’s not a bad answer. I’m okay with that. As an employer, I care about your work-life-balance. I’m not always looking for somebody who’s prepared to work till midnight every night. That, to me, once in a while is okay. But if I have an employee that’s looking to do that all the time, that’s a problem. Because I know there’s a limitation to that. And then again, when we’re talking about we’re looking at good character, hard work, and smart.  So yes, if they are intelligent, it’s clear. And I'm not going to say, “Hey, here's an algebra test—tell me the answer.” That comes through with the questions, right?  It's common sense. You're looking for common sense—which is not very common. I like it, because essentially you are triggering some signs of authenticity in that person. Are they really showing up? Are they authentic, or are they trying to look like something they're not? And it's a really good filter.  So a lot of times, I think interview questions are like, “Here's a situation—what would you do?” do? Any question like that, especially when you're selecting teammates. And I don’t always have interview with teammates, sometimes the people that I have relationships with and I go and say, I need you to work for my company. I know you well enough. I've experienced you enough—I'm going to bring you in. But during that journey of coming to that conclusion, I'm looking for those qualities. And when you're in an interview and you don't know someone, and you ask a fabricated question—that's a fantasy. They can come back with a fabricated answer—that's also a fantasy.  And most of the time, that's what happens. I’m a pretty good interviewer because my interview, when I’m looking to interview with somebody, not that I’ve done it for a very long time, but let’s say I’m interviewing with something other than work, I dunno what it might be, but maybe something like a school counselor, school for my kid or whatever. And we are interviewing, I’m analyzing what the person who’s asking me the question, I’m trying to figure out what answers they want. And I think anybody with an element of intelligence does the same thing. And you end up giving answers, not necessarily, which are 100% what the interviewer needs to know. The interviewer gets the answer what the interviewee thinks they want to know. And I think when you ask questions that are kind of open-ended, but experiential about what they’ve done in the past, you get a sense of kind of who they truly are. And then the goal is listening to see, to get those cues on.  I always like asking, “Tell me about a time when something bad happened in your life.” Okay—what did you do? That's something you can really work through and get a sense of—are they truthful? Are they emotional? It’s a question I think some people are uncomfortable with, and some interviewers might think, “I don't know about that. What might come up in that interview? I've never had a really terrible answer—like, “I was at the scene of a murder, or blah, blah, blah. I’ve never got that answer. But I've definitely had things like, “I was coaching a team, and one of the players broke their leg.” Okay—what did you do? And they talk me through it, and I'm like, okay, that makes sense. That’s a good answer from a good standpoint. I’ve had stuff like that. So I’m yet to come across a real traumatic story, but what I found is that I can really tell whether or not somebody is telling the truth. And I can get a sense of kind of how they handle really difficult situations.  Okay, Andy, I'd like to switch gears here. What I’m hearing is that you are good at building teams and empowering them. You have a good ability to hire people that have good character—smart and hardworking. What is one thing that you are actively trying to figure out in your business right now?  We've gotten to the point where we have so many moving parts in our business that, sometimes, with our client base, it's overwhelming. There's a lot going on. We've got an AI system with multiple components—it's tremendously useful, a very powerful tool—but it can be overwhelming for a technician, like a baker or a gymnastics coach, who's specialized in something else to suddenly have to take that on. We've got ads, we build websites, we provide consultancy—we've got consultancy, we’ve got all these things that, when tied together, create a really powerful machine. And what we’re trying to do right now is try to figure out how to set expectations and set out how to roll all of the stuff out.  When we first started doing a lot of this in one lump sum, we would almost dump it all on the client within a week of them signing and start working through all these things. And what we found is that it’s quite overwhelming and almost to the point where the client runs away and they don’t actually want to continue. It’s just too much work all at once. So one of the things that we’re working on right now to try to improve our situation is we’ve got a lot of stuff. We’ve built this machine that really helps businesses inside out. But do we have to build every part of that machine in the first three weeks? Clients want things to happen in the first three weeks. We can have things happen in the first three weeks. Do we need everything to happen in the first three weeks? That’s why I said to you, doing everything all the time forever is tough all at once. Right now, we’re actually literally working through a process, talking with the team, working with the team of what’s the order of priority of all these things that we have from the point of view of what’s easy to implement, but maybe not as important, but we can get it implemented within minutes of a client joining. What’s really important, but it takes a long time and trying to prioritize those things. Because all of the smaller things, individually, aren't hugely impactful—but collectively, they are. But we can get them all done in a day. And then some of the things that are singular that have a huge impact, they take a little bit longer. How do we scale this out so we can actually get results very quickly for the client without overwhelming them with all of the stuff? And I think there's a word you've probably heard a lot—sequencing is really important. I think a lot of businesses fall apart because they do things out of sequence. They don’t think about the sequence. They go for the fun, cool thing first, and sometimes that's the worst decision they can make. Right now, we're working through how to properly sequence our onboarding of new clients—to make sure the experience is really positive without overwhelming them. We’re actually getting into a really good place. And some of that is, I mean, most of this is because there is so many things. We have these—like I say—technician business owners, and they come to us and they're amazing at plumbing, but they've got a phone, and that's all they have. So whenever anybody needs to call them to schedule a new job, it rings their phone—and they're under a sink doing work. The phone's ringing. They're like, “Oh, hell,” and they're under the sink. Well, sometimes they don't answer it, or whatever. They've got no system. They’ve got no process to take care of things. And we've got to build all that out, right? And it's so common—and it's totally fine. They’ve been successful in what their technical part of is, but they want more than a job that they own, right? You’ve probably heard that a lot. And they want to start scaling. They want to take vacations without losing income. They want to do all of these things. We can do all that for them—but we can't do it like that. Even though they want it like that, if we do it like that, their brain nukes.  Yeah.  I don’t know if that’s a good answer for you, because that is something that we’re actually working on from a business standpoint of is how to sequence and do things in the right order that allows people to get the best bang for their buck without melting their brains down. Indigestion. Yeah. I don't know who said it—maybe Peter Drucker—but he said most businesses die of indigestion rather than starvation. So that's true. So what drives your business? What is it that helps your business grow? I mean, you mentioned 120 clients. I saw your video—we were talking about 114, 115 clients—so you've been growing since the video.  Yeah.  So what drives your business?  If I’m honest with you, philosophically, what drives us is the failures that we’ve had in the past. My business partner and I—we've had some pretty tough times, going back to that 3:00 AM question. We almost lost our house during the Great Recession. We didn't lose it—we still have it to this day. It's actually a second house now, in Lake Tahoe. We went through times that were quite stressful, difficult, and troublesome for us. I mean, not necessarily nearly as bad as other people have had, probably much tougher times that they’ve had to go through. But I would say what drives us is the fact that we had those tough times. We understand what it’s like to struggle, and we really want to do what we can for a small business owners—mom-and-pop level businesses—avoid those situations. All of our decisions are about how we can make a difference. Again, going to that conversation with that client yesterday that I just mentioned a moment ago, I actually said to them: if you guys decide to leave because of these frustrations that you’ve had, ’cause they had a couple of frustrations, and it was mainly about what I was talking about the everything was getting dumped on them. They were like overwhelmed. There’s lots of stuff happening and they were thinking that it all needed to be happened in one month, but really it was, no, it’s okay if it takes three months for this stuff to get rolled out. And I said to them: if you leave, I'm going to be very disappointed in myself and my team, because of the massive difference we can make in your lives. And that is the driving force for our business—to make a real difference. And the fact that what we've done so far—we're seeing the germination of those really good things. And they agreed. They said, “Yeah, there are some really good things happening. We really like those. We're just frustrated with the amount of stuff going on.” And I'm like, “Well, I think we can spread it out, take the heat off, and make sure things roll out nicely.” That reminded me that the reason our business exists is to help these small businesses be all they can be—to reach for the stars. There are so many very good people who could make a lot of money and do a lot of good things—but their specialty is so focused that they're not rounding out their overall situation.  Especially in gymnastics—we work with a lot of gymnastics coaches. Probably about 60% of our business is kids' activity centers. A lot of kids activity center owners tend to be, they do everything themselves. They put everything on their shoulders, and they don't build out their team—which means they can't scale. So they end up owning a job, not a scalable business. What drives me is: how do we help these small businesses scale, have a better life, reach more people, help more kids, and support their employees? All of that kind of stuff. And people might say, “Oh yeah, sure, Andy—you're like some Mother Teresa figure.” I'm like, no—because my experience is, if we do a really good job of that, the money takes care of itself. A “shortcut,” going back to your earlier question, is: stop thinking about how much money you can make from each customer. Really focus on taking care of that customer. Charge a reasonable rate, and the money will come. If you become well known—if you become a major figure in an industry—that money will come. I'm lucky enough that, in the gymnastics industry and the kids' activity center space, I've become reasonably well known. People I don't know—and I think you become a well-known figure when people you don't know recognize you. You walk into a conference, and people come up and say, “Hi, Andy.” And I'm like, “Oh, okay—I don't know who you are.” I’ve been watching you on this, or I’ve been doing that, I’ve been seeing you talk or speak or blah, blah, blah. I don't think of myself as famous at all, but in some of the niches we work in, I've become well known. And I think that's happened because we care—and we let the money take care of itself.  Andy, our time’s coming to an end, but I'd like to ask—if someone is running an activity-based business, maybe a gym, a swim team, a dance studio, or selling classes—and they want to ramp up their business because everything is on their shoulders and they're a technician—where should they go, and how can they find you? So, like I said, we help plumbers, home service businesses—we've worked with banks, rec centers, kids' activity centers, and all sorts. Where our real specialty is, in a very real way, is pushing the needle for local brick-and-mortar businesses. Obviously, we also have Ashworth Strategy, which we didn't get into—that's our e-commerce brand. But my personal passion is that mom-and-pop business that opens up a storefront. The best way to reach us—regardless of whether you're a plumber or anything else—is to go to creativelydisruptive.com. You might look at it and think, oh, this seems like a whole bunch of kids on here. We do have another brand called highlevelthinkers.com, where we do the same kind of work for home service businesses. So go to creativelydisruptive.com and reach out there. We actually have a little chat square that you can go into and start talking to us and you’ll actually speak to our little AI up here. It knows everything—it's basically like talking to me. It can help you set up a time to speak with one of our team members. We don't have salespeople—we call them business development consultants, because that's really what they do. They'll talk with you and figure out the best way we can help. But basically, in a nutshell, there’s lots of ways to reach out to us. But in my mind, the best and easiest way, just go to creativelydisruptive.com or highlevelthinkers.com, and reach out to us through there using the chat bot, or using the form and just reach out. And we'll help you.  Okay. Well, if you're listening and you're running a local business—whether it's an activity-based business, a mom-and-pop business, or a contracting business—and you'd like to level up, put in systems, and sequence them properly, then reach out to creativelydisruptive.com or highlevelthinkers.com. yep.  And then you can connect with Andy—or the chatbot, if he's sleeping—and it'll get back to you.  The chatbot's probably a much more fun conversation.  It could be. You can listen to the podcast and use the chat at the same time, so you get the best of both worlds. So thank you, Andy, for sharing your experiences and being very vulnerable. And if you, as our audience, enjoyed listening to this, then stay tuned—because every week I have an entrepreneur sharing, not necessarily shortcuts, but good frameworks that can help your business. So thanks for coming, Andy, and thank you for listening.  Thank you. It’s been a pleasure. Important Links: David's LinkedIn David's website https://highlevelthinkers.com/

CBS Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger tells Debbie and Tom that despite survey results showing a terrible opinion of the economy; Americans continue to spend money at high rates.

The fundamentals of our economy are… present. Welcome to Remember Shuffle's ongoing multi-part series on the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing Great Recession. The Shuffle Bois begin with some table setting to explain  the complex financial instruments and deregulation that led to the crisis - mortgage backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, credit default swaps, and synthetic collateralized debt obligations - and introducing the rogues gallery of characters for this story. They then go beat-by-beat through the collapsing economy of 2008 and trace the decisions that were made by those running the banks as well as by those in power. They close, as always, with some themes and big ideas - including the separation of risk from incentive and the failures of neoliberal deregulation - before turning to the echoes in the culture, which are profound for this topic.Check out our website to search for episodes at: remembershuffle.comGive Remember Shuffle a follow on Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠@RememberShufflePod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to interact with the show between episodes. It also makes it easier to book guests. And be sure to check out our Patreon!Bibliography:Andrew Ross Sorking, Too Big to Fail (New York: Viking), 2009Bethany McLean and Joseph Nocera, All the Devils are Here (New York: Penguin), 2011George W Bush, Decision Points (New York: Crown Publishers), 2010Michael Lewis, The Big Short (San Francisco: Hyperink), 2012Adam Tooze , Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World, 2018Here is the chart Ben describes in the episode:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subprime_mortgage_crisis#/media/File:Subprime_crisis_-_Foreclosures_&_Bank_Instability.png

Episode SummaryIn this episode of Million Dollar Flip Flops, Rodric sits down with Van Carlson for a deep and eye-opening conversation about risk management, business resilience, and a little-known strategy that could change how entrepreneurs protect their companies.Van shares his journey into the world of risk management and explains how most business owners are unknowingly exposed to risks that traditional insurance simply doesn't cover. From third-party business interruption to cyber threats and supply chain disruptions, the conversation highlights how fragile modern businesses can be — especially in an increasingly digital world.They dive into the 831(b) tax code, a powerful and often overlooked tool that allows business owners to set aside pre-tax dollars to self-insure against risks, build a financial “war chest,” and create long-term flexibility. Van breaks down how the strategy works, who it's for, and why it's becoming more relevant as insurance becomes more expensive and less reliable.This episode is a must-listen for business owners who want to stay in control, protect what they've built, and think more strategically about risk in an unpredictable world.In This Episode, You'll LearnWhat risk management actually means for modern business ownersWhy traditional insurance is covering less while costing moreHow the 831(b) tax code allows businesses to self-insure with pre-tax dollarsThe concept of building a “war chest” for unexpected disruptionsWhy third-party business interruption (like cloud or CRM outages) is a growing threatHow business owners can use surplus funds for investments, loans, or future growthThe difference between risk-first strategies vs. tax-first strategiesWhy small and mid-sized businesses often carry more risk than large corporationsHighlights & Timestamps[00:00] The hidden risk of third-party business interruptionVan opens with a powerful example of businesses being locked out of their CRM systems — and having zero coverage for it.[01:00] Who is Van Carlson?Van introduces his background in risk management and his work helping business owners across the country.[02:00] What is risk management, really?A breakdown of identifying, mitigating, and planning for risks beyond traditional insurance.[03:00] The 831(b) strategy explained simplyVan explains how business owners can set aside pre-tax dollars to self-insure and build financial reserves.[04:00] Lessons from 2008 and financial risk exposureHow the Great Recession exposed how vulnerable business owners really are.[05:00] Why traditional insurance is getting worseRising costs, shrinking coverage, and increasing deductibles are shifting more risk onto business owners.[06:00] How the “war chest” worksBuilding tax-deferred reserves that can be used for claims, investments, or future flexibility.[07:00] Investment options and liquidity considerationsHow funds can be managed, invested, and accessed when needed.[08:00] Who this strategy is actually forWhy this works best for established businesses with meaningful revenue and risk exposure.[09:00] Using funds for growth and leverageHow business owners use surplus funds to invest, acquire assets, or support operations.[10:00] The reality of self-insuring vs. traditional coverageWhy more businesses are choosing to take on risk themselves.[11:00] Why risk management is often ignoredEntrepreneurs tend to focus on growth — not protection — until it's too late.[12:00] The rise of cyber and digital dependency risksCloud systems, CRMs, and tech failures are becoming major blind spots.[13:00] Why this strategy is gaining momentum nowInsurance market shifts are driving more awareness and adoption.[14:00] Where to learn more about 831(b)Van shares how listeners can explore the strategy further.Notable Quotes“There's literally no coverage for third-party business interruption — and it's a serious issue.” – Van Carlson“We're going to be paying more and getting less from insurance for the foreseeable future.” – Van Carlson“If we can just take a little bit off the top during the good years, we can survive the bad ones.” – Van Carlson“Risk first, tax strategy second — not the other way around.” – Van Carlson“At the end of the day, we're just helping business owners protect what they've built.” – Van CarlsonConnect with Van Carlson

ONE EYE ON THE WORLD — Monocle, the brainchild of the expat Canadian magazine maker, Tyler Brûlé, was born in early 2007, a relatively awful year for the magazine business, not to mention the entire world. In that year alone, more than 100 print magazines folded—or, as Wikipedia terms it, were “dis-established”—among them: Life (yet again), Premiere, Red Herring, House & Garden, Jane, Child, and Business 2.0. Months later, the global economy was hit by the Great Recession. But Brûlé was coming out from under a rather lengthy non-compete agreement with Time Inc., after selling his previous startup, Wallpaper*, to the American media giant, and he was desperate to get back to the newsroom. Given the times, and the stream of fading print publications, one could judge Brûlé's resolve as “madness,” as Don Quixote cried in the opening clip. Digital was all the rage, the iPad was knocking on the door, and the radiation of the frenzied dotcom meltdown was still slowly killing legacy media. “Madness”? Not if you know Tyler Brûlé.  In his world, “life as it should be” is rich—a morning espresso in a bustling cafe with a crisp newspaper written and edited in the romance language of your choice, sorting out weekends skiing the Alps or lounging on the Med while riding the night train to Vienna. And then there's the print—not only the magazine itself, printed on “upwards of nine different paper stocks, crammed with extremely niche articles about carbon-neutral airlines in Costa Rica and sleek Afghan restaurants in Dubai,” but also special edition newspapers, coffee table books, and Monocle-approved travel guides.  (Someone forgot to tell Brûlé and his brilliant team of collaborators that print is dead). In a media culture traditionally obsessed with scale at any cost, Monocle's modest 100,000 circulation belies a thriving multi-media juggernaut that confidently ignores the lure of social media. “We're in a very fortunate position that we're an independent publisher,” says Brûlé, “and we don't have the commercial pressures of a big parent. And those commercial pressures can be two-fold: One is cost savings, but the other pressures are to go and chase after every new trend.” In fact, Brûlé thinks of Monocle as a family business. “We don't set out to be pioneers, but also we're a family company, and we can choose to do things quickly if we want to.” That same culture has manufactured the pressure to establish one's entrepreneurial cred. You're not the editor, you're the founding editor, the founding creative director, the founding director. But when asked about how he thinks of and refers to himself, Brûlé answers simply: “If I think about ‘What do I do?' I'm a journalist. I'm out to be a witness. I'm out to absorb, I'm out to interpret, and I'm out to communicate.  A print-centric media phenomenon, created as a family business, led by a journalist. Surprising? Not for someone who's been building a life—as it should be. — This episode is made possible by our friends at Commercial Type and Freeport Press. A production of Magazeum LLC ©2021–2025

In this episode of Manufacturing Unscripted, host Peter Parsons sits down with Congresswoman Haley Stevens, Representative of Michigan's 11th District and one of the nation's leading champions for manufacturing. From her early roots growing up around heavy equipment in Michigan to her pivotal role on the Obama administration's Automotive Rescue Task Force, Congresswoman Stevens shares a first‑hand account of what it takes to protect and grow America's manufacturing economy. The conversation explores the historic auto rescue of General Motors and Chrysler and why saving the broader supply chain, not just the OEMs, was critical to Michigan's economic survival. Stevens offers behind‑the‑scenes insight into the challenges of stabilizing an industry during the Great Recession and how that experience shaped her lifelong commitment to industrial policy. Looking to the present and future, Stevens discusses the legislation she has helped pass to strengthen domestic manufacturing, including workforce development initiatives, STEM education, the CHIPS and Science Act, advanced manufacturing R&D, supply‑chain resiliency, and critical minerals policy. She also shares why bipartisan cooperation is often strongest around manufacturing issues and how policymakers can better partner with job creators on the shop floor. The episode wraps with a forward‑looking discussion on emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing, advanced materials, sustainability, and recycling, and why manufacturing innovation remains at the heart of economic growth, national security, and opportunity. Above all, Stevens delivers a clear message to manufacturers of all sizes: your work matters, it is valued, and Michigan will continue helping lead the future of American manufacturing. Sponsored by Promess Inc., the leading provider of fully electric servo presses for manufacturing. Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Uq9lf2JfsKE 

We are thrilled to announce our newest monthly segment “Breakthrough with Michael” with Michael Opyd. Mike Opyd brings hard-earned experience to the table, having started in 2009 during the Great Recession with just $2,000 and no safety net, eventually building a $200M brokerage and becoming a top producer in Chicago. Now a full-time coach, he specializes in helping agents at every level break through plateaus with real-world strategies rooted in his own journey. In this segment, one agent gets coached live on the podcast, no scripts, no filters, walking in with a challenge and leaving with a clear, actionable plan. It's a raw, honest look at the conversations agents need but rarely get to have, with thousands of listeners learning alongside them. Ready to break through what's holding you back? Apply now for your chance to be coached live on the show. Spots are limited to just one agent per month, so don't wait – apply today. This episode is brought to you by Real Geeks and Courted.io.

Guest post by David Speiser   The Problem Everyone hates Congress. That poll showing that cockroaches are more popular than Congress is now thirteen years old, and things haven't improved in those thirteen years. Congressional approval dipped below 20% during the Great Recession and hasn't recovered since. A republic where a supermajority of citizens neither like nor trust their representatives is not the most stable of foundations, so it should not be shocking that the legislative branch is being subsumed by the executive. What's the solution? Many have been proposed, some with very snazzy websites. FairVote thinks that ranked choice voting and proportional representation will solve it. The Congressional Reform Project has another snazzy website with such bold proposals as "Increase the opportunity for Members to form relationships across party lines, including by bipartisan issues conferences." There are more think tanks. They want to enlarge the House by a few hundred members, switch to a biennial budget system, spend more on Congressional staffers, and introduce term limits, among many other suggestions. There are op-eds too. Here's how the Atlantic wants to fix Congress. The New York Times of course has a solution. Here on Substack, Matt Yglesias thinks proportional representation is the solution, and Nicholas Decker has an especially interesting solution. These proposals, no matter which direction they're coming from, have two things in common. The first is that they largely agree on the problem: members of Congress are disconnected from their constituents. Thanks to a combination of huge gerrymandered districts, national partisan polarization, and the influence of large donors, a representative has little incentive to care about the experience of individual people in their district. The second thing that all these proposed solutions have in common is that none of them will ever be implemented. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/last-rights

What happens when one of Donald Trump's oldest friends and one of America's toughest attorneys decides it's time to take on the system? In this powerful episode, legendary attorney Peter Ticktin joins Michael Jaco to discuss the legal battles that could shape the future of America. Ticktin has been practicing law since 1972 and has spent decades fighting cases most lawyers would never touch. From exposing the mortgage robo-signing scandal during the Great Recession to helping all 50 state attorneys general secure a $30 billion settlement from the banks, Ticktin has built a career standing up to powerful institutions. Peter shares why he believes America is facing one of the greatest legal and constitutional crises in its history. He explains why he is now involved in fighting for justice for January 6 defendants, election integrity advocates like Tina Peters, and Bitcoin pioneer Joby Weeks, who he says have all been denied due process and equal treatment under the law. Ticktin discusses what he believes really happened after January 6th and why he sees the prosecutions as part of a broader attack on conservatives and political dissent. He also explains why the case against Tina Peters is one of the most important voter fraud cases in the country and why he believes proving election fraud is critical to preserving the Republic. The conversation also covers the collapse of trust in the justice system, the growing weaponization of government agencies, and why Peter believes America needs a dramatic legal reset. Peter explains why he has decided to seek the position of Attorney General of the United States and what he would do differently if given the opportunity. According to Ticktin, the Department of Justice has lost its way, and the only solution is to restore equal justice under the law. This episode also explores: Peter's lifelong friendship with Donald Trump that began at the New York Military Academy, What inspired his book What Makes Trump Tick, His involvement in exposing the bank fraud scandal that led to the $30 billion settlement, The legal fight for Tina Peters, Joby Weeks, and the J6 community, Why he believes America is at a constitutional crossroads, And why he says the country needs leaders willing to fight when no one else will. Peter Ticktin has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and in films such as The Man You Don't Know about Donald Trump. He has argued cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, helped define legal doctrines across multiple states, and built The Ticktin Law Group on the principles of Creativity, Cost-effectiveness, and Communication. Now, he says, the biggest battle of his life may still be ahead.

Ever wondered why real estate investors lose big while others exit with effortless wins?In this can't-miss episode, Kenny Bedwell gets brutally real with veteran broker and multi-cycle investor Ryan Cadwell, exploring why the majority of investors walk into deals blind, and what separates the survivors from the victims when markets shift. You'll hear hard-won lessons from the Great Recession to today, the overlooked math that keeps you safe, and why your emotions are quietly sabotaging your wealth.Stop playing checkers in a chess market. Listen now to learn the proven, data-backed playbook for winning with your exit before you ever buy. Miss this, and you'll pay a premium for mistakes you could have avoided. Your future self is begging you not to skip these strategic insights, no fluff, zero hype, and exactly what the gurus won't warn you about.If you want to avoid painful losses, stop buying blind, and gain immediate edge in today's market—this episode is your ticket. Listen now before your competition does.Timestamped Highlights00:00 – The raw mistake that nearly took down veteran investors in ‘0805:12 – Why BlackRock's latest moves are the market signal you can't ignore10:07 – How optimism bias and emotional attachment wreck your returns14:19 – The 7 Whys Framework that exposes what investors really want17:34 – If you LOVE a deal, why that's your loudest red flag20:17 – The data traps: Outdated numbers, ignored expenses, and the illusion of “free” vacation homes25:54 – Rookie math that destroys deals and the exit-first equation that saves you35:02 – The 10-minute investment journal habit that will transform your discipline (and profit)About The GuestRyan Cadwell is a Certified Property Manager and Principal partner at Resolute RDM with nearly two decades of hands-on investment, development, and commercial consulting experience. Ryan's roots go back to family rentals at age 12, spanning every market cycle from the Great Recession to post-COVID surges. He's known for his surgical approach to due diligence, asset management, and the no-nonsense brokerage advice trusted by seasoned and rookie investors alike.

Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO of QI Research and former Fed insider, joins Julia to sound the alarm on a U.S. economy she believes is being misread, misreported, and mismanaged. From growing divisions inside the FOMC to deeply troubling labor market signals — including an ISM non-manufacturing employment reading of 45.2 last seen during the Great Recession — Danielle lays out why she believes the Fed is falling dangerously behind. She breaks down the private credit contagion risk, why only 25% of unemployed Americans are collecting benefits, and how student loan repayments, rising gas prices, and tightening lending standards are quietly crushing working families. With a midterm election on the horizon and consumer sentiment crumbling across all income levels, Danielle argues the stakes have never been higher — and that someone needs to start speaking up for everyday Americans.Links: Danielle's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/dimartinobooth Substack: https://dimartinobooth.substack.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DanielleDiMartinoBoothQIFed Up: https://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Insiders-Federal-Reserve/dp/0735211655Timestamps: 0:00 Welcome back Danielle DiMartino Booth 01:00 FOMC minutes: Even more division inside the Fed 4:47 – What happens if no Fed chair gets confirmed? 7:19 – Is the Fed ignoring everyday Americans? 8:51 – ISM data parallels to 2001, 2007, and the Great Recession 10:53 – Job insecurity hitting ALL income levels 15:26 – Stagflation or just stagnation? Danielle breaks it down 16:38 – Are we headed for a policy error? Private credit warning 18:18 – The 10-year Treasury, Iran, and the liquidity threat 20:48 – Private credit contagion: What's not getting enough attention 23:16 – Buy Now, Pay Later and gig workers getting crushed 25:42 – Only 25% of unemployed Americans are collecting benefits 27:23 – The Fed knows the data is broken — so why won't they say it? 28:35 – April FOMC: Rate cuts off the table? 29:34 – Danielle on who she's fighting for 30:31 – What investors don't understand about the real cost of living 31:58 – Parting thoughts: Spread kindness

In this episode, we dive into one of the most overlooked strategies in entrepreneurship: buying businesses instead of starting them.Kasey Cotulla, owner of Delta Print Group, built a $65M+ company (on track for $75M+) not by launching startups—but by acquiring and scaling existing businesses across Northern California.Starting as a forklift driver in a Sacramento print shop, Kasey worked his way up, eventually buying into a struggling company during the Great Recession. From there, he executed a powerful M&A (mergers and acquisitions) strategy, acquiring more than a dozen companies and building one of the largest commercial print and mail operations in the region.In this conversation, we break down:• Why buying a business can be smarter than starting one • How to find and evaluate acquisition opportunities • Financing strategies (SBA loans, seller financing, partnerships) • How to integrate and scale acquired companies • Lessons from building a $75M business in a “mature” industry If you're an entrepreneur, investor, or operator looking to grow, this episode will change how you think about building a business.Learn more here: Website: www.deltaprintgroup.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deltaprintgroup/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deltaprintgroup/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/delta-print-group/______________________________________________________________If this episode inspires you to be part of the movement, and you believe, like me, that entrepreneurs are the answer to our future, message me so we can join forces to support building truly great companies in our region. -Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCom_​... -  Mark Haney is a serial entrepreneur that has experience growing companies worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He is currently the CEO and founder of HaneyBiz -  Instagram: http://instagram.com/themarkhaney​ Facebook: www.facebook.com/themarkhaney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markehaney​ Website: http://haneybiz.com​ Audio Boom: https://audioboom.com/channels/5005273​  Twitter: http://twitter.com/themarkhaney-This video includes personal knowledge, experiences, and opinions about Angel Investing by seasoned angel investors.  This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, tax, investment, or financial advice.  Nothing in this video constitutes a solicitation, recommendation, or endorsement.#thebackyardadvantage #themarkhaneyshow #entrepreneur #PowerOfWith #SacramentoEntrepreneur #Sacramento#SacramentoSmallBusiness #SmallBusiness #GrowthFactory #Investor#Podcast

Money manager Michael Pento sees a lot of similarities between today's conditions and the lead-up to the GFC.And he concludes the risk of another Great Recession is uncomfortably high, especially as oil prices continue to remain elevated.So, how is his model invested right now?To find out, watch this video.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com#recession #stagflation #privatecredit _____________________________________________ Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It's important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer's unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.All the details on Thoughtful Money's relationship with the financial advisors it endorses, many of whom regularly appear on this program, can be found in the following documents. We highly recommend you review these documents as they cover the terms that will apply should you choose to work with one of these firms at any time after watching this video.Thoughtful Money Disclosure Document: https://thoughtfulmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Thoughtful-Money-Disclosure-Document-12.6.23.pdf?pid=227Thoughtful Money Agreement: https://thoughtfulmoney.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Thoughtful-Money-Agreement-Agreement.docx?pid=227IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, money market funds, and other types of securities involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.A security's or a firm's past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.Copyright © 2026 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.

Why GenX Retirement Is Harder Than Boomers or MillennialsGenX retirement was supposed to be simple: work hard, save consistently, retire comfortably. Yeah... about that.In this episode of Queer Money, we break down why GenX retirement feels so much harder than what boomers often describe and what millennials get all the headlines for. For many Gen Xers, especially gay Gen X men, retirement planning has been shaped by market crashes, the shift from pensions to 401(k)s, rising debt, mortgage pressure, and a culture that told us to figure it all out ourselves. In other words, classic GenX: no map, no backup, and somehow we're still expected to make it look easy.We unpack the seven major reasons retirement has been harder for Gen X, including getting caught in the pension-to-401(k) transition, entering adulthood around recessions and Black Monday, carrying more consumer and student debt into peak saving years, and taking major hits from the dot-com crash and Great Recession at the worst possible moments. If you've ever looked at your retirement accounts and thought, “Why does this feel harder for us?” this episode gives language, data, and context to what many GenXers have lived through.We also go deeper into what makes gay GenX retirement even more complicated. Gay Gen Xers are the first large cohort of gay men to survive into retirement after coming of age during the HIV/AIDS crisis. That shaped how many of us think about money, aging, planning, and whether we even expected to live long enough to retire. Add in decades of workplace discrimination, being closeted on the job, lower earning opportunities, and a stronger pull toward living for today, and you've got an entirely different retirement equation.This episode is honest, validating, and practical. We also walk through how a retirement gap can play out in real life using the Happy Gay Retirement Calculator, showing the difference between retiring with not enough and retiring with room to breathe.Takeaways in this episode:Why GenX retirement planning got harder when pensions disappearedHow market crashes and recessions hit Gen X at critical wealth-building yearsWhy debt, mortgages, and caregiving are slowing retirement progressWhat makes gay GenX retirement different from other generationsHow to start closing the gap and build a more confident retirement planIf retirement feels harder than it should, you're not broken. You're Gen X. And there are still smart ways to make the next chapter fabulous.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:43 - The “pensions → 401(k)” swap03:18 - ‘Double Dip' Recessions05:17 - Calculator Intro06:17 - Calculator example 112:51 - Calculator example 214:26 - More consumer-debt baggage16:02 - Dot Com crash18:51 - Great Recession21:17 - First generation to “survive into retirement”24:24 - The last workplace ‘closeted generation'25:36 - OutroMentioned in this episode:Get Your Portugal Golden Visa Here!Make your retirement fabulous! Not sure if you can retire or when? Worried about how much you can safely spend without running out of money? We help you get clear answers and the systems to retire with confidence and peace of mind. Let's go!Queer Money Retirement VaultWant the confidence to retire when and how you truly want?If you're considering retirement abroad, or simply want a second & third set of eyes on your retirement plan, we help gay foks retire fabulously — wherever that may be. Our retirement mentorship can help you gain the confidence to say yes to retirement! Queer Money Retirement MentorshipYour fabulous retirement in Portugal is calling!Ready to turn your IRA assets into a gateway to living in Europe? With the Optimize Portugal Golden Opportunities fund you can do just that. Join hundreds of other U.S. investors taking control of their retirement and using the assets they have to open doors to freedom. Click below to get your Portugal Golden Visa!Get Your Portugal Golden Visa Here!

Iran rejected Trump's ceasefire offer. Russia is sending drones to Iran. Donald wants and doesn't want NATO's help. Donald's fake awards from Iran and Mike Johnson. Iran is trolling Donald. The war will drive inflation upward. Donald is only hearing about the good parts of the war, which aren't actually good. Heroes of Democracy: Whoever vandalized Larry Ellison's super yacht. We bombed a dairy farm in Ecuador. Donald kept classified documents to help his businesses. DOJ just gave Mike Flynn $1.2 million of your money. Donald's polling on the economy is the worst since the Great Recession. With Jody Hamilton, David Ferguson, music by Divided Heaven, Karma and the Killjoys, and more! Brought to you by Russ Rybicki, SharePower Responsible Investing. Support our new sponsor and get free shipping at Quince.com/bob! Support the TrekTalks telethon at TrekTalks.net. Donate to the Hollywood Food Coalition at hofoco.org.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the war in Iran creating major economic uncertainty, some economists are forecasting that a recession could arrive this year. The economy had already been showing signs of weakness, including layoffs in Big Tech and enduring inflation concerns, and now surging oil prices are rocking U.S. markets. How bad might an economic downturn be in 2026? And are we prepared for a recession? Guests: Talmon Joseph Smith, economics reporter, The New York Times Claudia Sahm, chief economist, New Century Advisors; her Substack is "Stay-at-Home Macro" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two of the three major credit bureaus are dismissing a larger share of consumer complaints. At the same time, the Trump administration has attempted to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the government watchdog agency established following the Great Recession. Today, we'll delve into what it means for consumer protections. Also, the price of a barrel of Brent crude is about 50% higher than it was a month ago. Where do things go from here?

The private credit market has grown fivefold since 2008 — it's somewhere near the $2 trillion-mark globally. In this episode, we explain why policies aimed at alleviating the Great Recession triggered an explosion of non-bank lenders, and why their loans are riskier for the economy than traditional loans. Plus: Analysts expect wholesale inflation cooled a bit in January, retailers fret over a late-winter slump, and stock market predictions are sort of like baking a cake. Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.