Hey everyone! Welcome to Locally Owned, the podcast for local business owners, by a local business owner. I’m Dave, and let me tell you right up front — I didn’t have some grand plan to become a business owner. I actually went to school for music and thought that was where my life was going.
Life took some unexpected turns, and eventually, I found myself married and no real career prospects. So, I did what anyone would do in that situation: I started a business. I had about $3,000 in my pocket and borrowed $5,000 from my father-in-law to buy a van and started a carpet cleaning business. I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t know anything about marketing, bookkeeping, payroll, sales — you name it. The only thing I had going for me was a solid work ethic I’d learned from working with my dad all those years.
I slowly figured things out and that little business eventually grew into a company with five service vehicles, a cleaning plant for delicate textiles like fine area rugs, silk and linen, and a team of employees who all got health benefits, 401Ks, and PTO. I sold my company recently so that I could help other struggling small business owners get past the obstacles I faced and build their dream companies. This podcast is dedicated to bringing other small business owners on so that we can learn from the insights they share from their journeys.
Now, don’t get me wrong — we’re not going to be talking to billionaires here. No Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk. They’re in a whole different world. I’m talking to the people like you — The folks who wear 10 different hats every day.
You see, I’ve been to a lot of business conferences, and sure, the speakers were great. But you know what? I learned just as much from the other business owners sitting next to me at the table, or the ones I grabbed dinner with afterward. Those conversations, the ones where we shared what worked and what didn’t — that’s where the gold is. And that’s what Locally Owned is all about.
We’ll dive into everything from hiring to operations to marketing strategies that work for local businesses. I want each episode to feel like you sat down and had lunch with a fellow business owner.
If you’re serious about making real progress in your business, this podcast is dedicated to helping you do that. Please subscribe to the show. Let me know if you know of a local business that you would like to hear on the show. Or any topic that you feel like would really help the listeners.
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