American Business Story with Taylor Walden

This podcast is everything I needed (and still need) to hear as an entrepreneur building businesses myself. Each week, hear from a business owner on what it’s really like to grow and run a business. Business books and theory are helpful, but nothing beats mentorship and lived experience. Episodes drop on Wednesdays. Subscribe to join the conversation.

American Business Story with Taylor Walden is a general podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 0 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts American Business Story with Taylor Walden, a general show with 0 episodes published.

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  Episode #53

  Building a Michelin Recognized Restaurant Through COVID, Doubt, and 100-Day Work Streaks | ABS #53

  Aug 5, 20261 hourS2

  <p >Sam Jones BBQ has a Michelin Bib Gourmand. Skylight Inn is a family name that shows up in National Geographic. And the guy running it had never cooked a pig until he was in his twenties.</p><p >This week on American Business Story with Taylor Walden, Taylor sits down with Michael Letchworth, co-owner of Sam Jones BBQ. Michael started at Skylight Inn at 16 as one of his first jobs in high school, worked the counter, washed dishes, and felt like it was just another restaurant job. At the time, he didn't understand the history. He didn't know how...

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  Episode #52

  Smashing Scales - How Carissa Turned a Franchise Nightmare into a 4-Year Success Story | ST #52

  Jul 29, 20261h 8mS2

  <p >Carissa thought she was buying a successful boxing gym franchise. Instead, she walked into a business model built on selling memberships to people the gym hoped would never show up. Within weeks of her taking over, 30% of the membership base canceled, grandparents were calling to report stolen credit cards, and she realized the entire operation was designed to choose money over people's actual health.</p><p >This week on Shop Talk with Radiate Prints, Taylor sits down with Carissa Chappell, owner of Rebel Fitness, to talk about what it's really like to take over a struggling franchise, survive COVID...

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  Episode #51

  Evolve or Die: Gus Roberson on AI, Acquisitions, and Building a $10M Insurance Agency | ST #51

  Jul 22, 202630 minS2

  <p>This week on Shop Talk with Radiate Prints, Taylor sits down with Gus Roberson, founder of CapCo Financial, to talk about growth, AI, and the reality of what happens when businesses refuse to adapt. Gus grew up on a family farm with no succession plan, struggled in class at NC State until one personal finance course redirected his entire life, and eventually walked away from a career at an insurance company to go fully independent, a move he describes as "not fun, but you enjoy it."</p><p>Somewhere in the grind, he looked at his numbers and realized...

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  Episode #50

  I Won $18,500 in 24 Hours at 19 Years Old - How I Started a $1M Business in My College Dorm Room with Taylor Walden | Shop Talk with RP #50

  Jul 15, 202631 minS2

  <p>Today marks one year of Shop Talk with Radiate Prints. I've spent twelve months asking other business owners how they built what they built, and now I’m in the hot seat.</p><p>I started Simple & Sentimental in a dorm room at ECU as an interior design major who couldn't sell a single thing on Etsy. Buying a vinyl cutter at 2 am on Black Friday run turned me into “sticker girl." Then, I won $18,500 in 24 hours at two pitch competitions.</p><p>And in 2020 when COVID hit, every product I was selling came to a screeching halt overnight. I ma...

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  Episode #49

  “There Has to Be a Better Way” - Turning a Pain Point into a Product Used by Pro Sports Teams with Sharon Moore and Sportscale | ST #49

  Jul 8, 202638 minS2

  <p>We’ve all had an experience where we thought “there has to be a better way”, but today’s guest tells the story of how she built a business from it.</p><p>This week, Taylor sits down with Dr. Sharon Moore, ECU professor, athletic trainer, and founder of Sportscale. Sharon shares how a 2008 tragedy on a high school football field pushed a school system to put an athletic trainer in every school, and how that work led her to a burdensome weigh-in problem no one had solved. Sharon turned that problem into a smart scale that automatically tracks athlete...

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