Small Business Stories

Welcome to Small Business Stories, the podcast where we celebrate the real-life journeys of small business owners. We dig into inspiring tales of triumphs, challenges, and the tough lessons we learned along the way. Each episode is packed with relatable anecdotes and practical tips that you can use to fuel your own entrepreneurial dreams. Whether you're just starting out or looking to grow your business, you'll find motivation and insight in every story. Tune in and get ready to be inspired by the heart and hustle of small business owners just like you! We say it like it is - no filters. Being an SMB owner isn't easy, but we're compelled to do it.

Small Business Stories is a business podcast hosted by Loralyn Mears, PhD, with 200 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.

Loralyn Mears, PhD hosts Small Business Stories, a business show with 200 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #80

  Should AI Replace Humans in Customer Service? Guest Nathan Strum has Thoughts

  Sep 14, 202623 minS6

  S6:E80 AI, Empathy & Why Humans Still Matter with Nathan Strum AI can answer the phone. It can schedule appointments. It can listen to sales calls, extract insights and eliminate tedious administrative work. But can it make someone who has just lost their cat genuinely feel heard? Nathan Strum doesn't think so. For more than 20 years, his company Abbey Connect has built its reputation around human receptionists. About a year ago, Nathan faced the same decision confronting millions of business owners: how do you embrace AI without destroying the human experience that made the business valuable in the first place? He didn't reject AI. Quite the opposite. Nathan calls the technology a game changer and believes businesses that ignore it are doing themselves a disservice. But Abbey Connect has approached implementation by asking where technology can support people rather than automatically replace them. If people don't trust how AI is being introduced, efficiency alone isn't enough. If employees fear that every new AI tool is ultimately designed to eliminate their jobs, customers may eventually feel the effects of that distrust. And if customers believe they're interacting with a caring human when they're actually interacting with software engineered to simulate empathy, the business introduces an entirely different trust problem. Guest Nathan Strum Founder, Abbey Connect Customer service, human receptionist services, culture and AI integration ⚠️ Core Problems Treating human replacement as the default objective of AI adoption Confusing simulated empathy with human connection Introducing automation without communicating with employees Automating the customer experience without considering customer preferences Focusing exclusively on AI-related job losses while overlooking small businesses growing because of AI Preserving culture while transforming a long-established business Practical Takeaways AI adoption doesn't have to equal headcount reduction. Start with the humans and identify where technology can remove friction from their work. Some complex processes become economically possible for small businesses because AI can supplement human capabilities. Transparency matters when customers interact with AI. Human empathy still carries a signal technology cannot perfectly reproduce: another person actually understands what you're experiencing. Employee trust comes before customer trust. Nathan believes AI may ultimately allow humans to spend more time with one another—not less. ⏱️ Timestamps 01:32 Why the telephone and humans still matter 04:41 Culture as the foundation of customer service 08:04 AI, solopreneurship and the future of small business 09:24 Bringing AI into a human-first company 11:54 What genuine empathy actually looks like 12:46 Can AI ever replicate empathy? 14:00 Starting AI transformation with humans 15:15 "Nobody lost their job" 16:00 Could AI actually bring humans closer together? 16:45 Trust and the first principle of AI adoption 18:21 Nathan's "Stop Firing Humans" campaign Who This Episode Is For Founders and small business leaders who know they need to use AI but don't believe becoming more technologically capable requires becoming less human. At STEERus, this connects to a recurring Efficiency-Trust Tradeoff. Misinterpretation risk can emerge when a business optimizes an experience so aggressively that customers begin receiving a different signal than leadership intended: you're a transaction to process rather than a person to understand. Subscribe and share Small Business Stories for thoughtful conversations about entrepreneurship, AI, leadership, trust and building businesses people can understand. ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship Share this episode with someone who needs to be heard Follow STEERus on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrLLSmallBusiness Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus Twitter: https://x.com/steerus_io #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #podcast #AI #customerservice

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  Episode #79

  Why Your Google Ads Aren't Working Anymore with John Sanders

  Sep 10, 202631 minS6

  S6:E79 Why More Traffic Doesn't Mean More Business with John Sanders Your advertising may be doing exactly what you asked it to do. That doesn't mean it's helping your business. John Coleman Sanders has spent 16 years working with Google Ads, and he says the platform has undergone some of its most significant changes in just the past year. AI is interpreting intent, old strategies are becoming obsolete, and businesses have less control over precisely when and where their ads appear. But John's bigger message isn't about mastering Google's latest feature. It's about understanding whether those clicks ever become business. If people click but don't understand the offer, more traffic won't solve the problem. If your website says something different from what you believe it says, Google can interpret your business incorrectly. If leads arrive but 80% disappear because your back-end process isn't working, the ad isn't the primary failure. And if people don't trust what they encounter after clicking, paying to send more people there only magnifies the problem. Guest John Coleman Sanders Founder, RevKey Google Ads, paid acquisition and measurable business growth ⚠️ Core Problems Rising advertising costs without corresponding business results AI changing how Google interprets searches and intent Websites inadvertently communicating the wrong positioning Traffic arriving before the business is ready to convert it Companies mistaking clicks for results Constant campaign changes preventing Google's systems from learning Disconnects among advertising, website, offer and follow-up Practical Takeaways Start with the business outcome, not the advertising metric. Google's interpretation of your business increasingly depends on signals beyond the keyword you're buying. A website needs to be ready before paid traffic arrives. The sales and follow-up system must also be ready. Don't continually reset AI-driven campaigns before enough data accumulates. A 10% click-through rate is meaningless if nobody takes the action the business needs. More marketing can amplify an underlying positioning or conversion problem rather than solve it. ⏱️ Timestamps 02:25 The biggest Google Ads changes John has seen in 16 years 05:43 When AI misunderstands what a business actually offers 08:00 Why clicks don't necessarily produce business 17:42 The messaging mismatch behind failed advertising 19:29 Why John will tell businesses they aren't ready for ads 21:59 Getting beyond vanity metrics 23:45 Why you shouldn't constantly change AI-driven campaigns 25:15 Interpretation problem or traffic problem? 27:23 The metric John ultimately cares about Who This Episode Is For Entrepreneurs and small business owners who are paying for traffic but aren't seeing enough revenue from it, especially those wondering whether to spend even more on advertising. At STEERus, this connects to a recurring Signal-to-Sale Gap . Misinterpretation risk doesn't end when someone discovers a business. If an ad creates one expectation, a website creates another and the experience supplies still another, increased visibility can actually scale confusion rather than eliminate it. Subscribe and share Small Business Stories for grounded conversations about entrepreneurship, visibility, leadership and growth. ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship Share this episode with someone who needs to be heard Follow STEERus on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrLLSmallBusiness Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus Twitter: https://x.com/steerus_io #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #podcast #GoogleAds #advertising #digitalmarketing

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  Episode #78

  Why AI Won't Fix a Broken Business with Tullio Siragusa

  Sep 7, 202629 minS6

  S6:E78 AI doesn't arrive inside a business as a neutral cure for everything that isn't working. It encounters the decision structures, silos, leadership behaviors, customer experience and culture that are already there and then it can make them move considerably faster. That's the tension at the center of this episode of Small Business Stories with Tullio Siragusa, founder of Inventrica Advisory. Tullio works at the intersection of artificial intelligence, leadership and organizational transformation. His argument is refreshingly human: don't automate away the very qualities that made people value your business in the first place. If customers don't trust the experience you give them, more automation won't manufacture trust. If employees don't have sufficient autonomy to make decisions, adding faster technology won't necessarily produce better decisions. And if what your business promises externally doesn't match what people experience internally, AI can amplify that contradiction at scale. That's where this conversation intersects directly with Dr. LL's work on misinterpretation risk and Decision Integrity: the signals a business sends aren't created by marketing alone. They're created by how the business actually behaves. Guest Tullio Siragusa Founder, Inventrica Advisory AI transformation, leadership, organizational design and decision architecture ⚠️ Core Problems Organizations automating processes that were already dysfunctional Legacy command-and-control structures slowing AI adoption Silos preventing collaboration and decision flow Confusing employee activity with actual progress AI exposing leadership and communication weaknesses Customer-service automation removing human agency External brand promises conflicting with internal organizational reality Practical Takeaways AI can enable what an organization already does well, but it can also expose what isn't working. Tullio identifies friction as the enemy of business ; diagnose friction before adding technology. Collaboration, autonomy and information flow matter more in an AI-accelerated environment. Don't mistake being busy or adding technology for meaningful transformation. Tullio identifies four human needs behind engaged cultures: belonging, meaning, impact and becoming . As automation increases, leaders should invest more deeply in empathy and purpose . Customer experience reflects internal organizational design more than many leaders realize. Before refining external messaging, ask whether the organization actually practices what it promises. ⏱️ Timestamps 01:19 Where businesses are in the AI adoption cycle 03:16 AI reveals what kind of company you really are 06:30 Why AI amplifies organizational dysfunction 08:31 Friction, silos and Tullio's Empath IQ framework 10:26 Busy isn't the same as making progress 14:36 The leadership skills an AI economy requires 18:31 AI exposes leadership weaknesses 21:42 Empathy and purpose won't go out of style 25:04 The question every CEO should ask before scaling AI Who This Episode Is For Founders, CEOs and leaders implementing AI who suspect that the hardest part of transformation isn't choosing the technology—it's preparing the organization using it. At STEERus, we see the resulting Promise-Practice Gap as a form of misinterpretation risk. When marketing says one thing while employees, customers, systems and digital evidence demonstrate another, outsiders receive conflicting signals about what the organization actually is. AI doesn't create that contradiction, but it can make the contradiction harder to hide. Subscribe and share Small Business Stories for thoughtful conversations about leadership, AI, trust and building businesses people can understand and believe. ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship Share this episode with someone who needs to be heard Follow STEERus on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrLLSmallBusiness Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus Twitter: https://x.com/steerus_io #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #podcast #AIsearch #digitalmarketing

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  Episode #77

  How to Get Startup Funding with Vijay Rajendran

  Sep 4, 202635 minS6

  S6:E77 A funding round can transform a company. It can also change who controls it, how it's expected to grow and even whether the founder remains CEO. So perhaps the first fundraising question shouldn't be How do I get the money? It should be: Do I actually want what comes with it? Queue up this episode of Small Business Stories with Vijay Rajendran , founder of Startup System and author of The Funding Framework , for a grounded look inside startup fundraising in 2026. Vijay describes a market where more capital is concentrating in fewer companies, AI commands extraordinary investor attention, and founders outside the hottest categories may wonder whether funding is even accessible. His response is refreshingly grounded: most businesses shouldn't be pursuing institutional capital in the first place. If investors don't trust you, a beautiful pitch deck won't solve the underlying problem. If your business doesn't fit an investor's thesis, more outreach doesn't necessarily create better odds. And if the narrative surrounding your company doesn't accurately convey its opportunity, two founders presenting fundamentally similar businesses can produce dramatically different investor reactions. Fundraising, Vijay argues, is ultimately a trust-building exercise. Guest Vijay Rajendran Founder, Startup System Author, The Funding Framework Instructor of leadership and change management for startup founders at UC Berkeley ⚠️ Core Problems Venture capital increasingly concentrating among fewer companies Founders assuming fundraising is necessary Choosing money based primarily on valuation or prestige Underestimating how much autonomy institutional capital can change First-time founders being unprepared to work with boards Treating fundraising like pitching rather than relationship building Failing to align with investors whose thesis actually fits the business Practical Takeaways Customer revenue may be more valuable than investor capital. Determine whether your business is actually suited for institutional funding. The quality and compatibility of the investor can matter more than check size or valuation. Recruit board members with the rigor you'd apply to an important executive hire. Don't treat your board as either a rubber stamp or a tribunal. Narrative, momentum and market dynamics influence investor decisions alongside fundamentals. Vijay's Funding Framework moves through storytelling → organization → outreach → closing . Once investors enter the company, the founder's role and obligations change. ⏱️ Timestamps 01:20 AI's effect on the 2026 venture-capital landscape 09:25 Why 99% of businesses shouldn't think about VC 14:11 Funding itself as a market signal 17:28 Why the "best" investor isn't necessarily the biggest check 20:04 What founders misunderstand about boards 26:44 How narrative and momentum influence investment decisions 28:16 Vijay's four-part Funding Framework 30:32 When NOT to raise capital Who This Episode Is For Founders considering outside capital, first-time startup CEOs, entrepreneurs preparing for institutional investors and anyone trying to understand what actually happens after the pitch deck. At STEERus, this conversation connects to a recurring misinterpretation problem: highly visible signals can become proxies for underlying value. Funding, awards, follower counts, credentials and even AI visibility can strengthen credibility but problems begin when the proxy becomes easier to see than the substance it's supposed to represent. Subscribe and share Small Business Stories for thoughtful conversations about the decisions, signals and relationships shaping businesses in 2026. ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship Share this episode with someone who needs to be heard Follow STEERus on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrLLSmallBusiness Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus Twitter: https://x.com/steerus_io #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #podcast

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  Episode #76

  Small Business Cybersecurity: What You Don't See Can Hurt You with Last Pass CEO Karim Toubba

  Sep 2, 202642 minS6

  S6:E76 Security is ultimately a promise of trust. So what happens when that trust gets broken? Karim Toubba has had to answer that question in circumstances few CEOs would choose. He joined LastPass as their CEO only months before the company experienced a significant and highly publicized 2022 security breach. In this candid conversation, Karim acknowledges that LastPass initially communicated too slowly and explains the systemic changes, transparency, investment and cultural work required afterward. Queue up this episode of Small Business Stories for a conversation that goes well beyond passwords. Because the threat itself is changing. Karim says AI is producing a meaningful productivity advantage for small businesses, but it is simultaneously allowing malicious websites and other threats to be generated at much greater velocity. Employees are also adopting AI applications faster than many organizations can establish policies around what data those applications should be allowed to access. If people don't trust you, reassuring them that you're trustworthy isn't enough. If customers cannot see credible evidence supporting what you say, they'll increasingly turn to third-party communities and other sources to interpret your credibility for themselves. And if inaccurate or incomplete information about your organization remains unchallenged, the external interpretation of your company can begin separating from the reality inside it. That's where Karim's cybersecurity experience intersects powerfully with Dr. LL's work on misinterpretation risk. Guest Karim Toubba CEO, LastPass Cybersecurity executive with nearly three decades of industry experience ⚠️ Core Problems Credential theft remaining a major attack vector Password fatigue and poor security habits Trust erosion after a public organizational failure Employees adopting unsanctioned SaaS and AI applications Sensitive information being uploaded into AI systems AI accelerating the volume and sophistication of malicious sites Organizations confusing a security product with a secure culture Practical Takeaways Make security easier to practice; complexity undermines adoption. Passkeys and biometrics can reduce dependence on traditional passwords. Treat every piece of information uploaded to an outside platform as something that could potentially become exposed. Understand both what AI tools employees are using and how they're using them . Cybersecurity requires technology, investment and culture not merely software. After trust is damaged, acknowledge what went wrong and provide evidence of what changed. Participate in third-party conversations about your company rather than assuming your owned communications control the narrative. Begin thinking beyond human identity: AI agents will also require identities, permissions and access controls. ⏱️ Timestamps 03:20 Passkeys, biometrics and the future beyond passwords 08:14 Rebuilding trust after the LastPass breach 13:00 What Karim says LastPass got wrong about communication 20:03 Dr. LL's Invisibility Decoder lens and hidden digital risks 21:45 AI adoption and the new small-business security problem 23:53 AI is dramatically accelerating malicious websites 27:36 Leading a company with a perpetual target on its back 36:01 How do customers distinguish security from reassurance? Who This Episode Is For Entrepreneurs, SMB leaders and executives trying to balance AI adoption, cybersecurity, employee behavior and customer trust without becoming paralyzed by the complexity. At STEERus, we see a related Trust Blind Spot across industries: organizations frequently assess their credibility from what they know internally while customers, search systems and AI interpret them from the evidence available externally. Trust cannot simply be asserted. The signals supporting it have to be visible, consistent and credible. Subscribe and share Small Business Stories for thoughtful conversations with leaders navigating the increasingly complicated relationship between technology, trust and business growth. ✅ Subscribe for weekly conversations on entrepreneurship Share this episode with someone who needs to be heard Follow STEERus on social media: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrLLSmallBusiness Instagram: https://instagram.com/steerus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/steerus Twitter: https://x.com/steerus_io #entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #podcast #cybersecurity #riskmanagement #ai #password

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