Success Stories with Steve Cross

Every entrepreneur has a story. The interesting ones come from people who actually did the work.Success Stories is where Steve Cross sits down with CEOs, founders, and operators who’ve actually done the work. These are honest conversations about building companies—what worked, what broke, and the real decisions behind growth. No hype. No guru energy. Just practical insight for leaders who want clarity and lessons they can apply.If you care about building better companies (& surviving the process) you’re in the right place.Want to be part of the conversation? Hit me up at stevecross.wtf.

Success Stories with Steve Cross is a business podcast hosted by Steve Cross, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Steve Cross hosts Success Stories with Steve Cross, a business show with 57 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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  Success Stories with Steve Cross

  Stop Making Cheap Shit That’s Built to Fail

  Sep 29, 202619 min

  Most people see a broken system and bitch about it. Andrew Hess decided to build something better. In this episode of Success Stories , Steve Cross sits down with Andrew, owner of Hess Solutions, to talk about leaving the employee mindset behind and building a machine shop around quality, integrity, and actually giving a damn about the customer. They get into CNC machining, prototyping, 3D modeling, product development, working 16-hour days, and Andrew’s vision of helping people turn an idea into something they can actually manufacture and sell. About Our Guest Andrew Hess is the owner of Hess Solutions, a Northeast Ohio machine shop specializing in CNC and manual machining, prototyping, product development, and 3D modeling. After more than a decade in the trades, Andrew took Hess Solutions full time with a simple philosophy: make things that lasts and treat the customer like a partner, not a transaction. Now he’s building toward a one-stop shop where entrepreneurs can take products from idea to production. About Success Stories Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow. From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results. If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale. Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/ . #SuccessStories #Entrepreneurship #Manufacturing #CNCMachining #Machining #SmallBusiness #BusinessOwner #ProductDevelopment #Prototyping #AmericanManufacturing #EntrepreneurMindset #MadeInOhio

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  Success Stories with Steve Cross

  Why Sarah Gallagher Trombley Walked Away From Big Tech

  Sep 22, 202634 min

  Most parents have no clue what their kids are actually being exposed to online. The scary part? A lot of the people who built this stuff are worried, too. In this episode of Success Stories , Steve Cross sits down with Sarah Gallagher Trombley, founder of Digital Mom Media and former Snapchat employee, to talk about raising kids in a world dominated by screens. They get into social media, post-COVID screen habits, tech regulation, parental peer pressure, and why protecting your kids sometimes means letting them be pissed at you. About Our Guest Sarah Gallagher Trombley is the founder and CEO of Digital Mom Media, an education platform helping parents navigate technology without losing their minds. After a career spanning media and tech, including Flipboard and Snapchat, she turned her insider knowledge into newsletters, courses, speaking, consulting, and coaching for parents trying to make smarter calls about their kids and screens. About Success Stories Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow. From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results. If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale. Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/ . #SuccessStories #DigitalParenting #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #ScreenTime #SocialMediaSafety #KidsAndTechnology #OnlineSafety #BigTech #DigitalWellness #Entrepreneurship

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  Success Stories with Steve Cross

  Stop Hiring for Skill. Start Hiring for Character.

  Sep 15, 202643 min

  Dave Hataj grew up in a gear shop because that’s what his family did. No grand career plan. No polished path to success. Just work. In this episode of Success Stories , Steve Cross talks with the owner of Edgerton Gear about taking over a dysfunctional family business, getting his ass kicked trying to change its culture, and realizing that being good at your job means nothing if you’re miserable to work with. They also get into the skilled trades crisis, why businesses keep complaining about finding workers instead of developing them, and how Dave turned those lessons into Craftsman with Character, a program now helping companies invest in young people instead of just saying that “nobody wants to work anymore.” About Our Guest Dave Hataj is the owner of Edgerton Gear and founder of Craftsman with Character. After decades of rebuilding his family business and its culture, he’s now handing Edgerton Gear to the next generation and helping other companies rethink how they hire, mentor, and develop people. He’s also the author of Good Work and The Craftsman Code , exploring why character, purpose, and giving a damn about people matter more than another corporate leadership buzzword. About Success Stories Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow. From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results. If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale. Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/ . #SuccessStories #SkilledTrades #BlueCollar #Manufacturing #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #WorkforceDevelopment #CompanyCulture #Mentorship #FamilyBusiness #SkilledLabor #BusinessLeadership

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  Success Stories with Steve Cross

  He Spent 10 Years Building Something That Made $0

  Sep 8, 202637 min

  Jozsef Bogdan came to Canada with $200, one suitcase, and no English. Now he’s trying to turn wasted industrial heat into usable electricity. In this episode of Success Stories, Steve Cross talks with the NISO Energy founder about starting over at 35, chasing a technology that didn’t work, spending years in R&D without revenue, and refusing to quit. They dig into what NISO is building, the ugly reality of funding new technology, and why entrepreneurs should try to kill their own idea before wasting years proving it sucks. About Our Guest Jozsef Bogdan is the founder and CEO of NISO Energy, an energy technology company developing systems that turn industrial waste heat into electricity. After years of research, failures, pivots, and persistence, NISO is preparing to raise capital and take its technology from the lab into heavy industry, with much bigger ambitions beyond that. About Success Stories Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow. From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results. If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale. Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/ . #SuccessStories #Entrepreneurship #EnergyInnovation #CleanEnergy #EnergyTechnology #Thermoelectric #WasteHeat #IndustrialInnovation #EmergingTechnology #StartupLife #FounderJourney #BusinessGrowth #ResearchAndDevelopment #FutureOfEnergy #HeavyIndustry #Innovation

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  Success Stories with Steve Cross

  People-First Doesn’t Mean Putting Up With Bullshit

  Sep 1, 202638 min

  Georgia Rittenberg answered a Craigslist ad for a part-time customer service job. Less than five years later, she was running the company. In this episode, Steve Cross talks with Georgia about going from customer service to CEO, learning leadership the hard way, hiring people you might have to fire, and knowing when to stop taking everyone else’s advice and trust your gut. They also get into scaling ComputerCare, building a people-first culture, and using AI to make people better at their jobs, not replace them. About Our Guest Georgia Rittenberg is the CEO and co-owner of ComputerCare, an end-to-end IT asset management company supporting businesses globally. She joined the company in 2011 as a part-time customer service rep before taking over leadership less than five years later. Today, Georgia leads roughly 135 employees while growing ComputerCare around its mission of bringing “the human side of hardware” to IT asset management. About Success Stories Welcome to Success Stories, the podcast where Steve Cross sits down with the sharpest minds in business to unpack what it really takes to grow. From scrappy upstarts to category leaders, each conversation reveals the mindset, strategies, and personal stories behind bold decisions and breakthrough moments. No fluff. No gurus. Just real founders, real operators, and real results. If you're a growth-obsessed entrepreneur, marketing leader, or future founder, this playlist is your shortcut to hard-earned wisdom from those who've built it, scaled it, and lived to tell the tale. Subscribe to the channel and hit the bell so you never miss an episode. If you think you can hang, this link is for you. https://stevecross.wtf For more about iSynergy and how we help brands grow through strategic digital marketing, visit https://isynergy.io/connect/ . #SuccessStories #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #CEO #BusinessGrowth #BusinessLeadership #CompanyCulture #ScalingBusiness #LeadershipLessons #ITAssetManagement #ArtificialIntelligence #AIinBusiness #WomenInLeadership #FounderMindset #BusinessPodcast #EntrepreneurPodcast

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