ConversActions
Episodes
ConversActions
Episodes
Explore the ConversActions Podcast
Each episode offers engaging conversations with host Bill Mitchell and business leaders and innovators sharing their insights, perspectives, and strategies.
Episode 125 Strategic Financial Foundations for Small Business Success
What’s the difference between surviving and thriving as a small business owner? In this episode, Tina Lockwood, co-founder of Lockwood Enterprises, reveals how proper financial structure and strategic thinking can transform a new or struggling business into a profitable, scalable enterprise. From starting in their home office to establishing a brick-and-mortar presence after 15 years,…
Chef John Bogan on Seasonality, Local Pride, and Creating Unforgettable Culinary Experiences
A great meal is about more than just the food – it’s about connection, seasonality, and a dash of storytelling. In this episode, Chef John Bogan, founder of the Lake Geneva School of Cooking, invites us behind the scenes of his high-energy kitchen and reveals how he’s reimagining culinary education by making it as welcoming…
Tackling Loneliness and Isolation in a Hyper-connected World
Despite all our technology, one in three adults in America reports regular loneliness. This week’s guest, Brad Steckart, founder of Sit By Me, shares how his own experience working remotely inspired him to create an app that helps people break down social barriers in everyday spaces like cafes, bars, and libraries. You’ll hear the research…
Embracing Change in Cheese: Family, Technology, and Global Tastes
Meet Paul Scharfman, the founder of Specialty Cheese Company and one of the most unconventional innovators in American dairy. From getting fired in corporate America to building an award-winning specialty cheese business in Wisconsin, Paul shares the origin story behind his journey, and how a Boston outsider became a Paneer Cheese pioneer. He breaks down…
Entrepreneurship, Resilience, and Community-driven Growth Engines
Today we meet Steve Glynn, the founder and Chief Milwaukee Officer of Experience Milwaukee, and the force behind Milwaukee’s Walkers Point Innovation District. We will learn that community is the real growth engine. Steve’s entrepreneurial journey includes the start-up Sprinklr, a creative agency built by empowering college students. After selling the business, Steve shifted to…
Episode 120 How an Engineer Built Wisconsin’s First Craft Distillery
Guy Rehorst is the founder and CEO of Great Lakes Distillery, Wisconsin’s original post-Prohibition distillery. From hobbyist homebrewer to pioneering entrepreneur, discover how curiosity, experimentation, and an engineer’s mindset led him to transform Wisconsin’s spirits landscape. Find out about the challenges of building a craft distillery from the ground up, from navigating regulatory hurdles to…
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