Episodios

  • How Passion and Persistence Create Real Success

    How Passion and Persistence Create Real Success
    Oct 2 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk about how I do not see my business as just being financially rewarding. For me it is about freedom, control, and doing work I believe in. I compare money to happiness—if you chase it directly, you never find it. I see a lot of false promises online about easy income, but real business takes long hours and persistence without immediate payoff. That is why passion matters. Without it you will not stick through the work. I say if you love something, like origami or gaming, and put in consistent effort, you can eventually turn it into income, but it will not come overnight. My passion is video production, marketing, and helping business owners grow their audiences and revenue. I often work sixty to eighty hours a week, sometimes for free, but I love it. I believe if you serve others, solve problems, and stay committed, the money follows in time.
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    9 m
  • A closer look at the Taste of Appalachia Showcase and West Virginia food makers

    A closer look at the Taste of Appalachia Showcase and West Virginia food makers
    Sep 30 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I am at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works for the Taste of Appalachia Showcase, an Advantage Valley initiative that features gift boxes filled with West Virginia-made foods available until October 17 at TasteofAppalachia.com. I talk with Mary and Travis Smith of Tipsy Roo’s about their sauces like Peach Jalapeno Rum and Brew Berry, and Travis shares his love for freeze-dried fruit. Duane Legg from Legacy Foods tells me about their cinnamon apple butter, hot pepper jelly, and apple cider vinaigrette, with the jelly being the most popular. Zack Fairchild of Blue Smoke Salsa highlights their blueberry jalapeno salsa, developed with Chef Paul Smith, as a crowd favorite. Lillian Kratc from J.Q. Dickinson explains they contributed burnt caramel sauce and heirloom finishing salt, with the traditional salt standing out as their bestseller. I wrap up by encouraging listeners to order a box and support local makers across the region.
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    5 m
  • Homesteading and Community with Dawn and Troy

    Homesteading and Community with Dawn and Troy
    Sep 25 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Troy and Dawn to talk about the Homesteading-ish Conference, now in its second year. They tell me the “ish” stands for In Search of Help and the goal is to give people tools to take more responsibility for their food and learn skills like gardening, raising animals, beekeeping, and food preservation. Troy explains that the idea started with his farm and the Capital Conservation District working together to offer a wide range of presenters in one place. He says modern homesteading is about self-reliance, not the old Homestead Act, and that interest has grown in recent years, especially after the pandemic showed how fragile supply systems can be. Dawn shares that participants want clean food, sustainable practices, and a community to support their journey, and many have already returned for a second year to build on what they learned. They both see the future of the event as keeping it intimate so people can connect directly and continue learning together. I leave feeling like this gathering is less about farming alone and more about creating lasting community around food and self-reliance.
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    7 m
  • Bringing Care Closer to Home with Dr. Robert Haley

    Bringing Care Closer to Home with Dr. Robert Haley
    Sep 23 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I am at the Westside Community Health Fair with Dr. Robert Haley. He tells me the event offers screenings for things like HIV, hep C, blood pressure, and diabetes, along with booths for veterans, disability services, and other community resources. More than seventy medical students from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine are here to learn how to connect with people and provide real help, and Dr. Haley says they have even identified emergencies like diabetic crises in past years. He explains the fair began around the pandemic to meet needs that were being overlooked and has grown into a trusted annual event. We talk about how many people feel intimidated going to a doctor’s office, but here they can talk freely about what hurts and get pointed toward the right care. Dr. Haley reminds me that screenings can save lives, because ignoring a problem does not make it go away. He hopes people leave saying they found someone who listened and cared in a welcoming space.
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    4 m
  • The Evolution of Advertising Blocks to Digital Feeds

    The Evolution of Advertising Blocks to Digital Feeds
    Sep 18 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I explain how the advertising blocks we grew up with, like Saturday morning cartoons and TGIF, connect directly to today’s algorithms on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. I show how ads evolved from newspapers and magazines in the 1800s to radio soap operas aimed at homemakers, then into TV dayparting where families, kids, and dads were targeted at different times. In the 80s and 90s, branded blocks like TGIF, Must See TV, Fox Kids, Disney Afternoon, and SNICK focused even more on specific groups. Cable TV expanded this with whole channels like MTV, ESPN, and Lifetime built for niche audiences, and later blocks like Toonami and Adult Swim zeroed in on young men who had not yet formed long-term brand loyalties. The digital age pushed it further with Google search ads, display networks, and Facebook’s targeting based on likes. Now algorithms recommend content based on every detail of what we watch and engage with. It is all built to capture and sell attention, and if you want to grow a business today you have to understand how to work with these systems.
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    9 m
  • Debbie Kinder shares the story of starting Kinder’s Closet Ostomy Pantry

    Debbie Kinder shares the story of starting Kinder’s Closet Ostomy Pantry
    Sep 16 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I chat with Debbie Kinder about Kinder’s Closet Ostomy Pantry. Debbie tells me the pantry is a nonprofit that provides ostomy supplies to people with limited income or no insurance, and people can reach them online, on Facebook, or by calling United Way’s 211 line. She explains how it started with her own experience living with an ostomy and realizing how many others needed help, which led her to begin the pantry in 2016. Now they serve people locally and across the country, supplying pouches, flanges, paste, and barrier strips that insurance often doesn’t fully cover. Debbie says the average cost of supplies can be up to eighty five dollars every few days, which is out of reach for many, so the pantry steps in and only asks for postage or a small fee to keep it running. She shares stories of people showing up with makeshift bags because they couldn’t afford supplies, and she emphasizes the need for a larger climate controlled space and more board members. I wrap up by encouraging anyone who can help to reach out and support Debbie’s mission.
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    6 m
  • Terrell Ellis and the Taste of Appalachia

    Terrell Ellis and the Taste of Appalachia
    Sep 11 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Terrell Ellis about Taste of Appalachia, a new initiative from Advantage Valley that promotes local food entrepreneurs through curated holiday gift sets. Terrell explains that there are eight themed boxes, including breakfast essentials, tailgate snacks, and veteran made products, all featuring West Virginia businesses. The boxes will be unveiled September 18 at J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works where attendees can sample products, meet the makers, and place bulk or online orders. Fulfillment will be handled by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture so customers only need to order and everything else is managed. The website tasteofappalachia.com shows all available boxes and orders can be made there as well. Sponsors include Marshall University and the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. Terrell says this builds on Advantage Valley’s Foster WV program that supports entrepreneurs with coaching and resources, and now extends their reach to a broader market. I remind listeners this is a perfect way to share the flavors of Appalachia with clients, family, and friends while supporting businesses in our region.
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    6 m
  • Mary Smith building Tipsy Roo’s Barbecue Sauce in West Virginia

    Mary Smith building Tipsy Roo’s Barbecue Sauce in West Virginia
    Sep 9 2025
    In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I talk with Mary Smith, owner of Tipsy Roo’s Barbecue Sauce. She tells me how their sauces stand out by incorporating alcohol, with flavors like B.U.I Bourbon, Plastered Peach, and Brew Berry. Mary shares that the recipes started during her time at Fort Campbell with her husband, making sauce for cookouts, and when they returned to West Virginia friends kept asking for jars until they launched the business in 2020. Now, five years later, Tipsy Roo’s is part of the Taste of Appalachia, an event on September 18th that offers gift boxes filled with Appalachian products. She explains that these boxes give people a way to support local businesses instead of buying generic gifts, and her sauces are included in many of them. When I ask what advice she would give her past self, Mary says to do uncomfortable things and not stay in the comfort zone because growth requires work and risk. She closes by sharing where to find her sauces online and through the event, and I wrap up by reminding listeners to hustle hard, hustle smart, and hustle with a smile.
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    4 m