What if design isn’t the finishing touch on your business but the foundation?

Sally Chung thinks most founders have it backwards. They obsess over logos, colors, and aesthetics, while skipping the deeper work that actually determines whether a product succeeds: understanding the user.

In this episode of This Is Small Business, Sally – founder of Designpreneurs & Co. and professor at Parsons School of Design – breaks down why design thinking isn’t about making things look good. It’s about validating your idea and building something people genuinely want. From quitting corporate to launch her own startup to teaching entrepreneurs how to de-risk their ideas, Sally shares how design thinking helps you move faster without wasting time or money.

If you’re building a brand, chasing product-market fit, or trying to grow smarter – this conversation might save you from your most expensive mistake.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(05:45) — What is design thinking — and what are the 6 steps every founder should know?

(02:02) — How to find opportunity in ambiguity and stop fearing failure.

(08:36) — How to know if customers will actually pay for your idea?

(10:57) — How to launch a product without wasting money?

(13:31) — How can better design increase revenue?

(15:45) — Where should founders start if they’re not designers?

She didn’t mean to disrupt the gum industry. She just wanted gum that wasn’t made of plastic.

When Caron Proschan first found that out, she couldn’t ignore it. One piece of neon-blue gum after a healthy lunch sent her down a rabbit hole that ended with her hand-making natural gum in her apartment.

In this episode of This Is Small Business, Caron shares how reading one ingredient label set off a chain reaction – from kitchen experiments and door-to-door Whole Foods pitches in Manhattan to building a factory of her own in Brooklyn.

We get into proof of concept, the customer reviews that actually changed the product, and why sometimes not knowing how hard the entrepreneurial journey will be is exactly what gets you started.

If you’ve ever looked at a product and thought, “Why is this like this?” – this one’s for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:05) — What happens when you can’t un-see what’s on the label?

(04:03) — Andrea tries the gum (and the mints… and the gummies)

(04:48) — Can you really build a food brand without experts or investors?

(06:27) — When do you know it’s real enough to quit your job?

(09:00) — How being on Amazon can help you grow faster and improve your product in real time.

(13:25) — Will customers pay more for better ingredients — or not?

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn’t your idea… it’s the way you’ve been trained to think?

Ashish Bhatia is basically a therapist for entrepreneurs and in this episode of This Is Small Business, he breaks down why “just be confident” is the worst advice ever, and what actually works instead.

As a professor of Entrepreneurship at NYU Stern, Ashish has helped hundreds of founders go from “I have an idea” to “I built this” and he’s here to teach you how to rewire your brain for uncertainty, feedback, and real momentum. You’ll learn why entrepreneurs aren’t “natural risk-takers,” how to stop protecting your idea like it’s fragile, and the simple steps to move faster (without spiraling). Plus: how to figure out what you really want so you stop building a life that looks good on paper but feels wrong in real life.

If you’ve been stuck overthinking, waiting for the “right time,” or quietly questioning whether you’re cut out for this… this one’s for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:11) — Mindset isn’t enough… so what actually has to change?

(06:41) — The 3 steps to go from “I have an idea” to “I built this”

(08:44) — Why you’re scared to share your idea (and how to do it anyway)

(11:49) — Opportunity cost vs. “affordable loss” (A.K.A. How to stop talking yourself out of it)

(14:20) — Why you need to self-reflect to build a successful business