What if the conversation you’re avoiding is the one your business needs most?

A lot of founders start a business because they have an idea, a product, or a vision they believe in. But at some point, building the business also means learning how to lead people, give feedback, handle tension, and communicate when things feel uncertain.

Ashli Carter, senior lecturer in management at Columbia Business School, helps leaders build the skills that matter most in those moments: trust, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and difficult conversations.

In this episode, Ashli shares practical ways to prepare before a tough conversation and how to build trust with your team even when you’re still figuring things out.

If you’ve ever struggled to give feedback or felt like leadership was the part of entrepreneurship no one prepared you for, this episode is for you.

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

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

(01:24) — What leadership really asks of small business owners

(03:54) — How Self-Awareness Makes You a Better Leader

(05:57) — How to Stay Grounded When Feedback Feels Overwhelming

(08:13) — How to Make Difficult Conversations Productive

(12:13) — Why perfection can get in the way of leadership and how to overcome it

Your first business might not work out but it can show you how to build a better one.

After years in hospitality and teaching cocktail classes to thousands of people, April Wachtel saw a gap: people wanted bar-quality drinks at home, but didn’t always have the time, tools, or ingredients to make them.

So she launched Swig and Swallow – a cocktail batching and delivery business that didn’t quite work and eventually evolved into Cheeky Cocktails, a nationwide brand creating bar-quality syrups and juices for home bartenders.

In this episode, April breaks down how she turned a failed manufacturing run into a full brand reset, relaunched during COVID, and used Amazon programs like Vine and FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) to build trust, increase revenue, and grow smarter.

If you’ve ever had to rebuild, or start again – this episode is for you.

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

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

(01:26) — How to turn your experience into a business idea

(03:21) — Andrea tries Cheeky Cocktails

(04:17) — How a struggling business pivoted into a smarter business model

(07:06) — How a product reset turned into a growth opportunity

(11:12) — The hard truth about building a business

(14:49) — What’s Next for Cheeky Cocktails

What would you give up to build something bigger than yourself?

After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Reubens Amedee left his successful finance career to build a school on his grandfather’s land. But keeping that dream alive meant finding a sustainable way to fund it. That’s how Papa Rozier Farms was born – a beauty brand built from Haitian grown castor and moringa, family legacy, and a mission to create jobs back home.

In this episode, Reubens shares what it really takes to leave comfort behind for impact and how Amazon helped the brand reach new customers.

If you’ve ever wondered how purpose and business can grow together, this episode is for you.

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

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

(01:12) — How a relief trip to Haiti changed Reubens’ entire career path

(05:01) — How to build a business from what you already have

(08:59) — How to use Amazon to reach more customers

(10:27) — How to know when it’s time to leave your stable job

(14:53) — How a business can create real community impact

What if your biggest competitive advantage is your story?

When Akruti Babaria couldn’t find tools to help her son connect with his Indian heritage, she turned that gap into a business. What started as selling curated children’s books quickly evolved into Kulture Khazana – a brand built on storytelling, cultural connection, and community.

In this episode, she breaks down how she validated demand through programming, pivoted during COVID by launching her first product, and used Amazon to scale – from leveraging influencer trust to unlocking rapid growth through the Amazon’s Choice badge.

If you want to turn your story into a real competitive advantage and build a brand customers actually connect with – this episode is for you.

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

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

(01:22) — How Akruti found her purpose after a life-changing moment.

(06:06) — How to use storytelling to grow your brand and community

(08:35) — How Amazon influencers can help drive product sales

(09:29) — What “Amazon’s Choice” means for your business and how it impacts sales

(10:50) — How to turn your culture into a competitive advantage

(12:10) — How to keep going when you feel like quitting your business.

What separates the businesses that get funded from the ones that don’t?

Angela Lee, a professor at Columbia Business School and founder of 37 Angels, has helped evaluate over 20,000 startups and knows exactly what makes investors say yes.

In this episode, Angela breaks down how to think like an investor, what metrics actually matter (hint: it’s not just revenue), and how to turn early traction into long-term growth. She shares practical frameworks – from the “triple, triple, double” growth model to scrappy experiments like landing page testing – that can help you validate your idea and scale with intention.

If you want to stop guessing what investors are looking for – and start building a business they can’t ignore – this episode is 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) — How Angela Lee turned an investment book club into 37 Angels to tackle venture capital’s diversity gap

(04:31) — How to find investors (even if you don’t have connections)

(05:24) — How to make your pitch stand out to investors?

(07:23) — How to prove your business model actually works

(08:55) — The framework every founder needs to stay adaptable and prioritize what matters

(12:49) — Confidence isn’t fixed – Here’s how you can build it

(14:58) — How founders can deal with the loneliness of building a business

What happens when a simple craving turns into a nationally recognized brand?

For Alejandro Lopez, it started with brunch. Frustrated by inconsistent Bloody Marys at restaurants, he began experimenting in his own kitchen – searching for the perfect mix. What began as a passion project quickly turned into Toma Beverage Company.

In this episode, Alejandro shares how he tackled product development and packaging challenges, why leaning into his Hispanic heritage became a turning point for the brand, and how selling on Amazon helped Toma survive and grow after he lost 60% of his business during COVID.

If you’re thinking about starting a business or figuring out how to adapt when everything changes, this conversation is packed with lessons on resilience, authenticity, and building a brand that connects with people.

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

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

(01:31) — What if your best business idea starts with a craving?

(04:33) — Do you really need to “go all in” or can you build slowly first?

(06:48) — Why leaning into your identity is a risk worth taking.

(12:34) — How Amazon can help you understand and grow your audience

(16:21) — What’s next for Toma and why authenticity is key to scaling.

What happens when you take a centuries-old tradition and introduce it to a modern audience?

That’s the question Brenden Silverman set out to answer with Leilo, a wellness drink inspired by kava – a traditional beverage from the South Pacific known for its calming properties. What started as a college experiment (complete with questionable early recipes and brutally honest feedback at frat parties) turned into a fast-growing brand.

In this episode, Brenden shares how iteration, patience, and a little bit of scrapiness helped his team turn early skepticism into momentum. You’ll also hear how seller tools like Fulfillment by Amazon and Multi-Channel Fulfillment helped Leilo scale efficiently without getting buried in logistics.

If your early experiments aren’t quite working yet, but you know you’re onto something – this episode is for you.

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

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

(01:16) — How early negative feedback might actually be your biggest advantage.

(07:24) — The scrappy way to formulate a product when you can’t afford the experts.

(10:56) — How Amazon can shortcut your customer acquisition journey and unlock serious growth.

(12:08) — Amazon Multi-channel Fulfillment: How to scale faster by letting someone else handle operations.

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?