Small Business Unscripted

Ezinne Iroanya-Price runs Grid110, the LA incubator that's helped founders raise $140 million in outside funding and win $3 million in grants, without taking a dollar of equity. She's also watching the funding math get worse, not better: Black women founders are getting less than 1% of total venture capital, and she's blunt about what that means for how people should be raising money right now.Ezinne breaks down the two traits she actually screens for before backing a founder, consistency and the ability to explain a business past the elevator pitch, and why she tells most founders to think hard before chasing VC at all. She makes the case for partnerships, crowdfunding, and customer-funded raises as underused alternatives, and she's direct about the boundary-setting most first-time founders skip: saying no to free work and knowing when to stop being everyone's free advisor.What You'll Learn:Why Ezinne tells most founders to think twice before raising VC money, and what she suggests instead: partnerships, crowdfunding, and customer-funded raises.The two things Ezinne actually screens for before backing a founder: consistency and knowing your business past the elevator pitch.Why Ezinne says partnerships are the most undersold fundraising tool — and how she landed her first advisor with an offer that had nothing to do with money.Chapters:(00:00) Introduction(00:51) Quality of Life as a Business Goal(01:51) From Nigeria to the Beauty Industry(04:09) Sales & the Customer Journey(05:20) The SKN Muse Origin Story(07:16) Leaving Dior to Build Something of Her Own(10:20) Kitchen Production & Early Testing(13:19) The Pandemic Pivot & the Beyoncé Boost(18:38) The Founder's Case for Healthy Selfishness(19:53) What GRID 110 Does(23:55) When Cash Flow Almost Killed the Company(25:36) The Exit Decision(28:55) Why Funding Got Harder(32:26) Alternatives to VC Funding(35:18) Partnerships, Pricing & Getting It Right(37:37) The Most Common Founder Mistakes(39:42) Why Customer Feedback Loops Win(41:56) The Traits That Separate Founders Who Make It(44:37) Finding the Right Coaches and AdvisorsEzinne's Highlights:"I [look for] consistency. There's something about someone who's consistent, and consistency can come in different ways.""Until you can stand ten toes on your own, [founders] should be a little selfish. There's a level of selfishness you have to have when you're building something.""I'm not giving you a dollar if you don't believe in what you're building, and that's just the truth."Connect:Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands Connect with Ezinne: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ezinne-iroanya-price-567a6515b/ Continue the conversation: smallbusinessunscripted.comLearn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sixteen years into a career with the Indianapolis Colts, Stacy Johns had built a stadium, run finance and HR, and become one of the only women in the room at every level. So when she left the NFL to help launch LAFC — a brand-new MLS team with no track record, no established fanbase, and no real off-season — people told her she was having a midlife crisis. She thought it necessary. Stacy and host Everett Sands dig into what she looks for in her first weeks running a new organization: not the finances, but what a team has been tolerating versus celebrating. Now leading the LA Sparks, Stacy is applying the same startup instincts she used to help LAFC sell out a million tickets three years running. What You'll Learn: Why Stacy left a comfortable 16-year run in the NFL for an untested MLS startup — and the fear that actually drove the decision. How a naming rights deal with BMO Stadium started with an offhand comment during a stadium tour, not a formal pitch. Why Stacy treats pulling out the signed contract as a sign that a partnership has already failed. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (00:52) From CPA to Professional Sports (03:01) Growing the Colts from the Inside (04:23) Raise Your Hand: How Stacey Advanced (06:45) Joining LAFC as a Startup (11:33) Landing the BMO Naming Rights Deal (14:08) The Million Ticket Flywheel (15:41) Why Stacey Chose the Sparks (17:30) First 90 Days: Reading the Room (20:24) Leading Through Questions (22:04) Pregame Huddles & a Culture of Praise (25:12) Using the Offseason Strategically (27:00) Retention vs. Growth: Where to Focus (29:31) The Power of Grassroots Partnerships (32:35) Why Transactional Deals Fail (34:19) Confidence & Career Advice for Women in Sports Stacy’s Highlights: "I just knew myself well enough that there was more to life than one job." "If we're ever getting the contract out, we have failed our partnership." "The older I get, the more confident I am that the way females think, the way we lead, the way we run things has a place and doesn't need to require explanation." Connect: Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands Connect with Stacy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-johns-39bb711/ Continue the conversation: smallbusinessunscripted.com Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stacy Bernstein ran her first company with two partners she never had a hard conversation with. No exit plan, no defined roles, and eventually an artist stuck doing budgets while Stacy took a call with Target’s CMO from her car, breastfeeding a three-week-old and asking herself what she was doing. When she started All Better Co. with co-founder Merav, the first thing they set up was their divorce: what happens if this doesn’t work? Stacy and Everett get specific about what makes the second partnership hold. Stacy and Merav sit in opposite silos (operations for Merav, brand for Stacy) and follow a rule for disagreements: say your piece, and if it’s the other person’s silo and they stand firm, you acquiesce. They also cover why two creatives need a grownup in the room, how partners in different seasons of life have to talk about it out loud, and the payoff of getting the partnership right — nine months of pure customer research that surfaced a white space in the first aid aisle nobody had touched in decades. If you have a co-founder, or are about to choose one, this is the conversation to hear first. Subscribe to Small Business Unscripted wherever you listen. What You'll Learn: Why the first conversation with a new business partner should be about how you’d split up, and what happened when Stacy skipped it the first time How Stacy and Merav divide All Better Co. into two silos, and the acquiesce rule they use when they disagree inside each other’s territory Why partners at different life stages — newborns versus older kids — is a real business variable that has to be discussed, not managed around Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (00:56) Career, Quality of Life & Money (01:38) Lessons from an Athlete's Mindset (03:21) NHL Roots & Storytelling (06:35) Scaling Challenges & Knowing When to Exit (08:57) Founder Partnerships & Tough Conversations (14:43) Pivoting into CPG (15:35) The Idea Behind All Better Co. (17:02) Why Everyday First Aid Needed Innovation (18:29) Naming All Better Co. (19:37) Competing Against Industry Giants (22:28) Big Vision, BHAGs & Acquisition (25:05) Dividing Founder Responsibilities (27:29) Pivoting with Purpose (29:47) Celebrating the Wins (32:15) Founder Advice & Taking Risks Stacy's Highlights: “The first thing I did with my partner now, Merav — the first thing we talked about was our divorce. That was the first thing we actually set up: what if it doesn’t work?” “If I disagree on something that’s in Merav’s silo and I say my piece, and if it’s something that she’s willing to say, ‘No, I stand firm on this,’ then I acquiesce. That’s your silo, and we have to be willing to sit in that.” “Yes, you can have two creatives, but if you have two real creatives, then you need a grownup in the room.” Connect: Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands Connect with Stacy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-bernstein-1b59a328/ Learn more about the All Better Co.: https://allbetterco.com/ Continue the conversation: smallbusinessunscripted.com Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When the government pumped trillions into the financial system after the Great Recession, the money was supposed to flow downstream. It didn't. Kevin Klowden, Executive Director at the Milken Institute, watched the capital aggregate in the hands of large institutions while community banks collapsed and minority-owned lenders disappeared. The result: a generation of small businesses born into a capital desert. Kevin and Everett trace the structural failures behind that gap — from Dodd-Frank regulations that disincentivized small-scale risk, to the destruction of the informal know-your-customer relationships that once made local lending work, to the stark absence of small business credit data that still plagues the system today. They also get specific about solutions: data portability frameworks, government loan guarantees that pay for themselves, and what the fintech lenders that actually survived learned from the ones that burned out. Subscribe to Small Business Unscripted for conversations with the economists, founders, and operators who understand how capital actually moves — and what's in the way. What You'll Learn: Why the post-2008 bailout capital never reached small businesses — and how the regulatory response made the gap permanent What the early fintech lenders that collapsed got wrong about know-your-customer, and why data-rich lenders price risk better and charge less How loan guarantees from government and foundation sources can reduce borrowing costs without requiring a giveaway — and why short-term thinking keeps the model from scaling Chapters: [00:00] Quick Fix Bailouts [00:36] Meet Kevin Clouden [01:09] Quality of Life as an Economic Driver [02:19] The Economics of Place [03:58] Who's Actually Underserved? [08:06] What Economic Mobility Really Means [09:30] Fintech & Alternative Finance Options [12:38] Know Your Customer in Lending [16:54] Speed vs. Better Terms: The Tradeoff [17:16] Data Portability in Trade Finance [20:37] The Gap Between Lenders and Borrowers [24:09] Women, Childcare & Small Business [28:27] How Guarantees Reduce Lending Risk [31:56] Why Small Business Credit Still Lags [36:00] Tariffs, Supply Chains & Pricing Pressure [41:01] Final Advice for Small Business Owners Kevin’s Highlights: "The biggest problem with TARP, the biggest problem with quantitative easing, wasn't the idea behind it. It was the fact that everybody went with, 'Let's show that we're acting quickly, and let's get the money out the door.' There weren't incentives put in place to make sure the money got everywhere it needed to." "Payday lenders exist because people are unbanked or underbanked. And that happens because there is that lack of trust — either the institution not trusting the individual, or the individual not trusting the institution." "This isn't a zero-sum game. This country succeeds because lots of different businesses grow together. And as long as we remember that — that this is how people have economic mobility, because they can keep doing better — that's what we want to see." Connect: Connect with Everett: http://linkedin.com/in/everettksands Connect with Kevin: http://linkedin.com/in/kevinklowden Learn more about the Milken Institute: milkeninstitute.org Continue the conversation: smallbusinessunscripted.com Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stephanie Graves didn't build Lee Andrews Group from scratch. The founder had passed away, the institutional knowledge was gone, and there were seven employees left holding a name. What she built from there came down to one thing: credibility. Show up, do what you said, deliver—and repeat that enough times that relationships become your most valuable asset. In this episode, Stephanie breaks down why most businesses misuse PR, why AI is pushing her industry back toward cultural competence and human touch, and why the real measure of a PR strategy isn't impressions—it's trust. Follow Small Business Unscripted so you never miss a conversation. 3 Takeaways: Why PR only hired during a crisis is a strategy that guarantees you'll always be playing defense How Stephanie uses values alignment as a hard client filter, and why protecting your firm's credibility is worth more long-term than any single contract Why credibility, not headcount, is what scaled Lee Andrews Group from 7 to nearly 70 people Chapters: [00:20] Meet PR Leader Stephanie Graves [00:51] Rethinking Career Priorities [01:19] From Law School to Politics [01:45] PR Explained  [02:49] Inside Lee Andrews Group [05:49] Biggest Lessons From Acquiring a Business [08:22] Hiring, Delegation & Building a Team [09:43] Avoiding Shiny Objects & AI Distractions [10:57] Earned Media vs Paid Media [11:39] Turning Vision Into Real Execution [13:01] How to Build Trust & Credibility [13:59] When to Fire the Wrong Client [15:17] Civic Leadership & Giving Back in LA [17:21] Boards, Community & Local Impact [20:34] Most Common PR Mistakes [22:59] When to Hire a PR Agency [24:08] Scaling Smarter, Not Bigger [25:46] Advice for Women Founders Stephanie’s Highlights: "Relationships are gold. No one's going to give you anything for free until you really show yourself as credible." "He disagreed with me, so I fired him. That's not always the best business decision. But our ethos is community driven." "You don't want someone else to tell your story. It's like a plant—you have to continue to water it, or it dies." Connect: Stephanie Graves: www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-graves-51b159322/  Everett Sands: www.linkedin.com/in/everettksands Resources: Learn more about Lendistry: lendistry.com Learn more about Lee Andrews Group: https://leeandrewsgroup.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.