Anne McGinty, the host of ‘How I Built My Small Business,’ shares anecdotes from her upbringing and the motivation behind starting her podcast.

Matt is the founder CEO of THE ART OF SURFING, a business that provides high-performance, personalized surf coaching, academy memberships and remote coaching worldwide. He's not just a former professional surfer; Matt's an inspirational figure who's story is as compelling as it is educational.

His programs are designed to help surfers (of all abilities) fulfill their potential by fine-tuning their personal style while mastering technique.

Matt has been featured on the cover of Uno Magazine and New Zealand Surfing Magazine.

Matt and Libiss Skinner are the co-founders of the Charleston Hemp Collective and High Rise Beverage Company, both which have been guided by their commitment to highest quality ingredients. Their CBD brand makes tinctures, topicals, gummies, pantry items and beverages. They've been featured in Charleston Magazine, South Magazine, the local Charleston News and many more.

Jim is the founder, owner, operator of the Petaluma Pumpkin Patch, a fall destination for many families in the Bay Area and a well -known agritourism enterprise in Sonoma County. Jim is a member of 4 -H, which promotes positive youth development, mentorship, and education, and FFA, the Future Farmers of America, an organization that encourages leadership in agriculture.

Not only does he run an incredibly successful pumpkin patch, but he is also in charge of managing over 800 acres of other land. His pumpkin patch has been featured in countless media, including Sonoma Magazine, KQED, Time Out, and was named as one of the top three pumpkin patches in the United States by the New York Times.

Amy is the co-founder and CEO of Teaspoon, a nationwide boba chain that opened its first store in Los Altos, California, in 2016 and started franchising two years later. Since then, the brand has expanded to 45 Teaspoon boba shops nationwide and growing. Her business has been featured in Style Magazine, restaurant Magazine, Chef's Warehouse and more.

Brian is the founder CEO of BeeRoll, a tech platform that empowers leading brands to weave authentic stories through user -generated content. For nearly a decade, Brian worked in the corporate world as an analyst executing strategy and business development with companies including HBO, Comedy Central, Paramount, Comcast, and more. Then in 2017, he combined his interests in storyboarding, video editing, and screenwriting and launched Beeroll.

Rachel is the co-founder of Maptote, a Brooklyn based small business that has been making fun and functional products with unique location-centric designs. With a tale that stitches together art, fashion, and sustainability, Rachel recounts the leap of faith that propelled a single Brooklyn map tote bag and an initial $600 investment into a diverse collection of over 600 products at 800+ store globally.

Maptote has collaborated with Museums, L’Occitane, Pendleton, HBO, Martha Stewart and many more and has been featured in The Spruce, on Birdie’s “Top 50 Best Friend Gifts,” in Women’s Day, Bloomingdale’s “Greatest Gift Guide,” People Magazine, Women’s Health, and so much more.

Skip Abed bought the Santa Barbara Sailing Center at twenty-seven years old back on April 1, 2000 after working there for eight years.

Skip saw a vision for the myriad of ways he could improve the Santa Barbara Sailing Center and over the past twenty-three years, he's gradually put them in place growing the business from about ten boats to over forty.

His business has been named the American Sailing Association School of the Year twice now, and he is passionate about making the sport of sailing accessible to everyone.

Rochelle Webb is a clinical assistant professor of entrepreneurship and marketing at Loyola Marymount University. She’s not only an academic powerhouse, but also the visionary founder and CEO of Optimist Made, a social entrepreneurship venture connecting global designers to the American market.

Ross Jacobson is the co -founder CEO of 3311 Productions, a company of film lovers who take movie making seriously, but not themselves.

Ross went from the entry level job as tape librarian at Magical Elves, the producer of Top Chef and Project Runway, to leading the company in just four years. Ross is a film industry veteran who has brought films to Cannes, Sundance, Telluride, Berlin, Toronto, and Comic -Con, and has been a part of Emmy and Peabody winning TV shows.

3311 Productions has produced many films including In A World , The Assistant , Brigsby Bear , and many more.

Melissa Martinelli is the founder and CEO of Superfrau. Melissa was an immigration lawyer and pivoted to crafting delicious Super Sodas made from surplus fresh whey that is generated during the youghurt fermentation process. She has been featured on the Boston Globe, was a speaker at the Tufts University Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute, and her company @drinksuperfrau has been touted as a top key player in the growing upcycled foods industry.

In this special episode, join me, Anne, and my husband Mark as we co-host a journey down memory lane, reflecting on the origins and evolution of San Francisco Holiday Lighting, Inc, a full-service holiday lighting and decor installation company. Mark, with a background in carpentry, and myself, formerly a sales representative for a nationwide oral and body care company, share the story of how we built our business.

Tune in for valuable insights as we reminisce on the lessons learned during our path to netting seven figures annually, all within the dynamic world of holiday lighting - a business that only operates for six months a year.

Kelsey is the owner of Shelter-Co, a full scale event production company with luxury canvas tents and beautiful furnishings to boot, that has gained a reputation for well-designed, thoughtful, and environmentally conscious productions. Shelter Co has built pop-up hotels in remote locations, produced magazine-worthy events around the country, designed VIP spaces at music festivals including Outside Lands in San Francisco and Bottleneck in Napa, run corporate retreats, built a semi-permanent outdoor, open-aired meeting "rooms" on three of Google's campuses, and has been featured on the cover of Sunset Magazine, and on The New York Times, Vogue, among many, many more.

You can check out her business' inspiring and beautiful designs on Instagram @shelterco

Loren is a Parter at Business Exits and has sold over $300 million worth in businesses over the past six years. Prior to brokering business deals, Loren was the founder CEO of a technology strategy consulting firm that he exited after thirteen years. After his own terrible experience as a seller, Loren was motivated to create a better and more authentic process and entered the world of Mergers and Acquisitions. As a seasoned broker, he’s currently expanding his reach into the broader middle market, all while actively acquiring businesses and real estate along the way.

Listen in as he gives us insight into the process of valuation, preparing a business for a sale, challenges faced, and so much more.

Arlene is a true force in the wellness realm. As the owner of All Worlds Health and Pediatrics, a dedicated teacher at the Osteopathic Cranial Academy, and the heart behind the All Worlds Foundation, Arlene is not just an integrative physician; she’s a catalyst for healing, empowerment, and spreading peace, joy, and love. She has been described as a compassionate doctor and miracle medicine woman, and is consistently booked months in advance. She is releasing her first book, I AM Intuitive: A MultiDimensional Guide to Embrace Your Inner Light, in March 2024.

Adam Rosendahl is the visionary founder and CEO of Late Nite Art . As an Experience Designer and Artist, Adam weaves a variety of art forms and cutting edge facilitation to foster deep connection and trust for a very impressive list of teams and conferences around the world.

While serving as a personal life stylist for a wealthy LA client, Simone was tasked with curating gifts for special events and holidays. In 2014, she seamlessly melded her experience and artistic vision, birthing her eponymous gift box business, Simone LeBlanc. She has helped notable clients such as the Obamas, Jamie King, Taylor Swift, and more with curating gifts for their family and friends, the media describing her as the "gift giver extraordinaire." Her business has been featured in The New York Times, In Style Magazine, Vanity Fair, Goop, Architectural Digest and more. Turning gift-giving into an art form, she's now the go-to for Hollywood's über-stylish, sharing her creative journey on Instagram @simoneleblanc.

Nick chose life experience and industry exposure over a formal higher education and learned how to manage and run a restaurant. Then, in 2011, a longtime-local "Seb-Mex" eatery Papas and Pollo was threatening closure in Sebastopol. California. Nick saw the potential to bring back a community restaurant, negotiated seller financing for three years, and turned the restaurant into a thriving community hub that supports his family's binational lifestyle.

Chelsea Bay Dennis is a graphic designer, certified life coach, and storytelling even creator with nearly twenty years of experience. She was a co-owner of a four person graphic design firm and also a solo entrepreneur that found a win-win solution for clients and herself. She provides nuggets of wisdom that anyone interested in graphic design can use to get clients and keep them coming back. Plus, bonus insight on how she was able to buy four properties on what would be considered an entry-level salary.

Chad went from being a self-taught photographer hobbyist that took photos of his family's travels and memories the way many of us do. In 2008, after experiencing reduced hours and a shrinking paycheck at his job, he boldly launched Chad David Kraus Photography. Since then, he has photographed over 1000 weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs, and several iconic Broadway shows and red carpet events with images featured in the New York Times and on Times Square billboards as well.