“My goal is to bring health and vitality to my community through plant medicine” – Annie Fisher. This quote from the video on her spectacular website sums up Annie Fisher’s company, Wildfire Elixirs. However, the story behind the goal is most compelling. Mother of two youngsters ages one and three, Annie caught pneumonia, then got the double whammy of getting shingles on top of that. Absolutely drained of energy and stamina, she was inspired to regain her health naturally by herbalists like Rosemary Gladstar and began formulating a drink of herbs, fruits and vegies in a fire elixir to rebuild her immune system. She packed her immune boosters into a one gallon batch she called “fighter”, posted her concoction on social media and instantly had 100 comments, most asking for some of the drink. With that signal that she may be on to something, Annie subsequently made a five gallon batch. The process was about 4-6 weeks to brew and bottle and yielded a batch of 36 bottles that were all pre-sold. Of course, that lead to making three more batches with the same routine and a business pattern began to emerge. When one of the five gallon jars broke in her pantry, Annie knew it was time to step up to a commercial kitchen and begin to scale her home business into a bigger volume and that the demand was surely there to support her. A bartender for 16 years, she took the plunge and quit, throwing herself into the belief she was doing great things for others and that deed would reward her with an independent lifestyle. That was 10 years ago. She’s learned much about the difference between homemade and commercial grade, including pH testing, and other compliance. From her home in Eugene, Oregon, Annie sells her products online (so far) and has broadened her product line impressively. Not only are there many varieties of elixir, she also sells seasoned salt and a coffee alternative, all which improve people’s health.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#87 Do Good Things for Your Health, Then for Others - Annie Fisher, Wildfire Elixirs

Charles Read is a high profile guy, with TV segments in the financial news and more. And he’s a big, big proponent of hiring military Vets, so he’s a big favorite with us. A Marine veteran and also a Vietnam combat veteran, Charles is the founder president and CEO of GetPayroll, and online, fully-compliant payroll and payroll tax reporting service for businesses of any size. Military service was in the cards for Charles all along. His entire family has been “citizen soldiers” since the Revolutionary War. There’s even a great-great-great grandfather who signed the Declaration of Independence; talk about heritage! With a father in the Navy and Charles being self-proclaimed “young and dumb”, he wanted a tough outfit and the Marines fit that bill. Interestingly  enough, his sister was a Marine officer at the same time he was an enlisted man. Trained as a computer programmer and a systems engineer, he was sent to Okinawa where he subsequently requested a transfer to Vietnam and asked to be put in a combat unit. Since he was considered a smart guy with his computer background, he was made the radio carrier, which is like having “a target on your back” according to Charles. After six months of combat, Charles survived pretty much in tact but his experience of being part of a team doing whatever it took to accomplish the mission stayed with him forever. Mission, men and self was the Marine Corps way and is still Charles’ way. After the Marines, getting into business also was a natural for Charles, with his family accomplished business leaders as well. Upon his discharge, Charles’ computer skills were in high demand but didn’t seem to count with employers because it was military training, not civilian. So he went back to school, passed the CPA exam and originally wanted to work for a big corporation and climb to the top. However, realizing he didn’t have the “political skills” (read: he didn’t stab people in the back), Charles decided to start his own company, just as his father had. Now, 30 years established, he has been quite successful and uses his success to promote the hiring of other military veterans who have also put their life on the line for freedom and liberty.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#105 Grateful for a Rich Heritage, Now Helping Other Vets - Charles Read, GetPayroll

It all started in the home kitchen; same song with a new verse. Holly Kurzhal’s and her husband loved their father’s homemade pickles and asked for jars so often that he finally suggested they start making their own. So they did. And after sharing with family and friends and getting requests for more and more jars, they decided to take some jars to the local Farmer’s Market, where they sold fast. They took more jars the next time and still more the next time until it became obvious they were on to something. They originally marketed the Jalapeno, hot spicy pickles but kept getting requests for milder flavors. That’s when the product laddering began and they branched out into other pickled vegetables and brines. After the birth of her second child, Holly decided to quit her job and take Kurzhal’s Kickin’ Pickles to the next level of production. They started in Holly’s kitchen for the first five years or so, then moved to a home commercial kitchen where the cooking and warehousing now take place in the additions to their home. Holly’s favorite recipe is Jalapeno Bread and Butter pickle, flavored in what Holly calls the bread and butter brine, a sweet brine with garlic, chiles and other spices. Most of the cucumbers are grown on the family’s property. They are not certified organic at this point, but the company picks, puts on ice and process them within 24 hours to ensure freshness and nutrition. There’s more to the family story as well. The original pickling formula comes from Holly’s husband’s mother, so it really is Gramma’s old-fashioned formula. And the genuine touch of a hands-on crafted food comes through in the irregular, non-corporate sizes and shapes of the cucumbers themselves. The company pickles asparagus, beans, carrots and other vegetables in a wholesome but delicious variety of flavors. The product offering is quite extensive and impressive and is sold online and in multiple grocery stores currently in the western Oregon area. They can’t keep up with demand either; everything they make is sold almost immediately. So with a home business working very well family all together in one place, they are livin’ the life and definitely kickin’ it.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#88 Kickstart Your Day - Holly Kurzhal, Kurzhal’s Kickin’ Pickles

Veteran Apache pilot Jason Anderson chose the Army partly because of family heritage and partly for an early exposure to flying. His grandfather was a World War II veteran and his uncles were all in either the Marines or Army. And his father was a pilot, so he and his brother were riding in airplanes at an early age. His interest in military planes continued and when his brother found an ROTC track at the U of North Dakota that offered not only flying and helicopter training but a slot in the helicopter program of the Army, Jason jumped on it. He got his opportunity to fly the Apache and was thrilled with his career. He also was thrilled to find the opportunities in the military in general, where he found he had so many options to see where he fit best in America’s defense forces. Also, he enjoyed the diverse culture backgrounds and experiences of his fellow soldiers and found it the most stimulating time of his life. With seven years of service, he was moved nine times and deployed in Korea and Afghanistan. He loved the leadership side of the military and obviously that love was easily transitioned to the business world. After being discharged, Jason took an internship that put him in IT sales, a terrific way to learn and that all happened in Colorado Springs, where he preferred to live. An entrepreneurial streak that started as a youngster, Jason had a strong interest in real estate and put the two together. Getting his real estate license during the pandemic lockdown, his desire to build something of his own led him to the natural business of helping military personnel deal with the trials and tribulations of constantly moving by building a real estate agent firm that specifically addressed their needs. Veteran PCS was born. With a tremendous amount of agents in Colorado Springs and many of them being veterans, standing out from the crowd was a definite challenge. So Jason remembered what it was like when he was discharged and thought about what he would have loved to have for a resource. The AH-HA moment was realizing that a website to go to with referrals to agents who were themselves veterans was the obvious solution. He set out building a network to cover the 50 states as thoroughly as possible. After getting validation from his broker/dealer, Jason jumped on learning how to build the robust site he needed and found a fellow vet to help build it. Still in its infancy, Veteran PCS is growing rapidly with agent/users who have caught the fire of Jason’s mission and want their service to those who have served to keep growing.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#106 Jason Anderson, Veteran PCS

Adeline Marshall, absolutely related our host Sarah Marshall (daughter), is founder, owner, CEO and everything else of Adeline’s Bunny Puffs. Adeline’s freeze-dried berries and candy are sure to be a big hit, as is this young, vivacious mature-beyond-her-years entrepreneur. The name? Well, Adeline loves bunnies and when the fruits are put in the freezer, they puff up. So naturally, puff up, bunnies…you get the picture. And the logo, which you really need to see, continues the puffed bunny theme as well. An aspiring seven-year-old second grader, Adeline is most dedicated to her startup company and right now the Skittle candies seem to be the current favorite. In fact, two of Adeline’s best friends are “obsessed” with the Bunny Puff Skittles and ask for them every time they come over to Adeline’s house. Adeline gives them free bags of the candy because they are her friends, plus it’s marketing technique to get product trial as well. The brand building doesn’t stop with product and packaging either. Adeline has built her own vending machine (OK, it’s made out of cardboard, but heck, it’s a vending machine) with a saran wrap front and toilet paper rolls for dispenser buttons. When the friends come over, they like to use the vending machine to get their Bunny Puffs. Probably the debit card slot is next 😊. There are many flavors of Bunny Puffs and Adeline’s favorites are the berries, including triple crown blackberries. For the non-friend, paying customers, Adeline charges four dollars per bag and her most profitable product is probably the raspberry Puffs. When at the Farmers’ Market, Adeline cannot sell the candy Puffs, only the berries. At the Night Market, it’s the opposite, where she sells only the candies. Fellow entrepreneur, if you want inspiration, if you want feel-good, if you want proof the young generation is capable and strong, tune in to this young person. This podcast is an absolute MUST HEAR.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#89 Cute as a Bunny - Adeline Marshall, Adeline's Bunny Puffs

How do you feed the incredible growing population of the planet? Is big, corporate agriculture the only answer? Not if you’re Richard Brion. Brion, Navy Vet started Revolution Agriculture to grow vegetables at the neighborhood level to feed the planet with fresh, local produce in an incredibly clever way. This Tacoma, Washington resident joined the Navy when his high school had an ROTC program. With family members in different branches of the military, Richard wanted off the peninsula he had always lived and see other parts of the world. He figured the Navy offered the most opportunity to see the “coolest stuff” and joined (our host, ex-Navy Vet Josh Carter wholeheartedly agrees). He began as in the cryptology program collecting intelligence and open-source material. He was stationed initially at Fort Gordon fresh out of high school and wound up putting in his four years before leaving. Richard actually was considering a longer career, but a big change in the Navy program post 911 put him in a difficult spot. He had to choose between becoming a linguist or leave. Since he discovered Navy linguists usually wind up in the windowless part of the ship wearing headphones and listening to radios, he opted for civilian life. After the Navy “curve ball”, Richard really had not prepared himself for the private sector. At first, he had a government contractor job that put him in Hawaii making more money, and three days before he was set to go, the program was cancelled. Kicking around with friends and family for awhile, he got a call from Blackwater for a counter-narcotics contract in Afghanistan and was doing the same Navy job but making much more money. He became the go-to guy who could source intelligence for most everything and moved up the ladder smoothly. He then became a consultant helping companies win government contracts is adept at contract trouble shooting. Tired of being a “hired gun”, Richard began exploring the premise of Revolution Agriculture. He saw from his past experience that farming, practices and food chain in Afghanistan was the prime root cause of problems there and decided that solving that problem was his life’s mission. Making more products available year round would give farmers better options than growing opium, the crux of the country’s violence. His ingenious methods only need minimal space and can utilize anyone’s back yard or even a parking space. People offering the space for growing can participate or be passive and can even participate in the revenue share. The concept is soil-focused containerize farming systems that can be dropped in almost anywhere and the software that holds the system together is most sophisticated. But it’s the determination and drive of Richard that holds everything together.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#107 Feed the World From Your Backyard - Richard Brion, Revolution Agriculture

Sarah Pesout uses locally produced vegies in her fermented vegetable products. And she sells locally in the Portland, Oregon area farmers’ markets from her booth and online. So far, her audience is extremely loyal and word of mouth coupled with Instagram has been her marketing effort. She seems to have no trouble selling everything her company can produce. The company name? Fermentista, of course. A natural for what Sarah is and does. A California native, Sarah grew up in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. From a small town, Sarah left right after high school and entered UC Santa Cruz, traveled a year, then accomplished an associate degree in culinary studies. She subsequently moved to Portland and that’s been her home since. But it was in Santa Cruz she had “the best job ever” as she says. She was looking for a bakery serving farmers’ markets and the amount of produce was absolutely overwhelming. With more produce than the local area could consume, Sarah began looking into canning, preserving and fermenting the excess production. So, when in Portland, she surveyed the farmers’ markets and observed the amount of excess produce that usually wound up as compost. Sarah reasoned that if she could pay the farmers for what would become unsellable excess, ferment the produce and sell it to people who wanted fermented vegies, that could be a good and responsible business and everybody wins. Her company intensely produces her product line and she is currently at capacity. She began selling olives to restaurants and because of the bureaucracy of selling fermented products, has been able to let restauranteurs stay current with the health department. Of course, COVID lockdown has hurt that business line so it is currently on hold. Her crafted fermented veggies stand out with packaging that reflects an attitude of “from our hands to yours."

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#90 Don't Waste it, Ferment it - Sarah Pesout, Fermentista

Marketing, PR/culinary consultant, advisor and all-around Food Guru Judiaann Woo joined Sarah Marshall on this show to help out the aspiring women food startup entrepreneurs of the world. Judiaann has her own podcast show called, Food People are the Best People, so it was very nice of her to do some cross pollinating with Meaningful Marketplace, as Sarah had just been on Judiaann’s show recently. Judiaann is a Portland, Oregon home grown celebrity. Although she has lived other places, after children were born, Portland was where she wanted to be. And having been a food aficionado in the big foodie cities, she is an expert who can rightly claim that Portland is on par with any of them. But it isn’t just Portland that ranks high on the food experience. Judiaann travels around the entire state to take in the differences in geography and food and shares the experience usually through Instagram, since she considers herself a “visual person”. As she says, part of what makes Portland a great food city is all the statewide agriculture that is grown, harvested, picked and caught and can be brought into the city to create the fantastic dishes that receive critical acclaim. And yet, the state is still small enough that when you go to visit the winemakers, cheesemakers, meat smokers and so forth, there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing or even sitting next to the owner. It’s the close, hands on source-to-plate atmosphere she enjoys as a rare, if not unique, experience. At one time, Judiaann worked for the State of Oregon to help promote tourism and that really put her around almost every square mile of it to realize how incredibly diverse the geography, lifestyle and people are. And the quirky, one-off experiences are the best ones and she has shared those with her family to help them have lifetime memories. Especially during these lockdown times, that becomes very important. The pets go along too so not only is it the complete family experience, it’s also a big treat for the other tourists they meet along the way. Judiaann has found a way to share true experiences with her audience so they, too can discover things in their life that makes living more enjoyable, fuller, richer and something more than punching in and punching out.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#91 It's Not Just the Food, it's the Experience - Judiaann Woo

One more of Josh Carter’s many friends, Fred Wellman of the Lincoln Project joins him today. Fred joined the Army partly because of a REALLY long family history. Going back to the 1640s to be exact with the French and Indian Wars - pre-revolutionary times! His father was a Marine in World War II and Fred wound up at West Point after looking closely at the Air Force Academy. He really liked the wide choice of majors offered and he was also a “sports guy” so West Point was a perfect fit. He always wanted to fly growing up and wound up flying Scout helicopters for the 22 years of service. There were surprises of course. At first, all the yelling offended him to the point of wanting to quit. Luckily, he wrote home first and the tough letter he got from his ex-Marine father telling him to stop whining and get his (!) together got him back on track. Flying Scout helicopters was most challenging but also the most fun and exciting. They’re single pilot craft and the pilots sneak up on the enemy and see things most others do not. Fred flew in Korea for a while where he really honed his skills. Because of the mountains and the fast-changing weather, pilots learn quickly how to handle their craft. He then wound up fighting the last battle of Desert Storm and afterward moved around other parts of the world, which he cherishes because of his sense of wonder. He settled his family in Georgia and joined the reserves. While running for mayor of his town, 911 hit and he knew he would be called up, which he was. But after three combat tours and wrestling with the PTSD that accompanies most military after that, Fred opted for the private sector. It was 2010-ish and although the economy was coming back, he was impatient looking for a job. However, at one interview with another ex-military pilot, the interviewer was candid. He said they already had a candidate in mind and urged Fred to start his own company. When Fred told him he had no experience, didn’t know how to start one and so forth, the interviewer looked him in the eye and said, “None of us knows what the (!!) we’re doing”, which stuck with Fred. On his way home, he thought of the name Scout Coms, told his wife, she made an office out of the basement and away he went. Almost broke when he started, he just got on the phone and started dialing for dollars. Luckily, veteran training was in great demand and the big PR firms were ready. That was a 10-year experience, then Fred reached out to a friend who recruited him for the Lincoln Project and now Fred works the political side of advocating for those who have served our military.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#108 None of Us Knows What the #! We're Doing - Fred Wellman, Lincoln Project

Order link 👇🏻
iTunes - https://apple.co/3fp2ci5 
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3BU7Ouz

iTunes

Traction & Cheeze Ft Megan Byrne X Master C X Lukey P X Pressure X EM:DMC

Mike Madrid and Donny Brazeal were shipmates on a Navy destroyer. Both of them were coffee aficionados and so were many of their friends on board. So they pooled their money, bought really good coffee from the top roasters of the world, and then shared each batch so everyone got to sample the best coffees and decide which ones they wanted to brew on a daily basis. Mike went to the Academy then served on destroyers and  was statopned in Spain when he and Donny met. Following his move to the states he took a job at the Pentagon which allowed him to do some nonprofit work including Operation Code, a military project near and dear to our show hosts’ hearts. The combination of his friendship with Donny, the experience of opening up the world of coffee and helping veterans build a life in the private sector led to founding Project Buna in 2019. Danny enlisted in the Navy to be an electronics technician and served on aircraft carriers before earning a commission in the Limited Duty Officers’ program. He went to Japan and then to Spain where he met Mike. Danny is currently a surface electronics LDO. He is serving in the DC area. “Buna” is an English translation for the word “coffee” in the Semitic language Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. They chose this word and its characters as their name and logo in order to reflect the ancient roots of this drink, while simultaneously looking ahead to coffee’s future throughout the world. The two started their business very wisely. They knew there was always the possibility of one or both being deployed to some corner of the world and so put in their plan to give themselves two years. At that point, if the business was not doing well, they would close it and consider they had a great two-year education. If it was going well, they’d figure out how to keep it going. Luckily, it is going well and they have figured out all the selling, packaging and ordering to stand out in the very crowded field of coffee roasting. They sell online and have created unique marketing approaches, including “crowd crafted coffee”, where they bring together a group of people and over time, walk them through crafting their own custom coffee. It’s thinking like that that will propel them to succeeding in a growing industry.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#109 Step Up Your Coffee Break - Donny & Mike, Project Buna

Nostrana, is an Italian word, translated to English loosely means “ours”. And for the Nostrana restaurant, Portland, Oregon, “ours” means the food you are served is as fresh as can be because it has travelled the shortest distance possible. Hence it is Nostrana’s “own” production. The food is local and from the patrons’ own area, so authenticity is the restaurant’s marque. In most of Europe, markets are required to say where the produce originated, and this is Nostrana’s way of bringing that genuineness to their customers. Cathy Whims is founder and owner of Nostrana, a fixture in the community for 16 years now. And she has created not only a loyal following, she has created some dishes that have remained popular and on the menu since day one. One is the Grilled Beef Tagliata, a flat iron steak grilled and served on a bed of arugula with a garlic sauce (I think I’m getting hungry) an item always in demand. However for the rest of the menu, Cathy likes to keep things in flux so there is always something new to try and be delighted. Cathy started her culinary career as a chef because her mother was a great cook. Cathy was a vegetarian in high school and had to teach herself how to cook and share with the family. She simultaneously studied Latin in school and this gave her an affinity for the Italian language and cooking. So when she moved to Portland, she was lucky enough to get hired at Genoa, which at the time was an exclusive, special occasion, Northern Italian cuisine restaurant with a huge following. People were served a seven-course meal with a few choices and every item was premium. The experience of seven years as a cook culminated with Cathy becoming one of the owners and that evolved into a 20-year love affair with her dream job and dream business. She learned so much about Italian food and about local sourcing, especially the local wine. She became the buyer and began getting to know the Italian wine representatives, who urged her to come visit Italy as their guest. This gave her a great understanding of real Italian food and pure, simple Italian ingredients. Her knowledge base now greatly expanded, Cathy decided to follow her passion and create and serve real Italian food in a casual, relaxed atmosphere and that is exactly the Nostrana experience.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#92 The Real Italian Experience - Cathy Whims, Nostrana

Armed with a master’s degree in engineering and a desire to be an astronaut, Elana Duffy’s first job was sitting in front of a ton of blueprints figuring out the cost of renovating a large building. A far cry from the space program, Elana went into her boss’ office and said she was going to call a military recruiter and possibly join the Reserves. After a huge laugh from her boss, that sealed it for Elana and she was ready to enlist. Since the Army was the only branch that allows you to choose your field if you enlist, it was Army all the way. Her boot camp experience was actually pretty fun compared to being frenetic and harassing. However, she did find that the women got rather cutthroat with other women, showing a “I’m tougher than you” attitude; it surprised her. And in fact, found working with other women in the military to be difficult especially if those women went into the military directly from high school. That seemed paradoxical to Elana, as it seemed obvious that as a minority in the military, women should naturally be supportive of each other. But she had to get on with her 10-year career in counterterrorism and counter-espionage. The combination of a vehicle accident and a roadside bomb that injured Elana sent her back to civilian life. She found she was not prepared at all to be tossed into that new theater and started networking all the veteran resources she could find. Realizing how byzantine the re-entry process was for all Vets, Elana made her new mission founding a company use AI to essentially make word-of-mouth referrals into a digital service to help guide Vets into a successful civilian career; Pathfinder.vet was born. Interestingly enough, the company is a “C” corp, not a non-profit organization. And that is to keep the mission pure, keep it accountable to itself and to keep from competing with other nonprofits. But the best explanation of the mission is from their website: The US Army began training military Pathfinders during WWII, building an elite force of airborne operators able to go behind enemy lines before missions in order to designate drop and landing zones  Their motto -- "first in, last out" -- represents the dedication towards leading the way for the mission, and ensuring everyone who comes after them is taken care of. They are trailblazers and leaders, and above all they are helpers.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#110 Every Path is Unique - Elana Duffy, Pathfinder Labs

[sic]nal / June 24 / Traction Radio Show #3 w/ Kapri

As they say, in 2001 a piece of France landed in Portland, Oregon. Cheryl Wakerhauser, who had given up a career as an astronaut to train at the prestigious pâtisserie of MOF
Philippe URRACA, started her authentic French dessert restaurant, Pix Pâtisserie. There she served up  both innovative and traditional French desserts, chocolates and house made ice creams along side a plethora of top notch beverages. As her website says, “Some women buy shoes, Cheryl buys Champagne”. The walls held over 700 cuvées, including vintage and large format, with a focus on small grower producers. Cheryl wanted quality wine to be affordable while providing a relaxed, fun environment in which to enjoy it. People noticed. Her offering was awarded World's
Best Champagne and Sparkling Wine List every year from 2014 - 2020 by London's World of Fine Wine Magazine. Her creativity didn’t stop there. In the same space, Cheryl also housed a proper Spanish tapas bar named Bar
Vivant. Amazing bar food with a quality selection of wine, beer, cider, Sherry and tasty cocktails. The atmosphere was pure fun and patrons were even encouraged to throw their napkins on the floor and not be afraid to “get a bit rowdy”. You may have noticed the use of past tense, because COVID came along and put the brakes on all of it. Hopefully those days will be back but that formula is out for now. However, Cheryl thinks outside the box. Out of necessity she developed a non-contact, incredible new vending machine with a wistful name typical of Cheryl, the Pix-O-Matic. It’s a 24-hour vending machine holding Pix desserts, macarons, conservas from Bar Vivant and other random stuff to make you smile. The machine is thoroughly cleaned and restocked each day at 10AM. Selections can be purchased with the contactless credit card reader. At first, it was a Hail Mary experiment, but it made $100 the first day. Then $400. The $4,000! Before COVID, Cheryl had a staff of 20+, was trying to find employees and all the other headaches of a restaurant owner. Suddenly, she was making as much money as the restaurant would make on a busy Saturday, with one and half employees. Hmmmm, life suddenly got easier. She has now recreated the previous whimsical experience around a couple of vending machines and a superbly fun room in which to enjoy your food and beverage. In an almost Disco-like atmosphere, individuals and families can enjoy themselves all hours of the day. Her story was not missed by Business Bites podcast as a brilliant way to create a revenue stream in the lockdown era. Fall down seven times, get up eight.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#93 COVID Can't Stop Her - Cheryl Wakerhauser, Pix Patisserie

Lisa Nguyen got interested in baking in the Bay Area, California after the birth of her first child (she now has three) and went the traditional route with all the schooling and a degree and was set to enter the bakery world. The family moved overseas and she could not work, so plans got put on hold. At that point, she thought the dreams of a career were over but when the family moved to Portland, Oregon, she got that entrepreneurial “flash”. In the summer of 2019, just before COVID hit, she was sitting with her Mom eating some of the fabulous donuts they had just made. Donuts were a family tradition in Lisa’s life. Her Mom and Dad and the whole family always celebrated happy moments baking, creating and enjoying their unusual donuts. While sitting at the kitchen table, Lisa’s Mom remarked they could make the donuts even better, then Lisa’s husband called at that exact moment. Lisa playfully remarked they could do donuts bigger and better – and her husband remarked, “Let’s do it!”. And the journey of HeyDeyPDX began. (For those not of the area, PDX is the airport symbol for Portland and is used for short hand in a lot of communication) They planned to launch in March, 2020 then all the COVID restrictions hit. At first, Lisa thought it was a sign that this venture was not to be, but they had invested so much time and money into the business that they decided to give it a couple more months. Good decision. They launched in May of that year and haven’t looked back yet. They’ve dealt with COVID by selling through pop-ups in what they call a partnership arrangement. Coffee shops, tea shops, restaurants and bakeries all have a scheduled day where HeyDayPDX Donuts are offered. From a business standpoint, they sell about 500 donuts at each pop-up. And they do that sometimes in 15-30 minutes! They originally thought they would sell their donuts at farmers’ markets. But with Lisa being the entire production staff, they realized they could never have enough product to stay open for three or four hours at a market booth. Lisa has no plans to do the usual production ramp up and sell more donuts. Sure, they realize demand is huge and they could work longer and harder and probably make more money. However, they have a very comfortable life/balance right now. Lisa can pursue her passion, have a profitable business and be a Mom and wife. Life is good.

"Masoni and Marshall the meaningful Marketplace" with your hosts Sarah Masoni and Sarah Marshall

We record the "the Meaningful Marketplace" inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by  Anton Kimball of Kimball Design

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#94 You CAN Have it All: Business, Family and Time - Lisa Nguyen, HeyDayPDX

Growing up a self-proclaimed “old school knucklehead” who loved the spectrum from cowboy John Wayne to the see-the-world “Stripes” movie, Keith Pape went into the military not really knowing what to expect. But he know all along he was not ready for more school after high school and wanted the military badly. He convinced his parents it would save them college tuition and whether they believed him or not, they signed the papers. He joined the Army delayed entry and served through the end of the cold war and one tour in Iraq during Desert Storm. Keith was a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout, a combination of armor and reconnaissance. Keith’s takeaway from the Army? “Everybody should do a little of it”. The maturity and learning to operate on your own with a fair amount of autonomy were lessons Keith feels would do every young person a world of good. He is absolutely convinced he never would have gone to college and finished, never stayed straight and would not own a business today if not for the discipline and confidence instilled in him by the military. The rough patches and the deployment were events that convinced him he could handle anything. Upon completing his duty, Keith had no idea what to study in college but he got great advice from relatives: Go to junior college first. It gave him a chance to survey a lot of subjects and it was cheap compared to a four-year degree so it did not use up all his GI Bill benefits. He got great guidance from a couple of his professors who wound up being his mentors. One in particular turned on the light for Keith. She told him the future was the fusion of business and computers. She urged him to take the business route with as much technology as he could grab along the way. Tech came easy for Keith and he loved the business side, especially the human interaction. At a consulting job where his boss got fired during the dotcom meltdown, the entrepreneurial jet kicked in. He saw the problems that people created and how short sighted they were and he knew he could do a better job. So he kept the people he had worked with together and started his own shop. Luckily, he had a supportive spouse who asked all the tough questions and that helped get his first business off on the right foot. Another dotcom stock crash put Keith out on the hunt for his next business and along the way being an employee and an owner, the lessons of success and failure have really rounded out his skills. Now with Yellow Pike Media, Keith and team deliver multiple angles of public relations, influencer introductions and production. It’s a dynamic team that reflects Keith’s love for people and an energy to build.

Veteran Founder Podcast with your hosts Josh Carter and Cynthia Kao

We record the Veteran Founder Podcast inside NedSpace in the Bigfoot Podcast Studio in beautiful downtown Portland.

Audio engineer, mixer and podcast editor is Allon Beausoleil

Show logo was designed by Carolyn Main

Website was designed by Cameron Grimes

Production assistant is Chelsea Lancaster

Theme music: Artist: Tipsy Track: Kadonka Album: Buzzz Courtesy of Ipecac Records

10% of gross revenue at Startup Radio Network goes to support women entrepreneurs in developing countries thru kiva.org/lender/markgrimes

#111 It Took Six Companies to Figure it Out, but Now He's Got it - Keith Pape, Yellow Pike Media

Residents 🎧🎤
DJ's Cheeze, Michael Bisping, Nicki B, John Neal, Klubfiller, Carl Hill & Rome - MC's Finchy, Master C, Cover, Eazy, Lukey P, Viper, Pressure & EM:DMC

www.sicnal.de

You can see us live every Wednesday and Friday starting at 18:00 CET or listen to us whenever you’d like.


sicnal@uebelundgefaehrlich.com

New tracks tagged #Traction