S-Corps Explained: Tax Savings, Trade-Offs, and What No One Tells You
Mission Driven Business
The S-Corp question is one of the most common Brian hears from entrepreneurs, but the answer is almost never as simple as the internet makes it sound. In this episode, Brian Thompson breaks down what an S-Corp actually is, how the potential tax savings work, and the real-world trade-offs that often get left out of the conversation. Whether you're considering the election for the first time or revisiting the decision, this episode gives you the context you need to make an informed choice. What is an S-Corp? First, an important clarification: an S-Corporation is not a business structure,...
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Budgeting Series #3: A Guide to Building Your Financial Strategy
Mission Driven Business
Awareness and acceptance lay the groundwork, but nothing changes until you take action. In this final episode of the budgeting series, Brian Thompson brings the framework full circle by focusing on what to actually do with your numbers. Because understanding your finances and accepting where you are is only powerful if it leads somewhere. This episode is about making intentional, strategic decisions that move your mission-driven business forward. Start With Vision, Not Spreadsheets Before diving into tactics, Brian starts with something that might surprise you in a budgeting...
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Building a Profitable Practice with Authenticity and Heart
Mission Driven Business
Rooted in identity, community, and purpose is what it truly means to build a business with heart. Brian Thompson sits down with Kala Lacy, an EMDR-trained yoga psychotherapist and founder of , a holistic wellness practice centered on Black and queer people of color. Kala shares how she turned her own healing journey into a thriving private practice, why niching down with radical specificity was the key to her success, and what inspired her newest venture: , a mentorship community for Black, queer, and trans clinicians building aligned private practices. A Business With Heart Kala...
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Budgeting Series #2: A Guide to Money Mindset Shifts
Mission Driven Business
Money isn't just math and for most entrepreneurs, it never has been. In this episode, Brian Thompson continues the budgeting series with part two: acceptance. Building on , Brian explores the emotional side of budgeting and why looking at your numbers without shame or judgment is just as important as looking at them at all. Why Financial Acceptance Is the Missing Piece Once you have your numbers, you're naturally going to have feelings about them. Money is tied to your upbringing, your fears, your identity, and your sense of security. Brian sees it constantly in his client work: people...
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Budgeting Series #1: A Guide to Financial Awareness
Mission Driven Business
Budgeting doesn't have to be intimidating, but it does have to be intentional. In this episode, Brian Thompson kicks off a brand new solo series on budgeting for entrepreneurs, approaching the topic through three lenses: awareness, acceptance, and action. The episode is the first and most foundational step: Awareness. Whether you're a new business owner or a seasoned mission-driven entrepreneur, understanding where your money is actually going is the starting point for everything else. Why Financial Awareness Comes First Every January, Brian's inbox fills up with clients asking to...
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How Veterans Are Transforming Into Mission-Driven Entrepreneurs
Mission Driven Business
Julie Austin and Matthew Cain share their journey in leveraging their military backgrounds to assist veterans in transitioning to entrepreneurship through their podcast Dogtags to Ownership. We explore the definition of mission-driven businesses, the importance of community & networking, and the personal experiences that shaped their call to service. The discussion also touches on the significance of identity, the challenges faced during the Don't Ask, Don't Tell era and how their backgrounds influence their current endeavors. The episode concludes with insights on partnership dynamics and...
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Transform Your Business with an Annual Client Audit
Mission Driven Business
Understanding your client relationships is more crucial than ever in today's fast-paced business environment. The that can help you gain clarity on your client base, enhance your business relationships, and ultimately drive growth. In this episode, Brian Thompson focuses on how a thoughtful client audit can transform your business. He emphasizes that this process is not about hastily cutting ties with clients but rather about thoughtfully evaluating client relationships to enhance business growth and personal well-being with a simple three-step process. The Importance of a Client Audit...
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Reclaiming Your Time with Boundary-setting
Mission Driven Business
In this solo episode, Brian Thompson outlines practical steps for business owners to take back their time, including auditing their calendars, defining a 'hell yes' filter for opportunities, using scripts to say no gracefully, and starting small with boundary-setting. He stresses that reclaiming time is an ongoing practice that requires accountability, energy tracking, and celebrating small wins. By protecting their time, entrepreneurs can create space for joy, clarity, and purpose in their lives and businesses. Why do boundaries around time management matter Time is your most valuable...
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Close The Books, Open The New Year
Mission Driven Business
In this solo episode, Brian breaks down one of the most overlooked but essential parts of running a mission-driven business: year-end bookkeeping. You’ll learn a simple, practical framework for cleaning up your books, organizing your finances, and setting up systems that actually support you and your business. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by accounting software, unclear categories, or messy receipts, this episode will help you start the new year with clarity and confidence. Episode Highlights Why year-end bookkeeping is a big deal The way you close this year directly affects how you...
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How To Define Your Niche with Theresa Pablos
Mission Driven Business
Brian Thompson chats with Theresa Pablos, CFP®, about the early-stage realities of building a business. A former journalist and freelance marketer, Theresa transitioned careers to financial planning in 2023 and ultimately earned the CFP® certification mark in 2025. She recently joined as an Associate Financial Advisor and is just starting to build her client base. In this episode, Theresa and Brian discuss the excitement, fear, and the uncomfortable but necessary work of defining a niche. You’ll get practical tips for finding your target audience, learn how to provide real value, and...
info_outlineBrian Thompson chats with Damian Pelliccione, CEO and co-founder of Revry, a global, LGBTQ-first streaming network with free live TV, movies, series, news, and more. Through Revry, Damian champions diversity and inclusion in the media and entertainment industry.
On the episode, Damian shares their journey to becoming a first-time CEO and the corresponding struggles with imposter syndrome. They also highlight the importance of working on yourself and setting good boundaries, and how being your authentic, unapologetic self gives your business the best chance of thriving.
Episode Highlights
Mission-driven businesses leave a legacy.
For Damian, Revry’s mission is to be the driving, positive force in media for queer culture. To meet that mission, Revry creates content reflective of the entire LGBTQ community, which is not homogenous by race, gender, sexual orientation, or language.
Revry also lives out its mission by having an incredibly diverse workforce that is reflective of the audience it wants to serve.
“We’ve attracted the most diverse, talented team on the planet, and I’m very proud of everyone who works for us,” Damian said.
But the mission of Revry goes beyond the workforce and content that it produces today. While Damian is proud of how far the company has come, they envision that Revry will ultimately be part of their legacy.
“You realize this is going to be bigger than me; this will live beyond me,” Damian said. “This legacy that hopefully we are building with this business will resonate well beyond my years, and that is the coolest thing I could ever do with my life.”
Fail big. Fail fast.
When Damian talks to young entrepreneurs, they emphasize the need to fail big and fail fast -- but also to learn from failures. While starting over or starting something new is part of the entrepreneurial process, it’s also important to build resilience.
“You may have to scrap the whole thing and start over and try something new, but that’s okay,” Damian said. “The difference is the resilience to never give up, to keep going.”
Learning from failure and adapting is part of Damian’s own entrepreneurial journey. Damian believes that their “false starts” before Revry were crucial to getting them to where they are today in both work and life.
“Had those not existed for me, had I not had those experiences, had I not taken the time to listen to them and evaluate what went wrong … there’s no way I’d be sitting here talking to you,” they said.
Be unafraid and unapologetic in business and life.
Damian was clear about their biggest takeaway for entrepreneurs: “Live out loud. Be unapologetic. Be vulnerable. And be unafraid.”
One way Damian lives their life in this manner is by dressing to impress themself. One way that they do that is by wearing heels on public stages, panels, and conferences.
“There’s something about putting on that shoe that gives me the vote of confidence,” they said. “I feel powerful, and I feel fabulous. That’s the energy that I want to exude when I’m doing something in a public forum.”
By not holding back from their true, authentic self, Damian believes they’re permitting others to also live as their authentic selves. But even more, that living authentically has made them even more respected professionally.
“Business is evolving to the point where that level of authenticity is going to be such a tenant to company cultures and will hopefully soon be equated in a datapoint to show this is how you really build a brand,” Damian said. “You are the brand.”
Resources + Links
- Revry: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
- QueerXFest: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
- Damian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn
- Brian’s Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
About Brian and the Mission Driven Business Podcast
Brian Thompson, JD/CFP, is a tax attorney and certified financial planner who specializes in providing comprehensive financial planning to LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who run mission-driven businesses. The Mission Driven Business podcast was born out of his passion for helping social entrepreneurs create businesses with purpose and profit.
On the podcast, Brian talks with diverse entrepreneurs and the people who support them. Listeners hear stories of experiences, strength, and hope and get practical advice to help them build businesses that might just change the world, too.