Navigating Life's Turns: Joe Carlisle's Story of Comedy, Adventure, and Business
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Release Date: 03/26/2026
Navigating Life's Turns: Joe Carlisle's Story of Comedy, Adventure, and Business
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
In this podcast episode, Joe Carlisle, founder of Vision Handyman and Window Tinting, shares his life story and entrepreneurial journey. Born in Oxford, Mississippi and raised partly in Dallas, Joe worked in his dad’s restaurants, then spent years with Best Buy in retail and home theater installation, learning hands-on skills that later shaped his career. After his younger brother died, he moved to Mobile to be near family, later bouncing between Hattiesburg, New Orleans, Dallas, and even New Zealand. He pursued standup comedy seriously in Austin before returning to Mississippi later...
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Water, Work, and Wisdom: A Conversation with Thomas Irving
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Thomas Irving, owner of Pool and Spa Superstore, joins the podcast to share his background and how he entered the pool industry, helped grow a distribution/retail business, bought the retail business, and built a customer-focused company centered on education and stress-free pool ownership. He discusses treating “sales” as educating customers, and emphasizes building relationships because Mobile runs on word-of-mouth. He also highlights the importance of a strong team, consistency, and shares personal interests like cooking and travel.
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Art, History, and Life Lessons with Trey Oliver of Lupercalia Art Society
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Trey Oliver, co-owner with his wife Laura Kennedy of the Lupercalia Art Society, shares his background growing up in Jackson and Mobile, serving four years in the Coast Guard in North Carolina during marijuana-smuggling days, and completing a 47-year public safety career culminating as warden of the Mobile Metro Jail before retiring three years ago. He recounts early jobs, joining the junior volunteer fire department, and working nights as a dispatcher and jailer in high school. Oliver explains how walking the beach Dauphin Island and seeing the driftwood inspired him to create driftwood...
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Behind the Scenes with Sock Cop: A Decade of Puppetry and Creativity
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Jason Cooper, is the Mobile native behind the sock-puppet character “Sock Cop.” Jason shares his background growing up in Saraland, graduating with a degree in communications, earning a master’s in digital marketing during the pandemic, and working in local news and marketing. Now a stay-at-home dad to a six-year-old, he explains how Sock Cop began as a solo creative outlet using a sock, police hat, sunglasses, and green screen, evolving into a live, community-driven act focused on “catching speeders.” as Sock Cop likes to put it. Jason discusses perfectionism, the...
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Success Behind the Lens: A Conversation with Jon Jeffress
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Jon Jeffress, owner of Deep South Focus Photography, shares his background from Tampa to Mobile, attending Davidson High School, starting college with plans for architecture, and choosing entrepreneurship instead. He reflects on his first job at Little Caesars, and discusses lessons about leadership and client service. Jon explains how Deep South Focus began in 2012 with automotive photography at car shows using an on-site mobile print and framing setup, then expanded into real estate media in 2019 and commercial work. He emphasizes the power of professional photos and video in home marketing,...
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Entrepreneurial Journey: A talk with OpenTruck's Founders Cole Howard and Camp Campbell
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
In this podcast episode, Cole Howard and Camp Campbell, co-founders of Open Truck, share their backgrounds and how they came to start OpenTruck. Cole and Camp discuss early job lessons, and reflect on entrepreneurship as a discipline built through effort and failure. They explain Open Truck’s origin: a need for one place to find any food truck that is located near you. It will also tell you their hours, menus, and specials and you won't have to rely on scattered Facebook posts. The iOS app launched January 27 and reached nearly 800 local users in about a week, with an Android version...
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Building Dreams: A Conversation with Chris Cockrell of Cockrell Contracting
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
This week on the podcast, we sit down with Chris Cockrell, owner of Cockrell Contracting, LLC, to hear how a Mobile, Alabama native went from studying civil engineering at Auburn to finding his passion in construction through insurance restoration work. Chris shares lessons from early mentors, why fighting insurance estimates pushed him toward home building, and what he believes new entrepreneurs need most—bulletproof contracts and a strong team (including bankers and attorneys) before problems arise. He also talks about the importance of disconnecting from work to prioritize family,...
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From Kuwait to Mobile: Mohannad Sahyouni - Owner of Jerusalem Cafe
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Mohannad Sahyouni, the owner of Jerusalem Cafe in Mobile, Alabama. Mohannad shares his inspiring journey from growing up in Kuwait to becoming a successful restaurant owner in the United States. He discusses his educational background in graphic design, his initial jobs, and the influential lessons he learned in the hospitality industry. Mohannad also reflects on the challenges and rewards of running a restaurant, emphasizing the importance of customer service and a supportive team. Tune in to hear about his personal life, business philosophies, and the...
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Building a Business with Heart: Chad Jones of Your Choice Senior Care
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
Get to know Chad Jones, owner of Your Choice Senior Care in Mobile, as he shares his journey from a small town in Texas to running a senior care franchise. In this episode, Chad talks about his background, including his high school and college experiences, and how a life-changing injury inspired him to help others. He discusses the hard work and dedication required to build his business from the ground up, the challenges he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the emotional rewards of providing care for families. Learn about Chad's advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, his favorite books, and...
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Scott Tindle Talks AI, Changing Careers, and Finding Balance
The Mobile Alabama Business Podcast
In this engaging episode, Scott Tindle, co-founder of Meducate AI, joins the podcast once again. He shares insights on his evolving career and his current ventures in AI healthcare. Scott discusses the importance of curiosity, meditation, and personal growth. The conversation also explores the implications of AI on future jobs and society, providing a thought-provoking glimpse into the rapid changes ahead. Tune in for a deep dive into entrepreneurship, technology, and balancing life’s many facets.
info_outlineIn this podcast episode, Joe Carlisle, founder of Vision Handyman and Window Tinting, shares his life story and entrepreneurial journey. Born in Oxford, Mississippi and raised partly in Dallas, Joe worked in his dad’s restaurants, then spent years with Best Buy in retail and home theater installation, learning hands-on skills that later shaped his career.
After his younger brother died, he moved to Mobile to be near family, later bouncing between Hattiesburg, New Orleans, Dallas, and even New Zealand. He pursued standup comedy seriously in Austin before returning to Mississippi later relocating to Mobile and facing major challenges rebuilding Vision Handyman.
00:00 Meet Joe Carlisle
00:35 Growing Up Dallas Mississippi
01:22 Best Buy Years And Loss
02:28 New Zealand Reset
03:23 Austin Standup Grind
04:37 Starting Handyman Business
05:20 Moving Markets And Google
07:12 Window Tinting Listing Fight
08:17 Life As An Expat
12:11 First Jobs In Food
14:24 From AV To Trades
20:07 Advice For New Owners
20:51 Passion vs Career Cars
22:27 Elite Pressure F1 Jobs
23:22 E-Myth Systems Mindset
26:15 Take Care of People
28:58 Mobile Comedy Scene
33:36 Rapid Fire Favorites
35:16 Family Gratitude Outro