Pickleball pioneers power their way to growth and success
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
Release Date: 04/08/2025
Fast growing Sunfield Center honored as one of Michigan 50 Companies to Watch
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Jeff Snyder, managing director of the Sunfield Center in Ann Arbor. They were recognized this year as a member of the Michigan 50 Companies to Watch. The Center focuses on clinical services for autism, ADHD, anxiety, and other behavioral health disorders. The center, founded in 2011, also provides professional training through the Sunfield Institute and has grown from three staff members in 2015 to 35 today, serving over 5,000 families in Michigan and offering training globally. “One of the biggest misconceptions [about autism] that fortunately...
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Helping your small business turn challenges into opportunities
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Blaine Schultz, owner of Cooper Consulting and a VIP member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Schultz has a 34-year career in staffing and human resource outsourcing, and in the interview highlights his firm's focus on small business operations, particularly family-owned businesses, leveraging his expertise in accounting, finance, and succession planning. Schultz emphasized the importance of servant leadership and building mutually beneficial business relationships. “You know, you can't avoid waves, but you can learn how to turn...
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How to spend your marketing dollars on things that don’t just look nice but actually work
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Janeve Helmbold, owner and creative director of Crystal Cranes Media and an Elite member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Inspired by her parents' immigrant journey and successful restaurant, she developed the PRISM model: Prove it, Research it, Invert it, Shape it, Make it – a framework that helps businesses identify and leverage their unique differentiators. “Very similarly to my parents, small businesses usually have the least amount of money for marketing and don't have the luxury of trial and error,” she says. “Every...
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Understanding interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Amina Hedayat Khalil. She is an Executive and Team Leadership Coach and Consultant and owner of Audere Interpersonal Intelligence. She is also an Elite Member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. “It's called executive coaching, training, consulting, but for me, in my world and the way that I love to help people. I call it human evolvement,” she says. “Different people, they need to evolve in different ways like growing in their careers, developing relationships and communication skills. When I work with them, I help them to gain...
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Everything's “fishy” about this family owned smoked fish products company
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Bruce Osterhaven, President of Big O Smokehouse and an Elite member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Established in 1997, the company offers a wide variety of smoked fish products sourced from the Great Lakes and Canadian fisheries, focusing on white fish and lake trout. “We're hopefully starting to reach a lot more of Michigan, and people are getting to know us a little bit more and seeing the value of smoked fish as a high quality protein source,” he says. “As soon as my dad got me introduced into it, it was something that I...
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The political power and influence of many small businesses working together
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Adrian Hemond, CEO of Grassroots Midwest, a bipartisan, multi-client political and marketing consultancy. He also serves on the SBAM Board of Directors. “The fact of the matter is, a huge multinational corporation is always going to find a way to have their voice heard, right? But a mom and pop dry cleaner in Southgate, or a small marketing agency in Muskegon, or an oil change shop in Lansing, they don't have the same sort of voice that a huge multinational corporation does, and so the only way that we can make our voices heard as small...
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How Foster Swift experts help navigate the women-owned and minority-owned certification process
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Amanda J. Dernovshek and Lindsey M. Mead, members of Foster Swift’s business and tax practice group in Lansing. They discuss how they assist their clients with obtaining women-owned and minority-owned business certifications. “We have worked with clients to have conversations about whether they qualify, and ask some of the key details to say yes you would or no you would not qualify for a certification,” Dernovshek said. “We've reviewed organizational documents to kind of flag any issues that we see in terms of certifying qualifications...
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Innovative small firm offers unique travel-sized personal care products
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Kate Cervini, the founder of 100 ML and an Elite member of the Small Business Association of Michigan. Her company simplifies pre-travel preparation by offering a convenient one-stop shop for travel-sized personal care products. Cervini discusses her entrepreneurial journey, highlighting how her own travel experiences inspired the creation of 100 ML to address the inconvenience of sourcing travel essentials. “The majority of our products are clean and sustainable and many of them are actually from female-founded companies, which is very...
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Key information that DTE wants you to know about 811 Day and digging safely around your small business or home
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Jonathan Wilson, regional representative for DTE, about 811 Day in Michigan (Aug. 11) and how important it is to comply with essential safety procedures, such as calling 811 before digging and what to do in case of a natural gas leak. Wilson also discusses the operational risks of non-compliance with MISS DIG requirements, and DTE's role in educating customers and improving excavation safety standards. The is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We...
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A small business leveraging the power of customer service
The Small Business Association of Michigan’s Small Business Weekly Podcast
On today’s program, Michael Rogers talks with Jim Byrum, owner of Byrum Ace Hardware, a collection of successful hardware stores across mid-Michigan. Byrum’s entrepreneurial journey began over 42 years ago in Leslie, where he identified a need for local hardware stores with more convenient hours. Bryum Ace Hardware has since grown organically to eight locations. The company distinguishes itself from big box stores by prioritizing excellent, personalized customer service. “The big box stores certainly have a place and they do well, but we pride ourselves on service,” he says. “When...
info_outlineOn today’s SBAM Weekly Podcast, Michael Rogers talks with Christy Howden, the CEO and co-founder of very successful and growing Wolverine Pickleball in Ann Arbor. She and her company and her co-founder Leslie White were recently profiled in the SBAM Focus Magazine. “We started before everyone knew what pickleball was,” Howden says. “So, we really had to make a market. Starting small, it doesn't have to be perfect to start. I think one of the biggest keys for any small business is that you don't need to start at the top. It's better to do low stakes and figure out how you can work with resources that are easily available. Just experiment.”
The Small Business Association of Michigan is the only statewide and state-based association that focuses solely on serving the needs of Michigan’s small business community. We have been successfully serving small businesses like yours in all 83 counties of Michigan since 1969. We’re located in Lansing, just one block from the Capitol.
Our mission is to help Michigan small businesses succeed by promoting entrepreneurship, leveraging buying power and engaging in political advocacy. When small businesses band together through the Small Business Association of Michigan, they achieve more than they could on their own.
Our 32,000 members are as diverse as Michigan's economy. From accountants to appliance stores, manufacturers to medical, and restaurants to retailers, what unites the SBAM membership is the spirit of entrepreneurship…a spirit that drove you to start and continue to operate your own business because you believe you can do something better than anyone else is doing it!
(music licensed from www.jukedeck.com)