Community Banking Rebooted: Stablecoins, Tech & the New Money Movement
Release Date: 12/10/2025
Win Today: How Great Leaders Reset Under Pressure
The Liquid Lunch Project
Positive thinking might be the reason you’re still stuck. Pressure doesn’t vanish when you become a better leader. The stakes just get bigger. Performance coach and sports psychology expert Joshua Lifrak joins Matt and Luigi to explain how leaders can stay focused, reset after a bad result, and build confidence that is backed by real work, not wishful thinking and a motivational coffee mug. Joshua breaks down the same mental habits used by elite athletes, championship teams, and high-performing business leaders. The goal is not to feel great every second. It is to see the facts, control...
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The Real Cost of Owning a Bar with Chris Schneider
The Liquid Lunch Project
Think owning a bar is just pouring drinks and counting cash? Think again. Bar owner and coach Chris Schneider breaks down what really makes a bar work…and why a packed room can still leave you broke on Monday. Chris joins Matthew R. Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca to talk pricing, staff, food, location, profit, and the small costs that can quietly wipe out your margin. He also explains why gut instinct is not enough, why simple drinks often win, and why your parking lot may matter more than your cocktail list. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: Why bar owners need to follow the...
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Mark Roberge’s Formula for Smarter Sales and Safer Growth
The Liquid Lunch Project
Most sales problems start when the seller won’t stop talking. Mark Roberge (HubSpot’s founding CRO, Harvard Business School lecturer, and co-founder of Stage 2 Capital) joins Matt and Luigi to challenge the loudest myths in sales and startup growth. His take is simple: great selling is not about pressure, slick pitches, or talking someone into a bad deal. It’s about asking better questions, finding the real problem, and knowing when to walk away. The conversation also tackles a mistake that kills promising companies: scaling before customers are getting real value. Mark...
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Can Blockchain Actually Help World Peace?
The Liquid Lunch Project
Can blockchain do more than make rich people argue on the internet? In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt and Luigi sit down with Erai Beckmann, founder of Peace Through Trade, to talk about a much bigger use case for blockchain, AI, and cryptocurrency: global trade that creates trust, financial access, and maybe even less fighting between humans. Wild concept, apparently. Erai breaks down why trade has historically been one of the strongest tools for reducing conflict, how blockchain can open doors for people left out of traditional finance, and why Peace Through Trade is building...
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The Four Signs Your Business Is Stuck
The Liquid Lunch Project
Your business can be busy and still be stuck. Revenue may be coming in. The team may be working hard. The founder may be carrying the whole thing on their back. But if margins are getting tighter, communication is breaking down, decisions are bottlenecked, and nobody really owns revenue… that business is not scaling. It’s surviving. In this episode of Built to Scale, Matt sits down with Autumn McFarland, a fractional COO who helps founder-led and growth-stage companies get unstuck, rebuild operational clarity, and create the foundation they need to grow without chaos running the show....
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Equipment Financing Without Getting Screwed
The Liquid Lunch Project
That “great deal” on equipment financing might be eating your lunch. In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt and Luigi sit down with Rob Misheloff of Smarter Finance USA to talk about the stuff most lenders do not explain clearly: equipment financing, lease terms, credit scores, hidden fees, auction purchases, and why small business owners need to read the fine print before signing anything with a payment attached. Rob breaks down how equipment financing really works, why the market has gotten tighter, and what business owners should watch for when buying trucks, machinery, med...
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Your financial advisor may be nice. That does not mean they are safe.
The Liquid Lunch Project
In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt and Luigi sit down with securities lawyer David P. Meyer to talk about the ugly side of investing: broker misconduct, crypto scams, hidden fees, fake online “experts,” and the very real ways smart people lose serious money. David also shares how he built a national securities litigation practice after taking on Prudential Securities in his twenties and winning a jaw-dropping $262 million jury verdict. Not bad for a guy who says he was basically just trying to avoid reading tax code forever. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: ...
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Built to Scale: The 5 Financial Blind Spots That Stop Business Owners from Scaling
The Liquid Lunch Project
Revenue looks great on a scoreboard. But if your cash flow is a mess, your margins are thin, and your financials only get attention during tax season… that growth might be hiding a much bigger problem. In this episode of Built to Scale, Matt sits down with Larry Rice, CPA, CEPA, and founder of RVG & Company, to talk about the financial blind spots that quietly keep business owners stuck, stressed, and scrambling. They dig into why revenue is not the same as financial health, how fast growth can actually make bad decisions worse, and why your CPA should not be treated like an emergency...
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America was the ultimate startup
The Liquid Lunch Project
Big idea. No safety net. Shaky money. Brutal odds. A giant competitor. And founders who were not just risking cash…they were risking their necks. Literally In this special 250th anniversary episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matthew R. Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca look at America’s founding like a business launch. The Declaration of Independence becomes the mission statement. Washington becomes the operator under pressure. Franklin becomes the closer. And the whole thing becomes a crash course in risk, debt, ownership, cash flow, and building something that lasts. 🍸 What you'll...
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Your Health Plan Is Probably Screwing You
The Liquid Lunch Project
Your health plan might be robbing you blind. The fun part? You may be paying someone to let it happen. Healthcare benefits are one of the biggest expenses for small business owners, and most employers are stuck playing a game where the rules are hidden, the prices move, and somehow the bill always gets worse. In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, hosts Matthew R. Meehan and Luigi Rosabianca sit down with Donovan Ryckis, CEO of Ethos Benefits, to rip the lid off employer-sponsored healthcare. Donovan breaks down why insurance costs keep rising, how brokers can create conflicts of...
info_outlineWhen was the last time the person approving your business loan picked up their own phone?
In this episode, Matt and Lou sit down with Keith Costello, who built Locality Bank from the ground up, a tech‑forward community bank for real business owners. They dive into his “why,” the nuts‑and‑bolts of launching a bank, the future of stable coins, and why the big banks aren’t always the best choice for entrepreneurs.
🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:
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How Keith transitioned from military to Merrill Lynch to banking and finally to founding Locality Bank.
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Why he says community banking isn’t dead—it just needed a reboot.
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The behind‑the‑scenes of getting a bank charter, FDIC insurance & raising ~$40 million from local business owners.
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Why many banks are failing local businesses and what entrepreneurs should demand instead.
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A primer on stablecoins: what they are, why they matter for small/medium businesses.
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How Locality Bank makes money and why the “spread” matters for business owners.
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The tech‑first, human‑touch model: balancing digital banking + sit‑down cigars with business owners.
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What’s next for banking, payments, and local business ecosystems.
💡 Notable Takeaway:
Traditional finance is not going to go away… but stablecoins and crypto are coming very rapidly.
👤 About our Guest:
Keith Costello is the Founder & CEO of Locality Bank, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With prior exits in the banking world, Keith set out to build a new style of community bank designed for small and medium‑sized business owners. He’s passionate about preserving local relationships, embracing technology, and enabling entrepreneurs to access the capital they need to grow.
🎧 Why Listen:
If you’re building a business, seeking banking that gets you, or curious where finance is headed (yes—stable coins, crypto, and what it means for your next deal), press play now. This one’s for builders who want banking that works with them, not against them.
🔗 Links + Stuff
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