Nathan Strum on Why First Impressions Drive Business Growth
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Release Date: 06/27/2026
What Are You Good At: : The Playbook for Smart Scaling with Alisa & Jeff
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
If you’re looking to Franchise your business, or thinking about it, CEO Alisa Sparks with Linden Creek will guide you how to do it! 3 highlights from our conversation: 1. Turn what works into a system Don’t just grow… replicate -When your process is clear and teachable, others can run it—and you can scale it. 2. Test before you expand Don’t assume demand. Prove it - Start small, validate the market, then go all in with confidence. 3. Build the playbook Success isn’t only talent—it’s systems - Document what works so it can be repeated without you. --- Alisa Sparks is the...
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Jon Ostenson on AI Proof Your Franchise The Smarter Path to Business Ownership
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Most people think franchising is the easy path to business ownership. It's not. But it might be a smart path. I sat down with John Ostenson — top 1% franchise broker and CEO of FranBridge Consulting — and here's what stood out: 3 Takeaways: 1. AI-proof your investment. The smart money is flowing into trades and home services — businesses AI can use but never replace. 2. Activity breeds activity. Stop waiting for the perfect time. It doesn't exist. Start moving toward option A or B — option C shows up when you're in motion. 3. Your first hire in that key seat can make or...
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The Long Game Wins: Business Lessons from a Soft Serve Stand with Gemma Geldmacher
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Playing the Long Game: Lessons from a HUD Specialist and a Soft Serve Stand I sat down with Gemma Geldmacher, Managing Director of Mortgage Banking at Berkadia, to talk about her successful career and her blog — Playing the Long Game: Hard Lessons Through Soft Serve. It's the story of watching her parents immigrate from Australia in 1984 with three kids, buy a local community ice cream shop, and the lessons that came with it. The business lessons inside that shop can help all of us in business and life. Here are a handful of the lessons Gemma and I talked about: * Efficiency is an act of...
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Can AI Predict Disease Before Doctors? Adam Wolfe of Chroneme
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Adam Wolfe tragically lost his son eight years ago. Adam channeled his pain it into building something that could prevent the same thing from happening to others. Co-Founder of Chroneme — The first clinical AI built to show its work. Chroneme reads how your health changes over time. Every signal, from every provider, across years. And when something is developing, it knows. Before the doctor. Before the diagnosis. Before the emergency. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Website: LinkedIn: Email: Get Jon's Book: Connect...
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Think Like Elon: Eric Jorgenson on First Principles, Focus & Innovation
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
I sat down with Eric Jorgensen, CEO of Scribe Media and author of The Book of Elon. Here are 3 things that stuck with me: What you think is your best is a fraction of what you're capable of. Elon isn't just working harder, he's cut through the noise to focus on what matters. First principles thinking breaks you free from conventional limits. Stop reasoning by analogy, asking what everyone else does. Start asking what's actually possible. The gap between those two questions is where innovation lives. Your uniqueness is your advantage. The world rewards people who are singular, -- Eric...
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Eric Miller on Why Your Household Is the Most Important Business You Own
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Most business owners run their company like a business — and their household like an afterthought. I sat down with Eric Miller, co-founder of Econologics Financial Advisors. Here are 3 things that stuck with me: 1. Your household is the parent company. Everything else is a subsidiary. 2. You're probably operating on the wrong number. 3. Do it now. Planning doesn't have to be a big event. -- Eric Miller is a seasoned financial planning professional with over 20 years of experience dedicated to empowering private practice owners and associates. As Co-Owner and Chief Financial Advisor of...
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Eric Miller on Why Your Household Is the Most Important Business You Own
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Most business owners run their company like a business — and their household like an afterthought. I sat down with Eric Miller, co-founder of Econologics Financial Advisors. Here are 3 things that stuck with me: 1. Your household is the parent company. Everything else is a subsidiary. 2. You're probably operating on the wrong number. 3. Do it now. Planning doesn't have to be a big event. -- Eric Miller is a seasoned financial planning professional with over 20 years of experience dedicated to empowering private practice owners and associates. As Co-Owner and Chief Financial Advisor of...
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Why Focus Beats Hustle in Building a Brand with Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
I sat down with Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff, co-founders of Pretty Boy — a men's skincare brand built from scratch. Here are 3 things that stuck with me: 1. Master one channel before you touch anything else. 2. Call your customers. 3. Stability beats the dopamine hit of a big spike. The fundamentals haven't changed. Knowing your customer, delivering the right message, and staying close to the business — that's the playbook. --- PrettyBoy started because we were sick of guessing - years of acne, eczema, prescriptions, and overpriced nonsense taught us the skincare industry wasn’t...
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What Are You Good At: Jeff and Jason Hamama on Growth, AI & Success
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Great conversation with Jason Hamama of Encore Development 3 Takeaways • Follow your obsession. Curiosity often reveals what you’re great at. • Use AI to move faster. It’s the tool that will accelerate great operators. • Hard work still wins. Technology changes. Effort never goes out of style. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Website: LinkedIn: Email: Get Jon's Book: Connect with Jeff Gunsberg: Website: Connect with Jason Hamama:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-hamama-92767172...
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Katie Fortunato on AI-Native Growth & Monetizable Content
Coffee with Jon - Think Big. Get Unstuck. Grow Your Business
Katie Fortunato, President of Jobstream: Co-founder of a new ai-native technology disrupting the affiliate marketing industry with a new category of monetizable content. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: Facebook: Instagram: Website: LinkedIn: Email: Get Jon's Book: Connect with Katie Fortunato: Website: Instagram: @jobstream_ LinkedIn: *E - explicit language may be used in this podcast.
info_outlineWhen a client calls your business… what does your voice communicate?
Confidence?
Clarity?
Chaos?
Enjoyed talking with Nathan Strum, CEO of Abby Connect, about why the first 7 seconds of a call can shape lifetime value.
Here are 3 takeaways:
1 - Culture Beats Training
You can’t script care.
If the internal culture is strong, callers feel it immediately.
2 - AI Done Right Feels Human
In a 500,000-call study, escalation rates were nearly identical between AI and live receptionists.
When built around human experience, technology supports connection — it doesn’t replace it.
3 - Your Phone Is a Revenue Lever
Every incoming call is a decision point.
Handled well, it builds trust.
Handled poorly, it sends them somewhere else.
Most companies obsess over marketing.
Few obsess over the moment someone actually reaches out.
That moment?
That’s where growth compounds… or disappears.
First impressions aren’t small details.
They’re the foundation.
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Nathan Strum is the CEO and co-founder of Abby Connect, where for the past 20 years, they've been helping small businesses make exceptional first impressions with professional, friendly receptionists who feel like part of their team.
Now, they're taking that experience and expertise into the next chapter — combining human connection with the efficiency of AI through their new AI Receptionist.
What’s driving this shift? Small businesses need to be responsive 24/7, but they also want personal service that doesn’t feel robotic. After 18 months of development and two months of real-world beta testing, we’re excited to bring this hybrid approach to market — giving businesses the best of both worlds.
As a founder who’s spent two decades focused on customer experience, Nathan is passionate about technology that enhances service, not replaces it. I’m also learning that after 20 years behind the scenes, there’s value in stepping out and sharing what they've learned along the way — especially at a time when AI is rewriting the rules of customer communication.
--
Abby Connect is U.S.-based answering service that embodies the warmth and professionalism of a dedicated member of your team, always ready to help.
Abby has been serving the communication needs of businesses like yours for 20 years.
Connect with Jon Dwoskin:
Twitter: @jdwoskin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/
Website: https://jondwoskin.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/
Email: jon@jondwoskin.com
Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!
Connect with Jordan B. Segal:
Website: https://maddinhauser.com/people/jordan-b-segal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-segal-b0b7047
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordan.segal.2025
*E - explicit language may be used in this podcast.