Happy Hour Hustle

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Rachael Kaminski, Owner/Director of Confidence Beyond Hair Studio in Grand Haven, where she's on a mission to provide wigs and hair toppers to indi /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/41622075

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Lindsey Potter, Owner/Director of Bright Light Early Care & Education in Battle Creek, /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/41425180

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Maddie sits down with Grace Gavin, co-founder of Know Honesty, three-time founder, and co-author of the book Know Honesty: Eliminate the Divide, Become a Masterful Communicator, and Connect with Anyone. Through her book, worksh /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/41280600

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Rebecca Dutcher, founder and CEO of RED66 Marketing, a Michigan-based marketing agency helping clients build strategies that connect with their audiences throughout the buyer's journey.

They /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/41075940

In this episode of Happy Hour Hustle, Kim sits down with Monica Gauthier, who has spent the past 11 years co-owning Groovy Donuts, and is now finally catching up on sleep.

She started out studying fish disease and turned that into a successful career of early mornings at the donut shop /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40629480

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Jody Hayden, co-owner of Grocer's Daughter Chocolate, a Michigan-based chocolate company with roots in the specialty coffee and chocolate industries going back to 2001.

They covere /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40496920

We're back with another cohort spotlight from the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. Maddie sat down with Caitlin McMahan, co-owner of Marcellus Metalcasters, a Michigan-based manufacturing company doing really impressive work.

They talked about what it's actually like to run a foundry, what she's most proud of, the biggest lessons she's learned as a business owner, and what's next for her and her team.

C /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40218680

We're back with another Cohort Spotlight, shining a light on the incredible women who make up the 2025-26 cohort for the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship.

Jenny Lashuay is the founder of BattleGR and BGR Event Center. She saw a need for experience-based fun and filled it. What started as an idea has grown into an /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40150105

Healthcare costs killing your small business budget? You're not alone, and there might finally be a solution.

In this episode, Kim talks with Nathan Baar, founder of HealthBar, licensed nurse, and entrepreneur who's reimagining how small businesses approach healthcare. Nate's built a model that can help reduce your healthcare costs while actually giving your employees the kind of care where they know thei /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40076375

We're back with another Cohort Spotlight, continuing our series with the incredible women who make up the 2025-26 cohort for the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship.

Mary Barton is the founder of /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/40011990

This is the first episode of our series of Cohort Spotlights, where we are talking to the incredible women who make up the 2025-26 cohort for the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship. 

Kirbay Preuss is the 3rd-generation owner of /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/39793370

Fiona McPherson Grant spent more than 20 years building a career before deciding to go solo.

In this episode, Kim and Fiona talk about what those first few months of working for yourself actually look like and how she's learned to say no. 

They dig into the moment she realized it was actually working, how LinkedIn became a key business tool, and what she'd tell someone thi /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/39558485

AI Mode is rewriting how people find information, and marketers and newsrooms are feeling it in real time.

Maddie is joined by Charlsie Dewey, Digital Director at WOOD TV8, to break down what AI summaries mean for visibility, clicks, and keeping local journalism accurate in an AI-first world.

The /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/39343815

You may have seen the New York Times asking whether women "ruined" the workplace. We're not treating that like a real question, because it isn't one.

The workplace wasn't ruined by women; it was built with competition, ego, and protection of the incompetent, and it's finally collapsing under its own weight.

In our latest episode, Kim talks about the systems that were desi /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/39089885

Fisher House is one of the best-kept secrets in the Veteran space.

They are comfort homes where military and Veterans' families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment - saving them thousands of dollars and allowing them to be close. 

Maddie visited Kate Melcher, Executive Director of Fisher House Michigan, and a veteran herself, to talk about the importance and impac /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/38992345

For Christy Howden, building a business and building a community go hand-in-hand.

She co-founded Wolverine Pickleball when the sport was just starting to be on the rise, and through grit, persistence, and a lot of hustle, she's built it into a world-class facility and a true place peopl /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/38567230

You have to fight to protect your business. That includes planning for the worst-case scenario.

Kim Bode's been prepping for almost 20 years, and her track record speaks for itself. She's outlasted chaos, recessions, algorithm changes, toxic clients, and whatever else got thrown at her. 

How? By staying authentic. Listen to hear exactly how she navigated this mess—and how you can stay /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/38368595

Not every viral trend is good for your brand.

Maddie sits down with Josh Mosey from Kent District Library to talk about his approach to having fun with social media, when NOT to post, and books... because we love books. 

Find out why (and what) we're drinking on this episode as we delve into gender bias, the challenges facing second-stage women-owned small businesses, and why the Small Business Association of Michigan is expanding the Women's Entrepreneurial Fellowship.

Taking care of your pets can sometimes be a full-time job, and if they need vet care, it could wipe out your entire paycheck.

In this episode, Rachel Berkal, cofounder of Vetr Health, joins Maddie to talk about how her and her team are transforming the pet healthcare industry, providing at-home /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/37510200

Some ballot measures never make it to Election Day - and that's exactly the point. Many of the most consequential political battles happen before you ever enter a voting booth.

In this episode, Kelli Saunders from the Small Business Association of Michigan joins Maddie to talk about two proposals /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/37461670

To AI or not to AI. Are we using it, just to say we're using it? Is it actually helping or hurting? We tackle these hard hitting questions and dig into why Kim threatened ChatGPT with bodily harm.

We get asked this question a lot: What does it take to land the internship? 

We know it's competitive and overwhelming. But if you're willing to put the work in, businesses will reward you for that. And your dream job probably already told you what they're looking for. 

In this episode, Maddie talks with former 8THIRTYFOUR Associate (because interns deserve a real title) Emily Feikema about what goes into preparing for interviews, and everything else that mak /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/36821755

When lawmakers become disconnected from real community needs, it often falls to visionary business leaders to create practical solutions.

That's exactly what Mark Peters, CEO of Butterball Farms, did when he established The SOURCE 20 years ago in Grand Rapids. Kim got the chance to sit down with /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/35992990

The Earned Sick Time Act (ESTA) has been a huge focus (and problem) for Michigan business owners as they work to ensure they are compliant with the new law by February 21. But with uncertainty and changes still happening with ESTA by the minute, a lot of business owners have more questions than answers. 

To help, we brought in an expert. /episode/index/show/happyhourhustle/id/35070255