Greg Milligan on Serving Community Through Habitat for Humanity
In this special giving-season episode of Blood, Sweat & Business, we’re joined by Greg Milligan, affiliate director of Habitat for Humanity of...
Dave Hinz on Leading a Business After 17 Years as a Technician
After 17 years as an automotive technician, Dave Hinz made the leap into entrepreneurship—and never looked back. In this episode of Blood, Sweat &...
Erik Vega on Running a Business Without a Formal Education
In this episode of Blood, Sweat & Business, we sit down with Erik Vega, owner of R.E. Burke Roofing and Sheet Metal, to talk about navigating...
Ron Saharyan on Profit First: How to Build a More Profitable Business
Ron Saharyan is a co-founder of Profit First Professionals. Based on the book by Mike Michalowicz, Profit First is a methodology for running a...
Mike Hagi on Hiring Smart and Growing a Family Business
There’s a fine line between modernizing your business and staying true to what made people love it in the first place—especially in a family-run...
Rob Stoner & Mike Sokolski on Finding Your Ideal Customer
Do you have trouble finding your ideal customer? This week on Blood, Sweat & Business, we sit down with Rob Stoner and Mike Sokolski, co-owners of ...
Gus Harris on Turning Referrals Into a Growth Strategy
The best marketing technique also happens to be free: referrals. But that doesn’t mean they’re automatic. In this episode of Blood, Sweat & Business,...
Sue Dickson on Running a Woman-Owned Auto Repair Shop
This week on Blood, Sweat & Business, we’re joined by Sue Dickson, owner of a woman-owned auto repair shop in a male-dominated industry. Sue shares...
Jeff Turnbull on Growing a Chiropractic Practice That Stands Out
You want your chiropractic business to grow—but how? It’s not just about seeing more patients. It’s about creating an experience that keeps them...
Dino Katris on Leading a Multi-Restaurant Business with Vision
Family-owned restaurants are nothing new—but running several of them successfully? That’s something else entirely. In this episode of Blood, Sweat &...
Introducing: Blood, Sweat & Business
A business needs to grow – but no two businesses grow the same way. Welcome to the Blood, Sweat & Business podcast with Eric Joern and John...
Eric Joern
Eric is a graduate of Columbia College of Missouri with a degree in accounting and joined the firm in 2013. He is a licensed CPA and a key business advisor at Kaizen. Coming from generations of entrepreneurs, small business is in his blood.
He has spent his working career getting his hands dirty with concrete, increasing profits and efficiency, managing an automotive service department, and currently is a key resource for many small business owners. Eric is currently the lead on our Automotive concentration, with years of experience as an Automotive Service Advisor and connections in the industry to better serve his clients.
Eric enjoys live music, working with his hands, and spending time outdoors with his wife and their two pooches. A big fan of the Chicago Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and Blackhawks, he jumps at the chance to catch ‘em live and in person when he can.
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John Chiappetta
John is a graduate of Carthage College in Kenosha, WI and the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business at DePaul in Chicago, IL. In 2003, John purchased a small tax practice in Antioch IL. He continued his entrepreneurial adventure, purchasing and merging with multiple accounting firms, and in 2022, merged his firm with Kaizen CPAs + Advisors. John has predominantly focused on tax planning and compliance. He also has his CFP® and is a licensed financial representative. John enjoys helping clients plan for a healthy financial future.
John enjoys spending time with his family. His wife Helen also has the entrepreneurial spirit, running a family diner in Antioch, IL. John and Helen have two children, Nico and Gianna. On John’s days off, he likes playing pickleball, golf, and the occasional pickup game of football. John appreciates Kenosha’s lakefront and frequently takes long walks on the beach. (He takes some amazing pics of the sunrises over Kenosha’s HarborPark!)