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BLOOD, SWEAT AND BUSINESS PODCAST

Real business owners, telling real stories about their
real business experiences.

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small business operations (2)

Crafting a Legacy Business

Crafting a Legacy Business

Tom Jiaras is the owner of International House of Wine and Cheese, and the brains behind Forwinelovers.com. This week he shares the extraordinary...

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Business Owners Harnessing the Power of AI

Harnessing The Power Of AI

Rob and Mike share their firsthand experiences as business owners who have successfully integrated AI into their operations. Rob and Mike provide...

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The power of networking in your industry

The Power Of Networking In Your Industry

Get ready to feel inspired with this week's podcast featuring Kim Hickey, the Director of Client Fulfillment with Automotive Training Institute...

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Serving Local Business Owners

Serving local business owners

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Mayor John Antaramian of beautiful Kenosha, Wisconsin as he shares his vision for building a vibrant...

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Running a Family Business

Running a family business

Bill and Bob Seitz, brothers and the owners of Libertyville Car Spa and BP of Lake Forest, joined us to discuss their j ourney from taking over...

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From empty nester to business owner

From Empty Nester to Business Owner

Heidi is a luxury brand designer whose dreams of starting her business were paused as she navigated motherhood. In this episode, we discuss the...

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Finding your speciality in business

Finding Your Speciality In Business

Diane is a seasoned accountant with over 26 years of experience in accounting. Diane's success comes from her ability to find her niche in...

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Transitioning to running your own business

The Transition to Running Your Own Business

Dave Hinz worked 17 years as an automotive tech before making the leap into running and managing his own business. After 20 years running his own...

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How to implement profit first strategies into your business

How to Implement Profit First Strategies into Your 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...

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Finding the Right People in Business

Finding The Right People In Business

There’s always a fine balance between modernizing and keeping what people love when you own a family business. On this episode have on Mike Hagi to...

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Finding Your Ideal Customer With Rob Stoner and Mike Sokolski

Finding Your Ideal Customer With Rob Stoner and Mike Sokolski

Do you have trouble finding your ideal customer? This week, we have on Rob Stoner and Mike Sokolski, co-owners of Horizon Managed Services, to talk...

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The Power Of Referrals

The Power Of Referrals

The best marketing technique also happens to be free: word of mouth is one of THE greatest ways to spread the word and gain new business. That said,...

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Meet Your Hosts

Eric Joern

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.

John Chiappetta bw (1)

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!)