Rooted and Reaching Start Up South Bend Elkhart

This week host Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Michael Yoder, owner of Truth Work Media and Stockroom East. Michael shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur and how he started his own podcast company after realizing he wanted more fulfillment in his career. Michael talks about the importance of building relationships and surrounding yourself with a strong team. He discusses the challenges and successes he has experienced in his various ventures and reflects on the impact of his family. Michael gives an in-depth look into his future plans with the team at TWM, his desire to be a good father and husband, and his plans to continue growing his businesses.
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!
QUOTES
“Bring smarter people around. I was able to grow and scale Truth Work Media because of the team. It has very little to do with me. Without my team, I’d be nothing. And I mean that. I tell them that all the time. They are the rock stars and got a good team, got a good team at the Stockroom. We're working together on this thing. And when you're able to not go guns blazing because you know your team has got you, you can start to shift focus.” -Michael Yoder [09:01]

“What I love about being an entrepreneur the most is the creation. There's a word poethesis. It's the creation out of nothing to bring something into existence that wasn't there before. And that's what I think we're all doing to some extent. That's what this place is. That's what podcasts are like. This art. This thing didn't exist. Now we're making it and then we're putting it into the world. Whether people find value in that, I don't know, but I do. -Michael Yoder [21:15]

TIMESTAMPS
|00:30] Michael's decision to quit his job and start Truth Work Media
|04:31] The development of Stockroom East and its success 
|08:20] Defining success and advice for managing multiple businesses
|09:54] Building a strong team 
|12:13] Saying yes to opportunities 
|16:01] Being a futurist and adapting to market changes
|19:40] Family support and saying yes to opportunities 
|20:49] Action and implementation as key to entrepreneurship
|21:20] Creation and the value of podcasts and art





RESOURCES
Truth Work Media: https://truthworkmedia.com/ 

CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/

This week host Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Mike Keen, Founder of Hometowne Development LLC. Mike discusses his work in the Near Northwest neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana and the upcoming opening of Ward Baking Company. He shares his journey from being a college professor to becoming a small-scale developer and the principles of urbanism and sustainability that guide his work. Mike shares how incremental development and collaboration between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors create a thriving community. He also talks about the small-scale development movement and highlights the need for multifamily housing to address the affordability crisis.
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!


QUOTES
"So what we find is that to make this small-scale development work, whether it's in our neighborhood across the city, or we now do consulting with other cities, you need to bring together a set of champions that come from these different sectors and who want to collaborate" -Mike Keen [06:29]

“What I would say for anybody doing anything, and this includes small-scale development, is see if you can find yourself a mentor and begin to talk with them and find other people who have done it." -Mike Keen [08:57]



TIMESTAMPS
03:30 Renovating a flower shop
07:39 Lessons learned: Take action and start small
10:42 What Mike is most proud of in his work
13:47 The need for increased housing density
17:46 South Bend town makers group and supporting local businesses
19:08 The South Bend Elkhart Partnership



RESOURCES
South Bend Elkhart Partnership: https://southbendelkhart.org/ 

CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/ 

This week host Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Austin Cabello from Haunt of Hounds and ZR Investments. Austin shares his experiences in real estate development, and what it's like being a co-owner, navigating the day-to-day challenges of running a business with your friends. He also discusses the unique ways he has approached the restaurant and hospitality industry, and how he and his wife hope to continue to make a positive impact on South Bend. 
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!


QUOTES

"The ups and the downs are very high and very low. There can be a week where it just feels like this is going to work for decades and then there can be a week where it's like, we may not be here next week. So I think understanding how you ground yourself, learning to take time for yourself, and learning how you can kind of control those emotions is important." -Austin Cabello [13:25]

“On the restaurant group side, these are all new concepts, none of them have been open for three years yet. So we know that takes time because they are startups. And so we have to continue to build that brand and continue to be efficient.“ -Austin Cabello [16:26]



TIMESTAMPS
02:17 Rebuilding in South Bend
05:39 Austin’s entrepreneurial journey
11:13 Haunt of Hounds origin story 
16:05 South Bend startups
19:06 What Austin is most proud of



RESOURCES
Haunt of Hounds


CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/

This week hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Phil Smoker, Vice President of Sales at Smoker Craft Boats. Phil shares the history of the family-owned business and how the company transitioned from a lumber company to building boats and eventually merged with StarCraft to create a larger and more innovative product line. He also highlights the cooperative spirit in the South Bend Elkhart region and the company's focus on innovation and technology, including the use of robotics in their manufacturing process. Phil shares his own entrepreneurial experience and emphasizes the importance of creating a thriving community for future generations.
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!


QUOTES

 "We found that there wasn't any magic formula or there wasn't a way that you had to do everything exactly written out for you. You had to just find a way to make it work. And I think if there's anything I learned, it was that you just went out and found a way to get it done." -Phil Smoker [09:18]

“Especially with the last two years, it's been challenging with materials and supply chain. As challenging as it is, we've had to adapt. So you never followed the exact order in which you scheduled things. You did it based on what you had materials for. So our schedule would change within the week and now production tracking allows us to know exactly what boat is running at what time and where.“ -Phil Smoker [13:02]



TIMESTAMPS
00:23 The history of Smoker Craft Boats
03:49 Cooperative spirit and competition in the South Bend Elkhart region
10:17 Innovation and problem-solving at Smoker Craft
11:14 Implementation of industry 4.0 and automation in the manufacturing process
13:45 The increase in boat sales during the pandemic




RESOURCES
Smoker Craft


CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/

This week hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Nate Miller, Founder of Consensus Networks, a startup that aims to simplify cryptocurrency and blockchain wallets. Nate shares his experiences in the Navy and how he transitioned into entrepreneurship through Notre Dame's ESTEEM program. He also discusses the challenges of building a startup in the crypto space, the importance of building trust in the industry, and the potential of blockchain technology beyond finance.
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!
QUOTES
 "Web3 is this data provenance, where you can start to own your data, you can transact digital value, you can send money to people natively, and you don't need a third party controlling it to do that." -Nate Miller [14:05]“The federal government is going to implement most likely I think within the next five to ten years, central bank digital currency that is going to digitize the United States dollar. And so whether you like it or not, you're going to be in the world of digital currencies. Everybody will be“ -Nate Miller [18:25]

TIMESTAMPS
00:32 Nate Miller's background in the Navy |
04:27 Importance of creativity in the military and entrepreneurship
11:54 Definition of Web3 and digital ownership of the Internet
14:05 Consensus Networks launching a product for easy interaction with digital assets
19:30 Consensus Networks' website and upcoming product launch 




RESOURCES
Consensus Networks


CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/

This week hosts Nick Kuhn and Bethany Hartley talk with Annie Johnson, Founder of Take Care, South Bend, a business connecting the South Bend community with the gifting industry. Annie curates care packages, gift baskets, and subscription boxes using products from various vendors in the South Bend area. She shares her founding story, how she finds the people she works with, and the most surprising part of running her own business. Annie also talks about the challenges of being an entrepreneur and shares her vision for the future of Take Care, South Bend.
South Bend business owners and entrepreneurs, if you’ve been in business for five years or less reach out to us to be featured on the Rooted and Reaching Podcast!
QUOTES

 "My favorite thing to make are gifts for people who are in need of comfort." -Annie Johnson [04:37]

“I get a lot of people time in my work, but I also really appreciate my friends. I have friends who have been key in supporting the business either by purchasing or sharing online on social media, telling their friends about my business. I am really thankful for them.“ -Annie Johnson [07:36]



TIMESTAMPS
02:25 Take Care, South Bend founding story
04:44 Annie’s favorite part of running her business
06:05 South Bend’s renaissance 
07:26 Finding support and community as an entrepreneur




RESOURCES
Take Care, South Bend


CONTACT
Nick Kuhn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuhnnick/ 
Bethany Hartley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanyhartley/