Do Small Business Like a Big Boss Podcast

In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill sits down with Nicole Blake Baxter, founder of The Blake Agency, to discuss how small businesses can use public relations (PR) to build visibility, credibility, and stronger audience connections.
With over 20 years of experience, Nicole shares how to create an effective PR strategy without a big budget, why local media coverage matters, and how entrepreneurs can build their digital presence.
🎧 What You’ll Learn:
The difference between PR and marketing
Why local media coverage can be valuable
How to approach sales through storytelling
How to pitch articles to trade publications
How earned, paid, and owned media work together
How to start building your PR strategy
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:43 – Introducing Nicole Blake Baxter
00:46 – PR vs. marketing
03:00 – Her music industry experience
07:29 – Starting her own agency
13:48 – Business partnerships and exit plans
18:50 – Landing her first clients
20:07 – Storytelling and sales
26:52 – Why she turns down short-term campaigns
28:31 – Local press vs. Forbes
33:01 – Building your digital footprint
34:47 – Pitching trade publications
39:50 – Getting started with PR
40:42 – Earned, paid, and owned media
44:50 – Finding The Blake Agency
👤 About the Guest:
Nicole Blake Baxter is the founder and managing director of The Blake Agency, an Atlanta-based public relations firm serving clients nationwide. She has over 20 years of PR experience, beginning her career at Island Def Jam before launching her own agency.
🚀 Make Your Business Official!
Join Aisha’s FREE weekly webinar to learn how to build, brand, and strengthen your business.
👉 Register: https://www.igotnext.co/training
👉 Get Your FREE Legal Guide:
https://smallbizzlegalguide.com
🔗 Stay Connected with Sedgwick Andrews:
https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC
Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don’t build it small.
If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, download, and share it with another business owner! 🎧

In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill sits down with Marcus Smith, CEO of Cloud Trailz, a Salesforce support, management, and strategy firm, to talk about the systems and strategies that helped him build and grow a successful business.
This conversation covers the real-life lessons behind building a subscription-based business, protecting your company from overreliance on a single referral channel, creating owned content and SEO strategies, and the $300,000 mistake that taught Marcus a powerful lesson: you cannot buy trust from strangers.
🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why a subscription model can create more stability than relying on one-off projects
How to protect your business from depending on a single referral or acquisition channel
Why owning your content and search traffic can create long-term growth
How “Demo Week” helps improve the quality and speed of your team's work
The $300K lesson on why trust cannot be bought from strangers
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:19 – Introduction
00:59 – Guest introduction: Marcus Smith & Cloud Trailz
01:54 – Why he built the business on subscriptions, not projects
04:00 – How COVID fueled early growth and the risk that came with it
08:05 – Insulating the business from a single dominant channel
08:48 – Why they invest in owned content instead of renting attention
09:16 – SEO explained simply: matching intent to content
11:12 – The 3% buying vs. 95% browsing framework
12:29 – The corporate moment that made him want out
15:11 – How a joke turned him into a CEO
16:30 – Handling pushback on the subscription model
19:53 – The early hurdle: realizing nobody cares about your new business
22:34 – How to actually get customers to care
24:48 – A client transformation he's most proud of
29:11 – The “Demo Week” structure that changed everything
35:23 – The $300K mistake: trying to buy back demand
37:49 – Why “systems beat heroics”
40:23 – What “Do Small Business Like a Big Boss” means to Marcus
41:28 – Where to connect with Cloud Trailz
👤 About the Guest:
Marcus Smith is the CEO of Cloud Trailz, a Salesforce support, management, and strategy firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company has helped more than 250 businesses put Salesforce to work for their teams.
Website: https://www.cloudtrailz.com
🚀 Ready to Make Your Business Official?
Join Aisha’s FREE weekly webinar, Make Your Business Official, and learn how to build, brand, and bulletproof your business with confidence.
👉 Register here: https://www.igotnext.co/training
👉 Grab your FREE Legal Guide at:
https://www.topemployermistakes.com
🔗 Stay Connected with Sedgwick Andrews:
Follow us across all platforms for legal tips, business strategy, and boss-level motivation:
👉 https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC
Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don’t build it small.
If this episode helped you, don’t forget to subscribe, download, and share it with another boss who needs to hear it. 🎧

In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill, Founder and Principal Attorney at Sedgwick Andrews Legal & Consulting, LLC, sits down with Dan Hafner, founder of Dapper No Code, to talk about building a successful software business without learning to code or hiring a traditional development team.
Dan shares his journey from farm kid to software founder, how he discovered the power of no-code tools, and the mindset shifts that helped him turn his skills into a profitable business. He also explains why he intentionally downsized his team, how AI helps him run a high-output firm, and what first-time founders really need to build a business.
🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How to turn an app idea into a sellable product using no-code tools
Why knowing your financial “bottom number” matters before going full-time
The three things every business needs: a way to sell, get paid, and reach people
Why growing a team isn't always the goal and how AI can help you stay lean
How to audit your tech stack and eliminate unnecessary subscriptions
⏱️ Episode Timestamps:
00:39 – Introduction & Guest Introduction: Dan Hafner
01:02 – From farm kid to software founder
02:52 – Dan's first job and early career lessons
04:44 – Landing a QA role at Deloitte
08:07 – Discovering his passion for computer work
11:59 – Deciding to become a business owner
14:16 – Discovering no-code app builders
16:50 – Making the business official
19:07 – The moment it became a real business
20:30 – Quitting his job for good
23:29 – Advice for entrepreneurs afraid of the timing
27:24 – Pricing, confidence, and knowing your worth
29:14 – Growing a team to seven and shrinking back to one
32:02 – AI and no-code tools transforming the business
41:11 – Auditing your tech stack
46:06 – What “Do Small Business Like a Big Boss” means to Dan
47:31 – Where to find Dan and The No Code Advantage podcast
👤 About the Guest:
Dan Hafner is the founder of Dapper No Code, a Pittsburgh-based no-code app and software development firm that helps coaches, experts, and small business owners turn software ideas into revenue-generating products without traditional development costs.
Dapper No Code was recognized as Best of No-Code Development in the USA for 2025. Dan also hosts The No Code Advantage podcast.
Connect with Dan:
Website: https://www.dappernocode.com
🚀 Ready to Make Your Business Official?
Join Aisha’s FREE weekly webinar, Make Your Business Official, and learn how to build, brand, and bulletproof your business with confidence.
👉 Register here: https://www.igotnext.co/training
👉 Grab your FREE Legal Guide at:
https://www.topemployermistakes.com
🔗 Stay Connected with Sedgwick Andrews:
Follow us across all platforms for legal tips, business strategy, and boss-level motivation:
👉 https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC
Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don’t build it small.
If this episode helped you, don’t forget to subscribe, download, and share it with another boss who needs to hear it.

Thinking about turning your side project into a nonprofit or small business? Ian Kimble breaks down exactly what to lock in early — starting with the two moves most founders put off too long.
Ian Kimble is the co-founder and executive director of Black Tech Philly, a Philadelphia nonprofit expanding access to tech education, digital literacy, and AI literacy. What started as a conversation with a stranger coding in a coffee shop back in 2019 is now a program running in four Philadelphia schools, hosting city-wide Tech Town Halls, and building a growing community of tech professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs. Aisha and Ian talk through the free legal resources that helped him formalize the organization, the importance of building the right kind of  culture that shaped how his team hires and holds people accountable, and how storytelling — not advertising — became his biggest lead source.

💡 What You'll Learn
How to find free legal help for 501(c)(3) formation through pro bono lawyer programs like Philly VIP
Why culture isn't your website's mission statement — it's the worst behavior you're willing to tolerate — and how to set that standard early
How showing up in person and telling one specific, sticky story about your business turns into inbound leads

How to balance a full-time job with building your business in the early days without burning out

⏱️ Episode Timestamps
00:02 – Welcome & meet Ian Kimble
00:55 – The coffee shop conversation that started Black Tech Philly
02:20 – What Black Tech Philly does today
05:20 – Is the appetite really there for tech & AI literacy?
09:39 – Deepfakes, media literacy, and “trust but verify”
12:23 – Getting free legal help early through Philly VIP
16:03 – The real definition of company culture
19:39 – How a LinkedIn shoutout sparked momentum
21:15 – Turning story and “being in the field” into inbound leads
28:27 – From political science to insurance sales to code
32:23 – The moment coding became “the thing”
33:53 – Building a sales pipeline for community partnerships
35:48 – Balancing a full-time job while building the org
43:06 – Why the name “Black Tech Philly” was intentional
44:57 – What “Do Small Business Like a Big Boss” means to Ian
46:06 – Where to find Black Tech Philly

🎤 About Our Guest
Ian Kimble is the co-founder and executive director of Black Tech Philly, a Philadelphia-based educational nonprofit founded in spring 2020, focused on expanding access to technology, digital literacy, and AI literacy across the city.
Website: https://blacktechphilly.org
Ian on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/iank6

Take the free Small Business Legal Risk Self-Assessment and get clarity before a contract, a lawsuit, or a bad partnership does it for you.

👉 Grab your assessment here: www.smallbizzlegalguide.com

🔗 Stay Connected with Sedgwick Andrews:
Follow us across all platforms for legal tips, business strategy, and boss-level motivation:

👉 https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC

Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don't build it small.

In this episode of Do Small Business Like a Big Boss, host Aisha Jorge Massengill, Founder and Principal Attorney at Sedgwick Andrews Legal & Consulting, LLC, sits down with Shan Thomas, founder of Credible Visibility Media, to discuss how she left a six-figure corporate career to build a thriving business on her own terms. Shan shares how she leveraged her corporate experience, developed profitable systems, and created a business that delivers both financial success and work-life balance.

This conversation covers the real-life lessons behind building a business from the ground up—what worked, what didn't, and what every aspiring entrepreneur needs to hear.

🎧 What You'll Learn in This Episode:

How to leverage corporate experience to build credibility as an entrepreneur
The Bullseye Strategy for attracting ideal clients without limiting growth
A pricing framework to confidently raise your rates
How the TAGS Framework helps create a signature offer that stands out
Why your ideal client is often the person you were 5–10 years ago

⏱️ Episode Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction
00:52 – Guest introduction: Shan Thomas
02:50 – From corporate career to entrepreneurship
08:34 – Overcoming challenges in a male-dominated industry
13:40 – Quitting without a plan and starting a business
19:36 – Faith, fear, and betting on yourself
25:00 – Profit strategy and revenue planning
27:08 – The Bullseye Strategy for client messaging
30:00 – The TAGS Framework
36:28 – Pricing with confidence
39:19 – Building the "10–4 Life"
42:41 – What "Do Small Business Like a Big Boss" means
44:24 – Wrap-up & calls to action

👤 About the Guest:

Shan Thomas is the founder of Credible Visibility Media, where she helps service-based business owners increase profitability through strategic positioning, signature offers, and scalable systems. Drawing from decades of Fortune 500 experience negotiating billion-dollar logistics contracts, Shan brings big-business strategies to small business owners. She is also the founder of Entrepreneur Her, an Atlanta-based community supporting women entrepreneurs.

Connect with Shan: LinkedIn — @shanthomasbiz

Ready to find out where your business is legally exposed?*
Take the free Small Business Legal Risk Self-Assessment and get clarity before a contract, a lawsuit, or a bad partnership does it for you.

👉 Grab your assessment here: www.smallbizzlegalguide.com

🔗 Stay Connected with Sedgwick Andrews:
Follow us across all platforms for legal tips, business strategy, and boss-level motivation:

👉 https://linktr.ee/Sedgwick_Andrews_LC

Podcast Mantra:
Build the dream messy, build it scared, just don't build it small.
If this episode helped you, don't forget to subscribe, download, and share it with another boss who needs to hear it.