What if your biggest competitive advantage is your story?

When Akruti Babaria couldn’t find tools to help her son connect with his Indian heritage, she turned that gap into a business. What started as selling curated children’s books quickly evolved into Kulture Khazana – a brand built on storytelling, cultural connection, and community.

In this episode, she breaks down how she validated demand through programming, pivoted during COVID by launching her first product, and used Amazon to scale – from leveraging influencer trust to unlocking rapid growth through the Amazon’s Choice badge.

If you want to turn your story into a real competitive advantage and build a brand customers actually connect with – this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you’ll learn:

(01:22) — How Akruti found her purpose after a life-changing moment.

(06:06) — How to use storytelling to grow your brand and community

(08:35) — How Amazon influencers can help drive product sales

(09:29) — What “Amazon’s Choice” means for your business and how it impacts sales

(10:50) — How to turn your culture into a competitive advantage

(12:10) — How to keep going when you feel like quitting your business.

What separates the businesses that get funded from the ones that don’t?

Angela Lee, a professor at Columbia Business School and founder of 37 Angels, has helped evaluate over 20,000 startups and knows exactly what makes investors say yes.

In this episode, Angela breaks down how to think like an investor, what metrics actually matter (hint: it’s not just revenue), and how to turn early traction into long-term growth. She shares practical frameworks – from the “triple, triple, double” growth model to scrappy experiments like landing page testing – that can help you validate your idea and scale with intention.

If you want to stop guessing what investors are looking for – and start building a business they can’t ignore – this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:11) — How Angela Lee turned an investment book club into 37 Angels to tackle venture capital’s diversity gap

(04:31) — How to find investors (even if you don’t have connections)

(05:24) — How to make your pitch stand out to investors?

(07:23) — How to prove your business model actually works

(08:55) — The framework every founder needs to stay adaptable and prioritize what matters

(12:49) — Confidence isn’t fixed – Here’s how you can build it

(14:58) — How founders can deal with the loneliness of building a business

What happens when a simple craving turns into a nationally recognized brand?

For Alejandro Lopez, it started with brunch. Frustrated by inconsistent Bloody Marys at restaurants, he began experimenting in his own kitchen – searching for the perfect mix. What began as a passion project quickly turned into Toma Beverage Company.

In this episode, Alejandro shares how he tackled product development and packaging challenges, why leaning into his Hispanic heritage became a turning point for the brand, and how selling on Amazon helped Toma survive and grow after he lost 60% of his business during COVID.

If you’re thinking about starting a business or figuring out how to adapt when everything changes, this conversation is packed with lessons on resilience, authenticity, and building a brand that connects with people.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:31) — What if your best business idea starts with a craving?

(04:33) — Do you really need to “go all in” or can you build slowly first?

(06:48) — Why leaning into your identity is a risk worth taking.

(12:34) — How Amazon can help you understand and grow your audience

(16:21) — What’s next for Toma and why authenticity is key to scaling.

What happens when you take a centuries-old tradition and introduce it to a modern audience?

That’s the question Brenden Silverman set out to answer with Leilo, a wellness drink inspired by kava – a traditional beverage from the South Pacific known for its calming properties. What started as a college experiment (complete with questionable early recipes and brutally honest feedback at frat parties) turned into a fast-growing brand.

In this episode, Brenden shares how iteration, patience, and a little bit of scrapiness helped his team turn early skepticism into momentum. You’ll also hear how seller tools like Fulfillment by Amazon and Multi-Channel Fulfillment helped Leilo scale efficiently without getting buried in logistics.

If your early experiments aren’t quite working yet, but you know you’re onto something – this episode is for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:16) — How early negative feedback might actually be your biggest advantage.

(07:24) — The scrappy way to formulate a product when you can’t afford the experts.

(10:56) — How Amazon can shortcut your customer acquisition journey and unlock serious growth.

(12:08) — Amazon Multi-channel Fulfillment: How to scale faster by letting someone else handle operations.

What if design isn’t the finishing touch on your business but the foundation?

Sally Chung thinks most founders have it backwards. They obsess over logos, colors, and aesthetics, while skipping the deeper work that actually determines whether a product succeeds: understanding the user.

In this episode of This Is Small Business, Sally – founder of Designpreneurs & Co. and professor at Parsons School of Design – breaks down why design thinking isn’t about making things look good. It’s about validating your idea and building something people genuinely want. From quitting corporate to launch her own startup to teaching entrepreneurs how to de-risk their ideas, Sally shares how design thinking helps you move faster without wasting time or money.

If you’re building a brand, chasing product-market fit, or trying to grow smarter – this conversation might save you from your most expensive mistake.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(05:45) — What is design thinking — and what are the 6 steps every founder should know?

(02:02) — How to find opportunity in ambiguity and stop fearing failure.

(08:36) — How to know if customers will actually pay for your idea?

(10:57) — How to launch a product without wasting money?

(13:31) — How can better design increase revenue?

(15:45) — Where should founders start if they’re not designers?

She didn’t mean to disrupt the gum industry. She just wanted gum that wasn’t made of plastic.

When Caron Proschan first found that out, she couldn’t ignore it. One piece of neon-blue gum after a healthy lunch sent her down a rabbit hole that ended with her hand-making natural gum in her apartment.

In this episode of This Is Small Business, Caron shares how reading one ingredient label set off a chain reaction – from kitchen experiments and door-to-door Whole Foods pitches in Manhattan to building a factory of her own in Brooklyn.

We get into proof of concept, the customer reviews that actually changed the product, and why sometimes not knowing how hard the entrepreneurial journey will be is exactly what gets you started.

If you’ve ever looked at a product and thought, “Why is this like this?” – this one’s for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:05) — What happens when you can’t un-see what’s on the label?

(04:03) — Andrea tries the gum (and the mints… and the gummies)

(04:48) — Can you really build a food brand without experts or investors?

(06:27) — When do you know it’s real enough to quit your job?

(09:00) — How being on Amazon can help you grow faster and improve your product in real time.

(13:25) — Will customers pay more for better ingredients — or not?

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn’t your idea… it’s the way you’ve been trained to think?

Ashish Bhatia is basically a therapist for entrepreneurs and in this episode of This Is Small Business, he breaks down why “just be confident” is the worst advice ever, and what actually works instead.

As a professor of Entrepreneurship at NYU Stern, Ashish has helped hundreds of founders go from “I have an idea” to “I built this” and he’s here to teach you how to rewire your brain for uncertainty, feedback, and real momentum. You’ll learn why entrepreneurs aren’t “natural risk-takers,” how to stop protecting your idea like it’s fragile, and the simple steps to move faster (without spiraling). Plus: how to figure out what you really want so you stop building a life that looks good on paper but feels wrong in real life.

If you’ve been stuck overthinking, waiting for the “right time,” or quietly questioning whether you’re cut out for this… this one’s for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(01:11) — Mindset isn’t enough… so what actually has to change?

(06:41) — The 3 steps to go from “I have an idea” to “I built this”

(08:44) — Why you’re scared to share your idea (and how to do it anyway)

(11:49) — Opportunity cost vs. “affordable loss” (A.K.A. How to stop talking yourself out of it)

(14:20) — Why you need to self-reflect to build a successful business

What do you do when you realize the “safe” path isn’t actually your dream?

Brandon Fuhrmann went to law school, passed the bar… and then walked away – because building Cooler Kitchen, a space-saving kitchen brand born in a tiny NYC apartment, sounded way more fun than billing hours forever.

In this episode of This Is Small Business, Brandon breaks down how he actually built Cooler Kitchen – from choosing products based on keyword research to scaling in the Amazon store. He also shares how his kids are shaping his next product line and how he built a massive community for sellers through the conference he co-hosts, Innovate, because entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a lonely grind.

If you’ve ever wanted freedom, flexibility, and a life where you can make money while you sleep, this one’s for you.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness

In this episode of This Is Small Business, you'll learn about:

(00:59) — Should I quit a stable career to start a business?

(01:56) — Is Amazon FBA the easiest way to start selling online?

(04:55) — How do you choose your first product without wasting money?

(07:58) — Can you run a business and still be a present parent?

(09:52) — What Amazon tools actually move the needle for sales?

(10:56) — Why is selling internationally so much harder than it looks?

(12:32) — Building a business can feel lonely, so how do you find your people?

(15:03) — What’s the number 1 mindset shift new entrepreneurs need to survive?