stephen carter

Don't wait until you're out of college and in your mid-twenties to start the business of your dreams--get started today. That's the message from Michael and David Siman, graduates from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy (class of 2018) and true entrepreneurs. What started as a sneaker and streetwear flipping business in their dorm room has turned into a six-figure apparel design company selling to large household names (Kofi Kingston, Sara Kelly, Owen Saxon) and YouTube Influencers (Hannah Bayles). 

You can check them out on Instagram (@michaelasiman) or LinkedIn (Michael Siman, David Siman). 

You can see their recent products at: https://hannah-bayles.myshopify.com/

This podcast features guest Kyle Peterson—Deputy Director of Entrepreneurship at Cedarville University. Kyle provides unique insights into what students interested in entrepreneurship studies should know in order to experience success. He covers everything from the need to take risks and change the way one thinks to why fabrication and graphic skills are important and how entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. For more information on Cedarville's program, check out  Cedarville Beyond.

Sarah Sloyan is the Senior Vice President of EntreLeadership, part of the Dave Ramsey Network. EntreLeadership focuses on helping small businesses grow and part of that comes from their ideology around leadership, team building, and delegation. Sarah shares her thoughts on these topics including how to find a balance in one's life between seeking results and maintaining relationships--she explains that leadership starts by "leading yourself." 

This episode is a throwback to a 2019 interview with Wes Duren leading up to the CHCA Food Symposium event. Wes, the co-owner of Marvin's Organic Gardens, is part entrepreneur, part educator, part gardener, and part advocate. His insights on edible landscaping and organic gardening are key to the vision of the Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Program at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. 

This episode of the podcast is dedicated to a discussion around branding and why it is important to develop a story for your brand. Bill Rempe, the president and co-founder of Velvet Hammer Branding, is the podcast guest and his insights into increasing consumer engagement and answering the large "Why" of the business are invaluable to consumers and business owners alike. Additionally, he touches upon the role branding plays in the life of the individual in terms of perception. For more information on Bill and his company, check out Velvet Hammer Branding and to learn more about the Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Program at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and opportunities to sponsor this podcast, go here.

Formerly the host of the EntreLeadership Podcast in conjunction with Ramsey Solutions, Alex Judd is the founder of Path for Growth--a company focused on speaking, team training, and executive coaching. The company's purpose is to help leaders clarify vision and achieve success. Alex shares his story of discovering his life's passion and understanding what it truly means to chase one's passion. Throughout the conversation, he touches on the need for authenticity, a case for integrity, the importance of balance, and the necessity of personal growth. 

In this episode, I interview Max Vonderhaar, current junior at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Max is an avid chef who is known throughout the CHCA community for his culinary skills--skills he hones by cooking for his lucky family members and friends. Max and I discuss the culinary world and its applicability to the CHCA Entrepreneurial program including the school's newly formed teaching kitchen which will be released Fall 2020 alongside the horticulture program to bring true farm-to-school education to the campus of CHCA.

In this episode of the podcast I interview Kam Siu--entrepreneur and owner of the Panda Trading Company LLC. Kam's company provides produce to restaurants and, when COVID-19 changed the whole face of what that looked like, he quickly converted his company to Panda Fresh Foods (https://www.pandafreshfoods.com). Panda Fresh Foods is an online sourcing tool to bring home delivery of fresh produce to those in the Cincinnati and Dayton area. Kam discusses his journey as an entrepreneur including what he learned along the way and the skillset needed to succeed as a business owner.

In this episode I talk with Connor Espenshade--current sophomore at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Connor is well-versed in synchronous learning because of his work with online education which extends well before the COVID-19 crisis. Connor has also done extensive work with app development through Apple and is currently working on building a collaborative learning network at CHCA. All in all, Connor is always involved in something exciting and constantly learning new skills.

In this episode I talk with Cory Martin, 2011 graduate from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Together with his brother, Cory is a co-owner of Tri-State Waterworks--a company specializing in pure water systems for homes and businesses (https://www.tri-statewaterworks.com). Cory discusses how important the role of networking has been for him as he moved from a manager at Lens Crafters to entrepreneur/business owner. He also talks about business ethics and letting go of ego when it comes to sales.

In this episode of the CHCA Entrepreneurial Podcast, I interview both Alex O'Brien (class of 2017) and Maria Pancioli (class of 2019). Alex O'Brien began building the CHCA Organic Garden as a 7th grader and, upon graduation, handed the project off to Maria Pancioli. Alex discusses how building the garden taught him the importance of collaborating in teams for problem solving, and Maria discusses how the garden was instrumental in her path to study horticulture. The CHCA Organic Garden is a core part of the burgeoning entrepreneurship program at the school and will be used in bringing farm-to-school hands-on learning to all grades at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.

In this episode of the CHCA Entrepreneurial Podcast I interview Amy Connor. Amy is the President & Owner of CMO-OnLoan™, an organization that serves mid-market companies in the Cincinnati region, helping them with the strategic marketing focus and integrated implementation needed to grow in competitive environments. Throughout the episode she discusses the importance of mentorship, the need for confidence and speaking up, as well as the significance of establishing trust. For more on Amy Connor's business, go to https://www.cmo-onloan.com.

In this episode of the CHCA Entrepreneurial Podcast I interview Benita Munnerlyn. Benita is a 2014 graduate of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and a 2019 graduate of the University of Cincinnati where she majored in marketing, international business, and entrepreneurship. Benita is the original founder of Wholistic Brands--a company whose mission is to improve the diet and wellbeing of urban communities. Benita discusses her biggest challenges as an entrepreneur along with ways in which CHCA helped prepare her for her future as a business owner.

In this episode of the CHCA Entrepreneurial Podcast I interview Paul Picton--co-owner of Maverick Chocolate in Cincinnati, OH. Maverick Chocolate is a bean-to-bar chocolate store specializing in ethically sourced, high quality chocolate. Paul discusses his role as entrepreneur after leaving the corporate world and how he became an "accidental social entrepreneur" through championing doing the right thing with his business. He also discusses the current COVID-19 crisis and what that means to him as a small business owner.

In this episode of the CHCA Entrepreneurial Podcast I interview Candace Pfister. Candace is a sophomore at the College of Charleston and also a graduate of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. She worked at the school's Leaning Eagle coffee bar for three years and went through the school's business entrepreneurship program. Last year her college team won the startup accelerator grand prize for their food waste app proposal.