Small Business, Big Lessons

In this episode we’re going to bring you stories about taking a stand. When to do it, how to do it and when to not do it at all, and just listen.

In this episode we’re going to show you great examples of how having a network of support can help keep you in a good, healthy place as a business owner, and we show you the importance of asking for help when you need it.

In this episode we’re showing you examples of incredible businesses who have impact built into their business model, and we’ll offer practical advice on how you can turn your business into a force for good.

In this episode we bring you success stories of businesses that got better alongside getting bigger, entrepreneurs who scaled without compromise and we offer practical advice to those thinking about how to retain their identity while building their future.

Does success always have to equal growth? As businesses get bigger they will inevitably change what they do and how they do it. So what if the whole reason you want to start your business in the first place is inherently tied to being a small business? How do you get better at staying small? And how do you keep sustainably small? In this episode we’re telling you stories of when businesses decide they’re big enough and that they can more effectively achieve their goals by staying small.

Would you turn down a nine figure offer to buy your business? We hear from Buffer CEO, Joel Gascoigne, who did just that, along with stories from incredible small business owners and entrepreneurs who have turned down big money for their business. In this episode we’re bringing you stories about saying yes to the right opportunities and saying no for the right reasons.

Community is at the center of many impactful small businesses. Whether we’re talking about the people who work with you to build your company or the people on the other side of the counter, having a community around your business can play a number of important roles. But how do you cultivate a flourishing community that grows with and supports your business? How do you build that community? We speak to small business owners who have built meaningful communities, they share their insights and the big lessons they’ve learned from creating communities.

Listen to a preview of Small Business, Big Lessons, a podcast from Buffer that goes behind-the-scenes with inspirational small businesses to explore how they are questioning the best ways to build a business and uncover the big lessons we can learn from their journeys (so far).

Damian Fagon, founder of Gullybean, shares how he builds his non-profit to help fight for restorative justice, agricultural education, and better representation of Black and brown farmers.

Phantila Phataraprasit, co-founder of sustainable furniture brand Sabai, takes us through how her business is driving change and redefining an industry.

In this episode, Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig shares how its commitment to sharing as much information as possible with everyone in the organization has helped its community of businesses to thrive.

Wildbit co-founder Natalie Nagele looks at what happens when people come before profits, and purpose means more than productivity.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe, a globally known, one-of-a-kind coffee shop in Boulder, Colorado (USA), takes us through how and why they became an employee-owned company.

Paynter Jacket Co. builds their business in public to sell limited-edition jackets that sell out in minutes.

Stephen Tracy, a data strategist who left Google to build a B-Corp-certified and sustainable scented candle business Keap shares how he builds a business while staying true to his "why".

Shawn Askinosie left a successful career as a criminal defense lawyer to start a bean-to-bar chocolate factory.

Small Business, Big Lessons is a new podcast from Buffer that goes behind the scenes with inspirational small businesses who are truly driving innovation and redefining how work happens. The eight-episode series tells the stories of extraordinary small businesses and the people behind them, examining how they’re doing things differently and what we can learn from their journeys. From former criminal defence lawyers and hemp farmers to accidental entrepreneurs and more, this podcast proves that the path to building a successful and impactful business can come through roads less travelled.