John Donaldson

Meet the Master of Side Gigs: How a Local Pilot Started 3 Companies in His Downtime

John Donaldson’s loan officer calls him the busiest man he knows. In addition to flying 777 cargo planes, he owns and operates three businesses. Learn how this immigrant from Northern Ireland ended up making Northern Kentucky his home and the base for his entrepreneurial ambitions.

Arlinghaus Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

Brian and Heather Arlinghaus

How do a husband and wife run a household and a business together, ensuring both stay on track and neither overtakes the other?

Brian and Heather Arlinghaus have learned a lot about what works and continue to look for ways to work well together, enjoy time away from the business, and have fun when they are at work. Plus, learn where the idea for branding their people and their vehicles with a bright pink and focusing on giving each customer a “Happy House” originated.

Arlinghaus Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

Brian and Heather Arlinghaus

When Brian and Heather Arlinghaus decided it was time to convert his HVAC expertise and her business operations know-how into their own business, they had no idea how their dream would grow and their aspirations continue to climb.

Today, their pink trucks can be sighted throughout the region, and their faces are familiar to many residents of greater Cincinnati thanks to billboards and public buses. Hear how they survived the early, lean years, and how they are growing in smart, sustainable ways.

Bill Aseere

Greater Cincinnati Franchisee for Donatos, Whit’s Frozen Custard and Guthrie’s Golden Fried Chicken

For many aspiring entrepreneurs, the opportunities to buy an existing business or franchise a successful brand are appealing. Generational transfer of ownership is offering younger people a shot to become owners and seasoned businesspeople an opportunity to expand.

Bill Aseere is a homegrown franchise success story. In addition to a personal passion for products sold at the store he owns and operates, he believes in the power of community partnerships, the logic of local, and the importance of getting your hands into day-to-day operations even when you’ve grown large enough to step back. Find out how the force between the Donatos you enjoy at a Bengals, Cyclones game or the location in your neighborhood learned the ropes of franchising so well he now coaches other would-be franchisees.

TechSolve

Whether You’re a Fortune 500 or a Small Manufacturing Outfit, Dan Catalano Understands the Right Banking Partner is a Big Deal

Dan Catalano, a former Fortune 500 manufacturing executive and long-time board member, shares how he became acquainted with Heritage Bank - first experiencing the personal character of its leadership, then learning why smaller banks are sometimes the best fit for businesses, even large ones.

Also, he shares his newest passion, building up the efficiency and profitability of small manufacturers in Ohio through a nonprofit called TechSolve. If you’re running a small manufacturing outfit in the Buckeye State or thinking of starting one, learn how the environment for manufacturing has shifted in favor of small domestic companies and how TechSolve is available to help your company compete and succeed.

Hermes Construction

If your business needs help with building, Hermes Construction could be the right partner.  From helping customers develop an upfront budget, to producing a rendering of the finished building to overseeing the entire construction process, Hermes Construction provides A to Z support for any commercial construction project.

Learn how evolving in response to the market has kept Hermes Construction a viable, profitable family business. From the day the founder pivoted from residential construction to storage units, and later when the two brothers pivoted from owning storage units to building storage facilities for other entrepreneurs as well as a range of commercial construction projects, Hermes Construction has thrived by reading the market.

Graf Manufacturing

Cammy Dierking & Her Husband, John Graf, Disrupt the Shipping Industry

You know Cammy Dierking as a consummate broadcast journalist and popular local anchor. If you’re in the commercial construction industry, you might have met her husband, John Graf. But did you know they are the owners of a successful manufacturing operation in Loveland, Ohio? Listen to the story of two cautious people who took a leap of faith that has transformed how they imagined their “golden years” and shown them how to transfer skills from their former lives while building new competencies.

And if your business involves shipping products across the country or around the world, or if you depend on products shipped from several states or countries away, you will definitely want to hear more about KickStops. The products Graf Manufacturing is producing in Loveland, Ohio are saving some of the world’s leading companies big dollars and disrupting the shipping industry.

Graf Manufacturing - Cammy Dierking & John Graf

Former News Anchor Cammy Dierking & Husband John Graf Start Second Acts as Entrepreneurs

You know what Rob Braun’s up to these days, but what about his long-time colleague Cammy Dierking? Would you believe she spends her days driving a forklift?
Catch up with Cammy Dierking, former Channel 12 anchor, and her husband, John Graf as they share their entrepreneurial journey with Rob. Find out what Graf Manufacturing produces and how the couple decided to make manufacturing their joint second act.

Circus Mojo

What kind of a bank takes a chance on an ex-Ringling Brothers Circus clown? The kind of bank who knows its community. The kind of bank who can’t be scared off by a unique loan structure. The kind of bank who recognizes a strong business plan and the opportunity to help a struggling community find its mojo again. In this episode of How You Make It, the founder of Circus Mojo & Bircus Brewing Co. shares the ongoing journey of one of the more unique successful small businesses Heritage Bank has backed.

Brian Dunham

Thinking Through Your Succession Plan

So many entrepreneurs are caught up in launching, growing, pivoting or just getting the work of their business done day-to-day, they neglect to think about retirement until very late in the day. Whether you are considering wrapping things up in five years, 10 years or 15 years, that’s a conversation you need to have with your business attorney.

Brian Dunham

Finding a Good Business Attorney is Key Part of Your Business Plan

In this episode, Brian Dunham of Dunham Law explains why entrepreneurs should not wait until they run into a legal issue before forging a relationship with an attorney focused on counseling small businesses. In fact, you shouldn’t hang out your shingle or accept your first order before you meet with an attorney who can ensure your company is set up right from the beginning. Don’t miss this episode.

Robert Braun

Like Father, Like Son

We launched this episode in mid-June because we just couldn’t resist the timing: It’s our Father’s Day edition! Rob Braun has been a serial entrepreneur his entire adult life, and it has apparently rubbed off on his namesake, Robert Braun. In this edition of How You Make It, Rob Braun interviews his son, Robert Braun about his entrepreneurial journey.

Learn why Robert left a great corporate job to make a side-gig his full-time passion. Find out how he’s parlayed the skills he burnished in corporate America into his company. Listen to how Robert leverages his family’s skills and experience to run and grow his business.

Nick Salsgiver

SVP, Director of Treasury Management

Making Smart Money Moves

Nick Salsgiver, SVP, Head of Heritage Bank Treasury Management is back to talk about services you might not know to ask your bank about and to urge business owners to protect themselves against fraud now before they become victims.

Nick Salsgiver

SVP, Director of Treasury Management

A Small Business Game Changer

Nick Salsgiver, SVP, Head of Heritage Bank Treasury Management explains how the services his department offers business customers can solve some of their most vexing problems, including how to get paid faster. Whether you’re a start-up or celebrating a milestone anniversary, a robust Treasury Management department at a community bank can make your business stronger.

Robert J. Tagher, MD

Pediatrician Masters the Business of Healthcare While Maintaining High Levels of Care

For more than six decades, families living in Florence and in surrounding communities have relied on Pediatrics of Florence for their children’s primary health care. Robert Tagher, MD is carrying on his father’s legacy and the values he instilled in the practice from day one while continuing to evolve to reflect what health care professionals have learned about caring for children in recent decades. Learn how Dr. Tagher balances high standards and personalized care with the business demands of running an independent practice.

Riegler Blacktop

Children of Successful Entrepreneurs: When To Fly & When To Nest

How does the head of a family-owned company know whether the company they’ve nurtured and a child or grandchild are a good match? What are some guidelines for making sure the progeny of entrepreneurs find their own wings and how they should eventually join the company, if that’s what they decide to do.

Riegler Blacktop

How the Rieglers Paved the Way for Third Generation Ownership

For almost seven decades, the Riegler family has been paving services across the tri-state. The company started as a farmer’s side gig – paving his neighbors driveway. Today, his grandchildren run the company whose trucks and signs you seem to see everywhere when the weather is right for paving driveways, parking lots and roadways. Riegler Blacktop employs about 200 local people and owns its own asphalt plant. Learn how they have beat the “third generation” curse and why there’s nothing like working with family.

PayOptions

Ryan McCullough has been running his own business for more than a decade, but he still remembers what it was like to work for someone else. Learn how his years as an employee paid dividends once he was at the helm. Ryan McCullough built a successful career in sales but couldn’t shake the sense that the best product he had to sell was himself. Finally, he took the leap, leveraging his experience with payroll systems to launch his own company. PayOptions celebrated its 12th anniversary in 2023. Today, the company provides pay roll solutions to companies in 38 states, and Ryan has proven that betting on himself was a good risk.

Advisors Unplugged:

Stephen Mann, CPA - Part II

Our conversation with Stephen Mann of Blue & Co. continues. He shares what not to expect from your CPA, including legal advice as well as his tips for building a successful career as an entrepreneur or advisor to entrepreneurs.

Advisors Unplugged:

Stephen Mann, CPA - Part I

Entrepreneurs need access to capital, but they also need expert advice on managing cashflow and taxes. That’s where accountants come in. Stephen Mann of Blue & Co. is a CPA, accredited in business valuation and Director-In-Charge of the Cincinnati Office. He has worked with leaders of small to mid-sized businesses for decades, helping them to understand the numbers and ratios that indicate the health of their businesses.

We’re introducing a series within the podcast called Advisors Unplugged. In this episode, Stephen tells us how small business leaders should choose an accountant along with some changes in the tax code entrepreneurs should know about.

PA Technologies -  Part II

Gene Harbstreit returns to discuss how he ended up as an entrepreneur rather than an employee. Find out what he has learned so far on his journey, building a business from scratch and growing it.

PA Technologies -  Part I

Gene Harbstreit often finds himself explaining what his company does to people outside of his industry. His customers have no trouble understanding PA Technologies’ value proposition.

Process Automation Systems are a niche but crucial part of a successful, modern manufacturing process. Gene Harbstreit and his partners are succeeding by consolidating a fragmented collection of design, engineering and manufacturing skills under one roof, and driving efficiency and innovation their global customers appreciate.

PA Technologies continues to expand its local headquarters and a client list that includes some of the biggest names in consumer goods and food manufacturing. Learn how someone who didn’t know what he wanted to do when he left high school ended up an engineer and successful entrepreneur.

Mella Window and Carpet Cleaning

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BJ David comes clean on the benefits he has enjoyed since striking out on his own as well as some of the stresses he manages when everyone else has gone home for the day.

BJ David’s first job out of college was with a family business -- Gold Star Chili. A decade later, he decided to leverage what he learned running fast-food restaurants to start his own business. Start up costs were less than $200.00 and BJ was the only employee. Today, Mella Window and Carpet Cleaning employs a team of 20. Listen to his reflections about what he gained by launching his own company as well as the extra stress he manages.

Steve Osborne - Part II

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Steve Osborne returns for more advice and cautionary tales for entrepreneurs. He’s a serial entrepreneur himself and shares how he survived the low points in his long business career.

Think you’re a born entrepreneur? You may be right. Steve Osborne believes some key traits for success are handed down through the genes while others can just rub off on a child who has watched her parents ride the highs and lows of running a small business. In the second of this two-part interview, learn from a valued mentor for entrepreneurs throughout greater Cincinnati. Steve Osborne serves it up straight.

Steve Osborne - Part I

Steve Osborne is a serial entrepreneur and mentor to small business owners across the region. Prepare yourself for the hard truths about working for yourself.

Many local small business leaders – especially in northern Cincinnati – credit a cup of coffee with Steve Osborne for waking them up to some harsh realities about running a small business or energizing them at a low point. In this first two-part interview, you’ll learn enough about the highs and lows of running a business for half a dozen coffee meetings. Find out why some people are compelled to start businesses, why your partner in life is important to your long-term success and the tips Steve wishes he knew the first time he tried to turn an inspiration into a business. Rob Braun conducts the interview with his friend and fellow entrepreneur. 

Carabello Coffee

Justin Carabello believes a good cup of coffee can make your day. His coffee endeavors are also making life better for kids in another part of the world.

Justin Carabello was teaching school and loving his life when a mission trip to Nicaragua took his life in a new direction. He and his wife saw an opportunity to build a business around a personal passion – coffee – while giving some of the most impoverished children in the world hope for a better future. Customers at his popular coffee shop in Newport generally have no idea the congenial owners ran a wholesale coffee business from their garage for years while teaching full-time. And most of the customers enjoying a Carabello brew after dinner at some of greater Cincinnati’s finest fine dining establishments have never heard the story of how their current warehouse and retail site almost fell through. Today, Rob Braun asks about those stories and more in an unfiltered conversation with the founder of Carabello Coffee.

Jolly Plumbing

Brady Jolly has the last laugh on anyone who doubts a second-generation owner can take a successful business to the next level.

Jolly Plumbing, in business for more than 40 years, was a household name in greater Cincinnati when Brady Jolly bought the company from his father. At age 25, he had a vision for how to protect the legacy his father had built while driving growth through untapped potential. Communicating that vision proved to be one of earliest tests of his leadership.

In the inaugural episode of How You Make It, Small Business Conversations with Rob Braun, we’re talking to Brady Jolly about what he learned growing up in the family business, what he learned about leadership once he became owner, and how he succeeded even with others doubted him.