Podcast
Startup Storytelling
Real stories from Michigan entrepreneurs navigating the mess to find success.
Sep 15, 2026
No Plan, All Parachute: How Bart Hawley Built JTV
This episode we flip the script and put JTV's Bart Hawley in the guest chair for the first time. Bart takes us back to 2000, when a portrait photographer and former radio DJ took over Jackson's government access channel and built it into JTV, now the world leader in local high school sports...
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Aug 14, 2026
From Video Production to Downtown Developer: Jake Cross of Uncharted Film Co
What happens when a video production company outgrows its space and stumbles into a real estate deal instead? In this episode, Brandon and Alex sit down with Jake to unpack the winding, hard-won journey of scaling a video business, and then taking a completely unexpected leap into property...
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Jul 8, 2026
Building an Ecosystem from the Ground Up: The Lean Rocket Lab Team
What does it really take to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem from the ground up? In this episode, the Lean Rocket Lab team comes together to pull back the curtain on the full scope of what LRL does, from its roots as a high-tech manufacturing incubator and accelerator to the co-working space...
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Apr 30, 2026
Building Brands, Breaking Molds: A Conversation with Paige of Hoyden Branding
There's a certain kind of entrepreneur who makes everything look effortless — the kind who's quietly running a full creative agency, managing a growing team, navigating the complex math of scaling a small business, and somehow still finding time to launch a podcast on the side. Paige, Owner and CEO
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Feb 26, 2026
Mixing Mission with Market: How Aaron Cole Built a Culinary Community in Jackson
In the world of startups, we're often told to focus on the "bottom line" from day one. But for Aaron Cole, the founder of DoughNation Bakery and The Melted Grill, the bottom line wasn't a number — it was a neighbor. In the latest episode of the Startup Storytelling podcast, Aaron joined us to pull b
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Jan 26, 2026
Building Momentum: When Technical Skill Meets Entrepreneurial Grit with Shane Grant
Manufacturing is the backbone of so many economies, but few people understand the intense pressure, precision, and business acumen required to run a successful modern machine shop. It's a world where success and failure are measured in microns. In Episode 4 of the Startup Storytelling by Lean Rocket
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Dec 17, 2025
The Realization of Resilience
Entrepreneurship is often glamorized as a steady climb toward success. But anyone who has actually built something from scratch knows the truth: the journey is messy, unpredictable, and often filled with profound personal challenges. At Lean Rocket Lab, we are committed to telling those real stories
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Oct 13, 2025
From Tacos to Tech to Sober(ish): The Unpredictable Journey of a Serial Entrepreneur with Kim Gamez
We're thrilled to present the second installment of Startup Storytelling by Lean Rocket Lab, the podcast that takes you inside the real, raw, and often unpredictable journeys of entrepreneurs! In this incredible Episode 2, hosts Brandon Marken and Alex Masten sit down with a bona fide serial entrepr
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Sep 19, 2025
Casting for Success: How Josh Clark Hooked the Future of Fishing with Angling AI
We're incredibly excited to announce the launch of Startup Storytelling by Lean Rocket Lab, your new go-to podcast for the raw, real, and often unpredictable journeys of entrepreneurs! In our inaugural episode, hosts Brandon Marken and Alex Masten sit down with a true innovator, Josh Clark, the visi
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