PODCAST
The creators, the risk takers, the problem solvers. The small business owners. Each with their own unique story.
Real Businesses
real Stories
My Best Business Mistake Podcast
My Best Business Mistake, where each week we will learn from a real small business owner who took what appeared to be a disastrous failure and turned it into an amazing opportunity making it the BEST Business Mistake they could have ever made! Hosted by Sue Brooke and powered by Alignable, the social referral network – where more than 6 million small business owners feel at home.
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Rebecca Beeson – Power Session Business Coach
Rebecca Beeson is a business coach who’s spent multiple decades as a successful clothing designer and entrepreneur in the fashion industry. With 25 years as a business owner and spiritual student, she combines practical know-how with transformational wisdom. Hear how to recognize your burning desire, keep your eye on the ball, set up systems and procedures early, know when to pivot, and how Rebecca hosted carnival games in her yard as a kid. Connect with Rebecca on Alignable
Natalie DeLeo – Mortgage Consultant at Mortgage Resource Plus in Eastern Michigan
Natalie DeLeo is a Mortgage Consultant who’s worked for Mortgage Resource Plus for 35 years. She started her career as a realtor and also spends time as a caregiver and event planner. Hear how to listen to your customers, drive referrals, deliver excellent customer service, focus on giving, and her friend who reinvigorated her business with hot cocoa. Connect with Natalie on Alignable
Tom Harris – Business Coach, Speaker, and Author in East Lansing
Tom Harris is an Entrepreneur Development Coach and Branding Consultant who’s been in the entrepreneurial space for over 30 years. He started his career as an employee before realizing he was going to spend his life at that desk if he didn’t make a change. Hear how to validate your offering, work on bettering yourself, why you should read a lot of books, the power of long-term business relationships, and Tom’s 12 Cultural Principles. Connect with Tom on Alignable
Sallie Wagner – Intentional Life Coaching Owner in Florida
Sallie Wagner is the Owner of Intentional Life Coaching. She’s also a licensed real estate broker, real estate instructor, and licensed attorney. Hear why you should do your own research before making a big move, how to prioritize your tasks, plan out your day the night before, treat your business like a business, and do what you love. Connect with Sallie on Alignable
Ligaya Kelly – Bouquet Canyon Kennels Owner in Southern California
Ligaya Kelly is the Owner of Bouquet Canyon Kennels in Santa Clarita, California. She moved to the property with her family in 2011, purchased the business in 2016, and hosts dozens of pets every day. Hear how her business is exploding and how she is dealing with ‘too much’ growth, what to look for when buying a business, why there’s no competition, how to teach and learn from other small business owners, break through with your marketing, and the most unique animals she’s ever taken care of. Connect with Ligaya on Alignable
Susan Sheppard – Relationship Expert and Nurse in Southern California
Susan Sheppard is a Relationship Expert, Registered Nurse, and the CEO of Getting What You Want. She has spent over 35 years in crisis intervention in emergency services and over 20 years of relationship coaching. Hear how to focus on building your business, create efficient systems, validate the market for your product or service, the business skills that translate from nursing, and her time working with Michael E. Gerber. Connect with Susan on Alignable
Robert Sidell – Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas
Robert Sidell is a Personal Injury Lawyer and the Owner of Sidell Injury Law, one of the top law firms in Las Vegas. He’s been a lawyer for 44 years and says getting laid off early in his career was one of the best things to ever happen to him. Hear how to take advantage of opportunities, keep your focus on outstanding customer service, learn from mistakes, what the future of work will look like, and how to keep doing things differently. Connect with Robert on Alignable
Kathy Anderson – Owner of Vineyard Table in Northern California
Kathy Anderson is the Owner of Vineyard Table in Sebastopol, CA. She is Sue’s sister she didn’t know she had – you’ll have to hear their story to believe it! Hear the importance of passion and drive in your entrepreneurship journey, what you can learn from your customers, how to sell more of what your customers need, what Kathy has learned from her career in retail, and how Sue and Kathy discovered each other through Ancestry.com. Connect with Kathy on Alignable
Jory Fisher – Coach and Trainer in Baltimore
Jory Fisher is a Coach, Trainer, Speaker, and Author who owns and operates Network in Action Harford County. She’s overcome multiple health challenges – including being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis – to build successful businesses, pivot from her law career, and inspire others. Hear how masterminds can help your business, the importance of business relationships, how to learn sales and marketing, lead Groups on Alignable, and create your own path. Connect with Jory on Alignable
Sue Bonzell and Ryan Perry – vLiveCast Owners in Northern California
Sue Bonzell and Ryan Perry are the Owners of vLiveCast, specializing in livestreaming virtual events. Sue is a serial entrepreneur and local radio celebrity, while Ryan is a professional video marketer. They both got their start in their respective family businesses and overcame significant challenges to succeed. Hear how to follow your passion, build your team, the benefits of a business partnership, why you need to be flexible as an entrepreneur, and how to recover from anything that’s thrown at you. Connect with Sue Bonzell and Ryan Perry on Alignable
Fran Jessee
Fran Jessee is the Owner of Longevity Spice Blends and Blooming Invitations. She got her business start in 1970 in a graphics business in Hollywood, and has learned from endless rewarding mistakes and experiences since. Hear why you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, the challenges employees can cause, why it might not be best to add a business partner, how to consistently work hard, private labeling product opportunities. Connect with Fran on Alignable.
Cherri Pedrioli – Custom Plumbing and Holistic Choices Owner in Santa Rosa
Cherri Pedrioli is a Serial Entrepreneur, Author, and Reconnecting Healing Practitioner based in Santa Rosa, California. She overcame intense loss in her personal life and frustrations at her previous jobs to build Custom Plumbing and Holistic Choices. Hear why you need to hire people to help out, trust others with your work, how to recognize when to switch things up, give back to your community, and why the relationship comes first. Connect with Cherri on Alignable
Paul Odendahl – Destination4Education CEO in Hudson Valley
Paul Odendahl is a Serial Entrepreneur who’s been in the insurance industry since 1983. After starting out in insurance sales, he left the corporate world to build several agencies and now focuses on insurance and driver education. Hear why you should prioritize improving life for others, how to give online and offline with no expectation, build relationships with a personal touch, the pros and cons of partnerships, and Paul’s entrepreneurial start at a young age. Connect with Paul on Alignable
Sue Brooke
Sue is a serial entrepreneur who brings a plethora of valuable knowledge and resources from 35+ years of working side-by-side with business and marketing influencers, starting and growing businesses, and coaching and training entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, and customer service and sales professionals. After being an Alignable member since 2015, she officially joined the team in 2020 to bring her small business experience and relationship marketing skills to the platform. Connect with Sue on Alignable.
Rhonda Giarratana – Women Entrepreneurs Network
Rhonda Giarratana is the Founder of Women Entrepreneurs Network, Sugar Me Sweet Events, and Sugar Me Sweet Natural Skin Care. She started as a crafter before creating more and more events to support women business owners and give back to good causes. Hear how to evolve your offering, the benefits of building your network, the late nights solopreneurs often work, how to host awesome virtual events, and help out others. Connect with Rhonda on Alignable Connect with Rhonda on Alignable
Al Wagner – CPA Turned TruPayroll CEO in Marco Island
Al Wagner is the President and CEO of TruPayroll, a payroll service based in Marco Island, Florida. He spent years as a CPA before starting his own accounting firm and realizing he was much more passionate about entrepreneurship. Hear why good things happen when you give, why you need help from others, how to price your service properly, when to fire clients, and why it’s not necessarily better to have more employees.  Connect with Al on Alignable
Maggie Holbik – Crystal Clear Coaching in Ontario
Maggie Holbik is a Serial Entrepreneur and Life and Business Coach at Crystal Clear Coaching. Based out of Thunder Bay, Ontario, she worked full-time as a receptionist before starting her entrepreneurship journey and never looking back. Hear why there is no such thing as mistakes, the value of building your business network, how to focus on the cash register, do the things that bring you joy, and how she thought of YouTube before YouTube. Connect with Maggie on Alignable.
Ed Fox – Serial Entrepreneur in Nashville and Wichita
Welcome to My Best Business Mistake! Hear from real small business owners who took what appeared to be a disastrous failure and turned it into an amazing opportunity. In this pilot episode, meet Host, Sue Brooke, as she interviews Ed Fox. Ed is a Serial Entrepreneur originally from Australia who owns multiple businesses in Nashville and Wichita. Hear the best mistakes that have shaped his career, how to start a business without much cash, and the importance of building relationships to fuel your success. Connect with Ed on Alignable
About Sue Brooke
Sue is a serial entrepreneur who brings a plethora of valuable knowledge and resources from 35+ years of working side-by-side with business and marketing influencers, starting and growing businesses, and coaching and training entrepreneurs, business owners, CEOs, and customer service and sales professionals.
After being an Alignable member since 2015, she officially joined the team in 2020 to bring her small business experience and relationship marketing skills to the platform. Through grassroots community organizing and member advocacy, Sue ensures that Alignable members are at the core of each and every experience here, from the stories they tell to the support they need. To highlight some of those stories of ingenuity and resilience, Sue and the Alignable team launched My Best Business Mistake in 2021. Join her as she puts the spotlight on small business owners, the creators. The risk-takers. The problem solvers. The heartbeat of our communities.
Sue Brooke
Host