Passionately Curious

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UpThink delivers the insights you need to stay ahead. We share what we're learning across thousands of campaigns so you benefit from our experience.

Season 2

Learning Through Loss: How Aaron Stokes Turned Business Disaster into Industry Dominance

Aaron Stokes, founder of ShopFix Academy — the largest coaching company in the auto industry — shares how being stolen from and left $5.5M in debt ultimately led to building an industry-leading business.

46

Min

Learning Through Loss: How Aaron Stokes Turned Business Disaster into Industry Dominance

Aaron Stokes, founder of ShopFix Academy — the largest coaching company in the auto industry — shares how being stolen from and left $5.5M in debt ultimately led to building an industry-leading business.

Show Notes

The hosts speak with Aaron Stokes, a successful entrepreneur in the automotive industry. Aaron shares his remarkable journey from humble beginnings in a trailer park to building multiple auto repair businesses and becoming the founder of ShopFix Academy, now the largest coaching company in the industry. He candidly discusses his struggles, including being stolen from in 2012 which left him $5.5 million in debt, and how he rebuilt his life and businesses without filing bankruptcy. Aaron explains how ShopFix Academy works through four key components: peer groups, video courses, one-on-one coaching, and conferences.

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Reimagining Dentistry Building Sustainable Practices and Designing a Life That Comes First with Dr. Christina Blatchford

Dr. Christina Blatchford — former dentist and founder of Blatchford Solutions — shares how she's helping dentists build profitable, patient-centered practices that support their lives instead of consuming them.

Looking Back at 2025 Preparing for 2026 and Leading Small Businesses Through Uncertainty

The UpSwell team reflects on the forces that shaped 2025 for small businesses and shares clear-eyed guidance for navigating 2026 — including tariffs, AI, and shifting consumer behavior.

Building Christmas Magic Scaling a Global Brand and Protecting Wonder at Scale with Christa Pitts

Christa Pitts, co-CEO of The Lumistella Company (home of Elf on the Shelf), shares how a family tradition became a global holiday phenomenon — self-funding the first 5,000 units and facing total industry rejection.

Building Better Podcasts Through Strategy Story and Scrappiness with Jeff Dauler

Jeff Dauler, Atlanta radio personality and podcast architect at 1022 Podcasts, shares what actually makes a podcast work and why most people are thinking about it backwards.

Revolutionizing Customer Connections with LiveSwitch

James Hatfield, CRO of LiveSwitch, shares how his platform lets businesses instantly video connect with customers via text — enabling remote estimates, AI diagnostics, and faster closing rates.

Beyond the Chair: Jake Goates on Transforming Dental Marketing

Jake Goates, founder of Goat CMO, shares his journey to becoming a fractional CMO for dental practices — using a proprietary patient-data algorithm to create actionable personas.

The Three M's of Marketing Success with Turnkey Marketing's Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg

Carrie-Lynn Rodenberg, founder of Turnkey Marketing, shares her philosophy of the 'three M's of marketing' — Market, Media, and Message — applied exclusively to auto repair shops.

Breaking Barriers in Cannabis: The Science and Strategy Behind Nine Dot Drinks

David and Crystal Spang, founders of Nine Dot Cannabis Beverages, share their eight-year journey navigating banking restrictions, social media censorship, and market skepticism to build a cannabis beverage brand.

The F1 Marketing Mindset: From Fast Cars to Financial Brands with Ondar Tarlow

Ondar Tarlow — marketing veteran with $1.7B in product volume campaigns and experience with Porsche and the LA Chargers — explores bold storytelling, data, and AI reshaping marketing.

AI-roids for Small Business: How Artificial Intelligence Levels the Marketing Playing Field

Nick Tapp, founder of Taptico AI, discusses practical AI applications for small businesses — from training ChatGPT as a business assistant to Answer Engine Optimization replacing traditional SEO.

From Longhorn to Bison: George McKerrow's 50-Year Restaurant Empire

Restaurant industry veteran George McKerrow shares his journey from founding Longhorn Steakhouse in 1981 to co-founding Ted's Montana Grill with Ted Turner — pioneering restaurant sustainability along the way.

Retention is the New Acquisition: Marketing Wisdom with Dana Farber

Dana Farber, CEO of Moonstone Marketing, shares her philosophy centered on holistic marketing and why it now takes 35-40 brand touchpoints to make a sale versus 7-10 in previous decades.

Becoming a Yes Company: How FormPiper Transforms Customer Financing

Brad Parker, founder and CEO of FormPiper, shares how his platform lets customers complete one application to access multiple lenders — boosting financing approval rates from 30% to nearly 100%.

Financial Flexibility: How EveryStreet and Apple Pie Capital Empower Business Owners

Kevin Park (EveryStreet) and Samantha Holt (Apple Pie Capital) discuss how their companies help small businesses navigate financing in uncertain economic times.

Navigating Tariffs and Economic Uncertainty: Small Business Outlook for 2025

The UpSwell team discusses their annual business sentiment survey — exploring how tariffs, inflation, and shifting consumer behavior are shaping 2025 for small business owners.

Fired Up: How Big Green Egg is Expanding Its Passionate Community

Michele Morris, Head of US Marketing for Big Green Egg, shares her strategy to expand beyond traditional demographics and how their passionate fan community drives the brand.

Friends Trucks and Enterprise: CDT Automotive partner Thomas Andrews

Thomas Andrews, partner at CDT Automotive, shares how he and his friend Mike Liles turned their passion for diesel trucks into a successful 14,500 sq ft facility with 15 bays achieving $724K in monthly sales.

Sweet Success: The Sugar Shane's Success Story

Shane Quillin, founder of Sugar Shane's, shares how he transformed from an Amazon program manager to owning a thriving cookie business in Atlanta with three locations, a franchise, and 50 employees.

Turning Negative Reviews Into Positive Opportunities

Matt Courtoy shares a seven-step approach to addressing negative online feedback effectively — turning a potential setback into an opportunity to build stronger customer relationships.

Why YouTube Ads Matter for Your Business

A quick-hit episode exploring why YouTube advertising is cost-effective, highly targeted, emotionally engaging, measurable, and offers unmatched reach for small businesses.

From Taylor to Tomorrow: A CEO's Guide to 2025

In this season finale, Annie Burch and Matt Courtoy sit down with CEO Eric Goodstadt for a candid discussion on business insights, entrepreneurship, and the outlook for 2025.

Rebranding Cannabis: The Georgia Hemp Company's Rise to Success

Joe Salome, founder of the Georgia Hemp Company, shares his journey from casual cannabis seller to legitimate hemp business owner with six corporate-owned locations across Atlanta.

Building Through Fear: Jon Butts on Risk Retail and Reinvention

Entrepreneur Jon Butts shares his journey from humble beginnings to founding two successful companies — Muscle Up Marketing (Inc 5000 x4) and Giant Sports Cards (#1 retail on 2023 Inc 5000).

The Long Game: How Greg Sands Revolutionized Auto Repair Service

Greg Sands, founder of Service Street and Mudlick Mail (now UpSwell), shares insights from his 30+ years revolutionizing the automotive repair industry.

The Power of Pilates: Revolutionizing Franchise Fitness with Kamille McCollum

Kamille McCollum, President and COO of BODYBAR Pilates, discusses her journey from pilates enthusiast to franchise leader — growing from 1 studio to nearly 50 locations.

From Pain to Profit: Alia Alston on The Evolution of Icebox Cryotherapy

Alia Alston, founder of Icebox Cryotherapy — the first brick-and-mortar cryotherapy franchise in the US — shares how she turned a personal recovery journey into a pioneering business.

Creating a Mystical Empire with Kelly Knight

Kelly Knight, founder of Modern Mystic Shoppe in Atlanta, shares her journey from marketing professional to spiritual entrepreneur — building a seven-figure retail business.

Building Success Through Connection – A Conversation with Hensley Ellefritz

Hensley Ellefritz, founder of Reboot Consulting, shares how she started her consulting business during the pandemic, leveraging experience from Equinox, Pure Barre, and Club Pilates.

From Garage Startup to $100 Million – Tim Ross' Entrepreneurial Journey

Hosts sit down with Tim Ross, founder of Mudlick Mail (now UpSwell Marketing), to explore his journey from a side project to a multi-million-dollar business.

Passionately Curious – Stories Strategies and Real Business Insights (Trailer)

In this inaugural episode, the hosts introduce the podcast and discuss its mission — rooted in UpSwell Marketing's core value of being passionately curious.

Meet Your Hosts

Smiling man with glasses and beard wearing green sweater and checkered shirt in an office setting.

Matt Courtoy

Assoc. Dir, Performance Media

Smiling woman with long brown hair wearing a black top in an office setting with blurred background.

Annie Burch

Creative Director

Man in a navy blazer and white shirt smiling with a blurred blue and gray background.

Eric Goodstadt

Chief Executive Officer.

Smiling woman with long braided hair wearing earrings, necklace, and a black blazer over a red top.

Kalynn Hicks

Content Strategist